Caldrea at Target {...and some girly decorating}

Another great brand arrives at Target... this time for the kitchen counters. I'd been using Method, but when I sampled these scents I had to give them a try... so I brought home Caldrea's countertop cleaner and stainless cleaner in Herbs of Provence (essential oils of rosemary, thyme, and sage). They make my kitchen smell like I've had a lovely candle burning. (They do have kitchen candles too... and hand soap, dish soap, hand cream...).

The countertop cleaner is safe for any sealed natural or synthetic stone, and also wood and tile (finished/sealed). It cleans with vegetable protein extract, is biodegradable, and not tested on animals. Love. The stainless cleaner has been doing a great job with no streaking (though my following directions and spraying on the cloth, not the surface, and rubbing in circles, may have something to do with it.) At any rate, both of these products get two thumbs up from me. Next time I'm going to try the Olive Oil scent.

...and I have to share a small accomplishment from the weekend. We finally went and picked out a chandelier with my younger daughter for her room, and got it put together and installed. I love it, and so does she. I've been meaning to put small chandeliers up in both my girls' rooms since we bought this house about 3 1/2 years ago!

Now at this point, my older daughter doesn't want one (she picked out a lava lamp - remember those?) - and we are currently in discussions about how we are going to re-do her currently very Pottery Barn patchwork, gingham, and pink room. Purple and green are in the running, a color combo I love. For my younger daughter, we are looking at the Paris Toile collection from Pottery Barn Kids. Tres chic!

PBK's bedding, PBK's picture

I hope everyone is starting out a great week!

xoxo

OOTD 4.30.10: Peacock Blue + Shine {and a cupcake}

My new TBs arrived from Saks on Thursday, so of course I wore a pair Friday.

OOTD 4.30.10: Peacock Blue + Shine by sweetteainseattle featuring Tory Burch shoes

J Crew cardi, J Crew Carmen tank, ON denim, TB Millers in super shiny sliver

And I have to mention that I finally hit Trophy Cupcakes on the right day and got to try the Peanut Butter and Jelly!

Excellent!

Happy Weekend!

xoxo

ps - I know many people ask about Tory Burch sizing. I see a lot of recommendations to size up (Saks said to size up 1/2 size on the silver ones I just ordered, but I didn't. Nordstrom gives the advice that they will stretch, and doesn't say to size up.), but have also heard of them stretching out too much. On Revas (regular leather and suede), I go with my "true size" - what I generally wear in everything else. (I don't own any in patent but I've heard to size up 1/2 size in those.) Initially they feel a little tight, and the scrunching at the heel can dig a little, but with time they stretch to perfection and feel like the most comfortable little slippers on my feet. A Chanel saleslady told me once that you should buy Chanel ballet flats to just fit your feet and that they will be uncomfortable for a little while - but then stretch to the perfect fit. I've found this to be the case with Revas - as long as the length is okay and your toe is not jammed up to the front of course. On the Millers, Saks recommended to order your true size, but from my experience (and a review I read) they run a tad short... the sole/footbed is definitely shorter than other similar style sandals I own... so I went 1/2 size up on my new silver ones and find they fit perfectly for me - I don't like to have my toes right on the edge.)

J Crew "Extra 20" Order

So here's what I have on the way from J Crew's latest extra-20-off-sale promo (runs through 11:59 tonight). I'll hopefully get some reviews up on these sale goodies soon after they arrive. If you've shopped/are shopping the markdowns, let me know what you've found!

Extra 20 Buys - 4/10 by sweetteainseattle featuring J Crew

Items in this set:
Cotton-gauze petal cardigan #24596 - dusty shale
Waterfloral pastiche cardigan - cotton candy
sale - AllProducts - Tissue garland tank - J.Crew
Small crystal colletto bracelet - pale buff
Girls' pattycake top - J.Crew

xoxo

there may be sweet tea in Seattle {but there isn't Chick-Fil-A}

So. In my "about me" on the right, you can see that I am a displaced Southerner. The Pacific Northwest is a gorgeous, green, interesting, adventure-filled region, but for a girl raised in The South there are of course many, many things that I miss. One of those things is Chick-Fil-A.

I didn't mention on my post about our latest trip to Vancouver, BC that I was beyond thrilled to learn that there was a Chick-fil-A (CHICK-FIL-A!!!) in Bellingham, Washington, which we happened to be driving through on our way to Canada. I seriously could not believe my good fortune that there was Chick-fil-A in my state, albeit rather far away. I had no idea!

So we navigated our way through the streets of Bellingham, figuring out that the CFA was actually on the campus of the college there. It was a little tricky finding our way around, but we finally made it to a student center, where we realized the small CFA counter was. We parked and walked around till we figured out where to enter. But the door was locked. Hmmm. Around the building, down lots of stairs (it is on a hill) we went, up the stairs again, searching for a way to get in that building.

I saw people in there and I could have sworn I smelled fried chicken. Eventually, some people are coming out, and we scoot on in... only to find everything is shut down.

Now, this was not a Sunday... I believe it was a Saturday... but everything was closed for the MLK holiday. Isn't that a Monday? Did you really have to be closed all weekend CFA?

Exhausted and hungry, we piled back in the SUV and headed up to Canada to find some lunch. I've not really talked about Chick-Fil-A since. But then my mom posted a video on Facebook, and I had to share this song.

