Brown Baggin' It

My sis received a Lulu's gift certificate for her birthday and all she got to show for it was this classic goes-with-absolutely-everything brown bag of a purse for under $30.

Well done, sister dear. Well done.

Seems as though bargaining runs in the veins of this family of ours ...

Perfect purse pic courtesy of Lulu's

Wall-To-Wall

All I want to do is plaster all of this artist's pieces and pictures in wall-to-wall collages covering every last inch of bare space I can find in both my bedroom/boudoir and my bathroom/toilette.

Imagine waking up to these incredibly beautiful images every morning.

So pretty, right?

 Prints pictured courtesy of Jane Heller Photography and found (with affordable prices like $17 - $35 for each individual print) in her Etsy Shop

Everybody Vera Wang Tonight

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! 

I am declaring this day to be Wang Day on this blog o' mine.

Why, you ask?

I think it has something to do with the our shared penchant for wearing black leggings as pants.  Yeah.  That's gotta be it.

In honor of such a decree, I will now display for you an outfit I hand (or finger-clicked) picked with my own two hands:

There.

Let it be written.

Let it be done.

 Vera would be so proud.

Outfit pieces (and prices) pictured can be found in the oh-so-chic Simply Vera line for Kohl's

Try Walking In These Shoes

For me?  Please?  Pretty please?

Someone out there has just got to have this pair at their $12.99 price.

 I beg of you ... just so I can live vicariously through you (and your feet).

Thanks.

P.S. They also come in red.  Yeah.  I know.

Bootie pic courtesy of the never-fails-me bargain-y hotspot: Forever 21

Melodic Monday

I was first (and most funnily) introduced to Matt Morris here (by none other than his BFF, Justin Timberlake, uh-huh) then I saw and heard him here and here (yeah, twice) and after that last performance (and drooling over his chest-y tattoo and casual-cool style), there was no question that I needed to have his CD in my very own collection.

Luckily, last night as I was waxing poetic with my new musical obsession, my sister dear announced that she had a copy in her car that just so happened to be sitting in the driveway.  I smiled rather widely (maybe even a bit creepily) at this proclamation (and the notion of receiving this freebie into my greedy little hands) that I immediately made C-Dog (that's her name, don't wear it out) run out into the cold and chilly air to retrieve it.

And now this morning as I am bloggily typing out posts, I am listening ever-so-intently to his velvet-y voice permeating from my computer screen and one thing seems very apparent and rather crystal clear now as I hum along:  I've been Matt-ified.

Album cover courtesy of Amazon

The Verdict Is In

Real men do wear pink.

The proof is in the picture (via The Sartorialist)

Stick 'Em Up

Little ol' me had a bit of a shopping spree

And what did my big bargaining eyes happen to see?

But a bright black and white sticker-y tree

With teeny tiny birdies flyin' and flappin' with glee

After peekin' at the price and the 13 dollar fee

I smiled knowin' my shopping cart's amount would stay wee

And decidin' right there and then it was comin' home with me

Where we would live forever and ever, happily

Wall decal bought and found at Target by always-Bex-bargain-y me

The Littles

Forever 21 has gone and done it again. 

January 29th is the official day they launch HTG81, their first (and oh-so-affordable) 'comfort with a casual-cool edge' kid's line for boys and girls ranging from ages 6 to 14 (thanks for the heads up, Mama)

I have no doubt that my imaginary little ones would be wearing this line from h-to-t.

24/7.

Bargain babies photo-snapped courtesy of Forever 21

Matchmaker, Matchmaker

She'll make you a match

{if you've got the millions of moolah}

Find you a find

{discerning your oh-so-specific wants}

Catch you a catch

{by sending you out on dates aplenty}

She's baaack.  Patti Stanger and her cohorts return to the business of coupling up well-to-do (big-buckaroo) singles Tuesdays on Bravo with her mega hit, Millionaire Matchmaker.

The first episode of Season 3 has patiently been waiting on my DVR since late last night, so if you'll excuse me, I've got a lot of guilty pleasure watchin' to attend to (Patti's longtime boyfriend finally 'put a ring on it' so she can practice what she so proudly preaches) and you should get to watchin' too.

Patti's picture courtesy of Bravo TV

Shoes, Glorious Shoes!

The oxford.  The flat.  The little shoe that could. 

That's what I am completely obsessing over and wanting the entire bottom of my closet to be filled row upon row with at this particular moment.

No need to worry about pant lengths (too tapered, too short, too long, too wide) or skirted issues (too fancy, too casual) Not with these pretties, nope.  They go with everything ... effortlessly.  I can almost hear the super cute clickety-clacking the tiny heels will make now when I'm walking down the street ...

