Lookbook: New Booties

 

What I'm Wearing

*ASOS Classic Trench - for the price (under $100) it's pretty nice quality.  The fit in the shoulders are great but the sleeves are too long (as always) so I just roll them up.

*Madewell Sweater- Similar here, just the stripes on the sleeves is super cute too.

*Rag and Bone Capri in Crimson - currently, my favorite jeans.  However note the "capri" length is just regular length on me :) But that's why I like them, no hemming needed!  (I did fold them under to wear with the booties though.)

*Rag & Bone Lovell Booties - I tried these on at Nordstrom with no intention of liking them at all but I ended up loving them.  I went home and thought about it and then bought them online the next day.  I had to have them!  They've been perfect for this rainy fall weather that we've been having.  I made sure to spray them with leather and suede protector!

*t+j Designs Gold Large Braided Cuff - I love this cuff for days I want to be a bit more minimalist with my jewelry.  Super lightweight and adjustable so it can fit lots of different wrist sizes.  Oh and did I mention it's only $16?  :) 

This is a few years old but still funny nonetheless :)

You can also find me over on the Smarter blog today, sharing my favorite fall accessories!

Things that make me happy

Pretty lipsticks in the perfect fall colors

YSL Rouge Volupte in Ultimate Beige and Rose Culte

Use the Friends and Family discount at Sephora to get 20% off (+ 4% cahback at ebates).

Flowers and succulents on my windowsill

Although the sun is few and far between these days and my succulents are now dying.  Any tips on helping keep them alive?

New designs for my jewelry line! I'm obsessed with the big jewels.  Will be in the shop next month!

Don't forget we are running a special discount until Friday! 

My newest bag - a present from the hubs!

Marc Jacobs Lacquer Quilting - Single Shoulder Bag

Now that I have a collection of crossbody bags, this one is officially the best one.  It's super lightweight, has wallet-like inserts for my credit cards/license, pocket for cash and fits my iPhone and lipstick.  I love it!

The best stress reliever ever.

And of course, Savvy too but she wasn't cooperating for pictures that day. :)

All photos taken by me using the Canon 5d Mark II.  Questions about photography? Check my FAQ here! 

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful mom today!  My family means everything to me and my parents have been so supportive of my blog as well as being an integral part of t+j Designs since the beginning.  I really could not live my dreams without them and their support.  So a big thank you to my mom and dad and a very happy birthday to my mom!  I love you!

This was taken at my dad's birthday in August.  We ate so much that night it was ridiculous (but good)!

And this was brunch for Mother's day!  See the post here.

I also have my mom to blame for my love of Chanel bags. ;)  If you missed it check out my video here which I included some of the bags that I borrowed from her.  I'll try to see if I can "borrow" some of her fall/winter bags and post another video! :)

Lookbook: The Office

What I'm Wearing

*Top: Madewell - got mine last year, this one is similar.  I might actually like it more than mine, I love the dots!  And this one with the pleats is adorable.

*Pants: J Crew Minnie Pant - love these! The perfect work pant. Pricier but I also love the wool version.

*Shoes:  Christian Louboutin -   A great look for less for $80.  These L.A.M.B. pumps are also fab and on sale.  Louboutin doesn't make this gray anymore so I can't find anything similar from them so thought I'd just point out these fabulous crystal embellished ones!

*Belt: Nordstrom

*Laptop Bag: Knomo (similar)
*Necklace: Tiffany & Co. Bow Pendant

Not the most exciting outfit, but I hardly post "work" outfits anymore so thought I'd throw one in just to mix things up.  This is a pretty typical outfit for me when I meet with clients.  As a consultant and especially when I meet clients for the first time, I'd rather be a bit more boring and traditional than try to be "stylish".  I also feel this way about interviews and I've had more than my fair share of interviewees that have come in to interview with me wearing questionable outfits.  I understand wanting to put a little bit of your personality into your outfit but don't go overboard.  Stick to nice slacks, blouse (tuck it in!), a blazer if you feel it's necessary and simple accessories.  Also, just because your pants are black doesn't make them work appropriate.  If the fabric and fit are more on the leggings side, I'd say leave them at home.  Just saying ;)  I'm all for leggings and skinny jeans just not for an interview.  First impressions are important and of course it's not just your appearance that will get you hired but it's something that we do notice.  I can say that out of everyone that I've ever interviewed and hired, I've known within the first 10-15 minutes of meeting and talking to them if I would hire them or not.  Very few have been able to switch it around in the last few questions of the interview.

