Friday Favorite- Cutest Penguin Chucks

Photo Chasing Fireflies

I just realized that I haven't posted any of my favorite gifts or things for kids. Well, let's rectify that, shall we? My parents got these adorable shoes for my nephew's birthday. There are no words. Adorable, cute, unbelievably adorable don;t do the shoes justice...they are the cutest shoes ever. The shoes have wings on the side! And little webbed feet on the back! Too-- much cuteness--on overload. Lucky for you (or for some lucky little one), they are also on super sale and under $20. Hurry.

Penguin Converse for Kids, a Friday Favorite

Deals and Steals-Gap Groupon

Do you remember how I said I loved Groupon? Well, today's Groupon (I think in every city?) is $50 worth of Gap credit for only $25. It can not be combined and may not be used online or in outlets or sister stores (Banana Republic, Old Navy). Otherwise, it appears that you can use it in person at any Gap storein the US! Great deal! Just wanted to share for those of you who may not know.

Hat tip- to designhermomma for the heads up! Happy Groupon shopping. Click here if you want to join Groupon.

*Edited to add this link to a story on the first nationwide Groupon offering. they sold at a rate of 10 per second!

Friday Favorite- Groupon

I love online shoppign and pride myself at being able to find the best deals. In fact, I would put my online shopping prowess second only to the lovely deal-finding Mir. As a result, I am somewhat addicted to the online "exclusive" shopping websites and am sort of embarrassed by the number of emails I get with daily designer deals (Rue La La, Ideeli, Gilt, One Kings Lane, Totsy, Zuilly,etc.). Despite the number of emails I get, I rarely buy anything. Mostly because most of the good sizes are gone before I get around to looking at the sales. However, there is one email I always look forward to- Groupon. I have gotten some great deals on Groupon. Groupon is basically a collective bargaining discount middle man; they contact local businesses from clothing stores, yogurt shops, to gyms, and salons to negotiate a discount for anyone wanting to purchase at the set price. Some of the deals are kind of bizarre, but I have stockpiled credit to one of my favorite online dress retailers for a fraction of the normal retail price. If you are not already a member of Groupon, I highly recommend joining. Since Groupon cuts deals with retailers in various cities, you may want to look at deals in cities you travel to often, or vacation destinations. There's even a person traveling around the US using only Groupons, see here! I'm not at that point so I don't have a problem...yet.

Groupon is my Friday (and every day) Favorite.
*I was not paid or compensated in any way for this post. I really like Groupon and felt like sharing with the Internet.*

Sunshine and Shopping

Barb (and T before her) surprised me with the Sunshine Award. The weather is so nasty here today, so I figured we all needed a little sunshine. I'm passing this to all of you here today. Feel free to bring it to your own blog. Thanks Barb and T. What goes better with sunshine than shopping? Susan turned me on to this deal- If you bring a pair of jeans into Gap between now and March 14, they'll give you 30% off a new pair. http://www.gap.com/browse/info.do?cid=48380 (These are the deals you find by using Twitter, woo hoo). I am really rethinking the wisdom of deciding not to shop during Lent. Augh.

Oh, this is better than shopping and full of sunshine-we found out a few days ago that our sponsored child Sandrine survived the Haitian earthquakes with no major injuries. Her home has been damaged but her family (mother and grandmother) is fine. Great news so far!

Photo Canvas Deal

I haven't posted a deal or steal in far too long. A great deal on photo canvas came in the other day. I use Winkflash for my large canvas photos and portraits. The resolution is great and all my orders have come out beautifully. You can get 40% off your canvas order by using the code LUCKYCANVAS until March 11.


*This is not a paid endorsement. I have purchased many photo and portrait canvases from Winkflash with my own money and have been pleased with them.*

It's Springtime-at least for the catalogs

I already told you about my design inspiration from Spring catalogs. The newest round of clothing catalogs made the rounds this week. My favorite places to shop are J. Crew, Anthropologie, and Boden. Most everyone knows about J. Crew and Anthro, but you may not know about Boden. Here are a few of my favorite looks for Spring. Mmmm, I can't wait-love their colorful retro vibe (sizing is better now that they have "Americanized" their sizing).

