I used to think Lacey was just a perfect stripper name

A new trend emerging for Spring/Summer 2010 has captured my interest: lace. And no, not lace intimates, but rather separates and dresses. I adore anything with a vintage feel, so not surprised I'm jumping on this trendwagon. Some of the pieces out there are a perfect mix of sophisticated and whimsical, and look perfect for both layering and hot summer days.

After much hemming and hawing, I decided on two lace tunics to add to my wardrobe: the first is this peaches and cream lovey which comes from one of my absolute favorite Etsy sellers, Liron.

Liron is not only a total sweetheart and wonderful to work with, but she hand creates amazing and comfortable custom clothes that I have quickly become obsessed with. Check out her etsy store here and tell her Emily sent you!

The second lace piece on it's way is a spectacular cheapy from F21. I am really excited to see this one, and hoping it doesn't disappoint (read: doesn't look like crapola). One of my favorite bloggers, Chloe was super sweet enough to bring this vinatagey-lacey-ruffly masterpiece to my attention in her daily 'online deals' posting.



This top looks feminine but substantial, and I love the cream color as well as the construction which I'm hoping will prove to be flattering for my shape.

There are tons of other great lace tops and skirts that I covet. But I think I've already maxed out the number of lacey pieces one girl can own, so I'd definitely love to see what everyone else is buying/loving.

It's almost February... Fist pump!!!!

I know most people, especially those of us who live in the frozen tundra known as Chicago, don't like February. No wait, let me be more clear, most people detest February. I'm a unique kind of gal, because I actually heart February. It's a fabulous month. Why? Because February has the bestest holiday all year long! No readers, I don't mean V-Day (which let's face it, for most is either mildly depressing or anti climatic). I mean the best holiday of the year, my birthday! I know, it's not a holiday for anyone else, which sadly, is part of the reason I love it. According to my husband, it's not my birth-day that I celebrate, it's my birth-month. Well excuse me for being excited... :)

So kicking off this year's fab birthmonth I've generously and thoughtfully bought myself the following gift: the gorgeous and splendid Penguin Clothbound Classic Books. According to Penguin books, they are designed by senior designer Coralie Bickford-Smith, and I've been drooling over them since they were released late last year. Instead of the usual stodgy painting of the author on the cover, these have clever illustrations that pick up on some iconic image pertaining to the novel at hand (i.e., waves for The Odyssey by Homer, peacock feathers for The Picture of Dorian Gray). The covers and spines are printed with matte colored foil on cloth. So pretty. The books will set you back around $20 each UNLESS you're like me and scour your options online... I myself bought the first 8 for around 80 bucks on buy.com, which included free shipping and scored me about $4 back from ebates! I know they've been coveted by many and made their way around the blogosphere, but if you haven't already, check them out.

I literally can't wait for them to arrive and am checking the UPS tracking multiple times a day. The are currently en route with scheduled delivery on 2/2...! Now, where to display them in our little home...?



P.S. I'm watching SNL (we DVR and then watch the worthwhile sketches every week) and just realized I kind of am crushing on Michael Buble.

@Clearly some people have too much time/money on their hands

I was cruising around CNN.com today and came across a headline that piqued my interest: Now your Dog can tweet. Of course I clicked to find out more, but now I wish I hadn't.

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Social networking is going to the dogs.
In its first-ever toy created for the canine community, Mattel is introducing a product called "Puppy Tweets" that meshes the hugely popular Twitter with consumers' love of pets.
Puppy Tweets is a plastic tag with a sound and motion sensor that you attach to your pet's dog collar and connect its USB receiver to your computer. Then you create a Twitter account for your dog and enjoy updates all day from Sparky or whatever its name is on your computer or smartphone.
The tag is set with several pre-recorded tweets that are triggered by the dog's activities. So if he's running around, you might get a tweet that says "I finally caught that tail I've been chasing and...OOUUUCHH!"
If Sparky is napping, he'll tweet "Somedays it feels like my paw is permanently on the snooze button!" If he's making a ruckus, his tweet will let you know that as well, saying"YAHOOOOOOO! Somedays you just gotta get your bark on."
"Puppy Tweets capitalizes on two popular trends - the use of social media and real time communication, as well as peoples' extreme love for their dogs," said Susan Russo, Mattel's director of marketing.
Puppy Tweets is part of the No. 1 toymaker's line-up of new products for 2010 that it showcased to members of the media Thursday ahead of the industry's annual Toy Fair in New York next month.
Jim Silver, a toy industry analyst and editor-in-chief of TimetoPlayMag.com, said he was "curious" about Puppy Tweets when he first saw it.
"I thought that a 5-year-old doesn't know about Twitter," he said. But he said that Mattel is going after an entirely different market and "expanding beyond kids" with Puppy Tweets. "This is a product for adults."
Does it make sense?
Said Silver,"It's a good thing to try especially since no one else has come up with a pet product quite like this."
Puppy Tweets will be available at retailers in the fall, and will carry a suggested retail price of $29.99

Oh my G-O-D. Really? Really? I mean I'm not one that can usually poke fingers at lame dog owners, given I dress my adorably-ugly Puggle up in capes and coats, but seriously, what adult thinks this toy is worth the 30 bucks. And even more-so, if one of my friends DID invest in this POS to get totally unnecessary dog-tweets, I think I'd need to reconsider whether this is truly someone I can be friends with. Oh Mattel... NO! It does NOT make sense! Nice try, but no cigar. I hope this product provides me with continued media-coverage amusement.

Anddddd I'm back! And buying studded boots.

I'm not sure why I fell off the blogger world last year, but probably something to do with the busy-season at work, and oh yea, that tiny wedding I had to plan. But now I'm hitched, work has calmed down, and I'm going to recommit myself to posting. It's cathartic, and something I want to do, so why is it so hard to believe I will do it? A such is life. So along with recommitting to my blog, I've made myself agree (to myself, yea, I know, I'm talking to myself, like 4 times over), that each and every post doesn't need to be pages long about some mind-blowing topic.

In fact, today is all about a bargain I found. I love when I get a deal on something. I mean, isn't it the worst when you buy something and then see it 2 days later cheaper? That just eats me alive. Well, I live right next to the North Avenue Akira's... yes, who doesn't love Akira?? This girl loves me some Akira. Especially their shoes. The one hitch, is that the majority of the shoes they carry are really high, and high heels are my nemesis. I really really want a good relationship with high heels, but they just keep on hurting me. So anyhow, making sense of all this rambling: I was recently in Akira and saw some uber cute boots that I wanted... bad. They were gray (yay, the ultimate neutral that matches everything), had small-but-comfy heel, and in my humble opinion a style that could be worn in both fall/winter and spring/summer. Sadly, they didn't have my freaking size. What a bummer... or so I thought! I got home and googled the boot, and low and behold found them at over-freaking-stock.com for half price! What??!! Deal+somethingsuperawesomelycute = my favorite thing ever. Ever.

So they have been bought, along with another pair off booties I stumbled upon and had to evaluate in real life... slash own as well, and I can not wait for them to arrive. I will try out my new fancy-pants camera and take some IRL pics to share just as soon as they are in my greedy little hands.

And that, my friends, is how you get back on the blogging wagon.

My first love:


The sneaky ones that I couldn't resist.