Seeing the Good & Last Minute Preppy Giftables

Hello-Hello, and thank you for coming to visit on a day that still seems to have a pall; a nagging sense at the back of the mind that everything is not okay, that for many Christmas and Hanukkah were taken this year and will never be the same. Gifts were bought and trees decorated. Parties were planned. There are toys that were ready to go under Christmas trees. Now they are having funerals.

So it seems like a good day to share a few things that might boost spirits, and another of our little gift guides. Our first item is about the volunteers of Wreaths Across America. The organization was started in 1992 when the owner of a Maine wreath company had extra inventory, he asked officials at Arlington Cemetery if he could put the wreaths on the graves there.  They said ‘yes’ and now wreath-laying ceremonies happen in all 50 States.

Saturday was Wreaths Across America Day.

AP via Huffington Post

Wreaths were placed on graves at 230 national and state veterans’ cemeteries all over the country. Below, David Galloway with the Scottish American Military Society lays a wreath at Prescott National Cemetery in Arizona.

Matt Hinshaw/The Daily Courier

Another look at Arlington on Saturday.

Wreaths Across America Facebook

You can learn more by visiting the Wreaths Across America website, or the group’s Facebook page.

Our other tidbit is more of a link, one that many may have already seen in one of the mulitple variations now circulating. This one is on Buzzfeed and titled “26 Moments That Restored Our Faith in Humanity This Year.” It is just as it sounds, below, the first item shared.

Via Buzzfeed

That’s “The parents who made their son’s wheelchair into the best Halloween costume ever.” Another on the list, the free medical help offered to strangers after Hurricane Sandy.

Via Buzzfeed

Click here to see the entire Buzzfeed list, being reminded of the good in people was a boost. I don’t know about you, but I needed to see this.

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Finally, a quick look at last minute giftables from the Princess.

PreppyPrincess.com

• Our exclusive Needlepoint Cuffs ($48) from York Designs
• The Ready To Go phone cases (18.50) by the Preppy Planet
• Lilly Pulitzer Koozies ($6)
• Lilly Pulitzer Thermal Travel Mugs ($14.50)
• Snoozies Pink & Green Whales ($12) keep your toes toasty warm!
• Preppy Magnet Packs ($10) come in all sorts of patterns
• Sloane Ranger Totes ($38)

A Lilly Book Review, MOTH Gift Guide & Flash Giveaway

Hello-Hello! Or should that be Ho-Ho, Ho-Ho?! (Insert goofy grin.)

We’re back with a few tidbits today, the first: “Greetings From Lilly Land,” a lengthy review of the new Lilly Pulitzer book that ran in the Wall Street Journal last Friday.

Lilly Land is as much an attitude as a selection of here’s and there’s—Nantucket, Bryn Mawr, La Jolla, Grosse Pointe, Scottsdale, Greenwich, Short Hills, Far Hills—anywhere that rich women want to dress as if they have imaginations, as if they are “interesting,” to use the word the way some women do, as the opposite of “mousy.”

A quick refresher for anyone who may not be familiar with the recently published book, the official title is “Lilly: Palm Beach, Tropical Glamour, and the Birth of a Fashion Legend,” written by Kathryn Livingston.

Barnes & Noble

Henry Allen penned the review, he is a Pulitzer Prize winner for criticism and knows the world of which he writes:

To my surprise, I learned that I kind of like her. Surprise because I grew up with my nose pressed to the window of Lilly Land, but I was looking out, not in, seeking freedom from Connecticut cocktail hours, rich people complaining that they were broke (“totally stoners”), mixed doubles in tennis, and porch parties where women wore hair pulled back as tight as the silk on Christmas-tree balls. Once in a while a man would wear a necktie as a belt, a Brooks Brothers buccaneer.

Mr. Allen diplomatically references the lack of Lilly’s involvement with the book, “There’s no sign that Ms. Pulitzer sat for an interview with Ms. Livingston.” Another portion of the review, this portion talking about Lilly customers and readers:

They should be warned that it gives short shrift to Lilly Pulitzer herself. Is the problem that she is not all that interesting? What they’ll get instead is a book that’s half society history—28 pages that take Miss Porter’s School back to 1843, 21 pages on the history of Palm Beach, and 53 pages taking the McKims, Pulitzers, Phippses, Guests, Carnegies and so on back to the 18th century.

