Between the Miss America Pageant and The Golden Globes this weekend, I was on TV overload.  I am so happy Miss Wisconsin won!  But I always love it when the brunettes win!

Anyways I was more excited about the Golden Globes and enjoyed sharing my thoughts on Twitter with some of the other bloggers and tweety birds out there.

A few favorites:

I enjoyed the show and really thought Ricky Gervais did a great job, I know some don’t view him in the best light but I have always found him entertaining.   I thought a great job was done by all the presenters and was happy to see some of my favorites win a few awards.  I am always struck though that sometimes shows and movies listed are ones that I have never heard of.  I saw both J.Edgar and My Week with Marilyn and really want to more than ever see The Descendants and The Iron Lady and who doesn’t love Clooney and Streep?  At the risk of complaining, I am no longer a fan of Kelsey Grammar and felt his win was undeserved.  And that’s all I’ll say about that.

I know some feel watching pageants and award shows are a waste of time but with the 3 day weekend I decided I could afford the time and being a couch potato.  I mean I did walk/run 3.1 miles yesterday!

Did you watch the Globes?

Who was on your best dress list?

Have a great day!

Happy Monday Readers!

What’s even better than a good sale? A sale on top of a sale!

I’m very excited to offer an exclusive discount that can’t be found anywhere else! Save an EXTRA 10% off all Layla Grayce sale prices during the month of September with promo code saleonsale. Here are a few of my absolute favorite sale items – enjoy!

The Amy Butler Muriel fashion bag in tropical tea leaf is a must have! The bag is impeccably constructed from organic cotton and its leather handles give it a sophisticated, chic feel. This tote is the ideal accessory for all your fall looks. Best of all, this stylish tote is on sale for only $96!

Fall is almost here and I found a fabulous luxe brocade throw that keeps you warm while adding style to your space! On sale for only $126, the Little Giraffe throw is made from 100% polyester and makes a wonderful accent piece for any room! Plus, it ships for FREE!

I also found the perfect pajamas for the fall season! The Bedhead cotton & sateen pajamas are sure to be a luxurious addition to your life! Not only have the stars of the hit sitcoms “Will & Grace” and “Friends” been spotted wearing these delightful pj’s, but also they were featured on Oprah’s “O” list! Lounge around in style and comfort this fall!

Happy Shopping!

As most of you know, I took a short trip with momma last Wednesday a few counties over to Charlotte.  I am a UNCC grad and love The Queen City, I think one day I’ll be back to live there but until then I enjoy my quick fixes.

Our reason for the trip was simple: to hear and see the amazing talent of James Taylor and Carole King.  Mommas has seen them several time but remembers fondly going when she was 8 months pregnant with yours truly and I danced the night away in her tummy.  So there we were nearly 30 years later…

It’s so refreshing to see such respect and camaraderie between two musicians.  You can tell their friendship is close and their musical talent reflects that.  The set was nearly 3 hours and the crowd was dancing and singing along.  Of course it helps that Taylor is a NC native.  If they are coming to a city near you, do yourself a favor and go.

Following the show, we caught a bite and a night cap at the fairly new Ritz Carleton Hotel bar on East Trade.  A class all it’s own, I was impressed with the attire of the waitresses, red dress and pearls and up-dos.  Unfortunately a lot of people had the same idea we did and in 15 minutes of sitting down, the place was packed and loud.   I don’t mind sharing my space but when you come in with your soda cup from said show and insult your food runner, you need to go elsewhere.  READ:  you lack of class personality has no business being in the Ritz Carlton.

Our accommodations were at the Omni that neighbors Bank of America Plaza in downtown Charlotte.  We were in walking distance of the arena, many restaurants and there was a Starbucks downstairs.  What more could you need?

Although we did have to take the car back to one of our favorite Charlotte ‘hoods, Dilworth.  (Basically if I ever move back to Charlotte, I would live there).  I could in fact do a whole blog post on this neighborhood but maybe next time.  We always have to stop by the Paper Skyscraper because it amazing and had become bigger since we had been last.  You will find an array of paper products, drinkware, books and decorative things for the home.  It’s amazing!

We spend some time at SouthPark mall because I was in need of some new work shoes, because of a post and recommendation by Freck over at It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere, I picked up these comfortable beauties:

As much as I love pink, I got a grey color with a purple puma and black with a white puma.

We stopped by Dean & Deluca twice and my tummy was happy…

A short and sweet trip!

What is your favorite city and why?

My three favorites from Lilly Pulitzer:

Items in this set:

Happy Tuesday!

I have found my five wardrobe staples for Spring.  Even adding just one of these items can spice it up for warmer weather.  Go shopping in your closet and elsewhere and see what you come up with!  Many of these items can be purchased at a variety of price points and stores.

