moving day...change those bookmarks!!

well, here's some excitement...as of today, please come over and join us at the all new shoppingsmycardio!!!

for those who are kind enough to have us bookmarked or in their RSS, it's time to change both to: http://www.shoppingsmycardio.com.

best of all, we're celebrating by giving stuff away...and presents always make parties more fun! see you there!

happy long weekend!

(sorry...sacrilege perhaps, but i so could not resist this picture. that's a wedding dress, by the way...in case you were wondering.)

dear readers, i'm taking a much-needed long weekend to recharge. but, if the powers that be (ie, my darling hubs) smile upon us, i'll have a lovely surprise next week!

in lieu of my regularly eloquent posts (ha!), check out the new feature to your left (right there under those annoying ads that, sadly, pay the bills). i'll let you know whenever i find someone else's opinion out there in blogland utterly fantastic. happens more often than you'd think!

and if you're still hungry for more, jonathan adler came up with the best nod to patriotism i've heard lately...check it out here.

so, have a lovely weekend - rest much, drink much, and save the shopping for monday!

xo,
SMC

designer of the day: peggy li jewelry

for all of the time that i spend shopping (and trust me, it's a lot), i rarely come across a jewelry designer that gets me really excited. i see a lot of "oh, isn't that cute," or "if only i could afford that", but it's rare for me to really fall hard for a jewelry line. so when i find a designer whose pieces are stylish, well-made, unique, gorgeous, and affordable...well, i have to sing their praises.

the lovely peggy li is my latest find, and i couldn't be happier. all of her designs are delicate, stylish, impeccably made, and impossibly affordable.


i've been wearing her gorgeous 'diamonds in the rough' necklace nonstop since it arrived, and people literally stop me on the street when i'm wearing it. i adore the organic shape of those raw diamond beads, and their unusual chocolate brown color. and the chain is this impossibly lacy, delicate link chain...details i would expect from a truly high end designer. in a million years, you'd never guess it was only $65.


another piece i just love is her rudilated quartz spy pendant. it just looks like something you got in some fabulously overpriced antique store, or better yet, in the jewelry department at barney's. the chain has fabulous detailing, and the stone on that pendant...it's just such a fantastic statement piece. oh, and did i mention you can order her necklaces in a range of lengths? just makes me love her even more!


and i was just coveting a pair of earrings almost exactly like these brushed gold ovals for an entire episode of gossip girl - how exciting to find them on peggy's site...for under $50! once again, the detail on these is what makes them really special. that gorgeous brushed gold detail, the wire wrap at the top to add texture - they're just perfect.

best of all, the designer is just about as sweet as can be - and i always love buying from designers that are still as involved in their product as she is. every piece is still made by hand, by her...and it shows.

head over to peggy's website, and i think you'll enjoy getting lost in her world as much i did!

deal of the day: regents secret

i know, the sample sale sites are everywhere now. but truth be told, i'm glad they're there...i get a little sick of bluefly being my only option for great deals on designers goods, and honestly, even they've been lagging lately.

regent's secret is the newest incarnation, and they have a style all their own. for my readers that eschew the more preppy, styles you can rely on from hautelook, and can't afford the high-end couture at gilt, even at sample sale prices, regent's secret offers sample sales for the cool kids.

this week, you can hook your other half up with some style at the frankie b. sale that starts tonight at midnight - i'm anxiously awaiting this opportunity to make my hubs even cuter than normal.

or, hang on to your wallet until monday, and pick up some of the darling, tattoo-inspired wares from SMET.


hold out even longer, and you'll be able to score some ultra-cool cavalli sunglasses on the 10th. that's the one i'm saving up for!

to get signed up, make sure you head over to regent's secret via the links here, and then you can just enter my email addy - shoppingsmycardio at gmail.com - to bypass that whole 'invite-only' madness.

SMC beauty buys: darphin redness relief serum

i always just hate trying things from darphin. they're fantastic to use, work exactly as promised, and it feels like such an indulgence every time i put on a darphin product. so, i get all addicted. and truth in advertising generally comes at a high price, i'm sorry to say.

so now, just in time for summer (aka, my face's nightmare season), darphin has introduced this amazing redness relief soothing serum. which, honestly and truly, does just that. i was seriously skeptical - my face is fairer than fair, with only its borderline rosacea to add a splash of color. but this serum is going a long way toward delivering that milky, luminous complexion i dream of one day possessing. it's totally soothing to apply, and has a lovely fragrance as well.

sigh...guess i'm stuck with another can't-live-without product from darphin. the world is so unfair.

if you're in the market for a new serum, or if redness on your face plagues you during warm weather like it does me, this is one of those times i think it's worth it to give in and splurge. and one thing i'll say about darphin is the products do last for months. so, you can use my trusty "cost per wear" justification here. handy little tool, isn't it?

deal of the day: yellow ruffle blouse

again with the juicy couture...i'm scaring myself a little. but gah, this top is so cute! and marked down 40% in the net-a-porter summer sale. it'll be darling with shorts this summer, and i can totally see this dressed up for work with a contrasting cardi and trouser jeans. nab it for $106 while you can. fab.u.lous.