Echo has launched some super adorable hats of synthetic fibers this season, which I would not be tempted to buy. For just a tad more money, you can get their Cashmere-wool blend Lux Collection of hats, scarves, and gloves.
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Photo: eragems |
Nowadays jewelers and customers have access to a wide range of medals. Gold is always an excellent choice when buying earrings, rings, bracelets, and necklaces.
The metal is classic and less expensive than platinum. As it turns out platinum scratches more and isn't as easy to resize as gold if, in years to come, the size of your ring finger changes. For this reason and others, gold is widely used to make engagement rings.
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| Photo: BlueNile.com |
Pure 24K gold (meaning 100% gold) is soft, malleable, and not durable enough to wear as everyday jewelry. The gold we usually wear as a ring is a gold alloy (meaning it is mixed with a harder metal) to make it stronger so your jewelry won't bend or scratch with daily wear.
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| Photo: Novemgold |
Nowadays gold comes in 3 popular colors: Yellow, white, and rose. There are differences between them, but when considering which hue to get, it's more a matter of personal preference.
Yellow gold is the color of pure 24K gold. When making jewelry, yellow gold is an alloy made by mixing it with yellow metals like zinc and copper. It looks fabulous on most skin tones, which is why yellow gold is so popular for engagement rings.
If deciding between yellow, white, or rose gold, it comes down to which one you love the best and sometimes the particular gems you're pairing it with ... I think you can always tell which one to get with just one look after trying on a piece. You know it when you see it. Trust your eyes and heart, and you won't go wrong.
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| Photo: Hamilton |
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| Photo: LL Bean |
The 3 new leggings I'm adding today to my original list cost more and are a tad more durable ... a financial wash to a Savvy Shopper. If you buy and wear new leggings without paying more money, the money you spend is a wash:
1) Uniqlo leggings - Since I comprised my Best Leggings List, the innovative Japanese retailer has stepped up its leggings game now offering a variety of legging styles designed for different climates and purposes. Moreover, the exciting development is the company's sizes now fit tall women over 5'5"! (The retailer's petite sizing kept it off my original roundup.) Best price point for lasting leggings bar none!
The next two are more expensive retailers. Recently each of them has expanded its legging styles + offers better sales:
2) LL Bean leggings - (top image👆) - The merchant has launched what it calls perfect fit leggings for every type of body, and there are styles galore this season. My favorite fabric is jersey smooth cotton with a touch of spandex, but you can also get fleece-lined leggings if you live in an arctic climate. There are 4 fits (or cuts): 1) original (relaxed); 2) straight-leg; 3) slim; and 4) legging. They won't cling, fade or stretch out.
LL Bean's and Landsends' apparel is comparable. From season to season, one retailer will have a better selection, so before buying, I always look at both.
Uniqlo is usually the better-priced retailer for good (or good enough) and unfailingly innovative clothing -- including its pants and leggings. Toss Old Navy and Express into the mix and one of the 5 retailers will offer you a perfect pair of leggings at a steal of a price!🎯
You are set for the fall, winter, and early spring!
The Classic Stonington style on the left page of the catalog is made of pigskin and has a soft flannel interior lining with steady rubber soles.
The new Rugged Cozy boots, which come in 2 styles -- lace-up and mid-roll-down on the right page of the catalog feature premium waterproof suede or nubuck leather with a supportive leather and fleece-lined footbed, plus a long-lasting grooved rubber outsole.
Super adorable and practical flair paired with jeans, leggings, or skirts! No matter which way you go, these durable boots are made for walking in a variety of conditions from a company long renown for producing all-whether outdoor boots!
I see my favorites but having 4 pairs of Ugg boots (different lengths and leathers) plus a pair of L.L. Bean's Storm Chasers, I cannot justify adding a new pair to my fall wardrobe this year, although if doing over, I'd buy these. They are made for walking.
And now for a little entertainment ... how we feel when wearing comfortable, well-made, smart boots that will last for decades to come --
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| eBay sellers are offering the entire collection. Also sold at Walmart and Target. |
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| Photo and recipe courtesy of King Arthur Baking Co. |
If I can't make food, better, healthier, or cheaper, I buy it readymade. Oreos are one of my favorite store-bought cookies. I can't make them better than Nabisco Cadbury Milka, their manufacturer ... and not much cheaper either.
Moreover, are cookies ever healthy? Really ... truly?! It's the sugar that's so bad for us ... as well as, eating too many cookies! So Oreos are a cookie I buy and never bake at home. BTW, if you can find the same crispy chocolate sandwich cookie manufactured by Hydrox, the original inventor of the recipe in your supermarket, buy them. As tasty as Oreos, Hydrox -- the 1st retailer to make them -- deserves your patronage!
