Monday, February 28, 2011

Book Report: Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People by Amy Sedaris



You know how people say something's laugh-out-loud funny and you think, oh sure, that's what they all say? Well, Amy Sedaris's Simple Times: Crafts for Poor People really is. I first heard of it when Sedaris was a guest on "The Colbert Report" just before Christmas. (She showed Stephen how to make a stuffed snake out of neckties and dryer lint.) Shortly afterwards, my sister mentioned that she'd seen it also, so I bought her a copy, and then the bf ended up surprising me with one too. I can honestly say that Simple Times is the only coffee table book I've ever been compelled to read cover-to-cover. And I'm glad I did, as doing so made me privy to every zany, irreverent, and outlandish morsel. In fact, I'm so enamored of Sedaris's screwball wit that I'm posting her entire intro to the book here:

"Hello, fellow crafters! What a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know each other, but be forewarned, this will be the only opportunity, because after this introduction, there will be little time for frivolous cordialities. It's going to be all about cutting, gluing, and hammering. So let's take a moment now, shall we? Obviously you know me, my name is stitched on the cover. Still unsure? Perhaps this will help; I am the adorable best-selling author of the thoughtfully hard-hitting tome on hospitality, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence. I'm guessing that information has cleared some cobwebs. As for me knowing you, why don't we make things easy, and call you "Twinkles." So, Twinkles, what's all this then about me writing more books when we both know I should be resting on my laurels? Well, after I changed the way the world entertains, I figured why not do the same for crafting?

Crafting, or "making things," has always been a delightful pastime of mine because it requires putting common elements together in order to achieve a lovely something that nobody needs. But is it okay to make things?

It's natural for humans to suppress urges, for when our desires are left unchecked they lead to broken relationships, prison time, and forest fires. But there is one urge that should always be encouraged to blossom -- the creative urge! Yes, it is healthy to want to make things, but that desire without guidance can lead to foreclosure and forest fires. Too often instruction for crafting is gutter-learned. Convoluted half-baked lessons picked up from street corners, back alleys, and scouting. Simple Times will provide crafters with the proper guidance, much like a parole officer. But this book is much more than a supervisor for crafting offenders; hopefully it will also inspire you, helping to spark or trigger new creative thoughts leading to a vast array of hastily constructed obscure d'arts.

Although this book is marketed toward sane, intelligent adults - frankly, that's where the money is - should it fall into the hands of the mentally challenged, it will do them no harm. Conversely, it will speak to them directly, addressing their special needs. For any educated, well-adjusted adult can glue Popsicle sticks together to create a cold plate trivet, but try the same simple task while hampered by a defective brain, and you will understand the full breadth of crafting.

This book includes an infinite* assortment of projects that utilize a wide range of skills and are inspired by many cultures, spanning from a Mexican Knife Sheath to a Mexican Sombrero. But most importantly, these projects will engage everybody: the sane, the not so sane, those hobbled with disabilities, those on the lam - anybody who's looking for a simple, creative way to kill a lot of time. And let's face it, we all have some time that needs to be killed."

*actual number of projects determined by amount of space and author's level of fatigue.

See? I told you. I have to say, though, one thing about this book confused me. I couldn't figure out if Sedaris was trying to motivate crafters by making fun of them, or . . . just making fun of crafters. (Not that I'd blame her if it was the latter; goodness knows we're a weird breed, brimming with quirks to be ridiculed.) It's especially hard to tell because most of the projects aren't the kind that anyone would willingly attempt (mouse ghetto, hobo fire in a can, or crafty candle salad, anyone?). But then, as per usual, I'm probably reading into it all too much . . .

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Something New and Sparkly: Great Escapes

Fabulous Felt Ocean Necklace

Fabulous Felt Desert Necklace

Fabulous Felt Rain Forest Necklace

I'd wanted to make the Fabulous Felt Desert Necklace for some time. Don't ask me why; the idea just sort of called to me. I was so excited about its completion that I wore it to the mall yesterday as the piece de resistance of an otherwise cowgirl-esque ensemble. As for the ocean and rain forest necklaces, they just sort of came to me as logical complements to the desert. You may have noticed that I've taken to creating my felt neckpieces in themed trios; it's a weird little game I like to play, and I've come to thrive upon the challenge.

