livelovesara - An over 40 Style and Travel Blog

Nordstrom Half Yearly Sale (My Picks)

May 26, 2017Sara Leave a Comment

It’s the long weekend In the U.S. (last weekend here in Canada) which has always been the “official” start of summer and my inbox has been bombarded with notifications of upcoming sales. As weird as it is because it isn’t technically summer yet stores across the country are having their sales to clear out merchandise to make room for the incoming “back to school” (my favourite shopping time) and autumn/winter stuff. What does this mean? It means that you can find your summer wardrobe pieces you have had your eye on for a significant price cut.

Nordstrom is having its Half Yearly Sale which means that you will find deals up to 40% off across all departments. We only have one Nordstrom in Toronto but it’s in the Eaton’s Centre and that mall scares me a little 😉 so I have never been to the Nordstrom. They are also building one in Yorkdale which is much more accessible to me.

I love department stores and the mall near me has The Bay, Simons, and Holt Renfrew. Holt Renfrew is a luxury department store and the one and only time I went through it to check it out I was with Merle. At this point I didn’t realize is was super expensive so when I saw a Cardigan that caught my eye I checked the price and had to struggle really hard to maintain a calm look because it was almost $2000. I turned to Merle and hissed through my teeth to not touch anything and please stop Moonwalking through the Prada. Then I grabbed her hand and we slowly walked through the store while trying to keep the “I can afford to shop here” façade and trying to avoid having a Pretty Woman moment. Now when I walk by and see people coming out with bags of stuff I always wonder how wealthy you have to be to spend that much money and still be smiling and laughing when you leave because I sure as hell would be crying.

So while I love department stores, I only shop in 2/3 that are near mean (I mean can you blame me, I’m scared to breathe on anything) but I can’t wait to visit Yorkdale when the store is open. As for the sale, since most of my readers are U.S. based I thought I would pick some pieces that I like from the sale for me, my kids, my home and post them below.

Have a great weekend everybody, whether is it a long one or regular!

Check out some other notable sales that are going on this weekend too.

Ann Taylor 40% off Full-price styles + Extra 50% off Sale Styles Code: SUMMER
Boden 30% off 5 Days only + Free Shipping
JCPenney up to 25% off
Urban Outfitters Up to 50% off
LOFT 40% off everything code: VACAY
Lou & Grey 30% off all sale styles + free shipping
Cole Haan Extra 30% off sale items
H&M Deals from $5. Save up to 60% off and free shipping
L’Occitane Free 3-piece Hand Cream set + tin with any $55 purchase
Modcloth 15% off everything (reg priced items only)
Nasty Gal 40% off your order Code: NASTY40

What to Wear in Havana, Cuba – Outfit Options

May 25, 2017Sara Leave a Comment

I’ve had three coffees today and now I am sitting quietly, drinking a cup of tea and I realize how much more I enjoy tea. While I drink coffee in the morning mainly for its ease (Keurig) and the caffeine boost (not a morning person. At all.) when given the option I will pick tea every single time. My favourite Starbucks tea is a London Fog (also called an Earl Grey Latte). Even my two favourite mugs (Lionel, Mr. T [mine is pink]) that no one is allowed to use show my preferences. I guess I am really and truly British as per my DNA 😉 Which do you prefer?

Last post I put together a list for What to Pack for Havana, Cuba as per an Instagram request. It is a much more colourful list than what I usually do but there are just so many wonderfully bright, and beautifully printed pieces out there now and I felt it fit with the aesthetic I was going for, for this particular list. I have also been embracing more colour lately and think that this may have trickled down in to my choices as well.

This trip is for 7 days in June, which is part of the wet season and I put together 18 outfit options from the pieces in the list. There are also so many other ideas that could be put together if you get creative. Cuba is like many other Caribbean countries where there aren’t restrictions on what you can/should wear. You can bring your regular summer clothes and there will be no issues. If you want read more details on the trip, my clothing choices, and the accessibility to wifi in Cuba read the original post.

