Recently (ok, 6 years ago, but still…) we removed the beige wall-to-wall carpeting furnished by our condo developer and installed hardwood floors in the living room, dining room and kitchen. With our blue and white beachy decor we enjoyed the new feeling of lightness and openness. But the last 2 years, TBG has been asking for an area rug under the coffee table: he just thought it looked a little bare. Since we usually only visit the condo a few weeks a year, it was never a priority and we casually glanced at area rugs when we shopped, I checked out rugs in the mountains of catalogs the postman delivered, and I honed in on the flooring selections in my baskets of shelter magazines. Finally, a decision: flokati!

Flokati is a traditional handmade Greek rug made from longhair wool. I thought a white shaggy rug would be perfect for the living room: light and open, casual and fun, easy and clean. So the serious shopping and price comparing began. After being shocked by prices in the $$$ thousands (I decided I didn’t need it to be that authentic) we narrowed it down to choices at West Elm and Ikea. And because at that moment there was not a West Elm near our SoFlo condo and Ikea was only 30 minutes away, (and I had a sudden sense of urgency that I couldn’t wait 2 weeks for delivery!) TBG and moi made the short drive to Ikea, and $79.99 later, we finally had flokati.

Quickly installed under the coffee table, we stood back and admired our new area rug.

Too simple, right? What did we overlook?

Mignette.

When Mignette adopted us on a cold snowy day in Paris, it was mutual love at first sight. We’d never been owned by a Maltese before, and once she and all her Burberry accessories moved in, we were happy to learn that Maltese don’t shed and they are “hypo-allergenic”: because they have hair, not fur, Maltese don’t shed. Sure I find white hair on my black knit yoga pants, but no different than a human’s hair: when you brush her hair, some ends up in the brush. You should see moi bathroom after washing and drying my hair: it looks like a hair salon! Second, Maltese hair is considered non-allergic. Basically anything can cause allergies for some people, but TBG and both kids suffer from allergies, and for years we suffered through dog allergies with our great danes and golden retrievers. With Mignettes, no sniffling, no sneezes.

No problem, right? Wrong.

Mignette and the new flokati are the same color and have the same hair length. Fortunaltely Mignette is always decked out in a hot pink bow and collar or we’d step on her when crossing the room. Details!

2nd miss: Mignette doesn’t shed but flokati does: who knew?

So everyday I have to get out the electric Swifter and vacuum the living room, dining room and kitchen for little white fluff balls. How does it spread so far? In SoFlo the fan is on year-round, and the air-conditioning at least 9 months of the year, and all that air circulation keeps flokati fluff floating.

Doesn’t sound like such a big problem, does it? With less than $100 invested, it’s easy enough to find another rug.

Not so fast…Mignette loves to cuddle on the flokati. And what Mignette wants, Mignette gets. We just watch where we walk, and keep the swifter nearby.

I’m shopping now! Christmas is just days away, and to help with your Christmas shopping every day I’m sharing one of my finds! But shhhh, don’t tell: these gift ideas are our little secret!

2 Days

The perfect do-ahead or last-minute gift: something homemade from your kitchen. Every year I go to Omaha for a holiday bake-a-thon with moi bff J. Every year we add new recipes, reject some previous efforts, and always bake our favorites. I return home with my freezer and pantry stocked up for holiday giving, family dinners, and anytime snacking and nibbling.  read more…

3 Days

Spode Believe Tray reg $20, now $8,99  at Macy’s Perfect as a hostess gift, or for your own holiday table. At this price, stock up! Exclusive to Macy’s

4 Days

Knit Endless Metallic Scarf Ann Taylor $40-%40 She’ll sparkle and shimmer in this soft and stylish eternity scarf: in 3 colors. On sale in stores and online.

