/ Bella Picks

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is not just about the latest Fall styles on sale but also some cool things for the home too. I’m not partial to the Cherry color of the Le Creuset but at the #NSale price I ordered it. I love drinking out of coupes for champagne or really chilled martinis. We are about to re-do our bar so I’ll have to wait on these for a few more weeks. We have family over a lot and these serving pedestals would come in so handy.

Husband has gotten into collecting old porcelain signs and has now decided to decorate the house with them. I’ll let him have every room but my office and any one of these pieces are more my style. And of course, this canvas would be perfect in my closet.

And let’s not forget our Husbands/Brothers/Guy Friends. We have several bottle openers set up outside around the yard with strong magnets below it to catch the bottle caps. I like the #NSale opener I picked out because it’s monogram and would be good for inside the house. We have a few growler stations around town but never remember about them until we drive by them. Maybe having an extra growler in the car would help.

Are you shopping the #NSale Home section too?

/ Bella Picks

It’s really hard to even think about Fall, especially Fall shopping but the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale helps you look forward to it. Early Access for one of the best sales of the year is going on now – the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. If you have a Nordstrom Debit or Credit Card you can shop the sale today. The sale will open up for all shoppers on Friday, July 22. This is no ordinary sale. You get to shop new, Fall items that are temporarily marked down. Shopping early ensures you get the item you want. Quantities are limited and a lot sell out fast.

I took advantage last year and bought The Boy some Onitsuka Tiger sneakers. I was hoping I could get him to switch to these leather Sperry’s but he chose the Onitsuka Tiger sneakers again. I also added a few more pair of Tommy John trunks to Husband’s collection. He also likes the Traditional Fit shirts from Nordstrom.

For me, shoes and boots are the first things I look at. I received the Early Access catalog so I was able to dog-ear some pages on items I wanted before the actual sale. I’m really digging the Navy Suede boots by Ugg. Over-the-knee boots are still on-trend and it looks like, maybe, the Vince Camuto Melaya would accommodate my large calves. If not, the Frye Melissa Button boot will work, though it’s not over-the-knee.


Something to note is that not all colors or style of an item are included. For example, the Melissa Button Boot I have linked to is a wide-calf option, in Cognac or Slate. These same colors are on sale in the regular boot option. But, the colors of Black, Cognac and Dark Brown Leather in the same boot are not included in the sale. And if that’s not confusing, the Cognac color that’s on sale is a little more distressed, in the pictures, than the non-sale. As long as you are using the Early Access link and then the Anniversary Sale link (launching on Friday) you will have no issues with getting the sale item. From there, you can then filter down to what you are looking for.

Of course, I bought my favorite bra, introduced to me by a reader of the blog during last year’s sale. I’m also looking for a new cross-body bag, in a Fall color. Though the shearling vest would be cozy, I like the faux leather drape jacket more. The Kate Spade sleepshirts are really cute, especially the bows. This Alice & Olivia dress isn’t the one I really want but is cute none-the-less.


The sale will open to everyone on July 22 and run until August 8. I like the convenience of the debit card as the money comes out of my checking account and I still get to earn points, have a Triple Point Day and other perks that a credit card holder might have. I also like it because I set aside a specific amount for this sale. I can’t go over that amount like I could with a credit card.

Happy Shopping! I hope you get what you’re looking for before it sells out.

/ Reviews

Sorry for the delay. The work days are really stressful and long right now and I can’t find the energy to do anything but chill in the pool. But I did want to share some of my embroidered finds with you.

~ Madewell Embroidered Top, Bright Ivory, Small ~

This looked like it ran a big large on the rack so I grabbed a Small to try on. It was a decent fit though I still don’t like how it looks on the side of the chest. It’s not as gathered at the chest as the Alma Peasant Blouse was which caused the chest to run tight. I like that this Embroidered Top has detail at the shoulders and sleeves. It makes the top a little more visually interesting.

Madewell-Embroidered Top

~ Madewell Embroidered Cotton Shift Dress, size 6

Though I didn’t buy it, I really liked this dress. The sleeveless is nice for Summer. The length works for me as well. The size 6 fit really well. This dress looked quite large on the hanger so I recommend sizing down one. The front is embroidered along with selective spots all over the dress. The sleeves and hemline also have a little embroidered detail. It also has pockets! There’s a 25% off select dresses promo at Madewell right now, code UNIFORM, but this dress is excluded.

Madewell-EmbroideredDress

~ Joie Quixota Embroidered Blouson Dress, Medium ~

This is a cute little embroidered peasant dress by a brand I’ve never tried, Joie. I liked the print and style of this dress but I didn’t like the neckline of it. I wish it had been more v-neck, like the Madewell dress above. The Medium fit well to just a little big. I pulled down the waist a bit because this was short when I had it pulled up a little to give it that blouson feel.

Joie_QuixotaDress

~ Joie Vork Cotton Blouson Dress, Medium ~

Another blouson dress from Joie, though this one is not embroidered. You can see how the neckline looks much better compared to the Quixota Dress above. I adjust the waist on this one to make the dress more blouson-style and you can see how short it can get. The Medium fit big compared to the dress above. I think I’d need to size to a Small but then I’d have to make this a tunic and wear leggings or skinny jeans on bottom.

Joie_BlackPrintMiniDress

~ Alice & Olivia Jolene Dress, size 6 ~

Of course I would love this dress…it’s $400. I really wanted to try it on and the size 6 just fit. The arms are tight and the chest is slightly pulling. I’d want a size 8 for a better fit all over. I’d also want a sale price for this dress. I love the drop waist, peasant-style and colorful embroidery.

Joie-EmbroideredPeasantDress

Although, apparently I couldn’t find any other embroidered tops to try on other than the Madewell Top. Sorry about that! Here’s pretty Collection top from J Crew and a familiar looking embroidered shorts, this time in pineapple embroidery. Johnny Was is a great brand for embroidered tunics and dresses. There are so many options for embroidered dresses and tops out there. You have a choice between color, thread color, shape, style, low or high end. The list is endless.

Happy Shopping!