September 18, 2009

Have you seen the new “The Dress Issue No. 2″ catalog from White House Black Market?

Not only are there some beautiful little black dresses in this catalog, but there are some precious little black and white kitties, too.  I’m not sure what cats have to do with selling black dresses, but this catalog has a little kitty on almost every page.

I do love White House Black Market, though.  Their clothes fit me better than almost any other brand, so when I need something special it is usually the first place I go.  The last little black dress that I bought for a formal event, I bought at White House Black Market.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the catalog. You can see all the new little black dresses on White House Black Market.

Piped Leather Button Heel $88.00

I love these shoes but the kitty is even cuter! Look at her pretty little necklace.

Satin Full-Skirt Dress 158.00

They must have given this little guy a treat to help him sit still. He’s still licking his chops.

Not that there’s anything wrong with it, and I am a “cat lover”, but if you’re all dressed up in a little black dress, are you really going to pick up a big, white, furry kitty?

Satin Rosette Dress $168.00

She has a smile on her face, but this kitty looks like he’s about done with the photo shoot!

~LilSis

August 20, 2009

I called this post Dorm Room Organizers, but these ideas could be used in any student’s room or anyone’s office.  I can personally ALWAYS use more organizers.  I’m a little bit of a fanatic about them…ok, a lot fanatic.  One perfect obsessive example is my pantry.

But enough about me.  Back to the organizers.  You say organizer, I say Container Store!  Oh, sweet mystery of life, at last I’ve found you!  I adore Container Store.  And you may know it’s the #1 company to work for, at least in Texas.  Their employees seem so darn happy, don’t they?  I think I would be if I worked in organizer mecca, however, I wouldn’t be happy when payday rolled around because I would owe the company money.

First of all, the Happy Organized Home Sale is running until September 7th.  My favorites:  Those skinny huggable hangers for $6.99 ($3 off) and their slim folding step stool for $19.99 ($10 off).

Back to back-to-school!  You see how easily I’m distracted in this place!  As always, Container Store has some incredibly cool things for your back to school organizing needs.  I love their organizing tips section for back to school.  You can shop by closet, walls & doors, desk, laundry, bath or storage.  Or you can search by your style of dorm: artistic expression, booksmart, a natural fit, high fidelity, big ideas or fashion forward.  Choose natural fit, for example, and you get this:

Container Store Natural Fit

Gorgeous, isn’t it?  Below the photo, you get a list of all the products used, along with their prices.  I’m loving the bamboo clothing rack ($129) and the coordinating magnet bamboo boards ($14.99 each).

Container Store Mini Mantel

Also, in the category of things-you-didn’t-know-you-need-but-now-must-have is this little mini mantel ($14.99) that grips onto your bed post.  This would be perfect if your dorm room didn’t have room for a nightstand.

And before we leave Container Store, don’t forget all of the awesome Elfa carts that make organizing simple.

And, one last thing.  There is a really cool web site that you must check out if you’re an organizing junkie like me.  It’s Jeri’s Decluttering and Organizing News.  She’s done posts recently on cool ideas in cork bulletin boards and on memo boards with pretty fabric coverings. Love these!

That’s it for today, gang!  Now get out there and organize something!

~BigSis

August 8, 2009

Beanie Baby Kaleidoscope by lyle58

Do you have boxes and boxes of Beanies?  I hate to even bring up this topic, because it makes me cringe.  I think that LilSis and SisMama feel the same way.  We fell victim to the hysteria that surrounded Beanie Babies, and we absolutely wish we never had.  Now, what the heckie darn do we do with all of them?  I have boxes and boxes taking up room that I don’t have, and I’d love to find a solution to the overpopulation problem.

I have three ideas so far, and obviously I’m not sold on any of them since I haven’t done a ding dang thing yet:

• Send the Beanies to the Beanies for Baghdad project. You send the Beanies to this organization, and they ship them to our military personnel overseas to give away to little kids who have so very little.  I wonder if this is still a viable option, since the president is talking about withdrawal timelines.  Once they arrive, could we be sure there would still be a purpose, a distribution channel and a home for them?

• Take them to children’s hospitals.  I’ve heard that hospitals aren’t always thrilled about taking in Beanies because they can’t be sure they haven’t been played with, and they can’t risk introducing any additional germs into the hospital environment.  Are there any nurses out there who might know about this?

• Try to sell them.  In this economic market, however, it’s the worst possible time to try to sell a collectible item.  It’s totally a buyer’s market, and prices are way down.  I also think demand is too low and the supply is too high.  This idea seems useless to me.  I’d much rather donate them than fiddle around with selling them for a song.

So, if you have tried any of these ideas or if you have any other solutions, I (we) would LOVE to hear them!!  I don’t want to just impulsively trash all these Beanies to get them out of my way … heaven knows how much money I invested.  But if they could be put to good use somehow, I think it would be selfish of me to hang onto them.  Help!

