stellargirl returns

saving for later on amazon.com

I have this habit on Amazon of constantly throwing things in my cart and then bumping them to "Saved Items--To Buy Later" (there's no move to wishlist option). I used to be masterful at cultivating my Amazon wishlist, which would actually be rather fruitful around birthdays and holidays, and sometimes for no occasion at all. Somewhere along the line, I stopped sharing what I wanted and decided to shuffle it around behind closed doors. Periodically, I go in and delete things that I know I am never going to buy, but I have a weird curiosity about watching the prices rise and fall.  Generally, the increases and decreases are pretty minimal, but I have seen items drop 50% or more.

I'd love to see this data broken out a bit more. What if the increases were separated from the decreases?  Show the price decreases first in the list so the user can spot deals quickly.  How about including a percentage with that dollar amount? Sure it may seem like an insignificant number, but it's still a number. Who doesn't love a deal?

Do you ever read the unit price at the supermarket?  I actually base a lot of shopping decisions on that.  If I have to decide between Brand A or Brand B, small size or big size, sometimes the deciding factor is actually a difference of a few cents on the unit price.  I'm not even that thrifty!

Having a limited background in ecommerce, I'm curious to know if "saved for later" equals abandonment, or if hanging around in a stagnant cart somehow carries more weight.  What if my items expired after X amount of time and I got some kind of messaging to quickly move them to my wishlist, which is searchable and viewable by others, which could lead to actual purchases?

I also wouldn't mind seeing an item's price history. They seem to ebb and flow so much, that I might actually act quicker to make sure I get it while the gettin's good.  There's nothing worse than mulling on an item and viewing your cart to see that it's gone up quite a bit.

These are all nice to have features, but I think for some people, it will make the difference between a sale and a save.

need new threads? have a clothing swap!

If you're anything like me, you've probably got a closet full of clothes that you look at every day and say, "I have nothing to wear!" One of the best ways to deal with this is to go through all of your stuff and edit, removing anything that you haven't worn for a season, doesn't fit, etc. You can store some of it if you think your size might change or if it's off season, etc.

As for the rest of it, chances are that some clothing you may no longer like for yourself might look smashing on a friend of yours. That's why it's great to have a clothing swap!  I've been having clothing swaps, aka Naked Lady Parties, ever since I lived in Brooklyn, when all my crafty friends would come over and dump all their fashion treasures on my living room floor.

My clothing swap style is to separate all the items into piles: shirts, shoes, pants, skirts, dresses, accessories, etc. Then someone takes the emcee role, holds the item up and describes it, and whoever is interested shouts "me me me!" or something similar.You can also have a free-for-all sample sale style event, where everyone can just have at it. I prefer the former. According to my friends at Tiny Choices, the two different styles are East Coast and West Coast!! Who knew?

When the day is done, have a friend help you take all the leftovers to the Goodwill or a similar local thrift store.

So, your closet is leaner and cleaner, you've scored some great new threads, you had a super fun day and you've given a healthy donation to those less fortunate. Sounds like a win to me!

Check out pics from my last swap >>

NEWSFLASH! Mark your calendars! The Philly Sewing Collective is having a Swap-o-Rama-Rama on Sunday October 19th from 1 to 5pm.

Founded by Wendy Tremayne, Swap-O-Rama-Rama is a clothing swap and series of DIY workshops in which participants explore creative reuse from recycled clothing. Basically, you bring a bag of clothes and they get sorted into piles by volunteers. You get to sort through all the clothes and work at the various DIY stations and sewing stations to create new clothes!

my first etsy order

I placed my very first Etsy order last week: 2 colorful screenprints sold by Standard Design of Northampton, MA. I've been looking for new and interesting wall art for my naked (yet colorful) walls. My awesome friend Sara inspired me to check out Etsy. I was in the mood for screenprints, so I drilled down to art :: print :: screenprint.

The Built to Spill and Neko Case prints jumped out to me right away because they were so bold and graphic, and because the colors complemented each other so well. I've been a fan of both artists for a long time. Built to Spill was played extensively during my college years, and Neko Case is an incredible chanteuse with some serious pipes.

If you haven't checked out Etsy already, you should... it's a great way to support artists and creators, and find yourself some original and fun niceties for your home, your friends, yourself...

Be sure to check out the Standard Design Etsy shop!

why i hate banana republic today

Earlier today I was rifling around the Banana Republic website, mostly to check on the account balance of my Banana Republic credit card, which I often use to purchase pants / jeans at the GAP - because they make pants that fit my caboose!  I went to sign into my account and was immediately presented with a screen to RE-register!  And I am pretty certain that this was not the first time I have had to do this in my brief period of owning this card (about 6 months). 