Despite never making the chocolate sandwich biscuit myself, I'm curious to know what's in my favorite, sooo delicious, store-bought cookie. Let's turn to a professional baking company for a copycat recipe:
Faux-Reos by King Arthur
Ingredients for the cookie:
Oh, what a lot of sugar, no wonder they're so tasty! Frankly, unless Oreos and Hydrox cookies both disappear from supermarket shelves, I don't plan to make them. Yet seeing the recipe is an education, isn't it ... and I'll hold onto the Faux-Reos recipe to make at home should the day arrive of empty supermarket shelves.
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Here's another easy King Arthur recipe I will make:
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| Photo and recipe courtesy of King Arthur Baking Co. |
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| Photo: gia.edu |
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| The rarer natural citrines are the stones on the right. The rest of the citrines are citrine-heated-amethysts. |
Citrine was 1st used in jewelry by the ancient Greeks between 300 - 150 BC. The yellow quartz rates a 7 on Mohs hardness scale, the same as tanzanite, zircon, and peridot yet is softer than diamonds, sapphires, rubies, emeralds, or topaz. It is suitable to wear as earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and rings with proper care.
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| Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge's Citrine ring that she wears to events. |
A yellow stone, whether it is an ultra-expensive yellow diamond or less-expensive yellow quartz, is not my personal favorite hue in a gemstone, however, I like its brightness as part of a bouquet of colors. Just a personal quirk of mine as yellow isn't one of my favorite colors. I like it best as an accent hue, not as a main color -- not in clothing, nor in flowers, nor in jewelry. Everybody is different though, and there's no logic to what we like; they are only matters of personal preferences. Who knows, one day I may change my mind.💛🙂
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| Photo: Ethan Lazzerini of natural citrine |
The Duchess of Cambridge, nee Kate Middleton seems to love her citrine ring and wears it to a number of functions. And hey, she's prosperous. So see it works! Perhaps she knows something I don't.😉
On vacation, my habit is to wear a pair of earrings and a ring I never take off, even when retiring to bed. I don't want to stress about hotel safes or leaving gold and gemstones behind in a hotel room. If staying in the home of family or friends, however, I might bring a little more bling if there's a compelling reason ... although even then I prefer inexpensive pieces that can be lost. Frankly, while on vacation, I have no desire to be a jewelry minder.
Yet, there might be rare occasions where you need to wear something glittery. In such instances, I love the above inexpensive, scratch-resistant (1) CE (Case Elegance) Travel Jewelry Organizer. First of all, it's real leather with a sturdy interior that costs the same as vegan leather.
Inside, there's plenty of room and compartments to separate and protect everything you might wear: necklaces, rings, earrings, and bracelets. I think you could get away with fitting it inside a tote or large purse, and certainly, it's compact enough to lock inside a suitcase or room safe. It's good value for the money!
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Photo: Allrecipes |
Whenever I see cucumbers I think of my Bavarian grandmother, who was the only person I know to make gurkensalat (or cucumber salad). My mother, an excellent home cook and her daughter, didn't make it. Mom always used cucumbers in a green salad to serve as a side with whatever dinner she prepared for us. I have memories of my Oma visiting us and making her gurkensalat in our kitchen. We liked it, but none of us have her recipe. As an adult, I had to try to figure it out from memories of eating it as well as seeing her make it:
Oma's Gurkensalat
Directions:
1) Slice the cucumbers as thin as possible. Oma used a mandoline, but it can be done with a sharp knife.
2) Slice the onions thin too and toss them in with the cucumbers.
3) Add the sour cream (or mayonnaise). Oma loved sour cream.
4) Add the seasonings, and taste the salad. Adjust. Oma would sprinkle in a little sugar to balance the sour vinegar.
She let the flavors marinate for at least 30 minutes in the refrigerator before serving it. The water from the cucumbers will draw out, so don't add tablespoons of water to counter the sharpness of the vinegar right away. Let the salad settle first.
After chilling, it is ready to put on the table. Gurkensalat is a refreshing, light side dish with a crunch. Enjoy!
Three blogs ago I featured two end-of-summer sale dresses I added to my wardrobe for next year. Here are the dresses and swimsuits I passed on buying to be financially responsible. They are equally stylish and excellent buys!
1) Landsend Cotton Jersey Sleeveless Swim Cover-up Dress (top image👆) - The 100% soft cotton jersey is a thick fabric with a notch neck and neatly finished armholes that you can wear as a summer dress when not covering up a bathing suit. Why not, it's adorable!
2) Columbia Freezer III Dress - The Freezer III dress made its feature debut on THE SAVVY SHOPPER in early July and now it's on sale! Its wicking fabric pulls moisture away from the body to keep you dry and cool. In addition, the ultra-dapper summer dress has UPF 30 in its fabric to block UVA and UVB rays. Some of the patterns are gone, but not all, and the classic dress should return again next summer.