... and I think I'll start my closet collection with this perfect $38 pair ...

Pictured perfect pair courtesy of Urban Outfitters

Missing Manly Men Found

I realize that I already tried explaining my reasoning behind not writing out a Manly Monday post today, but when I saw and read this, it became quite clear where all the manly men had gone to so I bow down to Garance Dore for finding what was missing for me and my Monday.

Men, men, men image courtesy of Garance Dore

Bex Best Dressed

I know that today is usually slotted for all things manly on this blog o' mine, but after seeing the Golden Globes last night and the ruffles and diamonds galore, I had no choice but to put the lavish ladies front and center this morning and share with you the outfits that made me clutch my chest in utter delight when seen on my screen:

Pretty In Peachy Pinks

Emily Blunt in blushing Dolce & Gabbana and Maggie Gyllenhaal in RM by Roland Mouret

Golden Girls

Anna Paquin dazzled in Alexander McQueen and Toni Collette shined in Elie Saab

Black Is Back

January Jones in luscious Lanvin and Jeanne Tripplehorn in cuffed perfection

Purple Reign

Sandra Bullock donning Bottega Veneta and Diane Kruger in Christian Lacroix Haute Couture

Regal (Red) Ruffles

Christina Hendricks in Christian Siriano (that's fierce!) and Chloe Sevigny in cascading Valentino

... and finally ... what I would have worn had I had the chance and choice:

Rad Retro

Tina Fey, I'd love to kiss your little bow-adorned feet for the fabulous Zac Posen frock you fancied.

Who was your best dressed for last night's Golden Globe glamour?

All pretty pictures courtesy of handbag.com

Winter Glee

What a difference a few hours can make.

 From winter woes to winter white giddy glee with this I-can't-even-begin-to-ever-dream-of-affording fantastical faux fur skirt coat.

Be still my pitter-pat heart.

Winter Wonderland image courtesy of persephonevintage a la her enticing Etsy shop

Winter Woes

Seeing this dress makes me immediately envision myself frolicking barefooted in fields upon fields of flowers (poppies, to be exact)

Can it be Spring/Summer already?

White lovely of a dress (that happens to be under $45) can be found at the delectable dELiA*s

Single Plight Female

After seeing this particularly adorable pair of wedded bliss pics, I've come to a startling realization: Living in Singledom is starting to really wear on me.

Pictures of the infinitely beautiful bride Isabelle courtesy of DosFamily

P.S. The whole shindig cost the bride, groom and little girlie only $1400.  Nice.

I Got Gooped

I'm not usually one for celebrity endorsements, but when a favorite bestie of mine suggested that I just innocently take a teeny tiny peek over at GOOP, I can honestly say after a bit of casual, non-commital, finger-clickin' browsing, I'm hooked.

The entire site is laid out in six easy-to-navigate categories:

{recipes, favorite foodie hangouts and sweet treats abound}

{must-go places and cities to breathe in, visit and see}

{the most-visited section of all things fashion-y by this bargainista}

 {style, cleaning and investment tips galore}

{everyday thoughts on parenting, pessimism and relationships}

{websites, books, films and exhibitions are all listed here}

So, if you are even the slightest bit curious and just want to see what is living in this lovely land, mosey on over to my pick for Website of the Week and try your very hardest not to get gooped by G.

All images and icons seen here are courtesy of GOOP

Movie Magic

I know I just wrote about a flick, but if you had just seen what I saw, you'd write about it too.

Paper Heart had (and has) all the fixins for cinematic glory.

I laughed.

{my cheeks literally hurt from the angles I had to contort them into to smile}

I cried.

{at the beginning, middle and end}

I fell in love.

{with the idea of love all over again - and for a single cynic, that's sayin' a lot, people. A lot.}

So, Charlyne Yi - my wallet and I thank you.

{one dollar from redbox to see the best. movie. ever. ever. ever.}

No Socks Allowed

Flipping through my newest UO catalog (a very disciplined ritual that consists of me waiting at least a few days before I can fully take the necessary time to partake in all its glory and fabulousness), I noticed quite the recurring theme as soon as I hit the men's fashion pages: rolled and cuffed up pants and no socks.  Not anywhere. 

I thought it such a darling look ... er, {clearning throat} handsome and rather fetching look for you bargain boys out there ... that I thought it most worthy to pay attention to in this Manly Monday post o' mine - hence the following chic little 'sock free' collage:

So remember this rule and equation the next time you are contemplating opening that sock drawer (and weather permitting, of course), fellas:

No socks + stylin' shoes (and don't forget the cuffed pants) = Adorable {clearing throat again} Good-looking style made

Sockless style images courtesy of Urban Outfitters