In other felt news, I recently purchased two storage boxes in which to house my felt; one for the full pieces, the other for the remnants. This bout of organization wasn't self-motivated, but spurred by the bf's comment that the lime green felt scraps (of which there are many, as I have a penchant for lime green) suggested that I'd killed Kermit the Frog. Seeing as he has a penchant for Kermie (you may recall that he assumed his likeness last Halloween), I figured I'd better hightail it to Target and get those boxes already. Which I did, only to realize that I have way more felt than I thought and probably should've sprung for at least three boxes. Such is the life of a craft supply hoarder.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Something New and Sparkly: Takeout Treats

Fabulous Felt Sandwich Necklace

Fabulous Felt Pizza Necklace

Fabulous Felt Hoagie Necklace

When I was kid, we had this 1970s brown leather swivel chair that had arms that looked like cartoon hoagie bread. At least they did to my five-year-old mind. So, I started calling it the Hoagie House. I liked to spin it around, hoagie arms facing me, and camp out behind it with a bunch of toys. Later I discovered that it was a great place to hide from unwanted visitors, which only upped its appeal. Anyhoo, it was the Hoagie House that inspired the Fabulous Felt Hoagie Necklace pictured here. Like its namesake, this neckpiece is quite large. For that reason and others, it's possibly best worn when no one else is around.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

All Totes Buy 1 Get 1 50% Off!

Large Red Blooming Branch Tote

Large Fast Food Tote

Large Rainbow Fierce Flowers Tote

Medium Pink Fierce Flowers Sparkle Tote

Medium Heartbreak Tote

It's true. Last night I knocked $10 off each of my medium and large totes, then threw in the buy one get one 50% off bonus. Because people like a sale. And because I have lots of totes. :)

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Jack Handey Quote of the Week

"If you were a gladiator in olden days, I bet the inefficiency of how the gladiator fights were organized and scheduled would just drive you up a wall."

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

New Etsy Buy: Sweet, Playful Skirt from Sugarpop Clothing


This adorable anime character-printed skirt from the UK's Sugarpop Clothing arrived in my mailbox today. I'd been stalking it via my Etsy favorites and finally snapped it up when I noticed that it was marked down to 50% off (because who can resist a sale?). It arrived in super cute packaging, fit perfectly, and will look fab over leggings. Perhaps best of all, it came with a free gift -- a darling necklace in its own leopard-print gift bag. I always love when Etsy sellers go the extra mile to make an order special, don't you? Great job, Sugarpop Clothing!

Monday, February 21, 2011

Something New and Sparkly: Cute Critters

Fabulous Felt Butterfly Necklace

Fabulous Felt Bumble Bee Necklace

With spring on the horizon, it's no wonder these popped out the last time I worked with my felt. Speaking of which, did you ever notice how the media glamorizes insects, turning killer bees into friendly cartoons and icky spiders into cocktail rings? I'm not saying that I'm not guilty of the same, just that it's interesting.

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Movie Moment: Just Go With It

The bf and I finally made it to see Just Go with It last night. Full of color, sunshine (thank you, Hawaii), and Adam Sandler humor, it was the fun, light-hearted romantic comedy I'd expected. I think the bf may have liked it even more than I did, if his bouts of laughter were any indicator.

For those of you who haven't read my other movie reviews, I'm known as a bit of a spoiler. So, SPOILER ALERT. For those of you who already knew that, I apologize for the interruption. Now that that's out of the way:

The movie begins with a flashback of Danny's (Sandler's) wedding day. Big-haired and big-nosed, Danny overhears his bride-to-be cackling about what a loser he is to her bridesmaids. We can only assume that he jilted her because the next scene features Danny, still wearing his tux and wedding ring, sitting alone at a bar when the "it girl" of the night approaches him. He tells her his hard luck story and they leave together, to the horror of all the other guys who've been chasing her. Emboldened by this fluke, Danny continues wearing his wedding ring to lure younger women into one night stands. Despite this sleazy behavior, you can't help but see Danny as a wounded nerd in shark's clothing. (I almost said wounded sheep but thought better of it considering that particular animal's role later in the movie. I won't go into it, leaving you at least one suprise.)

