Weekend Steals & Deals + Fall Fashion Ideas + Sugar Paper Giveaway

Anyone here a fan of cashmere?  Let me rephrase that: anyone here a fan of affordable cashmere? The coveted fabric is often out of reach for most budgets (remember that SATC where Carrie asked her friend if she could return the cashmere scarf and take the cash?!) But this Halogen cashmere sweater (in v-neck or crew) is marked down 33%, from $89 to $58.90.  Both styles come in a colorful array of 21 colors and have tons of positive reviews.  I'm a terrible/awesome friend to shop with, can't decide on a color?  Get two! ;)

I don't know about you, but I'm still mad for plaid.  The plaid shirts below are a steal from Old Navy and would be perfect underneath one of the sweaters above.

Or paired with a scarf and puffy vest or coat. As much as I wear skinny jeans, sometimes I prefer to wear my Hudson bootcut jeans.  They are just so comfortable, and, although they are 40% off, I noticed their sizes are limited so I found this (more affordable bootcut jean) that looks great and is only $58.  I'm weary of buying jeans from the juniors department (because let's face it, I'm not a junior and their cuts are often made for people without hips), but I have jeans in this brand (Vigoss) and they are a true fit.  I wear the same size I do in most women's brands. 

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 

This asymmetrical wrap cardigan is on sale and this grey/navy one is just $19.90.  

For something more substantial, I'm kinda crazy about this pea coat by Kristen Blake.  It's a wool/nylon blend and fully lined with a back button half-belt.  Makes the back so cute without having to deal with tying it in the front. 

And this longer military jacket with faux-leather trim.  Love it!

Is is just me or is it harder to workout when it's cold outside?  I'm still going to the gym or running a few days a week, but cute workout clothes can get me in the mood.  Women rave over this brand, Zella, of athletic wear and I found all these options on sale.  One of my close friends says the 'Move pants' are her very favorite pants she owns.  I like how you can wear them long or scrunched.  I would probably just wear them around on weekends, because I prefer to workout in capris.  You might know my favorite athletic shoe is ASICS and these fun pink pair are 35% off (they come in other colors too).  The jacket and half-zip top are perfect for cold days- comfy and cute!

weekend steals & deals 

Be sure to check out the NORDSTROM clearance sale, going on until Nov 11.

ANN TAYLOR:  $49.50 for select full-price sweaters, extra 60% off sale styles. No code needed.  FREE shipping on $175 or more & $8.95 flat rate shipping. Ends 11/10.

ANTHROPOLOGIE:  20% off all sweaters.

BANANA REPUBLIC:  30% off full-price styles. Use code BREXCITED FREE shipping and FREE returns on orders over $50.   Ends 11/9. 

J. CREW:  25% off fall favorites + extra 30% off fall sale styles.  Use code GETWARM $5 flat rate shipping and FREE shipping on orders over $150.  Ends 11/11.

LOFT:  Buy 1 full-priced sweater, get 1 50% off.  No code needed.

NORDSTROM:  Clearance sale, save up to 40%.  Ends 11/11.  Always FREE shipping & FREE returns.

OLD NAVY:  Up to 50% off everything.  15% off your order online only.  Use code ONSAVENOW



SHOPBOP:  Up to 70% off wear-now styles.  Free 3-day shipping and free returns.  Amazon Prime Eligible. 



SOLE SOCIETY:  Invite friends and earn $25.  Fast and free shipping.  

ZAPPOS:  Order before 1PM PST for FREE next business day shipping on all Clothing. 

> > > sugar paper giveaway < < <

I was excited to hear about the November 1st launch of the new line of Sugar Paper products.  I use my Sugar Paper calendars daily and just bought my 2015 monthly calendar at Target.  I reached out to Sugar Paper to offer you a giveaway of three items from the new line:  

Pink Pocket Monthly/Weekly Planner (3.25 x 6.25  

Polka Dot Monthly/Weekly Planner (8.5 x 11)  

Navy Frosted Planner Small  3.625 x 6.125 

To enter, just leave a comment with your email address and I'll choose a winner at random next Friday, November 14.  :) 

have a great weekend! 

