Michael Kors is Pretty in Pink, Tan and White, just in time for Valentine's Day...and SPRING!

Can you believe it's already Valentine's Day?
Me either!!!
Today, I thought I'd share my favorite picks for a truly
SWEET Treat........for yourself or for your Valentine to give you,
straight from Michael Kors.
(HINT: just send him this blog post and direct him to the
nearest MK lifestyle store;)

Michael Kors Pretty in Pink

I suppose I should say that my daughter works for
 Michael Kors in Naples, Fl.
In fact, she just got a promotion!!!!
Happy, Happy, HAPPY!
She even had a few other offers at the time but when
she got the offer from MK, that sealed it.
She loves working there and she loves the product. (Me too:)

Actually, I liked MK well before she started working there.

She just helps feed my habit;)

Funny thing is, I'm not a "designer" person.

I will shop at MK and then stop at a thrift shop on the way home.

Walmart carries my favorite leggings.

I really like the sundresses at the beach store.

And I'm a regular at Target.
See.....I spread the love and help out a variety of stores!

But I do LOVE Michael Kors.

With Valentine's Day fast approaching, (YIKES..........need cards!)

I thought I'd share my favorite goodies from the new line.

According to Taylorina, they are flying out of the store so act fast.

And if you're near Naples Waterside Shops, 

pop in and see Taylor.

Check out this GORGEOUS line of "Pink".
Complimented by the camel color, it's so fresh!

Are you a fan of Rose Gold?

It's my absolute favorite.

Well before I knew about MK, just sayin:)

In fact, back in the day, I had a ROSE GOLD fingernail on my pinky.

For real.

No kidding.

(although maybe I wish I were;)

And nobody does it better.....see for yourself..........

I just feel that unless you have the skin that is made for silver,

rose gold is such a warm, attractive metal.

Maybe now I should mention two of the things I love about the MK line.

1.  Michael uses a lot of Rose Gold, which I love. (as we already know, right:)

2.  He believes in mixing metal.  Layer it on.  

You don't have to have ALL silver or all gold or rose gold. 

 Thank you!  (This is especially great for us indecisive types:)

Fun fact...........Michael Kors calls his camel color "luggage". 

 It's a best seller, goes with everything and is his own personal favorite color.

And if you don't have anything in that shade, get it:)

And with spring coming, mix it with WHITE!

I also included my first ever, favorite grown up perfume.........

Michael Kors Signature.

It has scents of gardenia, vanilla and more but he had me at gardenia.

Seriously, I wore my daughters perfumes...sweet, surfer girl perfumes:)

Now we all love this.

It's pretty and light enough for life in Florida.......or wherever.

Well, see anything you like?

I know you did;)

Like I said, find a store or shop online at Michael Kors.

If not, I have one more tip!

Someone sent us Shari's Berries for Christmas.

I'd seen and heard the ads but thought.........ewww!

They''ll be rotten before they get to Florida.

Was I WRONG!

We fought over these berries and devoured them in record time.

And these are some seriously big berries!

I just sent some to my Mom for hearts day and her reaction was the same as mine.

Oh My Heck these are good!!! :)

They ship quick so if you need em, there's still time.

Although shipping may be $$$ at this point.)

But keep Shari's Berries in mind!

See ya!

Suzanne

More Precious than Gold. . . .

i love flowers.

even more, i love receiving flowers. . . .

who wouldn't, right?

i remember when my girls were younger, 

they walked to and from school.

it was so great. . . .i often felt we lived in Mayberry,

it just seemed so cute and old-fashioned.

probably the best part of them being able to walk

to school, was how every day

they would pick flowers for me on the way home.

they came running to the front door, 

dropping their backpacks on the porch,

screaming my name,

holding out a bouquet of beautiful flowers. . . .

red, yellow, white.

beautiful!

precious!!

i loved those flowers and whether there were 2 or 12 stems,

they went into a vase in a prominent place in the kitchen.

always.

they made me so happy. . . .

and my girls were so proud of their gift.

now, have i mentioned that these "flowers"

were actually weeds? 

we called them wildflowers. . .

but you and i know a dandelion is basically a weed.

maybe a beautiful yellow weed but still. . . .

especially when the fluff has blown away by the time they got home.

there were others. . . .little berry colored ones.

but they were still a treasure to me.

i guess i feel a need to remind young mothers out there,

that the best gifts they will ever receive,

besides an "i love you",

a sloppy kiss or a big hug from their child,

is the broken seashell, shiny rock, or colorful weed they so proudly give.

