A guide to some sales this holiday shopping weekend

Friday (Black Friday)
After Sunset- free shipping with code THANKFUL (good until November 27th)
Scarlet Threads- 25% off with code lex25 (good all weekend)
Kustom Kissers- 20% off with code PGMW20
Frat Collection- 10% off with code URI (good year round)
Lemon and Line- 20% off with code frosty (good from November 23rd-27th)
Mary Beth Goodwin Design- 25% off all phone cases and melamine with code HOLIDAYDISCOUNT (good through December 7th)
Anchored Style- 25% off sitewide with code THANKFUL (good through Monday)
Kelly Moore- $25 off any bag with code BLACKFRIDAY25 (good for 24 hours starting Friday at 12:01am)
Monogram Merchant- 25% off any order with code GRAVY (good Friday-Monday)
Ida Claire- 15% off any order with code HOLIDAY2012 (good through Monday)

Saturday (Small Business Saturday)
Not Soap, Radio- 20% off with code small

Monday (Cyber Monday)
Preppy Princess- 20% off with code PGM
Bellevue Newport- special sale on Monday from 10:00-4:00EST in addition to their regular sale, will post more pricing details when I know more
Lilly Pulitzer- free bow cocktail ring with purchase of $100 or more. (VIA shops may be running their own promotions



if you are a business owner and would like to be added to this list, please email me at whaleflipflops {@} gmail {.}com and I will add you to it.

Birthday Month Giveaway #2

This giveaway is sponsored by one of my favorite stores, the Preppy Princess. The Preppy Princess is my go-to store for Lilly Pulitzer stationery and gifts.

The lucky winner of this giveaway will get to prepify her kitchen and receive a set of personalized hot pads from Lovie and Dodge.

To enter this giveaway:
1) Visit the Preppy Princess website and leave a comment with your favorite item for one entry.
2) Follow my blog through Google Friend Connect for a second entry.
3) Follow both myself (@whaleflipflops) and the Preppy Princess (@preppyprincess) on twitter and tweet about this giveaway with the link in your tweet for a third entry.
4) Post about this giveaway on your blog for a fourth entry.
You will also receive one entry for every person who enters and says that she was referred by you.

This giveaway will end on Saturday, July 23rd, at midnight EST.

Thank you to the Preppy Princess for sponsoring this giveaway.

birthday month giveaway #2

I have so much I want to say, but it is 9:48pm and the movers are still here. I am too physically and emotionally drained to type a long coherent blog post, so that one will have to wait. In the meantime, however, it's time for a second giveaway.

This giveaway is graciously sponsored by the Preppy Princess. Since I love writing, this is a stationery giveaway. The winner will receive a Sticky Notes with Notepad and a Letterpress Set which includes 6 cards and 7 envelopes (in case you mess one up!). Both will be in the pattern of the winner's choice.

To enter this giveaway, leave a comment with your favorite item from the Preppy Princess site for 1 entry.
Follow my blog through google friend connect for a second entry.
"Like" the Preppy Princess on facebook for a third entry.
Follow both the Preppy Princess and I on twitter (@PreppyPrincess and @whaleflipflops) and tweet about the giveaway for a fourth entry.
Blog about this giveaway for a fifth entry. You will also receive one entry for every person who enters and says that she was referred by you. (I'm assuming guys aren't exactly clamoring to win this one.)
Please leave all comments in one entry only.

The giveaway will run until Wednesday, June 30th at midnight EST.

Almost there

I am moving in two weeks. My 27th birthday is in exactly a month. The closer that I get to the date on both of these, the more I start to freak out. I am nowhere near where I thought I would be by this time. Despite having donated several bags to the Salvation Army and selling quite a few things, I still have a ton of stuff I need to get through in my closet. A lot of my things are still not packed. (It will take me about 2 months to get my things in Germany. I can have up to 2 bags on the plane with me Right now I am trying to figure out what I will need for the first 2+ months I'm there and need to either mail it over to TLS and pray that the APO doesn't lose it or bring it over to my mother's house so the movers don't accidentally pack it.) Also, every year since 1999, my best friend GNB and I have done some sort of celebration for my birthday. It is our tradition to give the other one a small gift for her birthday and then take her out for dinner, brunch, show, spa, etc. This is going to be my first birthday without her. Kinda sucky.

I am trying to stay positive. Since I am in the mood/need for some retail therapy, I have started focusing on my birthday wishlist. (Thank you for all of your digital camera recommendations. It looks like the Canon Powershot is the most popular choice, so that is the one I will be going with.) Here's what I have so far.

