Shortcuts To Fabulous

Shortcut to Fabulous Tulle

Tulle is such a fun fabric to work into your wardrobe. It adds a girly touch to any outfit and if placed properly can be completely figure flattering. We found some affordable Tulle options for you…hint…Forever 21 is a Tulle goldmine!

So check out some Tulle options and enjoy this shortcut to fabulous flirty fashion!

Shortcut to Fabulous Vietnamese Food in Miami

Every once in awhile, I get a craving for Vietnamese food. While I wish I could get a $5 lunch plate from a place like Nha Trang on Baxter Street in Manhattan, Miss Saigon’s noodle bowls do the trick.

There are two locations of this family owned restaurant, Coral Gables and Pinecrest. The menu is pretty varied and the restaurant is always clean. They are always pretty busy, but I never have trouble getting a table. My favorite dish is the Miss Saigon bowl. I order it with white meat chicken. The dish is just a bowl of yumminess full of lettuce, carrots, bean sprouts, sliced spring rolls, chicken, shrimp and their special sauce that is so delicious.

I give this place four fabs out of five for their friendly staff, menu with plenty of variety and yummy noodle bowls that make me feel like Miami at least has some ethnic cuisine worth eating…even if it is  not as good at Nha Trang’s in NYC.

Coral Gables Location

148 Giralda Avenue, Coral Gables, FL 33134

(305) 446-8006

Pinecrest Location

9503 S. Dixie Highway, Miami, FL  33256

(305) 661-2911

So, get your noodle bowl on and enjoy this shortcut to fabulous Vietnamese in Miami.

Shortcut to Fabulous Affordable Clutches

Clutches are a fun way to complete any look and fit even the tiniest or tiny closets. We found some fun and affordable clutches that will make a statement with any outfit:

So clutch one of these clutches and enjoy this shortcut to fabulous fashion fun!

Shortcut to Fabulous Espadrilles

Although there is still a chill in the air, I think we are all dreaming of fun spring fashion trends that we can get on hot little hands on to gear up for the season. Espadrilles seem to be a shoe that will make its mark this spring, so we found some cute and affordable options for you:

So, get some self tanner for your ghost white legs, check out these espadrilles and enjoy this shortcut to fabulous spring footwear.

Shortcut to Fabulous Ways to Save Money this Weekend and Beyond

We thought we would bring you some ways to save money this weekend and beyond, so here are the deals and steals we rounded up:

• Today on Rue La La at 11 am, they are having a sample sale on Seven for All Man Kind Jeans for both men and women. Click here to become a member of Rue La La and score a pair of discount premium jeans.
• Today on Woot, they are selling a TOM, TOM GPS system with live support for $129.99. Click here to get the deal.
• Today’s daily deal on Amazon is a Toshiba Recordable DVD Player for $89.99. You can record your favorite shows or movies on tv to a DVD with this cool gadget! Click here to get it.
• Have you signed up for Groupon yet? Groupon is a website that sells discount certificates to all kinds of fun stuff from local restaurants, bakeries and organic grocers to theater tickets, gym memberships dances classes and so much more. A specified number of people have to buy into the deal for everyone to get it…think collective bargaining! You can sign up for daily emails and receive updates when new Groupon deals are available for your city. Click here to sign up and get some great deals.
• P.F. Changs is probably my  favorite chain restaurant. I love the Garlic Noodles with Chicken, Wonton Soup and newly discovered Hot Fish. I get 10% knocked off my bill every time I go with my “Warrior Card.” It is so simple to save with P.F. Changs. You go to their website, give them your physical address and they send you this cute little card with your name on it. You stick it in your wallet and whip it out whenever you got to P.F.’s. Hint: If you are going with a group of friends don’t ask for separate checks and divide the bill at the end so everyone can save (also they will only apply one card per table). Click here to get yours now.
• When is the last time you called the major insurance auto carriers and got a quote? A phone call to the major carriers every six months could save you hundreds of dollars. Rates change from year-to-year as does your underwriting risk level. So, take half an hour today and call the major carriers and get a quote. I would stick to getting quotes from companies who have been rated well by J.D. Power and Associates…click here for the list. Click here for Clark Howard’s guide to having the right coverage. We are partial to GEICO, but there is a bias cause the Gecko puts food on my table Oh and of course we have the number for you to get a GEICO quote:1-800-861-8380. This sounds boring and mundane, but I bet you will save money if you spend some time this weekend to shop around…imagine more shopping money!
• Get coupons sent to your cell phone…it’s called digital couponing. A site we love is called CellFire. You just enter your cell phone, year of birth, zip code and email address. You can browse the offers online or on your phone and save them to your phone. They you show the cashier the offer on your phone and get the savings! Another site offering digital savings is called Qponomics. You just go to the website and click on the type of smart phone you have to download the App.