. . . . . treasure these gifts, for they are 

far more precious than gold.

hugs,

Suzanne

Marvelous Monday. . . . .How to Have a HAPPY week. . . .

okay, i admit it.

for most of my life, i felt that we should just sleep through Monday

and jump straight to Tuesday.

(which, when you think of it, 

would just make tuesday kinda crappy, right?)

maybe it's cause i'm getting older,

and that empty nest is flying right straight at my face,

that i feel we need to embrace every day as a special day,

because memories will be made today.

and tomorrow.

some more memorable than others.

some good, some not so good.

but we can at least try to make them happy,

 and try to make this a happy week, right?

so let's figure this out. . . . .

1.  if you're reading this, you're alive.  

that's good news, right?

you have your vision, your intelligence, and at least one connection

to the internet world if you are reading this blog.

and you're alive, breathing, and happy about that, right?:)

so maybe try telling yourself that you can handle today,

that it is a good day, a day to be happy!

2.  regardless of last week,

today is monday, the start of a new one.

even if you had a blah weekend,

it's behind you now.

take a deep breath, say a prayer, look in the mirror,

and have at it.

you can do this.

you survived last week. . . .this week is going to be better.

i'm not a self help guru,

but it only makes sense that if we cave in to bad thoughts,

it's too easy to cave in to other things.

so think good thoughts...and smile:)

even if it gives you laugh lines!

3. we need to use what God's given us. . . . .

we all have gifts.

some more obvious than others.

but we have them.

maybe your gift is to make someone smile,

brighten a day, 

maybe it's a case of using your talent for good,

caring for our family,

being a trustworthy employee,

or a reliable friend.

sharing what we have with the world is proven to be a

wonderful way to be happy in our own life.

well, it's a start,

three little suggestions that i need to be reminded of,

 and thought maybe you do too.

we have a lot to offer the world,

we have gifts to share,

we have the ability to have a happy week.

let's go for it:)

here is a picture of "oh henry" (like the candy bar:),

 a blind westie dog.

i believe some wonderful family is trying to adopt him,

and i'm pretty sure there will be a lot of happy weeks with

this cute little guy:)

wishing you a very happy week!

Suzanne

Cute Wreaths and Last Minute Christmas Gifts and Treats.............

it comes as no surprise that i like things simple.

as in super easy, anyone can do it kinda simple:)

it also comes as no surprise that i am one of the original 

Queens of the Last Minute!

which is why i am writing this post.

i know what i'm talking about.

heehee!

okay, so you have a few friends coming over,

and YIKES.........where is that wreath for the front door?

well, you COULD go buy one.

i guess.

but that's boring.

if you MAKE one, they will oooh and ahhhh all night long.

and maybe they'll not notice you're feeding them those little

hot dogs things in a crescent roll.

hahaha

(i happen to love those appetizers;)

but back to oohing and aahing, which they will do.

ESPECIALLY if you make one of these.............

Pretty awesome, don't ya think?

okay.......the "how to's";

1.  the top wreath (letter "P") is tiny ornaments hot glued 

to an over sized letter from Michael's.

now personally, i think i would spread various size pearls in a flat pan, 

apply glue to the letter and lay it in the pearls. 

 instant wreath:)

2.  oh. my. gosh.  don't you love the greenery letters?

just buy over sized cardboard letters from the craft store,

along with some thin-ish, cheap garland.  

Staple it to the letter and start winding, then staple when at the end.

BEAUTIFUL!

(catty moment........please hang them straight. haha:)

3.  Again, head to the dollar store.  buy plastic ornaments.

glue the cap to the ornament. thread them onto a wire or hanger and

shape to your letter. very COOL!

4.  maybe the cutest, most festive and FUN wreath is this SANTA wreath.

this looks to me like a red rag tied wreath,

 but you could make it with a red feather boa and styrofoam wreath form, too.

fancy white letters from the craft store and a black belt complete the santa wreath.

LOVE IT!!!!!!!!

moving on to last minute gifts.

okay........some people love gift cards and some people hate them.

but sometimes, you have no choice, either because of time

or because you don't know what they like.

so for these case, i say give a gift card.

and this year i have two favorites..............