~BigSis

August 4, 2009

We had a great weekend celebrating SisMama’s birthday, and will talk about it later this week.  Meanwhile, I just stumbled upon this cool item and wanted to share it.

Do you remember being a kid and needing encouragement to eat?  I don’t.  I think I’ve always liked to eat, and sometimes wish I didn’t enjoy it so much!  But I’ve known kids who weren’t interested in food at all, and had to be bribed or threatened to eat.  Maybe this cool product would make mealtime fun for them, or maybe it would be even more fun for us big kids!

Food Face Plate

It’s Wooly Willy; that dude from the magnetic game you took in the car with you on road trips!  But now, he’s on a plate and instead of decorating him with magnetic metal shavings, you’re decorating him with your food.  I love the green bean eyebrows!

I heard about the Food Face Plate from FreshTrend, and found the plates available for sale on Perpetual Kid for $9.95.  If you buy one of these and play with your food, send us a photo!

~BigSis

July 26, 2009

I’ve been told that I need to wear better sandals due to recent foot problems. I guess the foam bottom Roxies that I practically live in aren’t a good enough sandal for daily wear.  I’ve thought about getting a pair of Birkenstocks, but I like those better on men, even though they do have some cute new styles for women.

I’m curious about the claims made from women wearing the FitFlop Walkstar. Apparently, more than a million women swear by these super sandals.  There have been claims made ranging from super-tight bottoms, disappearing backaches, to instant relief from pain in the feet.

Here’s how Bliss describes the Original FitFlop Walkstar.

Why we love it:

•it’s got the gym built in!
•helps tone and trim the legs
•absorbs shock and helps to reduce joint strain

Italian designed, with an all-leather, microfiber-lined upper, leaner, longer, lovelier lines—AND they load your leg muscles and boost ‘the bottom’s’, to give you a workout while you walk! Wow. U.S. women’s whole sizes 5-10. Half sizes order down.

Original FitFlop Walkstar $49.99

BlissWorld has a great variety of these sandals that range from $49.99 for the Original FitFlops to $59.99 for the new Walkstar3 FitFlops. I love these in Flamingo!

FitFlop Walkstar3 Jelly in Flamingo $59.99

So, I need some help. If anyone out there in the Blogosphere World has a pair of these sandals or knows of someone that does, I would LOVE to hear from you! I really want to get a pair but I’d like to hear for myself from someone that has had results from wearing these sandals.

~LilSis

July 7, 2009

Cuisinart 2 qt Stainless Steel Ice Cream Maker

We have just one week of July behind us, so there’s still plenty of summer left, and what better way to celebrate summer than with ice cream! LilSis mentioned this great Cuisinart ice cream maker a while back, and it’s been in the back of my mind ever since.

When the new Williams-Sonoma catalog (schwing!) came out last week, guess what was in it?  This same awesome 2-quart Cuisinart stainless steel ice cream maker at the excellent price of $79.95.  But guess what?  If you buy this shiny little beauty from Williams-Sonoma by August 3, you get a $20 gift card for the store by mail…free!  Free free free! My favorite price!

So I’m thinking.  Ice cream and a $20 gift card to one of my favorite stores.  It seems like a no-brainer to me.  Only problem is I’ll also have to spring for The Vegan Scoop ($13.59 at Amazon) since dairy ice cream doesn’t like me.

Williams-Sonoma Ice Cream Party Bowls

Oh, and I’ll have to get these cute exclusive ice cream party bowls for $39 from Williams-Sonoma.

And by the time I gobble down a few quarts of non-dairy ice cream, I’m going to need bigger pants.  Maybe the $20 gift card isn’t such a good deal after all.

Oh, who in the hecky darn am I kidding?  Free is free, people!  Run…don’t walk…to Williams-Sonoma and get your ice cream maker and your gift card before this deal expires!  If you run, I bet you’ve already burned enough calories to eat a bowl of mint chocolate chip by the time you get there!

~BigSis

June 13, 2009

Hey BigSis, there has never been a case of “noassatall” in our family, so we definitely have more of a challenge when buying jeans (plus, as you so nicely reminded me, we’re not 20-something any more).

Before I start rambling, one really good thing to keep in mind, unless you have a teeny tiny hiney, don’t buy a pair with pockets and all the crazy stitching and bling, bling on the back.  I don’t even know what brand most of them are, but they are all the rage out here these days. I see some of the cutest, young girls at my hair salon wearing jeans with cute pockets and stitching and buttons, but, seriously, don’t do it unless you’re trying to make your rear end look twice it’s actual size.

