Perfect for spicing up the blah black suit!

Tomorrow marks the start of some big vendor visits. Given the formal environment of my office, I'm sure I'll get strange looks if/when I opt out from wearing the standard black suit.

I've decided to conform on the unwritten rule requiring the black suit (at least for tomorrow, it is a Monday after all), but I've got to keep it fresh and these new red patent mary-janes are just the perfect piece to keep the look a little more me.

Le Due by Due Farina is a new brand to me, but I stumbled upon these at a killer 65% off at the perma-sample sale boutique, Treat (in Alexandria). Super comfy, no toe cleavage to be concerned with, and just the perfect shade of red. Not to mention, the shopping experience was so fun and I really think that the concept behind this store tempts me to someday open up something similar back home.

A new favorite designer: Heidi Merrick

I'm not sure how I even stumbled upon these designs, but I'm loving Heidi Merrick's style.

I think I was googling sewing patterns for my sister and just came across Heidi's "About Me" section that mentions how her mother used to sew all her clothes. Is a sewing machine in my future? I haven't touched one since I was maybe 9 years old?--well, except for that 1 long afternoon last year where I decided to make a beach bag from scratch, and then proceeded to add some swarovski flair. Ay, what was I thinking? I finished it after like 10 hours of labor.

Classy, chic, with a great talent for just a little ooompf to make it unique. Her pieces are in the $300-400+ range, so it's not as budget-friendly as our one-income household would like...but rest assured that you won't step into a crowded theatre, restaurant, or bar and find 5 sorority girls or MDALs wearing the same thing. And no, waiting the season out in hopes for a killer deal at Nordstrom Rack isn't going to help you either. A handful of boutiques carry her line, including Pink November (which shooed Summer and I out of there last weekend in a not so nice manner, a simple No dogs allowed would have been sufficient) in Georgetown.

I can't really justify anymore dresses, let alone another black dress. I need Spring to hurry up because the grey & black dresses are starting to take over my entire closet.

But man do I lurve these dresses/coats, a girl can dream right?

**Thanks to LadyLicorice.com, I found this out: "*Heidi Merrick discount: get 10% off your purchase when you contact Yolanda by phone (323-717-2153) or email (sales@heidimerrick.com) before placing your order" and/or order via Le Train Bleu using DAILYCANDY for 25% off!

Keeping the boot hunt exciting

I figured why not throw another set of boots into the mix. So once they all arrive, I can really treat it like a cutthroat try-outs session. Kinda like when 2 girls from our Freshmen class didn't make it onto the tennis team, and they just hung out for too long and didn't really get it? Like, goodbye try again next season.

I'm going to have to do the same with these 4 pairs. Pick one, two maybe at most. The rest of you are cut! It's 2 LR vs the 2 Delmans, stay tuned! UPS has some special deliveries coming on Monday :)

Is it bad that I just want the weekend to be over so I can compare all the boots?

Here's the last contender: (yay to ActiveEndeavors for the coupon code!)

Love this look

I think this JCrew cardi is a little thin for my liking, but I'm addicted to ruffles! (can you tell yet?)

Whatcha doing next Tuesday?

That's what I thought...Head over to Beauty Fixx '07 for a night of ::you guessed it:: drinking and shopping, and even a little pampering :)

Complimentary cocktails and chocolates! Mmmm, how can you say no to that?

Love Rocks Boutique will be featuring their clothing and accessories, and there will be $15 mini facials, $10 mini manicures, $15 scalp massages & blowdries, as well as PR accessories and products (love the lip gloss!).
Make sure you RSVP to BonnieLove@PRScene.com if you plan to attend! (That way they can save a goody bag for you)

It's the season of giving...

Boots dilemma

A scary glimpse (if you're my husband or any male on this planet for that matter) into my inner monologue as I ride the metro to work on a not-so-cold Monday morning:

This is what I call a boot dilemma.
There once was a pair of foxy boots:
That I fell in lurve with a long long time ago (think months and months...that's a long time for someone with Erg-DNA).

But to resist the evil lemming (and save the wallet from torture), and because I couldn't get my hands on them to even try them on, I settled upon these (still quality, and probably a more "useful" color):

and these

So while the Delman Dharmas that I scored on 2 separate awesome sale occasions (Shoes.com's 25% off back in September and Bloomies 40% off a few weeks ago) are sitting in my closet *unworn* at the awesome find of a 2-for-1 price...I think I rather have the Loeffler Randalls up top. Hmmm, the thing is I don't need 2 pairs of "Robin Hood" boots (as Jeremy would say) in my life. Though I did justify the first 2 pairs: 1 for inclement weather (the goatskin Delmans) and 1 for sunny fall/spring (suede Delmans) weather.

So what does an Erg do? Well, the LR are sold out everywhere, unless you are a size 9 and want them in black (then hit up the Purse Store in Bethesda). These rarely go on sale (supply and demand, duh) and they just came up for presale in my size in that awesome tan color at Neimans, so my finger slipped on the order and hit submit. I'm hoping they arrive sooner than later, but expected ship date is "no later than January 20, 2008". Happy new year feet!

Let's hope they don't actually fit :P and all can stay as originally planned with just 1 pair of Delmans in my closet (but then which ones would I send back?). I'm actually scared because I read that the LR run about a half size small, so I should've sized up (but I couldn't in this color, wah!). I'll bind my feet if I have to! But then, what if the LR are the perfect fit? Well then, I'll need to keep at least one pair of the Delmans to round out my flat boot wardrobe right?

Moral of the story, never settle. Why? Well, I should've bought that pink tank ring at Cartier in Paris back in December of 2003 but I didn't and now it's discontinued and sold out and I would've need it custom ordered to my size...and the sales lady offered but she was a snoot and ::sigh:: I never got it.

Stay tuned for the boot dilemma follow-up...

Candles!

So while I told Summy we were headed out for a short Saturday afternoon stroll to upper Gtown, we were really going to Sugar to fill our void of the Grapefruit scented Makes Scents candle. Mmmmm, really love this candle. And oddly enough, so does the Mr.

But that reminds me that I've found another great scent, it's season but still so yummy! Slatkin & Co (I found this one at Cusp, but also sold at Saks and Neimans) has a Holiday scent out and it's just the perfect blend of pine, with spice, and you can almost imagine a holiday pie baking in the background. It definitely brings together all things tied to Christmas in a scent and I highly recommend this one!


Next weekend, I'll probably have Summy in tow to get a backup Holiday candle (at Cusp, gotta peruse the replenished sale rack too) in case we run out before December is up.

Head over to Gtown!

Our adventures

Last night we went to Avenue Q at the National Theatre. Love, love , love every song and the whole show just rocked. Such talent!We also splurged a teeny bit (Jeremy's only study break from the hell that is law school finals) and got some nice seats :) I'm such a needy person that I don't think movies cut it in my life, but shows like this...really really rock!