for those of you that have been longtime admirers of tiffini dooris‘ beautiful jewelry designs, you’ll be sad to hear that she’s closing up shop.  i’ve been a fan of tiffini’s since the very beginning…in fact, her rough-cut sapphire necklace was my first fine jewelry purchase for myself.  she just has a talent for making pieces that are special, but still so classic and wearable…i really hate to see her leave the design sphere.

if there’s a silver lining to this cloud, it’s that tiffini has put her entire website on a crazy, super sale to get rid of her stock.  you have until july 12 to buy, and prices are up to 75% off, including my absolute favorites from her latest collection:

those mint leaf earrings, at left, are just so sweet and delicate…and now they’re only $20.  even the simple gold disc earrings at right (and yes, those are real diamonds) top out at $57.  all of her pieces are designed to become serious classics in your jewelry box – i have earrings almost identical to those little gold drops, and i can tell you i wear them at least three times a week.  they’re perfection!

she also has several pieces by other designers on the site (also heavily discounted), including catherine weitzman and pade vavra, but it’s tiffini’s pieces i’d be scrambling for.  whatever you choose, shop fast…i’m sure her stock is limited.  and of course, let me know what you pick up!!

neiman marcus is having a spring sale so good, it’s making me reconsider my longstanding boycott of their online store (a very long story involving a dispute over some ill-fitting prada shoes which had not been worn, i don’t care what they say.  but i digress…).  anyway, the sale is fabulous, especially with regard to spring shoes.  you get to take an additional 25% off the discounted price of everything that’s already on sale, plus free shipping at any price (with code SHOPNM).

if you haven’t splurged yet this season, may i suggest:

from left to right:  michael kors bristol wedge, $118 from $225; antik batik gladiator sandal, $108 from $215; loeffler randall brynn thong, $163 from $325; cole haan air phoebe woven rope sandal, $84 from $168; prada espadrille wedge, $193 from $385; stuart weitzman leather wedge espadrille, $163 from $325; tory burch lizard-print reva flat, $118 from $235; tory burch espadrille flat, $58 from $115;  joie wingtip flat, $149 from $198.

not to mention all of the lovely, lovely loefflers on sale, and some elizabeth and james stacking rings i’m seriously considering.

just don’t test out your new shoes on a hardwood floor…trust me on this one.

i just saw a note that rosena sammi, the queen of exotic accessories, redesigned her website.  naturally, i had to take a look, and it wasn’t long before i fell hard for this beautiful swar bangle.

i love this piece for being substantial and statement-making, but still light and airy enough for even the hottest day (those big, heavy necklaces are just a bit too much for me when the mercury starts to climb).  i’d pair it with just about anything, but with this piece, i think the simpler, the better…which suits my summer style perfectly.  picture it with a burnout tank and military or cutoff denim shorts, and a simple flat gladiator. it’s the perfect touch of sparkle to lend to an otherwise ordinary ensemble.

best of all, it happens to be one of the best-priced items in the line – at $75, this one’s definitely a splurge worth making.

one of my favorite finds so far this summer, this sheer jersey shirred skirt from american apparel is destined for “staple” status in my closet.  it’s the perfect knee length (or slightly above if you wear it high-waisted), and the full skirt is offset by a very lightweight jersey, so it’s not at all heavy, which eliminates my usual peeve with fuller skirts of having to tuck in my tops to avoid waist bulk.  i am a little concerned that the hem is unfinished, but at $28, i’ll do as tim gunn would advise, and “make it work.

by the way, can anyone explain the utterly bizarre styling on american apparel’s website?  these were literally the only two photos of it actually being worn as a skirt.  it’s like they can’t stand that this is actually a respectable length, and so are forced to style it as a dress.  baffling.  fortunately, i know you’re all far too fashion-savvy to try wearing this as a dress.

at any rate, i’ve already nabbed this in navy, and plan to scoop up at least three more colors asap.  summer, here i come!

all month, i’ve been trying to trick my brain into thinking it’s summer.  i’ve heard tell the sun is shining everywhere else in the world, though the rain and clouds in portland just. won’t. stop.  thankfully, i have some new goodies to give me the illusion we’re in the midst of a heat wave.