I don't consider myself an expert but I've been in HR long enough and have interviewed enough people to notice the common mistakes that people make while being interviewed.  My quick advice is to do your homework beforehand - research the company, make a list of questions that you have about the company and the position, prepare yourself for the questions they might ask, make a list of your accomplishments in your previous jobs.  This way, you can walk in confident and prepared to answer questions right off the bat.  Also, don't assume that we've read your resume so repeat everything on your resume but in much greater detail.  Remember that handy accomplishments list that you put together?  When you're talking about your previous positions, bring up those accomplishments and how it contributed to your job, your team, your company.  Don't be afraid to talk about how awesome you are! People only want to hire the best and the only way we can find out if you are the best is if you tell us.  Your resume can only say so much.

I could probably way more about this topic but I won't bore those of you who aren't interested.  If you have any other questions about interviewing leave a comment or email me and I'll see if I can help! :)

One last thing... I'm loving Mary Jane pumps and sharing my Splurge and Save picks over on the smarter blog!

My 5 Fall Must Haves and win $250!

I know I've already covered my Fall Must Haves so I wanted to show you some of the stuff that I got!  I finally found the perfect pair of colored pants and I absolutely love them!  The color and fit is perfection.  I got lots of questions about ASOS sizing from my sale post, so for these I ordered a size 2 (for reference, I usually wear a 0 or size 25 in pants.)  When I spotted this dotted bow blouse, I had to have it, it's the perfect blouse to wear on it's own and looks fantastic underneath a blazer as well.  Size wise, the XS is a bit baggy all over but I think it might still work tucked in.  I couldn't resist another striped sweater but I loved the cozy and relaxed feel of this one which pairs really well with the purple trousers!

Pleione Dotted Blouse | A+Ro Striped Sweater | ASOS Slim Crop Pant

I needed a new trench coat and was looking for something that had a bit of a thicker fabric.  This one fit the bill and fits nicely, although a bit long on me, but I think will look fine when wearing heels.  (I got a size 2 in the trench.) And last but certainly not least are black booties which are always a staple of mine.  These are a perfect height!  The only thing is that the top of the bootie hits me at a weird part of my foot so I'm trying to decide if I should keep them.

ASOS Classic Trench | Via Spiga Sheri Booties

I've really enjoyed reading your biggest online shopping mistakes.  I can relate to a lot of your stories and it makes me feel better that I'm not the only one that's made those same mistakes.  I think if anything though, all those experiences have helped all of us become a lot smarter and more cautious about what we buy online.  I ordered all the above items online and had no problems with them but it helps that I've shopped at all of those stores many times before and was familiar with their shipping and return policies which from your stories seems to have been a big problem for a lot of you.  Having a good return policy is very important for me, especially when ordering shoes online.  I never know if they'll fit right and sometimes I even order 2 sizes and return one.  One thing that I do a lot now when I'm out shopping is that when I find something that I'm thinking about buying, I'll whip my phone out and check to see if my favorite online site has it for a better price or at least a discount code, which quite often it does!  Even for other "boring" stuff, I still check it!  The other day hubs and I were at Target and he wanted to buy these Rain-X wiper blades for our car (they are the best if you live in a rainy city like Seattle!) and I had to take my phone out to use my Amazon app to compare the prices (the app has a very handy thing where you just scan the UPC code and it instantly pops up to tell you how much it is.) and it was several dollars cheaper so we just went home and ordered them online instead.  It's kind of funny but it's something that I'm so used to doing now whereas before I started shopping online, I rarely comparison shopped at all.