5 Days

Pink Rhinestone Wireless Mouse Juicy Couture $55 It’s the Christmas mouse: but she’ll love this pink and sparkly mouse, with it’s matching thumb drive

6 Days

Apple TV Apple $99 Connects to your TV and lets you wirelessly stream movies, TV shows, photos; rent movies from iTunes, NetFlix, or play from your iPhone, iTouch, or iPad.

7 Days

Sing-A-Ma-Jig Toys R Us $9.99-12.99 The hottest childrens’ Christmas gift this season! 14 different crazy colorful characters: each sings his own song, or can sing in concert with other Sing-A-Ma-Jigs! Collect them all!

8 Days

Customized Children’s Book starring your favorite little bit  Shutterfly $39.95 Turn your favorite child into the star of her own adventure book co-starring one of her favorite characters, including Dora, Diego, SpongeBob and the Sesame Street gang.

9 Days

Haiti Quake Relief through World Vision $25 – $250 Millions of children and families still suffering in Haiti will benefit from your gift. Each gift multiplies 3x: so a gift of $25 provides $75 worth of essential food, healthcare, and agricultural support.

10 Days

Omaha Steaks The Tasteful Gift $69.99 with free shipping The perfect family gift: dinner for 4, plus leftovers!

11 Days

Mother of Pearl Servers $45 Jayson Home and Garden For the hostess with the mostest. Or for the mother-in-law who never likes anything you give her.

12 Days

fly around the globe silverplate keychain by Marc Jacobs $17.99 on ebay. I have the sterling silver version Tiffany sold a few years ago: this is a rock-bottom price!

13 Days

Good Night Chicago       Good Night New York City        Good Night Boston       Good Night San Francisco and cities and states $9.95 at amazon.com or your local bookstore. Share your favorite city with the little bit in your life!

14 Days

Kooky Snowflake Sparkled Socks $12.99 Little Miss Mismatched Any little girl on your list will love the cutest, coziest socks ever! And boys styles too!

15 Days

Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan $24.00 amazon.com

barefoot contessa how easy is that? by Ina Garten $18.90 amazon.com

These two cookbooks are on Moi Christmas list: any home cook will be happy to receive these new editions by two of moi favorite cookbook authors.

16 Days

Blink Card Game$4.99   Mad Gabs $25.48   Scrabble Flash Cubes  $29.99 at Target Family game night? Dinner and board game with the neighbors? These new games will keep the fun going in 2011.

17 Days

Holiday CDs from Borders $9.99 – $16.99 plus discounts from 20-50%: sign-up for the emails! I’m a Borders fanatic: the frequent deals and discounts can’t be beat. There’s a whole batch of new CDs to update your holiday playlist, and this year I’m gifting:

18 Days

Steak Pet Treats from Omaha Steaks $6.99 If they’re good enough for you, think how much your dog or cat will love these treats! Dried round steak with natural preservatives.

19 days

Giant Caramel Apple from Williams-Sonoma $22.95 Dessert, breakfast or an afternoon snack: the whole family will love this sweet treat (healthy too!)

20 Days

Whiskey Stones from Z Gallerie $20.95 Keep the drinks cold without diluting them. These Vermont soapstone cubes are stored in the freezer and will instantly chill the drink without watering it down.

21 Days

Digital Luggage Scale The Container Store $19.99 Travelers will love this! It used to be a pound or two overweight luggage wasn’t a problem: these days it will cost you $$$. Weighing only 8 oz, this little scale can weigh your luggage up to 88 lbs.

22 Days

Francophile Push Pins from Ballard Designs 24 for $24 Bees, Eiffel Towers and Fleur-de-lys: Bonjour Paris! When she’s stuck at her desk inspire her travel dreams with these cute and useful push pins. Free shipping on orders over $50!

23 Days

Leather iPhone Sleeve from Pottery Barn $10 Monogram available, free shipping! This distressed buffalo leather case will protect his iPhone with style.