For all of you lucky enough to live near a Chick-Fil-A, count your blessings and enjoy some waffle fries and carrot-raisin salad for me. For those who don't, I hope you get to try it one day!

xoxo

OOTD 4.27.10: Tiffany Blue + Brown

OOTD 4.27.10: Tiffany Blue + Brown by sweetteainseattle featuring Louis Vuitton bags

ATL cardi (last year), J Crew cami (last year), Vigoss jeans, J Crew outlet necklace (last year), Brown suede La Scarpa Paris ballet flats (I know it's April 27th... but it's 54 degrees out and I'm wearing suede.)

...and I had to add in a Springy pic of some beautiful tulips. We didn't make it to the big Skagit Valley festival this year, but thankfully, the grocery store has a good supply! I love to have white flowers in my home even though I tend to decorate in really warm, cozy colors. They just add such a pop of freshness to an entry or hallway.

Happy Tuesday!

xoxo

Dressing the Minnies

I have always loved shopping for my little ones... all those sweet details, fun fabrics and colors... girly-girl matching sets and precious little boy outfits too. Now that they are 8, 6, and 5, my three are definitely developing their own opinions and senses of style. I won't go into all their preferences and stages, but wanted to share my favorite brands and stores -- where I have found I can put together wardrobes one, two, or all of them like -- that are still presentable and age-appropriate (and cute!).

CWD Kids - great source for themed clothing (4th of July, animals -- I found outfits for my daughter's Panda Party here), as well as some boutique brands, lots of fun, mod prints for girls and cute tees for little boys.

Gymboree - regularly comes out with themed collections with mix and match options for boys and girls; always lots of matching accessories - jewelry, purses, shoes, socks -- and lately scarves. Join the free rewards program for reward certificates and other perks. Frequent sales and Gymbucks.

Hanna Andersson - organic jammies and oko-tex certified pieces, fun prints and stripes, matching brother/sister holiday outfits; love their Hanna-Me-Downs program; great deals can be found at their outlets.

Indygo Artwear - an incredible South African brand; absolutely gorgeous clothing made from fabric hand-painted in Cape Town... we have many sets and dresses from Indygo - just beautiful and unique; carried at boutiques, some online shops like A Child's Closet and can also be found from sellers on ebay.

Janie and Jack - Gymboree's pricier brand, aimed at grandparents and gift-givers... known for nostalgic prints and attention to detail.

Lilly Pulitzer - fun & bright! love the printed shift dresses; have been known to buy matching dresses for my girls and myself.

Mini Boden - excellent quality, fun prints, cute tees for boys and girls; frequent %-off deals and free shipping.

Naartjie - 100% pre-washed cottons - easy to mix and match color collections, good prices and sales; 11 new collections are released each year from this super-fun South African brand.

Petit Bateau - great cotton basics for boys and girls, nice jammies and unders; post on my Parisian shopping sprees here; I've since also ordered from them online... I like their tees for myself too and they recently started carrying men's.

Strasburg - lovely smocked dresses and special occasion-wear.

Target - of course!

Wheat - amazing Danish brand I found in Charlottenlund last summer. Sold at many shops in Denmark and also available in a few other countries and the UK. This website will ship throughout Europe and to many Asian countries, as well as some places in the Middle East. I've not been able to find in the US.

Wooden Soldier - another great source for special occasion dressing -- my children's Easter and Christmas outfits are usually from here or Strasburg.

I have also found great pieces at crewcuts, Gap, Nordstrom, and Old Navy but I don't check them very often. Nordstrom carries boutique brands and has also most recently added some Hanna and Mini Boden. Some other boutique brands I really liked and bought when my little ones were smaller are Baby Lulu, Baby Nay, Icky Baby, Pineapple Kiss, Soup and Zaza Couture.

Emma Saxton makes beautiful hair bows - loads of colors, styles, and sizes, plus "made to match" styles that will coordinate with collections from stores like Gymboree, Naartjie, and Hanna Andersson.

Happy Shopping!

xoxo

OOTD 4.22.10 {featuring the Tegan Tunic}

I know I mentioned doing a post on dressing the minnies by this week and it is already Friday! It's been crazy busy so I haven't had much time to sit down and think and put together links but things are looking a little more relaxed for the next few days so I'll get that together soon! In the meantime, I know there has been a lot of interest in this voile tunic from Target and I wanted to put up my OOTD from yesterday.

I love this tunic with silver shoes. I just ordered two of my favorite Tory Burch styles - Reva and Miller - in silver which I plan to wear with this and many other outfits. (Saks Friends and Family code FRIEND3 gets you 20% off + code SFASHIP gives you free shipping on orders over $200. Saks lets you stack two codes - love that!) I really like the SE slingbacks shown below, but they are about 1/2 size too small and I don't feel comfortable running around in them all day like I do my Revas.

White capris or white denim will be great with this - but I was already kind of pushing it with the rainy weather yesterday - had to wear my trench coat over in the morning.

Merona Collection Tegan Tunic (size Med), ON denim, Sam Edelman slingback flats in silver (couple years ago)

The voile tunic is a little sheer and I have a nude colored cami on underneath.

had to post the one where Winston makes a cameo

Happy Friday!

xoxo