first up is skyn iceland, whose products are destined to be my summer staples.  all of their products have this tingly cooling sensation when you use them, so they instantly whisk sweat, humidity and the general yuck of even the worst heat wave from your mind.

i’ve fallen hard for their glacial cleansing cloths ($15), which are just vastly superior to anything like it i’ve ever tried (and i’ve tried a few).  they remove positively everything from my face at the end of the day, with no residue, no breakouts, and just the right amount of exfoliation. they’re the only thing i’ve found that actually makes a good stand-in for my favorite cleanser** when i’m just too tired to think about the whole before-bed-face-cleansing ordeal.

but my favorite right now has to be their mineral sunscreen + moisturizer, antidote ($55).  i can’t even explain how much i love this…the cooling thing that it does to your skin is straight out of a noxzema commercial (and lasts for hours), and it leaves just the right amount of moisture on my poor tired face in the morning.  plus, the mineral-based sunscreen means it lasts longer and doesn’t have any of the chemicals that sometimes scare me…but magically, it doesn’t leave that weird white residue that most mineral sunscreens do.  it’s just genius, and if we ever get an actual heat wave here in stumptown, you’re going to have to fight me for the last bottle at sephora.

**i starred that because i was planning to link to my review of caudalie’s instant foaming cleanser ($26), which i love beyond all reason.  but after a quick search, i realized i may have actually not told you about this amazing stuff?  is it possible?  honestly, what can i say about cleanser…but this one is seriously the absolute, hands-down best of the best. it leaves my face utterly bare and utterly happy – no dryness, no oil, just clean.  it’s one of about three products i use that can inspire actual panic if i run out.  get it.

this week’s finds are as random as they come, but they’re all things i’ve fallen hard for in the last few days.  fortunately, there’s only one budget-busting splurge in the mix, and i’ve included a pretty serious steal to make up for it!

at first, i wasn’t enthralled with the fenton/fallon collection for j.crew…once again, i’m just not cool enough.  but the more i see of this bracelet (it’s been circling blogland something fierce this week), the more i want it.  i love the idea of pairing it with a grey burnout tank, the perfect cutoff shorts, and flip flops…a single decadent accent to the ultimate lazy summer outfit.

i spent the week debating exactly how many things i had to have from madewell’s new site.  their striped espadrilles didn’t make the cut…straw shoes fade and die so quickly, i couldn’t bear to spend $50. fortunately, anne at city sage and the stylish ladies at blue moss both noticed these chic stand-ins from target – for $16, thank you very much.  i snapped them up instantly.

(incidentally, speaking of cheap summer shoes, i’m digging these retro huraches too…and at $15, i may even be able to justify reliving that trend.)

of course, for every steal, there must be a contrasting splurge, or my superficial little shopping world would just implode.  smythe’s linen military jacket would blow my entire summer wardrobe budget at $650, but i also think i’d wear it just about every day, and well into fall, as this military trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere.

sigh.  heartbreakingly perfect, isn’t it?

with that, happy weekend everyone!

ah, father’s day…maybe the most stress-inducing gift-buying holiday outside of christmas.  men are notoriously hard to shop for, and unless your dad’s addicted to golf or bad ties, the usual suspects for men’s gifts are, well, lackluster.

with that said, i’ll freely admit that my ideas here aren’t exactly groundbreaking.  for the most part, i think guys are happiest when they get the coolest, latest toy in the genre they like best, whether it’s sports, tech, tools, or whatever else they’re into. so, assuming you’re not shelling out to get dad an ipad for father’s day (the ultimate way to ensure your name gets to the top of the list in his will), here are a few suggestions to keep dad on cloud nine this father’s day:

haffstreuner watch, by hlaska ($200):  i can tell you that choosing one thing to feature from hlaska for father’s day was no small feat…honestly, i could have written this whole guide from their site.  but if i have to choose, i think a hip new watch is the ultimate dad gift.  if you’re up for a splurge (or, more likely, going in on something with your siblings), my favorite is this super-sized haffstreuner watch, which is sleek and simple, but destined to remain perpetually stylish.  the face actually reminds me a bit of a compass, so it’s sure to bring a flash of nostalgia to dad’s eye, and make him feel like a serious wilderness trekker wherever he roams.

