#Target or #TargetMobile is Strange

Not in style: Target Mobile. 

My husband and I had the weirdest experience at Target tonight. We decided to purchase the iPhone 6 Plus after researching which carrier to go with and where we should make our purchase. Due to a good discount on a plan because of where we work, we decided to switch to Verizon from AT&T. The Target Mobile guy started the process of setting up our company switch and purchase and just as he made it to the end, an error flashed on his computer screen telling him to call a number. He called the number (his company, "Target Mobile", which isn't really Target related...they just lease the name I suppose) and they told him not to sell the phones to us. They refused----REFUSED---- to say why. Our credit is great, we don't owe any money to Target or to any credit companies (we really do live within our means...I work hard to be able to afford a cell phone or whatever but never overspend and we research every big purchase like crazy!) and we are not criminals! (That is what I felt like...a criminal though my husband and I do not have any kind of criminal background). The guy at the store gave us the number he called and when my husband called (he was very angry but stayed calm) the woman said she doesn't talk to customers and the store representative we dealt with would have to take up the issue with his manager. He said he could never reach his manager but said he'd try. He also gave us the name and number of his manager to try ourselves. 

So, since Target Mobile isn't Target, we are still going to try calling some customer service line, sending e-mails, tweet, blog and call that manager guy that is apparantly unreachable. No one would give us any reason AT ALL why they wouldn't give the phones to us. Our credit was run and was great so that was not the problem. Were the phones defective and Apple paid them to say "don't sell the phone...but don't say why" in their secretive ways, was it a computer glitch, was it a sign to not switch to Verizon? We really have no clue. Hopefully we find out some reason and I can share it so others won't have to go through this. 

Is this end of the world for us? Absolutely not. We'll just to order our phones through AT&T or wait until the Apple store gets more. It's really more of a question about the shady doings of Target and their not Target related "Target Mobile." By the way...you'll know a Target Mobile rep by their clothes. They wear black shirts instead of red. 

Carolyn Braden: Peter Pilotto Rocked Target

I loved the Peter Pilotto collection at Target. I couldn't choose just one piece! I am sometimes disappointed with Target collections because the fabric choices seem so cheap. Not this time. The fabrics are washable and durable. I loved how the prints mix with each other. The bright colors will definitely cheer me up during this cold snowy winter. 

Peter Pilotto for Target: Lookbook!

The lookbook for Peter Pilotto is here! Head over to Fashionista to view it. 

http://fashionista.com/2014/01/peter-pilotto-target-lookbook

Carolyn Braden: Phillip Lim and Future Peter Pilotto for Target

I loved the comic inspired sweatshirt and sweatpants from Lim's recent Target line. It's style that is super comfortable. 

Most of his pieces were wearable and well made with quality fabric; something that lacked in other Target collaborations.

Coming in Spring 2014: Peter Pilotto. It's a while away but hopefully worth it.  

http://pressroom.target.com/news/target-and-peter-pilotto-announce-2014-spring-collaboration

Chris March for Target=Awesome Wigs!

Chris March (Costume designer and former 

Project Runway contestant) designed wigs

for Target and they are crazy cool! 

https://corporate.target.com

Phillip Lim for Target:The Lookbook Has Arrived

I like the day looks for the Phillip Lim collection. Being a fan of comic books, I prefer the Boom! sweatshirt. 

The collection will be in stores and online on September 15th. 

You can view the lookbook for Phillip Lim for Target here: 

http://philliplim.tgtlookbook.com/#

Carolyn Braden: Fall 2013 Phillip Lim for Target

It's official. September 15th, 2013 is the official launch date for the collaboration of Target and Phillip Lim. 