*affiliate links used

Natural + Black + Gold Thanksgiving Table

Even though we're celebrating Thanksgiving dinner away from home, I couldn't help but set a small Thanksgiving table for myself (and you!) to enjoy.  I'm thankful for this blog so I have an excuse to put together holiday decorations like this to share.  This table was inspired by nature and the fabulous dessert plates by Nate Berkus.  I was lucky to get one of the last sets currently in stock at my store.  His stuff goes fast in Houston.  In your town too? 

I layered the dessert plates on top of black and gold dinner plates, and then to bring in some texture, used my West Elm square placemats, which seem to be no longer available, but these placemats are similar.  I bought my placemats in Dallas when shopping with Courtney and Cassie, so I always think of my girls when I use them.  More texture is brought in with a piece of burlap ribbon placed between the two plates.  

This gold flatware has come in handy over the years.  I found it on Amazon (similar) and it's held up really well.  Tying the spoon, fork and knife together with ribbon was something I saw on Style Me Pretty and thought was so cute.  They used rust-colored velvet, which is lush and gorgeous.  I had lace ribbon on hand, so that's what I used. Green velvet would've been pretty here for more color.  I'll have to pick up some velvet ribbon for Christmas. 

Because I wanted to keep the table simple, I opted to go without a tablecloth or runner, but that could've worked too for more color/pattern.  Instead, I scattered about candles in patterned candleholders, mini white pumpkins, pinecones and some greenery from the yard.  

I like to personalize a place setting with a name card, and used chalk labels from Michael's. Adding elements from nature like the leaf and pinecones keeps the table from looking too glam, and more nature inspired.

I shared one of these pics on Instagram yesterday and tagged Nate Berkus (for the plates), then got a comment back from him!  I don't mind that it probably came from someone on his social media team, it was still nice to see!  Makes me an even bigger fan than I've already been.  Who's name would you like to see in your Instagram comments?

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If you missed it, you can enter to win a $200 Visa Gift Card here.  Happy Holidays! 

Holiday Giveaway - $200 Visa Gift Card

Now that we're officially into November, have any of you started thinking about holiday shopping? My son confiscated the Target toy catalog yesterday and was sure to share with me all the things that caught his eye.  Paw Patrol characters and vehicles are at the top of his list.  I like to start at least getting gift ideas in November, and if I find a good deal or that perfect something for someone, I'll pick it up now.  Makes my life much easier come December.  If you're ready to start shopping, and even if you're not, I've got a giveaway that is perfectly timed to make your holidays that much sweeter. MasterBrand Cabinets and I have teamed up to bring you a giveaway where three lucky winners will each win a $200 Visa Gift Card.  Maybe yesterday's post got you excited about new cabinets for your home? You could put those funds toward that new project. The winner will be announced in two weeks, on November 19.  Fingers crossed!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Where did you get your cabinets?

You might be surprised to learn that two of the most-often asked questions I receive are: 1) Where did you get your kitchen/bathroom/media cabinets? and 2) How do you like your carrara marble counters?  I plan to answer the counter question in detail next week (short answer: yes, I like them, but they've gotten pretty beat up in 5 years), but for now, let's talk cabinets.



When we were building our home five years ago (we bought an old tear-down home and built new), I didn't know much about cabinetry, but I had a vague idea of the the look I liked and I knew that I wanted lots of cabinet storage space to keep things organized.  We met with our builder to discuss the features we wanted in our home and he drew up the plans and then had our cabinets built on-site as part of the house build.  If you look at each room, you'll notice the same craftsman style cabinets and drawers throughout our home.  We've got brushed nickel cup pulls on all the drawers, and knobs on the doors.  You can see more examples from our kitchen, bathroom, and living room.  In the kitchen, half-bath, and wet bar, the cabinets are the same, but instead of being painted white, they are stained dark brown to coordinate with the floors to break up all the white.  Below, you can see the how the cabinetry is the same in both our kitchen and media cabinet.

Because our cabinets were all built-in by the same contractors who framed our home, I've never been able to recommend any particular brand of cabinetry, but I  recently discovered MasterBrand Cabinets, which offers kitchen and bathroom cabinets with a range of customizable styles and finishes.  MasterBrand has many different product lines with pricing and styles to match all budgets- perfect for either remodeling or building new.  