Fast forward to present-day Danny. A wealthy forty-something plastic surgeon, he's shed his enormous nose but not his philandering. The most constant woman in his life is his salt-of-the-earth assistant Katherine (Jennifer Aniston), an unassumingly pretty divorcee with two kids. Smart and no-nonsense, she has no qualms about chiding her boss for his womanizing ways, illustrating the easy camaraderie between them.

But the story doesn't get rolling until Danny meets Palmer (Brooklyn Decker), a blond bombshell schoolteacher who demands to meet his soon-to-be ex-wife before beginning a relationship with him. That's right. Palmer doesn't find out about Danny's fake wedding ring until after they hook up, and unlike the women before her, she's less than charmed. Danny turns to Katherine for advice, and she helps him hatch a scheme in which she plays his future ex-wife. In true My Fair Lady fashion, the glasses come off, the shopping begins, and Katherine shows up for lunch with Danny and Palmer exuding Aniston's easy glamour.

Despite a comedy of errors, the meeting is a success. The farce should end there but doesn't on account of Katherine taking a call from one of her kids. Promoted from soon-to-be-swinging-single to soon-to-be-single-dad, Danny finds himself bound for Hawaii with Palmer, Katherine, the kids, and his odd cousin Eddie (the ever-creepy Nick Swardson) - all because Katherine's son complains that Danny never took him there to swim with the dolphins. I always think movies are better when the characters go on vacation. Well, funny movies in which the hilarity can be heightened by unfamiliar luxury surroundings. (Serious movies not so much. In those, foreign locales are often prime sites for characters to be killed. Or cheat on their spouses. Or have very unfunny life-changing revelations.) Just Go with It is no different, brimming with pina colada-fueled catastrophes. Highlighting the hijinks are Nicole Kidman, who plays Devlin, Katherine's college arch enemy, and Dave Matthews, who serves as her equally annoying husband. Determined to impress Devlin, Katherine introduces herself as Danny's wife instead of his assistant. This, of course, complicates the whole ex-wife story created for Palmer's benefit while solidifying Katherine's relationship with Danny. Simultaneously masquerading as his almost ex-wife and current happily married wife undeniably draws her closer to him, which as any romantic comedy fan knows, is ultimately what she wants. But she doesn't come off as conniving. Katherine's simply known Danny a long time, and they have a comfy rapport that's increasingly shown to be chemistry.

I think you probably know how this one ends up.

The critics were really hard on Just Go with It. But then, aren't they hard on everything? In this case the main targets were bathroom humor, manipulative characters, and lazy scripting. One almost-kind reviewer even went as far as to say "Oscar material it isn't." I think we already knew that. And honestly, who cares? After a week on the clock people don't want to solve life's problems. They want to laugh and see happy endings.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Paula Deen's Crustless Spinach Cheese Quiche



I had yet to try any of the recipes from Paula Deen's Cookbook for the Lunchbox Set, which my sister had given me. I still drink Juicy Juice boxes and quake in fear of complicated recipes, so the book was perfect for me. After flipping through, I took a shine to the Crustless Spinach Cheese Quiche. Here's what it's all about:

Ingredients:

1 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 cup small curd cottage cheese (Just reading this one scared me. What the heck is a small curd?!)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 tbs flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups shredded cheddar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Unwrap the spinach and place it, box and all, on plate. Place in microwave and cook on high power for 4 minutes. Allow it to cool, then squeeze out all of the liquid. Place the spinach in a medium bowl. (I don't have a microwave, so I cooked my spinach on the stove instead.)

2. Get an adult helper to assist you in placing the eggs, sour cream, cottage cheese, Parmesan cheese, flour, salt, and pepper into a blender or food processor. Blend for about 1 minute, until mixture is smooth. (This part cracked me up. I didn't feel like dirtying the blender [and didn't have an adult helper around to assist with the cleaning], so I used a hand mixer. Who wants to be bothered scrubbing at all those blades?)

3. Pour the mixture into the bowl with the spinach. Add the cheddar cheese. Blend with a spoon until well mixed.

4. Grease a 9" x 13" baking dish with butter. Pour the spinach mixture into the baking dish and smooth out the top with the back of the wooden spoon.