Go to the follow site to find out more: 

http://pressroom.target.com/

Target and Lauren Bush Lauren: Feed Project Coming June 2013

I am in love with products that give back to important causes. TOMS gives back by donating a pair of shoes to children when you buy a pair. Not only are the shoes comfy and cute but they help others. Feed Project, created by Lauren Bush Lauren, donates meals to people in need when you purchase their products. Buying a certain bag on her website can provide food for a child for one year. Being a public school teacher, I know there are many children that sometimes don't know when their next meal will be. Lauren Bush Lauren recognized this during her travels abroad and throughout America. Partnering with Target will grow her project and help feed more people and most importantly, children. She recognizes children in America need help so stop by a Target store this June and help her cause.


http://www.feedprojects.com/shopping_product_detail.asp?pid=49368&catID=3673


http://pressroom.target.com/news/target-and-feed-partner-on-exclusive-collection-to-fight-hunger-in-the-u-s

Carolyn Braden's Pinterest Pin: Camo

I walked past a man's camo shirt at Target the other day and thought it would look cute on me. I was right on the style mark.

Carolyn Braden's 2012 Fun!

I love hamming it up for the camera. On the way to a fabulous party on New Year's Eve, I decided to capture some silly poses while wearing my vintage magenta fedora. It matched my Target Missoni coat perfectly. Here's to a wonderfully fashionable 2012!

















Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Carolyn Braden: e.l.f. Products, Inexpensive Wonders!

Have you tried Eyes, Lips, Face (e.l.f.) products yet? If not, run to a store and stock up today! I purchased Oil Blotting Sheets, Zit Zapper and Wet Gloss for Lash and Brows. Each product cost $1.00. The cheap price may make you think there's no way the product inside is good but think again. The Zit Zapper reduced the size of a recent pimple and cleared it up in one day. It's so portable so you can carry it with you all day if needed.
I purchased my products from Target. Some are $3.00 but most are just $1.00.


Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Carolyn Braden's Missoni for Target Scores

There are advantages to being small when it comes to the Missoni for Target collection. Being a teacher, I could not go and wait with the crowd of people at my local Target store at 8:00 in the morning. My local Target store told me the crowd was like a crowd seen on Black Friday. Just about everything in the store sold out by 8:30 a.m. When I went tonight to see if anything was left, I had an idea. I headed back to the fitting room to see if there was any Missoni items that they had not gotten around to putting back out on the racks. There was a wonderful sales girl back there that dug through the piles of clothes and found me two items I purchased immediately. The floral trench and a cardigan. They were in size Large, but a girls size large. Fortunately, I am very petite and both items fit me perfectly and looked great on. I was sad I wasn't able to get a dress, but this coat and sweater will certainly add some fun colors to my fall clothing collection.












Carolyn J. Braden
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Carolyn Braden says Target's Calypso St. Barth Rocks!

Here are two purchases I made from the new Calypso St. Barth collection at Target. The clothes make me long for my upcoming annual trip to Sanibel Island, FL. (Such a perfect vacation spot!)
I will have to get the red dress hemmed because I'm short 5'1", just petite!) but I love it. I added the belt to the skirt combination. The green tank top is not from the collection but it is from Target. I had the belt already. It came from T.J. Maxx.
With prices seeming to go up on everything right now, I am happy to say Target is getting it right. While their designer collections are a little more expensive than their regular stuff, it's a perfect fit for me. Sometimes I just wait until certain clothing items reach the clearance rack and stock up. I get so many compliments on my clothes all the time and I think it's funny because I get a lot of it from Target.

Now I have to get those neutral colored wedges I've wanted for so long.











- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Carolyn Braden's Felt Flower Headbands

Easier and cheaper than ever craft!

I purchased the felt flowers and balls from Hobby Lobby. (About $5.00 a pack). I purchased the headbands in a set of 5 at Target. I assembled them together to figure out the perfect way to glue them. Then I used a hot glue gun to attach them onto the headband. I did this about a month ago and have received tons of compliments since.  Each headband cost less than $5.00 a piece to make. 

Carolyn Braden says "The Best Face Mask EVER"

While searching forever to find a place where I could purchase Bioelements "Emergency Soothing Powder", I discovered something great.  

I get facials every once in a while and my facialist always gives me a little of the Bioelements Emergency Soothing Powder to use at home whenever my skin gets super sensitive.  Whenever the temperature changes or for some other reason, my face just gets red and irritated.  It's nothing that a little ESP can't handle though.  I just mix a little water with this oatmeal like powder and smooth it over my face and my skin gets back to normal. 

