The Lace Up Bootie: Alaia vs. Ann Demeulemeester

Alaia-1,2 Ann Demeulemeester- 3,4 Aldo-5

The lace up heel is everywhere this summer, but my obsession began in 09' with Ann  Demeulemeester's now iconic version. So wearable and so perfect, this is a classic forever shoe that you can still buy today. Alaia makes an equally fine pair, a bit more sexed up with a stiletto heel vs. a chunky heel.  Both pairs are on the top of my "if only I had $10,000 to blow on shoes" list, but until I can check them off that ridiculous list, I will be super happy with Aldo's way more affordable version. I love that they are a wonderful interpretation of both heels. The sleekness and polish of the Alaias in the front, and the tough and chunkyness of the ADs in the back. You could say it is the seriously sexy and unbelievably cool shoe version of the mullet. Or not. 

Jewels That Look Designer At ASOS

1. Jewelled Shared Earrings $33.91

2. Lace Cat Ears $16.95

3. Double Spike Bracelet $10.17

4.Ottoman Hands Mini Delicate Ring $25.43

5. Jumbo ID Necklace $25.43

6. Smooth Rings $13.56

7. Heart Pinky Ring $8.48

8.Triangle Bib Necklace $25.43

9. Spiked Hair Barrette $10.17

10. Three Plain Band Rings $13.56

Is that from Catbird? Nope. Dannijo? Guess again. Ok, it's Fallon! Notta. Those sexy kitty ears, Mimi Holliday, right? Wrong.  Oh, no you didn't just get those Balenciaga stunners! I didn't. Tired of guessing where these delicious jewel came from? Well, if the post title and collage didn't give you a hint, it's ASOS.

I was very impressed by ASOS's spring jewelry collection and you can tell that the ASOS team drew a lot of inspiration from the hottest jewelry designers. I love the designer stuff as much as the next girl, but this collection is more budget friendly.

SLT Approved Valentine Gifts At Prices You'll Love

1.Gilligan & O'Malley Knit Pajama Set- I love these super soft pjs and lounge in them constantly. I had been looking for a similar pair and found that these were by far the best price.
2.Voluspa Baltic Amber Candle- My friend Hallie gave me this candle for my birthday and I keep it burning in my living room. The scent is soft, but definitely lingers, and the glass holder is so pretty. I am going to use the holder for little flower arrangement when it burns down.
3.Korres Lemon Basil Body Butter- Another great gift from my sister-in-law Christy. It's natural and has a gender neutral scent, so me and husband both use it. I also like to us a little on my dog (hey, it's natural).
4.eos Lip Balm-My favorite lip balm ever and the great packaging goes far with me. It's a wonderful little gift to make a friend's day.
5.Marc Jacobs Rat Key Chain- I bought several of these for myself and a few friends years ago and I love having them on spare keys hanging around the house. Great designer gift for $4!
6.Marie Belle Hot Chocolate-I had the best hot chocolate of my life at Marie Belles in NYC. You can indulge in the creamy decadence at home by ordering from their online store. Once again use the charming tin for an adorable flower arrangement.

Now go out and spoil your lover with one of these sweet treats! If you want to really show your love, throw in an old fashioned homemade Valentine and you'll really have them swooning!

The Most Brilliant Wallpaper Alternative Ever

While doing some Saturday morning blog searching I came across Glitter Mint, an adorable blog with great DIY's and ideas. I first came across the blog because of their Rodarte star clip DIY, and upon further reading I found these paint rollers as one of their Fave 5's. These rollers seem like a much easier alternative to stencils and a much cheaper alternative to wallpaper.  I'm totally sold, and can't wait to use these when decorating my grown-up home that I will one day own. Find these amazing rollers for $26.00 at The Painted House.