Thank you for those of you all who have already entered to win the $250 giftcard, I'm opening it up for another week so if you haven't yet shared your biggest online shopping mistake or if you have another story you'd like to share, please leave it in the comments here or tweet me (just remember to @styleish in your tweet so I'll see it!) or post on my Facebook page!

Once you've done that you will be entered to win $250 worth of giftcards through American Express Membership Rewards. Your choices are giftcards from:

• Saks Fifth Avenue: (denominations: $50, $100, $250)
• Zappos.com: (denominations: $50, $100, $250)
• Neiman Marcus: (denominations: $50, $100, $250)

You may choose just one store to get your $250 gift card from or if you prefer to have a combination between the stores, it's up to you!  Next week I'll choose a few stories to tell and announce the winner!

Entries will close on Wednesday 10/26 at 8PM PST.

*Disclosure: Compensation in the form of merchandise was provided by American Express via Ogilivy PR. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of American Express or Ogilivy PR.

t+j Designs new arrivals!

I'm so excited about our new collection and have to share our latest designs that launched on our site today! We concentrated on bracelets and rings this time and I'm so happy to finally be able to show them to you guys!  Our newest bracelets are so great for stacking.  Check out the new arrivals here!  In the above picture I'm wearing Dashes of Purple Crystal Ring, Luxe Mesh Bangle, Medium Gold Bangle with Etchings and Rhinestone Bow Bangle.

 

We also launched a limited edition clutch which we produced in a small quantity (but if you guys love our clutches as much as you love our jewelry, we may produce more!).  I love love this clutch and am very proud of the quality we were able to produce and still keep a great price point.  If you are looking for a nice quality, classy clutch, this is it!  And, we even included a detachable shoulder strap so you can wear it on your shoulder or even cross body.  On my wrist: Medium Gold Bangle with Etchings, Gold Chain Bracelet, Hammered Bangle, DIY friendship bracelet and Glam Bracelet.

Here it is with the shoulder strap! 

 

As with some of our necklaces, we mixed metals on a few bracelets and I think it turned out beautiful.  Now you don't have to be committed to wearing either gold or silver, you can wear both! Wearing: Hammered Bangle, Silver Clasp Bangle, Twisted Silver and Gold Bangle and Jewel Tone Crystal Ring.

And a few of our rings that I am sure many of you will love!  You know I love my giant rings so I had to design something BIG and sparkly!

Also, I've had quite a few requests for bracelets for small wrists so I specifically made this for us ladies with small wrists!  Now, I don't have as much as a problem, as I still like to wear bigger bangles even if they do fall off, but I love this one as it fits perfectly and doesn't slip off at all.  In fact, it's so small that you don't slip it on, it actually opens up and stays secure with a small clasp.  Our Hammered Bangle is also a great choice for small wrists since it's adjustable. 

Thank you again for all your support of our jewelry line.  My sister and I are so appreciative of all the great support and feedback we've been getting.  It's been such a dream of mine to design my own jewelry line and I can hardly believe that it's come true!

Don't forget! If you order $50 or more take $10 off with the code NEW10 or if your order is $100 or more take $25 off with code NEW25.  Happy Shopping!

Sale Shopping!

It's that time of year where the it's sale! sale! sale! everywhere I turn and I kind of love it. Even though I'm trying not to buy as much stuff, I ordered a few things that I had my eye on and most likely will not keep everything but wanted to get on the sale prices while my sizes were still available! Plus both ASOS and Shopbop are free shipping and returns so I won't feel so bad if I have to return everything.