Once I dug into the website, I found so many gorgeous photos and realized it's a very useful tool.  It can help you find your style, design your room, plan your project, install your cabinets, and finally, love your space. Although I'm happy with the design and cabinets we have now, I wish I had known about MasterBrand when we were building because I see so many features that would've been nice to incorporate into our home and I would've liked to have been more knowledge about cabinet design and construction, choosing a wood, etc.

The website has a "design your room" feature that is so helpful, and includes a budget calculator that can help you determine the cost of your project and give you a breakdown of your budget, showing you how much of the money would be allotted to cabinets, flooring, counters, appliances, lighting, wall covering, labor, etc.



To get some ideas flowing, you can browse the design gallery and see what piques your interest. Here are some dreamy kitchens I found on the site. 

Kemper Distinctive Cabinetry - Modern Off White Kitchen Cabinets

Schrock Cabinetry - Off White with Dark Grey Accents

Omega Cabinetry - Light Gray Cabinets with Kitchen Island

Decora Cabinetry - Contemporary Kitchen Cabinets

Dynasty by Omega - Kitchen with Cherry Wood Cabinets

I especially love seeing the before and afters from real homeowners.  This kitchen redesign was one of my favorites.  It doesn't even look like the same house! That wall of cabinets on the right hides two pantries and the desk area.  You can see more renovation success stories here.

Kitchen Craft - Modern Traditional Kitchen Renovation

These days, there is nothing your cabinets/drawers can't do for you in terms of organization and making your daily life run smoother.  From drawer pantry storage to creative ways to store your spices or organize your pots/pans and dishes/silverware, even hide your dishwasher, your cabinetry can help you do that. 

I'm also smitten with the cabinetry for the bath and home office.  The bath below is so glamorous! And it's interesting that they put a small counter ledge behind the pedestal sinks- that's my only complaint with those- they don't provide any counter room. 

Cabinetry by Decora - Bathroom Painted Irish Creme

Schrock Cabinetry - Contemporary Black Bathroom Cabinets

Dynasty by Omega Traditional Cherry Office Cabinets

If you are interested in learning more or contacting a dealer in your area you can go here and enter your zip code.  You can also check out my Pinterest board "Dreamy Kitchens" for more gorgeous kitchen ideas.  Is there a feature your kitchen is lacking or that you'd love to renovate? I think the pot/pan storage drawer would be super convenient.  

Make sure to come back tomorrow because we're GIVING AWAY $200 Visa gift cards to three lucky winners!

*I'm proud to collaborate with MasterBrand Cabinets on this post.  Of course, all opinions are my own. 

Roman Shades To Make Window Look Taller

Are y'all feeling good after that extra hour of sleep?!  You know you're old when rolling back the clock means extra sleep as opposed to an extra hour of partying. We went out to dinner to a favorite Houston restaurant with another couple, but were all yawning by 11 p.m.  Back at home, over the last couple of weeks, we put roman bamboo shades up on our downstairs windows.  I've been wanting to do this for a long time because I felt like it would make our windows look taller and more complete, but we just now got around to it.  

We opted for Hampton Bay 'Caramel' flatstick bamboo roman shades because I liked that color the best and they are very affordable.  They are easy to hang with triangle-shaped hooks at the top that we placed close to the curtain rod to create the illusion of higher windows.  As you can see below, there was about a foot of wall between the rod and where the window actually starts.

These bamboo shades aren't lined, so they don't block out the light, but they do diffuse it some.  I'm only using them for decorative purposes, so I don't mind that, and I just keep them pulled to where the window begins so the light doesn't shine through.  Also, we normally keep our blinds open, but I closed them so the picture would turn out better.  Our window is 36 inches, so that's the size we used here. 

You might also notice the addition of our dinner bell that I'm crazy about.  I used it for the first time last night as I served up big bowls of homemade chili and cornbread (ok, so just cornbread for our son) on one of our first cold nights (yay!).  I got the large bell here, but it also comes in small. 

I let James give it a good ring too.

For the dining room, I used a 72-inch shade because that's as long as they came without going the expensive custom route, even though our window is wider.  The curtains hide the difference pretty well though.  

You can see in this photo below how the roman shade is a little too short.  

In the living room is where I ran into some issues.  We put up three 48-inch shades (the size of the three windows) and I planned to add two more curtain rods and curtains where the wall between them is showing, but when I got two more West Elm rods, their mounting hardware was different that the original and wouldn't fit with our wall.  (You have to slide the hardware together and there isn't enough clearance between the crown molding and where the rod needs to go - if that makes sense.)  So, I've been looking for other hardware that we might be able to use instead or possibly, other rods.  