Okay, now that I got that off my chest, my absolute favorites are still the Citizens of Humanity Ingrid #2 Low Rise Flare Style. I discovered them about seven years ago when we first moved to CA. I have three pairs of the exact same size and style, yet in different washes.

I had no idea that they sold Citizens of Humanity jeans on Amazon! Here’s another view of the Ingrid #2 Low Rise Flares.

Citizens of Humanity Ingrid #2 Low Rise Flare

My first pair was a really light blue, and overly stone washed pair. I loved those jeans! But, I discovered that it’s not the best idea to get the stone washed ones because they do wear out quicker. The fabric is definitely thinner and mine got some natural holes, (not the kind people actually pay extra for) in the back under the bum. They were since ruined at the cleaners when I asked them to repair the holes, (long story and I’m still pissed about it so no sense rehashing it now).

So, technically I only have two pair that I can wear, but I still can’t throw away the ruined pair. I keep dreaming that one day I’ll wake up and my butt will have reverted back to what it looked like in my twenties and I’ll cut the jeans off into a cute, little pair of Daisy Dukes! (I should pull my head out of my arse out of the clouds).

The other two are darker blues; one more casual and a little faded and the other has a much wider flare and longer length to wear with heels.

BigSis, when we met in Vegas for your birthday, I was so glad to see that you had finally bitten the bullet and bought yourself a couple of pair of awesome jeans!  It’s funny that our body shapes are so different, yet you ended up buying the exact same style and same size as my Citizens.

What’s not so funny is that us ‘forty-somethings’ can work out for months or even years to finally to get to where we feel okay about our bodies. But, heaven forbid, if for some reason, we have to stop our normal routine for a few weeks, it doesn’t take long for the buttocks to head south and the thighs to head east and west!  I bet if I put on my jeans today, I’d have a nice little muffin top!

I have one pair of 7 for all mankind that I also love. They fit great and are really comfortable. Again, I keep the stitching on the back simple. The style I have is this Bootcut in New York Dark.

7 for all mankind Boot Cut in New York Dark

I haven’t ever tried on a pair of Joe’s Jeans but I’ve heard that they are also fabulous jeans. I love that Rocker style. I just might have to try on a pair of these next time I’m at Macy’s or Nordstrom’s.

Anybody got a favorite brand of jean that you’d care to share with us? How about any great tips on making our forty-something butts look like they’re in their twenty-somethings? Okay, I’d be happy with a thirty-something looking fanny!

~LilSis

June 12, 2009

When I say “40-Something Butt”, I’m talking about a butt that’s 40+ years old, but I could also be talking about a butt that’s 40+ inches around.  Either way, shopping for jeans can be as stressful as shopping for a swimsuit, and you know why?  For me, it’s because I’m too stingy!  And cheap jeans usually means poor fit + crummy fabric = yukky looking bum.

I’ve realized that spending a little bit more for jeans is SO worth it.  Scrimp and save money on other things, but don’t be cheap like the old me when it comes to jeans.  A well-made and perfectly-fitting pair of jeans will do MIRACLES for your rear view.  Trust me.  Go to a store that has a wide selection of quality jeans, and just try them on, even if you think you will absolutely not ever buy one single pair.  I promise that you will see an enormous difference, and will be sold as I was when I spent a couple of hours at Nordstrom’s last year.  Did I think I would ever ever ever spend over $100 on a pair of ding dang blue jeans?  Oh, HELL no!  I’m way too cheap for that.  But I only had to look in the 360 degree mirror to see what that price tag brought to my bod.

An excellent pair of jeans will enhance your heinie, lengthen your legs, smooth out the line of your thighs, and flatter your hips.  No, I’m not smoking crack…these things can be achieved via a wise choice in jeans worn with a great pair of heels.  I think that when you’re 20 years old and have never experienced pregnancy, decades of gravity, hormones and/or metabolism issues, you can get away with cheaper clothes.   Am I right?  Am I right? But when you’re 40-something, you owe it to your wonderful body to clothe it strategically.  That means good jeans!  Wearing crappy old I-don’t-care-what-my-butt-looks-like-cuz-I’ve-given-up jeans will age you as fast as the sun on your face!!  Don’t do it!

I have a butt and a small waist, so most jeans will gape at the waist if they fit in the hips.  These are the jeans that I’m thrilled about wearing now.  Note that I had them hemmed a bit, even though I’m 5′7″ with pretty long legs (good jeans give you a very generous length), but no other alterations whatsoever were necessary.  They even fit in the waist!

• Joe’s Jeans:  Rocker lean flare fit…my absolute favorites!  They’re dark dark dark wash, and fit like they were made for me.  These are my dressiest jeans.  And mine don’t have the bleachy light spots on them that you see in the photo below.  Oh, and that’s not me in the photo, just in case you thought it was. 

