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dress up…or down…with downeast basics

By Nicole · Comments (0)

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

I wouldn’t consider myself a fashionista, but I do love me some clothes. I always have. I still love lounging around in my stretch pants I must admit, but since working at home doesn’t require me to dress up (…or…get dressed at all, truth be told…), I look forward to days that I get to put on a little somethin’ somethin’. I like to feel pretty…who doesnt?

You know from before, that I’ve just recently discovered the DownEast Basics line. There is a new store here in Tucson (albeit on the other side of the world from me, 45 minutes away), at the Tucson Mall. But the style of clothing they offer is right down my alley. Cute…modest…modern…affordable.

I just recently ordered this online (because its so much easier for me…)

Its the Roundabout Cardi. It comes in Ginger Spice and Kangaroo. I got the Kangaroo…

The thing I love about it is you can dress it up for a night out or holiday party…

…or down for just running around.

(sorry for the fuzzy pictures…it was dusk when I finally got around to taking them)

I love how soft and girly and flowy it is. It retails for $36.99, but its on sale right now for $31.99. Great value, if you ask me.

And right now (as in…ends tomorrow…) there is an in-store sale for 40% off any one piece of clothing. So hurry…go there now!

Oh, where did I get that flower pin I’m wearing? Well, it just so happens I made it and its for sale in my Etsy shop. Thanks for asking!

Happy holiday dress-up!

I received the cardigan I am wearing in exchange for this review post. All opinions, as always, are my own.

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in style…on a budget: downeast basics

By Nicole · Comments (3)

Friday, September 23rd, 2011

I’m a sucker for clothes. I always have been. Maybe it all started in high school when I was deprived of normal people clothing and required to wear a lovely green and red kilt, complete with matching sweater and penny loafers. I blame a certain catholic girl’s school…

I’m really not fussy when it comes to brands. I’m good with finding great fashions at Target, Old Navy…even my favorite thrift store or Costco.

What I’m not a fan of is overpriced merchandise marked up because of the name on the label. I’ve had just as many tops from higher end brands fall apart in the washer as I have ones from Target. So I’m not completely sold on the paying-more-for-a-better-label mantra, for pieces that come in and out of fashion…except when it comes to some basics like that little black dress or a good pair of jeans. But here’s my mantra…if its cute and looks good on my short bod and is in my budget…I buy it.

This week I got to attend an event for local bloggers at the DownEast Basics store in the Tucson Mall. It was a great time getting to see my bloggy friends (Becca, Darcy, Linsay, Chelsea, Dayna, Melanie and Karen and making some new ones!), trying on lots of clothes, and gettting to know this new-to-me store. This particular store has been open for 4 months. The sales staff was courteous and helpful and polite and I loved the little details in the decor.

It was the first time I’ve been to a DownEast Basics store and I knew when I walked in the door that it was my kind of place. Their style is fun and fashionable, modest and chic.

I got this jean skirt for winter. I love the stitching. It retails for $44.99…

and this cute lace top for $14.99…

Oh, and this and this (I got the bracelet with detachable flower pin for $3 with their BOGO 1/2 Off accessories sale!)…

I wanted to get these

but money doesn’t grow on trees and I am on a budget (an even tighter budget at the moment, thanks to a still un-landscaped backyard…). However, the prices were very reasonable and they had a great clearance section.

Right now, DownEast Basics is promoting their annual LIVE for Pink campaign. From now through October 16, DownEast Basics will donate 50% of all proceeds from the limited edition LIVE for Pink tee series (up to $25k) to the LIVE for Pink breast cancer awareness efforts charity, Needs Beyond Medicine!

I’ll be back to DownEast Basics for sure.

Your Turn! Do you have a DownEast Basics in your town? Do you shop there on a regular basis?

I was compensated for this post. All opinions, as usual, are my own.

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now, with e-commerce…

By Nicole · Comments (3)

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

After many requests and a little down time this Summer, I’m happy to finally add e-commerce store design, using GetShopped E-commerce plugin, to my list of services. I know. It’s about stinking time.

You may be asking a few questions. Well, let me see if I can answer a few of them…

What is e-commerce? E-commerce is simply the selling of goods or services online. Some people call them “boutique sites”.

