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I'm Home!
- 6/30/2008
 This weekend I did a bunch of stuff around the house & it felt great!
I swept & mopped the entire main area in my house. My core is still sore from that little excercise.
I planted some herbs - 2 full plants & 2 types of seeds - see at left. I finally feel like I can exert some energy in this direction. I'm going to trust myself to keep checking on them & watering them if they need it. In the past I've been known to kill stone plants, jade plants, you name it, so stay tuned!
I wandered around my yard & took photos of the plants my mother-in-law put in for us. You can see them here on her MySpace page or if the link doesn't work search for PlantLadyPeggy.
I spent time with our new dog. Another thing I finally have energy for. I have decided that I have this energy & that this is where it will go. It is so free-ing!
I spent some time doing other domestic chores - I ironed, I baked cookies (yum!) as well as laundry, cleaning the kitchen, etc...
I even found time to watch a movie or two, read books & give myself a face mask in the tub.
The point I am trying to make is that now that I've slowed way down & taken a lot of those 'to-d0's' from myself, I feel so wonderful & relaxed.
I even got some listings up in the store but I didn't stress it.
My husband blew up my new raft so I have a date with the pool next weekend! I'm sure it's been missing me LOL. And I was pleasantly surprised to realize that next weekend is a three day-er! Wheee! Labels: Gardening and Growing
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My First Craft Project (In Years) - Fabric Flower Brooch
- 6/27/2008
 Here is a look at the first craft project that I've done in years. I attempted the first simple fabric flower project in "Fun-to-Wear Fabric Flowers".
I will admit mine does not even resemble the example flower but I am OK with that. I like how mine turned out & I learned a bit along the way.
Obviously, I didn't have the correct fabric on hand - they called for something entirely different. Instead I cut up an old shirt that I was about to donate. It was a cotton/spandex button-down in the color purple. So, given that I used different fabric, it didn't act the same and that's to be expected.
I also discovered that if you make your gathering stitch longer like I did you end up with more of an accordian effect as opposed to the softer gathering you will get if you keep your stitches closer together. From now on I will try to photograph the steps I used & upload to flickr. I still have to sign up for an account with them - how behind am I, right?
Oh, by the way, you can see the outfit I wore this with in MyStyleDiary. Check it out!
Labels: Crafting and Creating
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the frugal fashionista!
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Deals at MissAmyShops Due to Shifting Winds
- 6/22/2008
In a bid to simplify my life I have decided to close my online store, at least temorarily. (Side note: be sure to check the store. I will be getting all my stock up over the next week or two. I will be listing everything as auctions so you could score some even better deals than normal!)
I want to spend time making my life better.
Some of my aspirations - do yoga every weekday, spend more time with friends, keep up with my house cleaning better, read more, watch more movies, learn to grow things, learn to sew & repurpose old clothes, focus even harder on my weight loss, spend time with our new (and first!) dog, Dante, continue to learn even more about web design & development.
I know, it sounds overwhelming & the truth is I always jump in all gung ho to any new hobbies. Luckily most of these aren't new, so they stand a better chance of lasting once I retrain myself.
While I try to take time to do all those things the blog will definitely evolve. Stick with me & see where it all goes from here!
Again, please check the store to find some steals since I'm selling off all the stock!Labels: MissAmy's Shop
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the frugal fashionista!
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Sweater Care 101
- 6/19/2008
 I've created a new Squidoo lens about how to care for your sweaters & make them last. Check it out!Labels: Shopping and Fashion
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the frugal fashionista!
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Sex & the City and Shopping - Wheeeee!
- 6/17/2008
 I finally took myself to see Sex & the City. What fun! It was like hanging out with old friends - old friends who attend all the major happenings & dress perfectly for them all. So many outfits to drool over. I want to be Carrie! But then again doesn't everyone? I actually thought Miranda outfits were better than in the series. I particularly loved the outfit she wore to the bridge to meet Steve. I've never been as into Charlotte's style - it's a little to clean & goodie goodie for me, though it works for her. Also, Samantha is a bit matchy-match & a little old school power suity for me even though I love watching her story unfold. There was such drama!
I did decide that as much as I love Carrie's choices, they wouldn't work for me quite the same since I live in a much more casual place that New York. If I showed up anywhere in fur I'd get some really funny looks. Also walking in heels everywhere would kill me. I am trying though! I wore the shoes that I photographed myself in this morning!
So, all in all, I laughed, I cried... I loved it! And of course, the fashion inspired me to go shopping afterwards.
 You know, the sales just aren't around like they have been in the past. Maybe I just need to wait till a little deeper into the summer. That's when all the major clearance pricing starts happening around here. Summer is actually off-season in Florida. We are on exactly the opposite schedule as the north. I only bought two things on my sojourn to Marshalls. A red nylon & black leather handbag by DKNY pictured at right. It got it for a sixth of the retail price. It's cuter in person & has tons of division. I need that so all the crap I haul around will stay organized. I also picked up a really cool lightweight scarf in ivory, pale yellow & periwinle. It will make an appearance in an outfit this week so stay tuned! Labels: Movies, Shopping and Fashion
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the frugal fashionista!
