High end accent mirror for $20!

Don't forget to enter to win a $35 gift card from CSN Stores!

This weekend I went to Target for mundane things and left with a cart full of items that I wasn't planning to buy.  This happens to me a lot.  Some of the items (like jeggings, which are NOT for me) went back to the store today but I was thrilled to pick up two of these mirrors for $20 each:

They are 17" across, and look similar to some $99 versions I've seen online.  I think they would look great on either side of a bed, above a night table and lamp or hung in a row on an accent wall.  Here's a mood board I whipped up that shows what I'd like to do with my mirrors one day.

 

Alternately, you could spray paint the mirror with high gloss paint and get a fun, lacquered look.  I may spray mine silver if I don't put them in my bedroom.

$35 Gift Card Giveaway from CSN Stores!

This week I’m really excited to announce another $35 gift card giveaway sponsored by the awesome team at CSN Stores!  If you’re not familiar, CSN has a huge network of stores that sell pretty much everything you can think of.  I’m currently in the market for a desk, so I’d use the gift card to check out all the great office furniture they have right now – including iconic pieces designed by Charles and Ray Eames and the classic parson’s desk.  The gift card can be used at any of the 200+ stores in the CSN network, although it doesn’t apply to shipping charges.

 

Be sure and check out all they have to offer!  Here’s how to enter:

·      Leave a comment on this post by midnight Central time on Friday, February 11.  You don’t have to create any sort of account to leave a comment, just select Name/Url from the dropdown or Anonymous and be sure to include your email address so I can contact you

·      For an extra entry, link to something you’d buy with your CSN gift card!

This contest is open to US and Canadian residents only, as CSN doesn’t ship internationally.  Good luck!

This jewelry is bananas!

If I ever get to meet the Banana Republic jewelry buyer, I will buy her a cocktail and follow her blog (if she has one) and give her a hug.  I don't think I've ever liked the tone of an accessories line more than I do the BR collections this year.  I'm calling the look edgy art deco, and I want it all... once it gets marked down of course.

And I'm not kidding about the markdowns.  Go on a sale weekend and dig through the box of clearance accessories - you just might get lucky.  I got this bracelet for $9.81 on Saturday!

Check back next week for another gift card giveaway from CSN Stores!

Don't taunt me...

If you haven't heard, we are on our third ice day in Dallas.  Temperatures less than 20 degrees are colder than anything I've felt before and I am not a fan.  I've been wearing sweats and furry slippers since Monday, which made today's Lands End Canvas catalog laughable.  And then sad, because at this point I want nothing more than to wear shoes and clothes like these...

This year's spring arrivals are pretty preppy, and I'd love to try those navy espadrilles with the chambray dress.  Is anyone else longing for warm weather as much as me?

Closet Cleaning - Take 2

Lately I've been gathering inspiration photos of wonderful closets and wishing that mine looked like these:

Unfortunately, reality dictates that I share a closet with my husband and it's not even a walk in.   We're lucky to have a nice closet organizer that maximizes the space, but I've got to learn how to make do with less.  I have gone from a large walk in to myself, to half of this space:

I purged a huge bin of clothes that I hadn't worn in 2010 and was left with... a ton of knitwear.  I'm embarrassed at how much of my wardrobe is casual.  This exercise made me realize what's missing from my wardrobe: blouses.

Next on the agenda is a trip to TJ Maxx and Nordstrom Rack in search of pieces like these that will raise my cardigans up a notch and pair well with my work trousers.

Have you taken a good long look at your closet, lately? 

Check out my guest post on Styled By Night

Today I am the featured guest blogger for the super stylish, soon to be mommy Jenna over at Styled by Night.  Her blog aims to provide outfit ideas and deals for those who dress modestly, which is a concept I can definitely get behind.  Check out the post and see my selection of date outfits for Valentine's Day.

My Unknown Talent: DIY Bridal Headpiece

This weekend my sister came to visit me and shop for accessories for her wedding next month.  We went to browse at some of the local bridal shops, but the prices for basic hair pieces made of rhinestones and maribou feathers topped $90.  Ridiculous, we said.  We decided to buy the pieces needed to make our own version.  We figured my sister would be out $15 max if it didn't work out, and we found the perfect supplies at Sam Moon and the wedding aisle of Hobby Lobby.

A $13 pearl and rhinestone brooch from Sam Moon plus a white silk flower hair pin and white feathers from Hobby Lobby turned into this after 5 minutes with a hot glue gun and scissors.

I wish now that I'd taken photos step by step, but if you're interested in making your own here is what I did:

• Pull the center petals out of a large flower hair comb ($2.50 at Hobby Lobby) so that only the large petals remain around the outside
• Take two "feather picks" from the silk flower section of a craft store (99 cents each at Hobby Lobby) and clip off the wire stems, then use hot glue to attach them to the center of the hair flower
• Finally, attach the rhinestone brooch over where you glued the feathers, making sure the pin is fastened to the middle of the flower so it doesn't weigh the petals down

Everyone who has seen this says I should make more and sell them on Etsy, but I'm not sure how much to charge or if people will actually buy them.  Each one costs about $15 to make if I use that exact brooch and takes me less than 20 minutes.  Should I be all entrepreneurial and open a shop?