Mamma needs a new pair of espadrilles...

...and baby does, too!

On our first solo outing today, Baby Claire and I headed to Target and picked up these two adorable pairs of shoes.

For Mommy: Women's Mossimo Supply Co. Ownah Flower Espadrilles in Red -- $14.99

Word to the wise, believe the reviews, they run large and wide. So size down and skip them altogether if your foot is super-narrow, but otherwise these are a super-cute steal.

For Baby: JUST ONE YOU Made by Carter's ® Newborn Girls' Espadrille Shoe in White -- $7.99

I can't wait for these to make a debut, maybe with her Easter dress this weekend.

The Look for Less: Orange Side Table

To top off the nursery we needed something small near the rocker on which to set a book, a glass of water, etc.

I had been eyeing this Martini Side Table from West Elm for a while, but I wasn't sure about the $129 price tag:

After a little searching, I found this Sally Stool in melon, online at Target for only $49.99. I think it seems a little more "kid friendly" as well:

Better, yet I added it to the baby registry and used my 10% registry completion coupon to order it, which included free shipping. I hope it works out when it arrives!

Mood Board Monday - Midnight & Violet

It's Mood Board Monday!

For my second edition, I'm featuring a mood board I created withthe color combo midnight blue and violet.



Below are the sources of my inspiration...

Top (from left to right):
1. Baby Leg Warmers Gray with Blue and Purple Argyle, by BarefootClips, etsy seller
2. Kimchi Blue Printed Empire Halter Tank in Purple, Urban Outfitters
3. Liberty of London Blue, Purple & Red Toddler Swimsuit, Target
4. Tissue Pom Kit shown in Boysenberry, Navy & Grey, by prosttothehost, etsy seller
5. Lucienne Bracelet - Navy blue silk rose with frosted purple beads, by EternalEden, etsy seller
6. Print Color Options Blue Jay & Eggplant (my fave is 'Keep Calm and Blog On'), by KeepCalmShop, etsy seller
7. Fountain in Midnight Wallpaper by Amy Butler (my inspiration for this whole board!), for Graham & Brown

While this color combo could be viewed as dark or become overwhelming, I love the way it's used above and actually find the berry tones to be romantic yet cheerful. Although unintentional at first, I also really like the accent color of grey that appears in many of these images.

Hope you feel inspired to consider this combo in your own little crevice of the creative world.

Lovin' Liberty of London for Target

I am lovin' the new Liberty of London line at Target! It was released this weekend, but of course by the time I went to my local Target on Sunday it was already terribly picked over and my favorite dress from the TV commercial was nowhere in sight. That dress would be the one below, which I went home and immediately ordered online.

The Liberty of London for Target® Ruffle Halter Dress in Multi Color Sixty Print

I thought it would be the perfect dress to wear in Mexico in a few months...

Since I'm also a BIG FAN of peacock print and the rich teal-blue color I also ordered the number below. The Liberty of London for Target® Halter Maxi Dress in Turquoise Isis Print

I thought this would be a nice evening dress to wear to dinner at the resort.

I could really go crazy with all of the great patterns found adorning the abundance of cute home decor, bedding, dining, bicycles and little girls' clothing items they have online. I particularly like a few home items, like these and this and this, but I did use some self-control and haven't made a purchase outside of the apparel realm (yet).

The girls' clothes were too adorable to pass up though, so I also ordered these two items early for our niece's 3rd birthday in May...

The Toddler Girls' Liberty of London for Target® Mark Romper in Pink

And the Toddler Girls' Liberty of London for Target® Swimsuit in Pink

Good thing I don't have a girl of my own yet or I would have to get more closets!

If you are curious, you can even find your "patternality" here on Facebook. I just found out that mine is "Maddsie Green"...

There is one caveat to this vibrant collection. Just as I believed with last year's Orla Kiely collection, less is more when it comes these trendy patterns. However, being that the entire Liberty of London collection is almost sold out online and hard to come by in stores, getting your hands on enough to "over-do-it" in your home or wardrobe is virtually impossible :-) So check it out online and grab a piece of the collection while you still can!

I've got sunshine, on a snowy day.

After a snowy, slushy walk home from work tonight, I curled up to read my new issue of Real Simple magazine. I didn't make it past the first page, when I was smacked in the face by a Target ad featuring this "frugalista find"... a cute white & yellow striped springtime trench.

Merona® Women's Striped Long Trench Coat - $39.99

Immediately to my online shopping cart it went!

I got sidetracked from my magazine at that point, and started snooping around and found these bright, shiny rainboots. My trouble trying to fit into those pricey Hunter boots has been well-documented over the last year (here, here, here and here), but none fit. So for almost 1/6 of the price, I think I'll try to fit these cute little boots over my calves.

Women's Zetta Solid Rainboots - $19.99

And while I'm on my yellow kick...

This summer vacation will be spent with Dave's family at the lake, so I'll need a modest yet flattering swimsuit to wear around the in-laws. It might look a little matronly at first, but I like the throw-back vibe.

Merona® Women's Bandeau Shirred One-Piece Yellow - $34.99

Plus, I think the model is missing a few of the necessary curves, or outright thickness needed to make this style look right. No worries here though ;-)

So there you have it! My impulse dashes of yellow I will soon be adding to my wardrobe courtesy of Target and inspired by Real Simple. And all for under $100!

Hurry-up spring, I'm ready for you!

Chirp Chirp

When we, scratch that, when I was registering for our wedding I seriously started out with 5 or 6 different sets of dinnerware/china on our list from 3 or 4 different stores. They weren't all fancy, some were casual and only one or two were "fine", but I can't help it I just really like dishes!

Of course by the time our registries went public I had widdled that down and one of the many patterns that got "cut" was this super-cute Lenox pattern, called Chirp:

Most anyone that knows me, knows that I love birds but this set was just too expensive for casual/everydayware and too kitschy/themey/birdy to count as my timeless fine china. So I sadly let it go.

So now, well after our wedding and with no room left in my china cabinet, Target is tempting me with their much more affordable and just as cute version! It's called Spring Song and it makes me happy:

Isn't it darling?

Have I purchased it? No. 

Will I? Not in the near future. 

But I'm hoping that I might inspire someone with more room in their china cabinet and more fun money left in their bank account (preferably someone that I know!) to buy it AND to invite me over for a fabulous luncheon featuring these lovely birdie place settings.

Anyone?

Does Dale Earnhardt, Jr. play for the Cards?

With the wedding only 11 days away, we have been getting more and more packages at our door full of wedding gifts and goodies. 

Today's delivery was quite interesting. We had registered for a STL Cardinals Grill Cover to proudly display on our deck over our grill all winter, just to spite all the surrounding Cubs fans:

So when I saw on the packing slip that someone had purchased it for us, I was so excited... just in time for the brisk Chicago weather that is upon us. So imagine my surprise when I open the box to find this:

Ummmm, what? For those of you that know me... so really none of you (lol), you would know that I am in no way, shape or form a Nascar fan. I have never so much as seen 1 minute of a race in my life. Is this some kind of cruel joke? It shipped from a 3rd party vendor in Chicago too, so I can just imagine the stock room kid that thought it would be REALLY funny to send me THIS instead of my Cardinals gear. Probably some guy like this:

But anyway, I called the dreaded TARGET.com, clinching my teeth in regards to the horror stories I heard about their return policy, but i was pleasantly surprised. No, the man on the other end did not speak English as a first language, or even a 2nd or 3rd language, but he was very helpful and even congratulated me on my wedding!

Now let's just see if the real Cardinals grill cover ever arrives and then I will really sing his praises.

Buh-bye Dale!