Vente by Vanessa

It's cold so here are some more coats- I wear this all the time. It's a fun color, good length and the bell sleeves are cute.  It was a clearance sale from www.Chadwicks.com .  It's been about 3 years but I think I paid about $30 (not a stunning sale but still a good deal considering it was 60% off.) Love this "cape/jacket" thing!  Perfect for Fall days and it works well with jeans or something dressier.  Ok, here's the shocker.  Please don't turn away from my blog when I tell you I....paid.....full price for this.  It was T.J. Maxx and it was only $17.99 but I feel slightly ashamed to tell you that (the full price part, not the $17.99 part.)  

Baby it's cold outside!  Am I the only one who wishes there were more opportunities to wear our coats?  I mean, basically, you wear them from the car to the office, from the grocery store to the car, etc.  My schedule needs more outdoor activities like football games, tree-lightings, parades,  Easter egg hunts etc. to get more wear outta my outerwear.  Here are two of my favorite coats that, you guessed it, happen to be great deals!  Photo credit - www.jbphotographers.com I grabbed this coat last week at work!  Yes, work.  We have a "thrift store" on site called the "Almost New Shop" and its full of great deals.  Once in a while you can find some great vintage pieces there. This is a faux Persian lamb jacket with faux mink trim. It has a beautiful lining and da da da da- it was $18!!!  I found the exact same coat on Etsy http://www.etsy.com/listing/106850073/1950s-brown-persian-lamb-and-mink-faux  for $...

Just one last "Black Friday" post - CYBER SALES!!! Lots of people still talk about "Cyber Monday" but the truth is amazing cyber sales are going on all this week.  Amazon has a published schedule of sales changing every 3 hours and they are great deals (picked up a present at lunch time today that was exactly the same price as one of my Thanksgiving night doorbuster deals!)  Here are links to the schedules- Video games http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000853511&tag=bfblfrad-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957 Movies and TV https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?&docId=1000845091&tag=bfblfrad-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957 Don't know how long this one will last but Nike.com has offered two coupon codes - BLUERIBBON (25% Off) and JUSTDOIT (Free Shipping) that you can use now on their CLEARANCE ITEMS!! Also, Hollister and Abercrombie and Fitch websites are offering $5 shipping (usually $10...

Black Friday is almost here.  Are you ready?  I'm probably preaching to the choir when I tell you that you must have a plan to get the most out of a Black Friday shopping experience.  And when I say "plan" I don't mean, "Oh, I'm going to the mall and maybe Target."  No, I mean a spreadsheet, color coded kind of plan with a timeline that you've been working for at least two weeks. At this point most of the Black Friday (and Thanksgiving) sale ads have been leaked so you should have all of the resources you need to plan your adventure.  In case you don't know where to find these ads here are a couple of resources- http://blackfriday.com/flyers http://bfads.net/ On both of these sites you can search the ads, both by "ad scan" and categorized list.  The best feature, in my opinion, is the option to make a shopping list from the site.  You can compare prices, select items and choose your store and then print out the list. I don'...

I love to get "dressed up."  Kate Spade said, "playing dress-up begins at age 5 and never truly ends."  I agree.  I love an excuse to buy a pretty new dress, and shoes, earrings etc.  And frankly, I don't get enough of those opportunities but when they arise, I'm ready. Here are 3 of my latest "fancy dress" finds. This lovely number is one of my all time favorites.  It's a Coldwater Creek dress (who knew they had pretty party dresses?) It has a champagne colored satin layer with a black lace overlay.  Here's the scoop- I found it at the local Community Aid store with the original store tags still on it (so those of you who find wearing pre-owned clothing creepy, take note that there are new clothes available in thrift stores.)  The price you ask?  Original price - $189.  My price? $15!!! It was marked $29.99 but I bought it on half-price Wednesday! This iridescent blue dress was on the clearance rack at Ross www. ross stores.com . ...

Below is the link for Walmart's Black Friday flyer.  I hesitate to call it a Black Friday ad because the sales start at 8:00 PM on THANKSGIVING!  I hate this trend of cutting in to the holiday but here's what they have to offer: http://blackfriday.com/stores/walmart/flyers/black-friday How early will you be shopping?

I'll start with a caveat- by no means do I consider myself a "style expert" or someone on the cutting edge of fashion.  I know what I like and I wear it.  I have "classics" in my closet that are older than my dog. I do follow a set of rules (hopefully Clinton and Stacey would be proud) I'll share those later.  All that aside, the goal of this blog is to show how cheaply you can put together a decent look. photo credit- www.jbphotographers.com Let's break this outfit down : 1. The jacket - this cute cropped tweed jacket has bell sleeves and is from The Limited, originally, that is. I bought it at the local Community Aid store ( http://www.communityaid.net/www/ ) on half price Wednesday for.... $2.00 !!!!!!!!!   2. The t-shirt - Gap Outlet, probably $4 or $5 (its been a while.)   3. The skirt - this black knit skirt is from American Apparel ( http://www.americanapparel.net/ ) they have retail locations and an online site.  I apprecia...

If you know me well, no, if you know me at all you should know that I'm frugal or financially conservative. Actually, I'm cheap.  I use coupons, coupons doubled and layered with store sales and bonus gas points.  I buy generic brands and I live for free samples.  I insult street vendors with my ridiculously low price "suggestions." I instinctively run to the back of a clothing store, even an outlet store, to find the clearance racks.  I get 20 emails a day from online retailers with coupon codes and clearance deal announcements.  I could spend hours in thrift stores sifting through junk in search of one or two deals.  Black Friday is my FAVORITE non-Christian holiday (by far!) But even though I'm cheap, I love style. I love accessorizing and wearing a new dress at every event. I love following the latest trends. I love a full pantry with enough cake mix for 24 dozen cupcakes and enough pop-tarts to get us through 3 blizzards.  Hoa...