Only boys who save their pennies....

make my rainy day.  Well it's not raining today but it is cloudy here in Boston.  It's been a few days but I'm back folks.  It's hard making the time everyday to post.  Lie.  Big lie.  Just lazy. 

Anyway, I decided to write about materialism today.  So here we go. 

Materialism as defined by dictionary.com: preoccupation with or emphasis on material objects, comforts, and considerations, with a disinterest in or rejection of spiritual, intellectual, or cultural values. Ouch.

So let me get this straight, because I am materialistic I pretty much stink at life?

Materialism as defined by me:  a love of nice things; often times things that I cannot afford so I don't buy them or I use my powers of persuasion to convince my hubby to buy them. An interest and involvement  with my own spiritual and intellectual development and an acceptance of some but not all cultural values. 

Basically I know what is important to me - the things in life that really do matter - to me anyway. Family. Health. Friends. Education. Physical Fitness. Work (on a good day). Hot Dogs. Cheese.

There is nothing wrong with wanting nice things especially when you are willing to work hard to attain them (or ask your hubby to work hard) as long as you have your priorities straight and remain true to yourself and your beliefs and values.  Balance. Life is all about balance.  You can have nice things (be materialistic) and still know what is truly important in life. It's when you become preoccupied with material items you run into trouble.  Blah blah blah.  

So with that being said, here is what I currently have on my Nordstrom wishlist (and yes I accidentally leave it up on the computer every now and then for my husband to see).  Genius. 

Let's start with my true love. Kate Spade.  Hi Kate!

hello Idiom thin bangle & Westchester Lolie

My other love or maybe crush (don't want Kate to think I'm cheating).  Tory Burch.  Hello lovely.  You. Make. Me. Smile.  Your Prices.  Make. Me. Frown.

howdy Tache print scarf & Skinny logo belt

good day Burlap Stripe shopper & Lidia polo

Shouldn't all retailers have wishlist options on their websites? I'm unsure of the answer to this question but what I am sure of is what I will be purchasing  before March 18th.  Yes, by March 18th because that is when triple points end.  If you have a Nordstrom cc head to the store. Now.  From March 14th - 18th you get triple points on every item you purchase.  Get moving. 

Back to what I am sure will be in my closet by the end o' the day March 18th.

 

hi. hello. howdy. 

Milly printed shorts & Sperry Top Sider boat shoe.

Some other pretty little items on my wishlist.

hey buddies. Report Eline flat & Eliza J maxi dress

                            Ralph Lauren Cardigan         DVF Abby flat           Dooney & Bourke Editors Tote

                                                                    Lauren by Ralph Lauren Anchor Buckle Belt

                                           Burberry Brit Check Trim tee        Entier Atelier Francoise blouse

It's 2012 folks and we are living in a material world and I am a material girl.  Woof.

These Shoes Were Made for Walkin'

So I hate buying shoes. I actually find shoe shopping quite torturous.  In fact, I would rather go bikini shopping when I am 40 pounds overweight.  I will admit though my hatred has slightly diminished since I purchased my first pair of TOMS about three months ago.  I'm now on my 3rd pair.  Hooked - yes.  I'm so in love that I sent an email to a bunch of my friends asking them if they would be interested in a  Style your Sole Party.  Check  out  the TOMS website for more info on that one. Too lazy to write about it.  He haw. Anyway, the best way for me to describe these kicks -casual, simple, comfy.  They work nicely with a majority of the clothes in my closet and they have that nautical (clearly my favorite word) summery feel, which I'm all about at the moment. 


Aside from being amazingly comfortable the greatest thing about purchasing a pair of TOMS is the company's One for One program. For each pair of TOMS you purchase the company gives one pair to a child in need.  Brilliant.  


Here are some of my fav TOMS...

 

 TOMS for the tots...

In addition to One for One, the company is challenging people to go one day without shoes on April 10th. TOMS is asking people to spread awareness of the impact a pair of shoes can have on a child's life by taking off your own shoes for the day.  Great idea.  Great cause.  I will not be participating.  Nobody wants to see my feet no matter what the cause.  

Happy walking.

It's all about the Benjamin's

Ben Franklin that is. If I were bathing in $100 bills I would buy everything in the Serena & Lily catalog I received last week. Yes, you caught me in a lie.  I love getting b-day invites, birth announcements, thank you notes AND the S&L catalog. I was first exposed to S&L while watching Keeping up with the Kardashians.  I'm sure the sisters  are reading my blog at this very moment so thanks Kourtney, Kim and Khloe for introducing me to the world of S&L.  My thank you note is in the mail.  My hubby sends his thanks as well - but not for getting me hooked on Serena & Lily.   He was thrilled when I registered for $400 nursery bedding and he was even more excited when I purchased  two $118 toy chests (with his cc) on wheels that are a hazard to any child under 10. Despite the hazard they do look super cute in my family room.  

