As I spend the day celebrating my 30th birthday with my family and friends, I can't help but reminisce on all the good times I have experienced in the past, and remember all the days that led up to this special day. 

It seems to me that before you turn 30, every birthday is a big occasion, and feels like a reason to celebrate.  Then after you turn 30 it seems like people are not as excited about their birthdays, and instead they mourn the passing year, and the idea of getting older. 

Although I am apprehensive about the idea of getting older, I still realize how much joy there is in each passing year, and in the future I want to try and relish living in the moment, more than focus on mourning the years passed.

I recently read a quote that got me thinking about all of this...

What these wise words mean to me are to make every moment count!  Whether you are 25, 30, 40, or 80, always remember the joy you have experienced in the past, and think about the joy of your now, a joy that will only exist at this very moment in time, that you never could have experienced at a younger age.

Although in planning for this birthday, I originally thought that I would rather be celebrating my 25th birthday instead of my 30th, I quickly realized that this would mean that my husband wouldn't be here to celebrate with me, or any of my beautiful nieces or nephew.  These are just a few of the recent joys that getting older has brought me.  And it's not that I can never be 25 again, a part of me will always be 25, and 20, and 10, but now I also get to enjoy being 30 too, along with all the other wonderful ages I have been able to celebrate along the way.

Thinking about life and birthdays in this way makes me realize that younger is not always better, because the more years we celebrate, the more we have to be thankful for, and the more richness, love, and memories we have added to our lives.

Please excuse the late postings, and slightly different format this week...it has been a hectic week for me fitting in work, outside meetings, and of course celebrating with all my wonderful family and friends.  I promise next week things will be back to normal at Living Luxe for Less.

Have a wonderful Wednesday everyone!  

Well the big day is almost here ...that's right, tomorrow I'm turning the big 30!!!  Goodbye 20s, hello 30s! 

To celebrate this special day my husband and I are going to The Mark Hotel for cocktails and dinner at the new Jean Georges restaurant The Mark.  I have wanted to try this restaurant ever since it opened, and I could not be more excited to go for dinner on my 30th birthday!

So what am I going to wear for my 30th birthday dinner date? 

Well you all know how much I love Target, so I thought that it would only be fitting to ring in this new decade of my life with an outfit from my favorite discount super store!

So for today's Tuesday Fashion post I have featured the black Mossimo dress from Target that I plan on wearing tomorrow night for my birthday dinner.  And because I'm turning 30 and I'm already starting to rebel against my new age, I even took the dress to my tailor to have it shortened a few inches...why not right?! 

Although I already have the dress planned for tomorrow evening, I am still working on the accessories.  Luckily I have a few good options to make this outfit extra special, but for today I decided to do a LUXE post on how I would accessorize this dress tomorrow evening if money wasn't an option! 

So today's post is just LUXE without the less, but hey, it's my 30th birthday and a girl can dream right?!

Mossimo Black Open Neck Black Dress (Target), $29.99
David Yurman Mobile Chain Earrings, $1200
David Yurman 11mm Pave Diamond Infinity Ring, $3, 950
Christian Louboutin Elisa 85 mm, $795
Judith Leiber Satin Valeria Clutch, $935
Essie East Hampton Cottage Nail Polish, $1.35
 

Next week I will show you pictures from my birthday and update you on how I decided to accessorize this beautiful black dress.

Any suggestions on what LUXE or LESS accessories you think would be perfect with this LBD?

I would love to hear your ideas...until then, I am going to enjoy my last day of being in my 20s!!!

New York City Street Fairs are an interesting phenomenon that always include an eclectic mix of vendors and excitement.  Where else can you stumble upon bulk spices, exotic jewelry, cell phone accessories, bulk socks, cubed watermelon, gyros, smoothies, and funnel cake all on the same block?

So this past Saturday when I was running errands, I really had NO intention of detouring from my my path to the dry cleaners, but then out of the corner of my eye I spotted it...a street fair on 84th Street between 2nd and 1st Avenue!