5. Bake for 45 minutes, until set. Get an adult to help you remove it from the oven. It will be puffed up when you first take it out, then it will fall slightly as it stands. Allow it to cool, then keep it refrigerated.

6. Cut it into squares and carry one to school in a microwave-safe storage container with a tight-fitting lid. At lunchtime, lift the lid so that the steam can come out, and microwave the quiche on high power for about 90 seconds.

The result was as thick and cheesy as you would expect from a dish bearing Paula Deen's name. Which is to say that it was delicious (cottage cheese notwithstanding). But a little disturbing, if you know what I mean. If you do go for the gold, I recommend omitting the salt and pepper. Something this cheesy doesn't need to be seasoned.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

New Etsy Buys and a Little Surprise

When it was time to scope out Valentine's Day gifts for my family, I returned to Etsy's Ivy Lane Designs, where I'd found the wonderful Andy Williams notebook for my sister the Christmas before last. This time I discovered a notebook featuring another campy crooner, this time for my mom.


When I was a kid, my mom played her Michael Bolton tapes in the car so often that "Soul Provider," "How Can We Be Lovers (If We Can't Be Friends)?," "Said I Loved You But I Lied," and "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You?" became the soundtrack of my childhood. (Well, that and Hall and Oates.) She looked a little shocked when she saw Michael's face peering at her from beneath the wrapping paper. (As would anyone.) But I think she was amused.

Here are some of the other goodies I picked up:



I didn't find Uncle Oinker's Gummy Bacon candy on Etsy. A friend of my mom's stumbled upon it at Jack's Country Store and thought it might be a fun gag gift for the bf, because he's such a fan of bacon. I liked the idea so much that I ran with the theme, throwing in the Oscar Mayer notebook pictured above and a card featuring a heart made of -- what else -- bacon. He seemed to get a kick out of it.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Jack Handey Quote of the Week

"Just as bees will swarm around to protect their nest, so will I "swarm about" to protect my nest of chocolate eggs."

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Book Report: California Holiday by Kate Cann


Today I finished California Holiday, brought to us by Kate Cann, author of Spanish Holiday and Grecian Holiday. Before I go on, though, I must say, SPOILER ALERT! Awhile back I promised I'd start sounding that alarm, and I've finally decided to make good on it.

Offbeat and frothy, California Holiday is the story of Rowan (nice name, huh?) and her escape from the boredom of England, her parents, and college. Taking the advice of a friend, she signs on with a nanny agency and accepts a job in Seattle. As one may predict, Rowan arrives in the States with her sites set on glamour and adventure but is blindsided by the proverbial family from hell. The mom is a demanding, cheapskate workaholic, the dad is a lecherous drunk, and Rowan's room is a closet with no way out save through her four-year-old charge's room. Rowan's only confidante is the dad's pet iguana, Iggy, who endures a caged existence on the roof deck. Unfortunately, hanging out with Ig means hanging out with the creepazoid dad. He inevitably makes a move on Rowan, then tells her that the wife is planning to have Iggy put down. Both incidents are enough to send Rowan packing in the dead of night, the caged and concealed Iggy in hand as she boards a Greyhound bus in search of a better life for her (hotel work) and Iggy (wide open spaces).

Almost immediately she meets a too-handsome-to-be-true guy about her age who says he can get her a job at the hotel where he works. His name is Landon, and he's pretty shifty. I'm fairly sure he's going to steal from Rowan or abandon her or something, but he surprises me by securing her a hotel nanny gig as promised. Even so, his suspect behavior persists as he smarmily tries to get her into bed. Gaga for this beautiful stranger, it's what Rowan wants too -- just not yet. So, Rowan and Landon set up in separate rustic lakefront huts provided by the hotel. The nanny job turns out to be more of a preschool teacher position that requires Rowan to supervise art projects, then return for the eight to midnight shift to monitor children in their hotel rooms via baby cams while their parents party down. It seems a grueling, gloomy existence (and certainly one that would send this reader screaming), but Rowan quickly earns the respect of her no-nonsense boss and the friendship of her colleagues. As for Landon, the games with him continue, heightened by the return of his old flame. By this point, I'm certain than Rowan will finish out the summer and then return home to England, wiser for her experiences, but ultimately realizing that home is where she belongs. Kind of like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz, minus the flying monkeys. Such a prediction probably comes from reading too many similar stories but also from filtering the plot through my own personal lens. Which is to say I would have been homesick after providing nanny services and iguana safe houses on another continent. But then, I probably wouldn't have taken off on such an odyssey in the first place.

