I haven’t returned to Old Navy to shop since the snail trail pants incident, and I don’t know that I ever will. They did send me $50 in gift cards for my trouble, and I used them at OldNavy.com to buy 2 pairs of jeans, which came sealed in plastic bags. (Sanitized for my protection!) You can bet I inspected the crotch of both pairs of jeans as soon as I opened the package, and I washed them in hot water before they ever made it onto my body.

Live and learn.

I’m not that tall (5 foot 8 inches) but I do have long legs, and that makes it hard to find pants. Manufacturers and designers tend to think that only people over a size 6 can be tall, and it’s very difficult to find pants in a size 1 or 2 that have a long enough leg for me. I’ve been able to find pants in my size, in a longer length, at Old Navy and Gap, but they usually need to be special ordered. They don’t tend to stay on the racks long.

That’s why I was pleasantly surprised when I tried on a pair of pants at Express, from the Editor line, and they FIT! Not only did they fit perfectly in the waist, hips, and butt without being too loose or too tight, but they were plenty long enough. The regular size 2 has a nice long leg, which is great, since they don’t offer a long length option. I snagged a pair off the clearance rack for $40, which is a steal considering the regular price is closer to $80. Trust me though, these pants are worth it! I get irritated when I try pants on and they fit well in the butt, but leave a big back above my butt…I could fit another person in there! Not so with the Editor pants from Express, and I’m hoping Santa brings me another pair. They’re a classic tailored look with a not too wild flare leg that’s perfect for work.

Thank you Express, for realizing that skinny girls can be long legged!

I have quite a few purses, but I generally don’t swap them out too often. I’m lazy, I guess! Yesterday, I was in Beall’s and saw a purse I couldn’t live without. It was the Liz Claiborne Money Maker in red, and it was calling my name.
I normally never spend over $30 on a purse - I’m just too tough on them! This purse retails for $60, but it was on sale for $40. With my trip to Vegas in just a few days, I decided a new purse was just the boost my wardrobe needed!

The purse is compact, but it has plenty of room for my fat wallet, my cell phone / PDA, my allergy medicine, and the case for my sunglasses. The strap is short enough that it fits under my arm when I walk, instead of banging against my rear end, like my last purse. And it’s red, which is my favorite color. A red purse goes with anything! Black clothing, brown shirts, prints, solids. I’m wearing a black skirt and a black sweater today and the red is a nice punch of color against the black.

Looks like my Nine & Company order just wasn’t meant to be.

Last week, about 3 weeks after I placed the order, it was canceled, and my cash was refunded. I’m bummed that I didn’t get the shirt I wanted, but on the other hand, I appreciate that once the store realized my shirt was on backorder, they attempted to find it. They actually went to the trouble of attempting to locate the shirt I wanted in their retail stores before canceling my order.

While I am disappointed that I didn’t get what I ordered, this won’t keep me from attempting to shop with Nine & Company again. I just need a little time to recover from my heartbreak. And, given that the shirt I ordered was for my trip to Vegas next week, I’m going to shop at brick and mortar stores for now - I don’t have much time left!

My girls are getting older, and the older girls get, the harder it becomes to shop for them. It used to be that I could buy them clothes, or a new doll, and they’d be pleased as punch. Now that my daughters are 10 and 11, they’ve got their own taste in clothes, and they don’t want anything to do with dolls. I came across this site with Message Jewelry and it’s a unique gift idea for someone who can be tricky to buy for. You can choose any word…a name…even a motto or a short saying with special meaning. These aren’t costume pieces - they’re made out of platinum, gold, or silver! It’s the kind of thing that can be worn for a lifetime. If you can’t decide on a saying or message, their Chinese symbol jewelry line offers over 160 Chinese characters on a pendant or charm.

I took my oldest shopping last week, and we went to Beall’s, which is a chain of department stores in Florida. I was able to find 3 pairs of new jeans that fit in both the waist and leg (score!) and then I got a little frustrated. I normally shop in the juniors section…not because I am trying to hold onto my youth, but because clothes from the women’s section don’t fit me. The pants are too big, the shirts fall off of me. The petites section doesn’t have arms / legs long enough for my limbs. I also think clothing from the womens section tends to look…matronly. However, from time to time I venture into the womens section hoping I can find something professional for work, because finding that type of outfit in the juniors section…well, it doesn’t happen.

I came across a shirt on the clearance rack by Nine and Company, which I later discovered is a division of Nine West Shoes. I found a darling brown dressy shirt, complete with polka dots (I do love polka dots!) on clearance for only $22. And then when I got to the register, I was given an extra discount since it was a red line item, so I got the shirt for only $13.20. Since it has short sleeves, the arm length wasn’t an issue, and the small was a perfect fit. The shirt isn’t on the Nine and Company website, but while I was looking for it, I discovered quite a few items not in the department store. I think I’m about to become a repeat customer of Nine and Company.

