Happy Friday! What a beautiful day it is! Well…To be honest, I think all Fridays are beautiful!

This week, my son Jake has been a camp counselor at a sports camp, so the house has been missing his spark for sure! He gets back later this evening so I am really looking forward to that!

We have so many fun things to cover today, most of the photos I took myself because this week I am focusing on the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale, which early access began yesterday for people with a Nordstrom credit card. And I was there, heart pounding and ready to shop!

This is the store at Somerset Collection in Troy, MI. Technically the sale opens to the public next Friday, but if you are a Nordstrom cardholder, you get to shop the sale items a week early (the sale began for cardholders yesterday).

The Early Access is from July 12 – July 19 (for Nordstrom Card Holder); and the Anniversary Sale goes open to the public July 20 – Aug 6.

So if you don’t have a card but you want in on the early access, you can click here for information on how to get a Nordstrom card, so you too can get in on the early access.

So what makes this sale so special? Its one of the only sales where they put brand new merchandise for the upcoming season on sale! We are talking fall and winter items, and its July! And, they pick an assortment of designers and items that are never on sale like this any other time of the year. So if you are looking to add a nice designer handbag or some fashion boots or a beautiful coat or so many other really lovely items, now is the time to do it!

The online sales were available to shop starting at 3am on Thursday. I was on at about 5am (just couldn’t get up at 3am!) Well, all of us deal loving shoppers just about blew the computers there were so many of us shopping! So the system went down several times, and there were other glitches. But Nordstrom always goes way above and beyond for customer service. They sent an email saying that for the inconvenience of the computer glitches, they were gracing people in the “rewards” program with 10 times the normal “reward points” that day. Reward points rack up to get you $ certificates after you reach a certain amount. This tenfold award for the day was a very gracious way to tell customers they appreciate the business and regret the computer glitches.

So I pulled up to the storefront at 9am and the lot was full and some ladies were already walking out of the door with arms full of purchases! Honestly I felt like I was going to Disneyland, I was so excited!

So let me show you some of the things I saw at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. Please know this is just a few of the places I stopped. There is probably 20 times more than what I photographed, but I kept getting distracted with pretty things!

The handbags were lovely! This MCM shoulder bag was so cute! Even on sale, (normally $495 on sale for $329) its still a little out of my budget, but I thought it was adorable!

The Longchamp Le Pliage bags below unfold to a large tote. I love these bags, and they come in a range of colors. They are regularly $195, on sale for $129.90. Friends, I confess… I could not resist. I ordered this in that gorgeous autumn yellow color. It should arrive in the next few days, so you will see it in upcoming blog posts. I struggled between choosing the black one or the yellow (its also available in navy and a dark khaki which is really lovely). But that sunny yellow just made me smile, so that is what I ordered.

There were many more brands and bags on sale, I think I saw on the online 160 bags/wallets were included in the Anniversary Sale!  (Tory Burch, Kate Spade, Marc Jacobs, MCM, Rebecca Minkoff, Allsaints, Madewell, Botkier, Brahmin, Frye, OAD New York, rag & bone, and on and on) and I got sucked in to a handbag trance! So I don’t have many photos of the bags. I tried almost every single one on and looked in the mirror… I was like a little girl playing dress up! One thing I love about handbags, one size fits all! On a sale day like this, I get really bold about trying a bag on I know is way out of my limit.

They have a gorgeous selection of jewelry on sale, and it seems that they always have some special Kendra Scott pieces. These Kendra Scott Kirsten Drop Earrings are regularly $65, on sale for $42.90. Isn’t that blue gorgeous?

You can see below a gorgeous Kendra Scott blue pendant necklace, the Kacey, is included in the sale as well, regularly $65 on sale for $42.90, and it comes in several colors. And the longer pendant below with the gorgeous fringe (the Kingston Necklace) is regularly $90 on sale for $59.90!

There are so many pieces on sale. All kinds of jewelry. I exercised tremendous self control. You see me holding those lovely necklaces below, I was this close to trying one on. And once I do that its all over. I held my temptation at bay. But the sale is on for several days, so I make no promises.

Another thing I had to check out was the Michele watches on sale. Friends, I wear a watch every single day. I love watches! And I am hungry for a new watch! Well Nordstrom has an incredible selection from many designer brands. Michele is a brand that is so feminine, so exquisitely elegant, I literally swoon when I see it! But it too is a brand that is genearlly out of my price range by a landslide, so I simply admire it like the Mona Lisa! But this year, they have a beautiful watch offered in white and in gray, the Deco Sport Bracelet Watch and a price point way below what I normally see with this brand! I was captivated with the white one! I tried it on… Do you see it in the upper left corner below? Swoon!!! Regularly $445 on sale for $297.90! Once again, I make no promises!

They had sales on specific watches from Tory Burch, Michele, Movado, MVMT, Olivia Burton, Longines, Nixon, Versace, Ted Baker and Shinola. Truth… I love them all! I might have a little problem. This could be a very expensive addiction! Aren’t they pretty?

Ok, now I had to breeze past the home goods. They have some beautiful things on sale! I love that wooden bowl!