24 Days

Mini Double-Heart Tag Pendant by Tiffany $100 The little blue box with this classic Tiffany motif will bring a smile to any girl from 12 to 21 to 61! Sterling silver with a 16″ chain.

25 Days

Capri Blue Candle Jar Anthropologie $28 I adore this scent, and the color and smell take me back to one of my favorite islands. The soy wax burns over 100 hours so they’ll remember your kindness for months.

26 Days

Toile Kitchen Gloves from Paper Source $9.95 Ooh-la-la! Some things are a fact of life, and doing dishes is one of them. Why not clean-up in style with these fun and practical black and white toile kitchen gloves.

27 Days

Beyonce Heat Perfumes at ULTA $39 – 62 The hottest new scent of the season comes in 3 different sizes at ULTA. And be sure to grab ULTA’s catalogue or check their on-line sales for serious discounts and free gifts with purchase.

28 Days

Casio Portable Digital Keyboard from Costco $119.99 (extra $30 off until Nov 28!) The musician in the family will love having their own keyboard to create musical memories, and the rest of the family will appreciate the headphones that pipe the music ONLY into the wearers ears!

29 Days

Cowboy Boot Slippers from Orvis $29-39 No cold feet with these warm and stylin’ slippers! Your urban cowgirl or cowkid will love furry lining and the rubber soles will keep little-ones safe and cozy. Infant, youth and women’s sizes.

30 Days

Jacques Torres Chocolate Covered Cheerios $5 You can’t go wrong with chocolate…or cheerios…or Jacques Torres! And for $5 what teacher, child, or hostess won’t love to open this crunchy sweet and salty little bundle. Larger sizes also available.

]]> http://shesshoppingnow.com/gift-countdown-to-christmas/feed/ 1 http://shesshoppingnow.com/30-gifts-in-30-days-are-you-counting-down-to-christmas/ http://shesshoppingnow.com/30-gifts-in-30-days-are-you-counting-down-to-christmas/#comments Mon, 06 Dec 2010 11:00:41 +0000 Moi http://shesshoppingnow.com/?p=3413

Only 20 More Days Til Christmas!

Christmas is right around the corner, and we have a new holiday gift idea for every day of the week. If you’re making a list, and checking it twice, here’s a holiday gift idea for everyone on your list!

click here for: 30 Gifts in 30 Days

Be sure to check back every day for a new gift idea… for someone special, or maybe a gift just for you!

One of the perks of a snowy slushy freezing day outside is a chance to curl up in front of a fire inside. With a good book? Mais non, with the stack of catalogues that have been accumulating since the holidays! Today, Moi discovered:

Crows Nest Trading Co

Featuring clothes, accessories and furnishings with a definite western/southwestern flare, the catalogue caught my eye even though by the last page I was a little overdosed with turquoise and antlers. Billing itself lodge decor, I have a feeling Omaha bff J would definitely shop here!

I loved this armoire, particularly the turqoise blue wash. In fact, it reminded me of my recent trip to India (except for the silver cross motif), where the wooden doorways and much of the furniture is painted blue and aged (real or faux) and is a popular US export.

But what I really craved was the collection of peasant-style cotton embroidered shirts. White embroidered with turquoise, green studded with mirrors and beads, black stitched with dazzling flowers and lacework: these were exactly the bobo (bourgeois bohemian) look that I like, and have collected on my travels to Greece, Poland, Hungary, and other Eastern European countries.

Hmmm…. Can Moi get away with rocking the cowgirl rain boots?

