The Look for Nearly Nothing: Pink Minidress a la Elizabeth Hurley

Having been rather obsessed with pink lately, and always on the lookout for cute summer dresses, I found Elizabeth  Hurley's outfit at Valentino quite divine:

(Just a word to the wise, though; if you're not Elizabeth Hurley, bubble hems and ruffles on enormous boobs will probably not do you any favors.)

In different light the dress looks purple, but this orchid-y hot pink interpretation was the picture I was working on. So, for your clearance shopping pleasure (most are on final sale!) here are the very cutest, cheapest little pink minidresses out there:

Wicked Thrifty Pink Minidresses by WickedThrifty featuring Wet Seal dresses

Aren't they stunning? And soooo cheap.Sweet.

Liz paired her lovely floaty dress with some (vaguely metallic) leopard-print platforms. Leopard goes with everything and is a fantastic counterpoint to the brightly-hued dress. Check out these inexpensive (under-$35) versions (also mostly on clearance so limited sizing is an issue):

Wicked Thrifty Leopard Pumps by WickedThrifty featuring Charlotte Russe shoes

I kind of love those slutty ankle-strap ones, from a site I've never heard of called MakeMeChic... They are  'coincidentally' only still available in my size (6.5). It's like a sign, right??

I trust you can find your own clutch or use one you own (I have a leopard pony one with optional chain that I picked up at a church yard sale) but in case you want some inspiration, some of the options reminiscent of Liz's nude exotic-skin clutch, all under $40:

Wicked Thrifty Exotic Clutches by WickedThrifty featuring Miss Selfridge bags

Enjoy these picks & let me know if you end up purchasing any of them!

Happy shopping for the look for less!

Please Meet TattooAnnie

I promised a special little something to my 100th follower over on the Twitter a while back, and while that didn't exactly create a stampede to the ol' poorly-updated blog here, I did sign in today to the pleasant surprise of that milestone. Thank you to fellow Etsy seller TattooAnnie for being my 100th lovely regular reader! Previously blogging about her time as an American new to Japan at Akarui Days, TattooAnnie is currently crafting beautiful jewels, hair accessories, buttons, etc. in the TattooAnnie Etsy shop - like these delicious bobbies in some of my favorite colors:

While she could surely do more than justice to her own version, TattooAnnie wins a pair of custom-made chandelier earrings in her choice of colors and finding style (and gigantic-ness). Examples of my own work here of course...

So... I have been devouring design blogs of late as I contemplate a home equity loan or line of credit with which to supplement my already-dwindling savings in order to remodel my really, honestly, crappy little condo. If you have any experience with one or the other of the options for the loan, do leave a comment! But, to that end, the only shopping I've been doing is for carefully-planned full weeks of menus (fresh produce supplemented by my CSA share) and attempts at container gardening and de-purplifying the decor so my fiance feels less like he's moved into my house and more like we've begun a new life together. Right? But yeah, not working all that well; we'd like to renovate enough to rent or sell so we can have a fresh page to start on together.

K'na mean? Have you gone through the move-in process without the benefit of a clean slate?

Congrats Annie and Thanks to you and all of my lovely readers! Happy giveaway winning!