1.  Amazon.  have you ever really looked at their site?

if there is something they don't sell, i have no idea what it is.

from books to phones to blenders to diamonds to underwear,

you can get it ALL.  sometimes for the best price, too:)

2.  an ETSY gift card.  i'm serious! 

 the number one place for cool, unique, creative items.  

i could spend days hours on this site:)

3.  we are off to the dollar store again.

this time, to buy plain white coffe mugs and sharpie pens.

then  it's home to customize them.........

with names, doodles, favorite quotes.......

whatever you like.

then pop them in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes,

and you have some GREAT gifts!

see for yourself...........

4.  this one is a silly little gift......but cute.

if your daughters are like mine, 

they want to give something to everyone.

so go to the store and buy some cool/pretty nailpolish.

attach a tag like this and you have a sweet, simple little gift!

oh gosh, you worked late and have NO treats for

your little neighborhood party.

you're pressed for time........and money.

what to do, what to do!

grab some strawberries, whipped cream, ritz crackers and Rolo candies.

make these little santa men for the kiddies,

 and then make these treats.

they aren't fancy, but they ARE yummy!

AND.........they aren't PALEO or whatever the heck the latest things is.

(sorry.....wait.  no i'm not!  it's the Holidays already:)

Rolo Stuffed Ritz Crackers

Simply place ritz crackers on a cookie sheet, and top each one with a Rolo candy. Place in an oven at 350º. Remove when Rolos are melted and top with a second Ritz. Let cool to harden, and eat them by the handfuls. That's right........handfuls.  ho,ho,ho!:)

i told you they weren't pretty.  so put them on a pretty plate:)

see you tomorrow.......

Suzanne

P.S.  Hannah's mom will be having her surgery on Wed, 

due to some equipment issues.

longer for everyone to pray!

Beach Gypsies.......Our Little Corner of the Store

Well hello there.......

It's another day, another chance to get it right.......

We can only hope:)

Awhile back, I mentioned that we (my girls and I) have been busy

creating goodies to sell at Vintage Charm of Naples.

Well, we finally got enough together to have our very own corner of the store.

our style is shabby, beach cottage, girly and FUN.

it looks a bit cluttered in the pics but in person,

it's very pretty and whimsical.

i think:)

here are some photos.......

we turned it into a beachy winter wonderland!

 everything from sweet seahorses, to wreaths, to painted mason jars.

 ornaments, jewelry and even a mirror!

 can't forget the tutus...and notice the pink snowflakes?

a dollar store find, spray painted pink and glittered:)

 ruffled rompers and white Christmas trees!

we really got lucky with the paint color inside the store...

shabby-beachy aqua!

PERFECT for the BEACH GYPSIES!

if you're ever down south in Naples. stop by Vintage Charm.

you can't miss the beach gypsies little corner of the world:)

xoxo

Suzanne

3 Little Gifts...

 It's cold...

not quite like the rest of the country but in south Florida,

38 degrees is cold.

(But don't get me wrong...I LOVE IT!)

So this morning, I bundled up...

put on jeans, tennis shoes (no flip flops this morning:),

my favorite fleece, gloves and scarf

 (we love scarves and gloves down here:)

and headed out for a walk on the beach.

Did I mention it was 38 degrees?

 ***Note to self...next time, don't wear jeans with holes if you want to stay warm!

Brrr...it's cold...

 but beautiful.

Up ahead, there is one lonely set of footprints when usually there are many.

 Even the water LOOKS cold...

is that possible?  

 i tell you, it isn't blue and pretty but kind of sandy gray and cold...

But life goes on at the beach.

Looks like there was a party and I wasn't invited...

 a sea urchin party.

The little birds still play around in the surf.

 Shells and sea life still roll on shore...

 but those shell seekers are inside where it is warm...

except me!

And I doubt there will be many sandcastles built today...

I wanted a long, brisk walk along the beach...

and I did start out that way...

until I looked down and saw THIS...

 a sweet little sand dollar.

Do you know how special it is to find these on shore?

Usually we find them broken in lots of little pieces,

not surviving the rough ride to shore.

But not this little guy...he made it in one piece...

even though he didn't survive the ride.

He'd been washed up just a little bit too long.

But since I like sand dollars, 

it looks like I found my first GIFT!

Couldn't be happier.

On with the walk...and a few steps later I see this...

a heart shaped stone!  

 It's a sign:)

On my return walk, that's when I feel the wind...COLD wind in my face.

