TMASE Giveaway: Richie Designs

Greetings Poodles! I know I said I was taking the week off and I am, but this is too good to wait.

You all have visited Richie Designs, right? If you haven't been over there to see her fantastic work, you're really missing out. If you need an invitation for a special event (surprise party, baby shower, wedding), I highly suggest checking out these handmade, letterpressed goodies. And bonus for us, Richele also runs an etsy shop featuring letterpressed cards for many occasions. See for yourself:








See what I'm sayin? Gorgeous, right? There's a convenient little button to your right that will shazam you directly to Richele's store. Booyah!

Now here's the best part! Miss Generous Richele is giving away a set of her fabulous letterpressed shoe cards to a lucky reader of this very blog! See, reading TMASE has its benefits!


Good golly these are gorgeous! And what girl doesn't love a pair of shoes?! HELLO?! If you would like a chance to win, leave a comment below with your contact information (email is fine) and I'll draw a winner on August 1, 2009. Good luck!!! And thanks to Richele for the giveway!

Tonight.

I'm going to the David Cook concert tonight. Yes, I'm a dork, but tonight especially so because:

a. His fanbase consists of the crazy and the frightening (take a quick tour of Idletard and you'll know what I mean);

b. His fanbase consists of women of advanced age (Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I don't want anyone mistaking me for being over 40 before I actually am over 40 (or worse, calling me a cougar when I am not and never will be a cougar. GROSS.); and

c. He's actually an American Idol, even though I think Kelly Clarkson is totally and completely awesome.

So yeah, I'll be at the David Cook show tonight and then I'm taking the week off from the blog to recover ... and visiting the aforementioned bestie for her birthday. Holla! See you in August!

Coordinate!

This mushroom lamp is for one of my besties who I will be visiting this weekend for her birthday celebration. Holla!

New At the Crew

As long as we're talking Crew, we might as well take a tour of the new arrivals that were just posted today. So much great new stuff from the Crew in the new arrivals section. I could post about 12 looks, but instead I opted for the top five.

Finally the Crew brings us the flower pins that were so prominently featured in the catalog. This one is velvet ...


And this is a pom pom! Cute!


I'm digging the new styling on these toothpick cords, in seven rich fall colors. Adorable.

This is my favorite piece in the new collection. The silk Frances cami in six colors. LOVE.


And hold up because this Lexi tote is super cute, with its fold over style and cross body strap. In three colors.

There's a lot more. Check it out!!!

Kickin It

Does it get any more perfect than these? In four colors.

More Things I Do Not Understand

It's been a while, but like a bad rash, the disasters at Shopbop keep popping up. Right now, the bottoms are particularly horrifying, so I'm naming names and calling out prices. Behold these design wonders:

Outfit an entire barbershop quartet in these $242 Alice & Olivia striped, skinny capri pants. As a bonus, check out those shoes. Good lord.


How about some $69 leggings by Sauce? Wrong Sauce.


Now really. Is there a single, solitary person on the planet who would look good in these $198 Genetic Denim tye dye, bleached out, acid wash, ultra skinny jeans?


Thanks to the good folks at Sass & Bide, you too can own a pair of sequined, silk chiffon shorty shorts. For $315.


Diane Von Furstenburg welcomes you to Studio 54 in these $195 harem pants, tied at the ankle.

Good gravy, what a mess. You know, I'm going to be in Madison in a few short days and I may just take a visit to the Bop mothership. I'll be bringing my camera. *wink*

New Happy Chic

The little elves at the Happy Chic emporium have been working overtime to bring us a slew of new products. Look at some of these new Jonathan Adler goodies!

Pop giraffe!
Whale salt and pepper shakers

Dragon!
Penguin!
Banana bud vase in two colors


Enamel curve frames in three colors

New lacquer trays in various sizes and colors

And there's lots more too. Check it out here.

Extra Protection

Swimsuit not included.

Drool

How good is this?

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale started on Friday. And as with Nordstrom in general, some of the stuff is downright horrible and some of the stuff is jaw droppingly good. Let's focus on the good, shall we?


Oh hold up, because I have never seen a Marc by Marc Jacobs bag on sale at the beginning of the season. Good work Nordstrom!


Like death and taxes, winter is also a certainty. People, I live in Minnesota. This DKNY wool blend peacoat is a classic and a steal.

Those Olsen twins are onto something good with this Elizabeth and James poet blouse. Bonus: hides all flaws!


The shoe selection for this sale is a real disappointment, but these Vera Wang motorcycle boots are an unexpected surprise. Butch and fabulous!


Diane Von Furstenberg does it again with this adorable and versatile top in a gorgeous shocking pink.

Who doesn't love a Vince cashmere sweater that would look fabulous with leggings and boots on a Saturday afternoon?

I'm a longtime fan of the Nordstrom house bround Classiques and this drape neck sheath dress is a great example as to why.

Good gravy, this is a fantastic deal on a Botkier Bianca satchel, a staple for the collection.

The sale runs for two weeks. Find your store here. Report back with your purchases!

Friday Surprise: Anthropologie Furniture

Have you seen what's going on in the furniture department at Anthropologie?




Because that's seriously good stuff.

Nesting

This incredible set of colorful nesting bowls has been featured in a number of shelter magazines and with good reason. Made from durable melamine, it comprises two bowls, a colander, a sieve, and four measuring spoons.

Ask Jennifer: Area Rugs

It's not often that the middle sister Asks Jennifer to hunt something down for her, but when she does, you know it's some serious business. Lisa needs an area rug for her apartment. By way of background, Lisa lives in a hipster neighborhood, in a small but airy and open space. Her decor is contemporary, with light walls and brown and pink accents. She wants an area rug that's about 5' x 8' and she doesn't want to spend more than $300.


She likes this handmade wool burst rug, and the price is right at $195.


And she's also a fan of hand tufted fireworks rug, which is also on the cheapskies at $165.

So you get an idea of the style she's after. My job is to come up with other options. Rugs are really tough -- I think you know it when you see it, so online shopping can be tough because you can't see the colors as well as when you check it out in person. So with those disclaimers, here are some options:



This Calvin Klein wool rug is available at a steep discount at $299. It's a little more subdued than the other options, but it will also transition along with her style.

Going the other way, this hand tufted wool rug is $300, less 25%!


The circle pattern is a little more like the ones she picked out and this hand tufted wool rug is also $300, less 25%.


I'm including this one only because it's so hilarious.


This is more daring, also perhaps too dark, but the pink accent would look great in her space. $209.

This Safavieh Soho Collection rug is a steal at $399 less 25% (which puts it within budget).



I personally think a cowhide rug would look great. $249 at Ikea, or ebay for cheapskies!

Any other ideas for cheap good rug sources?