Weekend Tote

I've been on quite a few weekend trips lately, and realize I need a good overnight tote.  I love my Vera Bradley duffel, but it's too big for just an overnight visit and screams COLLEGE!  I still love it though...

I came across this Red Carter tote a couple weeks back and think it's cute.  It's not too plain and looks like a perfect size.

What do you think?  Too casual?  I'm on a bit of spending freeze right now but I think this should go on the wish list...

Shop It To Me

I stumbled upon this gem of a website a few weeks back.  I'm all about a good sale, and Shop It To Me essentially browses the internet for deals on brands/sizes that you pre-select, then emails you once a week with a list of those sales.

It all started when I signed up for this:

And now my alerts look something like this:

And I'm OK with that!

Retail Inspiration

Cute workout stuff edition:

I should probably buy stock in Nike... 

Off to Fredericksburg this morning to get the hair did.  Have a great weekend!

Winter Blues

Can it please be spring already??  I have a definite case of the winter blues.  I usually love winter, but I'm so over it right now. 

Thankfully, I have a working laptop again (hello, new MacBook), so I've been distracting myself by creating these inspiration boards.  You know, for when I come into some serious cash, and also for when I'm in-shape!  A girl can dream...

Spring Favorites (via ShopStyle):

For all my fashionista-minded friends out there, check out ShopStyle!  It's a cite that pulls from thousands of stores/brands and has a ton of selection.  It's nice to go to one place and browse a mix of style and prices.  It's the perfect place for ideas, and they have everything from clothing to furniture. 

Dangerous but very fun :)

Bomb.com

I recently, much to the detriment of the budget, rekindled my love for J. Crew.  Things were rocky between us for a few years, but we've worked out our differences.  I got a wee bit excited when this email arrived in my inbox this afternoon....

Once and awhile, J. Crew will open up it's factory store online for a weekend.  If you are in need of anything, take advantage while you can!  And please let me know what you bought so that I can live vicariously through you.  As SkinnyRunner would say, bomb.com.  Happy Friday!

Life's a Beach

I'm back -- bright eyed and bushy tailed!  Vacation was wonderful.  It was a very low-key week, which was relaxing and just what I needed.  We stayed at a resort on the far end of Grand Cayman, and while the weather wasn't perfect, we did get a few sunny days and I managed to get a little bit of a tan.  Hooray!   Here are a few pictures from the trip.

The view from our porch.  Life is good!

Sunrise on the beach.  So peaceful.

Baby palm. Adorable!

View down the beach, to the resort next door.

And our place, Grand Morritt's.

Best seat in the house!  This is my desktop wallpaper right now.  A welcome break from reality :)

Food all day, indeed.  I ate and ate.  

The parental unit, humoring while I make them do posed shots....

I was kicking myself for not bringing a zoom lens (I was using a 50mm 1.8) -- these wind surfers were  awesome and could 20 ft. jumps.  Impressive!

Mid-week, we ventured into Georgetown for some shopping.  The mother and I both scored sweet deals on watches.  I opted for a classic stainless steel (with some bling, of course):

  Michele Deco 16

Merry Christmas to me!  

Speaking of Christmas, I hope everyone had a great holiday!  After mass on Christmas Eve, we woke up for a big breakfast and opened up our gifts in front of our make shift tree (a plant with one string of lights.  I wish I were joking!).  Next year we'll be more festive, I promise :-)

Fistpump Friday

Happy Friday!  Today marks the end of my first week on the Couch to 5K program.  Fistpump!  All three morning runs this week were pretty easy (done on the treadmill -- running in downtown DC scares me).  Next week doesn't look too bad either:

• Workout 1 - 5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 90 seconds jogging and 2 minutes of walking for a total of 25 minutes. 
• Workout 2 - 5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 90 seconds jogging and 2 minutes of walking for a total of 25 minutes.
• Workout 3 - 5 minute warm-up walk; alternate 90 seconds jogging and 2 minutes of walking for a total of 25 minutes.