]]> http://shesshoppingnow.com/sub-urban-cowgirl-chic/feed/ 7 http://shesshoppingnow.com/be-mine/ http://shesshoppingnow.com/be-mine/#comments Sun, 07 Feb 2010 11:00:08 +0000 Moi http://shesshoppingnow.com/?p=1431

Valentine’s Day is just 1 week away, and my catalogue fetish has yielded a few fresh and fun ideas to proclaim your love:

je t’aime / j’adore Reversible Pillow

Exclusive to Ballard Designs, this limited edition pillow shares your deepest feelings with someone you love at only $49

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Homemade, chocolate, and red: all your Valentines Day favorites to make for your family from Williams-Sonoma. This set at $34.95 includes the whoopie pie pan and red velvet whoopie pie mix. Yum

Heart of Gold Paperweight

Having this daily reminder of your love will give someone special time to think of you everyday. From RSH Catalog at $15

Love and Kisses Etched Tumblers

Buy a pair, or a set of 4: proclaim your love with these fun glasses for wine or juice or anything else. Wine Enthusiast at $19.99-29.99

Santa’s Helper (Moi!) has been busy every day giving you ideas for everyone on your Christmas list. Have you been checking Moi list? I’m checking all my secret sources, and bringing you a fun new gift idea every day, now until Christmas. Did you miss a few gift days? Never fear…Moi saved them all for you!

To make it extra easy, everything Moi recommends can be bought online…and you can avoid the crowds on Black Friday! Catalogue Countdown to Christmas: are you shopping now?

Moi tip: lots of Moi friends have great Christmas gift ideas too, so follow Moi on twitter! 

Only 45 days left until Christmas.

What! You haven’t been checking the blog every day for tips to get your Christmas shopping started? So you missed days 60-45? Not to worry, Moi is saving every Christmas shopping tip just for you. Check  Shes Shopping Now every day to see what Moi found that is perfect for someone on your Christmas list…It won’t be in your mail box, just like Santa, I’ve made a list, and you have to check the blog twice (or 60 times!) for Moi Catalogue Countdown to Christmas: 60 Gifts in 60 Days.

And today, just for you, Moi is adding a bonus Christmas shopping gift, perfect for someone, maybe even several someones, on your list.

I saw this great little picture hanging system at the NY Historical Society Museum Gift Shop, and tracked down the best online price of $10 at Amazon. I’ve purchased several different types of photo mobile displays, but I really liked this one because it takes up so little space: you can hang it from the ceiling, and display postcards, photos, notecards, recipes, memos, or up to 8 different items.

Called the Mighty Mini Magnet Cable Photo Frame Set, it’s perfect for the dorm room, the bathroom, kitchen, baby’s room or office, great for guys or gals: but its not a toy, so don’t give it to the Little Bits.  It’s also the perfect gift to keep on hand in your goodie gift drawer for those emergency gift situations.

I’ve mentioned before that one of my fave spots for scoping out unusual and creative gifts is museum gift shops. Last week I happened to visit several in addition to the NY Historical Society. I was meeting a friend at the Neue Museum for lunch and the new Klimt exhibit, and I was a little early, so had time to visit the gift shops at the Met, at the Guggenheim, and at the Jewish Historical Museum, all within a 5 minute walk of the Neue Gallerie.

The Guggenheim gift shop has a photo mobile for sale for $17, which is another great anybody-gift option if you’re working on your Christmas list, or even your birthday 2010 lists! It’s constructed a little differently than the photo cable, the photos (or whatever you choose: be creative!) attach with clips, and you can display up to 20 cards or photos on the mobile. Plus like any mobile, its light, moves with the breeze, and gets some clutter up off of your desktop!

When I finally made it to the Neue Galerie, we stopped first in the Café Sabarsky, a Viennese -style café where for a few moments with the strong scents of coffee and chocolate you can imagine yourself back in Vienna; we opened the menu and what did Moi see: Weisswurst with Händlemaier’s Bavarian mustard: Moi favorite!

And what does all this have to do with Moi Catalogue Countdown to Christmas? Because Moi is always shopping, all year, every place, looking for just the right gift for that special person; and Moi is sharing her shopping discoveries with you this Christmas. So throw away those catalogues stacking up in your mailbox, because Moi is checking them out.

Any shopping secrets you’d care to share…feel free to comment!

I’m Shopping Now!