Budget Friendly Over-dyed Rugs

tinkmakesart

ABC Home and Carpet

 6'9"x8'6" $4,000

6'3"x8'0" $2,999

 8'8"x11'10" $6,200

Loom

www.loomrugs.com.au

Overstock.com

Each 8'x10" $399

Last weekend I was doing some DVR catch up, and saw a beautiful turquoise over-dyed rug on an episode of Home By Novogratz.  I love old vintage rugs, but sometimes they are way to traditional for my taste. Seeing them come to life in these bright, contemporary colors was so invigorating for my Sunday afternoon and I had to research, and research I did. ABC Home & Carpet carries a ton of these beauties, but they would cost me about two months rent, so they are a no go. Upon further searching I came across a really cool store, Loom, located in Australia. I liked these rugs even more than the ABC ones, but their prices were not listed and it is safe to say that shipping from down under costs about three months of rent. I was about to surrender to the fact that these rugs were out of my reach, until Overstock.com came to the rescue. A rainbow of over-dyed 8'x10" rugs for $399.00! They're not vintage like the others, but if they look as good as they do in the pictures, I could care less.

Around My House

 Better Decorating Bible

Shelter

This summer I scored some really great items to spruce up the ole house, all together costing less than $30.00! 

1.The ultimate trash to treasure find! I was driving in my neighborhood when this lucite bookshelf on the side of the road caught my eye. Feeling like it was to good to be true, I made an abrupt U-turn to check out the shelf, thinking it must be made of flimsy plastic. Upon closer inspection I found that it was made of thick acrylic and in great shape. It just needed to be cleaned up a bit and it's new home is in my living room, replacing a small Target bookshelf that wasn't working for me. 

2. This tiny mirrored compact now sits on my vanity. I got it from an estate sale for $4.00, and I am guessing it is from the 50's. I feel in love the color and the old-fashioned thick-cut confetti glitter. It also reminded with me the latest Edie Parker collection.

3. & 4. I made this panel to go above my mantle. I hated the blank space behind my TV, so I stapled together sheets of foam board and originally covered it with wrapping paper. You can see the before panel in this post. I was over the yellow birds, plus the paper had air bubbles, so I finally re-covered it with a marble fabric I found on sale for $10.00 a yard. I'm not as crazy about it as I thought I would be, but it works for now.

5. & 6. I found this scrap leopard fabric at an estate sale for $2.50. I am going to use it to make throw pillows for my living room.

7. & 8. I had seen about 10 rolls of this snake print wrapping paper at T.J. Maxx, but passed on it because I have a ton of wrapping paper that barely gets used. After looking through some saved pics I came across the adorable snake print table shown above. I have always loved this table and I suddenly remembered the snake paper I had passed on months ago. I went back, thinking is was hopeless, and found one roll left. It was meant to be and now I will be on the hunt for a tiny table to decoupage with the paper.

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Let's Make A Dickie!

dickie created from Forever21 shirt, tee-Banana Republic, pants-Suno, headband-DIY

A Few Thank You's

I'd like to thank Cahier d'Exercices, for marking these Dries Van Notens down 70%, Starbucks for making a 60's French pop CD that I just couldn't resist, and finally the nice old lady who left behind her beautiful jewels for me to buy at her estate sale. Oh and thank you Rachel for letting me borrow $5 to purchase said jewels.

3 Exciting Things

1.Style.com, the go to website for all things fashion, released the first edition of their new print magazine in late 2011. While all other fashion mags are just now covering Spring 12', Style was on top of things  releasing their Spring 12' coverage promptly after the last cat-walk was strutted. I read through the entire magazine on a stop to B&N last winter and for some crazy reason I did not buy my own copy.  Weeks later I was feeling pangs of regret for not snatching the issue up and when I returned to finally claim one they were sadly sold out.  Luckily for this girl, the issue was re-released this Spring! Now, I am looking forward for the Fall 12' issue which should be out very soon.

*Update- The Fall 12' issue is out now. Go get it!

2. My friend Deanna, a Dior make-up fiend, turned me on to this new Dior Addict Extreme lipstick in Black Tie. I had to get some of my own and it is my new go-to lipstick. It goes on smoothly and creates a deep wine hue and later fades into a pretty berry stain. I love how long it lasts and the versatility of the color.

