how exciting! it’s been so long since old navy had something i was really happy to see, but these canvas lovelies more than make up for it. i’m buying them now & hoarding them until spring, when i’ll wear them with khaki shorts, jeans, skirts…all sorts of great options. they’re a great way to add a little fun to a neutral outfit, without going all-out crazy with color. and they’re only $19! several patterns to choose from, but the one above is by far my fave (though i also love the pink and blue batik-inspired print).

snag them quick - old navy’s always a risky gamble between waiting until they go on sale, or watching them sell out before your very eyes.

much as we all love to ooh and aah over the fabulously expensive and extravagant gift options out there, the sad truth is that i’m pretty well broke by the middle of december. so, for those of you who are still struggling to come up with the perfect gift with your less-than-perfect budget, here’s a list of ideas that won’t set you back more than $30. don’t say i never gave you anything good.

for your fashion forward friend, i love this gorgeous scarf by alena hennessy. made of super-soft knit jersey, it’s thin enough to layer, but still sure to keep her warm all winter and into the spring. pick it up for $28 from hennessy’s website.

if she’s more into jewels than jersey, i just can’t get enough of this darling little hedgehog necklace from the curiosity shoppe - he’s $20, and is sure to make any girl smile.

if she’s a paper freak like i am, she’ll love this gorgeous set of stationery by british designer cath kidson.
kidson is known for her over-the-top designs that manage somehow to make country into chic. the set includes 30 sheets of paper, mix-and-match envelopes, and a gorgeous gift box…all for $15.

or, if your paper freak friend likes things a little more refined, this letterpress calendar by decoy lab is one of the prettiest i’ve seen. buy it for $28 at their website, which is definitely worth checking over.

for the right-brained artist in your life, i just adore this little notebook by little otsu. it’s divided into three sections: the first is designed for to-do lists, but each has an origami pattern printed on the back, so she has incentive to check off those errands. the second section is made of blank pages waiting for her random sketches…but each page is pre-printed with a frame, so her impromptu artwork has a proper setting. and the third section has a mix of all sorts of different note-taking pages, so she’ll never get bored with the same old straight lines. nab it for $14, and shipping’s free!

if she’s a tea drinker, she’ll love this tea-for-one mug from urban outfitters - the two pieces match up to make a gorgeous peacock, and you can nab it for $24. or, if she’s more of an afternoon “coffee and snacks” person, i love this cafemug by shinzi katoh. it that comes with a little mini dish that’s perfect for packing with your afternoon ration of m&ms. there are a few different designs, but i love the birdcage best - how can you resist something with the word “gazouillement” (chirping, in french) printed on the side? grab it for $18 at three potato four.

good things come in small packages. i think just about every girl out there can use another mini purse to organize her life - i know i could. my favorites these days are vintage-style frame purses, and the best i’ve found are over at etsy. for well under that $30 mark, you can pick up some really gorgeous options from sellers like oktak, absoluut (who makes hers using vintage fabrics - so cool!), and takae. throw in an accessory, like a cute lip gloss (i love these cocktail lip glosses by not soap, radio) or a mirror, and you have a gift you know will keep on giving all year long. just remember, these are all handmade, one-of-a-kind items…so shop early, and allow a little extra time for shipping from these crafters.

and if none of these ideas work for you, shopbop has a lovely “under $100″ list up right now. sure, it’s not as good as “under $30,” but we can’t all be rock stars.

ooh, and please, feel free to comment with any other ideas…i know this time of year i’m always scrambling for fabulous gift options, so share and share alike! after all, it’s better to give than to receive. (wait…that’s so not the motto we live by here at shoppingsmycardio…)

this is part two of our quest to find you fabulous products at fabulous prices (if you missed the fashion edition of frugal finds, check it out here). we upped the ante a bit on this one: we didn’t consider any products over $25, and we really worked to find products that really were a cut above your average drugstore find (while a few drugstore products did make it onto the list, they all impressed us just as much as their high-priced counterparts). here’s what made the cut:

(head on over to TDO to read the second “frugal finds” installment!)

we’ve all been there - after a month of looking through all of the fall fashion magazines and seeing thousands of fabulous looks that cost, well, thousands of dollars, you just want to throw your hands up and forget the whole thing. we feel your pain. so, for the last month, we’ve been scouring the web and every store we could visit (tough work, i know) to find the best bargains under the sun. today, we’ll be talking fashion finds, but next week, we’ll bring you a list of beauty products. the only rules we gave ourselves were that the pieces had to be fabulous, fashionable, and under $75 (or $25 in the case of the beauty products). so, without further adieu…

(head on over & check out my post at TDO for loads of great fashion buys for under $75…finally, i’m blogging things i can actually afford!!)

i saw these in the august lucky, and literally couldn’t believe i was going to have to do this yet again. but here we go: check out these darling shoes from, of all places, payless?!

seriously. they’re $20. i think they’d be super hot with the baggy short shorts everyone seems to insist on wearing now, but picture them with a skinny black pant in the fall. ooh, or a tweed pencil skirt. maybe some tights? i guess what i’m saying is i think you’d get your $20 worth from these shoes, which are actually pretty darn hot.