SOUTH COAST PLAZA'S GIFT FOR YOU!

While you’re out holiday shopping at South Coast Plaza you can come home with a coveted Tiffany & Co. crystal vase to keep, or give as an ideal holiday gift. It works like this: Simply present $850 or more in same-day receipts for purchases made Dec. 1-9 at any of South Coast Plaza’s boutiques or restaurants to receive a complimentary Tiffany & Co. crystal vase. You can redeem the gift at two designated South Coast Plaza locations.  (*Offer excludes purchases made at department stores: Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s, Nordstrom, Sears and Bloomingdale’s, The Orange County Performing Arts Center and The Westin South Coast Plaza. One gift per person, per day, while supplies last. The vase cannot be returned or exchanged at Tiffany & Co. Purchases of South Coast Plaza Gift Certificates are not eligible for this offer.) 3333 Bristol St. in Costa Mesa.     714.435.8571 ****Post is courtesy of Greer's OC! Thanks Greer for this awesome tip.

Get Your Group On...

...or just click here and join Groupon.
Groupon is an amazing online tool that benefits customers and merchants. First Groupon negotiates huge discounts on popular local goods, services and cultural events. Second, these specials are offered online to subscribers via free daily emails. Once a minimum number of people agree to buy, the deal becomes activated. Members of Groupon get a great deal and businesses get tons of new customers. 
Some examples of deals that have been offered:

Sparkles for Less

I'm going to let you in on a little secret of mine...my diamond studs aren't real. 

I might have told you they were somewhere along the line, so I apologize for not telling the truth. On the same note, didn't your mother teach you it isn't nice to ask people questions like that! LOL

My earrings are unbelievably great quality for cubic zirconium stones. Unfortunately, the key to great looking "fake" jewelry is typically the setting...and gold can be expensive. By no means were my studs cheap. Believe it or not, they were upwards of $250! The good news is that I've had my earrings for 5+ years and they remain to look flawless. 

Over this past weekend, Ben and I went to Vegas. As we were walking through the Palazzo Shoppes at The Venetian hotel. I stumbled across the Erwin Pearl boutique. Erwin Pearl is the magnificent designer that created my earrings. His work offers deceivingly stunning costume jewelry set in quality metals for everlasting elegance. I begged and pleaded with Ben for a tennis bracelet that caught my eye as we were passing. It was only $165!!! I was in love! As vain as that sounds, I admit to loving fashionable things, especially when the price tag doesn't break the bank! 

This piece of jewelry wasn't set in white gold, like my first Erwin Pearl purchase, but the salesperson promised that the sterling silver would remain looking fabulous for many years to come. (She even gave me a secret cleaning tip: toothbrush, toothpaste and warm water.)
If I may advise one little thing about wearing cubic zirconium jewelry...mix it in with other things. Preferably diamonds would be the best, but nonetheless, any mixture of real stones can camouflage even the "fake" jewelry that might not be as convincing as Erwin Pearl. 

Vegas, Baby!!!

The beauty of asking for something is that the worst thing that could happen is a simple "no."

Just recently, Ben said that he wanted to run away for a day and relish in the fact that we don't have kids yet. Where better to do this that sin city! Other than sitting on the beaches of Hawaii, our dream getaway would be laying by the pool with the intermittent gambling or visit to the sports book for fantasy football. 

We called Club Grazie at the Venetian Hotel and asked if they were offering any complimentary nights. A friendly lady answered the phone and said "Yes," they were! And, she gave us an additional $25 of free slot play with stay. 

Ben and I are rushing to pack our things, find a sitter for Gidget, our puppy, and hit the road! The goal is to drive over the desert horizon and see the strip silhouette by the second half of this mornings football games. Wish us luck!!!

Promo Codes

Can we take a moment to appreciate Google? I mean really!!!
I try to refrain from online shopping, but it is truly hard to avoid when there are so many online deals. Besides the promotions that you receive via email or mailed catalogs, whenever you decide to buy something online you must google the purchase. 
Just now I was feeling inspired and checked Go Daddy for www.everythingrichardson.com for availability. Who knows...my new blog could become famous and appreciated by all the major scholars of the world! Really! It could happen...one best be prepared. Well, www.everythingrichardson.com was available and the cost was $11.99 for one year. I was excited, because that price seemed very reasonable for a website that starred my own last name, I would have gladly paid much more!
As I began the checkout process, I did the normal routine of opening another page and creating a google search for "godaddy promo codes." Wouldn't you know it, there were various options. Within moments, I learned that I could apply "PODFD412" in the promotion code section of checkout and receive a discounted price. 
www.everythingrichardson.com is officially mine for the mere price of $7.49.
Everyone should google promo codes before any online purchase, because there are most often coupons or codes that allow for cheaper shopping. And, NOTHING is better than cheaper shopping.
Look forward to the full Everything Richardson website in the near future.