Gap Empire Tank Dress, $49.50 (Enter GAPNEW20 at checkout for 20% off)

Shown in “Winery”, also available in “Black”

Banana Republic Printed Linen Wrap, $59.50

Shown in “Winter Peach”

L.L.Bean Summerweight Twill Cropped Pants, $39.50

Shown in “White”

J.Crew Featherweight Cotton Long Cardigan, $69.50

Shown in “Mint Julep”

Lands’ End Canvas Gingham Poplin Shirt, $44.50

Shown in “Bright Apple Green”

What are your five staples this spring?

Happy Spring Shopping!

If you know me well, you know the story my mother tells  me of being “her little bag lady” when I was a toddler.  She will tell you that I could not go anywhere without my bag of things.  I’ve been told that these ranged from my favorite book of the week to a ratty beloved stuffed animal.  It was very important that I had my bag with me at all times; my mother never discounted my early sense of the knowing the power that certain things belonged to me.  So here I am in my late 20s and I never leave the house without a bag and sometimes several.  I enjoy tote bags and my J.Crew Madras small tote bag has gotten a lot of ware as of late.

Photo from J.Crew

Favorite Bag Items:

1.  Blackberry Curve (I love this phone,  love it even more since I am using the phone part more with my hiatus from Facebook)

2.  MyAgenda from MomAgenda (I have a calender on the BB but there is some thing amazing about being able to write everything down)

3.  Smith’s Rosebud Salve (best lip balm EVER)

4.  Oliver People’s Sunglasses (these cost a pretty penny but I will keep them forever)

5.  Change (for meters, helping out a stranger who’s short on a nickle, dime, etc)

What’s in your bag?

Happy Friday Readers!

Happy Friday!  I hope you are safe, warm, dry, etc.  This is the 3rd snow/ice storm for WNC and it’s getting old real quick.  Since I was called off from substituting this morning, I took some time to explore J.Jill, Land’s End, L.L. Bean, Talbots and Anne Taylor LOFT.  And I am IMPRESSED!  Clearly, I did not get the memo that these already fantastic companies got some new flair for the new year!  Check it out below:

J.Jill Trapeze Sweater Dress

(they are having awesome sales right now…GO GO!!!)

Land’s End FeelGood V-neck Stripe Cardigan Sweater

(One of the most user friendly clothing websites I’ve seen)

L.L. Bean Snowflake Accessory Set

(classy, casual, cute=enough said)

Talbots Check Print Silk Blouse

(Um I heart Talbots now?!)

LOFT (Anne Taylor) Stripe Ruffle Tunic

(LOVE)

Have a safe and warm weekend!

A former co-worker and friend of mine embarked on her own “green business” in late 2009.  Meet Rachael Fisher, the savvy creator around Bella Bijou Recycled Bottlecap Earrings.

She gave me a few moments of her time:)

1: How long have you been interested in making jewelry?
I’ve always loved fashion and jewelry a LOT, but never actually considered making it until last year. I’ve always viewed it as a sort of expensive hobby, but once I realized you can make jewelry and beautiful things out of inexpensive material, or even better, RECYCLED material, it opened up a lot of new (and cheaper) opportunities.
2: What inspired you to take this a step further aka starting the Etsy boutique; selling etc?

I basically started the etsy store because I wanted a way to market my product to the masses, and since the internet is such a popular way of selling things to a broad range of demographics, I figured Etsy would be best. It’s such a great website, and relatively cheap to maintain. Plus, I had researched other bottlecap earrings and no one else does it exactly like I do, so I figured there was a market in it. Also, everyone who saw them or heard about them absolutely loved them!

3: What role does your mother play in all this?

My mom has been the entire reason Bella Bijou still even exists today. When I was out west touring in the fall, I had no resources to make new earrings, so I basically conveyed the information to her and she started making them and selling them herself, which was so amazing. She worked so hard on them, and she’s really been a key component in the start up of the business.

4: Where do you find all your materials?

Most of our materials come from various bars or donations (for the bottle caps themselves), and the images on the fronts are mostly from recycled magazines. Everything else we order online.

5: What’s next? Are you just sticking with earrings or are you going to grow the line?

Right now we’re working on a way to make bottlecap bracelets, magnet sets, necklaces as well as refining the way we make the earrings. Stay tuned for a broader line of jewelry soon!

And the best part?  They take custom orders!

The sweater season is here!  And there are some fabulous finds out there!  So cozy up readers:)

Theory ‘Juliet F. – Cashcotton’ Sweater

MICHAEL Michael Kors Diagonal Stripe Sweater

Banana Republic Petite Italian merino cable-knit sweater

Happy Tuesday!