Sample Sale Alert!

Just in time for the holidays -

Tory Burch fans get ready for the highly anticipated Tory Burch sample sale! December 12th-17th 2012. Check out Clothingline for the details

ClothingLine

Sample Sale Alert!

Noticed in the morning AM paper today, Tibi is back with a quick sample sale this week:

DIY Rolodex

Today at work I was frustrated to discover that there are no cute rolodex options. Staples and Officemax had a few choices but they were too large and looked like they are from the 1970's. So, I decided to take matters into my own hands. Being extremely inspired by Pinterest, I took five minutes out of my day for a little DIY project. I took a three-ring-binder whole puncher and punched holes in all the business cards I have in my desk. Then, I found a book ring binder and connected them all. This is wonderful because I must have everything in alphabetical order and the other business card books don't allow you to easily change them out without removing all of them and putting them all back. Enjoy!

My DIY Rolodex

Sample Sale Alert!

Check out Soiffer Haskin for the YSL sample sale! 10/23 – 10/25; Tue-W (9-6:30), Th (9-3)

Soiffer Haskin 317 West 33rd Street, NYC

Soiffer Haskin

Pledge to save for the holidays

Dailyworth wants you to get ahead of the holidays and pledge to save $500 before the holidays. Two lucky winners will win an additional $500! It's always a good idea to set small goals for saving money. This is especially helpful after you get a bonus at work or are trying to save for something specific.

Click here to find out more:
Pledge to save

Sample Sale Alert!

Clothingline has re-launched their website, for all you Milly lovers, check it out on Oct. 16th-18th October 16 - October 18 + add to calendar Tuesday 11:00 am - 7:00 pm Wednesday 11:00 am - 7:00 pm Thursday 11:00 am - 7:00 pm for women & men fall merchandise


ClothingLine

Using fonts to spice up something boring

Today was my first day of class for my masters program. We had a 3 hour training on how to use our MAC laptops and learned some pretty neat tricks. I am a very creative person so my favorite part of the learning was when we learned about this great website called


Da Font they have various different categories of free fronts and it only takes 2 clicks to install them onto your computer. They have tons of choices from "fancy" to "gothic" to "script". Check it out but don't get too carried away, it's easy to spend hours browsing the fonts! They are really interesting and can certainly add some spice to a blog, presentation or just to have on file!

Lilly Pulitzer Endless Summer Sale

Check out the great sale Lilly is having online, now until August 25th!

Endless Summer Sale

Coverage of the NY International Gift Fair

I stumbled upon this blog from Pinterest and noticed there were some cute pictures from the NY International Gift Fair. I am so disappointed I cannot make it but I have work to do for my masters program which is starting next week. Check out the pictures, really great stuff:


MadeByGirl

Skimlinks

Lots of people don't understand how to actually turn a blog into a money-making machine. While I would assume most blogs are not made with the intent of wanting to quit your day job and become a full-time blogger, there are basically 2 ways to generate money from a blog and make that dream a reality: 1) Get lots of traffic, utilize ads 2) Post links and have the sites pay you if someone buys or clicks on what you post I learned this after attending a very informative discussion hosted by powerful women in the blogging industry. However, today I discovered a new website called skimlinks which is a genius idea. Basically makes #2 more tangible. As described from CEO Alicia Navarro in a recent interview: "Skimlinks is a simplified affiliate marketing service for publishers. It automates the process of creating and maintaining affiliate links on your site. It aggregates 19 affiliate networks and 11,000 merchant programs into one account, giving publishers instant access to every affiliate program. Publishers just need to add one line of code into their site footer once, and their whole site, including all archival content is immediately enabled. Publishers do what they normally do: write posts and link to retailer products, eg. a review on a pair of shoes and then linking to the shoes on Macys.com. Then when a user clicks on this link to Macy’s, Skimlinks checks to see if the link can be turned into an affiliate link, and if it can, it automatically turns the link into its equivalent affiliate link on-the-fly. Its seamless to the user, and means all your archival content is monetised and kept up to date always, without any effort on behalf of the publisher." Check it out and see if it can help your blog!