I still have some sort of left hip issue going on, but fortunately it doesn't really bother me until after I run, so I'm just doing my best to ignore it.  I'm scared to go to the doctor....they may tell me that I need a hip replacement and that I have old-lady bones at the ripe age of 26.  Eep!

In other news, I'm so happy that it's finally cool weather season!  There's nothing better than leaving the stinky gym and being able to cool off outside, or snuggling up at night in comfy jammies and a fire (we have one of those gas remote control fireplaces... sooo money!).  Doesn't quite beat Ashley's alternative, but it comes close :)
 
Also, I'm totally in love with these Fur Trim Slipper Booties from Gap (I might have to treat myself):
 

 
What do you think -- cute or obnoxious?  I love my trusty UGG slippers, but they've seen better days and I really don't want to fork over another $100 for a second pair.  Decisions.
 
BTW, check out the new Jimmy Choo & UGG collection.  Very interesting.  Love both, but I'm not sure about this collaboration.
 
Have a great weekend!

Going Hollywood

There's a new love in my life, and it came to me in the form of tape.  That's right, tape.  I was having a bit of wardrobe malfunction at work last week, wearing this shirt I recently purchased from Banana Republic:

Doesn't it look great on the model?  While I do love the blouse, it's dangerously low cut on me.  For some silly reason, I decided to wear the blouse last Friday when I had a special event for work, but spent most of the day fidgeting with it. 

I was joking around with one of my co-workers to please keep an eye out for any inappropriate flashing on my end, and she suggested I try using fashion tape to keep the neckline from slipping.  I was not enthusiastic about the idea (tape, really?), but since she had some in her purse, I gave it a shot.

The tape is called Hollywood Fashion Tape.  And holy moly, this stuff is amazeballs!  The double-sided strips are really thin (and clear) and stick to skin/clothing without leaving any residue.  Plus, they come in a little tin that doesn't take up much room in a bag.  I just put two small pieces inside the neckline of the shirt where I wanted it to sit, and wa-la, the shirt didn't budge for the rest of the evening.  Love it!  I definitely suggest checking out the product if you have any clothing that tends to slip and you're looking for a quick fix.  They have some other cool stuff on the site too.  Olivia and fashion tape, sitting in a tree... :)

If you haven't already, don't forget to enter the giftcard giveaway!  Only three people have submitted their songs so far, so you're changes are goooood.  Last day to enter is next Monday, July 26th.

xoxo,
Olivia

In Her Shoes

Everyone has a weakness in life, and (one of) mine is shoes. Shoes, glorious shoes. I pretty much love 'em all… flats, stilettos, boots, flip flops, you name it. I have some serious shoe love. Especially when they're lined up all pretty in your closet:

Yes, I color coordinate.  I'm slightly OCD, just comes with the territory :)  FYI -- those metallic flashes are the backs of my running shoes.  It's good know that they really do reflect light.

Well, with my recent frugality vows, one of the habits I'm working to kick is shoes.  Of course, now I keep seeing a zillion cute pairs that I want.  It's a classic case of "distance makes the heart grown fonder."  Here are some of my favorites.  Blog window shopping will have to satisfy me for now!

Kate Spade Jester Flats:

Cole Haan Air Miranda Pumps (Cole Haan is now owned by Nike, so they're working on blending comfort with style):

Coconuts Naples sandals. 

How can you beat that $30 price tag?!  If you haven't already checked out Piperlime, do it.  Free shipping, and free returns.  Plus, they're having their huge "Lime Tag Sale" right now, lots of 40% off items.  Dangerous :)

Happy shoe'ing.

xoxo,

Olivia

Busy Bee

I'm baaack! I've been slacking on the blogging front... this past week was bananas.