After entering my regular login information, I was forced to create an entirely new account: new username, password, etc.  And my existing username was, you guessed it, taken!  So, in honor of having to go through this special process, I took the username yousuckass ('you suck ASS' not 'you suckas!').  I apologize if any of my readers were hoping to create an account with the same name. Incidentally, I also apologize if my choice of words offends!

I was already annoyed with BR for making me create a super complicated password that has a minimum number of characters and must combine letters and numbers and must not end in a number, etc. Yes, I know it addresses security concerns, but it's inconvenient!  But having to start my registration from scratch was pretty darn unacceptable. 

I returned to the site later today to log in with my newly acquired username and password, only to be met with the news that the entire site has been shut down for maintenance.  Hey, Banana Republic (and GAP and Old Navy), you STINK!

bite me

I treated myself to some Subversive Cross Stitch refrigerator magnets today, purchased at the quirky and fun Blendo, located on Pine Street's Antique Row. I think they will be a great addition to my fridge. What do you think?

Check out BlueQ for more fun magnet sets and other random odds and ends.

honest goods for honest people, and no trans fats!

I am spending a spontaneous weekend in the suburbs, mostly because I have been feeling a little bit under the weather lately and wanted to decompress somewhere other than my normal environment. It is here where I have come face to face with the reality that I am becoming more immune to the marketing language that is trying to trick America into buying their products because they are honest, pure, real, trans fat free, etc.

This post has been kicking around in my head for a while, hovering dangerously near the land of lost posts (I am really starting to get more of a visual for this so-called place), but what got me off my duff (punny!) to write it was a circular that was lying around my parents' house for Walgreens.  There was a nice little section devoted to their line of Apothecary products - "since 1901"!  Let me tell you, some good typography will get you far.  This new line of products is surely modeled after the wildly successful Kiehl's.  Their slogan is "Honest Goods for Honest People" -- which kinda throws me off, because my first thought about Walgreens is that there is one on ever corner in every suburb, and there wasn't when I was a kid.  I guess if you like something that looks old, then you must be honest!

Which brings me to the phenomenon that is "trans fat free". A while back, I was up in Brooklyn for some family festivities, and there were some potato chips that were brought up from Pennsylvania.  These chips, which shall remain nameless, prominently touted their lack of the hydrogenated rubbish.  However, these very same chips, as trans fat free as they may have been, were in fact fried in LARD. 

Meanwhile, the box of saltines that I recently purchased (sometimes a saltine is the only thing you can eat), is loaded with trans fats, but is able to call itself a "sensible snack" because it has no cholesterol! and no saturated fat!  Let's not mention the enriched flour and partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, high fructose corn syrup, etc.  Hey, who am I to judge, nothing cures your ills like a good old-fashioned saltine.  But a healthy snack they are not.

I close by saying that "trans fat free" is very deceptive, because it's just another label to slap onto foods to get people who are trying to be "healthy" to buy them.  The problem is that when a consumer goes to read the list of ingredients in their food, perhaps they won't be aware that trans fats will actually be listed as hydrogenated oils.  But I guess "hydrogenated oil free" just isn't catchy enough.  I should be grateful though, at least that whole Olestra thing passed.

From me to you, whole foods as fresh, local and seasonal as possible are best. Let's keep it simple, people.

domo arigato, mr. bento

I want this Mr. Bento lunch jar! It makes me want to cook myself some solid whole meals with fresh vegetables and grains and yummy miso soup. It reminds of the delicious gourmet lunches packed by the father in Eat Drink Man Woman. It justifies more hours spent watching the Food Network. It all stacks together so neatly, and comes with chopsticks! How cool is that! I see much fancier lunches in my future...

BUST Craftacular

If you find yourself in Brooklyn this weekend, be sure to stop by the BUST Craftacular in Williamsburg.  It promises to supply lots of fun, handmade gifts, DJs, good times and fabulous craftiness!  My good friends, The Department of Craft, will be representin' so be sure to say hello!

chronicle books holiday sale

Chronicle Books is having their annual 40% off holiday sale now until December 10th.  Many of my crafty friends swear by this store, and after a quick browse, I have already found many great books to fall in love with such as:

- Mexican Calendar Girls
- Transmaterial A Catalog of Materials That Redefine our Physical Environment
- The Simple Art of Perfect Baking
- Fields of Plenty A Farmer's Journey in Search of Real Food and the People Who Grow It

Here is their mission statement:
"Inspired by the enduring magic and importance of books, our objective is to create and distribute exceptional publishing that's instantly recognizable for its spirit, creativity, and value. This objective also informs our business relationships and endeavors, be they with customers, authors, vendors, or colleagues."

Happy shopping!