Shopaholic? Me?

Having three kids and three cats means that our carpets are in a rather awful condition. I did think about replacing them now my first child is older but then I got pregnant again and realised just how silly replacing them now really is. And today proved it. This is a day in the life of my carpets:-

• Split food and drink as a result of feeding the babies
• Baby food regurgitation (usually includes me too)
• Baby spray during nappy change (usually includes me too)
• Crumbs from eldest kid dragging food all over the house
• Cats hair everywhere
• Cats clawing and digging at the carpet

And today… cat sick and diarohea in far too many places. Yuck! I hated every moment of cleaning that up and the smell still seems to linger dispite the bicarbonate of soda lavishly thrown over it.

Needless to say the staines in the carpets are rather horrific. So I was thinking of perhaps getting some area rugs. What I mean is getting some rugs and hiding the worst areas ravaged by staines. And because there are so many (and we do intend to replace the carpets at some point) then they must be cheap rugs . And if it is not too much to ask, they must fit in with my decor, feel nice and cuddly on my feet and obviously cover the staines. I know it is a tall order, but then again, I never claimed to not be a fussy person. And the reality is that it is far too expensive to change the carpets now and then again a couple of years down the line.

Perhaps a good option would be to buy a rug and carpet cleaner. If I find a decent one, I am sure it could serve me well both now and in the future. Oh for the joys of clean carpets.

After such a sombre post, I felt I needed to review something positive. There is nothing more positive than new beginnings and weddings are a perfect example of a new beginning. So, here goes….

I picked the Mori Lee website because it felt fresh and new. It is nice to see something positive amidst all this gloom. The are mainly a wedding oriented website but besides doing wedding dresses and brides maid dresses, they also do dresses for the guests (or well special occasions and party dresses). They do not unfortunately provide the occasion to wear them. You have to provide your own groom and / or party invitations. They also have a wonderful range of Prom Dresses. The prom dresses 2009 collection is really amazing. I really like the Purple Passion – pale blue tulle layered with jewelled beading. I wonder if I could get myself one for our 10th Wedding Anniversary this summer?

I liked the website because rather than concentrating on selling, they concentrate on showing off their collection which is fantastic. It gives you the possibility of choosing your dress or getting ideas without having to browse shop after shop. And once you find the dress of your dreams… because these are dream dresses… you can find a shop close to you. And I mean close to you. They have stores all over the world including the USA, Canada, Malta, England and Isle of Man (as well as in every continent). Their store finder system is fantastic too. It really brings up every country I could think of.

I think the only drawback is not being able to see prices. Mind you I am not sure this is a bad idea. You see it has pros and cons. The con of not seeing the price is that you might fall in love with one out of your budget. The pro is that you have a wider choice of dress which can give you a better idea of what you want.

As for the flower girl dresses…. oh how sweet!! They are perfect. Some can also be used for holy communion dresses too or as party dresses. If I had to do it all again… I would go crazy for this site especially considering I had bridesmaids from all over the world. I could have seen the dresses in Malta and everyone tried on the dress in a shop close to them. Ah well…. Maybe I could save my sister some effort!!

One of the nicest things about having lost some weight is all the styles of Jeans I can fit into. And apparently this season it is all about the details. This is fantastic by my books, because I think detail really turns an average pair of Jeans into a fantastic pair.

The thing is this, although I have lost a lot of weight, I still have quite a lot to go (well a couple of dress sizes). This means that I don’t want to shop too much on clothes that will hopefully fit me for only a short period, while I lose the rest of the weight. So it boils down to what I really cannot do without. And a good pair of Jeans is on my must have list. Obviously so is that LBD – Little Black Dress but Jeans play an integral part to my everyday wardrobe. They are perfect for nearly anything. Mucking about in a muddy field with my toddler son, hitting the all important shops and even for a night on the town!

Now probably the most important thing about Jeans is that each one of us has our own style, fit and preference.  Thankfully Bootleggers have Jean-e-ologists. Yes… Jean-e-ologists. They are people who are jean experts and will help you find your perfect jeans. Particularly great if like me your shape changes because of a change in weight!

Now please excuse me, I am off to find my perfect pair!!

A while back I spoke about Zenni Optical $ 8 Rx Eyeglasses which I thought were really cheap. Well I just found out that Incredible stylish new frames from Zenni are so standard that Zenni Optical was on FOX news! Can you believe that?

Personally stylish specs does it for me, and if they are cheap too…. then I am a happy gal!! 

I am a partier almost as much as I am a shopaholic. I love parties. Besides my philosophy of “shop till you drop“, I also really strongly believe in “any excuse for a party“. And I must say, I do like to go all out for my parties. People today still talk about my 18th and 21st, and that was years ago! I even made money in my teens throwing parties! And let’s just say my wedding was comparable to Prince Edward and Sophie Rhys – Jones. I only had about 100 people less! And I do not think I am boasting. Considering I am comparing it to a royal wedding… need I say more?