First off, ASOS is having a huge sale and it's not just on summer stuff, there's lot of great fall buys. Here's what is on it's way to me. Oh and I also wanted to mention that ebates has 3.5% cashback at ASOS so don't forget to click through before you buy to get your cashback! (If you don't have an account yet, sign up through my referral and you and I get $5 when you make your first purchase!)  The best part about my ASOS purchases?  All of them were under $40!  Except for one of the pants but those were only $42! :)

As you may know, I'm a huge blazer lover and I couldn't resist getting a couple more.  I don't have anything in this camel color so thought it would be a good addition to my closet.  The blue blazer is a bit different so we'll see how it looks on but it has potential to be really cute!  I think it will be really cute over a dress.  I love bow blouses (which you may remember is on my Fall Must Haves) and I love the print so had to have this blouse.  I own a lot of gray and black sweaters but not a lot of bright colors so thought that this blue sweater would be great to pair with jeans, plus I like that the back is a bit different!

Spot Print Chiffon Blazer | Rope Channel Blazer | Tunic in Carousel Horse Print | Sweater With Cut Back Detail

I've been wearing jeans way too much and have been looking for some good jean alternatives for those days when I want to feel a bit more pulled together.  It's always hard for me to buy pants online and most of the time it's a return but I've had some luck on ASOS pants before so hoping these will work out.

 

  Slim Crop Pant |  Crop Skinny Pant With Pintuck Detail 

Shopbop is doing 20% off Friends and Family sale but it's for 2 days only and it ends tonight at midnight. Use code INTHEFAMILY20. (and 2.5% cashback at ebates)

1. B Brian Atwood Paradis High Heel Boots - I bought brown boots last year so I'm in the market for black boots this year.  I really hope these work out, they look so cute online!
2. Alice + Olivia Arie Tie Collar Blouse - don't you love this color?  I think it will be so cute underneath my striped blazer.
3. BB Dakota Melton Coat - It's been so cold here that I've already pulled out my winter coats.  I wanted a colored coat for those days when I don't feel like wearing all black.  This yellow might be TOO much but I figure why not try it out?
4. House of Harlow 1960 Nelly Kilty Platform Booties they didn't have my size left but I love these! Will have to see if I can find them somewhere else.
5. BB Dakota Audry Dress (on sale!) - I love the shape of this dress and think it will be super cute with a blazer and colorful tights.

Saks is also doing Friends and Family 20% discount (3% cashback at ebates).  Use code FRIEND9.  I haven't bought anything yet, but I'm loving these pretty dresses!  I really just want the entire outfit of the girl on the left!  But I think all these are perfect fall/winter dresses and would look so cute with tights and booties.

See by Chloe Shift Dress | Milly Printed Ribbon-Trim Dress | Alice + Olivia Petunia Dress 

I know I'm not the only one that's been shopping!  What did you get? :)

Lookbook: Mixing Metals

 

What I'm Wearing
*Top: Aerie (similar in lots of colors, and similar on sale)
*Jeans: Rag and Bone (similar)
*Shoes: Christian Louboutin "Insectika" (GAH, I want these suede pumps! And these with the gold toes! And totally obsessed with the leopard sequin Loubies.  So pretty!)
*Clutch: t+j Designs sample - I really really want to get these made but having troubles with our manufacturer so it may not happen.  BUT we will be launching another clutch style very soon!
*Jewelry t+j Designs Delicate Link Metal Necklace - (I love this necklace, it glams up every sweater I own!), Glam Bracelet and Glam Leatherette Ring, heart ring is by Jewelmint.