Look at these gorgeous wood and marble cutting boards and coasters! I love cutting boards!

In the picture below, do you see the blanket throws on the right? I purchased one last December in gray, and its the favorite throw in our house. And they are on sale now regularly $39.50 for $25.90! The Kennebunk Bliss Plush Throw. That is an awesome price for a great gift for someone you love or for yourself! And get this, it comes in 17 different colors!

Now the photo below shows just some of the items I took back into the dressing room with me.  I love the Halogen purple cardigan below, regularly $79 on sale for $42.90 (available in 7 colors). And that cheerful Caslon yellow pullover sweater (also in 4 other colors) with the Dolman sleeves (so cute on!!) regularly $59 for $39.90.

The Anniversary Sale always has many moto jackets in all price ranges, some real leather, some faux leather. I really liked this Moto by BlankNYC below with the detachable hood, regularly $98 on sale for $64.90! And this Stripe Duster Jacket by TopShop regularly $110 on sale for $69.90. They had pants in the same fabric which would be gorgeous with a black top! It felt so silky!

These are the sweaters I tried on, all were really fun and pretty. The leopard print cardigan in red and pink by Topshop  regularly $75 on sale for $49.90. The other two Mock Neck color block sweaters are by BP, regularly $49, on sale for $31.90. Ladies, of these three the black one took the prize for me which is very unusual because I almost always pick red if its an option! I just kept thinking how pretty a necklace would look on it!

Honestly friends, I am just skimming the surface, but the prize of the Anniversary Sale in my opinion is the shoes! The Shoes! It was hopping! They had a number system, yes I took a number. The clerk had a hand held mic, and she was saying “Now servicing number 10” and they assigned you a sales clerk who used a handy tablet to record the items you wanted to try on. My clerk was a very nice young man named David. And the shoes are cray cray this year! There are so many! I found about 12 pair I love! The sale shoes feel like 3 whole shoe departments!

I just took a few shots of the shoes, they were everywhere! The booties below with the perforation pattern are the Sofft Wyoming Bootie, regularly $110, on sale for $84.90.

These sandals, The Marsden Flat Thong Sandal by Tory Burch are selling like hotcakes (ok, hotcakes a little pricy for me but are they cute!)

There were so many boots and booties! I need to keep working on my walking before I buy the tall boots.

The booties below with the tassels are by Kate Spade, the Bowie Bootie, aren’t they adorable? Regularly $259, on sale for $169.90.

These booties below were calling my name. I kid you not, in 47 languages I think. It took all I had to resist. They are a high end brand, the Fiamma by Aquatalia, regularly $425 on sale for $279.90.

Friends, I really just scratched the surface on this sale. I didn’t even cover the beauty department which has gorgeous special sets of high end makeup at incredible values! And the exercise clothing has some great deals! And so many coats and jackets!

Below are the shoes I came home with from the Nordstrom sale, and hypothetically I may have a few more on the way. These black mules, the Galyn Mule are by Rebecca Minkoff, and they are so comfortable, regularly $164.95 on sale for $99.90. They also come in a gorgeous cognac color, and a dark olive color.

All in all, I shopped maybe 6 hours, met some lovely people and really enjoyed seeing all the lovely things! At one point I stopped for a snack, and you would be so proud, with tempting food of every kind all around, look what I chose!

So next week I should have much more to show you, but I will stop there for this week.

In the picture at the top and bottom of this post, I have on a bright pink jacket. I like wearing bright clothes because I feel like they cheer people up. I have a friend named Anita who always wears the most cheerful clothing. Of course she has a beautiful smile and way about her, so its the whole package. But when I would see her coming my way, I just felt happier! She makes you feel like she is your biggest fan, cheering you on!

It just feels good to have people like that in our lives. And we can also be that person for others! My grandma was the same way, I would walk up on her front porch and she would answer the door with a smile like she was staring at a miracle! She would say in such a happy voice, “Who’s that on my front porch! Come in here, Ducky, you look so good to me!” (she called pretty much everyone she adored “Ducky”). It was like you were getting a dose of the best therapy known to humanity, drenched in utter love and adoration.

It is a gift we can give someone of the most precious kind, when we put the focus on them, and just let them shine! When you do that for others, you become their hero, and you also can take a really shaky person and help them begin to believe in themselves again. The investment in others is one of the best investments we can ever make. Everyone needs that kind of love in their life. Even if they look like they have everything together. It is a gift of the sweetest kind. And You my friend are worthy of it!

You may not always feel like it, but you were created as a one of a kind living, breathing masterpiece. Take a look in the mirror, you are beautiful! You are smart, talented, fun, friendly and there is only one You in the entire universe! You were put together by God just the way you are for a wonderful purpose! I know you may have doubts, but that doesn’t matter, the one who made you has no doubts! He’s just crazy about you! And so am I!

I hope you have a fantastic weekend! I’ll be back next Tuesday for another Tasty Tuesday!

Love Always,

Amy

How cool is it that the same God who created mountains, oceans and galaxies looked at you and thought the world needed one of you too.   ~Sigrid Bruinsma