Stolen Italy photos

So I know I shouldn't steal other people's photos and not give credit, but I also don't want to give out people's identities without permission. So, moving on - here are a couple photos I saw on a friend's facebook page, from her trip to Italy. I absolutely love these photos!! Not only do they look professional, but how gorgeous is this place?! It's amazing how people in other countries live. I had to save these pics and share.

U of Memphis...football?

I saw a 'friend' (read: random person I haven't actually spoken to in years) post this pic on facebook, apparently said friend is at the game right now.

We're talking U of Memphis football, and we're talking about...what do you think? 1,000 people are at the game? And this isn't pre-game, like an hour beforehand. This is right now, in the first half.

This is really embarassing, how is a football program and school so bad that NO ONE cares about going?! UM is a very large university, not some tiny little directional school. This is as good as their alumni can do? (Note: I too am an alum, but only for grad school, so that doesn't count - undergrad is where you learn to love your school.)

Why does no one care about their team?

Dressing for real life

I see items online that look super cute, but I realize that in real life - they may look ridiculous. (Besides the fact i would have no where to wear the things.)

Such as this Alice + Olivia feather skirt. I saw it on shopbop.com a bit ago and I think it's really neat. But...you know. Seems like a goofy thing for an actual regular human being to purchase. :) There's one available on ebay right now however!

Happy Thanksgiving :)

OTK boots FTW

The boots are to die for!!! They came today and I could not be happier. I read this in a review of the boots before I bought them, and I agree - I think these will last for many seasons, they aren't so 'trendy' that they will only last this winter and then look goofy.

Now I just need some places to wear them :)

Ruelala and Gilt websites

I try to offer this every once in a while, and now especially with Black Friday looming and everyone in shopping mode, what better time to bring it up! Because really, the holidays are all about shopping for one's self ;)

Ruelala.com and Gilt.com are 'invitation only' boutiques that sell luxury brands at huge discounts. Ruelala 'opens' daily at 10am central, it's an online free-for-all where you log in and try to snap up designer items. The sales last 3 days, but you want to be there at 10am to get your pick of the goods. Gilt.com works the same way, only they start at 11am central.

Both are good sites...Rue tends to have about 5 options a day, while Gilt has dozens - including women, men, children, house items, and vacations. Rue has been having more men's, house, and vacation sales too however. One thing I love about Rue is that they change their main log-in page about once a month to cute colorful pics, as seen below. :)

Examples of upcoming sales for Rue: Lucky brand, NFL gear, Nicole Miller, Juicy, French Connection.
Gilt: 3.1 Phillip Lim, Miss Sixty (gilt lately has been holding off on advertising many brands til last minute)

If you'd like an invite, just leave me a comment with your email and I'll send one your way. Don't worry, it's not as "exclusive" as it sounds....it's not THAT cool :)

My rant: Cake at Minglewood Hall

I have to go on a quick rant - I saw that the band Cake is coming to Minglewood Hall here in Memphis. I actually like their music. But I HATE the band. I have seen them twice before, both here in Memphis. I don't remember which was first, but I saw them at Beale St Musicfest one year, and also when VooDoo Fest did a day in Memphis after the hurricane in 2005.


Both times, the lead singer was a whiney little girl, complaining about the weather, about the sound, about how crappy everyone working at the facilities were.... he should have been embarassed. At VooDoo they came on an hour late because apparently he was upset about the microphones or something ridiculous. I remember standing like sardines in the crowd thinking "THIS is what we were waiting on?! Them to come out, bitch, and then leave the stage?!" At Musicfest they refused to play any of their famous songs, instead they said they'd only play "songs with a 2-3 beat" (or something, I don't know anything about music, but it was something like that). It was raining, and no one in the audience had the patience for their BS.


I vowed to never see the band again. Yet I have a Cake station on my Pandora - but I only listen to it at last resort, out of spite.


I mean, really, I don't want to pay $35 plus tax to hear them NOT play "Short Skirt Long Jacket" again. :/

Pappajohn Sculpture Park in Des Moines, IA

Recently I had the chance to visit a new outdoor sculpture park in Des Moines, Iowa. I really enjoy places like this, after having visited the massive outdoor Laumeier Sculpture Park in St Louis, Missouri.

The one in DSM isn't nearly as big - not even close - but still worth a visit if you are in the area. It was funded by the Pappajohn family (no, not the pizza people); John Pappajohn was a businessman in Iowa who has donated millions of dollars to things all over the state, including this sculpture park, as well as tons of money to the U of Iowa.

The downtown DSM area has gone through a large renovation over the past decade or so. Once only used for businesses and corporations, it now is full of condos, a large arts area, and tons of green space. The riverfront has walking paths and lots of festivals and concerts are now held in the area. Too bad it's freezing cold 9 months out of the year there! ;)

Pappajohn Sculpture Park

I gave in to the OTK boot craze

Thanks to the 35% off sale that Piperlime was having the other day (that I found out about via the Chloe Conspiracy blog and her See Chloe Shop blog) these over the knee boots are on their way to me.

For months and months, I have been dying to own a pair of OTK boots that Ann Taylor Loft had for sale, however I could never find the right color in my size at any given time. (They must update their website daily with new stock.) With the 35% off, these Sam Edleman boots were the same price, and I liked these even more. I know it's a big trend right now, but screw it - I like them! I don't really care about what's 'in style' right now or what the trends are, if I like something I'll wear it forever. Fingers crossed they fit and look okay on me! :)

Online shopping obsessions

I'm TRYING to get back into this, even though I don't have too much to say, and not sure if I have any followers left over!

I do a ton of online shopping - or maybe I should say "online looking." I've tried to cut back my spending on clothes and junk for various reasons lately. But lately I am obsessed with Michael Kors. MK was just on the big Ruelala.com sale, however by the time my crummy office computer loaded up the website, half the items were gone. Probably for the best!

Last spring I saw this ad in a magazine and became obsessed with the photo. I knew I had to have these shoes. And now I am the proud owner of two pairs! (Because lord knows I dirty up shoes like you've never seen...)

Here's a close up:

Some other items that are currently for sale on the MK website:

The buckled gladiator sandal. A liiiiiiiittle pricey at $1295!

The Heidi platform - a more reasonable $150.

The Zanzia over the knee boot for $450 - not sure if I could pull this off, but I'd love to try.

I really like this ombre sequined dress. I had a similar Alice + Olivia one once that turned out to be too big, so I sold it, and I really wish I had another to wear.

I love this belted trench dress....but $1500???? I think not.

They have some great items on sale right now as well:

I love zippers and hardware...this zip dress is $91.

And this zip dress is only $69!