Lilly Pulitzer Latte Da Mug in  Crabtastic

$14.50 at Preppy Princess (I want to have a full set of all the Lilly mugs and currently only have two. They are getting packed up which means I will not see them for a while. If I get this one for my birthday, at least I can have a fun colorful one with me the entire time!)

Snoopy Nesting Doll Set

$40 at Amazon. Growing up in the former Soviet Union, I've had a love of nesting dolls from an early age.

Baccarat Crystal King Snoopy Figurine

At $250 (Neiman Marcus), I don't exactly anticipate that people will be clamoring to get this little guy for me, but he is absolutely hysterical and still very classy and elegant and I don't care, I just want him.

Louis Vuitton Damiere Ebene Canvas Neverfull GM

Y'all can pretty much guess how thrilled TLS is that I asked for a $750 purse for my birthday.

A new pearl strand.

I want a pearl strand and studs set so that the colors match.

Tiffany & Co. Notes Alphabet Pendant

It's Giveaway o'clock somewhere

In order to celebrate my blog's new look and properly break it in, I am doing a giveaway to celebrate.

Since all I seem to be doing lately is traveling, I have gotten to be really obsessed with luggage tags. I have a bunch of ladybug and ASA ones, and a few of the Lilly Pulitzer ones. I am about to spread the love here people. One lucky reader will win a set of all four Lilly Pulitzer luggage tags from one of my favorite readers, the Preppy Princess.


This giveaway will close at midnight, EST, on Sunday, March 28th.

Leave a comment on this entry with for one entry. Become a follower for a second entry. Blog about this and place my new button on your blog for a third entry (you must do both to get the extra entry). Follow me on twitter and tweet this giveaway mentioning me (@whaleflipflops) for a fourth entry. You can get one extra entry for every person who enters and says that you referred her (or him).

Good luck (from TLS)!

leaving on a jet plane, don't know when I'll be back

Finally the day has come, and today I am off to the UK for one last time as my last hurrah while TLS gets shipped off to Turkey. I have been waiting for this day for so long and am so glad it's finally here. In about 7 hours, I will be on a plane sipping some rather questionnable Chardonnay. (This relationship has done wonders for my skymiles account.)

While it's not Friday, I did want to leave you all with a favorite things list. This week's list is just random. It is of all the stuff I have become obsessed with lately.
1) Gods Behaving Badly
I read about this book when it first came out and have been dying to read it, one thing came up, then another, then a third, another book got added to my list, and so on, and it took me roughly 2-3 years to actually get around to buying and reading this book. I was so happy when I finally did. It is absolutely hilarious and is a great read. When I was younger, I used to be obsessed with Greek mythology and art, so this one was right up my alley. Several bloggers have been emailing me asking for book recommendations, and this one is at the top of my list.

2) Bath & Body Works Twilight Woods Candle
I love scented candles and almost always have one burning in my apartment. This is Bath & Body Works' newest scent and when I was in there stocking up on antibacterial gel, I took one whiff and liked it enough to buy one candle. Since then, I have gone back to buy 4 more candles. The scent is very light and not overpowering and is just perfect in my opinion.

3) Softlips Coconut Cream Lip Balm
I am a lip balm/gloss junkie and buy more stuff than any sane person possibly ever should. I am a huge fan of softlips, and was very excited when I won a duo pack of Cherry/Coconut Cream flavor Softlips in a recent giveaway. This is so soft and creamy and again, the coconut scent/taste is nice but not overpowering and reminds me of a wonderful SPF lotion.
4) Prada L'Eau Ambree Perfume
This is Prada's newest fragrance and I smelled it when I was at Saks for the Friends and Family sale. I have never been particularly good at describing fragrances, so I won't even bother (words like musky, woody, etc. just mean nothing to me) but it is an amazing scent and I absolutely love it. If you are in the market for a new scent, I highly recommend it. $76 for a 1.7oz bottle at Saks.

5) Lilly Pulitzer Stuck on You Sticky Note Set
I did a pink and green theme for JMK's bridal shower and I purchased about 20 of these from the Preppy Princess as shower favors. These are so cute and just bring a smile to your face. The little tabs are perfect for flagging down pages in catalogs or magazines, and just last night, I used them to mark over 20 items in the Crate & Barrel catalog. At just $11.50, they make a great gift extra or a stocking stuffer.