What actually happens is this. Rowan quits nanny job number two and hightails it to Mexico, where Iggy can really roam free. Landon is devastated to find Rowan gone and follows her to Mexico where he, she, and Iggy live happily ever after. It's implied that Rowan may return to England to go to college, but also that she may not.

So much for my predictions.

California Holiday was fun to read, though. It put me in mind of mangoes and umbrella drinks and shell-encrusted surfs. Not a bad place to be on the far edge of winter.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Heart Day! Here are some fun images to commemorate the occasion. :)







Sunday, February 13, 2011

Something New and Sparkly: Wild Mushrooms, Wild Hearts

Fabulous Felt Hearts Necklace

Fabulous Felt Bright Palms Necklace

Last week I was delighted to sell my first two Fabulous Felt necklaces. One featured hearts, the other palm trees, and I went to work creating new necklaces of the same theme to replenish my shop. I posted them today, along with the Fabulous Felt Mushrooms Necklace pictured here, and to my utter shock the palm tree one -- along with one of my felt bird necklaces -- sold immediately, to the same customer who purchased the two necklaces last week! Mostly, I make these felt creations because I like to. I get an idea and am not satisfied until I can transform it into something I can see -- and wear. (Just last night on the way home from dinner I told the bf that I wanted to make a traffic light necklace, maybe with a taxi cab and some other city stuff, because I was looking up at the traffic lights as he drove.) But when someone else appreciates my work enough to buy it, well, that's just about the best compliment I can receive.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Movie Moment: Life as We Know It

Against my better judgment, I rented Life as We Know It. You know, the one with Katherine Heigl and Josh Duhamel that was out last fall. The bf and I were meant to be seeing Just Go With It, but the movie theater parking lot was full, what with it being the movie's opening weekend and Valentine's Day weekend to boot, so we turned around and went home. I immediately began surfing through On Demand's movie menu, on the lookout for a romantic comedy. Any romantic comedy. Even one about two people who hate each other being forced to raise someone else's baby.

The first scene takes place a few years earlier than the rest of the movie. Straitlaced Holly (Heigl) and bad boy Messer (Duhamel) (Yes, that's his name. His last name. But still.) are set up on a blind date by their mutual best friends. Messer thunders up to Holly's apartment on his motorcycle an hour late, then takes a call to arrange a date with another woman. Outraged, Holly tells him to forget it, and he agrees, saying she can do whatever it is she likes to do on a Saturday night. You could read a book, he suggests, or blog. You look like you blog. (That one wormed a chuckle out of me.) Holly responds by throwing him out of her smart car, and that's that.

At least it is until the two of them become the guardians of one-year-old Sophie after their friends are killed in a car accident. Of course, this turns their lives upside down, pitting their discordant personalities against each other. A cook who owns her own shop, Holly is responsible, efficient, and looking to hook up with a gorgeous doctor who has purchased exactly thirty-seven of her sandwiches. Which is to say that she's the classic Heigl heroine, a together woman looking for a together man who ends up being tossed into the arms of one who's anything but. As a basketball director who's used to women buying him drinks, Messer fits the bill as her dud-in-shining-armor. Watching all of this, I don't like him. Or, maybe it would be more accurate to say I don't want to like him. But witnessing him and Holly struggle with Slumdog Millionaire-smelling diapers (their words), mounting bills, nosy neighbors, and a meddling caseworker, even I can't deny that they're growing inevitably closer. The movie is sneaky this way, manipulating my sympathies to be in favor of the wayward Messer. After all, as plenty of bimbos in the movie demonstrate, women are unable to resist a man pushing a stroller. I don't appreciate such manipulation and try to fight it. But the writers' plot is stronger than my resolve. So, when Holly lands a date with the good doctor (who just happens to be Sophie's pediatrician), I'm a bit torn. But I don't have long to suffer, because she soon ends up in bed with Messer, her relationship with the doctor over before it begins.