Well, the other day, the temperature went from super warm to super cold and back to super warm.  My skin got red and I was out of the ESP.  I didn't want to go back to get a facial right away, so I searched the internet for the mask powder.  I found someone on E-Bay that was selling it for $40.00, but after bidding, they e-mailed me to let me know they were out of the product.  I asked my facialist if I could buy some the last time I was there (instead of always having to get a sample), and it's not a product I can buy due to it being part of their "professional" line for skincare specialists.  

I was in need of this product and I couldn't get any!  So, after many searches on-line, I came across one page link.  I clicked on the link and all it said was "Bioelements Emergency Soothing Powder----Colloidal Oatmeal."  Then I searched for Colloidal Oatmeal, just thinking that was one of the ingredients in the Bioelements product.  I discovered that Collidal Oatmeal is just finely ground up oatmeal.  People even posted recipes to make it.  I started searching for products that contained Collidal Oatmeal, thinking there was another mask on the market that contained the oatmeal and was similar to the Bioelements mask.  

Then it dawned on me.  Bioelements ESP is just Collidal Oatmeal repackaged.  I found Aveeno Active Naturals Soothing Bath Treatment.  These packets of bath treatment are merely 100% Colloidal Oatmeal.  I figured I would purchase the Aveeno product (retailed for less than $6.00 at my Target store) and try mixing it with water just like I did with the ESP.  

It was the same exact mask!  The smell, the texture, the color......all the same thing as the Bioelements product.  I have 8 huge packets of the Aveeno product and a tiny amount of the powder mixed with water is all you need to create this mask.  It will last me forever!  I have been using it every night now, and my skin loves it!  It really is a great facial mask!  

Try it out the next time your skin gets irritated, and you won't be sorry.  If your skin is super sensitive though, try testing it out on a little part of your skin before putting it all over your face.  I apply the mask with a make-up brush I bought to only use for putting on masks.  

Happy skin!  

Carolyn Braden......Dreamer of Style

I had a dream Tuesday night.  It was a dream about fashion.  I remember my dreams often, but this particular dream spoke to me about an upcoming style.

I remember Tarina Tarantino being in my dream.  She is one of my role models ever since I discovered her wonderful jewelry designs.  I won an essay contest she had several years ago.  It was about inspirations and I wrote how she was such a huge inspiration to me.  She continues to inspire me and I feel like I think in the same creative way she does.  I often will have an inspiration of some design, such as peacock feathers, coming into style.  Then I'll come across her website and see that one of her latest collections reflect what I was inspired by.  There must be a connection between all the creative people in the world.  I am waiting for the door to the creative world to open up for me......... :)

I was talking to Tarina in the dream and we were looking at huge rubies an emeralds.  These big single stones were the focus of her new designs.  I don't remember other colors, but I am sure they were there too.  So......that leads me to believe that big single stones are a great new style coming out in jewelry and maybe more. 

Other inspirations right now? 

Glittery decor.  I raided the Target dollar bins and found the glittery words "peace", "joy", and "wish".  I just bought vases that have similar words to these on them.  I will be using these things to decorate this holiday season.  Right now though, my decor is focusing on fall.  I have used red flowers and white peacock feathers in a large arrangement in my dining room.  I put shiny stones in the vase to keep it from falling over, but they look pretty too.  My placemats have a photo print design of stones on them too.  My bannister contains a "garland" of leaves I created.  I used oranges, greens, and yellows.   Love these colors together. 

My snow globe idea from months ago is out there everywhere.  I just bought my latest globe......a beautiful silver base with a silver Christmas tree inside.  Oh, the holidays.  I can't wait.  :)  "I'm dreaming, of a white Christmas........"  Get some stylish snow boots soon.  You may need them this year.  I am looking for moon boots.  Kind of Napoleon Dynamite inspired.  Where oh where am I going to find them?

----Carolyn

What's In Style for January 2009!!!!

Happy 2009!!!!!! Here is my first blog for style for 2009.
Here's what is up and coming in the style/television/music world:

The first two inspirations are some things I knew were going to be popular back in September 2008. Our local paper, The Courier Journal, did a quick little blurb about me and what I liked. I didn't know it quite then, but my style ideas were right on! I am starting to see these ideas in magazines right now.