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Shopping Disappointment
- 6/11/2008
I stopped by TJMaxx last night on my way home. I've had a hankerin' for a while now. Unfortunately I was in for some disappointment.
I shopped their clearance section only, as usual. There seems to be a lot of newer markdowns but not many dirt cheap deals in the clothing section.
I also haven't found a really stupendous find in the shoe or the bag department in ages, as well. I have noticed that they seem to be going much higher end with their bags, so therefore even the clearance prices are more on those but still out of my cheap-o range.
On my way out of the plaza I was even tempted to stop at Ross to try to score a deal on something, anything. I was desperate, obviously!
Oh well, this just reinforces that it's going to get harder & harder to find really fine deals on brand new items. I feel a thrift store binge coming on...
Besides shopping at the thrift, I also have been entertaining the idea of learning how to transform old clothes into totally new clothes. I really dig the idea (even though it's not new exactly) of recycling to ease the toll on the earth. Plus I also have always wanted to learn how to "design".
So, I have added a bunch of DIY type design books to my amazon wishlist. I've ordered a few as well as checking a couple out from the library. I got this one in the mail last night:
It looks like it has some great projects to teach me & spark my creativity. Now I just need to go plunder the t-shirt section of the thrift! V. v. exciting. New hobby, here I come! Once I master the art of the transformation, I will be adding these delectables to my store. Watch this space! Labels: Crafting and Creating
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the frugal fashionista!
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Shoes - How Important Are They To You?
- 6/09/2008
 Thanks to the Kiss Me Stace post I read this morning for inspiring this post.
I looooooove shoes. But lately I find myself wearing a fabulous shoe for my morning photo shoot and then changing into flip flops or other comfies to wear for my real day.
I am wondering how many of you out there that upload self fashion photos do the same? How much do you really punish yourself for fashion? I am just not up for the painful (or heavy) shoe challenge most days.
The photo on the left is me this morning with all good intentions of wearing my new Old Navy grey suede mary-janes with cork platform wedges all day (or until they gave me blisters). Well, they lasted through the drive to work & a couple visits to the bathroom but that is all the legs they had. I have already changed into my cute silver Gap flip flops (purchased on the same shopping excursion).
 My thoughts are that they are two very different looks. The first a little lusher thanks to the upgraded shoes, the second more LA cool. Now, I totally dig LA style. One of my fashion idols is Patricia, the founder of StyleDiary. Lurv her! But how much casual is too much? Besides the shoe issue, I find myself in jeans a good majority of the time. Luckily for me I could wear pajamas to work & not cause too much fuss. My office is very casual. But I still want to be stylish & push the envelope a little. I do think that both these looks have a place. I will be continuing to show my outfits with my first shoe pick. I will most likely also continue to change later into comfier shoes. At least for work. Going out is different, obviously. Labels: Shopping and Fashion
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MissAmy's Fashion Philosophy - Part 3
- 6/04/2008
 When I first moved to Naples, Florida I wouldn’t even allow myself to go to stores because my future husband and I were just starting out and paying the bills was paramount. I shopped more at thrift stores for a while. But as we became more comfortable with spending (ugh) I ended up being a huge fan of stores like TJMaxx and Marshalls. I still can’t bear to pay the full retail of say, Saks or Dillards, even though I love quality clothing. To this day I still take hours to go through any of those discount stores or a thrift shop to find a true value, a rare find. You have no idea, I get so excited. Giddy even.
To help my father understand, I have likened my shopping to hunting (his main hobby). You have to wear the proper gear (comfy clothes & shoes, hands free bag). You have to stake out your "bait piles" (mine are TJMaxx & thrift). You get a huge rush when you find your prey (Prada for $5!). You get another rush when you go in for the kill (at the register). You go over it in your head while gutting it (in my case, unpacking shopping bags, trying on, maybe photographing for ebay, etc...). Sorry about being graphic there, I did grow up with a father that was a major hunter. So anyway...
But now with the economy so shaky, I am trying to tone it down a bit so I’ve opened my store on ebay in order to support my shopping habit. I am still trying my hardest to find the best & most unique deals to pass on to the client. I hope my client is similar to me in that she wants something special & will appreciate paying less for it.
I do some shopping for the store at discount stores or anywhere else I find a good deal – some people only like brand new. But I’m trying to shift my focus more toward the gently used arena since there has been so much more attention lately to being “green”. I see my re-purposing of the clothes as a very positive “green” act of recycling older treasures & giving them a new home where someone new will appreciate & take care of them. Plus, I’m being frugal at the same time which does my make-do-er feel at it’s best. On the upper right is a photo of me in a recent find. I was in my hometown & went to the outlet mall I used to work at. Most of the stores are different now. My faves now are the Old Navy & Gap that are there. However, I found this great vest at the Eddie Bauer outlet for about 4% of the original price. Pretty good stuff... Labels: Shopping and Fashion
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the frugal fashionista!
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Fashion Books - Style 101
- 6/03/2008
If you read In Style, you've already gotten most, if not all, of this information. As an unfaithful reader, I've missed a lot but still recognized much of the content here. I have to admit that I am quite taken with the way they put it all together & quite like this as a kind of quick reference guide to style. It's very sharply done. Thumbs up from me! Labels: Books, Shopping and Fashion
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the frugal fashionista!
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