Welcome to the weekend, friends! I fully planned on taking today off (really, it’s the last week of August…are any of us paying attention right now anyway?), but there was just too much to tell you.

First up, I’m on a boat! I’m in a book! I know, can you believe it? Me neither. But the amazing ladies at CRAVE deemed me worthy, so there I am. I went to the (extremely chic) launch party last night, and saw the book for the first time – it’s a stunner. If you live in Portland, want to visit Portland, or just want to know about a bevy of amazingly talented women who live here (plus me), check out their website to snag a copy.

I’m having a pretty serious Chanel affliction at present (wait…when am I not?). I’m a little late to the game showing you these pre-Fall ads from the house (pre-fall is so July, you know), but I can’t resist. It’s one of my favorite collections of all time – every model looks like a Russian princess. More of these beauties over at my Pinterest page…come visit!

In other very exciting news, Loeffler Randall is on MyHabit today. What else can I possibly say about that, except go…go now.

Speaking of deals, I spotted one of my favorite albums of the summer on Amazon’s $5 list today. If you don’t know Ellie Goulding yet, buy this – something tells me you’ll love it. And maybe Madonna’s Like A Prayer, if you’re one of the six people on the planet (besides me) that doesn’t own it.

That’s it, friends. I hope you have a fantastic weekend in store. I’m taking a train ride with the hubs, my BFF and her adorable son – can’t wait to see his little face get all excited! And, I’ll be playing around with some beads I bought on Etsy last week during a random crafty spree. I’m hoping to build a little something like this or this…I’ll keep you posted.

What do you have planned?

if you’re in the market for a new bag (and really, readers, when are we not in the market?), hayden-harnett’s sample sale starts this morning!  and believe me – these people know how to do a sample sale right, which means there are some serious bargains to be had.  plus, they’ve teamed up with few of their favorite accessory designers to add even more extreme-sale goodies to the pot.  the sale runs online from today through wednesday (july 13-15), but i’d suggest buying fast…hayden-harnett has some pretty devoted fans.

sigh.  so many pretties, so little time…

the spring sample sale is on at inhabit!  70% off…need i say more?

actually, i probably should say a bit more.  i should tell you that i got the chance to test out their 100% cotton line recently, and believe me when i tell you they’re every bit as wonderful as the inhabit cashmere i can’t get enough of.  the cotton is so delicate and finely woven, it was hard for me to believe that it really was just cotton…in fact, i checked the label twice.  it’s divine…particularly when marked down to $40-50 from $200+.

buy fast…styles are limited, and the sale only lasts until tomorrow night.  spring might not feel like the right time to buy sweaters, but trust me…take the plunge now.  you’ll be kicking yourself for missing this one when their cashmere goes back up to its regular, splurge-tastic price.

i’ve ignored kate spade’s sample sales for the past few seasons, but there are definitely some winners this time around.  personally, i skipped right past the handbags (yawn) and went gaga for these goodies:

something about kate’s wares just scream holiday for me, and this year is no exception – i’d love to see any one (or all) of these under my holiday tree.  to shop the sale (including $5 shipping), head here – sign-up is required, but her email list is pretty painless.

my picks, from left: islington cyndy wallet in amethyst, $114 down from $225; madeleine esti skirt (utterly perfect for holiday fetes!), $228 down from $325; and the keswick caning bangle in turquoise, $63 down from $125.  come to think of it, pretty much all the jewelry…love!

wow, so sorry i was gone yesterday.  i had big plans for fun goodies to share with you all, but well, if you follow me on twitter, you’ll have some idea of how my day went.  but let’s just say it started with a bee sting for my poor dog and ended with a car breaking down in the rain.  i was pretty much living a bloopers reel.

but, i’m confident today will be much better!  for one thing, gilt fuse launches today…and, while i was initially thinking “i need another sample sale site like a hole in my head,” it occurs to me that since i’m boycotting a certain other major player in this game, i should thank my lucky stars that gilt fuse has arrived.  they’ll be carrying the more contemporary (and lower-priced) lines that wouldn’t have really fit into the ultra-luxe model they have going at gilt.

this week, sales include modern amusement and LaROK and, from what i can see, prices at both should be well under $100 (yay!).  just like their big sis, sales premier at 12 ET/9 PT, so you’ll have to split your loyalties between the two sites.  if you’re already a gilt member, you can access gilt fuse with your regular user & password.  if you’re not (and why on earth is that??), you can nab a membership for both right here.

if you’ve been dying for a little jewelry indulgence but just can’t justify spending these days, i have some excellent news.  prismera design (one of my favorite indy lines) is doing a week-long sample sale of some of her gorgeous (and often one-of-a-kind) pieces.  prices start at $8, and most are under $35.  how can you possibly skip a sale that good?

my faves (from left): those fun, chain-accented clare earrings ($15), the beautiful druzy agate on the lilah necklace ($62), and the chunky copper accents on the leah necklace ($25!).

forgive the fuzzy pics (something tells me these were photographed hot off design table) and get shopping…the prettiest pieces will be gone in a flash!

i’m running a little behind this morning, but with good reason.  gilt groupe, the one sample sale site i’m still in love with, is running a huge “final sale”, and you can score pieces from just about every designer they’ve ever featured for up to 90% off retail.  everyone from loomstate and marc jacobs to carolina herrera and twenty8twelve is represented, and there are some serious steals to be had.  i can’t seem to stop frantically hitting refresh on my laptop.  things are going unbelievably fast…in fact, i didn’t even dare tease you with my favorite picks from the sale, since i’m sure they’ll be gone before i hit “publish”.

if you need an invite, always happy to help:  click here.  and if you already have one, the sale is here.

back shortly with the usual cardio fun!

for those of you still stalking the online sample sales (and really, aren’t we all?), i thought i’d let you know there are some pretty fantastic options out there this morning.

at gilt, choose from loeffler randall shoes (!), alexis bittar jewelry and perfect-for-spring clothes by tibi.

at ideeli, there are killer deals on gerard yosca jewelry and a handbag line i hadn’t seen before, called trace – lately, i’m big into the unlabeled bags, so this is particularly appealing to me (as are the low prices).  fortunately, the green one i was loving is gone now – a penny saved.  but the very pretty purple hobo is still available…for the moment.  as is a very gorgeous orange satchel that looks much more expensive than its $160 pricetag.

if you’re still looking for the not-so-elusive invite into any of these clubs, allow me.  just click here for a gilt invite, or here for ideeli.  and happy friday!

i’ll be back shortly with your regularly scheduled fun, but wanted to let everyone know there’s an excellent sample sale on rebecca minkoff bags starting at ideeli at 8 am (pacific). the bags top out at about $275, and they have a huge selection – one of the biggest sales i’ve seen from ideeli. if you’re in the market, this one’s definitely worth checking out! i’m pretty high on the stingray morning after bag (left, $239) and the tequila gold rose (right, $129), which is sorely tempting me!

if you need an invite, just click here – i’ve got you all set up email me at editor at shoppingsmycardio dot com, or drop me a tweet. enjoy!

this is exciting!  my love affair with inhabit is well-documented – particularly when they’re having really serious sales.  like, for example, the sample sale happening online right this moment on their most popular cotton items.  we’re talking sweaters, cardigans, tees and tanks – all $58 or less.  considering most pieces started out in the $150-200 range, i can barely contain my glee.  enjoy!