Friday, April 29, 2011

Mother's Day Gift Guide

Mother's Day is just over a week away, which also means my husbands birthday is just over a week away, but I don't have time to think about that right now! This post is all about mom, and while I love hand making gifts for my mom, that's just not everyone's thing. Sometimes it's also nice to supplement something you made (even if it's just a card!) with a vintage treasure or item handmade by someone else. So here's a little collection of wonderful gifts for mom to suit any style and any budget.

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· GIFTS UNDER $10 ·

Moth Tile Magnet lesperancetile $10

Homegrown Monogram Mug Anthropologie $8

Spaghettiometer TimberGreenWoods $9.95

Trio of Blue Lotus Bowls catspawpottery $5 each

Cotton Yo-Yo Barrette cookoorikoo $6





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· GIFTS UNDER $25 ·

Tupelo Honey Earrings leaves of glass $18

Milk Bottle Measuring Cups Anthropologie $24

Stormy Feathers Scarf ModCloth $12.99

Ring Holder ocpottery $12

Handmade Leather Journal peaseblossomstudio $23

The Orchard 3-Balm Gift Pack Long Winter Farm $10.75

Floating Hearts Little House thelittlereddoor $18


Rabbit Art - New Mama Amber Alexander $18

Mossimo Fedora Target $12.99

Pink Flower Garden Vase SuiteOneStudio $25

Demask Earrings AsilDesigns $21

Private Eye Necklace urbanlegend $25

Blossom Brooch phydeaux $20

Denim Rose Bracelet lillyella $25

You Are My Sunshine thewheatfield $22

Trinket Dish chARTiTyelise $15

Coop Bowl CB2 $24.95

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· GIFTS UNDER $40 ·


Carry-All Tote tippythai $35

The Trickster Earrings noblegnome $30

Bloom Pillow NestaHome $30

Vintage Wire Basket fleamarkettrixie $28


Imitation Opal and Silver Ring littlebugjewelry $27.20

Lidded Bowl Knitty CircaCeramics $32

Floating Heart Necklace ShopClementine $32

Partly Sunny Special cookoorikoo $30

Vintage Oval Hobnail Mirror thisvintagething $34.99

Couture du Jour



Cooperative Chevron Dress Urban Outfitters $69
Garnet Lotus Ring KiraFerrer $112
Shipwreck Wedge endless $49

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Welcome to North Carolina

We're here! We made it! Hooray! Ok, I know it's not really that exciting, but when you have a 20,000 lb truck, an overloaded chevy, two humans, one cat and three birds… 600 miles through the mountains without incident is quite a feat. We rolled into town the day after the tornadoes hit down here. We passed by some of the damage and were detoured around much more. It was definitely one of the craziest things I've seen and very sad. Luckily, our place was unscathed, but there are entire areas a couple miles away that are just gone.

Aside from that, things are going great! We're mostly unpacked, though not quite yet organized, except for that one bedroom where we throw everything that doesn't fit elsewhere. I call it the garage. We even have three rooms painted, which kind of puts us farther along on the completion road then we were on our house after 10 years :)

I've been mentally ticking through pros and cons of apartment life in North Carolina vs homeowner life in Ohio. Ironically, many things fall into both categories, such as not having a yard. After living in the same general area my entire life (minus a couple years for college, though still in the same state), this move is quite a big deal for me. Moving farther than 50 miles is second nature to some people, but it's like this big giant adventure in my world. It doesn't quite feel real yet, as if I'm on vacation, but that's probably because I know this is a temporary thing. We'll be here for about a year and a half and then we get to do it all over again.

I'm sure I'll get settled soon and find my routine. The last space I have left to organize is my workspace and I'm hoping to get through that today. Know what that means? New jewels coming soon, hooray! For now, I'm going to slowly work my way back into my regular blogging routine. You will see a steady increase in posting over the days and weeks ahead starting with a Couture du Jour and Mother's Day Gift Guide tomorrow!