I always find that having good party ideas is a must. You need all the party planning tools that you can lay your hands on, and then you must go about event planning like a military operation. There are websites which like BPE which can really help you with planning and organizing your party. What I like about BPE is that you can get to organize your own do, your own way. As it is a social network, you can use them for brain storming and for getting ideas. But you can also use them to find suppliers in your own areas. They are still relatively new but definately up and coming. I think they are definately worth a try, especially if you are stuck for ideas as your parties seem to always be the same. I always find theming a party really helps start both the party and the planning of a party with a swing. I tend to get accessories from The Joke Shop as they have a wide selection of accesories from pirate stuff to swinging 60’s and from hawaiin to cowboys & indians. I also like how they help you keep on track with planning your party. They will help you:-

• Create your event
• Manage your guest list
• Track your expenses
• Stay on task

The only thing I need to say about planning the best part ever is plan it with military precision, even if it is “just a kiddies party“!

I have been looking for a place to buy cheap specs as my son keeps trying to wear mine and the idea of damaging designer specs just does not appeal to me. Zenni Optical $8 Rx Glasses is a pretty Great Discovery: Zenni Optical actually sell specs from $8! And the fact that they actually sell internationally to me means that they are Best Thing Found: Zenni Optical watch out, shopaholic is going to try your wares! I think I might get myself the following pair!

I adore diamonds whatever the cut. Each has its own beauty! I simply cannot resist them. I particularly love eternity or anniversary rings that are completely surrounded by diamonds. These are actually quite hard to find but I found that James Allen actually sells them. They obviously do all sorts of other rings like wedding rings and solitaires, but it is nearly impossible to find rings with diamonds all round, which in my opinion make it a perfect eternity ring.

In case you are wondering, this post is a hint to my dear hubby! Hint Hint Darling!

Unfortunately life is not all about shopping. Sometimes we need to give a little as well as to receive. So I want to tell you about my current favourite charity – Locks of Love.

Locks of Love create wigs for children who suffer from hair loss as a result of a medical illness such as Cancer. I am sure that you can appreciate how hard it is to be a child in today’s world, let alone when they are suffering from an illness and losing their hair in the process. Unlike with Adults, where you might be able to get a wig of sorts off the peg, you cannot get a child size wig. And for a wig to feel natural and look natural they need to be made specifically for the child. Otherwise wigs would slip and slide and be completely unnatural. Locks of Love create wigs specially for children in need.

This is perhaps a rather unusual charity in the sense that they do not just ask or need money, but they appreciate your donated hair. And the best bit about this charity is that over 90% of money received goes directly to the children unlike other charities where more than half can go to administration costs.

So it does not matter if you cannot afford to donate money to them, your hair could be just as important. Just visit Locks of Love for further details.

This post is gratefully sponsored by Navtej Kohli

My Solitaire sell a whole range of jewellery, including a birth stone collection, a childrens selection, men’s jewellery, wedding bands and pearls. You can also buy loose gem stones and diamonds which is a rare thing. You also get a certificate of authenticity. This is very important to have especially for insurance purposes.

What really strikes me is their Black Diamond Jewelry Collection. You can buy yourself Black Diamond Earrings or Black Diamond Studs with Matching Black Diamond Pendants and Black Diamond Rings!

Also if you are getting engaged, you can design your own special engagement ring. You can chose a diamond shape, cut, size, colour and clarity. After all getting engaged is a special occasion that needs to be marked with that special ring.

Shipping to the US is Free on all Jewellery Products.

What is really impressive is that they have a buy back policy. They will buy back their jewellery for 70% of the cost price which is excellent value. And if you want an upgrade, they will give you 90% of the cost price of your original purchase. Knowing that, you know that you cannot go wrong with a jewellery purchase especially when they are obviously happy to buy back their own products.

 Now just in case you were wondering…. I do not yet own any black jewellery. And in case you forgot…. my birthday is on the 15th June! LOL!

I know that you are reading this online, therefore I can guess that you have a printer attached to your PC too. And if you have a printer… well automatically that means that you need ink. So, here I am reviewing an ink shop just for you!

Obviously sell all sorts of printer cartridges including inkjet cartridges and laser toners.

Their compatible cartridges are at really low prices, especially when you buy a set rather than individual cartridges.

They will also be shortly offering refill kits and photo paper. You might also want to keep your eye on their special offer section!

Delivery is Free to the UK. And if you order before 4pm, they will be dispatched for the next working day. They will deliver internationally but obviously this will take longer to arrive. There is also a charge for international delivery but this starts from just £1.50 and is dependant on the country to deliver to.

Now if this is not good enough, shopaholic has managed to get you a further 10% discount when you order from the ink shop. Just type in the code INKSHOP10 and grab yourself a 10% discount. This is for all shopaholic readers with no time limit!