6) Fuzzy Bunny Slippers
Since I am very much a kid at heart, I have been wanting fuzzy bunny slippers, but they were something that I could just never justify buying for muself. I put these on my birthday wishlist but did not get them. Fortunately, TLS decided to surprise me and these showed up at my office on Monday! Say hello to my two new friends- Muffy and Fluffy.

The picture does not do them justice- they have poseable ears, whiskers, and little cotton tails at the heels! They are super soft and comfortable and feel like you're walking on a cloud. They make an amazing gift (and conversation starter) and are another great gift item. ($29.99 at Runaway Rabbit)

Favorite Things Friday

It's October, which means one thing to MRM- Breast Cancer Awareness Month and consequently, lots of fun, pink shopping to be done. This week's favorite things post is devoted to products that give back.

From my favorite bakery, Crumbs, a special limited-edition cupcake with pink ribbon sprinkles, $4.50. $1 from the sale of each cupcake is donated to the Breast Cancer Foundation. Since it is my goal to try each flavor at Crumbs before I move, I will have to stop by there this month. Oh darn. All you non-NYC readers, don't worry. Crumbs ships within the Continental United States.


The item I have been lusting over all year- the KitchenAid stand mixer, now available in pink for their Cook for the Cure Collection. I am still flip flopping between the Pink and Empire Red models. TLS would prefer red, but how often is he really going to be using it? $299.99 at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.


Also from Bed, Bath, and Beyond, another favorite item of mine, the pink Brita pitcher. Brita will donate $50,000 to the Susan G. Komen Foundation from the sale of these pitchers. I had one and sadly it met an untimely death, and have been waiting for about 5 months to replace it. $31.99.


Moving away from kitchen accessories and onto fashion ones. Most of my readers know of my love of A. Tierney's colorful bangles. Thankfully, Alyssa has jumped on the Pink bandwagon and has released several bangles to benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation. My personal favorite is this one, $50.


From Bloomingdales' Pink Shop, a lovely cardigan from DKNY, $125. This would be perfect for nights out in the chilly weather. To be quite honest, I'm not sure how much from the sale of it goes to breast cancer research, but it is from the collection.


Since I can't do a favorite things post without mentioning one of my favorite stores- the Preppy Princess, here is an adorable Scout tote at a great price, $32. I love gingham and love that 30% of the sale of this tote is donated to breast cancer research as well.


That's all for this week. Stay tuned next Friday when I will be talking about more pink things. Shocking. If you have not yet entered my giveaway, you have until Sunday at midnight to do so. Hope each one of you has a fabulous weekend!

Favorite Things Friday

KMH can breathe easy now, I'm finally blogging. Ever since TLS and I found out that we'd be moving to Germany and I would have a house to decorate, I've been nesting hard core. I signed up for every home accessories catalog available, have created wishlists on several sites, and have started flagging/clipping pictures of things I like. At the Barbara Barry sale on Rue La La a while back, we bought an adorable set of four rocks glasses with chairs on them, and are keeping them in the box so that they are the first thing that we bought together for our new house.

I have quite a lot of things on my wishlists, so this is the condensed version, in no particular order:

I absolutely love this set of tea cup hooks from Uncommon Goods. I think that they're both quirky and practical at the same time. ($28 each)

It doesn't actually get much quirkier than this "You are Here" Doormat, also from Uncommon Goods, $24. When I showed this to TLS, his response was "I don't get it- are we planning on having a round door?" Way to not have a sense of humor about things.

I realize that I have already posted this once before, but there is absolutely no way that this print will not make it into our kitchen. Everything about it screams MRM from a mile away. $26 from Etsy seller jennysbakeshop.

I love entertaining guests, and since TLS and I are both big iced green tea drinkers, this wonderful pitcher from Tiffany ($165) is on our list of things we need, not want.

My friend JMK received this beautiful Acacia Salad Bowl set from Bed, Bath, and Beyond ($30) at her bridal shower, and I loved it so much that I had to register us for one as well. I love wood salad bowls, and the picture does not do this one justice.

Since TLS knows my love of pretty, fun coffee mugs, he agreed that when we finally get our own house, we can get a full set of the Lilly Pulitzer mugs. Wee. Where else would we buy them from but my favorite store, the Preppy Princess? $14.50 each.

I'm going to end this post here to prevent myself from going overboard and clogging up anyone's screen. If you see something that you think I just need to have for our house, please email me. Have a fabulous weekend to all, and if you are Jewish, Shana Tova u Metukah!!!

help pick out my boy's first Lilly

I like to tease TLS about how he is a closet Lilly fan. He makes fun of the prints and some of the guy clothes (though I have to admit, some of the men's stuff is a bit much) but likes my Lilly perfume and the stationary I send him letters on.

