Annual Sale at the Pink Monogram

It'll soon be Cyber Monday and Miss Monica at The Pink Monogram is having a big ANNUAL SALE and offering free shipping all day tomorrow!!!

The perfect gift for the preppy one in your life...A Gift Certificate from The Pink Monogram!
These are darling personalized Christmas platters...love them!
A monogrammed bathrobe...great for those cold winter nights! Of course, the monogram makes them special.
These preppy and personalized cell phone covers set your phone apart from others!

Stop in at The Pink Monogram and check out all the deals available tomorrow!

Monograms and Madras

Nothing says "Classic and Preppy" more than monograms and madras. Both are must-haves for the prepster. This is the time of year I love to wear madras. Take a look at some of the pieces I wore recently...lunching and shopping.

The skirt and light blue cardi are by Lilly and the white tee is monogrammed in light blue.

I wore my Lilly blue thong sandals and carried a white Bermuda Bag. Along with my pearl necklace and stud earrings, I wore my Cartier rollring wedding band. My nail polish was 'Lovie Dovie' by Essie and my lipstick was 'Laser Pink' by Chanel. My ponytail was adorned with a white grosgrain ribbon bow and my fragrance of choice for the day was 'Wink' by Lilly.

These madras capris are by Ralph Lauren and the pink button down oxford cloth shirt is also by Ralph Lauren.
I wore the 'Loopy 50th Jubilee Pool Party' flip flops by Lilly and a blue pony cap by Lacoste. My earrings are gold script monogrammed drop style and I wore my 'Oyster Perpetual' Rolex watch along with my rollring wedding band by Cartier. My ponytail was adorned with a pink grosgrain ribbon bow and I carried my pink monogrammed Bermuda Bag by Lilly. Lipstick--'Laser Pink' by Chanel...nail polish 'Lovie Dovie' by Essie. I've now developed another obsession y'all...my beverage containers simply must coordinate with my outfits!!! Love this white tumbler with my monogram in blue...too cute!!!These madras capris and the white polo shirt are both by Ralph Lauren...comfortable and cool!
I wore my blue Polo flips flops, a navy pony cap monogrammed in white, and a white grosgrain ribbon bow adorned my ponytail. I wore these cute silver monogrammed earrings with the matching ring, my rollring wedding band by Cartier, and my 'Oyster Perpetual' watch by Rolex. My lipstick...'Star Red' by Chanel and my fragrance of choice for the day--'Lauren', by Ralph Lauren.

Southerners love to monogram their stuff! We put our own initials on everything in sight! I'll admit, I probably need to enter a Monograms Anonymous program, but who has the time? Showing off your monogram is a darling way to make your clothes, dinnerware, linens, stationery, jewelry, and almost anything personal.

Here's a few of my monogramming rules:

~Monograms may be used with the first/last initial only. I am not a fan of the single letter monogram because I don't think it is as personal as the full monogram.

~For a single lady--Janice Kay Sessums would use the first initial of her given, middle, and

family surname; i.e., Janice Kay Sessums---jSk.

~In the South, after Janice Kay Sessums marries Kenneth Craig Gibson, she drops her middle name Kay. Sessums would then become her middle name and Gibson would be her surname. Her name would then be Janice Sessums Gibson and her monogram would be jGs. (This Southern tradition of dropping your middle name after you have married and using your maiden surname as your new middle name, allows people to recognize your name throughout your life.)

~If Janice uses a joint married monogram for items such as crystal, china, linens, et cetera, she would use the first letter of her given name, the first letter of her husband's surname, and the first letter of her husband's given name--jGk.

It's important to remember that Janice Kay Sessums may still use the initials of her maiden throughout her life, even if she marries. I still have jewelry from my single days, with my maiden monogram.

~When monogramming clothes, men's monograms are usually small and women's are larger. A man's monogram is always on the left side of the shirt or the left cuff, in small block letters in the order of the names; i.e., Kenneth Craig Gibson--KCG.

A traditional monogram consists of three initials. Your surname is in the middle and larger. For example: Janice Sessums Gibson is jGs.

I love the interlocking tradition font, the circle font, and the diamond font.

The interlocking font...

The circle font...

The diamond font...

Is there anything you should NOT monogram? Right off hand, I can't think of a thing! I'm getting ready to have a window valance monogrammed! Can you every wear too many monogrammed items at the same time? Probably so and I'm certainly guilty of this all the time.

Make it personal y'all. Monogram it!

A Staple to the Preppy Wardrobe...Bermuda Bags

The Bermuda Bag, one of the most favorite accessories of 70's, is a staple to the preppy wardrobe. It's a round or oval-shaped pocketbook with a wooden handle and a removable cloth cover. What a relatively inexpensive way to have a pocketbook to match every outfit! I'm always on the lookout on the Re-Lilly site or Ebay for these bags. Here's my collection...