Once I saw this fair I couldn't help but let my curiosity get the best of me, so I told myself that Duane Reade and my dry cleaning would have to wait five minutes, and I entered the fair.  Now when the first thing I saw upon entering this fair was a table full of cosmetics that looked like they were at least five years old, I must admit that I was not feeling too good about my decision to take a break from my errands...

But then out of the corner of my eye I saw it...a table FULL of great fabrics, beautiful pillow covers, and needlepoint.  Were my eyes playing tricks on me?!

I soon discovered that no my eyes weren't playing tricks on me, this table really was the diamond in the rough of this street fair.  Skeptical?  Well don't take my word for it!  Here are a few photos of what I found...

Aren't these pillows and fabrics gorgeous?  The owners of this stand, Deng and Spencer, hand select all of their fabrics and they specialize in both fabric and needlepoint pillows.  And not only do they have amazing fabrics and pillows to choose from, they also have amazing prices!  Their pricing for fabric pillows is as follows...
 

Isn't this a GREAT deal?!

And here are a few more beautiful options...

Which set of these colorful pillowcases do you think came home with me?  Yes you guessed it...the elephants!  I can't believe that I got these two elephant print pillowcases for just $20 total!  They are going to look great on our couch, and what a deal!

And now for the needlepoint...do you love needlepoint pillows, but just don't want to spend $120 or more on a throw pillow?  Well if that's the case than these pillows are for you!  Deng and Spencer have a lovely collection of novelty needlepoint pillowcases, and they are all priced between $22-$25!  Here are a few of my favorites...

Aren't these needlepoint patterned pillows great?

I am so happy that I stumbled upon Deng and Spencer's stand on Saturday, and I am so impressed by their selection of printed and patterned pillowcases.

Deng and Spencer do not have a store or a website, but if you are interested in buying any of their pillow cases, please Contact Me, and I will get you in touch with them to place an order.

If you had stumbled upon this stand on Saturday, which of these pillowcases would have come home with you?

Happy Sunday everyone!  As always the weekend went by way too fast for me, but luckily I was able to enjoy some down time with the husband, a delicious lunch with friends this afternoon, cooked two delicious dinners, drank some yummy wine, did some necessary window shopping, and started watching Season 1 of Modern Family.  All I have to say is, now I know what all the fuss is about!  That show is FUNNY.

And before the weekend is officially over I want to fill you in on a few updates I made to LL4L this weekend.  

1. I added a Daily Topics Page to the top sidebar to familiarize readers with my weekly schedule of topics.

2. I updated the I Love page in the top section to reflect What I Love for Fall, and I will update this section seasonally based on what I am currently loving for the months ahead.

3. Starting next weekend I will be introducing a new feature called "Free App of the Week."  This new feature will be posted on Saturdays or Sundays, and because I am a proud iphone addict, it will be a chance for me to share all of my favorite and free apps that I know don't know how I would live without!  If you have a free iphone app that you think I should feature please Contact Me or Email Me at livingluxeforless@gmail.com.

Enjoy your last few hours of the weekend!

XO, Jenn

Today one of you commented that you loved the eyeglasses I featured in last Friday's post on enjoying a Lazy Sunday at Home, and you just had to know where these glasses were from!  Here's a photo...

I must admit that I love these glasses too!  I have a pair of chocolate brown Chanel frames that are my favorites, but lately I have been thinking about adding a pair of tortoise frames to my eyewear collection, and this pair of tortoise Tory Burch eyeglasses may just be the pair I'm looking for...

And on top of how much I love the look of these glasses, I love the price even more!  I found these frames at the website Coastal Contacts, where they were originally $320, and they are now marked down more than 50% to $149.50...and yes this does include the lenses!!!  What are you waiting for?  Designer glasses for $150 aren't that easy to come by...I might just have to splurge on these myself!

Do you ever feel like there aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done?  Between work, family, friends, and your home, sometimes it just feels like you could use 20 more hours in the day to accomplish every task on your to-do list?  And that doesn't even include sleep.  As someone who feels a little worn out and sleep deprived this week, I thought it would be appropriate to share a few words of widsom on the restorative power of rest....

