Boots! Boots! Boots!!

I don't know about you, but I LOVE autumn just so I can bust out my fave boots to wear with jeans! I'm getting so excited about the fact that the past 2 days felt more like Winnie the Pooh's "Blustery Day" than it did summer....because it means I am just that much closer to getting to wear my boots again!

And, speaking of boots....I'm in the market for some new ones this season. My pointy-toed stilettos need to be replaced after many good years on my stinky feet! I have 2 pairs by BCBG -- they are identical, only one pair is black & the other is dark brown. They are that stretchy faux leather, very plain, very high, & very pointy (translation: you would not want a job working on your feet all day if you had to wear these puppies, but since I sit in an office, I'm good to go!). Anyhow, let's just say they have seen better days. I could take them into a shoe repair for a tune-up, but let's face it: they are Pleather. *sigh*

I landed myself in a local Marshall's store last night, expecting to find nothing. Ironically, found several pairs of cute boots. My budget could not afford them all, thankfully, due to the lack of real estate in my closet, but I did grab up 2 pairs for a steal! The dressier pair is by Etienne Aigner (spelling?), black, faux leather (again), about a 3 inch skinny heel (easier on the spine), zip up the side & a small buckle around the ankle area -- for only $39.99. Nice. The second pair is a chocolate brown suede flat boot by BORN. I have the same pair in black leather that I got last Christmas and love, love, love them! They have gummy soles & make you feel like you are walking in slippers! They zip up the side & look great with jeans or tights & a mini-skirt. These were on clearance for $90, which is a far cry from what they would normally retail for at Nordstrom. Yippee! Autumn weather, here I come!!! There were a few other nice pairs by various designers, including more from BORN, so I urge you to get in there & try some on.

Now, I know the next thing I am going to hear is from Dianna, who is going to want me to post pix.....so, if you see some attached to this message, yay me....if not, sorry! (I'm not at home at the moment to add photos, but I will try. *wink*)

Get your boot-loving self over to Marshall's if you need some new ones. I am guessing their Mega-Shoe Shop in Glendale might even have more goodies....but I am out of cash so I can't go & scope it our for you all. I emptied my wallet in Burbank last night -- but it was worth it! I'm totally "shamelessly shopportunistic" and proud of it.

Happy Shopping!

Household Project Revealed -- at last!

I posted earlier in summer about the fact that we decided to re-do our den at home...a perfectly lovely room that we wanted to improve upon. We started from scratch this time by removing ALL the old stuff & completely re-painting the room. For those that had not seen the room before, picture gingerbread colored walls, dark brown trim, a huge desk, dark red arm chair, armoire for hiding computer components, lots of black framed photos on the walls, a large (and comfy) dark brown suede futon, and tons of warm & dark colors all around. It was super cozy....but honestly, the furniture was from our old house & it was much too large for that room. It was time to improve it all!

Friends would say we were crazy -- after all, the room was perfectly lovely as it was, but Mike & I just knew we could do better (or we hoped that we could). We also love to decorate and let's face it, after nearly 4 wonderful years in this home, we did all we could, ran out of projects & we end up re-doing things that don't need to be touched. At any rate, we went with a completely different look and lighter color palette. I must say, the results are far better than we anticipated & while I am no pro photographer, I am including some pix at the behest of my BFF, Dianna, so you can all see the new room. Someday, maybe I can dig up old photos so you have a good "before & after" comparison. :)

The futon was donated to a good friend who had just purchased her first home & we think it looks FAB in her place. Apparently, she's enjoying it immensely, which makes us smile to no end. Most of the other furniture pieces were sold off at a recent yard sale or donated to charity. The armoire, which Mike built, got a reprieve & managed to remain in the room since it's a wonderful piece with lots of storage space for the unsightly necessities. I miss our old red arm-chair...complete with Crayola markings on the side from our beloved God-daughter, Cailey, who saw fit to leave her mark as a toddler. *sigh* But, the new chair, affectionately named "Edith" is a wonderful new addition(think of the old All in the Family TV series & how Archie had the big comfy chair, while Edith was forced to relax in a smaller, less plush chair) -- our Edith is pretty comfy though, I must admit! (Thank you Home Goods!!!!) We still intend to find a worthy home for the former area rug, a real beauty if you happen to know any interested parties. *wink*

Anyhow, I ramble on....here are the pix! Let me know what you think.

