memorial day weekend shopping!

Hi everyone!

Big sales abounding this weekend leading up to Memorial Day!

J.Crew has their tiered SHOPNOW promo, with is nice paired with the $5 flat-fee shipping they're offering for a couple weeks. It's also great that there is no final sale jeopardy happening. A few of my favorites:

Ratti Regatta Tank - Review here

Linen Tippi in Whale - I haven't done a review of this one, but I really love it. I went with my normal size small, so it's running TTS. A tad sheer, but not terribly so. I wore it the other day with my green gingham perfect shirt and it was very cute!

Golden Charm Bracelet - Review here

Seville Wedge Espadrilles (green is in the sale section)  I haven't reviewed this year's Seville, but have the navy in my true 8.5 size. No need to size up (and I'm usually a sizer-upper at J.Crew). I love these shoes -- super comfortable.

Barbados Dress - Review here

Maritime Blazer in Stripe -- I was late to the party on this one, but I find myself wearing it all the time.

J.Crew Factory is offering 40% off online (prices as marked, so you can stack your 10-15% off coupon if you have one), and 50% of the entire store IN store, and like the last promo they did like this, I'm guessing the stores will be total insanity. Especially since they have their new inventory. If you want to call to order something from in store and see if they'll apply it, I'd do it today early! Favorites:

Jersey Foldover Maxi Skirt  - review here

Cora Dress -- I wore this the other day for my son's graduation and it was cute and very comfortable -- review here)

Stripe Linen-Cotton Sundress -- I have last year's retail version of this and it's one of my favorite dresses.

Floral Embroidered Sundress review, love it in both colors, TTS.

Anthropologie is offering free shipping with code  LONGWEEKEND. Some of new arrival favorites:

Sunglow Stripes Dress -- Love the shape and colors.

Lace and Linen Shift -- Sort of a Jules dress, but I love the linen, lace, and black.

Sophie Dress -- Pretty and classic shape.

Embroidered Aster Pullover -- I'm always sucked into these delicate pieces.

City and Sky Loungers -- I get a pair of these fun printed  loungers each year, love them!

Margarita Sandals -- These are so great for a neutral. I have Boden's calf hair sandals from last year and they were my go-to pair for the summer - they go with everything.

Piper Clogs -- Similar to Kork-Ease sandals, nice low heel. I've had good luck with S&S brand.

Landmark Ring Dish - Would be adorable to have the whole collection for rings!

iPhone Charger -- You guys know my love for this -- review here.

Madewell is offering 20% off tees, tanks and shorts, and free shipping with code SUMMERNOW. Favorites:

Linen Sleeveless Tee

Linen Tropical Love Tee

Linen V-neck Tee

In the sale section, love the Keds Eyelet, the Buckle Sandal, Holepunch Sidewalk Skimmer, the Archive Boot.

The Gap brand stores all are offering promos of course as well. Gap has 20% off with code GAPGIFT and Old Navy has 15-20% off with ONSUMMER. I wanted to mention one dress at Banana that I just tried on and loved, the Textured Colorblock Sheath. It was TTS and comfortable and flattering. Love a good navy/green combo! They are offering 35% off with code BRDIVEIN.

Will you be venturing out this weekend? Happy shopping everyone!

little graduate.

Hello everyone!

My little guy graduated preschool last night -- where does the time go? Sure, it's a small little event in a lifetime, but it's really his first "official" ceremony of any kind, and it felt a bit momentous for his mommy and daddy.

The school put on a great little show in the auditorium, with lots of songs, and I can't tell you how wonderful and uplifting it is to hear those innocent little voices, singing at the top of their lungs, while also signing (multi-tasking already!), with smiles as big as anything. Seemed a bit silly, but a lot of us moms had tears in our eyes, both because of the moment, but also because we know how fleeting and precious is this innocence.

My mom came down for the big event, and presented him with his very own first trophy, engraved with his name, school and date, and he waved it over his head like he won the gold in the Olympics.

With all the heartwrenching times our country and world has seen recently, it did my heart good to see all the hope and wonder presented through a small group of five-year-olds.

j.crew promo and reviews: terry tee in anchor, ratti regatta tank, scalloped dress.

Hi everyone!

Remember me? Sticking my head out of the bevy of boxes for a few minutes to share a few new rollout pics from la Crew. While I wasn't overwhelmed with excitement, I felt there were some nice basics, with a few cute items that stood out for me.  Online this morning there are new arrivals, so I'll be off to peruse those and be back with some favorite picks!

They are also offering a new tiered promo with code SHOPNOW: $30 off $150 of more (before taxes), $50 off $200, $75 off $250 both online and in stores. Also, they're offering $5 flat-rate shipping through June 18 (U.S. only)! 

I'm one of those people that digs the entire anchor/sailboat thing, no mater how literal, so I veered straight for the Lightweight Terry Tee in Anchor.  I sort of love/hated the floral print of it at first, and after trying it on and thinking it over, I decided it was cute. Could you find a version of this at F21? Yes, probably. I tried on the small and liked that fit. An XS would likely be fine on me at first, but any shrinkage in the wash would do it in. p.s. I wouldn't wear it with khakis, as seen below, which made me look and feel frumpy mcschlumperson.

