Virtual Dressing

My friend recently needed to update her "little black dress". I got on the internet and found some accessories that would not only give her dress some pizazz, but wouldn't bust her budget either. I hope you like it, Ash!

Stripe It Rich

Lovin' the warm temps and being able to wear some spring clothes!

Skirt - Crew Cuts (yes, I know, I bought it for my daughter but it was HUGE!)
Sweater - Madewell
 Belt - J. Crew
Shoes - Ralph Lauren

Beachy Keen

Ahh...spring isn't just in the air today, it is spring! It's such a beautiful day that I am now longing for a beach vacay. Thus today's outfit in varying shades of blue. I paired my Jason Wu blouse with a full skirt and added the striped tote for a bit of nautical inspiration. Even my aqua and teal shoes remind me of the beautiful gulf waters.

Jason Wu blouse - Target

Full skirt - J. Crew from many years ago

Nautical tote - Nine West from Belk but T.J. Maxx has them as well

Teal & Aqua ballet flats - I have to confess this one: I have a very small foot so my shoes are from Crew Cuts (last fall)

What are you wearing on this gorgeous February day?

And the Oscar goes to...

I hope everyone checked out the mystery sale at Banana Republic this past weekend. Like the Oscars, they handed out envelopes and you opened it to see if you won.  The prizes were a percentage off your entire purchase. I hit the jackpot and received 50% off. So of course, I bought a few things!

I was able to get this silk gray & black animal print pencil skirt for less than $40! Check back daily to see what other great deals I bought at Banana Republic.

Dark chambray shirt, orange shoes & skirt - Banana Republic
Patent leather belt and charm bracelet - J. Crew
Gold bangles - Belk.

Here we go again!

Remember the Pippa blouse I showed you earlier this week that I bought at Belk for only $31? Now that the temperature is dropping back down again I paired it with a pair of wool trousers in a bright, fun color. And because there is so much color going on I decided to tone it down with some understated neutral accessories. That's the great thing about a multi-colored blouse, you can use it with just about anything! 

Hmm...now that I mention it I might pair this blouse with some jeans this weekend!

Be sure to stop by Belk this weekend to see what kind of deals you can find. With an additional 50% off clearance, you can't beat the prices.  Send me a picture of your deal and if you need help putting it together, you can always use our virtual wardrobing service. It's only $20 per item and we do the shopping for you!

Pop!

I decided to try the monochromatic look today with just a hint of color in my shoes. The same shoes I wore out to lunch, remember? The outfit looked great, but alas, it did not prevent the school nurse from calling...AGAIN! My son got bit by a spider and his neck swelled up and got really hot. 

This time we headed straight for the doctor. All is well. For now. And I won't be wearing my shoes for awhile.

The good news is that YOU CAN create this same look using most any color without having to buy anything new.  If you decide to use a brightly colored monochromatic look, then keep your accessories neutral.

Turtleneck - Free People; Pants & Skinny Belt - J. Crew; Purse - TJ Maxx; Shoes - Banana Republic

Stealing Bases

Remember those President's Day sales I told you about on Friday? Well here is one of my "steals".  This blouse is by Pippa and it is 100% silk. Regularly $138, I got it for $31 at Belk! Homerun!!

I think it's absolutely adorable with a pencil skirt (J. Crew), patent wedges (Belk) and a structured bag (Belk) - all styles that are so popular right now. 

What did you score this past weekend?

Out to Lunch

I went out to lunch today with my wonderful 3rd grade moms lunch group. I had decided to wear a chambray shirt in a fun and funky way since this must-have piece of clothing is dominating the fashion scene. I paired it with a maxi skirt I picked up for $20 bucks at Belk and was feeling pretty good when "Rrrring" went my cell phone. "Your son just threw up in his classroom and we have to send him home" said my pesky phone. 

So I am now home in my sweats cuddling with my pale and shaky 6 year old while my friends eat their very tasty sopapillas. Stay tuned for tomorrow's excitement...;) 

Chambray shirt & locket necklace - J. Crew; Red Haute maxi skirt & bangles - Belk; Smokin' hot shoes and textured belt - Banana Republic 

Date Night

Just thought I would share the outfit I wore out on a date with my hubby.  We just went to a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant so dressing up too much was out of the question. I hope I got it right! Oh, and the food was out of this world!

