Be Yourself, Together

We are entering into the end of wedding season. I can't believe another one has nearly come and gone! It seems like just yesterday we were walking down the aisle ourselves, and now here we are, five months into married life and heading into the last month or two of wedding mania for 2013.

Fall is a super popular time to get married. The cooler weather and pretty leaves add up to a gorgeous weekend for the party and photos alike. I always thought I might get married in the Fall. Although, the Fall is not an ideal time to get married here in the South. We take our Football Game Days seriously, y'all. So it worked out just fine that we got married in the stunningly gorgeous month of April instead ;)

We have just one more wedding to attend this year -- the wedding of one of our own Best Men, actually. We are so excited to celebrate with him and his fiance, and have already been thinking about all of the great wedding gifts we can give them to help them celebrate together as newlyweds.

When I shop for wedding gifts, I love finding something that fits the couple just so. Most of the time I shop from their Registry, since I know those are things that they really need and want. That's what the Registry is for, after all! Also, I will confess: I always have fun checking out what everyone has registered for. It's like getting a little, secret glimpse into their life-to-come, all via their flatware, china and bedding.

My favorite types of gifts are the ones that combine something "Registry" with a little "bonus" something that says something about them as a couple. Like a set of their rocks glasses paired with pretty cloth cocktail napkins -- the guy can enjoy his evening beverage while the girl enjoys playing hostess with gal pals. We got a fun gift along the same lines; bath towels combined with bubble bath and a book all about love. Utilitarian towels for him; girly relaxation time for me. Hooray! We both win!

This is why I love this year's Target Wedding theme of "Be Yourself, Together," which celebrates the unique qualities each individual brings to a relationship that, when combined, result in something beautiful. The Target Wedding Registry line includes traditional wedding items like vacuums and stand mixers, as well as some fun, non-traditional items to help make that gift extra special.

I went shopping around the store this week for my own Be Yourself, Together gift idea, and had fun pairing up these two items --



Gorgeous Fieldcrest bedding (who doesn't love that line, seriously? I have eyed that brand for YEARS,  am telling you!) with ...

A yoga set! Sleepyhead snoozer meets early morning gym rat. This is such a fun way to look at gift giving, and takes shopping off the registry to a whole new, personalized level. Plus, in this case, who's to say that the snoozer can't appreciate the yoga set as an evening routine, instead? It's not all about sun salutations, after all!

Follow along on Twitter for inspiration on other fun "Be Yourself, Together" gift ideas by searching the hashtag #TargetWedding. And be sure to check out the Target Wedding Catalog for even more fun ideas, and the Target Wedding website as you finish out shopping for these last few 2013 weddings -- or if you, yourself, are on the list to get married next!

Happy Shopping, and Best Wishes!!

Disclosure: I received compensation in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own. I truly love both Target AND weddings :) Content and/or other value provided by our partner, Target.

And I Even Forgot to Title This ...

I have gotten a bit absent minded in my older 20's. What is wrong with me, I'm not sure, but I am sure that with the multitasking and Blackberrying and blogging, the other thoughts in my head get a bit mish-mashed from time to time. It's no wonder, then, that I have had to release my key at the condo to the concierge staff to check that I had unplugged my hair straightener (I had) at least once. Other times, I attempted to ration with myself that I likely did unplug it from force of habit, and thankfully, I was right :)

Earlier this week, we got home from busy days at work, ordered pizza on the cold and dreary night, and sat back to enjoy some TiVo-ed Star Wars (I am a closet geek) and quiet time.

And then I remembered I had left my gosh darn lava lamp on at work. Gah. 

I am so incredibly OCD about burning some place down due to my own absent-mindessness that I HAD to drive back down to the office, unplug the lava lamp (yep, it was still on) and then drive all the way back home. On the way home, I realized though, hey, aren't there timer-thingys that could help with this? That could shut off the lamp if I for some reason forget to?

So off to Tar-gay I went. 

Every dangerous female shopping story begins with that line, I think :P

One hour later, as the store was approaching close, I walked out the doors with a bag in hand that didn't include any timer things (I looked, I swear) and instead was full of random, but useful, items. A box of nails (we were out). An under-the-counter light (the kitchen corner is really dark). And two, count-em', two pairs of jeggings.

A few weeks ago I got a tip from my bloggy and in-real-life-from-high-school friend Lauren's roommate (still following me?) Brittney that she had stumbled upon Target's newest jeans and jeggings, and how perfect they were for gals of all shapes and sizes. Being a typical girl that struggles to find well-fitting and high-quality, budget-friendly options in that department, I was sure to check them out while I was there. And sure enough, there are new displays of jeans featuring options for each body shape!

Pick out your shape size, find the style of jean you want, whether bootcut or straight leg, and voila! Perfect-fitting jeans for way less hassle than you usually might have to deal with as a girl. I can testify - it was a pretty seamless process. With my athletic curves and a desire to keep pants a bit higher-rise for work, I fit best into the Fit 4. The two pairs of jeggings (at Target that phrase means super skinny jeans that are perfect for under boots, but otherwise appear to be regular jeans with pockets and everything!) I picked up are both Fit 4, and I love them. The best part was that I only spent $20 a pop on them. Score!

So maybe I didn't end up with the one item that I stopped into Target for (I hear Home Depot might be a better spot to check for those timers?), but I did find a worthy investment at a great price on some new pants for the upcoming season change. And in my mind, that further supports that any trip to Target is a worthwhile trip. At least until my bank account tells me no, that is.

