Swoon Style and Home: Back from the Outlets! Again!

Monday Monday. Blah.

Maybe a post about outlet shopping will brighten this otherwise dreadful day? Here's hoping. Yesterday, Jamie and I hit the outlets in Lancaster, PA. We have been there many times before, but it has been almost a year since we last went! It was high time to get out there. We live about an hour away and were super excited to see what treasures lay in store for us. Funny that whenever we decide to go, we seem to run into weather issues ... like snow ... and monsoon-like rain ... and more snow. This time it was fog. Oh, fog.

View from Jamie's dashboard about 10 miles from Lancaster

Yet, we find that the worse the weather, the better we do, so we welcomed the foggy weather with open arms. When we head to Lancaster, we always go with a plan. This trip's plan was: first, hit the Christmas Tree Shops; second, hit the Pottery Barn Outlet as soon as they open (they open at 11 a.m. on Sundays, otherwise we would have gone there first when they open at 9 a.m.); third, lunch; and fourth, hit the Tanger outlet mall, where shops such as Ann Taylor, Coach, j.crew and Banana Republic await. We both wanted to look for a mix of home and clothes stuff this trip. Here is a round up of my loot by store. I am happy to report that I spent only $100 out of pocket - the rest of my purchases were paid for by Christmas money that I had set aside.

Christmas Tree Shops

Jamie and I are always so pleasantly surprised at the Christmas Tree Shops. We get such great deals there. This time was no exception. I walked out of there with two frames: one with a cool modern print ($3.99) and one on clearance that is an ugly pinky color that I'll just paint white ($1.25).

I also found a great tall lantern for my fireplace. They had it in several colors: metallics, white and one in this punchy teal. I went with the teal. It was $15.

I found a cute little globe for Big's room for $10. I also found these adorable little boxes with chalkboard on them for $3.99 each. I will put them on my deck in the Spring and place herbs in them.

Pottery Barn

Ahh ... Pottery Barn outlet. It's always hit or miss for us (and usually when one of us hits the other misses). This was my turn to miss and Jamie's to hit, but of course I ended up with a few purchases. I got this gorgeous mercury glass bottle for $15. It lives in my half bath.

I also found this cute bottle and can opener. It was only $5 and it's so pretty.

I got these adorable pillow covers in the soft blue pictured right in front, which I will put in my living room as soon as I pick up some inserts. They were on sale for $19 each, which is a nice discount from the regular $25 price.

Image courtesy of Pottery Barn

j.crew

With the home stuff out of the way, we took a quick lunch break and then headed to the outlet mall that has clothes. Our first stop was the j.crew outlet. I ended up scoring great here. I found a lovely pink cardigan, a coral pencil skirt, a turquoise bauble necklace and a light blue gingham shirt. I have been saying I wanted a gingham shirt for awhile. I'm so happy I found it! Obviously I am feeling the need for some color in my wardrobe.

Banana Republic

I did pretty well in Banana Republic, too. Here, I found a dark orange cardigan, a grey and white printed top, a sheer top for layering or by itself in Summer, a pair of very lightweight gold hoops, a teal patent belt, and a pair of sunglasses that were on sale for $8.

Eddie Bauer

I was not planning on going into Eddie Bauer, but Jamie wanted to check it out. I am so glad we did. I found this gorgeous tweed fitted jacket on sale for $50. It was originally $169 and it fits like a dream. I keep saying I want to add blazers and jacket to my wardrobe. I'm glad I found this. It looks a lot better on me than on the bed. I'll post a picture when I wear it. Promise.

Wilson Leather

I found a great little leather jacket at Wilson Leather on sale for $23. It was too cute to pass up.

Also, I *needed* a new work bag. Desperately. I bought my current one at Target over three years ago and while it has served me well, it is looking pretty rough. And look what happened to the straps.