This skirt screams fun! It would be perfect for Cinco de Mayo-doesn't it look like a serape? I can see it at a picnic, pool party, birthday party, or enjoying margaritas with the girls!

I am always drawn to Boden's ivory skirts. They seem to have at least one each Spring and every time, I fall for them. Just about the time I am ready to buy, they run out of my size. (Boden's prices tend to be quite high, so I wait for a good discount code). This skirt is no exception. I LOVE it. I can imagine myself in a field of bluebonnets with this skirt on. Gorgeous (the skirt, that is!). I also love how they've pictured a mother of an infant/toddler on the beach in a white skirt-right, completely believable!!

How fun is this dress? No need for a necklace, the dress is the statement. Adore. Must have.

The coat?! To borrow a phrase from another fashionista-I die. I love it-it's so Sgt. Pepper with a fun twist. Totally impractical for my lifestyle. But, if I were traveling in Europe this Spring, I would order this coat in less than a second.

What Spring catalog is complete without the obligatory swimsuit preview. Normally I prefer tankinis given that I've had two babies. But this top is so fun, and gives an extra boost to the "girls." It's fun and interesting, a perfect flirty top. I think I may have to get this for our trip to Mexico!

If you don't get this catalog, get it. The commentary on each page is hilarious. Boden asks each model, including children for certain statements, like my favorite beach is:.... it's interesting and humanizes each outfit. The Boden children's line is great quality as well, but tends to run about a size too large.

*FCC- Boden did not pay my for anything, I use hard earned cash to buy everything I get from Boden and I love every piece.

Deals & Steals

To lighten the mood a bit, I am drawing on my area of expertise-internet deal shopping and discounts. Here a few I have received lately:

Buy one item at any Ann Taylor Loft store or online, use code Save50 and you will get one item 50% off. The code does not mention how long it will last.

Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic are offering percentages off totals- 15% for $75 purchase, %20 for $100, 25% off $150 on online purchases only until January 18th. Use code Save123.

Aaron Brothers framing is offering its "Buy one frame/canvas, Get one for a Penny" until the 24th of January. This is a great opportunity to stock up on quality frames!

kidsteals has Livie&Luca shoes for $24.75. Livie &Luca's are so cute and last great.

Deals and Steals

I love printing gift labels rather than buying. Unfortunately, I am not a great illustrator. Ok, I can't draw at all. However, I managed to find super cute labels at Fresh Picked Whimsy. I also found a hilarious blogger and talented woman. Finding her illustrated Christmas tags was definitely a steal. I probably spent way too long at her site and her etsy shop. I am definitely adding one of her family portrait canvases to my Christmas list! Check her out if you haven't already.

The deal I found through Kimba. Amazon has been running mega magazine discounts for about the last month. I didn't really take note, since I just added some subscriptions a few months prior. However, Kimba alerted me to the fact that Amazon is offering "O" the Oprah magazine for $5. What a deal! They were also offering (I believe) Real Simple, Coastal Living, House Beautiful for $5 or $10. If you or anyone on your Christmas list likes these magazines, it might be time to stock up.

Discount for Folks who Hate to Iron!

Today and Tomorrow Only!

Brooks Brothers is having a great sale on their non-iron, no wrinkle shirts 2/$99 http://www.brooksbrothers.com/women.process?parent=women&pgname=miracleshirt. That may not sound like a great deal, but it is worth every penny. I never pay full price for anything, especially clothes. However, these shirts are truly an investment piece. They absolutely live up to their name and have great quality and craftsmanship. A co-worker turned me on to these shirts when I initially thought that there is no way that I would ever, ever, ever pay that much for a shirt. She was 100% correct. Someone at Brooks Brothers has a deal with the devil because the shirts are too good to be true! I have tried other shirts advertised similar to these from major retailers like... cough... BR and JCrew, and even Ann Taylor. But, none even came close to these. Since I have the readership of zero right now, I feel confident that no one will hear about this great deal. But, I plan on posting deals like this in the future, so here it is.



In case anyone ever reads this and you work for Brooks Brothers design, can you expand the color to include brown and red? K thanx bai-kisses.