3. Stella McCartney makes the most beautiful pair of pointy toe, patent sling backs, which I have pictured bottom right.  Gorgeous yes, but way out of my price range.  Fashion luck again was on my side when I was causually browsing DSW with a friend and spied a pair of heels in practically the exact same style. They are pretty much dead-on and for $35.00, I am happily squeezing my toes in the last pair available, size  5 1/2!  Maybe one day I can afford a pair of Stella's on my own, but until then, these will do.

What A Find!!!!

I am in love with this living room featured in Elle Decor. So elegant, so glamourous, and the best thing about this room for me is the end table and I will tell you why! I have been looking for something to serve as a sideboard for my dining room for some months now. I wanted something sleek and made of wood. Ideally, I wanted vintage, but everything I found was way out of my price range. I figured that I would eventually have to settle with something that I didn't love.  A few weekends ago I went to a seemingly uneventful estate sale on a whim before work, and jackpot! A nine drawer burl wood dresser that is exactly like the above end table. EXACTLY!!!!! Perfect size for my dining room and I was just lusting over this Johnathan Adler console the day before. And now for the best part...it cost me...$15.00!!!!! I nearly shit my pants out of excitement! And then a few weeks later, I see it's little friend in this pic. Truly the best estate sale find ever, and I have found some great stuff. I plan to show a picture when I style it better. The gallery wall of frames above it is not working for me, so when I find the perfect image to blow-up and hang above it, I will share. Until then, hit up those estate sales like crazy!

Discount Delights

While most people are wrapped up with football tonight, I'd like to focus on one of my favorite pastimes, the sport of bargain hunting!  Two weekends ago I scored big finding a horse head book end for $20 and four Vera Wang Wedgewood teacups for $10 a piece at TJ Maxx. Then, I headed over to Marshalls and found the most adorable stationary for $6 and $4.  Did I really need this stuff, well no, but isn't it all adorable? So adorable in fact that I thought each item would fit very nicely in a Caitlin Mcgauley painting. 

$30 or Less! Now That's A Steal

Very David Bowie. I couldn't say no.

gojane.com

gojane.com

Borderline stripper shoes, but I love them! And they are quite comfortable.

gojane.com

Mirrored metallic!!!!!

asos

I was so excited to find these because they reminded me of these Alexander Wang beauties.

asos

Love the classic fold over shape in a bright color.

asos

Out of all my button-downs, these are the best fit. Go Old Navy!!! What a pleasant and thrifty surprise!

Old Navy

Chunky and Spiky on my bulletin board. Oh hey Bill!

Forever21

Just a few bargains I picked up to amp up the winter wardrobe. And, yes I was inspired by The Coveteur  when I took these photos at my house. I couldn't help myself!

Adorable App Alert!

Is this not the cutest stationary ever! I created it using the Ipad app featured on 

GADABOUT. The app allows Ipad and Iphone users to send text messages and emails on your very own personal stationary.  After purchasing some worthless apps, I must say that this is an app that I will be using often!

BBO

I don't know about you, but nothing delights me more than receiving a thank you note or a post card in the mail rather than irritating bills and worthless coupons.  When it comes to this enjoyable mail I get a thrill out of giving as much as receiving.  It is one of my personal rules to to always send thank you notes, but unfortunately the cutest stationary tends to be a little on the pricey side.  My solution to this problem is to simply make my own.  For the above cards I made my monogram on Microsoft Word and got the background  pictures from magazine ads and weheartit.com.  I hand cut and pasted the template for the cards and Xeroxed them at Kinko's.  It was pretty easy, but I do need to work on my cutting skills.  I use a Martha Stewart paper cutter, but the lines of the initials and the edges of the card don't line up exactly and that kind of bothers me.  Oh well, I will keep on creating and work on my precision. 

Oh, please check out my friends blog http://www.conversationsfromtheedge.blogspot.com/