Travel

I been traveling quite a bit lately - so I thought I would share some of my favorite things!

Vera Bradley Curling Iron Case
This case runs anywhere from $13 to $17 and you can usually find them anywhere where Vera Bradley is sold. In Austin, I found mine at Breed and Co. I use it for my CHI flatiron, which fits perfectly. The inside of the case is made of heat-resistant materials so you don't have to wait for it to cool down.


Jon Hart Duffel Bag
While I have had a number of smaller Jon Hart pieces over the years, I recently thought it would be a good idea to be able to fit everything I need for a weekend away in one bag. The only bad part is that the bag gets really, really heavy - but its so great because I know where everything is. I would definitely not recommend this bag for air travel because of the size and lack of wheels - but it is perfect for a car trip where you won't have to carry it much.

Shoe bags
I am not a fan of just throwing shoes into the suitcase, so I use shoe bags. Where do you get "shoe bags"? Well, if you buy fancy shoes (or purses) they usually come with a bag that can be used for this purpose... oooor, you can just buy one! I bought mine at Neiman's Last Call, and its great because I can fit multiple pairs of heels or flats, or a pair of running shoes in it.

Jewelry holder
The last thing you want to do when you are traveling is lose track of your favorite earrings or rings. I have had the same jewelry holder for close to 15 years, and I still love it! It was purchased for me years ago at James Avery, and while they still sell similar ones they no longer make my specific one. You can find similar ones at most jewelry stores, and even places like Francesca's or World Market usually sell them.

Happy travels!!!

Back!!!!

Since I seem to have a ridiculous amount of spare time on my hands, I thought it might be time to start posting on here again.

My most recent shopping search was for Christmas cards. Yes, I know it is super early. But, I tend to send a lot of cards, and I have decided to be extra lazy this year and get them printed. However, seeing as how I am not married, nor have children, I really don't think anyone wants the ever-popular photo card of just me. So, here is what I discovered --

Hallmark stores are individually owned. While they seem to be on every corner in San Antonio, there are two in real Austin (gotta keep it weird here). Some of these Hallmark stores will customize your holiday cards for FREE during the month of October. I had mine done at the Hallmark at the Quarry Market in San Antonio. It was tons cheaper than buying them online and I got fun and stylish cards!

However, if you are looking for cards online, I found this website through Costco that has cute cards at a decent price.

Happy card shopping!!!!

Frugal Girl's Guide to Austin

A friend of mine started this blog, and since it is so great I wanted all of you know about it!

http://frugalgirlsguidetoaustin.blogspot.com/

I will still post occasionally, but with work picking up, I would just follow this blog until my life settles down a bit in June.

Random Deals

Dillard's (and probably every other major department store) is having a huge sale... almost everything in the store was 70% off!!! Even a lot of the cute BCBG items were included in the sale!

Also, I mentioned a while back that my favorite jeans store is HEM, well they now have a program where if you bring in a pair of premium designer jeans, you get $30 of your next purchase! So, if you aren't going to wear them anymore, its a great way to clean out and update your closet at the same time!

That's all for now...

Le Garage Sale

Sorry for my lack of posting - but let's be honest, everywhere you turn right now there is a GREAT deal.

Next weekend though, the Palmer Events Center will be full of AMAZING deals as Le Garage Sale is open for the bi-annual event. If you are not familiar, Le Garage Sale is when all of the fancy Austin-y boutiques sell their leftover merchandise at HUGE discounts at the event center. For more info, click here.

A few tips:

• Most vendors are "cash only" so bring loads of cash or a checkbook.
• There are no real dressing rooms, so dress appropriately. I like to wear a skirt and tank top so that I can try on all types of items.
  
• You have to pay to get in, and usually pay for parking -- but it's worth it!!!

See you there!!!

Coupons? Really?

I have never been a big fan of coupons -- but, someone recently introduced me to this website and I must admit, you really can save! I saved an extra 20% my already reduced items at Banana Republic recently and there are tons of other stores with similar deals. Just type in your favorite store in the upper left hand corner box and start saving!

Petals

If you are like me, and have to walk around a lot at work, wearing comfortable shoes is a must! After feeling like I had tried all of the inserts you can buy at HEB and Target, I found Foot Petals! Let's face it ladies, fashionable shoes are never really comfortable... but they can be wearable!

Plus they are sold at tons of locations - including Nordstrom's. Most of the designs run about $20 for 3 sets -- totally worth it for some comfort!!!