September 24, 2011

You know how you see something in a store and you want it but it costs too much so you leave it there?  You spend the next few weeks/months dreaming of when the price will go down enough so that you can get it - secretly thanking God that you no longer live in NYC so no one really knows it's from four seasons ago by the time you get it!  I kinda love that feeling!  I had that feeling when I was doing the whole "Deal of the Day" thing on my twitter page.  Even though I don't have a daughter, the feeling still hit me. 

There was a shirt that I just loved but I thought the price was insane. I mean it wasn't like Gucci prices but it was more than I would pay for a shirt for myself, much less for my pretend daughter!  And I didn't love it, love it - but I thought it was unique enough to make a cute outfit.  I would see it every day while looking for deals to post on twitter.  But it wasn't unique enough to be $77!  That's right - $77!  Then it would go on sale for $60 or $45.  These prices are still way too high for a shirt for my pretend daughter - though it may be perfect for some of you and your real daughters.   Anywho, it's finally on sale at a price that I can stomach.  So here I am to put this twill shirt (that is perfect for fall) together with a couple of things that I hope someone out there gets for their daughter or niece or goddaughter or cousin...you get the picture!

The offending article of clothing is this Splendid Girls' Military Twill Shirt.

As you can see, it has a very slight and cute military flair.  Maybe I like it because it reminds me of my brother and our troops or maybe I just love the simplicity of it.  When I saw this shirt, I saw versatility.  It can be worn open over a cami with a pair of jeans and sneakers or half tucked in a pair of skinny jeans with your fave pair of boots.  For the sale price of $27.72 at bloomingdales.com, it will pay for itself in the many different ways it can be worn.

I also envision this shirt with a super cute denim skirt and cream leggings with ballet flats or boots.  A pair of shorts would work, too - as long as the shirt is left open/partially open with a cami - and some simple sneakers (like Converse or Vans).  Here are a couple of options to go with this minor obsession of mine:

Of course I prefer the olive colored cargo shorts over the navy ones from Levi's.  The denim skirt is also by Levi's and they both can be found at macys.com.  They are $11.99 and $17.99, respectively and are for girls sizes 7-16.  Have fun with this one. There are so many ways to wear it!  I may even get it in a 14 or 16 and rock it myself!

Hair Bows & Clips

So I spent the month of August experimenting with a "Deal of the Night" on Twitter.  It was interesting but I'm kinda glad it's over.  Now I can just shoot out deals when I find them without the pressure of finding an uber sale item everyday.  But I did find some great items and ran across a lot of blog topic ideas - so it opened up some new avenues for me! 

My topic today is one of the first ideas I got from looking for daily deals.

The ex nanny and her baby girl are here visiting for a while.  The ex nanny told me she couldn't find any hair bows that were cute and not pink in the stores in her area.  I figured it really couldn't be that hard to search for some hair bows for baby girl.  So I hit a few stores and searched on line on a quest for cute hair bows.  I found some really ugly bows and clips that cost too much money.  And I found some really cute bows and clips that cost way too much money!  I checked a few store websites and even craft sites.  I even  hit up hair stores in areas a chick like me shouldn't venture into!  I really just couldn't believe how much people were charging for baby hair accessories.  There was just no deal to be found for quality or quantity.

My mind immediately went back to my craft foundation - thanks to my wonderful grandmother.  She taught me how to loom, crochet, knit, sew, use a latch hook and do needlepoint.  I hope I didn't leave anything out!  We were a busy little duo when it came to crafting!  So I drew  upon my background and decided that I would just make hair bows and clips for baby girl.  How hard could it be?  With a little research I was sure that I could get it on and poppin!

So I researched and found a lot of people already make and sell hair bows and clips for babies and little girls.  Once again, I found some really cute clips, but the prices were really crazy to me!  Seriously, how much could ribbon and glue cost?  If you know where to find a bargain - not that much!!!  I spent about a week doing research before purchasing the tools I needed to make hair accessories for baby girl.  I found that choosing ribbon took up most of my time.  There are so many different designs and they can get pricey.  Getting ribbon will be just like any other purchase I make - I'll be waiting for it to go on sale/clearance!  

I set up my hair bow/clip station this morning and started creating.  I have a non slip technique for baby girl's newborn hair.  They stay in place no matter how much she wriggles around.  I can't wait to start experimenting with more designs and ideas.  I even tried my hand at a bow holder!  Check out my pics!  What do you think?  Should I open up shop and start selling these little things?  I know for a fact my prices would be less than the ones I found on craft and selling sites.  New side hustle, perhaps?