Are you feeling all of the bright colours and prints this season?

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What to Pack for Havana, Cuba – Packing Light

May 24, 2017Sara 2 Comments

This weeks packing list request comes via Instagram. I was asked if I could put together some ideas for a one week trip to Cuba in the middle of June. I’ve never done Cuba before so I thought I would give it a shot. Cuba is tropical so it is warm all year-long so it has dry season and wet season. From May to October is the wet season, meaning that on any given day the sky can open and the heavens fall 😉 During the summer months the days hit the 30’s (in celsius) and the air gets thick and humid. The wet season is also cyclone season so pay attention to the weather before you leave.

I’m going full colour with this list because I was inspired by o=pictures of Cuba. Like most of the Caribbean countries there aren’t a lot of wardrobe restrictions, so the best things to wear are dresses and/or skirts, tanks/camis/t-shirts. breezy blouses, and shorts (I added a pair of jeans for travel and if it gets colder). A sweater or denim jacket is a nice light cover in case you get chilly, a kimono is a statement piece that adds bold print, colour, and can easily be thrown over a dress, shorts, or a swimsuit. Scarves also make good swimsuit covers or shawls in a pinch (bring two swimsuits if you don’t want to risk putting on a wet one). And don’t forget a hat and suntan lotion. The tropical sun in no joke. Seriously though, it’s intense.

There is so much to see and do in Cuba but also know that wifi isn’t as accessible in Cuba as you are probably used to. They do have HotSpots all over the country but yo need to buy a prepaid ETECSA internet card so it can get pricey. If your hotel has a wifi hotspot you may have to buy the time through the hotel vs the card. For many this may seem like a dream to unplug for a week and relax, for others it may not. So it is best to research and plan it out so you don’t end up in a panic because you can’t access all your social media 😉 So keep in mind, there is internet but it’s going to cost you.

Outfit Options will be in the next post.

A little mid week heads up is that Nordstrom’s Half-Yearly Sale starts to today. Up to 40% off store wide until June 4th. Also, we are getting a Nordstrom soon and I am beyond excited to see what the hype is about.

NET-A-PORTER is having and up to 50% off sale.

And Barneys New York is having an up to 50% off sale for the family and home.

I wish I had a lot more disposable income 😉

Do you fall under the relax and unwind, or the panic and withdrawal side of having no access to wifi?

If you like this post you can find more packing lists and outfit options in my:
Packing Light Series
What to Wear Options

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What I Wore This Week

May 22, 2017Sara 2 Comments

I sitting here contemplating how I am going to move my living room around (it is Saturday night as a write this). I have mentioned a million times that this is a super small space. Under 700 sq ft and the rooms are really weirdly shaped because we are a corner unit. When Tom was at Value Village today he sent me a picture of a couch (and a Carrot Top alarm lock that he wanted to get but was so ugly I kiboshed it). The couch is a brown leather, three seater in great condition, with a matching chair all for $35 and from Ikea. Seriously. We were contemplating getting the $700 fabric couch from Ikea but this one is a clear bargain that can’t be passed up. If we were just swapping couch for couch then I wouldn’t have to move stuff around but since we are also adding another (largish) chair then some reconfiguring needs to be done. It’s along weekend (Victoria Day Weekend) so we have an extra day to get shit done before Tom goes back to work.

When you move furniture here you have to book the elevator but that causes issues with last-minute purchases since you have to book in advance. It’s one of the main frustrations that I have with condo living so we are going to try to sneak it in without booking it. We lost out on a couch a while back because we couldn’t book the elevator. It’s not really big so I hope we can get it in without any issues or getting in trouble :/

We had a couple of really unseasonably hot and humid days last week which gave us a taste of the summer to come and I am dreading it. None of us are heat people so the girls starting complaining the moment their eyes opened even though the air conditioning in the building has been turned on for the season.