    So, back to the money thing.  If I had any extra, my windows would be draped in...

Quadrille fabric. Words cannot do justice to all the amazing fabric on this website.   Total insanity. I'm baffled that so many gorgeous fabric choices are available on one website.  Simply incredible.  Painstakingly expensive.  Unfortunately my windows will never be dressed in such luxury.  Cry me a river.

Don't get discouraged just yet.  Spoonflower.com has some amazing fabrics.  When you have time (a lot) peruse this website.  I'll admit it's a bit overwhelming at first because there are literally thousands of fabrics to pick from.  Patience.  You'll find one you love.  Promise. 

My couch and love seat  would be covered with these Madeline Weinrib pillows if Ben Franklin and I were BFF.  But we are not, therefore my head will never touch a Madeline Weinrib pillow and my feet will never get to experience the plushness of one of her rugs.  Waaa. 

 

Since Benny and I rarely come in contact,  here are some affordable pillows that will hopefully have a new home on my couch and loveseat in the near future.  

Unless I hit the lottery or my husband and I both change professions we will never be bathing in the Benjamin's.  But after all, isn't the fun in decorating being resourceful and creating the expensive looks you love for a fraction of the cost?

Snailmail

I'm back. Hope you're still onboard - if anyone ever was.


I love mail.  Not bills, junk mail, magazines but plain old simple mail.  The kind I don't get enough of. Maybe I just need more friends.  I'm talking about party invitations, announcements, thank you notes and holiday cards (not just X-mas). Yes, be on the lookout for my Easter card. 

I hate evites.  Waa waa. I COMPLETELY understand why they are so popular. They are efficient, cheap and easy to make but I still dislike them.  I would rather receive an invite written with a crayon or magic marker on a white lined piece of paper than be invited somewhere via evite.com.  Maybe because I'm a visual person and a bit of a paper, texture, font junkie - who knows. Whatever the case, I want to come home from work and open up something other than my Citibank or AMEX bills.   I want something I can pin up on the bulletin board in my kitchen. 

Some of my favorite pieces of mail are birth announcements, thank you notes and birthday invites. So all my preggo buddies out there be sure to check out the super cute announcements below that I'm hoping to see in my mailbox sometime soon.

I'll start with birthday invites.  My daughter turned one a month ago hence all the children's b-day invitations.  How adorable are all the kids on these invites?  


                                                                Paperculture - unbelievable site.  Pricey though.

                                                                                        

                                                                        hi buddies

                                              Pear Tree Greetings - one of my favorite sites and super affordable.

Birth announcements.  Joy.  Laughter.  Happiness.  Miracles.  

                                                                         Paper Culture

                                                      Paper Culture                                 Pear Tree Greetings 

               Elum - letterpress = swoon.  Everything in the world should be letter-pressed. Seriously.

                                                          Pear Tree Greetings - chartreuse.  best. color. ever.

                                                   Also from Pear Tree Greetings - unique and fun.

 

Easter.  Now that I have a daughter  I feel the need to be obnoxious and constantly show her off. I decided after she was born that I was going to start sending out holidays cards for occasion's other than X-mas.  It hasn't happened yet - shocker. We'll chalk that one up to lack of funds and a husband that believes it's pretentious.  I'm going to try to send out an Easter card this year so perhaps you may see one of these gracing your fridge, bulletin board or your trash can....


                                    Paper Culture                                                               Pear Tree Greetings

My last thought.  Send thank you notes. They are meaningful - to me anyway.  My mom was and still is a stickler about this.  At age 33 she still calls to ask me if I sent out my thank you notes.  Sorry to anyone I may have missed along the way.  

                                         Egg Press - oh look nautical                         Egg Press

Egg Press - it does not get better than this.  True love.

Hello Lucky 

                                    Hello Lucky - BOOBIES!!!!!!!!!!!                 Hello Lucky - nautical. again.

Two Trick Pony - simple. cute. 

I didn't include anything wedding related. I have a very unhealthy obsession with all things wedding so that will require multiple posts.  I have 100's of images of my fav wedding invites and save the dates that need to be sorted through before I could even tackle such a post.

That's all I have for today - hope I didn't scare you into jumping over board with my dislike for evites.