CHERISH's space

I am way to busy putting final touches on a presentation right now, but I HAD to post these. I don’t have a clue where I’d wear them or what I’d wear them with but these over-the-knee (OTK) boots look AMAZING!!! This is the Prada OTK Boot in super soft leather with a 4.5 inch heel… At $1400 I won’t be purchasing them but I can’t wait to see a celeb or two rocking these! OTK boots are in this year so get ready to see them everywhere in the fall! There are plenty more options posted over at Coco’s Tea Party… check them out!

Don’t have time for much of a post since I’m doing this over my lunch, but I wanted to get these pics up since people kept asking! Here is the before pic from when I bought everything just over a month ago and there were all baby plants stored in this open box…

And now here’s what we have….

My “dill tree” (its growing so fast!), some parsley and the thyme (silver and golden)….

Rosemary, more parsley and basil (the basil is struggling)…

My mint container – orange mint, pineapple mint and chocolate mint… when the girls get in town for the 4th is mojitos for breakfast lunch and dinner every day!!

Romaine lettuce in a pot that is undoubtedly too small… what to do? what to do?

Strawberries…. I am clueless here, I’d be happy if I actually see one grow…

My prized Sweet 100s!!! (Cherry tomatoes). I am sooooo excited about this plant!

The flowers of the tomatoes,a long with pics of the tomatoes that are growing now!

And since I’m on my green pedestal for now, today’s item of the day is the new Hefty garbage bag made with 65% recycled materials! People always complain that “green” products cost more or are of subpar quality… well not these bags! They are strong, costs the same as other bags (even less the first time I bought them) and are in my favorite color (silvery gray)! I just bought a box at Jewel-Osco in Chicago on sale for $4.99 for the smaller box of about 24 bags! Another alternative that is in the same price range is Seventh Generation, which sells 55% recycled content trash bags. Be sure to keep an eye out for them in your local stores!

And while using recycled plastic for trash bags is better than using virgin plastic, if you want to go a step further with your “green-ness” then go with the biodegradable trash bags such as these made by BioBag USA! Reviews are mixed and it seems the bags may not be the best for heavy duty trashing (you can read in the specs that the Hefty bag is .92 mil and the BioBag is .72 mil… its also more expensive with only 12 bags to a box).

I’ve mentioned my best friend Sharon in numerous blogs over the years, but i don’t believe I’ve ever talked about her living with lupus. She was diagnosed in 2002, while we were at the height of enjoying our final year in college. Talk about a life changing disease! I have watched her, strong as ever, fight off random flare ups over the years. The most recent having one of the greatest impacts of all and forcing her to leave the new life she had built on a dream she pursued, to return to our hometown of Detroit where she’d be closer to family.

To help lift her spirits I practically forced begged her to join Facebook to get reacquainted with old friends. She ended up loving it and has some of the funniest status posts and conversations on there (along with that First Grade picture Marquis posted that is absolutely hilarious). April came up with the great idea of signing up a team for the 2009 Detroit Alliance for Lupus Research (ALR) Walk with Us to Cure Lupus Walkathon. To get us started on our “team expansion” and “donor solicitation” we created a really cool blog to tell her story and encourage others living with lupus by showing them they are not alone. If you get a chance, check out the blog at the link below….but we warn you, you may need a few tissues when you read her story in the right column!!

http://teamcakesylupuswalk.blogspot.com

Here are a few pics my Dad took of us playing around on the Riverwalk…

and my favorite photo of the bunch…

Please feel free to pass along this post or the link above to anyone you know that may be interested. The responses have been overwhelming and we’re already getting donations and pledges to walk with us from all over the country.

As for the Item of the Day, I recently made my “investment” purchase of the year. I had been looking for a black purse and narrowed it down to 5 choices. Turned out, one of the choices came up in a Gilt.com sale recently! I was soooo excited! If you haven’t checked out gilt.com yet, its a website where you can purchase high end designer items up to 70% off of retail price. The “sales” are announced at noon each day, include a limited number of hand-picked items from select designer labels, and then last only 36 hours. So my purse that was originally listed at $580 (currently on sale at botkier.com for $297) cost me even less than the current sale price – WITH shipping!!

If you’re interested in checking out the sales on gilt.com go to my sign up link to set up your own account and brose the daily sales.

I am so in love with this handbag, and really happy I got it at half of the price I had budgeted for my 2009 investment piece. I decided to take a portion of my savings (is that really considered savings????) and buy these Coach Gillian gladiator sandals in the color “Sand”, with Gold hardware. They were half off during the Macy’s sale and after trying on nearly 30 pairs of gladiators, these were by far the most comfortable I found.

This year I decided to take my “green-ness” to the next level in a way that utilized this extreme southern exposure my balcony has… since installing a solar panel isn’t feasible at the moment (plus I am just renting) I decided to start an urban garden on my balcony!! Here is a pic of the plants when I brought them home after a trip with my great friend Sandi to Johansen Farms in Bolingbrook, IL.

