Favorite Thing #211 - Joe's Jeans Provocateur Petite Skinny Jeans

Some of you may remember I bought these jeans last month at the Joe Jeans outlet. Since the weather is getting a little bit warmer, I've been wearing them more with flats and I absolutely looove these jeans. They fit so nice and are really flattering. I especially love that the petite fit me perfectly and I don't have to get them hemmed. I highly recommend these jeans and they are on sale right now at Shopbop!

Homemade Skin Treatments

Sorry I was MIA last week. I got a nasty cold that just put me out of commission all week/weekend. I'm finally starting to feel better which means I'm back to blogging. First up this week is a new favorite homemade treatment. My boss and I were talking about how rough this winter has been on our skin and she said that she found this great homemade scrub recipe in Real Simple. And it is real simple - sugar and olive oil - that's it! I used a container from a scrub I had finished put in a bunch of sugar and then added olive oil till it was all absorbed. It took all of two minutes. I used it this weekend and what a difference in my skin. It was so soft. I love that it's all natural and costs pennies compared to what you spend in the store. Thanks Jenn for the recommendation!

What are some of your favorite at home treatments?

Favorite Thing #210 - Bosia Black Mask

One of my favorite bloggers, Pretty in Pink Megan, has raved about this mask so when I was ready to buy a new I had to try it. I wasn't as brave as her to put a picture of my face with the mask on my blog but I will give you my review. I absolutely LOVE it! Think of it as a Biore Pore strip for your entire face. It's a thick, gooey black mask that you put a thick layer all over your face, let dry for 15 minutes and peel it off. After using this I felt like my face was absolutely glowing and my pores definitely shrunk. I will say it's definitely painful when you remove it but so worth it.

Thrifty Thursday - My continued LOVE of Ebates

Thrifty Thursday is back with an old favorite! I know I've posted about Ebates before but I can tell you all how much I love it and how easy and worthwhile it is!! My quarterly Ebates check came in the mail this week for $160! I shopped more this time period because of the holidays but I was also strategic in how I shopped and waited for some big daily doubles. Here are some examples -

Nike - I ordered $70 worth of stuff for Hubby and my stepFIL for Christmas and got $7 back.
Snapfish - Our holiday cards came from here and for $95 purchase I got $11 back.
Beauty.com - Just picked up some products I needed and got $7 back on a $60 purchase.
Endless - Hubby ordered two pairs of shoes which I did for me through Ebates and got $14 back.

This is by far the easiest way to earn FREE money by shopping online. All you have to do is go to Ebates, log in, search for the store you plan on shopping at, click the link and voila you are taken there and all you have to do is shop! Each store has a corresponding percentage of cash back. And the money just adds up. Every quarter Ebates will send you a check and all you have to do is cash it. My next Ebates check will be for over $100! If you haven't already signed up, I definitely recommend that you do. You get $5 just for signing up! Click here to start getting free money!

Recent Dress Purchases

As you can tell from many of my blog posts...I'm ready for warmer weather. Here are a two of my recent purchases getting me ready for when it does get warmer.

Note: I need to start wearing make up when I take these pictures...and get a new photographer. Hubby doesn't get me at the best angles.

I purchased this dress last week during Rue La La's Max and Chloe boutique. I love the purple color and the pleating detail around the neckline. Click here if you still haven't signed up for Rue La La. This dress retails for over $100 and I got it for $39.50!

I blogged about this Banana Republic dress a few weeks ago and decided to buy it when they were having 35% off select work outfits. Love this dress. It's light weight, sits nicely and will be perfect for work...and look better once I have a tan.

Chicken Cilantro Pot Sticker Soup

Full credit goes to Danica's Daily for this recipe. I love to find healthy recipes that taste amazing and this is one of them. Her own creation, Chicken Cilantro Pot Sticker soup, was super easy and full of flavor! The best part was I had most of the ingredients already at home. I didn't have any squash or scallions so I didn't add them but the soup still tasted great. And for you WW followers one serving of this soup is only 4 points.

Winter Closet Cleanout Part 2

Here's the second half of my winter closet cleanout. Items from Banana Republic, J.Crew and a Tibi skirt. Click here to check out the listings.

Boden's Limited Edition Collection

Boden has a new Limited Edition collection for spring right now. Nothing really stood out for me except this adorable top. I really want it but not loving the $148.00 price tag. I also don't love that it isn't eligible for the 15% off I would get through Ebates. Ugh! I'm just going to keep my eye on it to see if it goes on sale.

My Spring/Summer Wardrobe Wish List

Here are some of my wish list items for my spring/summer wardrobe.

Gilt Purchases

This is my second purchase from Gilt and once again I'm very happy. First up, I got this super cute Kendra Scott Filagree Dome ring.

I've really been wearing a lot of gold now and love this ring. It's not too big so I can wear it to work or a night out.

Even though its cold outside, my head is ready for spring/summer weather. I got this great beach bag to carry all the pool/beach essentials. It's nice and big and will definitely fit all my stuff! It's going to go great with my new beach hat!

Gilt Groupe is very similar to my favorite Rue La La but be careful because there a many items you won't be able to return. Need an invite, click here.