Who needs an e-commerce site? If you own a small business and sell multiple products or services, you need an e-commerce site. It could be anything from apple pies to candles to eBooks to headbands to zoo supplies (I don’t know; I just needed a “z”).

Why GetShopped? Simple. I’ve done some extensive research, and though there is no one-size-fits all e-commerce solution, I think it is a pretty good solution for the market I’m trying to reach. They have good documentation, a knowledgeable community of users and the back end (where you would add and manage products) is super simple and easy to learn. Plus, it runs on WordPress. Need I say more?

What do you include in an e-commerce design? Everyone does it a little different, but here’s what I include in a design package:

Custom Store Design
7 Page Template Designs (home page, product page, checkout page, etc.)
Store Favicon
3 Product Uploads/Additions
Follow Up Skype/Phone Training Session

How much does it cost? Oh, you are sneaky. Did you think I’d actually quote a project without knowing any details? That is the unforgivable sin among designers. But, I can tell you this… my charges are very comparable and middle of the road and will typically range from $2000-3000 depending on the project. See more here.

So. What about you? Are you in the market for an e-commerce store design?

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10 Ideas For Displaying Kid’s Artwork…Without Loosing Your Mind

By Nicole · Comments (11)

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

There’s a war going on inside my brain.

Half of me loves to be surrounded with artistic expression, beautiful creations, color, texture, in every size and shape. I love putting different styles and mediums together to create something new. Some fancy things, some fun things. Some from thrift stores. Some from galleries. Some homemade, some artist-made.

The other half of me is a minimalist. I like everything in its place. I like clean drawers and closets and desks. I like straight lines and simplicity and I hate clutter. I throw away and I clean out and I organize, daily.

I’m a bit of an odd duck in that way, I guess. An artistic anal retentive.

Where the war rages heaviest is with the masterpieces my kids bring home from school. The watercolors, the stick figures, the paper mache flowers, the coloring book tear outs. 3 boys x 24 cumulative pre-school/school years = an overwhelming amount of child art.

So I’ve set out to find simple solutions that appease both of me…my artsy fartsy side and my neat nick side.

Here’s what I found. Maybe it will be helpful to you.

1. Jan Eleni Collage – This is my A #1 favorite. I LOVE this concept and am going to get my hands on this. Its a collage created from tiny images of artwork. Love!

Photo courtesy janeleni.com

2. Scrapbooking – As a scrapbooker, I’m all about preserving and telling a story. Use your kid’s artwork to enhance a school page or show development. Cut small pieces of the artwork or use as a photo matting. In 30 years, it will be so much more meaningful than any embellishment.

3. Snapfish Photo Books – You know how I love me some Snapfish. But I hadn’t though of using photo books in this way. Next week on her new show “Unstapled”, Carnie Wilson will demonstrate how she preserves her daughter’s artwork in photobooks. (And if you like this idea, you can use promo code CARNIEBOOKS to buy one get one free.)

4. Frames – A simple yet dramatic solution. Purchase neutral/white colored frames in varying sizes and shapes. Off center and crop art in interesting ways.

Photo courtesy Country Living Magazine

5. Greeting Cards – Here’s a thought. Share their art with grandparents, aunts, uncles. Simply create a card by adhering the artwork as the main design, cropped in an interesting way.

6. Binders – Simple. Purchase a big thick binder and clear plastic sleeves. Slip two pieces in each sleeve, facing out. For bigger pieces, crop down or fold to fit. I love these by See Jane Work…

7. Cable System – Clip it up like this:

Photo courtesy style-files.com

with these from Ikea:

8. Li’l DaVinci Art Cabinet - I think this is ingenious. Store and display from 1 to 50 pages…

9. Wrapping Paper – Remember wrapping birthday gifts with the funny papers? Add some personality and charm with the larger pieces of artwork.

10. Finally, maybe the best idea of all…pick the best to display and keep, and don’t feel guilty about tossing the rest (into the recycling, of course.)

Any ideas to share? Please, chime in!

Thank you once again to Snapfish for supporting me for Blissdom ‘10!