So on that note, I'm still open to contributions as always. If you'd like to submit an outfit for Couture du Jour, you can email it to couture@lillyella.com. I'm also looking for new blood for my Spotlight series, so if you have a shop and would like to be featured, send me a link and tell me about yourself, spotlight@lillyella.com. If you'd like to contribute anything else, such as a recipe, a craft project, a monthly series or just a random post, I'd love to hear about that too, blog@lillyella.com.

I would now say goodbye in Russian (because I'm learning the language right now), but my keyboard doesn't cover that alphabet, so Adios will have to do for now!

~ nicole

Friday, April 15, 2011

happy trails

One more day of packing, one day of loading, one day of driving… next time I write it'll be from the sunny South!

Goodbye Ohio!

~ nicole

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Shoe Sale!

As most of you know, I have a serious shoe obsession. One that probably justifies counseling, but I guess there could be worse things to be addicted to. Many of you also know that I'm moving to North Carolina this upcoming weekend. This is exciting in so many ways except for the fact that we are tight on space in the truck and even tighter on space in our new place.

Since I just can't bear to see any shoe (even a gently used one) without a good home, I'm having a shoe sale! Maybe it's a little random, but since so many of you share the same tastes, styles and appreciation of footwear as me, why not?!

I love every single pair of shoes I'm selling, and I kinda feel like I'm giving my children away. Many of them are too dressy for my current lifestyle (used to wear them to the office, etc) and many of the rest are too large on me now as my feet have shrunk almost a full size over the last year! Every pair here was comfortable on my feet, no scraping on the ankles, pinching on the toes, easy to walk in, etc. But of course, every foot is different. You know the best thing about used shoes, they're already broken in!

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So here's how it works…

Below are photos of the shoes for sale. You can click any photo to see it larger. Description and pricing information is listed with each shoe and all sales will be a first come, first served basis.

Pricing shown does not include shipping costs. Shipping costs in the US are as follows:
One pair: $7 to $11 depending on location ($7 –$ 8 for time zones eastern, central & mountain, $10 – $11 for pacific)
Two pair: $11.50 max (possibly less depending on location)
Three to four pair: $15.50 max (possibly less depending on location)

Please contact me for international shipping rates. I believe they will range from $6 - 15 in Canada and $15 - $25 for other countries.

Payment will be accepted via Paypal only and I will send you an invoice.

If you are interested in making a purchase, please email me at nicole@lillyella.com indicating:
Which pair(s) you would like
Your full shipping address
The email address you use for Paypal

The sale will be on until Thursday afternoon unless they all sell before then. All packages will ship by this Friday via USPS First Class or Priority mail. All sales are final.

If you need any additional information or have any questions, please feel free to email me or post your questions below. Thanks for visiting and happy shoe shopping!



Silver Flats
Size 8.5, fits small, almost like an 8
American Eagle Brand
Manmade materials
Like new condition
$12

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Grey Patent Lace Up Oxfords
Size 7, fits large, more like a 7.5
Working laces
Twenty One Brand
Manmade materials
Like new condition
$12

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Black Pointed Toe Wedges
Size 8.5, fits very small, almost like a 7.5
1.25" wedge heel
xhiliration brand
Manmade materials
Very good condition
$10

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Butterfly Flats - SOLD
Size 8, fits true to size
M.O.D. brand
Leather upper
Very good condition
$12

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Chinese Laundry Yellow Flats - SOLD
Size 8.5, fits true to size
Will work for slightly wide feet
Chinese Laundry Brand
Manmade materials
Like new condition
$28

I love these shoes, but wore them once and realized they were just too big on me. Boo!

