Last Minute Shopping - Top 7 Places and what to buy

Top Seven Places to Shop this Christmas... in the Palm Beach Area
1. Kourtney Pulitzers
2. Rapunzel's Closet
3. Amazon.com
4. Kravis Center
5. Ground Swell Surf Shop
6. Shutterfly
7. Sequins

This holiday season spending obscene amounts of money on gifts is just that.  OBSCENE.  So instead, I have been looking for more specific options.

Kourtney Pulitzer - down on Dixie across from the Norton Art Museum is great.  They are reasonably priced and have a ton of fun clothes but even more so jewelry, scarves, and handbags.  I found colorful clutches, made from the wedding cloths of Cambodian wives and mothers.  When the women marry they begin embroidering a blanket that will later be used for their wrapping their babies and then it seems for purses.  It is so neat to have a beautiful piece of art filled with such a story and so much love.  They also have fantastic and unique scarves.  My latest fav is a huge scarf with an orange gold fish on it.  Love it.

Rapunzel's Closet - a bit more mainstream brands but a few others that are fun.  Love Quotes scarves in EVERY color.  Really.  With inspirational quotes threaded in.  Top Secret bras.  Finally, something solves the problem of having a great shirt but not wanting to show quite that much cleavage.  They bandeau tops that are cute and they have so many options.

Amazon.com - I recently signed up for Amazon Prime and it was worth it.  Two day shipping free, overnight $3.99.  That alone is great.  For my tech happy relatives I easily picked up a digital camera, BluRays, GCs for eBooks... even a piano and had them almost instantly.  Instant gratification from the internet!

Kravis Center - I have a 4 and 6 year old.  They are busy, slightly wild little animals.  And if I come down to step on one more My Little Pony, jagged Lego piece I might scream.  They always want toys and well more more more.  So to keep the toy bins from overflowing I headed to our local Theater.  Tickets!  We had family contribute money for tickets to Beauty and the Beast, West Side Story (that will be a birthday show) and a Cirque show.   We took them to Wicked, The Little Mermaid on Broadway and How the Grinch Stole Christmas last year and they still talk about it and beg almost plead to go to the theater.  If times are a little tougher find a local children's theater.  They are GREAT and usually 12-14 a ticket.

Ground Swell - I have a wide variety of people to shop for.  And Ground Swell fills a very nice void for me.  They have a great assortment of clothes and gear for surfing, skateboarding and beach life.  Hoodies, surf gear, you name it.  And Carlos is wonderful and again makes you come back time and time again.

Shutterfly.com - Grandparents.  Seriously, what do they need.  They have everything they need.  Are realizing that they don't want as many material things and finally understand the being together is the gift that keeps on giving.  So shutterfly.  Each year I make up two items (Christmas and Mother/Father's Day).  A photobook of the last year in review and a calendar.  They are both a bit time intensive but well worth it.  They love to show their books, and look through them when alone.  The calendars are a happy daily reminder that they are loved and special.  And I use shutterfly because, well I have used them forever and they have pictures dating back before I was married, which is quite a while ago.

Sequins - Conveniently located right next to Rapunzel's Closet.  They have VERY VERY fun and costume jewelry.  Not the kind meant to look real (and snotty if you ask me), but anything ranging from playful to elegant to young and fun.  And they are very inexpensive.  At the same price point as Target but much nicer.  And the people that work there are GREAT!  Such a plus to encounter truly wonderful customer service and people that actually want to help in a nice way.  ahhhh.

Holiday Addiction - Good or Bad?

I have a new holiday addiction this year.  Gilt.com, Ruelala.com, and HauteLook.com.  I stumbled upon Rue La La.  Yes, I would say it was my gateway drug to private online shopping.

With my husband harping SAVE - SAVE - SAVE, I thought, yes, I shall go there and save.  What a good little wife I will be.  Well, I have now saved on four new handbags (L.A.M.B. bags are a personal weakness and to see them 50% or more off felt like a travesty to ignore such an opportunity), two pieces of Sugarboo Designs art, two Chan Luu bracelets, a new assortment of Hanky Panky underclothes, Fat Boy bags for the kids. Yeah, the list really goes on for a ways after that.

I don't think this is what my husband had in mind, but it has been fun.  I'm guessing my New Year Resolution will be to stop acting like a rabid animal awaiting my daily sale emails with what new and wondrous deals might arise.  

And yes, I might even give up my iPhone App buttons for them.  Hey, what if I was on the go and NEEDED those new Miss Sixty boots?  Come on elephant, doesn't that sound like a great color for the season?

My lower lip quivers at the thought.  There's just something so happy about opening up to Rue La La and seeing the pretty pink letters scrolled across the page, asking for my password, inviting me into a secret special place.  So happy.  And then the sultry pleasure of hopping on Gilt.com an hour later to its Black and Gold pages, thumbing through their Jetsetter options imaging the possibilities.

Well, 2011 is 17 days away.

Here we go...

Let's hit it.

Ready for some Good Fun?  I sure am.  Let's go together on trips, out to meals, shooting pics, fooling around with the family, and finding new and interesting stuff to do.  Who knows where this will lead. I'm just really excited and looking forward to it!

Talk to you soon.