Solid and cute Lilly print covers...

Adding your monogram makes them extra cute and real Southern!

A few of mine are reversible. After they are monogrammed, obviously you cannot use the reverse side:)

One of my blog readers recently asked me about my Bermuda Bags. She was curious about 'What's inside my Bermuda Bag'. Well, I never leave home without my Chanel lipstick and there's no way I could live on a deserted island, 'cuz I'd just die without my Burt's Bees Pomegranate Lip Balm...so the lip balm is never left behind either! My iPhone is pretty much attached to my hand {so, I'm either holding it or it's in the bag} and just recently I had to start wearing readers, so the Lilly 'Beachy' readers are a must-have as well. I always carry a sample size of Lilly 'Wink' cologne and Hall's mints--which are another addiction of mine:) My Cartier writing pen is a must and of course I don't leave home without my debit card and ID card in a Gucci card case. My keys to the BMW are on my Lilly 'shift' keychain.

You really don't want to put large items {like a big folding wallet} inside, 'cuz you don't want these bags to be bulging with stuff!

This is a photo that is also on my sidebar...it's me in Bermuda in the early 80's...dressed VERY preppy and carrying a pink Bermuda Bag, probably just like the one in the photo above...and monogrammed of course!

Thank you for visiting with me today! I'm very nervous about the American Idol Results Show tonight. Lauren Alaina did a fabulous job last, but ...I still hope Scotty wins!!!

Merlot Hour...Featuring The Pink Monogram!

If you follow me on Twitter, you know I tweet a lot about "Merlot Hour". Well, tonight I'm enjoying a glass of Merlot after a long hard day of doing chores around the house! I'm sippin' Merlot while preparing a late supper for my husband...so I simply must look cute, right?! Of course y'all! "HERE'S WHAT I WORE." Check out this precious preppy monogrammed apron, from The Pink Monogram. It is one of my faves! Solid black, with my monogram in pink. Monica, at The Pink Monogram will customize this apron just for you. It's available in several colors and if you would like, she will even add the darling polka dot ribbon at the bottom to coordinate with the color of your monogram! This is a must-have for any Southern hostess. It would also make a cute addition to your hostess apron collection or would be an appropriate housewarming gift for the Preppy Hostess With the Mostess! I think it looks real cute with my my pink and black ballet flats:) Now, y'all know I'm a bit OCD and everything simply must match. Lately, I guess I've gone a bit overboard, as I've started coordinating my wine goblets with my hostess aprons. Take a look at this doll! Monica sells this ridiculously cute monogrammed preppy wine goblet. It has dots and my monogram to coordinate with my hostess apron. Can you stand this cuteness?! Check out The Pink Monogram! You will surely find the perfect preppy piece that you simply must have. Miss Janice has her brown eyes on these jewels... Monogrammed Loafers--these are available in a wide range of colors and of course, they are monogrammed. On. My. List. These monogrammed Animal Print Shoes are SO me! I simply must have them y'all! What is this, you ask? It's a Monogrammed Shower Curtain! Not just any monogrammed shower curtain either. It is available in white, damask print, polka dots, and a daisy print. The best thing about it is that the monogram is 12 inches by 12 inches! What a statement this curtain would make in my guest bath. Right now I'm using the Ballard Designs white curtain...the one with the lame 'G' initial. Must. Have. This. One. Simply must!!!

You can peek at all the Pink Monogram products online HERE. You can also become a Facebook fan of The Pink Monogram here. Monica is on Twitter and you can follow her to keep posted on the sales she offers. Miss Janice LOVES The Pink Monogram, it's where I got my Pink Monogram clogs.

Thank you for visiting with me today! Hope y'all are having a fabulous Spring...isn't Spring wonderful?

P.S. I'm having major Blogger issues tonight. If a link doesn't work for you, I apologize. And the spacing...this is another issue that began last week. Strange and frustrating! Another P.S. 4.17.11--I tried to edit this post so y'all could get the direct links for the cute loot at The Pink Monogram...still having issues! I am soooo sorry:(

A little bit Preppy...A little bit Redneck

What a fabulous weekend...Shop, Shop, Shop! Saturday I took a Daytrip to Mount Dora, Florida for the Spring Antiques Collectibles & Crafts Show... had LOADS of fun y'all. Mt. Dora is a quaint little town just northwest of Orlando. It's historic downtown is full of boutiques, gift shops, cafes, and antique shops. It's fun to visit Mt. Dora anytime...great day trip for Floridians or those visiting the Orlanda area! "HERE'S WHAT I WORE" I'm still in that tricky wardrobe transition time. Lord have mercy! I put such strict seasonal fashion rules on myself! {No sleeveless stuff, no open-toed shoes, no white, no patent leather!} I tried to wear something Spring-y and comfortable...something Preppy, of course! These coveralls in the 'Fried Catfish' pattern by Lilly are the newest addition to my Lilly coverall collection.