Skimlinks

Moving in and setting the grounds rules

My boyfriend and I recently moved into a new apartment together. Most of the furniture and decorations came from his apartment since he had been living on his own for the past few years and I have changed roommates on a yearly basis. We both made a few joint decisions on new purchases such as a couch, leaning desk and a sofa in our home office. However, he has a taxidermy collection which whether I like it or not has been incorporated into our design and style. Granted I have a side business and have tons of my supplies always scattered around, they are temporary and don't take up entire wall spaces which his collection most certainly does! Recently, we got into an argument since he surprisingly made a new purchase without my full consent and understanding and he expected everything to be fine. When I confronted him about this it didn't go as planned and it was quite upsetting. Moving in together has definitely highlighted certain pet peeves or habits that we both probably hadn't noticed earlier or had a problem with but I think it's always best to communicate as much as possible to ensure that both parties are on the same page with everything. Moving forward we are going to make much more of an effort to talk through our decisions to avoid any future blow ups. SheKnows published a great article which shed light on a few important issues:

10 Unbreakable Rules for Moving in Together

It's wedding season and I'm on a budget

Today I read this great article that talks about how expensive weddings can be. This is the first year I've been invited to my close friend's wedding and I'm super excited to be a bridesmaid. However, I've come to realize that you need to give presents, not once, not twice but often three times! First, there's the engagement party, then there's the bridal shower and last but not least the actual wedding. Now, this doesn't even include the costs of bachelor or bachelorette parties, your outfit, your transportation or lodging costs etc. How much should you give? Well, I guess there can be a wide range of appropriate monetary gifts. The article polled people and here are some results: "I asked 20 20-somethings to give me itemized lists of how much they’d spent in recent years as wedding guests and wedding party members. This is by no means a scientific study, but I polled a cross-section of people across the country, many of whom had attended multiple weddings. The median totals I heard per person, per wedding were" Wedding guest: $540 Groomsman: $815 Bridesmaid: $900 Also, I can't believe how extravagant some people's registry's are. Between my boyfriend and I, we have so many things in our home, I cannot imagine needing more! More glasses, more pots, more pans, more vacuums, more towels etc. In today's day and age, I actually find it hard to believe that people would actually want more stuff. Well I better start saving because it's wedding season.

Weddings are super expensive

Facial Yoga

Today while watching RYONY, one of the jewelry designers at a party mentioned she does facial yoga. She actually squeezed her cheeks and made a fish face and opened her eyes stating that that was one of the poses. I actually have heard that stretching certain parts of your face and doing exercises can help tighten muscles and thus prevent sagging and wrinkles. There are precautions you can take to prevent early signs of aging but what do you think about practicing some of the moves below? It can't hurt to incorporate these stretches into your daily routine!


Facial Yoga

Your alumni network - the gift that never stops giving

Today I had coffee with an intern who is spending the summer at my company as an MBA intern. She was a few years older than me in college but I had recognized her at a welcome lunch and decided it would be nice to catch up with her to hear about her experience and share my background with her. As I was chatting with her, I realized how I had subconsciously name dropped several other alumni who work at our company. It's funny how I automatically had started networking as soon as I began working at both my previous employer and my current employer. I basically just searched all the alumni who work at my company and reached out to them individually to schedule informal meet and greets. In today's economy, when the competition is fierce, it's so important to be able to build relationships and create connections. I constantly give that advice to new graduates because it can be a huge help when you are trying to find a job. It's also great to be able to meet people in other divisions within your workplace. This allows you to broaden your internal network and although it's always best to do it first hand by joining group activities or volunteering etc. it is wonderful to be able to tap your alumni network. So don't forget to attend those basketball games and networking receptions your school holds, because it truly is the gift that keeps giving.