P.S. - I did not include a shot of the new, smaller desk since there were still some electrical cord issues that were not resolved at the time of my lame photo-shoot.

Happy Shopping!!

Extra 50% Off! What's not to like??

Hit up your local OLD NAVY if you need casual clothing at a huge savings! All the clearance merchandise (and there is a LOT of it) is on sale for an EXTRA 50% off! I went yesterday & scored several items for under $40 total, including steep So-Cal sales tax. I bought a pair of fold-over waist yoga pants for $3.99, tunic t-shirt dresses for about $4.50 each (got 2 of those) and much more!

I'm not sure how long this special sale lasts, so I would suggest you get there soon while the getting is good! At these prices, stuff is sure to fly off the shelves fast.

I might go back and stock up early for future holiday gifts. If you have children, it's probably a good time to get them some cute stuff at low prices, too. I was so busy with the stuff in my size range, I never made it to the kids' or mens'. Ooops! Old Navy rocks!!!

Happy Shopping!

If you have class with a "C" and not a "K".....

For those that know me, you know I seldom hit up a museum, despite living in LA and having many wonderful ones virtually on my doorstep.....I always get in trouble at museums. I get too close to the art because I want to inspect the details & apparently, I set off silent alarms & panic security guards as I go. Not cool. My brother & I nearly got kicked out of the Getty because of such "behavior". I did not realize you could not get up close & personal....and, we were not touching anything -- what's the harm? Needless to say, I don't go to museums often. I think security is happier that way. ha ha!! I'm sorta "K"lassy when it comes to museums -- I am better off sticking to malls & home improvement stores, thanks.

Anyhow, for those of you that are Classy (& cultured), I found out that 22 So-Cal museums are doing a freebie soon....a "Free for All" if you will. Here is the skinny:

Museums Free for All
22 Los Angeles and Orange County Museums
Free Admission Days: October 3 and/or October 4, 2009

The following 22 museums — - - presenting art, cultural heritage, natural history, and science - - — will all open their doors wide & invite visitors free of charge for general admission. Here's the list!

Participating Museums:
* Armory Center for the Arts - Both Days
* Bowers Museum - Sunday, October 4th Only
* California African American Museum - Both Days
* California Heritage Museum - Saturday, October 3rd Only
* California Science Center - Both Days
* Craft and Folk Art Museum - Both Days
* Fowler Museum at UCLA - Both Days
* The Getty Center - Both Days- Timed tickets required
* The Getty Villa**- Both Days- Timed Tickets required
* The Grammy Museum at L.A. Live - Sunday, October 4th Only
* Hammer Museum at UCLA - Sunday, October 4th Only
* Japanese American National Museum - Saturday, October 3rd Only
* The Museum of Contemporary Art,
* Los Angeles (MOCA) - Sunday, October 4th Only
* Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA) - Both Days
* Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County - Sunday October 4th Only
* Norton Simon Museum - Sunday, October 4th Only
* Orance County Center for Contemporary Art - Both Days
* Orange County Museum of Art - Both Days
* The Paley Center for Media - Both Days
* Santa Monica Museum of Art - Saturday, October 3rd Only
* Skirball Cultural Center - Sunday, October 4th Only
* The Studio for Southern California History - Saturday, October 3rd Only

I'm sure all these places have great gift shops to, therefore allowing me to say have fun, but also: HAPPY SHOPPING!

Moisturizer I Love!

MD FORTE Moisture Replenish Cream is my new best friend! I have been using it now for 4-5 months and I think I FINALLY found the fountain of youth!!! And, an added perk: something that does not irritate my sometimes sensitive skin. I paid around $39 for a 2 ounce jar and it's well worth it (I see it for $35 now on Drugstore.com). I have only used maybe half of the container in my 4-5 months of ownership & I use it daily. A little goes a long way. I have noticed that the fine "tissue paper" skin of my aging neck and under-eye area have improved immensely. For that alone, it's worth it. I mean, who wants make-up "gathering" in those tiny wrinkles or looking cakey? Not I! I cannot turn back time, but if I can slow it down a little as it pertains to the effects on my skin, I'm a happy girl!