But in a strange way, it feels so good.

I'm so blessed to be here...and the only thing that would make it better

would be if I found a piece of the sea glass that I LOVE but is so hard to come by down here.

No luck there...

or so I thought!  Just before leaving I look down and there,

nestled in some tiny shells and pebbles...

is my sea glass.

 GIFT NUMBER 3!

It's a good day!

For a lot of reasons, of course, but for the simple reason that I love sea glass so much that

finding a lone piece MAKES it a good day!

Time to go home...

What a beautiful morning.

When I was diagnosed with MS this summer, 

I didn't know what the future holds.

I still don't...but I can't sit and wait to find out.

I kept thinking I wanted 3 things...

to be able to walk...or RUN if needed, whenever my girls may need me,

to be able to take nice walks with my fur babies, Maui and Freddy,

and to be able to walk on the beach, collecting sea shells and searching for that lone piece of sea glass.

This morning was special!

But there was a FOURTH gift in store for me.  

Walking in the door, cheeks still red and hair windblown from the sea winds...

to find a hot bowl of oatmeal waiting for me from Taylor.

And you wonder why I dread the day my girls are gone?

I'm spoiled!!!!!!

Happy Friday...hope you find a few gifts in your day too!

Thoughtful Gifts, Thoughtful Christmas...

..and none of it came from the mall!

Here it is, the day after Christmas...

are we still merry & bright?

I wouldn't say we're merry & bright...

more like lazy and stuffed!

But merry all the same:)

Since I was so out of touch this Holiday season,

I thought I would share a few of my favorites...

from decorations to treats...

and a few THOUGHTFUL gifts.

Ready?

let's go...

First of all, my white tree simply glows in the house.

SO BEAUTIFUL!

 I encourage anyone thinking of a change to go for it.

I can't imagine ever getting tired of this beauty:)

P.S...I took a photo with the lights off and one with them on.  

For some reason, the lights make it look pink in photos.

Another favorite is my jeweled crown tree topper. ..now a family treasure!

Christmas packages have been delivered to the neighbors...

filled with these yummy treats...

 ...chocolate covered oreos with sprinkles!

The CHEAPEST and possibly the CUTEST decoration at our house might be these 4 CUTE GUYS...

  Now for the special gifts and special moments...

Hugs...

Smiles...

Sitting around the table reminiscing...

 

 Spending time with grandparents...

  sisters Christmas sleepover...

 tuckered puppies...

Special gifts...

The Shabby Chicks blog made into a book for my Mom...

Gifts from my husband and girls...

 From Taylor...

a red double decker bus ornament from London, and a beautiful heart bracelet

that reads "Think of me when you wear this".  

I will!

From Jordie, a custom made necklace she had made from a seller on etsy (cool, huh?) that reads "I love you to the moon & back" and a custom made iphone case with photos from Europe.

Both girls spoiled me with other goodies too...generous girls AND thoughtful!

From Phil...

he took all of my video cassettes from when my girls were little,

that I never had transferred to a video...

and had them put on Dvd's.

You can't read the label but this disc has clips from:

Taylor's ballet recital, Taylor swimming, Hula Party, At the beach, July 4th bike parade, Jordan's first day of Kindergarten, Christmas, dancing poolside and a new white puppy.

I'll be like Chevy Chase in Christmas vacation, watching, smiling and sobbing:)

 From me to Phil...

photo books from our European adventure...

 a special family time that we will never forget.

As my mom said, we "wouldn't sell them for a million bucks"!:)

I am so proud of my girls.

They are so thoughtful and creative with their gift giving.

They embraced the best of the Holidays all while keeping the true reason in their hearts.

My husband, who will never be accused of being a Christmas Elf,

warmed up and actually spread a bit of Christmas joy...thank you!

It was such a blessing to spend the Holidays with my parents.

Having lived so far away from all family for their whole lives, 

these are truly "special times" for my girls, spent with Grandma and Grandpa!

Hope your Christmas time was warm and wonderful,

full of love, laughter and special memories!

While my tree and Nutcracker buddies will hang around awhile, 

after this post I am starting to think about the New Year.

One thing I am thinking about is my blog...

what it should be, what I want out of it, how to be a better blog friend.

Thank you to all of the wonderful people who spent any time whatsoever at my place!

I hope you enjoy the rest of 2010 and are looking forward to 2011!