Yours truly has yet to read the book, but I very much enjoyed the review. Click here to read it in its entirety, it’s well worth the short investment of time.

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Today’s other topic, we offer a few gift ideas for the MOTH (Man Of The House) at your Palace.

We show (from upper left):

• The Big New Yorker Book of Dogs at Bas Bleu, $45
• 2 pair Men’s Wool-bend Ragg Wool Socks at LL Bean, $18.95
• Katahdin Iron Works Insulated Sweatshirt at LL Bean, $89.99
• Stormy Kromer Original Flexible Fit Cap at Stormy Kromer, $39.99 (Consort Recommended)
• Swedish Cordura Dipped Travel Kit at Jack Spade, $165
• Mini Camp Lantern at LL Bean, $24.95
• Wicked Good Moc Boot Two Slippers at LL Bean, $79
• Daniel Boone Bracelet at Kiel James Patrick, $58
• Wool ‘Kevin’ Pant at J. McLaughlin, $185
• Wool Blanket in Gordon Dress Tartan at Sid Mashburn, $145
• Christmas Themed Belt at J. McLaughlin , $48
• Custom Grosgrain Key Fob at the Preppy Princess, $6
• Jonathan Adler Thermal Travel Mug with Silicone Sleeve at the Preppy Princess, $14

If helpful, all of the links up above go directly to the product and they all appear to be in stock. One item that didn’t quite fit in the Polyvore montage, another Consort suggestion, a Screwdriver Set at MOMA that he has, it has come in handy on more than one occasion.

MOMA

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Our final offering today: a flash giveaway. (Is that even a term…?) At any rate, we just got these in yesterday and I love them.

Sloane Ranger at PreppyPrincess.com

What better stocking stuffer than… stockings? Socks actually, knee socks from Sloane Ranger.  Available in Scottie Dogs, Nautical Anchors, Whales and Owls, these are really cute as can be and $12. (Let us know if you would like them gift wrapped for no additional charge.)

Pop over to the shop and peek at our Sloane Ranger collection, then come back and leave a comment telling us what item you would most like to receive or give. We’ll take comments until midnight Thursday and pull a winner Friday morning,  with an announcement in Friday’s post.

Just A Touch Of Window Shopping…With A Preppish Slant

Hello-Hello, and welcome to a Wednesday. It’s been quite awhile since we “went shopping” here at the Prepatorium, it seemed a good time to have a glance at some of the end-of-summer/almost-Autumn offerings at our favorite emporiums.

We started with a visit to LL Bean ( in a virtual sort of way) and peeked at a few nautically inclined items, like the Whale Percale Sheets (starting at $26) and Oceanside Sleepwear Shorts (now on sale at $19.99).

LL Bean

Lands’ End also offers some cute things for the kids and the adults. Below left we show the Anchors Away Hooded Towel ($35), it comes in a variety of colors.  They also have the hard to find Anchor Needlepoint iPad Case available again, and it’s on sale, discounted to $39.99.

Lands’ End

Bean also has Boys’ Chino Shorts with both anchor and marlin motifs. (Discounted to $16.99 from $22.50.)

LL Bean

Arguably the cutest nautical items I discovered come from Kohl’s, the Itzy Ritzy Reusable Lunch Sacks seem like fun ways to perk up a little one’s lunch bag.

Kohl’s

They are BPA and PVC free, and can be machine washed; for $9.60 they seem like a good buy. Another cute item for your wee prep, the Carter’s Whale Sleep and Play set at Kohl’s ($10.40), how cute is that?

Kohl’s

By the way, if this holds appeal but if you need something for a baby girl, it is also made in a sunny pink and yellow whales print.

The children’s divided Whale Tray by Jumping Beans also caught our attention, $3.59 at Kohl’s.

Kohl’s

Rounding out the kids’ coverage, this pink and green Whale Sprouts Waterproof Bib at Kohl’s, we enlarged the print so you can better see the whales swimming across the bib.

Kohl’s

At JC Penney we found a variety of budget-friendly jewelry pieces with aquatic themes, these are all from the company’s Mixit line.  The earrings run $10 and the stretch Crab Bracelet is $14.

JC Penney Mixit Jewelry

We decided to do a quick bit of madras meandering, you know how attached we are to our patchwork plaids.  Bean had some snappy pieces, the women’s Kennebunkport Bermuda Shorts are a good buy, on sale at $34.99.  The men’s Summer Weekend Shorts are not discounted, but still a good look for your MOTH (Man Of The House).