While I was shopping with Preppy Coastee, we found a store that had the Lilly juice and of course started to take pictures. I took a really funny one that he loves and said he wanted it framed. I am going to get him Baby's First Lilly in the form of a picture frame from the Preppy Princess. I don't know which pattern to get him, so I am asking for opinions here.

Which one of these four patterns just screams "manhood" to you?

Favorite Things Friday- the KMH edition

I have just been informed by my sister, my best friend, the love of my life, and the reason why I'm so good at rapid texting, KMH that she is very much having a one of those days. I don't like hearing that from my friends, and since I can't give her my free Iced Caramel Macchiato (partly because I already drank it, and partly because she's all the way in Chicago), this week's favorite things post is dedicated entirely to her.

A little-blogged about fact about my dear KMH is that she is obsessed with Monet's Water Lillies. She collects coffee table books about them and has amassed quite a collection. I would love to buy her some, but being that she has like 40, I'm scared of buying her repeats. So, my dear, here are some non-coffee table book items for your virtual collection.

A set of magnets for your fridge from the Metropolitan Museum of Art Store ($14.95).

A set of notecards for all of your inifite correspondence with moi, also from the Met Store, also $14.95.

A pretty mousepad for your desk at work, from Bonanzle ($9.99).

A mini folding umbrella from Ebags ($24.00).

KMH also loves scarves and pins, so here is a beautiful wrap from the Art Institute of Chicago ($158).Combining your love of the Water Lillies with my love of small boxes, a pricey but cute Limoges box from Limoges Boutique ($412).And lastly, not Monet-related, but since we are both obsessed with 1) paper products, and 2) ASA (and I'm also obsessed with polka dots), new notepads and such from the Preppy Princess ($6.00-10.00)

Birthday month giveaway #1 winner

Thank you to everyone who entered my first birthday month giveaway and thank you once again to the amazing Preppy Princess for graciously hosting it. (If you haven't checked out her store yet, why not? They have an amazing range of stationary products and gift items.) Congratulations to AMStarkey on winning the Carrie and Tuck with alligator refills. I have it on good tweethority that today is AMStarkey's birthday, which should make for a fun surprise. Email me your choice of color and address and I will forward it to the Princess Herself.

Stay tuned for birthday month giveaway #2 being announced tomorrow!

Birthday month giveaway #1

In less than a month, the world will celebrate the 26th anniversary of my mommy going out into that cabbage patch and picking me out of it. (I do not buy into the myth that babies are delivered by a stork.) In celebration, I will be doing several giveaways to mark this momentous occasion.


My first giveaway is being graciously hosted by one of my favorite retailers, The Preppy Princess. Since I am a big believer of hand-written notes and letters, the Princess is going to be giving the winner of this giveaway a Carrie and Tuck from Boatman Geller along with one set of alligator refills. (Sadly, I can't win one of my own givewaways.) The Carrie and Tuck is meant for letter-writing on the go and contains a pen, an address sheet, a clipboard, 5 foldover notes, 5 flat cards, 25 letter sheets, and 15 envelopes. The Alligator refill set contains 25 letter sheets, an address sheet, 5 alligator flat cards, 5 alligator repeat folded note cards, and 15 envelopes. The winner will get to choose her favorite color Carrie and Tuck from Pink, Navy, Green, or Chocolate Brown.



To enter this giveaway, leave a comment with your favorite color Carrie and Tuck for 1 entry. For an additional entry, follow my blog. For a third entry, post about this on your blog. **Please do all of this in one comment.**You can also get an entry for every person who enters the giveaway and says that you referred them. The giveaway will run until Tuesday, June 23rd at midnight EST.

who's ready for my favorite things?

This week's favorite things post is devoted to something I have been buying a lot more of recently, pretty stationary.

First up is an item that I have been lusting over and begged the Preppy Princess to stock. Boatman Geller Ladybugs Repeat notecards. How many times can I use the phrase awwwwwwwwww until it starts to completely lose all meaning?

These cards fall under the category of need, not want. Right now may be a good time to remind my mother that I have a birthday coming up and already have a nutcracker. $66 for a set of 25 at the Preppy Princess.

Also from the Preppy Princess are these Fuschia Edged Folded Notecards by Donovan Designs. $20 for a set of 10. I am a sucker for anything that's personalized.