I'm sitting here writing this post but really all I can think about is what I'm going to eat for dinner.  I'm really in a soup mood, it's the fall weather that makes me crave soup.  But actually, I can always have soup, even on the hottest days, I'll still be happy with soup.  When I was in Jamaica this summer, the resort we stayed at had this amazing pumpkin soup (which I normally don't like pumpkin) but it was so good I got it for every meal even though it was about 100 degrees every day we were there!  I have a "go-to" chicken noodle soup recipe that is a staple for our fall and winter dinners but I'm needing something new to add to our menu.  That chicken noodle soup is probably the only meal that I repeat again and again.  It's THAT good!  I've been asked before how often I repeat outfits and I actually don't very often, it's very rare that you'll see me in the exact same combination of clothes.  I always find different ways to wear my pieces so an exact outfit is never really repeated and I guess I'm the same with my recipes too!  Sometimes hubs will request the same meal like a week or two later but the problem is, most of the time, I just create recipes off the top of my head so I will have completely forgotten what exactly I put together and how I cooked it so even if I try, it will always taste different!  Now I know, if it's good I try to write it down as soon as I'm done making it so I'll actually remember.  I have a terrible recipe system and write things down in any notebook I have handy instead of just one place.  I also have my mother in law's recipes written on index cards and I've stashed them in various cookbooks which isn't very helpful when I'm trying to find something.  I need a good system that not only organizes but also is easy to add recipes to, anyone have one that you would recommend?

Thumbprint Jammers - for jam lovers!

It is no secret around here that I'm addicted to sweets and pastries.  My ideal mornings always start out with a cup of coffee and a freshly baked pastry.  Luckily there are quite a few amazing bakeries in Seattle that I like to occasionally indulge in and get inspiration from for my own baking adventures.  On the top of that list is Macrina Bakery.  I always try something different whenever I'm there and I've yet to find something that I'm disappointed by.  The last time we were there I ordered the buttermilk biscuit which essentially is a really big, super flaky biscuit with a delightful center of jam.  I LOVED it, but one thing that my husband noted when I let him have a bite was that you didn't get jam in every bite and the combo of the biscuit and the jam was essential.  I agreed and decided that I would try to make something similar but in my version, you would for sure get jam in every bite!

I opened up  my Grand Central Baking Book (another bakery I love!) to find a recipe for their Jammers which was very similar to Macrina's in that the biscuit part was very large and the jam was only in the center.  I basically just took the biscuit recipe and instead of making the biscuits huge and dense, I made them flatter and bite sized.  I bought my favorite jam and filled each one to the brim and came out with the perfect little Thumbprint Jammers! 

Thumbprint  Jammers - adapted from Grand Central Bakery Jammers

Ingredients
4 cups all purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup cold unsalted butter
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
About 3/4 cup preserves or jam

*side note: this makes A LOT of  Thumbprint Jammers so I recommend cutting this recipe in half if you don't want a crazy amount.  I think I made about 16-18 with cutting the recipe in half.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.

1. Measure the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda into a bowl with high sides or the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk to combine.
2. Dice the butter into 1/2 inch cubes.   Use your hands or paddle attachment of your stand mixer on low speed to blend the butter into the dry ingredients until the texture of the flour changes from silky to mealy.  There should still be dime-to quarter-size pieces of butter remaining.  If you're preparing the dough the night before, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill overnight, otherwise proceed with the recipe.
3. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in 1 cup of the buttermilk in one addition.  Gently  mix the dough just until it comes toghether, it will look rough.
4. Scrape the dough from the sides and bottom of the bowl, then add another 1/4 cup buttermilk and mix again to incorporate any floury scraps.  The majority of the dough will come together, on the paddle if you are using a stand mixer.  Stop mixing while there are still visible chunks of butter and floury patches.  The dough should come out of the bowl in 2 to 3 large, messy clumps, leaving only some small scraps and flour around the sides of the bowl.  If the dough is visibly dry and crumbly add up to 1/4 cup more buttermilk, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing no more than one rotation after each addition.
5. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface.  Use the heels and sides of your palms to gather the dough and gently pat it into an oblong shape 1 inch thick.  It won't look smooth or particularly cohesive, that's okay.
6. Using a knife, cut out the sizes of dough that you'd like your jammers to be.  (Grand Central advises using a biscuit cutter but I don't have one and I wanted mine to be small.)
7. Shape the dough into your biscuit and use your thumb to make an indentaion in the middle of each biscuit.  Try to apply as little pressure as possible to the outside of the biscuit, to avoid smashing the layers, which are the key to flaky jammers.  Fill each indentation with jam and put the jammers on the prepared baking sheet with 1 1/2 inches between them.
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time.  The jammers should be a deep golden brown.  (Note, if you are making the regular size jammers, Grand Central recommends baking for 35 to 40 minutes)
9. Let cool and then enjoy with a fresh pot of coffee! :)