Last week was a short week at work -- I took Thursday and Friday off to head to North Carolina to visit Jill and her family. Cooper joined me for the trip, and had a blast. Jill has two young boys, Max and Ben, who are adorable and kept me on my toes playing soccer and other fun games. We did some shopping while I was down there, and I found a super cute (and affordable) Michael Kors dress that will be perfect for summer events.  It looks black in this picture, but it's actually navy blue and white:

I'm not normally a pattern type of gal, but I'm trying to branch out in the wardrobe department. I also picked up a couple pairs of shoes for work, and some summer tops. I love outlet shopping! I left North Carolina around 9:00 p.m. on Saturday night, and got back to Arlington around 1:00 a.m. on Sunday. I know driving at night isn't very safe, but I beat the Sunday traffic and it ended up being a breeze.

Sunday morning the roomie and I had breakfast at IHOP (I'm going to miss that tradition!) and then I headed to IKEA with Jenn to look at some furniture for her apartment. IKEA is like crack to OCD design freaks like myself. There is a ton of awesome stuff and great organizational ideas. I was good and refrained from buying more stuff that I don't need, but Jenn found a cute desk and a small coffee table. Success!

After IKEA I headed into DC to pick up Benji, Ashley and Drew's schnoodle puppy.  Ashley and Drew are in Mexico this week (seriously jealous right now), so I'm taking care of the little one. Cooper and Benji get along pretty well, and spend most of their time play fighting.  Here are the two little trouble makers, taking a brief reprieve:

Yesterday was a Monday of epic proportions. (Rewind... while in North Carolina, I chipped one of my molars. Well... really it just crumbled when I was chewing gum. Gross.) My dentist squeezed me in for a last minute appointment, so between a ton of meetings and catching up on everything I missed while I was out, I also had to leave in the middle of the day to get the tooth squared away.  I thought he would look at it and then make me schedule a time to come back to have it fixed, but before I knew it, I was being given local anesthesia and they were filling in the tooth.  He managed to fix everything up (with some minor antics from me over the needle) and give me a cleaning in an hour and half.  My dentist rocks!  After that, I rallied and went to class at Georgetown, despite having  a numb mouth and lip. I got home around 10:00 p.m. and literally took the dogs out then passed out stone cold. Longest.Monday.Ever. Sorry to be a Debbie downer, but it was just one of  those days!!

Tonight was really the first time I had a chance to slow down. I took advantage of having some time on my hands and made delicious Makhani Chicken (Indian Butter Chicken) for dinner. A year ago I wouldn't have touched Indian food, but now I can't get enough of it.  Taste buds change! 

On the fitness front, I haven't been to the gym in over week. It's going to be interesting getting back into the swing of things. Another few days and I should be clear to start running again. I'm sure there will be some upcoming "I stuck at running" posts.  Oy vey.

Does anyone else find it hard to believe that it's almost May? 

xoxo,
Olivia

Raindrops on Roses & Whiskers on Kittens

It's time for a "these are a few of my favorite things" post. Kinda like a blog version of window shopping.  I can look, but I can't touch!

I recently picked up a copy of the Nordstrom's February 2010 catalog. It previews some some of their spring lines, and boy am I excited for spring.  Here's are a few of my faves:

Gorgeous turquoise Marc by Marc Jacobs bag. As sad as it is, this bag gives me butterflies! Marc is known for his colors -- he had an awesome line of teal bags a few years back, and have one of his totes in a dark pink that is fab. I love the splashes of color. Update: I saw this bag in real life at the store last week, and wasn't as blown away as I am in the picture. The leather is kindda meshy (is that a word?). Sad face... bye bye butterflies.

Leifsdottir 'Fever Pitch' printed skirt. If you know me, you know that I rarely wear skirts. But, if I had Heidi Klum legs, I would want this one. Looks like printed skirts are going to be huge this year, and I think this one is different enough to stand out from the crowd but not so much that it is obnoxious. Fine line. The back is super cute, too. Check.it.out.

Finally, the Burberry 'Asymmetrical Zip' jacket.  Love, love, love. Burberry just knows how to do jackets, period. This one puts a twist on their classic trench styles, and I think it's the perfect piece for the rainy spring months. If anyone would like to make $595 donation to my fashionista fund, I will wear this jacket in your honor :)  I think I like the black best (shock), but the light purple is cute too.

Is it spring yet?! 

xoxo,

Olivia