i'll be back.

my work laptop has been on the fritz yesterday and today.

pardon my absence

because that is the computer i do most of my blogging on.....

oops :)

but it's almost back!

so what i'm saying is, i'll be back later this morning with

with my gift guide.

there are actually 2 because i just couldn't help myself.

one today. one tomorrow.

all under $25.

holla.

shortly,

JILL

flowers for friday #121 and #122

i was too stuffed to move my fingers to post last week's (after thanksgiving),

so this week, you get 2!

happy weekend!!

JILL

{via oncewed, and one kings lane}

various things

this is a series of random various things that i'm unloading from my brain.

first, my sewing machine was indeed broken.

you never realize all the sewing projects you had in the wings until you can't do anything about it. looks like my tree garland will be made right in time for christmas day. wah wah. and not only does this sewing machine repair place take like 2+ weeks, they cost half of what my machine actually cost!

i'm no sewer. i use the manual settings. i get my machine out, use it how it came, and put it back, occasionally changing the thread color... somewhere in there it broke.

but on a happier note,

i don't know what about this time of year brings out the tartan in all of us

but it does and i'm hooked all over again.

so is j.crew.

and speaking of j.crew, have you seen their sparkly etta pumps?

those would some happy holiday parties make, my friends.

i love the fat heel on them, and they come in a million colors.

unfortunately they are more than i spend on shoes.

maybe i'll ask santa.

har har.

santa husband prob wouldn't go for that.

we still get each other things we need/want for our house.

unless we kept these on the mantel...................

next week i have a few budget holiday gift guides to share with you!

i've been out shopping for my list and realized there

are some really great little gifts to give this year.

happy friday.

JILL

spotted.

found this diy for polka dotted jeans

on a merry mishap

yesterday afternoon.

i have a pair of old worn skinnies....

am i bat shit crazy for wanting to try this out?

i think.

i'm going to try it.

they just look so cute.

and i think they'd pair really well with a fat chunky ivory sweater.

at least it does in my head.

JILL

berry christmas

wrap me up in some black and white ribbon,

some cranberry and magenta garland (or any berry color for that matter),

with a cinnamon white russian in hand,

and a gold star (brass is even better!) on top...

and consider my christmas perfected.

do you guys ever get into something and then love it so hard?

it's consuming my christmas.

but i'm ok with it.

they = my christmas spirit circa 2012.

what does your christmas look like this year?

JILL

{images via my pinterest page}

b+w

cyber monday is hard!!

i think it might be a bigger shopping day than the day after thanksgiving.

i got a million and one emails telling me all the great deals to be had and how easy it was to do with a few clicks....

i don't shop on black friday because i don't like the hoards of masses of people. so that's easy. i just don't go.

but i found it really hard to sit at my desk and not shop for myself.

for me, not for christmas gifts. for me!

so i decided, one thing.

i'd get something small to get it out of my system.

and then sit on my hands for the whole rest of the day unless i was being selfless and buying a gift for someone else. or in fact, getting some real work done. at work, ha.

so i headed to f21.

i'm into the whole black and white stripes thing more than ever right now... remember here. and they didn't disappoint in that arena:

here

here

here

here

here

here

this faux leather was tempting...

but you have to be careful at f21. some of their stuff can look so cheap (bc it is), so this one i had to see in person.

and i haven't seen it in person, but you can get yours here.

here

and finally settled on this:

here.

it was free shipping.

and the sweater itself was only like $17.

after that, i made it through the whole rest of the day without spending all of my savings account :)

did you find it as hard as i did?

online shopping is so dangerously easy.

soo, happy post-cyber-monday-tuesday.

hope you survived.

what did you get!!!??!!

i wanna hear.

JILL

christmas!!!!!!

bring on the wreaths, and trees, and sparkly stuff.

it's officially christmas season!

i was feeling the spirit all weekend long.

(from house and garden)

put up my tree!

with a million glass balls i've been collecting for years. both vintage and new.

then i brought out my sewing machine to make a garland

fashioned sort of similar to this in colors.

i was just going to cut out squares and sew them together in a string. 

but my sewing machine is rejecting my efforts.

i think its broken.

i know the bare minimum on my sewing machine, just enough to not know how to fix it.

i use all the standard settings and try not touch it....

just use it.

didn't work this time.

so long story short, i don't have a picture to share.

wah wah.

i know.

i have to get my dumb machine fixed before i can get on it.

but i have a cute wintery plaid, cranberry, gold, magenta and black and white fabric.

should be cute, right?

hope you had a great thanksgiving.

i did.

JILL