My notes about this recipe

• Make sure to handle the dough VERY little.  The first batch I went crazy with making the indentations and the biscuit didn't come out as fluffy as the second time where I was careful not to handle the dough too much.
• Don't fill the jam over the top of the indentation like in my picture above.  If it's not encased in the indentation, it will just overflow and get all over your pan. 
• The Grand Central recipe calls for 1.5 teaspoons of salt but when my first batch came out, I didn't like how salty the biscuit was so I cut it, by a lot but it's up to you if you really like the salty/sweet combination. 

The containers that hold my sugar and flour are these Martha Stewart containers that I am obsessed with!  I had a little baking party with a girlfriend of mine and she had these in her kitchen and I immediately knew I needed to have them so the next day I went out and bought one for each of my baking essentials.  It helps so much to have them in these containers and each one comes with it's own measuring cup which is so handy.  Funny story about the labels - I bake enough to recognize what is in the container just by looking at it, especially the sugars but every time hubs went to look for the sugar, he'd pull out every container that resembled sugar (all purpose flour, whole wheat flour, self rising flour, granulated sugar, powdered sugar - like I said, I bought these containers for everything!) and tried to decipher them.  He bought some waterproof labels and now, nobody gets confused ;) 

Lookbook: A Little Bit of Sunshine

 

What I'm Wearing

*Top: Forever 21 (similar in pink and with ruffles.  Love the fall colors of this top.)

*Shorts: J Crew Chino Shorts (Buy here but out of my yellow color.  The longer 9" shorts still have my color and on sale for $19.99)

*Shoes: Dior - Miss Dior Pumps (Buy here in black.  Did you see the gorgeous blue velvet versions?)

*Clutch: vintage Gucci - I am so into gray bags/clutches this season.  Did you see the RM MAC clutch in gray?  Love it!  Also really liking this gray Melie Bianco clutch and it's on sale!

*Sunglasses: Marc by Marc Jacobs (Buy here - mine are the gold frames or similar - I like the black frame with the gray lens)

*Jewelry: t+j Designs Delicate Luxe Rhinestone Necklace, Rhinestone Ribbon Bracelet and earrings will be part of our new collection to be launched soon.

This week went by SO fast, I can hardly believe it's Friday!  Earlier this week I had a chance to meet up with the gorgeous Rachel of Vuesociety.com (which is her blog turned into online clothing boutique - check it out, she's got some amazing stuff!) and it is so nice to meet up with other entreprenurial ladies that are going through the exact same things that I am in starting our own business.  Everyone just sees the front end of things but the back end of things is truly the hardest part!  It was nice sharing our stories and laughing about all the things we had to go through just to get through our store launches and how there are still so many things that we want to change.  One of the things that I miss about the corporate world is just being around like-minded people and being able to share and bounce ideas off each other and get feedback about your work.  I realize that now that I don't work in a traditional office, I need that more than ever!  

We met at Cake Envy a new cupcake shop in Greenlake.  I'm a serious cupcake lover and have been to almost every cupcake place in the greater Seattle area and I can honestly say that Cake Envy was one of the best cupcakes I've ever had!  I'm not one that loves frosting and I usually shave off at least half of the frosting that most cupcake bakeries put on but they had the lightest most yummiest - like whipped cream - frosting ever.  I brought one home to my husband and he agreed.  Definitely try it out if you are in the area!

Be a Savvy Online Shopper - win $250!