Words of wisdom from Kelly Cutrone

I love this quote from Kelly Cutrone because I think that women often can get competitive whether it be the workplace or between friends. Working in an industry that is so heavily female dominated it can be a double edged sword: while women can be more understanding of female issues or work life balance they can also be a bit more catty. It doesn't matter who gets a promotion first or who gets married first etc. Life's not a competition. It's not about winning the race. It would be so helpful if we could take all that competitive energy and re-focus on our own lives. Never settle. Always try to out do yourself and raise the bar.

Sample Sale Alert!

Clothingline has finally announced Tory Burch sample sale: starting Tues. June 12th, mark your calendars. Maybe it will be better than the last one which was a bit disappointing!


ClothingLine

Tortoise shell

Always a timeless classic! Tortoise shell's are back!


WWD

Sample Sale Alert!

Tibi lovers get excited!

Pinterest: just another social networking site?

I recently joined Pinterest and I can't help but feel like it's just an extension of facebook but now you add so many more things than just pictures. I think there are some cool features like being able to house all your favorite recipes in one place or being able to get inspiration to design your home or wedding etc. However, my gut feeling is that people aren't always giving credit to where a photo or idea comes from so I'm not sure it's actually an effective way of marketing if people are just stealing photo's or ideas from other websites. I am active on YELP, LinkedIn, Facebook, Blogger and now Pinterest. At what point do I need to stop joining "the hottest new site"? I think I am spread across so many that I am not very involved in them. I never joined Twitter but have toyed with the idea. However, for now I will just browse everyone's pictures and wonder how they have the time?

Wearable Sunscreen Clothes

Today while I was taking the subway home, I noticed an ad for Uniqlo's new line of clothing. It basically "filters UV rays" and is marketed as wearable sunscreen (SPF 50). I am not sure what to think of this? Is it cool or just a gimic? For mean, sunscreen on the face is my #1 priority so I don't think I would jump out of my chair to buy these clothes but for someone who lives in a sunny area or is concerned with sun on their body this may be appealing.


UV Cut

NYJL Shops @ Lilly Pulitzer!

The census: Then and Now

Today there was a fascinating article on Yahoo.com that talked about how America has changed since the 1940 census. There were so many interesting charts and I have to talk about my favorites: how much more diverse we've become, how the gap is shrinking between men and women's salaries and how our industry focus has completely shifted.

The fact is, America is no longer classified as "white, black and other" because so many people are multiethnic. The majority of my friends are at least 2 different ethnicities and that is only getting more and more popular. It is difficult to find people that are 100% of one ethnicity anymore. Hispanics obviously mixing at the highest rate within minorities in the U.S., it wouldn't surprise me if one day half Hispanic and half White becomes it's own segment!

Also, girl power! Hello! It's awesome to see that the gap is shrinking between men and women's salaries. I am so proud of my girlfriends that have post secondary education. I love women entrepreneurs even more.

Lastly, America is falling behind. Everything is made in China and quite frankly Asia will surpass us in terms of manufacturing and perhaps one day innovation instead of just knocking off everything. We are becoming a society that relies too heavily on "social assistance" and the other mentioned industries as opposed to manufacturing which shrunk.

Where will we be in the next 50-60 years?

Great Money Tip

As I was reading Marie Claire today I saw this article "The rich girl's money rules to live by" which talked about a great little secret to stay on top of your bills...

STAY ON TOP OF YOUR BILLS. Create an e-mail account — like janiesbills@gmail.com — for electronic bill-delivery. Set up calendar alerts for each vendor three days before payment is due so you can read the statement and fix mistakes, like inflated restaurant tips. (Von Tobel says they're not uncommon.) Forget automatic transfers — "bills have errors!" says von Tobel. "You need to check them."

I really really liked this concept. However, I have my personal, my work and my business e-mails to handle so not sure if I could actually keep up with a 4th! The concept is good though.