The Ratti Regatta print feels  IS very old-school J.Crew to me (summer '06!), which is why I was drawn to it. I know they are offering it in shorts (4" means too short for me) and capris (too much print for me), but I prefer this light cotton tank (same as the kiwi print that came out earlier). It's just something that's easily thrown on without much thought. It's priced high, but the promo could help offset that if you're buying more I suppose. I went with the same 4 I wore in the kiwi print, and that was a nice and easy fit. I could probably go down to a 2, but in the summer I want looser. So I'd say TTS to slightly big. You need a racerback bra for this one. Love the bright colors!  Ooh, just noticed in new arrivals it's been made into swimsuits and a heel!

The Scalloped Dress isn't new, and is actually in the sale section for $130 before the extra 30% off. But it's down to popbacks online, so I wanted to try it out before they were gone. They only had a 2 and a 6, so I tried the 2 and that was actually the right fit for me. So it runs big, and the armholes are low, but not too low. It also is definitely on the short side, so not really work appropriate. Fun for an event or night out though.  I think the dress is quite chic and sleek. I love the papaya color, but it would be great in navy or yellow as well.

Now that it's online, I have a name for the Roller Girl dress that I reviewed here, in case you're interested.

What do you think of these pieces?  What are your favorites of the rollout so far?

Have a great day!

haircut heaven.

Hi everyone!

I'm sad that my blogging has had to be put on a back burner for these last weeks leading up to the move, but I know you'll all forgive me! I'll be back into the swing of things soon I hope. :)

Another thing that tends to get put on the back burner during hectic and stressful times is beauty regimen. At least for me. My hair had gotten crazily long and raggedy, with highlight roots showing and all. Too long to be able to dry fully every day and also get my son to school in time, so I found myself putting it up in a lot of half-dried buns. Ick. While really nobody cares but me, it needed seeing-to, especially before I move far away from my amazing dear stylist.

So I booked it, and now that I'm home, I'm still amazed at what a good hair cut (and color) will do for your whole being. I feel prettier, thinner, less mommy, more me. Miraculous!

I went in with these inspirational pictures:

And came out with this fun asymmetrical bob with full bangs. I did something similar previously, and loved it, but this time wanted it to be a bit longer.

Hooray, a million pounds of hair gone, and I'm like a new woman. I'm a person that gets bored with hair and likes to change it up. I'll do the angular bob and bangs for a bit, then suddenly I'll be ready for long wavy locks and side-swept bangs.

Are you someone that sticks with tried and true, or do you go hogwild, chopping willy-nilly?

kate spade surprise sale!

Hi everyone!

If you didn't see yesterday, Pink Peonies offered an exclusive 20% off code for J.Crew that works sitewide (and stacks with the 20% off dress promo).

This morning, lovely Kate Spade is offering one of those great surprise sales. Definitely get on the email list if you aren't already, and you'll get early email warning. :)

All Aboard Ship Clutch -- I would totally get this if I was going on a cruise. I would. (Nansea, if you're reading, you need this!!)

Southport Avenue Alessa -- Good solid bag with the short handle and long strap options, always nice.

Pool Party Clutch -- I die every time I see this, it's so fun and hilarious. If I had a pool, I would have a pool party so I could walk around with it.

Pride and Prejudice Book Clutch -- Eeps, this is the one I've been waiting for ages to go to sale!

Plaza Athenee Collar Necklace -- The collar trend may wane out, but I still think it's really pretty and fun for the holidays.

Match Point Tennis Bracelet -- This is why I love Kate Spade. Tennis bracelet *snort*.

Wild One Armadillo Studs -- Armadillos in your ears are awesome, no?

Delacorte Bangle (first time watches have been in the sale I think?)  I love this.

Will you be shopping this surprise sale?

Have a great day!

j.crew reviews: tippi in graphic floral and button-front dress in roller girl.

Hi everyone!

As I'm sure you can tell by my sporadic posting, it's getting down to the wire with wrapping up both school and house stuff here. I'll do my best to post as much as I can, but it's going to probably be with less bells and whistles. :)

Below is the Merino Tippi in Graphic Floral in a size small. This one isn't for me, but I know a lot of JCAs are fans. This year is actually a cold spring, so the merino would work right now, but usually we in the Midwest go from winter straight into a humid summer. A short sleeve might have made more sense. I thought it ran TTS to slightly big.

I also tried on and liked the Button-Front Dress in Roller Girl. that seems to be retail-only for now. This is a size 4 and it just fit -- no sizing down on this one. I thought it was nicely structured in a heavy cotton, and it was flattering. The armholes were in the right spot, not too low. Pockets! Not too terribly short, but I don't mind bit of leg with the modest neckline. ETA: J.Crew has a 20% off dresses promo going on right now, and you can stack a 20% off sitewide code (BLOOM) on top of that (thanks to pink peonies for the code!).

What do you think of these two? Have a wonderful day!

happy mother's day!

Happy Mother's Day everyone!

I'm enjoying a wonderful day with my little guy and DH, but wanted to take a moment to wish you all a lovely day. Oh, and to share some of my favorite mom-related pins. :)