I cannot sing its praises enough, I really can't! MD FORTE rocks.....now, I intend to investigate some of their other products. I'm just SO pleased with this moisturizer!! It's free of a lot of the "icky" things most creams are chocked full of. It keeps my skin feeling & looking hydrated but without turning me into a grease-pit. My make-up stays pretty fresh looking now (all day) so that means less touch-ups. Nice. It also happens to be the dermatologist moisturizer of choice for those of us that use Retinol for the control of adult acne (which was how I discovered it, but thankfully, I am off the Retinol now).

Anyhow, do your face a favor -- toss your old moisturizer & buy a jar of MD FORTE....if you don't like it, let me know & I will buy it off of you! How's that for a money-back guarantee?? What have you got to lose? ....except for a few wrinkles, perhaps? :)

Happy Shopping!

Potpourri

Just a quick note:

All clearance merchandise at Loehmann's (with a yellow sticker) is presently an extra 40% off. You can score some great deals if you are willing to dig through the endless racks of merchandise. There were tons of cute kids' clothes, as well as "grown up" clothes on these racks, so I highly recommend it to all! (I went to the Burbank, CA location) Keep in mind, this extra 40% off can be found on more than just clothing, so check out accessories, shoes & handbags, too. There was a ton of new premium denim, but I behaved & steered clear...this time.

Old Navy is in the final moments of 40% off kids' clearance merchandise for back-to-school. I'm sure those of you with wee-ones can find something great on the cheap!

My sister, Marla, spotted some great deals on sweater dresses at Ross of all places. Good brands, too, like BCBG and Max Studio. I hope it's not too late...she visited the Burbank store on Monday & today is already Wednesday. I think I need to pop in on my way to the gym tonight! I heart sweater dresses!!

Target in Burbank is remodeling or re-arranging the interior of the store. It's quite the big mess -- or at least it was when I was there last Friday night spending some of my b-day gift cards (thanks, friends!!!). There are a lot of cute clothes & it seems as if they are trying to ramp it up a notch with added style (both in the clothing & the overall appearance of the department). There are loads of items on the clearance racks if you don't mind digging a little. I got a great Converse t-shirt dress for $6.47. It's way comfy & dare I say it, a little sexy according to my Mikey. *wink* Turning on the old man for under $7...who can beat that? At any rate, if you don't like disorder when you shop, you may want to wait a week or so until the remodel is complete at this Target location. Oh, and let's not forget the Mossimo "boyfriend" tee's! They are v-neck with a tiny pocket, super soft, super comfy & super cheap at only $8 each (but scored a few last week on sale for $6 each). I have purple, olive & white....now, I just need to find some other colors like navy blue & black!

Express has a sweepstakes going on now for a $250 prize. Become a fan of Express on Facebook & enter today! I know I did!! I'd love to have $250 to spend at my local Express store, that's for sure.

Wasteland is opening a location in Burbank soon in the "Burbank Village" (for us old folks, translation: Golden Mall). It's going to be near Noah's Bagels & across the street from Urban Outfitters. If you shop on Melrose, or if you ever have, you are probably familiar with Wasteland. It should be a fun addition to the area.

That's all for now!
HAPPY SHOPPING!!

Got Tools?

This weekend only....hit your local OSH for 25% off select Craftsman power tools AND, the added perk of NO sales tax on anything you buy at their stores all weekend! If you are into home improvement projects as much as we are, then you know this is a deal not to be missed. What could be better than 25% off that compound sliding miter saw you have had your eye on, plus no sales tax? In Southern California, sales tax is pushing the 10% range, so it's like getting 35% off!

Girls, tell your men.....but, if you are like me, you use the power tools yourself, too! (No, they don't come in pink)

Happy Shopping!