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Nine West Beige Heels - SOLD
Size 8, fits a bit large
2.5" heel
Nine West Brand
Leather upper
Good condition, minor scuffs around toes
$15

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Metallic Green Heels - SOLD
Size 8, fits a little small, almost like a 7.5
2.5" heel
Apostrophe brand
Manmade materials
Very good condition
$12

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Black Slip On Wedges - SOLD
Size 8, fits true to size
2.5" wedge heel
Predictions Brands
Manmade materials
Very good condition
$8

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Purple Peep Toe Flats - SOLD
Size 8.5, fits true to size
Will work for slightly wide feet
American Eagle Brand
Fabric Upper
Very good condition
$8

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Peep Toe Slingbacks - SOLD
Size 8, fits true to size
2.5" heel
Adjustable strap
Fioni brand
Manmade materials
Chocolate brown accents, sides are a wicker/canvas looking design with a light gold sheen to them
Very good condition
$10

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Herringbone Kitten Heels
Size 8, fits true to size
3/4" kitten heel
Rampage Brand
Fabric upper
Very good condition
$10

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Nine West Black Mary Jane Heels
Size 8, fits large
2.5" heel
Adjustable strap
Nine West Brand
Leather upper
Good condition
$15

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Bandolino Brown Mary Jane Heels
Size 8, runs a bit large
3" heel
Bandolino Brand
Leather upper
Good condition, scuffing around toes, can be polished
$12

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White Kitten Heels - SOLD
Size 8, fits true to size
1.5" kitten heel
NYLA Brand
Leather upper
Used condition, some scuffing
$10

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Black Patent Buckle Flats - SOLD
Size 8, fits true to size
Fioni Brand
Manmade materials
Very good condition
$8

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Yellow Peep Toe Wedges - SOLD
Size 8, runs a bit large
Slighty wide
1.5" wedge heel
Fabric upper
Very good condition
$8

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Brown Strappy Sandals
Size 8.5, fits true to size
2.5" heel
Dark chocolate brown color
Fioni brand
Manmade materials
Very good condition
$8

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Rosette Sandals
Size 8, fits a bit large, would work for 8.5 too
Roomy straps, work for average or wider feet
BCBGirls Brand
Manmade materials
Like new condition
$8

I wore these at mine and my cousins wedding, when the heels came off and it was time to dance!

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Easy Spirit Ankle Strap Sandals
Size 8, fits true to size, slightly large
Ok for slightly wide feet
Adjustable ankle strap
2.75" heel
Easy Spirit Brand
Leather upper
Good condition
$12

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Bronx Black Mary Jane Heels - SOLD
Size 39, fits like a large 8.5
Slightly wide
2.25" heel
Bronx brand
Leather upper
Used condition, these puppies have been worn and loved to death, but they are too cute to give up on yet!
$7

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Blue Sequin Sandals
Size 8, fits like an 8.5
2.5" heel
Fioni Brand
Manmade materials
Very good condition
$8

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Brown Ankle Strap Wedges - SOLD
Size 8, fits true to size
Ok for slightly wide feet
1.5" wedge heel
Adjustable ankle strap
American Eagle Brand
Manmade materials
Very good condition
$8

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Brown Buckle Flats - SOLD
Size 8.5, fits true to size
Less than 1" rubber heel
Manmade materials
Very good condition
$8

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Black Lace Up Granny Boots
Size 8, fits true to size
2.75" heel
14" height
Full side zipper
Working laces, adjustable shaft
Manmade materials
Very good condition, slight chunk of rubber missing under front toe on left boot.
$15

Please note: shipping costs above do not apply to boots, please contact me with your address for an estimate - thank you!

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Black Knee High Boots - SOLD
Size 8.5, fits true to size
3" heel
17" height
14.5" shaft opening, elastic allows for stretching
Etienne Aigner Brand
Manmade materials
Very good condition, slight damage to rubber under front toe on left boot
$15

Please note: shipping costs above do not apply to boots, please contact me with your address for an estimate - thank you!

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If you are interested in making a purchase, please email me at nicole@lillyella.com indicating which pair(s) you would like, your full shipping address and the address you use for Paypal. Thank you!