iHome app-enhanced alarm clock ($99):  for the seriously gadget-addicted dad, this is guaranteed to keep him occupied for hours on father’s day (and beyond).  it’s an iphone dock and charger, plus alarm clock – but it works with a (free) iphone app to let dad take his naps to a whole new level of tech-supervised sophistication.  he can fall asleep to james taylor and wake up to the beastie boys (your mom should love that).  it will even update dad’s facebook page when he beds down and wakes up (in case you haven’t managed to convince your ‘rents to avoid facebook entirely).  plus, the display is super cool.  i’ve been testing it for a week or so, and while i’ll admit that it may be a little more high-tech than i can handle, that should thrill any geeked-out dad beyond measure.

pizza grill stone, by williams sonoma ($99):  if your dad’s the stereotypical grillmaster, ditch the titanium-cased set of grill tools, and spring for something to really help him up the ante at his next barbecue.  my hubs swears that the only way to make a good pizza at home is with a minimum 800-degree oven, this pizza stone built for the grill seems like a much safer option than dismantling the auto-lock on the oven’s cleaning cycle (an ongoing battle in our house).  if nothing else, it will save you from a summer full of only burgers and hot dogs.  (a very close runner-up here is this smoker box for the grill. at an extremely wallet-friendly $40, it’s virtually guaranteed to banish dry chicken from dad’s grilling repertoire.)

bucket boss tool organizer, amazon ($16):  don’t laugh.  okay, you can laugh…it totally baffles me too.  but i honestly haven’t seen my hubs get more excited about anything he’s bought lately (with the obvious exception of his new ipad) than this weird bucket boss.  it’s basically a tool belt that you attach to, yes, a bucket.  for some reason, it’s as enthralling as a new power tool…especially in my house. throw in a bucket, and maybe even this “super cool” bucket lid seat thing to go with it (also a big hit), and you’ve got yourself one very happy, handy dad, all for about $30.

here’s hoping one or two of these help you add a little creativity to your gift-giving this year.  something tells me your dad has enough neckties.

sometimes i find my strolls through blogland taking on a bit of a theme, and today’s revealed some seriously lovely summer frocks.  i couldn’t help but share!

(clockwise from top left) bubbleprint belt dress from satara fashion, 99 eur, via for me, for you; stewart + brown eva skirt from beklina, $105, after a hop and a skip from simple lovely; shireen eyelet dress from calypso-celle, $165 via black eiffel; B&B reservations dress from modcloth, $69, via feather.

wow. honestly, i haven’t quite known what to do about shoppingsmycardio hitting the big oh-four.  i mean, how do you celebrate a virtual milestone?  but it’s true…well, technically, i started blogging on 06.06.06 (which is weird on so many levels), but celebrating on sunday would have been no fun, as most of you are weekday readers.

four years ago, my darling hubs told me (ever so sweetly) to stop prattling on and on to him about all of the things i bought, planned to buy, couldn’t believe i wasn’t buying when it was such a steal, and knew i could never afford but coveted from afar.  he suggested instead that i share my retail obsession with a wider (and more interested) audience.  and i listened.

to celebrate, i thought about organizing a big massive giveaway.  but then it turned out i had to move, which translated into every ounce of my energy being consumed by that.  i’m still planning a truly fabulous giveaway later this summer, though – you dear readers definitely deserve a birthday gift!

other than “holy hell, that’s a lot of retail therapy,” i honestly don’t know what to say, other than this:  thank you! yes, you.  a great big, bear hug thank you to you from the bottom of my shopaholic heart.  for reading, for sticking around, for telling your friends, for commenting to let me know you’re out there, and for letting me shop with you most every day.  it’s been a sweet four years, and i can’t wait to see what happens next!

xo,
becki

(ps…i searched for an hour to find the perfect photo for this post, but it was all worth it when this beautiful shot from claire bears on flickr popped up.  you should totally check out her entire flickr stream, as it’s utterly beautiful.)

…now i have to buy an apron.  i blame victoria, for pointing this out.  and jake, for being just too cute not to save.  i simply cannot resist a dog in distress (having had too much experience in this area)…especially when i get to feel all warm and fuzzy only $20 later.

you know you want one.