Oils!
They are wonderful to mix in unscented lotions to make your own custom scent. I do this myself by picking some up at Whole Foods or go to Aveda and pick out a few scents for them to make for me there. It's actually really inexpensive and the all natural idea doesn't irritate my sensitive skin. I love the scent of clove mixed with Nivea Firming Body Lotion.

I really like my Vaseline Cocoa Butter scented gel oil. It's really good because it is in gel form and not as messy as regular oil. I got it last year at Walgreen's, but I am sure they still carry it.

My mother in law got me Avon Skin So Soft Whipped Body oil and I really like it too! Not only is it not messy, but it has a lovely, clean, almost baby like scent.

Flowers.
Whether they are the print on a shirt, dress, or you just have a bunch in a vase at your house, they are so wonderful! Having some fresh greenery or flowers around the house really bring the outdoors in for me.

Tye Dye!!
The current designer at Target has it all over his collection right now. I will be featured on HGTV's show "That's Clever" doing Shibori (Japanese cloth dying). They filmed the episode back in 2006, and the 400 series (my series) is finally on the schedule! Check out http://www.hgtv.com/thats-clever/show/index.html to see when my episode will air. I must have been onto something back in 2006! Thanks to my Fiber Arts teacher, Lida Gordon, for showing me how to do Shibori while I was an art student at the University of Louisville! I just bought a really cool peace sign (blogged about that a while ago!) t-shirt at Target for 10 bucks. It's really cool!

Eating healthy is ALWAYS IN STYLE! Try organic.
The prices of organic foods have really fallen over the past year. I know because my husband and I really pay attention to this. Woman's Day magazine suggested taking a spinach wrap (try a low carb/calorie one...they usually have quite a few calories if you don't watch it) and spreading a little low fat cream cheese on it. Then take some fresh veggies like carrot sticks or peppers or whatever you like, and put them in the middle of the spread out cream cheese. Then roll it up, cut it up like pieces of sushi, and voila! You have a healthy snack or lunch meal that looks really cool too! Try giving this to picky kids who only will eat food if it looks fun!

Try painting your own shoes!
My agent told me about a leather spray that you can spray shoes with to change the color. I always knew you could have shoes dyed, but never thought to spray them myself. I found a website, www.shoehardware.com, that sells NuLife leather shoe spray. They also sell Angelus Acrylic Leather shoe paint. I bought some raspberry and pink sparkle spray to paint my vintage fab rollerskates (been looking for some cool ones forever and my husband finally found some!) and I bought some neon red, neon blue, and neon yellow paints to paint the white areas of my Adidas Samba shoes. Oh yeah....the Samba is back baby! I wanted mine to look different, and the paints will make this a reality. Dying shoes is a huge process, so I think I'll stick to having a shop dye my dream scarlet red toe shoes for me. I just love scarlet red shoes. SATIN scarlet red shes. Toe shoes in scarlet red are really rare and the girl who wears them in any ballet automatically becomes the star. I am seeing Revive's Rite of Spring in April and the star will be wearing scarlet red toe shoes. Just beautiful. I just want a pair to put on display in my closet.


Old School Children Television Shows!
Did you know the Electric Company is back???? I am so excited! I don't know much about it yet, but it is back. I also hope that Sesame Street really gets a good media pump up soon. I loved that show as a kid and would love to be on it now as an adult. Who knows, right? Teaching has prepared me for many things, so maybe a kids show could be one of them. I know Sesame Street airs still, but not in my hometown, Louisville, KY. What's up Louisville? Get Sesame Street back!

Last, but not least: Watch these two guys called Mysto and Pizzi.
They are a young producer duo that are up and coming. They remixed the song "Somebody's Watching Me" for the most recent Geico commercial, and it is really good. They have already done re-mixes for Kanye West, Justin Timberlake, and Britney Spears, so they are going to do really well.

Wow...this was a long one! I had a lot of inspirations over the past couple of weeks. Thanks for reading!

Till next time,

Carolyn