Also note:

Women and Money by the Numbers*

We peeked into the wallets of U.S. women ages 18 to 34. See how you stack up!

2.3 credit cards per woman

43%have credit-card debt of $10,000 or more

23%saved up at least three months' expenses (compared with 34% of men)

The New Money Rules You know how not everything your parents told you is true? That goes for money, too! Experts toss the old rules and share how to get ahead now

THEN: Invest in real estate

NOW: Rent, rent, rent!

"The American dream is changing: People have lost so much money buying homes. The new key is job stability and a solid savings account, not property investment."

Money Saving Tips for Women

Essie Spring 2012!

Check out the new Essie Spring 2012 Collection!



Spring 2012

Chinatown Restaurant Week!

Check it out:



Chinatown Restaurant Week

Sample Sale Alert!

Check out Kate Spade's online sample sale:


Kate Spade

How to pronounce some tricky words (for foodies)

Tonight I had drinks at a really cool wine bar in Midtown. The menu had tons of choices but we went straight for the Gewurztraminer. It was terribly embarrassing but I had to ask the bar tender, how to pronounce it correctly.

He laughed and said he shortens it and just calls it "ge-voorts" for short. Well, it worked for the night but sometimes you struggle with other words: green beans were a big topic of conversation at work the other day. Haricot Vert which is more like a-ree-koh ver. While most people will just pronounce the word wrong or point to what they like, it is nice to sound more like a true foodie.

If you've ever struggled, grubstreet had a great little cheat sheet I found for a few popular words that you could practice:

How do you pronounce?

Will the desire for the latest technology ever subside?

Wired featured an article this month touching on the topic of exposing the truth behind the working conditions of factories in China that produce electronics such as iphones. The article talked about how the jobs can be repetitive and boring but how people line up just to land these jobs. The workers live in dorms similar to a college where they share communal bathrooms and living areas.

While the article was titled "1 million works, 90 million iphones and 17 suicides, who's the blame?" I feel like there really isn't a certain factory or situation to
"blame" for the suicides. It definitely made me feel bad for the families of those who committed suicide but China's growth will eventually surpass that of the U.S. and our needs. So, is it America's "fault" for desiring the latest and greatest gadgets? I think people are naturally hungry for innovation.

Currently, China may be manufacturing goods to cater the needs of the U.S. but the growth of emerging markets will evolve and everything will eventually change.


Wired Article

Saks Consolidaton Sale Starts Tomorrow!

Do you love shopping at Saks? Well get ready because the consolidation sale is starting, which means up to 70% off!

Check out the website for more details and participating locations!


Saks Consolidation Sale

Sample Sale Alert!

Check out Nanette Lepore from Clothingline starting February 1st 2012!




Clothingline

Top texting gloves

Winter is here and I am constantly running into the problem of needing to text while I have gloves on! It bothers me that I have to remove my gloves and expose my fingers to the freezing wind and cold air. Yet, I envy smart people who buy those gloves that allow you to touch your smart phone.

Today, MSN had a great article on the top ten texting gloves. Check out some of the latest fashions:


Juicy Gloves


Ugg Gloves

True Glove

Combining expenses as a couple?

Many couples who are married or living together consider combining expenses or getting joint credit cards. This is a touchy subject because no one wants to get stuck paying the bills for someone else and let's be honest arguments may arise from what is considered a necessary purchase vs. a "splurge" etc.

I think it's great if your significant other doesn't have a problem with the "all in" scenario but it's also nice if you make your own money and can be independent regardless! However, I recently read an article on Adaptu and I loved how they had different tabs on marriage, career, family, health and retirement etc. It was a clear way to lay-out how many different sections of your life call for budgeting.

Adaptu approached the couples situation with 3 different solutions and I really like the way they provided rationale to each one. There are so many challenges and joys of being in a relationship but discussing money should never be an issue. After all, you work hard for your money, so spend it/divide how you chose!

Various ways of combing expenses