LL Bean

Remaining unapologetically fond of seersucker, we wanted to share LL Bean’s Seersucker Dress (on sale at $49.99), as well as this men’s Seersucker Bow Tie (also on sale at Lands’ End for $34.99).

LL Bean (L) / Lands’ End (R)

Lands’ End also has other pieces on sale, below we show Bean’s Essential Women’s Shirt in seersucker ($39.95) and the men’s Stripe Seersucker Buttondown (discounted to $39.99), both good buys at those prices.

LL Bean (L) / Lands’ End (R)

JC Penney has a pair of Seersucker Shorts for men ($17) from American Living (the brand by Ralph Lauren, soon the line will be discontinued, the partnership between the two companies has not been renewed) and an Alyx Seersucker Dress, $17 at JCP, a touch short and snug IMO.

JC Penney

Our friends at Country Club Prep have a wonderful blog post featuring the two women behind Just Madras, Kim Haney and Kimberly Hoag.

Country Club Prep

There’s no shortage of madras pieces at CCP, including this Pocket Square ($20), Montauk Madras Belt($60) and Jenny Change Purse ($26).

Just Madras at Country Club Prep

While the sun isn’t feeling quite as warm as it did in July, we’ll always enjoy a spot of seersucker and madras.

Until next time, may all of your whales be smiling.

It’s That Time of Year!

Hello-Hello, and welcome to a new week.  We’re in an especially celebratory mood here at the Prepatorium because it’s our Annual “I’m No Fool” Sale, with the entire store 20% off!

That makes it a perfect time for early ordering of wedding and graduation gifts, our monogrammed iPad accessories from Clairebella are ideal gifts for the grad.

Clairebella at PreppyPrincess.com

Always great shower presents, Clairebella’s Personalized Cutting Boards and Melamine Platters, at 20% off these become a smart buy for the discerning gift-giver.

Clairebella at PreppyPrincess.com

As mentioned in Friday’s post, we’ve included our brand new Pink Pineapple jewelry collection in the sale, below we see the Nantucket Spout Whale Toggle bracelets and the Port Anchorage Anchor Toggle bracelet, both make a wonderful gift for the grad with nautical inclinations.

Pink Pineapple Jewelry at PreppyPrincess.com

Each is only $25.60 with the 20% discount; as always, we’ll gift box and wrap them for you at no additional charge, just let us know in the ‘comments’ section of the order form, we’re happy to do it!

Another stellar gift idea, personalized stationery. Our Preppy Ladybug designs are always popular, the Icon Flat Cards come twelve to a set, they are just $10 today!

Preppy Ladybug at PreppyPrincess.com

Other great buys today include our personalized Collegiate House and Garden Flags.

Collegiate House & Garden Flags at PreppyPrincess.com

Not to mention all of our Lilly Pulitzer, this spring’s new Melamine and Acrylic pieces are bright and beautiful.

Lilly Pulitzer Nice to See You & Luscious at PreppyPrincess.com

We’ve just added the snappy Jonathan Adler Ear Buds to our inventory, they’re cute as can be, $16 with today’s sale.

Jonathan Adler Ear Buds at PreppyPrincess.com

The soft silicone buds fit perfectly inside your ear, 6 ear bud tips are included, and best of all, the 46″ cord comes with a free cord keeper, for those of us a little, ahh, ‘ear bud challenged.’  They also match our Adler iPhone 4 cases, offering the opportunity for a coordinated look.

The “I’m No Fool Sale” also offers outstanding bargains on merchandise being discontinued that is *already* on sale, like our Jonathan Adler iPhone 3 Cases.

Jonathan Adler iPhone 3 Cases at PreppyPrincess.com

Originally $19.50, they are retailing for $15, with the additional discount the cases are only $12, a great price for a designer iPhone case!

Also a big bargain, the Scout Original Dean-O totes in solid pink, green and blue.

Scout Original Dean-O Tote at PreppyPrincess.com

Another bag we are closing out, the Gina Tote from Milano, a fab bag with a magnetic closure, 2 zippered pockets on the front, 1 zippered pocket on the back plus 2 more pockets inside, a big help for those of us who like to have things organized.