Jeans - Free People from TJ Maxx; Dark denim top - Banana Republic; Cardigan & leopard print belt - J. Crew; Necklace - Target; Clutch - Forever 21 (yeah, right!)

Prepping Up

So I have been playing around on the computer today and I created this outfit. It's not necessarily "frugal", but we can all dream a bit...

Rocker Mom

I love to travel and one of my best trips was to Santa Fe, New Mexico.  All of the earthy colors, aztec designs with some to die for silver bracelets made by the locals.  I am also a huge fan of art so I dragged the Mister to every gallery in Santa Fe taking it all in.  When I saw this drapey shirt it reminded me of that trip.  If you take a look around right now along with the bright colors you will find some of this same aztec print on shoes, sweaters, and handbags.  Go buy your own piece of Santa Fe until you can make it your next adventure.   

Drapey Shirt - Yestyle.com; Jeans - Seven; Boots - Nine West; Purse - boutique in New Orleans; Bracelets - Brentwood Academy's Christmas Fair

Animal Instincts

Happy Thursday! Today I feel a bit wild so I threw on my one piece of animal print clothing, a 100% cashmere cardigan from Khol's (only $40!). And do you recognize the blouse? It's one of Jason Wu's from his new, affordable collection at Target. The skirt? J. Crew Factory online final sale clearance. Purse? T.J. Maxx. Shoes? On clearance at Banana Republic. 

Hmm...now that I think about it, maybe I was instinctively feeling frugal today?

Less is More

I'm tired of all the color blocking and I am sure you are tired of me posting so much of it! Remember me saying that you can still join the color trend with just a few accessories? Well, here it is, ladies!  I took my skinny jeans and a white blouse - two must-have essentials - and added a colored belt, necklace and purse. That wasn't so hard, was it?

 Belt and necklace - J. Crew; Purse - just a brown one from my closet; Bootie shoes - Marti & Liz

We Heart Jason Wu

Happy Valentine's Day!

My hubby and kids went all out for me this morning so I decided to dress for the occasion with my new Jason Wu dress from Target. Is this dress cute or what? And for less than $40! The Target's around here still have plenty of Jason Wu products so if you find yourself out shopping for some Valentine goodies today stop by and take a look.

(Shoes - Via Spiga; Jackie Cardigan & Tortoise Shell Belt- J. Crew; Happiness - My Family!) 

Color Blocking with Switzerland

Although I love J. Crew's new line of brightly colored clothes, I really can't afford them at full-price. And they don't do coupons. But Gap does, so of course I went shopping! If you don't have a Gap card, get one. The coupons and rewards are remarkable.

Gap's bright blue pants are fantastic!  They are slouchy chinos that are meant to be a bit loose at the top which means I got to go down a size. Hooray! And - wait for it - they are comfortable!!  Notice the slimness at the ankles. Spring trend accomplished!!!

Sorry, I got excited. Anyway, the pink sweater is from Gap as well. It too, is meant to be slouchy and will be nice and light for the spring. But it is very cold today so I put a chambray shirt under it (a closet staple). Nice, huh?

I paired the outfit with neutral accessories (another staple must-have). The beige shoes are a big find for me - Vince Camuto's for less than $30 at Dillard's. The purse you will recognize as my T.J. Maxx find. What a weekend! I saved all kinds of money, at least that's how I spun it to my hubby ;)

Spring Trend: Simplicity

Color Blocking and Other Trends for Spring

Last weekend we attended a great seminar focused on the hottest spring trends at the J. Crew store in Green Hills. As you can see, J. Crew has added a lot of bright colors to their spring line. Other trends to watch for include:

• Skinny pants that hit at or above the ankle
• Lightweight sweaters
• Ballet flats
• Shiny, patent leather shoes
• Wedges
• Trench coats
• Lots of accessories
• Stripes

The key to all of these items is jewel-tone colors and lots of it!  But you don't have to buy from J. Crew - or any other store for that matter - to create cute, updated outfits. We all have items with color. Get them out, add them to whatever outfit you are wearing, and you are done! It's easy and you save money. 

Make it Personal

Gigi Custom Jewelry

I went to a home party this week that featured a jewelry line I had yet to hear about - GiGi Custom Jewelry.  Unlike most people, I don't always feel pressure to buy at these shows. If I don't like it I don't buy it.  If I like it I buy it. Simple as that!  Well, I bought this one and unbeknownst to me, so did Christina Applegate!