The other issue is, we'd either have to make two new curtain panels (since these are custom- Windsor Smith Pelagos Fabric in Mist) or use the curtains in the breakfast room and get new/different curtains for that space.  Or make two more panels from the panels shown below. 

But, what I originally had in mind would've looked something like the photo below.  

I'll keep you posted on what we end up doing, but I welcome your suggestions.  Do you like the windows better with or without the roman shades?  

On Honey We're Healthy:  21-Day Meditation Experience 

Weekend Steals & Deals + Outfit Ideas

Happy Halloween friends!  I hope you have some fun plans for the night.  I'm looking forward to getting the candy I bought for the trick-or-treators out of the house- I keep sneaking little pieces!  Please tell me you do that too.  We spent last night making spider hands for my son's class, and let me tell you, it's not as easy as you'd think.  My popcorn was too big, so it wasn't fitting easily inside the fingers.  I had to smash some of it to get it down in there.  Just a word to the wise if you ever attempt this.  You can see a cute video of this action on my Instagram.  And I'm such a girl.  Even the spider rings kinda creep me out.  But he thinks they're so cool.  :) This little guy will be the cutest Transformer ever tonight "Optimous Prime" in action!

As for the weekend steals and deals, I found a super steal for you this weekend that I'm excited to share.  We all know how hot plaid is right now and on a quick Target run this week, I found some awesome button-down plaid shirts here and here.  I already wore the top one "vivid blue" (not sure why they call it that- it's more teal). I didn't see this one in the store, but I want this color combo too.  And FYI, I like these to fit comfy, so instead of my usual size small, I liked how the medium fit better.  The bottom one I accidentally picked up a large, so I need to exchange it.  I like how it only buttons half-way down, great for leggings and boots.  But, the cool thing is, Target is having a buy 1, get 1 50% off on clothing, slippers, and sleepwear and free shipping on all items so these are a great deal.  

My favorite, easy way to wear a plaid shirt is with jeans, tall boots and a chunky scarf. 

shirt $22 | scarf $17.94 | jeans $69.95, $34.99 | boots $199.95, $129.90

Y'all know I can't get enough of a good striped tee.  This 3/4 length top from Ann Taylor was $49.50, went on sale for $24.99 and with 60% off all sale items, it's currently only $10.  Doesn't get much better than that! The added length on the back is nice for covering the tush too.  

For some super cute dresses, I adore these Eliza J brand that are marked down 40% from $98 to $58.80.  I always preferred a dress for work, made pulling an outfit together a no brainer. 

pink colorblock | grey + yellow | grey cable knit | tan + pink (also in grey + orange)

You might have a favorite pair of black pants, but how about a fantastic pair of grey?  These LOFT pants (which I've always found to be a great fit) are also marked down 40%, from $69.50 to $41.70.  

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If you still need a winter coat, I found this perfect Michael Kors peacoat with gold accents on sale for 40% off, regularly $180, now $107.98.  I have a white winter coat and get a lot of use out of it.  

happy halloween!

ANN TAYLOR:  Extra 60% off all sale styles.  No code needed.  FREE shipping on $175 or more & $8.95 flat rate shipping.  Ends 11/03.

ANTHROPOLOGIE:  Extra 25% off sale items.  Use code EXTRAEXTRA. Discount reflected at checkout.

BANANA REPUBLIC:  35% off full-priced items, no exclusions when you use your BananaCard, GAPcard, or Old Navy Card  Use code BRYOU Ends 11/3.  30% off full priced items, use code BRTREAT  Ends 11/2.  FREE shipping and FREE returns on orders over $50.

GAP:    30% off regular price styles.  Use code JOY  FREE shipping and FREE returns on orders over $50.  Ends 11/3.

LOFT:  50% off select Fall Styles and 50% off all sale styles.

NORDSTROM:  Always FREE shipping & FREE returns.

OLD NAVY:  25% off your order, online only.  Use code SAVE  Ends 11/5.



TARGET:  Buy 1, get 1 50% off on clothing, slippers, and sleepwear and FREE SHIPPING on all items. ENDS 11/01.

*affiliate links used