I watched this completely over the top wedding show this weekend called Platinum Weddings. It’s all about brides who go a little insane when planning their weddings, and end up spending $60,000 on flowers, or $5,000 on a wedding cake. Ay yi yi! I watched one episode with a wedding at the Ritz-Carlton in Laguna Beach, and another in Cabo, Mexico. These are brides with very expensive taste. Of course, you need not break the bank when you get married. We had a budget wedding, and you can get some absolutely beautiful gowns for $1000 or less, like these wedding dresses. I love the classic lines on this Dupion silk gown from Maggie Sottero! My own wedding dress had a similar shape to the skirt, and I absolutely loved it.

I’m sure after you all read my review of the designer bars available at ShopBarbara.com, you immediately went to check the store out. Right? If not, what are you waiting for? If bras aren’t your thing, they have a huge selection of clothing, accessories, shoes - even designer panties from high end designers without the high end price tag. Everything at ShopBarbara.com, from the Hanky Panky panties to the Mary Green panties is reasonably priced. If you’ve been shopping for lingerie in your local mall, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the variety of styles & colors available to you! The site receives new styles each week, so you can be cutting edge and current with the trends without waiting for new fall lines and such. The site also offers some great tips on how to ensure the perfect fit with your bras and panties, and how to solve common fit problems. Among the best advice I found there? Bras and panties are meant to last about 6 months. SIX months! How many of you have bras you’ve had for years, or panties that are starting to get a little droopy? If you wouldn’t want anyone to see you in your bra or panties, it’s time to replace them with something new, pretty, and fun!

This is a sponsored review.

For the past few years, I’ve been stuck in what I call a bra rut. (It sounds like more fun than it is - trust me!) You see, several years ago, I found one particular style and brand of bra that fit me very, very well, so I began buying only that style and brand. Recently, the brand I put my faith in decided to change the style I loved so much. I bought one of their “new models”, and I was not impressed. It came with little gel “implants” inside the cup padding, as to point out that my A cup is simply not large enough. Gee, thanks! That leaves me with a few bras from the past few years that aren’t ready to be tossed yet, but not enough bras to get through a week. Which means shopping once again for designer bras without a designer price tag. Despite trying on what seems like hundreds of bras at local department stores, I haven’t found anything that works for me. I’ve decided to search online, and found ShopBarbara.com, a fashion website that offers a large selection of brand names I’ve never heard of. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since I live in a rural area that seems to get the new styles about 5 years after they are new, if you know what I mean.

Regardless, I’ve found all sorts of cute things, like the Belabumbum bras and Hanky Panky bras (pictured here) which are not only cheaper than what I’ve been buying all of these years, but in a style that looks to be a little more fun than the basic bra I’ve grown accustomed to! Bonus points to the store for offering a discount to shoppers who spend at least $100!

This is a sponsored review.

One of the things I bought for myself at Kohl’s this weekend was a new purse. I’ve been using a brown purse for the past few months, and I hate carrying it when I’m wearing black pants and shoes, but I usually forget to change purses in the morning before heading to work. I solved my problem by getting a purse in a black and brown print, so not matter what I’m wearing, I won’t clash!

I took my oldest back to school shopping this week and spent 2 hours and $200. She’s fun to buy for still, because she doesn’t push for things that are bordering on inappropriate. Her school prohibits t-shirts that have slogans and sayings and characters on them, which I really appreciate. It makes it very easy to turn down requests for t-shirts with dumb sayings on them! I think we’ll need to have another shopping trip once the weather turns cooler to stock up on jeans and a few long sleeved shirts. She must have grown another few inches, because all of her jeans are a bit too short. I wish jeans came with adjustable lengths, just like they come with adjustable waists!

We spent much less on the other kids, as they were uniforms and had plenty in good shape that still fit from last year. Maybe $50 each?

How much did you spend on your teen or tween for back to school shopping?

Are cufflinks a thing of the past?

I hope not. I think they’re a classic mens accessory that never fail to add a subtle punch to a men’s suit. My husband, like most men, has a pair or two. I think he received one pair from his employer, and possibly the other pair was handed down from a family member. I think that’s probably the case for most men…somewhere, in a man’s bureau, he’s got a tie tack and cuff links that are probably a bit out dated and out of style. The next time you need a fun gift for your husband, your dad, or another man in your life, why not consider designer cufflinks? Reward the new college graduate with a cool, fun accessory he can wear to job interviews. The selection at GreenShag is interesting - from cufflinks with flag representations on them, to the “phallic collection” (offering Big Ben, the CN Tower, and the Eiffel Tower) or images of money. It’s definitely the kind of thing that will give a sharp dressed man a little extra “oomph”!

Before our vacation, I bought hockey shirts for the family from shop.nhl.com, and after wearing my pink Tampa Bay Lightning shirt once, I wasn’t pleased with it. The logo had a glitter over it, which began wearing off immediately, and then the silk screened logo started flaking off!