Where do you find your go-to jeans? What styles fit you best? 

Hi My Name is Katherine

I don't know about you, but I can literally go to Target once a week and easily kill an hour looking around.

It started when I was in high school. I was at first incensed that they were going to cut down a huge strip of forest by our high school to put in yet another strip mall. But goodness, I was quickly converted when what went into that mall, but a brand new Super Target. LOVE. I would find myself there after school on a free weeknight, or heading there on a Saturday, just to shop around and see what was new.

Last month, I mentioned that I interned with Target during college. I was out on the floors five days a week, helping manage the store. A normal person would have their fill of Target in that time, right? Wrong. I literally (no joke) often found myself heading to another Target store on my days off.

Yes, I am weird. But I found that if you go often enough, you can grab the sales when they hit the shelves, before they sell out! It's a very bad addiction. I try and let myself only buy truly needed things, with some random splurges here and there. The back endcaps in Target stores are golden, because that is where they randomly throw all of the deeply discounted items. It's just something about those red sale tags that gets me.

I can also spend some time in Kohl's here and there. This weekend, I was glad I stopped in because the whole store was covered in those little red sale tags. I got to walk away with this fantabulous Simply Vera by Vera Wang necklace!



It was 80% OFF the original price of $42, putting it at a much-more-affordable $8.40!! I decided that would be my one purchase item of the day.



Oh and these too. While not $8, these Simply Vera aviators were also on sale. Adorably chic. How could I say no?

God, I have a problem. Hello, my name is Katherine, and I am a sale-aholic.

What is your shopping store weakness? Or am I alone here? :)

A fabulous find on Twitter

Question 1: Have you joined Twitter yet?
Question 2: If you have joined, when was the last time you logged on?

Twitter could be the subject of a whole other post, but I'll sum it up quickly - log back in, and follow me (@KatMalone) and your other friends (Twitter can do a search of your Gmail contacts). Download TweetDeck to follow everyone in an easier way on your desktop.

Then, my friends, follow @targetdailydeal, my new favorite Tweeter.

Target Daily Deal has been around for maybe a year, given the 346 (daily) tweets they have sent out. It may be old news to some of you, in fact. But I have a feeling, you hadn't heard of it either. I was so excited to stumble across it this week, I had to share.

This is how it works - Target tweets out one deal per day. If you follow them on Twitter, or just log in to their website landing page, you can see the deal of the day, and order it if you so desire. These deals are pretty awesome - so far this week I have seen cheapo bedding, some cute ceramic storage cubes, and an edgy wine rack. All at discounts of 60%+. If you are a fan of Target, you know this means it is ueber-cheap after the discount since their prices rock already.



The catch is, the deal lasts for one day only, and often these items are selling out before the day is done. You may not be in the need for whatever the deal is today (photo frames, yawn. Btw, these are going for $5 apparently, though the website isn't reflecting that? I replied to them on Twitter about this glitch) but maybe whatever comes out tomorrow will be just what you have been searching for.

Have you found any success following these deals? What have you gotten and at what big discount?

Happy Shopping!

Another new line at Tar-jay

I wept when Isaac Mizrahi left Target. Well, ok, not really, but I was definitely very sad. Isaac came to Target just as I was doing a big overhaul on my work wardrobe, and it was perfect - his 50's throwback shirtdresses and cute little flaired out skirts were fantastic new staples for me to pick up. He knew exactly what a working young gal needed to fill out her closet.

Since Isaac left, I've had a hard time finding another "designer" brand at Target that I like the same amount. Merona stepped their game up when he left, at least, as some of my friends and I noticed. But otherwise, the seasonal swap-outs of designer collections meant nothing to me, because most of it looked like something a 16-year-old would wear, not a mid-20-something career gal.

Rodarte for Target seems to be (from my first glance) a lot closer to Isaac than previous lines have been. For one, they carry little party dresses like this one that are perfect Game Day Gold and only $40 -


PS. What is going on with those boots? Those look hideous with that dress. In person, the dress looks very cute, and it would be adorable with some little casual flats, or heels to dress it up. And for those of you who could care less about Georgia Tech, they also carry that one in black too :)

They also have these sexy bikinis for $16/piece. I can't believe I am posting about bikinis but goodness, I don't think Target ever unshelved bikinis this entire winter. At least this one is mature and doesn't make me think of Panama City.


Have you picked up any Rodarte collection pieces yet? I am not sure if I will, but it's nice to see something a bit closer to my age bracket in Target again from designers.

Party Dresses!

This post is for the ladies - sorry men :)

I LOVE a good dress. The reappearance of the 50's Housewife dress (a la Mad Men) has made me so happy - the big circle skirts, shirt dresses, and modest necklines make me swoon. When Target had Isaac Mizrahi on staff, I took advantage of it and bought a few of his dresses. Since he left Target (tear), Merona has stepped up their game and took his place. Paired with some stilettos and pearls, these dresses are perfect for work, a summery wedding, and church.

There are some very cute new ones on display from Merona right now in the stores, and then they also have great ones online too. This girly flared-out navy blue dress could be perfect for a wedding shower, or toned down for work with a sweater. The purple one with the beaded neckline would work the room at any cocktail party.

Since it's Target, the dresses are all very affordable at $40, making them a worthwhile investment to your closet. And when no ones looking, go ahead, twirl around in your apartment and make the skirt fan out :)