So, start clicking your way to savings and enjoy this shortcut to fabulous finances!

Shortcut to Fabulous, Fun, Handmade Jewelry

We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Etsy (a way for independent artisans, craftsman and geniuses of handmade items to sell one-of a kind pieces)and all of the fabulous handmade and gorgeous items for sale on Etsy. There are so many special people selling fabulous things on that site. We found one the other day that we feel compelled to tell you about….

The Shop is Called IlMare’s Atelier and she has the cutest affordable jewelry! The jewelry is girly, fun and fabulous! Click here to visit the store on Etsy.

We are pretty sure you will fall in love with this shop and the jewelry in it!

So, buy some bobbles and enjoy this shortcut to fabulous handmade jewels!

Shortcut to Fabulous Fun, Affordable Ikea Furniture Upgrades!

Who: The “Ikea Hacker” finds amazing ways to make Ikea furniture look like something extra special.

What: A website devoted to finding ways to amp up IKEA furniture into amazing, affordable, custom, designer look pieces.

When: Whenever you feel like sprucing up your home on a budget.

Where: http://ikeahacker.blogspot.com/

Why: Because every fabulous person likes to find creative ways to make your home look fabulous on a budget!

So, get your Ikea catalogue ready, check out this website and enjoy this shortcut to fabulous furniture fixes!

Rue La La Travel Voucher Update!!!!

Yesterday, I received a call from the Senior Vice President (SVP) of Consumer Experiences for Rue La La. She was the absolute nicest person. I explained to her my problem and not only did she profusely apologize, she gave me some insight into why the problem occurred. It looks like the customer service concierge team is still undergoing training on how to deal with customer service issues related to travel. I think we can all understand that right?! This is a fairly new feature of the website. Sometimes it takes some time to perfect a new product or service….and I believe they will.

She gave me the option of trying to work with the W to find a new date and getting a full refund (given the negative experience I had). I really appreciated her taking responsibility for the mistake made on behalf of her company. To me, that along with an apology goes a long way and says a lot about the corporate integrity of Rue La La. Did they mess up? Yes. However, they took full responsibility for it and went the extra mile to fix the problem.

I also receive a credit in my Rue La La account (totally unnecessary, but shows how much they are willing to go the extra mile to make things right!). She also told me that she is flying this week to the customer service center to give customer service representatives a training session on dealing with Rue La La customers who purchase travel. So, it looks like they are working to fix the problem. Would I buy a travel voucher from Rue La La again…I think I would after some time. I think this experience was pretty negative for me, but I see they are working the kinks out and I could tell that this SVP really believes in what she is doing and wants to help Rue La La members enrich their lives through the purchase of travel vouchers and experience related certificates. I think they have some work ahead of them to perfect this part of Rue La La, but they will get there. So, readers I say read the fine print and call if you have questions, but if you are okay with the restrictions, you might want to consider taking them up on a travel deal or two. I would start small and local to test the experience. However, it is pretty clear to me if weather or a natural disaster prevents you from partaking in the trip, they will try to work with you to re-book.

Here is a copy of the sweet email I received from the SVP:

Dear Lori,
Thanks for your candor yesterday. Please accept my sincerest apologies for the recent issue you had with our customer service team when trying to redeem your New York stay package; further compounded by the massive snow storm and flight cancellations! I assure you our goal at Rue La La is always to provide our Members with the best service possible and regret your experience was to the contrary.
We have credited your credit card for the full purchase amount, and please accept a $100 credit in your account on behalf of all of us at Rue La La. This credit will show up in your account within 7 – 10 days.
Our vision of delivering enjoyment and adventure through irresistible experiences is strong, as is our commitment to providing exceptional service to our Members. I hope we can reignite your faith in Rue La La, and that you will try an Experience again.
Below is my private cell phone number – should you ever purchase an experience again please let me know and I will make sure you are “Ooh La La” satisfied.
Warm Regards,
SVP GM, EXPERIENCES

So, SVP of Experiences, thank you for great customer service. Thanks for being empathetic and sympathetic and make a wrong right! Rue La La, your SVP of Experiences rocks and she is the reason I am still a loyal member of Rue La La who will still be spending more money than I should at 11 am.

Thanks readers for all your kind support. The world is just…or at least Rue La La is.

Shortcut to Fabulous Strawberry Shortcake

With the weird weather, Strawberry season may be cut short. However, right now the berries in the store are bright red and beautiful. This super easy dessert is great for entertaining and takes about 15-20 minutes total prep time.

