Shopaholic in Alabama

During the peak of spring and summer, I find myself wearing a ton of fashion jewelry. Some of my favorite brands include Kenneth Jay Lane, Amrita Singh, Meg Carter Designs and Lilly Pulitzer.  If you are a fan of these brands, you've probably noticed the recent trend of coral branch shaped jewelry and coral colored palettes. Not just for the beach girl, these pieces are also perfect statement items and will really get people talking! I have a particular fondness for the items shaped like coral branches... Just yesterday, I wore the Amrita Singh Coral Bib Necklace (pictured above) to work with a solid black top and a white linen skirt. Since I work in a fairly conservative environment (it's a financial institution, after all!) I try to keep my wardrobe moderately tame and have fun with accessories and shoes during the week. At work, I had at least a half dozen people comment on my necklace. They were all wondering - where did you get that? Who is the designer? After work...

Have you heard of the online retailer, SwimSpot ? I was thrilled when they contacted me to host a blog giveaway and website review. The timing was spot-on because just last week, the DH was telling me "you need some new swimsuits - yours are faded and look awful". How's that for permission to spend money? No wonder I love that man... Let's face it - we all know that buying women's swimwear can be a traumatic, intimidating and eye opening experience. In my opinion, any retailer or tool that helps me feel confident I've purchased the right suit for my body type is a huge bonus! The SwimSpot website has an amazing Bikini Builder. This will help you determine your body type and then customize your own swimsuit look. Cool, huh? You can test it yourself HERE , I know you'll love it. I played around with it for quite some time myself! Another feature on their website is the Fit Specialist. This provides different suit options based on your body type, and y...

Are you constantly searching for the perfect beach hat? Perhaps your requirements are the same as mine: your beach hat must be stylish, it must be comfortable, and preferably it matches everything in your closet. While I love the idea of a colored or printed beach hat, it rarely works for me in real life. Over and over again, I reach for a neutral hat on beach days. I was thrilled to find the above hat in my local Target. It was an absolute steal at only $14.99. The designer is Mossimo and the official style name is "Mossimo Supply Co Tan Shine Floppy Hat". What makes this hat so special? That shine is a gold-tone, so the hat really looks pretty in the sunlight. It's also large and floppy enough that it protected by face for a full day at the beach, and I didn't return home with a sunburned nose. :-)  What do you think of my new hat? (Picture taken last weekend)   If you've decided you "need" one of these hats, it is available on the Target web...

It's a dreary day on the Alabama Gulf Coast. It's raining outside, and the sky is a weird shade of gray-black. We're under a tornado warning. This weather is making me seriously wish for the bright and sunny days of summer!  Endless Summer, anyone? I wish! Until then, I will have to settle for the beach towel I found on One Kings Lane this morning. I found it hiding in the "Artist Editions - Beach Towels" boutique. Gorgeous in the teal color pictured above, it's also available in orange and navy.  If you haven't joined One Kings Lane yet, now is a great time. They are offering a $15 credit for New members to spend! All you have to do is join and then the credit will be placed in your account. Typically the credit appears within a few hours of joining. Membership is always free and you can sign up  HERE .  And if you haven't heard the good news yet, Lilly Pulitzer will be a featured boutique on Rue La La tomorrow. The preview shows Resort...

Wow - I can't believe it's already Monday and the last week of July! Where has the summer gone!?! Summer heat and humidity are tough on my hair. As many of you know, my hair is naturally wavy so I have to either work to make it straight or work to make it curly. Either way it's a real pain when the temp is over 90 and the heat index is over 100, as has been the case here for the past 60 days. Ugh.  One of my solutions to this problem - having a wardrobe of stylish headbands and headwraps. Featured below are a few of my current favorites. Tasha 'Circus' Head Wrap in Green, $38, available at Nordstrom online HERE Starfish Headband in Pink, $38, available on Fornash online HERE Lilly Pulitzer 1" Headband in Slathouse Rock, $7.50, available on Lotus & Lilly online HERE  (actually I love all of Lotus & Lilly's headband creations - every Lilly girl "needs" several of these) Sweat Treats Cupcakes Sweaty Band 1.5", $18, available...

Happy Tuesday! Hope you've had a wonderful start to the new week! Yesterday was a little crazy, as evidenced by some of the comments received here...I've never had as many anonymous comments as I received Monday. I made the decision to leave them all up and not delete any; as I truly believe most folks will draw their own conclusions anyway. Additionally, I was very excited to receive dozens of supportive emails - both from readers and a few high level executives. Moving right along - I'm getting tired of the cold. I don't know how those of you who live in really cold climates like MA, MI, WI, etc make it through the winter. My town is packed with snowbirds that are down here to escape the bitter cold. I have a theory: the birds can fly down to the Alabama coast, rent a house or condo for $1500-2000 per month - and that is probably cheaper than their heating costs/utilities in many major metropolitan areas. What do you think? Join me in wishing for an early spring...

Happy weekend, my lovely and fashionable pals! Today I'm dreaming of more days like these - from last spring/summer - I never thought I'd be begging to be this HOT again. With BFF Lisa after many margaritas and sweating to death at a party -  Charlotte, NC - June 09 Deep sea fishing with Dad & DH - August 09 (notice the Lilly coverup skirt peeking out?) Catch of the Day - Redfish - released him too! Boating & Fishing Gulf of Mexico - August 09 - self portrait (positive side note - after 2 weeks of Clarisonic use, that freckle isn't nearly as visible on my nose!) Sunset on the Mississippi Sound - Dauphin Island, AL - Aug 09 Broken seashell - day after Hurricane Ida - Gulf Shores, AL - Nov 09 Now I don't know about you - but these pictures put me in the mood for sand between my toes with a margarita in one hand and a bottle of suntan lotion in the other! Have an awesome day! :-)