Book Review: Sugar and Spice by Lauren Conrad

I just finished the third book in Lauren Conrad's LA Candy series - Sugar and Spice. It was probably my least favorite of the three but I still really enjoyed it. I felt the different plots in this one lack excitement and I feel like they could have done a lot more with the characters. I still would recommend the series because if you watched Laguna Beach, The Hills or The City then you will get an insight into how fake and planned out those shows are. I always knew most of it was fake or staged but I had no idea to what extent. Yes, these books are fiction but I'm suspicious that they are based heavily on Lauren Conrad's personal experiences. Up next on my book list is Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella.

Beach Dresses from Victoria's Secret

Victoria's Secret has some great dresses and rompers for summer and affordable...I'm so ready for warm weather...

Drum Roll Please!

True Random Number Generator
Min:
Max:

Result: 20
Powered by RANDOM.ORG

And the winner of my J.Crew earrings giveaway is....GigiofCA! Congratulations. I've sent you an email asking for your mailing address. For those of you that didn't win, stay tuned to the blog because I want to keep giving away some of my favorite things!

BCBG at Rue La La Tomorrow!

I'm a HUGE fan of BCBG and was super excited to see that Rue La La will be featuring two boutiques of clothes, shoes and accessories tomorrow!

For those of you new to the blog, Rue La La is a By-Invitation-Only Sample Sale site. Click Here to sign up using my personal invitation link. This link will grant you immediate access to the site after you sign up. (FYI - If you just sign up the regular way you will just be put on the waiting list.)

Family Room Reveal

Here's the family room reveal. I LOVE the couch it really opens up the room. The rug is perfect. Sooo happy with everything. The couch is American Signature Furniture (via Value City Furniture), rug and floral throw pillow are from Overstock and the tray on the ottoman is from Target. The throw pillows and new lamp on the end table are also from Target. We had some problems with Value City Furniture but in the end everything worked out. What do you think?

To Buy or Not to Buy?

I've had my eye on these Cole Haan Air Talia Booties from Nordstrom ever since Allie at Wardrobe Oxygen blogged about them. She raved about them and I've been on the hunt for some new ankle boots. They are on amazing sale ($100 off) and I would get 5% cash back from Ebates. What do you think should I buy them?

Some changes around the house...

We've lived in our house for 3 years and never was able to find anything to hang in this space. It's the cathedral ceiling when you walk in the front door. Thanks to HomeGoods in PA we filled the space. So happy with this print and finally have a full wall.

Just a few minor changes in the bedroom. I moved the lamps from the downstairs to our bedroom. It was time to get rid of the Ikea lamps I had since college. I also found the big shams (on ebay) that match the quilt at the foot. Great price - $20 for both and shipping! I also purchased the fun floral pillow in the front. I got it from zulily for $15. Zulily is like a Rue La La but mainly baby stuff. Every once and a while they we have home decor. Click here to sign up.

Another great HomeGoods find. These prints really pop in this room and coordinate so well with the bedding. Love it!

We also hung a sign that has our last name spelled out in structures from Chicago. Our good friend Jill made this for us. Wish the picture was better but I was doing it at night.

My cousin got me this cute wine rack for Christmas and it looks great in our dining room. Thanks Cass!

Don't forget to enter...

Don't forget to enter my giveaway here for a chance to win these super cute earrings. Giveaway ends tomorrow.

Showcasing Family Photos

We plan on doing the two walls in our upstairs hallway all black and white. Here's what the smaller wall looks like. I wanted to leave room to add some smaller frames for other nieces/nephews. And the big wall will be saved for our kids.

Red Envelope Deal at Rue La La

At Rue La La today you can get a $30 Red Envelope gift certificate for $15. Such a great deal. I get sooo many gifts from Red Envelope so I'm definitely going to take advantage of this!

For those of you new to the blog, Rue La La is a By-Invitation-Only Sample Sale site. Click Here to sign up using my personal invitation link. This link will grant you immediate access to the site after you sign up. (FYI - If you just sign up the regular way you will just be put on the waiting list.)

My Stella & Dot Purchase!

I'm so very happy with my Stella & Dot purchases. I went with delicate necklaces and cute bangles. I really like that the bracelets (at least the ones I got) fit my petite wrists. Usually bracelets are WAY too big on me but not these. They fit perfectly. I apologize for the up close pics but there wasn't any other way to show the necklaces.

20% Cash Back from Old Navy

Today Ebates is offering 20% cash back from Old Navy! I'm loving this daily double. I picked up a few birthday presents for my niece and have my eye on a couple spring/summer items for myself.

For those of you not familiar with Ebates it is by far the easiest way to earn FREE money by shopping online. All you have to do is go to Ebates, log in, search for the store you plan on shopping at, click the link and voila you are taken there and all you have to do is shop! Each store has a corresponding percentage of cash back. And the money just adds up. Every quarter Ebates will send you a check and all you have to do is cash it. If you haven't already signed up, I definitely recommend that you do. You get $5 just for signing up! Click here to start getting free money!

Here are some of my favorites -