Here is what you need:

Trifle dish or clear glass dish

JELLO Vanilla instant pudding mix

Milk

1 Tub of Cool whip Whipped Topping ***Make sure this is thawed before you begin to make this dish

1 or 2 Packages of strawberries (depending on how much Strawberry flavor you want)

1 Prepackaged sour cream loaf or pound cake (Sarah Lee has a frozen pound cake or Entenmann’s has a pound cake and sour cream loaf)

Splenda or sugar

Here’s how you make it:

Prepare instant pudding per package instructions (we use skim milk) and place in the fridge. Cut three quarters of the strawberries into quarters and place them in a bowl. Add Two tablespoons of sugar and place in fridge. This works best if the strawberries sit for at least a few hours or overnight, but if you are short on time, proceed to the next steps. Take cake out of package and cut into bite sized pieces. Line the bottom of the trifle dish with half of cake pieces. Take pudding out of fridge. Add half of cool whipped topping to pudding mix and stir well until the two are combined. Add half of the sugared strawberries to the top of cake pieces in trifle bowl. Add half of whipped topping and pudding mixture to the top of strawberries in trifle bowl. Continue with another layer. Add plain whipped topping to the top of trifle dish and whole strawberries you reserved earlier to the top and voila!!!

You can also make individual servings in a wine glass, compote dish. Get creative! The key here is using a clear dish so they layers are visible.

So add the ingredients above to your grocery list and enjoy this shortcut to fabulous Strawberry yumminess!

Buyer Beware: RueLaLa travel Vouchers

We made a commitment when we started this website to send positive energy and write about the fabulous things in life, not the bad. However, a recent experience with the online, member’s only site, Rue La La compelled us to provide you with a consumer alert.

I recently purchased two vouchers for a stay at the W New York. There were many restrictions on the voucher. For example, it was only valid for a Thursday through Saturday stay and only valid for travel through March 28, 2010 with two black out weekends (February 14 and March 19). I read the fine print and new about the restrictions. Before purchasing the voucher, I called the W in order to ensure there was availability for the weekend I wanted. There was, so I purchased 2 vouchers, good for two nights stay.

I then called the W New York and made a reservation to stay Friday, February 26, 2010 and check out Sunday, February 28, 2010. The customer service I received when booking my reservation with the W New York was excellent.

On Friday, February 26, 2010, my flight to New York was cancelled due to the snow storm. There was no way to book another flight that day as flights were cancelled pretty much all day as a result of the inclement weather. I called the W New York and once again received excellent customer service. They cancelled my reservation without charging me the penalty for late cancellation. I then tried to reserve for another weekend, but there was no availability for any dates that the voucher would be valid. The W New York manager told me to call Rue La La and get a refund and then said he would work with me to book another stay at a great rate like the one I got. How’s that for customer service! I was thrilled.

I then called RueLaLa and explained the problem. The first customer service representative told me there were no refunds on these vouchers. I then asked to speak to a manager and he told me that he would have to send an inquiry to the W New York’s corporate sales office and it would take 3-5 business days to hear back from them. I explained to him that 3-5 business days was a long time to learn the fate of  an over $400 purchase and that I tried to reserve for another weekend, but there was no availability. I booked my flight suing miles, so I needed to have an answer very soon so I could re-book another flight and not incur a mileage penalty. While his demeanor was very nice, he passed responsibility onto the W corporate office and said there was nothing he could do to help me beyond sending an inquiry to them. However, when I asked for the contact info of the corporate sales office, he said he didn’t have it. How could he make an inquiry with them if he did not have their contact information?

I called the W New York and they were nice enough to give me the corporate sales office phone number. They said they would credit my account but the credit card charge went through Rue La La, so they did not have the power to do so. I cannot say enough about the kind people at the W New York.

I called again, today, Monday, March 1, 2010 and spoke with a Rue La La representative. Again, they were unable and unwilling to help me. I finally, called American Express and they have agreed to dispute the charge for me and credited my account.

I hate to be a negative nelly, but I highly recommend that you do not purchase any travel vouchers from Rue La La. I think purchasing tangible, returnable items is still fine as there is something physical you can return. However, it is clear that Rue La La doesn’t have an adequate policy to handle forced cancellations due to extreme weather.

We are particularly sad to bring you this consumer alert because we loved Rue La La so much we even named them as one of our ten best websites of 2009. So, as much as we hate to post anything negative about anyone or anything, we feel we owe it to you, our readers to provide you with this consumer alert.

It somehow doesn’t feel appropriate to end like this, but buyers beware and take note of this shortcut to fabulous consumer protection And if you know anyone who purchases from Rue La La, please forward them the link to this post.

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