**This is a sponsored post for American Express via Ogilvy Public Relations**

I would definitely say that I'm an online shopper. It took me a bit to get comfortable with buying stuff online but now I buy almost everything online from clothes, shoes, makeup to home decor and electronics! I have yet to try online grocery shopping but after hearing how great Amazon Fresh is, I'm seriously considering it! Anyway, American Express recently reached out to me to participate in the Savvy Online Shopper program to educate shoppers on how to best shop online and thought it sounded like a great opportunity, especially since I get to give away to one of you a $250 giftcard! All you have to do is let me know what your biggest online shopping mistake is and you'll be entered!

One of my biggest online shopping mistakes came when I first started buying clothes online (years ago!) and found a pair of Seven for all Mankind jeans that I had spotted at Nordstrom and were dying to get but they were out of my budget. Imagine how excited I was to have found them on an online boutique but for about 50% off the retail price that I had seen at Nordstrom! I put in my order right away and when they arrived, well, I had been seriously duped. The jeans looked the same as in it had all the right labels but when I put them on, something just wasn't right, the fit was off, the color was a bit different and you could just tell there was something just wrong about them. I had no idea back then the prevalence of fake jeans. Sure, I knew of fake designer purses, but jeans? That seemed so weird to me! Well, after that I learned my lesson. I now only shop at reputable online stores that people personally recommend to me or online stores that have actual stores that I can shop at and are reliable. I've also learned that if something seems to good to be true, it most likely is. Luckily during that experience I had used my American Express card which comes with protection benefits for free - I was able to take advantage of the Return Protection and was able to get my money back when the store refused to take the return.

What I have learned is that you can actually find a lot of great deals online (of authentic merchandise) if you really take the time to look for them. I often get greater deals online than I would shopping at the store! Here are the steps that I almost always take before I make my purchase:

• Check out if the store is on Ebates to get cash back - no matter what, even if the cashback amount is small, it's still some money back and I'm always happy to save this way!
• Check Retail Me Not or See Chloe Shop for discounts codes. If I don't find the store listed on either site, I will do a google search of "name of store + Discount Code" or "name of store + free shipping code".
• Some items, I would rather risk waiting for it to go on sale so with those, I end up bookmarking it and continually checking back to see if it's gone on sale or sign up for the store emails to find out when their sales go up.

That's just a few ways that I try to be a savvy online shopper. I'm sure you guys have some great tips as well, so feel free to share!

Now, onto the details of the giveaway! Like I said before, just share with me your biggest online shopping mistake through comments here, tweets (just remember to @styleish in your tweet so I'll see it!) or post on my Facebook page. Once you've done that you will be entered to win $250 worth of giftcards through Membership Rewards. Your choices are giftcards from:

• Saks Fifth Avenue: (denominations: $50, $100, $250)
• Zappos.com: (denominations: $50, $100, $250)
• Neiman Marcus: (denominations: $50, $100, $250)

You may choose just one store to get your $250 gift card from or if you prefer to have a combination between the stores, it's up to you! I'll be including some of your stories in a later post so I can't wait to read them!

*Disclosure: Compensation in the form of merchandise was provided by American Express via Ogilivy PR. The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of American Express or Ogilivy PR.

Pink is Wantworthy

Have you tried out Wantworthy?  It's a really cool site where you can easily bookmark all the things that you are lusting for while you are online shopping and it makes it into a pretty little wishlist all in one spot!  Lauren, the co-founder of Wantworthy reached out to me to help support Breast Cancer Awareness month and I thought it was a great cause and was happy to join in and share with you guys.  I created my wishlist full of pink items that I love and all you have to do is click through and if you buy something from my list, Wantworthy is donating 100% of the affiliate money from each transaction (~8% of the total transaction) to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

 

Click on this button to see what I've picked out!

You aren't just limited to my list, there are 9 other amazing bloggers that joined in too so check out their lists while you're on there!