Love the 'Fried Catfish' pattern... I wore my {closed-toe} pink mules by Lilly and a cute monogrammed cap by 2PreppyGirls. My ponytail was adorned with my Lilly-fied scrunchie:) My iPhone cover was lime green and I wore my 'Desert Tort' watch by Lilly. I wore my pearl stud earrings by Ralph Lauren and my rollring wedding band by Cartier. My fragrance of choice for the day...'Wink' by Lilly. My shopping tote is from the $1 bin at Target...monogrammed, of course!

Ready to go with my shopping list of must-finds, I drove thru Dunkin Doughnuts for an early-morning energy boost!

A little bit redneck...yes, I guess I am y'all! How cute is this Redneck Wine Goblet. Linda Jarrett offers these on her Etsy site, Sassy Stemware. You can get them plain or with dots {use your fav team colors}, or she will paint on your monogram for you! LOVE these! I got so many fun comments about mine in Mount Dora! What a perfect gift for the Southern girl who likes to party!

Too early for "Merlot Hour"...I'm sippin' homemade lemondade I bought from some cute young Georgia boys!!! Enjoyed a great lunch at my fav restaurant, The Goblin Market...a must-do place to dine in Mt. Dora.

After two days of non-stop shopping, I arrived back home and just threw my loot on the bed and hit the sofa for a night of marathon Lifetime Movie Network Movies!

Can't wait for the Mt. Dora Fall 2011 show! On the way home, I was mentally planning my next trip...hmmm.

Thank y'all for stopping by today. Have a wonderful week!

HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN DRESSING PREPPY?

Lord have mercy, I've been dressing in the preppy style for a long, long time! Here's a photo of me in the late 70's...totally prepped up!

"Here's What I Wore"...That skirt was one of my favorites--a pink and green wrap-around skirt I bought at the Casual Hut, the place to shop back in the day in Augusta, Georgia. The white blouse is a "Country Club Blouse" with a Peter Pan collar. The collar was monogrammed in pink and had a pink piping trim! I want that blouse back, right now...it was too cute! The pink cable cardigan sweater was from Trimmingham's in Bermuda--now closed, but one of my all-time favorite stores! My shoes...pink espadrilles and monogrammed in white...yes ma'am! I'm carrying a cute pink Bermuda Bag also monogrammed...in white. My ponytail is adorned with a pink grosgrain ribbon. I can see I'm wearing my Rolex Chameleon watch with the pink (interchangeable) grosgrain ribbon, which I've not worn for years!!! I need to start wearing that watch again--it has its own wardrobe, different colored bands, enabling it to be worn with different outfits! The necklace I'm wearing was very popular back then...gold memory beads--loved 'em! I'm also wearing gold disk monogrammed earrings and the matching monogrammed ring...still have those also.

Now, here's another photo...from way back to my days at Richmond Academy in Augusta, Georgia. Here's the cheerleading squad in our uniforms--monogrammed vests, country club blouses, and the cute plaid skirts. We were also wearing Spaldings...de rigueur back then! I'm the last one the right on the top row, with the flippity-do!) Preppy cheerleaders at the oldest high school in the South...yes ma'am!

Fast forward, to the present...So, here I was a couple of months ago, posing in front of the Lazy Daisy, in Vero Beach, Florida--still dressing preppy! Lilly pink gingham skort, a pink Lilly tee shirt, and pink Lilly mules. I wore my pearl necklace, matching pearl stud earrings, along with my Cartier roll ring wedding band and my Oyster Perpetual Rolex. I'm still wearing the ponytail and a white grosgrain ribbon bow...another preppy staple--Chanel sunglasses!


So, what are my preppy fashion staples??? Here's a few...

~Pearl necklace and pearl stud earrings
~Anything genuine madras
~A Burberry umbrella
~Lilly Pulitzer shifts
~Engraved jewelry
~Topsiders
~Tory Burch Revas
~Ferragamo Vara pumps
~Grosgrain ribbon bows for my ponytail
~Headbands (preferably by Ferragamo)
~Monogrammed baseball caps
~Bermuda bags (monogrammed, if appropriate)
~Chanel 2.55 pocketbook
~Nantucket Lightship pocketbook
~Burberry pocketbook
~Louis Vuitton pocketbook
~Scarves...Hermes, Cartier, Christian Dior, and Lilly
~Rolex watch
~Polo shirts
~Cardigan sweaters
~Pullover sweaters, either monogrammed or with the Lilly palm/Polo pony
~Jack Rogers sandals
~Chanel ballet flats
~Chanel sunglasses

What are some of your preppy staples? 'Cuz if I don't have it, I want it!