"Take rest; a field that has rested gives a beautiful crop." - Ovid
 

This is a short quote, but there is such power in this thought.  I believe we all need a reminder every now and then on how important rest and reflection can be for the creative process.  So please excuse me while I take the day off, rest, and restore myself to bring you more interesting posts in the weeks to come!

I hope you all have  a wonderful Thursday, and that everyone gets a chance in the next few days to take a few moments to rest and refresh your outlook and creative energy.
 

Image from National Geographic

My apologies in advance to all of my readers who don't live in the NYC area, but this week we have such a great lineup of sample sales that I just couldn't resist sharing them with all of you!

1. First up this week, we have the sale of ALL sample sales going on...the one New Yorkers look forward to all year, and the place where every girl can go to find her own little treasure in a lovely orange box!  That's right people it's HERMES SAMPLE SALE time once again in New York City!  Here are the details:

Hermes Sample Sale
317 West 33rd Street at Soiffer Haskin (between 8th & 9th)
Wednesday, September 22, 9am-6pm
Thursday-Saturday, September 23-25, 9am-8pm
Sunday, September 26, 1pm-5pm

The Hermes Sale opened its doors on Tuesday to shoppers with VIP status and early access passes, and so far the reviews seem mixed.  According to Madison Avenue Spy, insiders were disappointed with the sale's selection this year, indicating that the handbag selection was less than stellar, and the main highlight of the sale was the variety of thin enamel bangles that were marked down from $460 to $184. 

Although I don't know if this review sounds so bad to me...I must admit that I think I would stand in line just for the enamel bangles alone!

And for those of you who are thinking of braving this famed sale, don't lose hope!  Fashion Writer Jim Shi who tweeted inside from the sale was much more positive about the sale's selection, and commented that shoppers should expect a wide selection of ties for $100, beautiful oversized scarves, fragrances, and a variety of men's shirts.

2. Second up this week is the Milly Sample Sale that started yesterday and will continue through today, September 22.  If you are fan of this preppy, polished, and sophisticated line of designer dresses and feminine pieces than you should check out this sale before it ends tonight!
 

Here is one of my favorite pieces from this lovely designer's collection...boy would I have loved to have had this beautiful dress in my rotation this summer!  This sale includes designer samples of blouses, dresses, sweaters, skirts, and more!  Here are the details on the sale:

Milly Sample Sale
Sponsored by Clothingline
SSS Sample Sale
261 West 36th Street (Between 7th and 8th Avenue)
New York, NY 10018
September 21 and 22, 11:00am to 7:00pm

3. Third up this week is news on the upcoming J.Crew sample sale that will be hitting NYC next week!  I have heard mixed reviews regarding this semi-annual sale, but given how much I love J.Crew, I can't imagine that taking the time to check out this cult classic's line of preppy and polished staples could possibly be considered a waste of time.

What do you think Mickey and Jenna?  Should we all make the trip over to 36th street next week to check out the sale?
 

Well you know when J.Crew calls my name it's hard for me not to answer...so for all of you who are strongly considering taking a LONG lunch break to hit up this sale here are the details...

J.Crew Sample Sale
Sponsored by Clothingline
SSS Sample Sale
261 West 36th Street (Between 7th and 8th Avenue)
New York, NY 10018
Tuesday to Friday, September 28 to October 1, 11:00am to 7:00pm
 

4. And finally, it's just not fair for us New Yorker's to have all the fun!  Check out this post on Madison Avenue Spy for info on an amazing Christian Louboutin sale that is rumored to start today on TheOutnet!

And if Christian Louboutins on sale is still not your idea of a bargain, why not check out Piperlime?  They have such a great selection of shoes and boots for fall, and they are dong a 20% off promotion on selected fall styles today only. 

Just use the promotion code: 20SPREE at checkout!

And did I mention the free shipping and returns?  What are you waiting for???

Will you be checking out any of these designer sales this week?  Or do you know of any deeply discounted designer sales that I forgot?

Have a lovely Wednesday and as always...Spend Less, Live Better!