*I'm not affiliated in any way to Wantworthy.  Just wanted to help them support a great cause!*

Lookbook: Forever Ruffles

 

What I'm Wearing

*Top: Forever 21 Buy here (as seen in my shopping haul post)

*Jeans: J Crew Buy here - I stuck with my regular size

*Shoes: Miu Miu Buy here (cute look for less here and here)

*Bag: Miu Miu Buy here in Caramel (if you are looking for a bigger gray bag, I love this Miu Miu bag also)

*Jewelry: t+j Designs Luxe Link Necklace and White Pyramid Bracelet

Only a few summer lookbooks left and I promise to have fall outfits to post soon! :)  Last week, I had drinks with a co-worker that I hadn't seen since I left that company and it was so nice to catch up with him.  Did you ever see the episode of The King of Queens where Carrie has a "Work Husband" and Doug was so jealous that he made Deacon be his "Work Wife?"  haha!  Well, this co-worker was like my "work husband" and at one point we shared an office and shared many funny stories.  My favorite being when his partner sent him funny/cute balloons for his birthday and the biggest one happened to have a baby Mickey and Minnie Mouse on it (pretty much like this) and people would walk by our office and see the balloons and assume the balloons were for me and exclaim "Oh wow! I had no idea.  Congratulations Tiffany!" and at first I was confused and then I realized what they thought and all throughout the day I was saying "Oh no! I'm not having a baby, it's his birthday today and those are birthday balloons!"  LOL!

Friendship Bracelets Tutorial

The friendship bracelets trend is back in full force and I jumped on the bandwagon this summer, making quite a few.  I noticed quite a few other bloggers making them too and it's fun just to see how everyone makes them just a little bit differently and the color combinations you put together.  I love the look of the friendship bracelets but one thing that I didn't like was that I felt like after I tied it on, I was kind of committed to wearing them for at least a week before I got sick of it and tried to un-knot it or cut it off.  I came up with a super easy way to making them kind of like bangles so that you can actually slip them on and off.  I also came up with a really easy way to use your embroidery floss to spruce up old bangles which you'll find the tutorial at the bottom of this post.

Pretty self explanatory but a few of the essentials to make this project.

• Scissors
• Glue (to be used as the very last step)
• Thin chain - which I used on my middle bracelet above
• Bangles (I used ones I already had or get this stack of 20 bangles for $5) - for the last tutorial
• Embroidery Floss
• Thicker chain to attach to the bracelets

Tutorial 1:
Basically once you are done making your bracelet, take your ends and knot them through your chain.  I try to leave my ends very long so it's easy to slip through the chains.  Double knot it to make sure it's secure.  Cut the ends to a shorter length and with a craft glue, dab a small amount onto the ends and just squish the threads together so that the frayed ends are glued together.

You'll notice for the middle one with the chain, I attached a clasp to it because I wanted to be able to open it and wrap it on my arm rather than slipping it on like you have to do with the chain.  What I love about this is that the chain or clasp is always going to be heavier than your bracelet so the chain always stays on the bottom and the bracelet doesn't flip.

Tutorial 2:

This one is super easy and fast!  Just take a bangle and start wrapping the embroidery floss around.  For the plain one, I just wrapped it twice in one area and kept the spacing even between the wraps.  If you do it nice and tight, the thread doesn't move.  You don't even need glue for this one because when you start it, keep the beginning trail of thread on the underside of the bangle and just wrap around it which keeps everything in place.  When you are done, just tuck the end into the already wrapped sections (also on the underside).  For the rhinestone bangle I wrapped in between each of the rhinestones but I didn't like it with just one time around so I wrapped the entire thing twice. 

Almost all of the materials that I used in both bracelets were found at a craft store for pretty inexpensive.  The only thing that I bought separately at a jewelry supply store was the toggle clasp for the pink/chain bracelet above.  (And of course the bangles but they were just sitting in my jewelry box.) Overall though I think each bracelet probably cost less than a dollar to make!

Have fun and let me know if you make one! :)

Like this post?  Also check out my "Make your own cocktail rings" post for an easy way to turn old earrings into rings!