Joe's Rocker Jeans

• Citizens of Humanity:  Ingrid #2 low waist flare style.  These are slightly more casual than my Joe’s and are a tad lower in the rise.

Citizens of Humanity Ingrid Jeans

Keep in mind that the key is that you try on a BUNCH of brands and styles and colors til you find the perfect fit for you!  I promise it’s out there.  And once you find it, your butt will do a little happy dance!

LilSis, you were my motivation to get my butt into a fabulous pair of jeans, so I have to ask you. What are your favorite jeans right now?  Do you have any tips for choosing the right pair, other than trying on everything and then examining the rear view?

~BigSis

June 4, 2009

If you’re from Texas, you’ve no doubt heard of Canton First Monday Trade Days.  It’s a once-a-month ginormous flea market that pretty much dominates the whole town.  I’ve been a bunch of times, but SisMama had never been so BDot and I took SisMama and her sister C to the spectacle last weekend.  We were really pushing it weather-wise though.  The temp got up into the low 90s so we were literally sweating our butts off since we were there for 6 hours!  PS, the butts grew back.  Rats!

We did find some cool things, as is always the case with Canton!  C and I each bought a really pretty hummingbird feeder from Sweet B & B Hummingbird Feeders.  They’re a super-nice couple who make these feeders out of copper, and sell them through their web site and at markets.  I love being able to support what folks like B & B (Beau and Becky) are doing, rather than running to the WallyMart to buy every little thing.  I bought this cute feeder that I have sucked onto my patio window, so that hopefully the kitties can see some birds up close!

So far, no diners have come to eat, but it’s only been a few days. I have a long red ribbon dangling from the feeder, and I’m going to get a pot of brightly colored flowers for the patio this weekend.  If any of you have suggestions on how to attract hummingbirds, please let me know!

BDot and I got something else unusual, that I totally DID NOT need. It’s all BDot’s fault since he tempted me with this product that he’s gotten before at Canton.  It’s called Pecan Honey Butter, and it’s so wicked delicious!  It came from East Texas Gourmet Foods, and I’m happy to see that they have online ordering too.  Just for gift ordering, you know. 

I never said this stuff was healthy…it’s totally a naughty treat, but we all need a touch of that from time to time!  Besides the Pecan Honey Butter, they also have Cinnamon, Praline, Apple Spice, Amaretto Pecan, Apricot Orange, Raspberry Pecan, and Cranberry Orange Pecan flavors.  I tried the Praline and Cinnamon varieties and loved them both too.  I SO want to spread a blob of this on a hot biscuit.  Do you think that would be bad for my cellulite?  Surely not!

If you get the chance, check out this Texas extravaganza.  But take my advice, and don’t go in the heat of the summer.  You’ll be miserable!  Go in the spring or the fall, and enjoy the mad fun!  Meanwhile, check out the hummingbird feeders and the honey butters online.

~BigSis

May 19, 2009

When I got back from vacay, I had finally received the little box of fun Hello Kitty goodies I ordered that came all of the way from Japan!  You might think they would only appeal to an 8 year old, but I love Hello Kitty and these are the most adorable things.  Even the packaging is precious!  The fact that you can’t get these items in the U. S.  just makes them more desirable to me!  I think the appeal of Hello Kitty is that she is so innocent and so girly, and you have to smile a little bit when you use something with a Hello Kitty theme.  That’s my theory at least.

So, here’s what I got.  My items cost $17, and the shipping (albeit slow shipping) all the way from Japan was just $6.55.  It was well worth it to me for all this funness and cuteness!

• Hello Kitty 3D Cookie Cutter ($6.20).  How sweet is this?  Picture a birthday party or baby shower with a bunch of these all lined up!

I can't wait to use these!

• Hello Kitty Boiled Egg Shaper ($6).  Don’t ask me why I want boiled eggs shaped like Hello Kitty.  I just do.

Silly, I know, but irresistible!

• Hello Kitty Mayonnaise Cup and Spoon Set ($4.80 – itty bitty containers for whatever).

No idea what I'll use these for, but it doesn't matter!

Did I need ANY of these things?  Well, no.  But kind of.  Like all of you guys, I need to have some pointless little trivial fun every now and then.  Not a big trip to an exotic beach, not a new expensive handbag, not a new car, not even a massage and a pedicure.  Just a little somethin somethin cute, cheap and fun.  There are lots of other cute things too on J-List, which is where I got all these little jewels.  How about a Hello Kitty pancake shaper, bento box, training chopsticks, seaweed punch set, rice shaper, pudding mold, ice cube tray, or muffin mold? You never know when you might need these things!

If you need a little inexpensive Japanese fun in your world or in your daughter’s or granddaughter’s world, check out J-List.  They have a huge selection of products other than Hello Kitty, but I was only there to get my Kitty fix! Meow!

~BigSis