Gina Tote at PreppyPrincess.com

Originally the Totes were $29.50, but they’ve been marked down to $19.50, more than 35% off; with today’s additional savings they’re only $15.60.

Today’s goofy little post doesn’t even mention our goodies from Sloane Ranger, Lovie & Dodge, Boatman Geller, Sailor Bags or Kiel James Patrick, but they’re all included in the sale. Just use promo code APRILDEAL at checkout to receive your discount.

As always, we’re here to help if we can, don’t hesitate to give us a call, the toll-free line is 877-353-7737.

Friday Fun That’s Peepalicious, A New Nautical Collection

Hello and Happy Friday.

We begin with one of our favorite events this time of year, the Annual Washington Post Peeps Diorama contest.  As explained in the paper’s story about the event:

After six years, our annual Peeps Diorama contest has become a survey of all that touches and taunts our collective consciousness, an anthology of absurd, artistic triumphs displayed through malleable marshmallow rabbits and chicks.

As always with this contest, art imitated life, highlighting the farcical fabulousness of human behavior long after submissions stopped pouring in.

Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post

This year’s winner: OccuPeep D.C., seen above and in the next photo.

Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post

One of the finalists played off a popular internet meme with “What People Think Peeps Are“:

Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post

Below we see two examples of that, the one on the right  is meant to show how Peeps’ parent company, Just Born, feels about the concoction, portraying them as saintly beings generating a little cash.

Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post

Of course we saw a takeoff on the Royal Wedding.

Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post

My favorite part of this one is the person carrying the bride’s train, “Peepa”.

Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post

Semifinalists included the GOPeeps Peepadential Debate.

Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post

And a takeoff on a classic Beach Boys album cover.

Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post

A personal favorite is Welcome Home Peeps, showing a scene at BWI during a “Operation Welcome Home Maryland” event greeting returning troops.

Deb Lindsey for The Washington Post

There are loads more fun dioramas, including Peepdom Abbey, The Boston Peeps (as opposed to the Pops), even a scene showcasing one of our AntiPreps, Peeping up with the Kardashians. For all of the Post’s Peeps contest coverage, click here.

BTW, for anyone who may have given up sweets as a Lenten devotion there’s something that could help tide you over until you can say nibble on one, say hello to the Giant Peeps Plush Bunny.

Peeps and Company

It’s the traditional Peeps Bunny captured in a larger than life 2′ 7″ plush toy. They are awfully cute critters but the price is not as nice: $150, ouch.

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Our other topic today involves a talented twosome readers have seen us write about before, Kiel and Sarah of Kiel James Patrick renown.

Kiel James Patrick Tumblr

In addition to everything she already does with the company she and Kiel have, Sarah Vickers is branching out.

Preppy Princess.com

Now on their way to the Prepatorium, those are pieces from the recently launched collection created by Stacie of the Pink Pineapple showcasing some of Sarah’s favorite motifs.  The “Cape Breeze” Bangles ($28) are in the top photo, one of the Port Anchorage Toggle Bracelets ($32) is shown in the lower photo.

Ms. Vickers has also debuted her own blog recently, “Classy Girls Wear Pearls,” as well as a rapidly growing Facebook page.

It’s no surprise the new collection has a decidedly nautical aesthetic. Below we show the Atlantic Triton Earrings ($25), Anchor Link Bracelet ($68) and the Enamel Anchor Cuff ($36), available in Aqua, Navy and White. The latter two items will be arriving in several weeks, but we are accepting pre-orders.

PreppyPrincess.com

Below, Nantucket Spout Toggle Bracelets and one more Port Anchorage Toggle, all $32.

PreppyPrincess.com

Click here to see the collection, we will be adding more styles to the line as early as next week.

A reminder for frugal shoppers, this Sunday and Monday is the Annual Preppy Princess “I’m No Fool” April’s Fool Day sale, with the entire store 20% off. That doesn’t include merchandise receiving additional discounts, like our Jonathan Adler iPhone 3 Covers, already discounted 23% to $15, that means they will only be $12 with your sale savings.

This year the Sale is a two-day event; the 1st is Palm Sunday and it wouldn’t do to suggest shopping on that day. For those interested in the new new collection, those items will be included in the sale, even those that are pre-order only pieces. We’ll have a full listing in Monday’s blog, to receive the discount be sure and enter APRILDEAL at checkout.