…entry #17 from the lovely catherine, who won with her bonus entry! that’s right – she submitted our contest post to digg.com, and it paid off!  catherine’s original comment was:

Oooh, yes, this bag is gorgeous! My favorite trends for the coming season are: sculptured (”wearable origami”) details, the color plum, and tasteful feathers in moderation. Leather booties, not so much.  Thanks for the daily read.

that’s a whole lot of fall loves – we’re glad we get to check one off that long list!  congratulations catherine – email me at editor at shoppingsmycardio.com by the end of the day with your contact info, and we’ll get your prize right out to you!!

huge thanks to the people at nest bags – if you’re bummed you didn’t get this one gratis, definitely check out their site and seriously consider treating yourself to some luscious fall bag love!

and everyone else, stay tuned…we’ll have another giveaway coming up before you know it!  for now, your consolation prize is our interview with the fabulously talented lauren moffatt, directly below.  enjoy!!

there is literally nothing i don’t adore about whimsy press. from their completely gorgeous wrapping paper and notebooks to their tongue-in-cheek greeting cards, it was love at first sight.

honestly, there aren’t enough places in the world where you can buy a card that says “sorry i fucked up.” or, the fabulously punny “you crack me up”, illustrated with a soft-boiled egg (yes, i realize that my sense of humor is right up there with your average second-grader). ah, so many goodies to choose from – i want one of each for my ever-growing card collection.

i’ve raved about their darling tote bags before, but now i’m on to something to put inside them. these gorgeous matchbook notepads ($8) are absolutely perfect for toting around – they have a surround cover that opens and closes like a giant matchbook, so no crumpled pages when it’s shoved down at the bottom of your purse. and the prints are adorably retro and fun. my fave is palm beach, but paper invaders runs a very close second.

oh, and then there’s the gift wrap – i get a little freaky-freaky with my gift wrapping (i secretly dream of a whole “gift wrapping station” in my house). whimsy’s collection indulges every last one of my perfectionist impulses. the designs are so hip, the colors are so cheerful, and the quality is so exceptional that it’s all i can do not to buy up their entire stock. i love all of them, but i have to admit that the ‘best friends’ set is my favorite – how could i resist those doggie silhouettes?

best of all, the fabulous people over at whimsy want all of you to get a chance to check out their goods, so they’re offering a 20% sitewide discount to shoppingsmycardio readers! just use code CARDIO at checkout – but it’s only good for 30 days, so stock up now!

head on over to whimsy press’s website, which i guarantee will suck you in before you’ve even realized what’s happened. happy shopping!

so, despite the fact that i can find something to buy just about anywhere, i’ve been sitting on a store credit at active endeavors since december and just can’t seem to spend it. if anyone out there in blog land does see something at AE they can’t live without (perhaps those lovely tibi dresses pictured above), drop me an email (shoppingsmycardio at gmail.com) – i’ll give you a sweet deal!

xo,
SMC

for some reason, i am completely and totally stumped about mother’s day this year. i just can’t get it together to locate The Perfect Gift for my oh-so-fabulous mother.

if only she were going to be in the san francisco area for the big day, my problems would all be solved. thanks to the amazing poppytalk, i stumbled on this truly fantastic gift idea. the lovely people at branch floral design and small stump are hand delivering the above. it’s a gorgeous floral arrangement in a birch bark vase (how cool is that?), presented on a bed of wheatgrass set in a reuseable tray, and topped off with a lovely, scented pansy sachet…all for an incredibly reasonable $100.

i think it’s the prettiest thing i’ve seen in a long time, and it literally hurts my heart that i can’t find a way to get it chez maman.

we’ll have the second half of design*sponge‘s fabulous shoppingsmycardio interview first thing monday morning. don’t miss it!