Next up, an Etsy find that pretty much defines what it means to be MRM. Red, pale blue, and a ladybug? Yes please! $5 for one at Arlissa Vaughn.

Another thing that I am obsessing over is notecards that have fabric on them. I love the colors, textures, simplicity, well everything of these Pink Lotus cards. $17 for five from one of my favorite stores, Kate's Paperie.

Being that I'm a big dork, I think these cards are so cute.That's snail cards for snail mail, get it? $9.95 for a set of 14 at Papyrus.

More cards from Papyrus and the reasons for why I'm going to go broke:

Flocked beetle notecards. These may be some of the most beautiful and classiest cards that I've seen. $24 for a set of 8.

Also pretty but much more affordable, these Calligraphic Swash cards with caddy make a great gift.

The caddy includes 40 notecards and 40 envelopes for $24.95.


Flowers and Silhouettes note cards in my favorite color combination. $14.95 for a set of 20 cards/ four different designs

Really, I can't have an opportunity to blog about Lilly and not take it.

Notecards with cutouts made to look like the classic shift:

$15 for a set of 10 from Lilly Pulitzer.

From Lilly's personalized stationary line, foldover note cards in my favorite pattern.

$75 for a set of 25 from the Preppy Princess. Mommy, please remember that I am an only child and you love me very much.

favorite things

It's Friday, it's gorgeous out, and due to the fact that I handed in my report four days early, I have literally no work to do today. That means it's time for my weekly favorite things post. This week, in honor of my charity giveaway, I will be showcasing items that donate back to a non-profit organization. (If you haven't entered my giveaway yet, please do so. I want a lot of entries for this one.)

First up is this lovely necklace from Jewelry Without Jewels, $15 from her Etsy shop.

The color is pretty darn close to Tiffany Blue (yes, I'm a creature of habit), it's cute, perfect for summer, and makes a great gift. Also, 10% of it goes to the Save the Music Foundation which helps fund instrumental music education in public schools.

Since I can only go for, oh, 5 minutes without gushing about Lilly (I'm pretty sure it's 5 minutes, KMH you've been timing me- what's the official time?) here is a piece from their celebrity designed Jubilee Collection- A Colorful Cause.

The Shields Bikini, $178. I am in love with this print. Unfortunatly, I am one of those people who is two different sizes on the top and the bottom so I cannot buy a bikini that's sold as a set as opposed to two separate pieces. If you can buy it, do so, it's gorgeous and 15% of the sale of it goes to The Epidermolysis Bullosa Medical Research Foundation.

Moving on to more Lilly, another thing that I have been buying a lot of is pretty stationary. I am absolutely in love with the idea of personalized stationary and hope to acquire some soon.

I am absolutely head over heels in love with these Winter Playground Pink Foldover Cards from The Preppy Princess. $75 for a set of $25, with 5% of the profits going to the Fisher House.

As I have mentioned on here before, I am really into ladybugs. Partly because they are my sorority's symbol, partly because I adore polka dots, and partly because they are too darn cute. When I found this serving platter from Uncommon Goods, my fingers could not type in my credit card number fast enough!

I always serve cookies on this platter when guests come over, and it's fun when I have sisters over for dinner and they see the ladybug and start to squeal. $40 with 10% going to the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation. (KMH, are you shrieking yet?)

For a long time, I was very fascinated by the Clarisonic Brush at Sephora, but could not justify the hefty $195 price tag. I just knew that if I bought it, I would only use it a couple of times and then it would sit there. Boy I was wrong. One day, I had a $165 gift card burning a hole in my pocket, so I decided that I would buy one. Since then, I have used it almost every day, and my face seriously feels dirty if I go for a few days without using it. When I got mine, there was only the plain white version available, but since then Clarisonic has created the pink version as well. Not only is it cuter, but the proceeds from this one go towards funding breast cancer research.

Since Passover has finally ended and I have survived another year, I can now talk about baked goods without turning into something resembling a drunk Cookie Monster on crack with slightly less fur. Therefore, I bring you to my final item on this week's list, something that we are all familiar with and that many of us hold near and dear to our hearts: Girl Scout Cookies.

At around $4 a box, these are the cheapest item on this week's list. They come in many varieties, my favorite being the Samoa, above. (Does anyone find it coincidental that my favorite cookie just happens to be the most fattening one? I sure as heck don't.) What could be better than knowing that while I'm sitting on my couch watching Phantom of the Opera on dvd, I'm actually helping girls become better and stronger leaders? You tell me.