A little bling-bling

My friend Stacey has recently become an independent stylist for Stella & Dot.  She hosted a trunk show earlier this week and I am in love.  The pieces are versatile and well-made and I am obsessed.  If you'd like to host a trunk show, her contact info can be found here.

I am challenged when it comes to wearing jewelry.  If anything, I'll put on a bracelet.  I am terrified to wear dangly earrings because the kids might pull on them.  Ouch!  The kids pull on necklaces too, so it's not often that I'll wear one.  But whatever I wear, I like it to make a statement.  And jewelry makes me feel a little more polished, regardless of the outfit.

Here are some of my favorites (click on any image to go to the item page):

La Coco Curb Chain Necklace

This piece can be worn as a long necklace, or you can remove a section to make it shorter.  That removable section becomes a bracelet.  Also, you can attach a brooch.

Carrie Bangles
I am loving the turquoise and coral combo.

Petra Braided Bracelet
This bracelet is pure bling. 

Pyramid Double Wrap Bracelet in Cognac
This would be cute all by itself or layered with other bracelets.

Cameron Pendant

La Coco Rope Necklace

This necklace can be worn in a single strand, or doubled or tripled.  And you can attach a brooch.

Bee Brooch
I purchased this item at Stacey's trunk show.  I love this piece paired with the La Coco Rope Necklace and I also think it would look awesome with the La Coco Curb Chain Necklace.

Essential Ball Studs

And finally, for the girl who is afraid of earrings.

FYI for anyone (Paul) who might be buying me a gift for my upcoming birthday (Paul), my wishlist is here (Paul.  And Mom too).  xoxo

Ornament Envy

We decorated our Christmas tree over the weekend.  It's very toddler-friendly.  With a curious two-almost-three-year-old and a new baby on the way, it will be a while before we can have a Christmas tree filled with fragile ornaments.  I don't care so much about having a "department store tree;" I'd rather have a tree full of ornaments with meaning.  So I got a little upset when I realized that we don't have ornaments to commemorate our important milestones.  Okay, a lot upset.  I blame the pregnancy hormones.

I love beautiful Christmas ornaments, but there is a soft spot in my heart for Lenox.  I love to give ornaments as gifts, and I'd love to get a new ornament every year (hint, hint, Paul).   But we just haven't bought ornaments for ourselves over the years.  We don't have an ornament to commemorate the year that we bought our home (2007), or Joey's first Christmas (2008).  We don't have an ornament for the first year Paul and I were together (2004) or the year we got engaged (2005).  We don't have an ornament for 2009, which must have been pretty uneventful because I can't recall anything big happening.  The only annual ornament that we do have is for 2006, the year Paul and I got married.  And actually, we received that one as a gift.

Fortunately, all of these annual ornaments can be found on eBay, new or used, for every important milestone.  I bought our ornament for 2007, and I'm the high bidder on one for 2008.  I do wonder, will buying these ornaments so many years later give them less meaning?  Will it matter that I purchased these potential family heirlooms from eBay?  I hope that in 20 years I won't even remember.

I (heart) Gilt

A couple of weeks ago I blogged about Gilt Groupe and how I snagged $50 worth of account credits.  Today in my inbox was another $20 account credit, and I was able to finagle free shipping by inviting ten of my nearest and dearest to join.

Seriously, you should be subscribing to their emails.  If you'd like to sign up, click here or ask me for an invitation.

This is what I bought for a dollar:

MiYim organic knitted teether rattles for Baby Losavio, retail value $36.

Do You Have Gilt?

Save Money with Ebates

If you shop online, you should consider setting up an account with Ebates.  Ebates is an online shopping site that offers up to 26% cash back when you shop online.  Ebates has partnered with more than 1,200 stores, including Macy's, Overstock, Wal-mart, Gap/Old Navy/Banana Republic, and eBay, to give you cash rebates for shopping online.  Ebates is also an excellent source for reliable Internet coupons, free shipping offers, and limited-time sales.  If you sign up now, you will receive a $5 bonus when you make your first purchase. 

To earn cash back, simply visit Ebates and click on their link for an online retailer rather than typing the retailer's URL in your browser's address bar.  When you make a purchase through Ebates, they earn a commission, which they pass on to the consumer.  Four times a year, they will send you a check or transfer your earnings to your Paypal account.  Or, you can donate those earnings to a charity.

Why not get cash back for purchases that you would make anyway?

Got Swag?

We all like getting something for nothing, right?

For a couple of months I've been using the search engine at Swagbucks to earn swag.  You periodically earn Swag Bucks as you search, which you can redeem for prizes.  You can also earn Swag Bucks by participating in daily polls, taking surveys, installing a Swag Bucks toolbar, and more.  Once you accumulate enough, you can redeem them for e-gift cards and other prizes.

You can click on the link here or the image below to sign up.

After many months of sporadic use, I finally saved enough Swag Bucks to get two $5 Amazon gift cards.  This is what I bought:

Pretty special, huh?

I'm not going to lie:  the search engine is horrible.  I don't recommend using it if you actually need to search for something.  But you can still use Swagbucks to "search" for sites.  Rather than typing a URL in your browser's address bar, set Swagbucks as your homepage and "search" for sites you plan to visit, such as Facebook or Yahoo or even Google.  Earn Swag Bucks.  Buy stuff.  Like a piggy kitchen timer.  We all need one of those, right?

Do you have Gilt?

Gilt Groupe is a members only online "flash sale" site for higher-end goods.  They sell discounted items, up to 70% off, in sales that usually last 36 hours.  

I've been a member of Gilt Groupe for quite some time, although it's rare that I actually make a purchase.  Last week I received an email that offered me a $25 Gilt credit.  I figured that I could use it to get a Christmas gift for Joey.  They had just opened a Melissa & Doug boutique and I was easily able to find something for less than $25.  I purchased the Melissa & Doug Slice and Bake Cookie Set, which was listed at $16, and shipping (which could be included in the $25 credit) was $7.95.  So it was absolutely free for me.   

Today, to my surprise, I received another $25 credit, this time from Gilt Children.  I thought that it must have been a mistake, but I decided to try to make a purchase using the credit anyway.  The Melissa & Doug shop was still open, so I picked out the Melissa & Doug Chef Role Play Costume Set, which was $25.  Gilt was also offering a free shipping credit if you invited 10 friends, which I did, and therefore paid absolutely nothing!

So if you are not receiving emails from Gilt Groupe, you should be!  Post a comment or message me if you want an invite.