Gigi specializes unique pieces that you help create.  Choose from numerous chains, discs, charms, and birthstones for a one-of-a-kind look and personalize it with names, nicknames, sayings, whatever comes to mind.  All of the pieces are made from Sterling Silver or 14K gold plated over sterling silver. And the prices? They were so reasonable!  Check them out at visitgigi.com. You can see Christina's piece and maybe order your own custom piece...

Win-Win Situation

We featured a company called Banded a couple of days ago.  They have offered all of our readers 50% off the purchase of a headband.  A portion of the proceeds from this sale goes to support orphans which is something that is near and dear to me.  Our family would have a huge hole in it without our baby girl.   Here is their instructions for receiving the discount. 

Thank you for featuring our Banded No-slip Headbands with Opti-fit Technology!!! As a thank you to all your followers we will extend a 50% off coupon for their next purchase at www.banded2gether.com, plus free shipping on orders of 4 or more. To get the coupon, simply go to http://www.facebook.com/banded2gether and after you "like" us send us a message stating "twoshoppermoms coupon please!"

Too Blue for the Blues

I wanted to keep with the accessories theme this week so I decided on a new scarf I recently purchased from J. Crew.  I love blue, especially royal blue, so when I put this scarf with this purple dress I was skeptical.  Blue is normally considered a neutral but not this shade of blue.  Royal blue gives a pop of color that is far from neutral.  And when mixed in with the beautiful jewel tones so popular right now, royal blue accessories can make your outfits rock!

POP goes the color!

This season is all about the color. This outfit has 4 colors but yet it still looks great. The reason? The blue, aqua and green are all in the same color family and the purple purse simply gives you a little unexpected, but fun pop of color. So if you like the trend of brightly colored clothing this season, go ahead and go the extra mile - add even MORE color with  fun accessories! 

Purse - TJ Maxx; Green bracelet by Lucky - Belk; Gold and rhinestone bangle bracelets by Jessica Simpson - Belk

No slipping or pinching

      I attended my workout class on Friday and was given a headband to try.  I was a little skeptical because I have tried many headbands before only to have them slide off my head halfway thru class or pinch behind my ears so much that I was getting a headache.  These headbands have an Opti -Size Technology allowing them to be small for smaller heads or roomier for larger heads. Translation, you can share it with your daughter or if you have multiple girls they can share.  

     At the end of class I was very surprised to find the headband still in place, no headache and I came home to see if it would really fit my daughter and it did.  So she wore the rest of the day!  They have some great bright colors that would work great with the new spring looks. Check out their Facebook page or their website Banded.

Every Girl Loves a Cute Purse!

The structured purse. It's what's in. Whether it is purple, blue, red or neutral like ours, everyone needs one this season. With great structured lines and a smart handle, the structured purse can go from office to evening to playground.  We found this leather beauty at T J Maxx on clearance for less than $40!  As always, you CAN look stylish without breaking the bank.

Accessorize Your Style

Stella and Dot

A friend hosted a spring trunk show for Stella and Dot recently. We enjoyed seeing the bright colors, layering necklaces, bracelets galore and fab cocktail rings. These are a few of our favorites from the show. You can buy several of these pieces for less than $50 and mix them with other accessories for a fresh update.  I am not sure if you can tell from the pictures but look at the detailing of the jewelry.  It looks way more expensive than it really is.  So, if you want to be like a Kardashin or a Real Housewife, click on the link above and buy from Stella and Dot for the spring!

Boyfriend Blazer Day 3 - A sharp #2 pencil skirt

Our look today includes MUST HAVES for your closet - a pencil skirt in a bright color, polka dots and the boyfriend jacket.  

First, the pencil skirt - if you don't have one get one.  Pencil skirts looks good on everyone, elongate your body, shows off your legs, and makes you look taller.  Buy a basic color first if you are unsure.  This orange one came from J.Crew Factory online.  

Everyone can wear color on the bottom, but to avoid looking "garanimal" you will want to include neutrals in your outfit, i.e. the navy blouse and jacket.  For more color, try a fun shoe, belt or purse. 

 And last but not least, POLKA DOTS!  To avoid looking like a five-year-old, choose simple, sophisticated dots like the ones in this blouse by Free People.