Simply Seleta

surprise for you!

 

Just found an adorable children's boutique called Pixie Dust Decor.  Have you seen them yet?  They have precious custom made goodies for little ones {and mommies too}.  Everything has a French flair, which I love.

Today they are offering a special surprise for Simply Seleta friends...

EVERYTHING on their website 40% OFF through December 23rd! 

Just enter the magic code: simplyseleta

I love their little vintage inspired aprons [right here].  Hmmmm, I might need two for my girls...they're perfect for baking Christmas cookies!  They come in mom sizes too.  Check out their classic fabric options here.

I also like these tuffets [right here] with their frilly little ruffles.  And don't forget their poufs, burps, bibs, bedding, blankets, and more...

 

Anything and everything can be monogrammed. 

It's not too late to get some of your Christmas gifts or even an upcoming baby shower or birthday gift.  With a sale like this it's a no brainer.  Those classic little aprons will be only $14 each !

Hurry and go check out all of their beautiful things right here.

do you sea what i sea?

There's a most delightful blog and website I adore called, sea+jae.  Have you seen it?  It's the brain child of a talented mom + daughter team [once owners of a retail store] who made a leap into the blogosphere.  They offer high style gift items plus gifting inspiration, entertaining tips and more.  Jae, the daughter, always shares the best ideas like this one for moms.  She comes up with things I would have never thought of on my own.  A girl originally from the Mid West, Jae now lives at the beach says she "likes the simple things in life to be beautiful and meaningful."  I couldn't agree more.

Most recently I've taken a fancy to their Holiday Gift Guide which showcases unique gift items for the man, diva or offspring in your life.  Gifts are in all different price categories, each linked to their proper websites.  Makes shopping a snap.

I went crazy when I saw Courtney's Boudreaux Family recipe for Ameretto in the guide.  Since I originally saw her snazzy approach to packaging on her own site, I thought, "wow, I'd give anything to know where she got all of her goods to make those swell gifts."  The very next day the guide showed me where everything came from, right down to that adorable striped twine.  Rock on, jae. 

 

sea+jae even has a page dedicated to gift ideas that cost nothing but mean so much.  Great ideas!

So if you're still scrambling to find some special Christmas gifts, I say hop over and check out their site of goodies.  They've got some way-out glam items and other treats which are simple and chic.  And it's easy on the wallet, which is never a bad thing.  I've even got my eye on this and this.

AND ONE OTHER THING:  BE SURE TO COME BACK FIRST THING TOMORROW FOR A NICE SURPRISE.  TRUST ME ON THIS...

alright, so I use shopping as a crutch...

Without going into boring detail, I'll tell you that I've been mentally drained over the last two weeks.  Admittedly my coping skills are a little off base judging by the rate I've been shopping. 

But why does shopping feel so good?

Since it will stay summer-ish until around Halloween here, I snagged a few on sale items.

This...

And this...

 

Maybe I'll figure out a way to look as cute as this on mornings I drop off the offspring to school at the crack of dawn.  Yeah, right. 

 

So tell me, what is your sinful indulgence?  Do you shop when you get stressed?  If not, then what do you do?  Give me the dirt.

anthropologie {my crack}

Yep, it's true. 

While in Atlanta last week, husband and I stopped at Lenox for my favorite spot.  Whew, good stuff.  I was a bit naughty in the store and found many treasures. 

Perhaps if I focus on what I found the children I will seem less materialistic...self-indulgent...obnoxious.

I snagged two of these adorable aprons and goose measuring cups for my helpers in the kitchen...

You ask, "Since those are so darn cute, did you get yourself an apron too?  I mean, you want to feel cute when you're stuck in the kitchen prepping meals all summer long for a family of six, right?"

Oh, I'm so glad you asked.  And what a valid point. 

Here, let me show you...

You can get it [on sale] here

The other one I bought was also on sale and coordinated with the girls [except it was red].  Love it.  Especially for $14.95.

A GIRL HAS TO FEEL HER BEST IN THE KITCHEN.  IT MAKES EVERYTHING SHE COOKS TASTE BETTER.

i'm a hobo...

Sometimes a little retail therapy is in order.  When I am under stress or need a pick-me-up, I tend to go shopping.  It doesn't always have to be big, sometimes even a trip to the drugstore for a design mag is therapeutic.  Other times I'm kinda bad [like my without warning JCrew shopping spree where I dropped 800 big ones].

Am I saying this is right?  By no means.  Am I saying I will stop?  Probably not.

Lately I've been feeling rebellious about carrying everything in the world in my purse or bag for my little hitch-hikers [aka offspring].  Those suckers can't go anywhere without needing a wiped nose, wiped booty, band-aid, food or liquid.  After eight and a half years of this, you can see that my purse style has been somewhat compromised.  Although my current favorite purse is a bright red "Big Buddha".

So I discovered HOBO on a shopping trip with my sister.  We were supposed to be shopping for her upcoming honeymoon in Italy, and I was being very good, but this little purse called my name.

[the lining totally has my approval, but does it meet Erika's standards?  Read about her detailed lining requirements here]

PURCHASE JUSTIFICATION

• both stylish + functional [my favorite combo]
• holds everything like make-up + money
• makes purse switching a snap
• can be carried alone as a clutch on date night [don't have to ask husband to put my lipstick in his pocket] 

So I'm trying my new purse today, so excited to make the transfer.  And I think I can squeeze in both band-aids and lipstick.

free personal shopper...

[line of shoes]

I'm apologizing in advance.  This post may only enable any issues you may have with shopping on the internet.  Or, if you look at it the way I choose to, it will just add savings onto your clothing budget.  Hmmm, sounds a little like justifying a habit doesn't it?

So what is it?
It's a FREE service called Shop It To Me.  I read about it on  sign up for the service, pick your favorite brands and it scours the internet for your favorite apparel brands in your sizes. The service keeps up with when your favorite list of items goes on sale [in your size].   

Why do I need it?
Because we're sick.  It's called shop-a-holic.

How much does it cost?
Nada.

Who do they shop?
Nordstrom, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdales, Banana Republic, Gap, Zappos, Bluefly, more...

Should I sign up?
Seriously?  Come on.

Okay where do I sign up?

HERE

I just signed up.  Maybe they'll land something like this for me...being a beach dweller, I'm not sure exactly sure where I would wear it around here.   Maybe I could plan a trip to New York around the dress.  That sounds rational, right?

[courtesy dress a day]

I know, some of you are thinking, "that was so last season" but hey, that's why I'm a designer and not a fashionista!

Or I could deal with this...

HAPPY  SHOPPING!!!