I returned some clothes to Zara that I bought for Merle that either didn’t fit properly or she wasn’t a big fan of and caved and bought a kimono with the exchange. I showed the two colours that I had narrowed it down to and I ended up getting the blue because it fit better. So while I actually hate summer I am looking forward to being able to wear it.

*some people were moving in the day we got the couch and were nice enough to let us use their booked elevator to bring the new couch up and the old couch down. It was meant to be. Except the living room currently looks like a Tetris game and we need to either rent a van or cram it in to our suv to donate next weekend.

I can’t believe it is almost June.

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What to Pack for Italy and Paris – Modern Grunge Style

May 19, 2017Sara 5 Comments

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I didn’t think I was going to get it finished but did. This is look number three from the One Trip, three women, three different styles challenge that was requested this week. Look number one – Romantic Style, and look number two – Boho Style are from Tuesday and Wednesday’s posts. I tried to get this one up last night but honestly, my kids would not settle and I just couldn’t sit and focus. But since it is Friday it fits well with my regular posting schedule anyway.

I’m going to be honest and say that this list is right up my alley. It fits my style perfectly and kind of want to go through and buy everything 😉 You may notice that I didn’t include any shorts in any of these selections. For the romantic list I was requested not to, and for these last two I was thinking about it but considered it unnecessary since there are two dresses and the pants can either be rolled or pushed up anyway. Shorts aren’t as prevalent in many European countries like you see here in North America and a lot of times the people that you do seeing wearing shorts are tourists. But if you think you would like to bring a pair they can easily be swapped for something or even rolled-up small and slipped in your shoe while packing, because they won’t take much room. Note that the long floral dress can also be left open and worn as a kimono style, long over-shirt. This gives even more outfit options when you have pieces that can work several ways.

18 Outfit Options are at the bottom of this post.

I wanted to note that the Elephant scarf/bandana from J.Crew is not only beautiful but for a good cause. I am a sucker for animal causes and when I chose this piece I originally picked it because I loved it and it fit with the aesthetic (and I adore elephants) and then I read on the J.Crew website:

“Founded in 1977, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust rescues and protects orphaned elephants and rhinos in East Africa from ivory poaching and extinction. To date, they’ve successfully rehabilitated 190 elephant orphans before reintegrating them into the wild. In their honor, we teamed up with Brooklyn-based artist Hugo Guinness to create this limited-edition scarf, featuring an illustration of our friend Edie the elephant. An adventurous (and slightly rebellious) teenager, Edie was rescued by DSWT back in 1999 when she was just four months old. Fifty percent of the retail price from the sale of this scarf will be donated to the Trust.”

The scarf also comes in a plum colour.

I hope you enjoy these selections as much as I do. Have a great weekend everyone!

If you like this post you can find more packing lists and outfit options in my:
Packing Light Series
What to Wear Options

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What to Pack for Italy and Paris – Boho Style

May 17, 2017Sara 4 Comments

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This week I had the pleasure (and challenge) of putting together a packing list for one trip, 3 women, with three different styles. It is for a mother and her two daughters who will be taking a 3 week trip to Italy and Paris together as a graduation gift. How amazing is that?!

If you check out yesterday’s post What to Pack for Italy and Paris it is for a romantic style. That post also gives a little more detail on the trip. Today I am attempting to achieve a boho style with florals, flowy light fabrics, peasant style dresses, off the shoulder tops, and flared and high-waisted pants. The shoes and accessories are leather, or woven and have a very relaxed boho vibe.

I put together 18 outfits but I could have made a lot more, so this list will easily accommodate a 3 week+ trip without repeating the same outfit. You may have noticed that I included a jean jacket as well as a light jacket and this is because a jean jacket to me is something that you toss over to complete an outfit (kind of like a blazer but casual) there is no real warmth in it and that is why I added another. One jacket will be more than enough if you want to lighten your suitcase even more though.

I hope that you like my picks and they help to inspire you for your upcoming trip.

I’m really digging those Minnetonka Boots, how about you?

If you like this post you can find more packing lists and outfit options in my:
Packing Light Series
What to Wear Options

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