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In addition to local thrift stores and consignment shops I love to hit up my local Plato’s Closet. The owner practically knows me by name at this point. If you are unfamiliar, Plato’s buys and sells gently worn brand name clothing and resells for a fraction of the retail cost. I usually spend everything I get for the clothes I bring in because they always have such great stuff in their store. My latest killer Plato’s purchases are below, you will DIE. To find a local Plato’s Closet near you, check out their locations here.

D&G Lace Dress – $16

Foley + Corrina Python T-back Dress – $35

After some serious birthday celebrating in Ft.Lauderdale this weekend {yes, my liver hates me right now}, I will be jetting off to Madrid tonight to do actual work. While I am there I will be sure to find time to check out the sights and street fashion, as well as experience some Madrid culture. At the top of my to do list is watch a Real Madrid match, visit the Prado and eat paella while drinking sangria. I doubt they run Real Housewives in Spain so I will have to catch up on my shows when I am back next weekend.

{via Pinterest}

Sorry I have been MIA the past few days, I went to D.C. to visit my family. However, I still managed to catch the return of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and caught up on Most Eligible Dallas last night so look for those posts early next week. Today I am covering the real vs. steal of the Lanciani Leather and Pave Crystal Ball bracelet as seen on the Kardashians. Get your own crystal arm candy for only $55 each!

The Real:

Lanciani Leather & Pave Crystal Ball Bracelet – $195

vs.

The Steal:

Macrame & Crystal Ball Bracelet – $55

{Place your order by emailing Michele from Posh Paper}

I have been stalking PetFinder for months looking for a yorkie mix to rescue when I came across Animal-Aid, a local shelter in Boca Raton that had recently rescued a group of yorkies from a breeder. On Sunday I stopped in for a visit and fell in love with this little girl who was just too cute to leave behind. I have never seen a fully black yorkie before and am still coming up with her name, but I had to share her first pic with you guys! I hope she enjoys bad reality TV, yoga in the living room and bike rides. She is already obsessed with looking at herself in the mirror so I think we are going to get along just fine…

For the holiday me and the bf are heading to upstate NY to relax, hang out on lake placid & spend time with friends and family. I am only allowed one carry on so packing is going to be an issue, but I guess there is no need for stylish clothing while hanging out in the woods right? Before I take off I wanted to share the top three things inspiring me right now to leave you with some inspiration over the weekend. Happy 4th & have a great holiday weekend!

{Matchbook Magazine is a monthly e-publication full of stylish inspiration}

{Pinterest is the place to catalog all the things you love}

{I’m bringing fabric covered buttons back in a big DIY way…stay tuned}

{Here’s where I’ll be celebrating the Fourth of July – don’t hate me!}

{images via Pinterest}

The other day my girlfriend and I were talking about visualizing your future and making your dreams happen. We shared all the things we hoped for one day and jotted them down. Then we decided to create inspiration boards on them so we have something to look at every day to remind us of our goals. Instead of going old school and ripping pages from a magazine, I decided to use my new friend SnagIt to put together my inspiration board. Here are a few of my goals to inspire all of us to visualize your future & make it happen!

xoxo, the budgetista

{my inspiration board}

1. own my own place (a brownstone would be nice)

2. attend NY fashion week

3. explore the world one cliff at a time

4. dress chic every day

5. replicate Jenna Lyon’s closet

6. design the interior of my house (Carrie style)

7. get published

I hope everyone had a fabulous & fashionable New Year! Usually I skip the resolutions, but this year I figured if I post them on my blog I might have to actually be accountable for them. So here it goes…

{budgetista resolutions}

1. cut down on the shopping

2. create a budget and stick to it (thank you Learnvest!)

3. utilize existing wardrobe pieces better

4. break out the sewing machine, alter clothes & reintroduce them to wardrobe

5. take my blogging to the next level

When signed into your account, Boutiques learns your style and preferences and in turn, provides you better results and recommendations over time. Think Shopstyle.com with the power of Google behind it…the fashion opportunities are endless! Create your own shopping experience at Boutiques.com.

You know how I love everything Heidi (Klum, not ex-Pratt) so I was excited to learn of her latest venture; creating a fashionable fitness line with New Balance. Heidi Klum for New Balance is suppose to consist of tunics, knits, woven tops, leggings and outerwear pieces that will retail from $32-$168, to be sold exclusively at Amazon.com on October 7.

This quote pretty much summarizes why I love Heidi: “I wanted to do something that looks like you might be going to the gym,” Klum continued, but “you don’t have to work out in these clothes. You look athletic and fit, like you’re a mover and a shaker. You don’t look sloppy, crunchy granola.” I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to look crunchy granola anymore when I’m working it out so let’s hope Heidi’s new line is as hot as she is.

If you love dressing the part of your favorite movie stars than this news is just what you want to hear on a Wednesday to get you through the week. In anticipation of the upcoming film Eat Pray Love debuting this weekend, fashion designer Sue Wong has launched a ready-to-wear collection inspired by the film. “Eat Pray Love by Sue Wong” will feature pieces influenced and inspired by the story’s focus on the beauty and essence of India and Indonesia, specifically, rich colors and textures, exotic flair, and intricate embellishments. No word on the cost yet, but I am going to lean towards expensive based on who is carrying it.

The line will be available at: Neiman Marcus, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bloomingdale’s, Nordstrom’s, Lord and Taylor and Dillard’s, as well as on www.SueWong.com.

So what do you think? Would you wear this line? Share your comments below.