Blog Posts by The Succulent Wife

Much to my chagrin, we are now in that time of year when days are getting noticeably shorter (I almost feel the vitamin D leaving my body as I type…). The lights in the house will indubitably get turned on earlier in the morning and earlier in the evening. I never used to think about how much energy a light bulb consumed but now, in trying to conserve resources, I do think about it every time I turn on a light. It's a good time of year to let you know about a product that I just learned about: a dimmer that works well for dimmable CFL bulbs (and most other bulbs too). Like most people, I have been switching out my incandescent bulbs for CFL bulbs in the last few years. (As a side note, you probably already know that pretty soon, we'll have to do that on all our lamps since incandescent bulbs are due to be phased out of the marketplace starting January 2012. Eeesch, that's just around the corner!) You might have noticed how CFL bulbs really don't work well with dimmers that were

mycoupons logoI consider myself a pretty savvy shopper. When I am heading to the store, I always first check online for coupons. For instance, when I need to buy dog food at a major pet store, I'll usually find a printable coupon that saves me at least $10.00 on each purchase. Plus, if I need staples like laundry soap or toilet paper, I always look to see what coupons I can print before I head to the store. With my computer in my kitchen, it just takes me a few minutes to search and print them out.

I recently discovered MyCoupons.com, a printable coupon and coupon-code site that has been around since 1995. This just made my "couponing" life even easier. On Coupons.com, I can quickly find the coupons I am looking for (as for dog food) or I can enter my zip code to find local deals. I just signed up to get their daily deals which, along with the grocery stores weekly flyers, help me to really save a LOT. Not that I'm intending on becoming a participant on Extreme Couponing but, armed with this

The sad state of our economy and our increased willingness to be good to Mother Earth has motivated us to think in new ways about our wardrobes. It's a case of less is more. It's a little bit of a scary notion for some of us, to think that maybe only one pair of shoes and less than a dozen garment pieces and and handful of accessories would suffice, but the merits of a minimalist wardrobe need to be considered.

uniform-project-logoA little over two years ago, we followed The Uniform Project where Sheena Matheiken chose to wear one single dress for an entire year. Certainly she was creative in doing so and made the idea of wearing a single garment every.single.day a little less painful for the rest of us. She offered the design for sale on her website and it quickly sold out. Since then, other contributors have proposed their own versions of the modular LBD, all of which have sold out as they were released.

There is definite interest in the pared down approach to fashion.

Other designers around the world are playing with this idea too. The Ultra 10 Challenge, who's creators are based in Kuala Lumpur and China, has come up with a 10-piece-wardrobe-for-365-days concept. The collection includes some creative convertible and multifunctional pieces such as the 3-in-1 coat, which converts into both a shirt and a skirt and the 2-in-1 jacket which converts into a vest. Other included wardrobe staples are a white shirt/dress, stretch pants, cotton trousers, a skirt, a dress, a cropped top and a vest. The whole collection is made from organic cotton and recycled materials. Though it appears to no longer be available for sale online, I'm still finding that this concept provokes an inspiring way to think about reformulating my own wardrobe based on multitasking, interchangeable and classic pieces.

Ultra 10 Challenge

Save the Tatas LogoI know that I've mentioned that my mother-in-law is a breast cancer survivor. I know how passionate she is about the fight to end cancer, because even as a very, very private person, she is vAudrey Save The Tatasery open about being a 6th year breast cancer survivor, she wears lots of pink and supports cancer research in a multitude of ways.

So, when I found out about Save the ta-tas Pink Hair Project, it seemed like a fun way to do my part to show my support - literally.

You can too! If you are on Facebook (and even if you are not), getting pink hair is a great way to SHOW that you support Breast Cancer Research by making a donation (from .99 cents to $100.00) to help fight cancer. It's not really pink hair, but just a photo effect, so you can fully commit to the cause without committing to the hair color.

Simply go to Save the ta-tas, upload a picture of yourself, make a donation in the amount of your choice and, within 48 hours, they will send the picture back with you sporting pink hair.

Every parent to a high school student knows that a certain amount of volunteer hours is a requirement for graduation.

Project Green Challenge logoHere's a great - and fun -way to get in some of those hours: Teens Turning Green has an initiative in October called the Project Green Challenge. This nationwide challenge is for students, a group of friends or an entire classroom to see how a school can transition from conventional to conscious living. The 30-day challenge will raise awareness about the choices we make and about the impact that these choices have on, not only our community, but on the world in general. Each day, for 30 days, a new challenge will be sent via email.

The challenges will cover everything from food, fashion, tech, fitness and so Project Green Challenge Challengeson. A student's amount of free time to dedicate to the cause determines the level of involvement, ranging from green, greener or greenest, for each challenge. The greener the challenge, the larger the involvement and the greater the chance of winning some

Tutorspree LogoThe school year has barely begun and the stress is already palpable. You feel it too? Especially if you have a high-schooler and most especially if that kid is a junior; ACTs, SATs and trying to keep those grades up for college admissions. Oh, the stress indeed. And, we're not sure whether parents stress out more than the kids themselves, but we know that a good tutor could help overcome learning humps.

And then, just the thought of finding the right tutor with the right credentials compounds the general level of anxiety. How much can you trust the advertising flyer posted on your grocery store's community grocery store? Is the guy listed on Craigslist legit? Why are all recommended tutors charging $75 an hour?

Turns out that the internet and some enterprising young men are at the rescue. Indeed, Aaron Harris, Josh Abrams and Ryan Bednar founded Tutorspree when they saw the need in the marketplace for a better student-tutor matching system.

More precisely, Tutorspree is

I have a new craving this fall. It's hitting me hard. I'll need to satisfy it soon…It's for a desert boot, with updated styling à la 2011.

FYI, the Desert Boot is now 62 years young. This enduring style with the crepe sole has many fans. My sister and I were among some of the early fans. I remember us both sporting a pair of the "originals" (but we didn't need to call them that back then…) as little girls and feeling very cool in a tomboyish and powerful sort of way.

And now is the time to revisit the timeless design. Here are some adaptations that I have found for (serious) consideration:

Clarks Classic Desert Boot	Clarks Desert Boot - An homage to the Original thing: "An international cult classic, the iconic lace-up boot by Clarks Originals® was inspired by the crepe-soled boots worn by British officers in World War II." These are available at Clarksusa.com for $99.99 but you'll be interested to know that the UK site also has a lace, a knit-adorned and a pink flannel versions of this original.
Clarks Water Row Boot	Clarks Water Row Boot - Definitely inspired by the Original Desert Boot, this Water Row boot may just prove to have as much classic endurance. And a dressier profile with a manageable heel. Like. Buy at Clarkusa.com for $124.99.
Owen Boot by Bettye Muller

As originally written for Brick Meets Click, a community of retail experts that shares ideas and insights about the future of shopping.

Here's one for the case studies' repertoire.

The Setting:


Missoni, the legendary Italian design house created a 400 piece downmarket collection for mass retailer Target.

Target is no stranger to designer cool, having featured many designer collaborations in the past (Michael Graves, Isaac Mizrahi, Liberty of London, Jean-Paul Gauthier, Alexander McQueen…). The Target brand's established sense of design has allowed it to cross the barriers of social acceptability, where shopping at Target is cool, no matter your social or financial status.

As you have most likely heard, the Missoni for Target collection launched bright and early on September 14 and was due to run until October 22. This collection, of course, had immediate appeal to fashionistas and stylistas everywhere who blogged and tweeted galore about it all. The advertising and social media