I bought a few pots and I have some “long planter thingies that hang from the balcony” (I have no idea what the proper term is). The fashionista in me had to get the Pink Breast Cancer Awareness gardening gloves and matching shovel trowel by Bond. I really wanted to buy the whole set but my “Gardening Trainer”, Sandi, reminded me (repeatedly) that I am on a balcony, not in a yard, so the hose and rake were not likely to be needed.

While I decided to take on some Sweet 100’s (tomatoes) most of the items are herbs. I love to cook using natural herbs so this seemed like a great place to start. I didn’t research the Sweet 100s until after I bought them and apparently they grow very tall…. up to 8 feet tall… LOL… this will be interesting! This is what they are supposed to look like once they start to grow:

The herbs I’m growing include three types of Mint: Pineapple, Chocolate and Orange… (they all smell wonderful)

Golden thyme and silver thyme…

Fernleaf dill and rosemary…

Plain parsley and large leaf basil…

and lastly, strawberries and romaine lettuce (which does not look anywhere close to the photo just yet)!

I am so excited about this venture… I just wish the Chicago weather would cooperate. Lately its been so cold at night I’ve had to bring the plants inside so they are still in their tiny pots and I am ready to plant them! Maybe this weekend we can do that and get these things outdoors! On that note, my item of the day is another “green” (kinda) object… a bike! I have a bike my dad gave me last year but its pretty beat up and “manly” so I want a new one… something girly and kinda vintage looking… On one hand, a bike is a bike… but on the other hand… I’ve got a reputation to uphold! I’ve got two vastly different choices that are on my mind now… on the used end, I found this great vintage Sears bike at a shop on the Northside. I was going to drive up there to look at when I came home and discovered that someone had hit my car while I was at work and left a nice dent in it. So the bike purchase has been put on hold for now…

While I love that bike, I’ve heard tons of stories (some good and some bad) about buying used bikes so I’ve also been looking into newer bikes. This Classic Cruiser on at Trekbikes.com would be PERFECT! Lets see how the rest of the year goes… time to go grab a few lottery tickets! LOL

Last week “Bobby” assigned me the personal shopping task of finding some new jeans for him. Since I helped him pick out the two pairs that he loves most, I already have any idea of the cut/style/fit he likes best:

• Loose and long, but not baggy (he’s a tall guy with an athletic build)
• No rips, tears, bleaching, jewels, studs, etc (LOL - understood)
• Softer denim (he likes the broken in feel but they have to be heavy enough to stand up to his wear and tear)
• Designer names, but budget friendly

Such an easy task for me. With the sales going on at Macy’s (including a number of 80% off racks) and the coupons for 20% off your total purchase… this was gonna be a breeze. Since he didn’t give a budget amount I just bought the top 5 pair that I thought would fit best, and figured he could try them on at home and I’d return the ones that don’t fit. JACKPOT!!!! All five pair fit PERFECTLY!

Admittedly, I cheated a little… his favorite pair of jeans are by Guess and 575 denim. Since Macy’s didn’t have 575 I focused on the Guess jeans. Because he wears a 34” inseam I tend to lean towards the basic cuts because of the longer option. Many of the premium/special styles are 32” or 33” inseam. So here’s the final listing and amazing prices… now the hard part is narrowing it down to which ones will be returned!

Guess Men’s Falcon Jean (slim fit, low rise, boot cut) in Midnight Gray (not same color at photo) Original Price: $98, Sale Price $28    **Found a pair on Ebay in a lighter shade of gray for $10! I was totally surprised that he liked the dark gray. I made him put them on with his white Nikes to show him the true effect.

Seven for All Mankind Relaxed fit in Los Feliz Wash. Original Price $189, Sale Price $103 **These are so soft and broken in, they were definitely his favorites of the bunch before I even told him they were Seven.

Guess Dean Relaxed Fit (easy fit, regular rise, straight leg) in Detroit Wash. Original Price $79, Sale Price $63    **Currently on sale at Macys for $58. A great basic jean that has a soft feel to it.

Guess Rebel fit (regular fit, low rise, straight leg) in World Wash Original Price $108, Sale Price $31 **I really like the pockets on these but the denim isn’t as naturally broken in as the others. His favorite Guess jeans are Rebel fit and they wear-in very well with time.

Guess Dean Zip Fly Relaxed fit (regular rise, straight leg) in Viper Wash, Original Price $79, Sale Price $63 **By default I think these earn my “return” vote… a lot more simpler than most of the others and the color is similar to some he already has.

…and while I’m dedicating this blog entry to the men, I may as well give them an item of the day… vintage/limited edition/one of a kind gym shoes… found at Chicago’s own Self Conscious (located at 1021 West Lake St). I mentioned this place a year ago before I moved to Chicago, as one of my recommended shopping spots in the city. I dragged “Bobby” in there a year ago and now he can’t stay out of the place. The guys who work there are all super cool, the music feels like you’re at the club and they are open until 12AM on weekends. Yes fellas, you can swing by on your way to a bar or midnight bowling and pick up a new outfit or some shoes to match the one you have on. Admittedly, the girls and I stopped through last night while we were out wasting time in the city so I could show them the hidden gem that the men in their lives would absolutely love. (Photos taken from sneakerfiles.com)

Happy shopping!!!