The new couple continues on happily, despite the disapproval of their caseworker, who can tell they've slept together just by listening to the give-and-take of their conversation. But then disaster strikes in the form of a boilerplate romantic comedy conflict. Messer accepts a job across the country. He doesn't want to leave Holly and Sophie, but it's his dream, yada, yada, yada. So, Holly reconciles with the doctor. This turn of events makes me wonder what she told him before and just how he came back so willingly (neither is clear). But it hardly matters, as Holly kindly dumps him after a blowout with Messer over Thanksgiving dinner. He takes it well - too well, in my opinion - and slinks off, freeing Holly to embark upon a tried-and-true, stop-him-at-the-airport mission to reclaim Messer. He isn't there. But that's only because he's waiting at home in that twist-on-an-old-cliché that's been pressed into service so often it's become a cliché itself.

Sure, it was cheesy. And I still think the doctor is nicer than Messer. But I accept that this just isn't the kind of story where the that type of guy gets the girl. Ever notice how there are two formulas for the guy getting the girl? As in, 1) nice nerdy guy and cool jerky guy battle for girl and nice guy finally gets her and 2) nice [in this case a euphemism for pompous] polo-shirt-wearing guy who makes lots of money and rough-around-the-edges-but-secretly-sweet guy battle for girl and secretly-sweet finally guy gets her. In this case, I think of the doctor as the nice guy nerd and crusty Messer as the heartbreaking threat (even though the movie's writers see things otherwise). I like to think that this says more about my soft spot for nerds than it does about a hidden gold-digging yen for doctors.

All of that having been said, I yammered on for quite a while about a movie I allegedly didn't enjoy. I guess in my own warped way I liked it after all. :)

Friday, February 11, 2011

Photo Shoot Friday

This week, the bf decided to take my pictures in front of the bathroom door instead of the front door. Maybe he thought the plain oatmeal shade made for a better backdrop than the white and midnight blue combo. Sometimes I think I should up my game and pose in a more dramatic setting, the way other bloggers do. Like at the beach or in front of a casino or in view of a cool sign or billboard. I've also thought about buying a photographer's backdrop featuring a rain forest or a candy forest or some such other fanciful scene. Then I thought I might as well paint one of my own. But quite frankly, any of these options would be kind of exhausting. Most days it's all we can do just to get the pictures taken. Besides, I think humdrum doorways make a statement all their own. Something along the lines of symbolizing stability in an ever-changing world. Or anything else cryptically and ostentatiously deep that rationalizes my laziness.

And now for the clothes. I'm calling it my week in red.






Top: Bisou Bisou, JCPenney
Skirt (a dress!): Marshalls
Boots: Impo, Marshalls
Bag: Journeys
Barrette: Etsy
Multi-colored necklace: Cloud Nine
Yellow Necklace: Mixit, JCPenney
Bangle: Etsy
Ring: Wet Seal







Turtleneck: Merona, Target
Skirt: Burlington Coat Factory
Shoes: Rampage, DSW
Bag: XOXO, Marshalls
Belt: Apt. 9, Kohl's
Filigreed necklace: Target
Other necklace: JCPenney
Circle pin: H&M
Bangles: H&M
Ring: Miami accessories cart






Dress: Victoria's Secret
Shoes: Diba, Burlington Coat Factory
Bag: JCPenney
Tights: Givenchy, Marshalls
Heart necklace: Cloud Nine
Multi-colored necklace: Kohl's
Turquoise necklace: Kohl's
Bangle: Mixit, JCPenney
Tribal bracelet: Arizona Jeans,  JCPenney
Butterfly bracelet: Mixit, JCPenney






Top: Boscov's
Skirt: Xhilaration, Target
Shoes: Rampage, DSW
Bag: Wet Seal
Tights: JCPenney
Necklace: Macy's
Bracelet: Apt. 9, Kohl's
Ring: Hallmark






Top: Bisou Bisou, JCPenney
Tank: Mossimo, Target
Jeans: l.e.i, Kohl's
Boots: JCPenney
Bag: Poppy Jones, DSW
Necklace: Mixit, JCPenney
Bracelet: Mixit, JCPenney
Ring: Delia's