I didn’t want to return it without talking to someone first, so I submitted a complaint on the website. No response, aside from the automated response. Today, I submitted another complaint, and noted this was my 2nd email. So far, I’ve just received the automated reply. After spending $150 at this store, I’m not very pleased at being ignored!

I’m a somewhat conservative dresser when it comes to the workplace. I tend to stick to khakis or plain black dress pants, and simply shirts. The one place I get a little quirky is with my socks. If I’m home, and wearing sneakers, I go with plain white. But for the office - I love wearing argyle, or striped socks, or something with a crazy pattern. The trouble is finding fun socks that are also high quality and in the style I need to wear with pants to work. Hue socks definitely fit the bill. The 3% spandex is just the thing I need to make sure my socks down end up wrinkled around my ankles by the end of the day!

I tried on my new outfit from Ann Taylor for Jim last night and he loved it! He also didn’t ask how much it cost, so that’s a win-win situation I’m going to run to the dry cleaner in a bit and drop off the dress and Jim’s suit so that both can be cleaned and pressed and ready for Saturday night. I’m normally not the type who would dry clean a brand new outfit, or heck, wash it before wearing it, but the dress needs it. It’s a bit wrinkled from being tried on and carried around in a bag.

When you buy new clothes, do you wash them first? I normally don’t, and my husband has to wash everything first. Am I the freak, or is he?

While we were at the mall yesterday, my son decided that he wanted a Simspons t-shirt. Since the movie was released last week, I thought that we’d see all sorts of merchandising from Fox for the movie, but I didn’t see anything except for a few shirts in the men’s department of Sears. Did Fox only select a single store to carry any clothing items tied into the movie? Or did they miss the merchandising boat completely? (I’m sure they didn’t, considering they know what a gold mine it would be!)

My husband and I are attending his high school reunion next week (20 years!) and that occasion was enough for me to shop at Ann Taylor. Now, I’ve said in the past that I think Ann Taylor and her clothes are too spendy for me, but this is a special occasion. I still think $150 for a casual outfit is too much money, but $100 for a dress for a special event isn’t bad, right?

This is the dress I picked out:

Then I went to Macy’s and got these shoes to wear with it:

I *almost* didn’t buy those shoes when I saw they were from Jessica Simpson’s new line. I can’t stand her. But they were cute, and they were perfect for the dress, so I had to give in, even thought they cost almost as much as the dress did. Yeah, that about killed this bargain shopper.

The dress is for Saturday night - there’s going to be a dinner and dance. No clue what I’m going to wear for Friday night, which is just a get together at a huge bar on Clearwater Beach. I had my 8 year old with me while I was shopping and by the time I got the dress and the shoes he was done, so I didn’t get to worry about clothing for Friday night.

I’m kind of new to Etsy - ever been there? It’s a site where you can buy and sell handmade items. You’ll find an amazing variety of crafts there, and some of the things people create - well, it makes me draw drop to see how talented people are! Lori Jaclyn’s handmade mod jewelry is no exception. Even more amazing at Lori’s prices - low, low, low! I was just looking over her offerings and found a necklace for $8, and earrings for $13. And those are pieces with silver chains and toggles and beautiful stones. What a steal!

Some of the pieces are definitely mod, with a 60’s kind of feel, and others are more vintage with a, dare I say, classic, timeless elegance to them. It’s jewelry you can wear for a fun night out, or something you can wear to your wedding. Currently, the site is having a promotion as well - if you buy two items, you get the third of equal or lesser value for free!

Apparently, I really am stupid.

I went into Victoria’s Secret last Sunday to return my crappy convertible bra and left with the bra still in hand. Why? Because an extremely nice salesperson showed me that I was doing the straps wrong, and that’s why the bra was flinging off me. Oops! To her credit, she didn’t make me feel dumb when she explained how it works.

I still think that the bra should have an instruction manual with it. It comes with a little booklet to show you all of the ways you can wear it - how hard would it be to include a diagram of how to make the straps stay connected?

A few years ago, Jim bought me a nice jewelry set considering of a single strand pearl necklace, and simple pearl earrings. I don’t wear it a lot, but for special occasions at church, or when I need classic jewelry that’s pretty, but not too showy. If you’re hankering for your own pearl set, check out the offerings at Sunshine Pearls - right now the site is offering a 20% off coupon on purchases, anything from pearl necklaces to unique black pearls.

The site promises pearls directly from the farm. Yes, there are farms for peals! The pearls come from Tahiti and other exotic locales, and are strung with silk strings and solid gold clasps. The site also offers a 90 day money back guarantee, should you not be pleased with your purchase. In fact, my only negative about this site is that some of the graphics look a bit amateurish, and the language on the main page is a bit stiff. It doesn’t flow naturally. If you can get past that, you’ll find a great selection of a lot of pearl items not sold in your local mall.

This is a sponsored review.