Free People Spring 2014 Reviews

Oh, I love me my Free People. There is just something lovely and romantic about their flowly clothes. I have wishlisted almost everything in this set.

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I wore Humboldt Tunic on my outing. He was pleased to get out. Although he still has never forgiven me for wearing him without pants. I wanted to show him Vegas and for him to see that there were indeed people in this world more devious than me.

He was not impressed. He still thinks I am the worst.

Aw, well. I tried.

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First, I tried on the Rocket Cat Dress. I know I look serious, but I was contemplating the ginormous pimple on my chin and if I would be able to proceed with the reviews. Thankfully seeing this pretty dress made me smile again. I really liked this, but I could only buy one thing that day and it turned out to be a slip. This is sold out online now, but the stores might still have one. I am wearing a small in this. Actually, I am wearing a small in this whole set. It is my typical Free People size.

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The Printed Strappy Front Maxi underneath the Rocket Cat Dress is the item I ended up purchasing. I love an item you can layer in multiple ways and use for multiple uses. You can also see me wearing it here. I love the romantic ease of this slip. I plan on pairing it next under my Sweet Lady Maxi and then underneath my seafoam colored slip I love with a belt and easy sandals.

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I really liked the Magic Garden Dress, too. If you cannot tell from the many, many pictures. ; ). It is about two inches too short for this momma to wear. But it would be great for someone younger than myself. I am wearing a small. It fit nicely. Well, except for length. Of course, my husband loved this dress. : )

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Oh man. I LOVED this Rio Dress. It is so fun. It is super short. The dark color it also comes in is gorgeous, too. I love the embroidery. Both colors are on my wishlist. It was way too expensive for me at full price. I will be watching this for a good sale price.

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I had decided that this Mix Print Tunic would be my first purchase in April. It sold out the day before I could purchase it. So, I am hoping they restock it. The pattern is gorgeous. The fit is free-flowing but still very flattering. It has ties on either side of the waist to cinch it in more. Love.

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The Near Perfect Tunic also came in lilac and black. I liked it in all of the colors. The lilac is absolutely gorgeous. Each color has a different patterned embellishment at the top. Gorgeous. This also has ties that tighten on the side to cinch it in more (I should have used them here). It is a good tunic if you like easy oversized pieces. I think this look looks good on most body types.

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Finally, the only thing I did not add to my wishlist. These Balkan Sandals. Oh, man. They were really cute without my feet in them. My feet were swollen from walking in heels all night the night before, but even so, I could not love these. They were a bit too hippie for me. I did not know that was a possibility. That I had a limit. But here it is.

I added so much to my wishlist on this trip. I am being patient on a bunch of items, hoping for a sale. In my observations (I am not an expert), Free People does not have a set schedule for markdowns. Some items will sell out at full price and never get marked down. Sometimes it can take over a year before an item gets a cut. Sometimes it gets marked down with a few months. You just never know.

Are you loving any of the new spring offerings in stores lately? Are you hoping for a good sale? I am answering a giant, “yes!” to both of those questions.

* I will have an additional outfit post up later today at 3:00 p.m. : ). I have to catch up with all of these reviews! I will finish out my review sets next week with two more for Anthropologie. To be precise, they will go up Monday and Tuesday. Whew! Then this girl is done with reviews for awhile.

Here are some more of my recent reviews:

Anthropologie Spring Reviews Part I

and

Anthropologie Spring Reviews Part II

Free People’s 4 Hour Sale: My Under $100 Recommendations

Update: THIS SALE IS NOW OVER. : (. Sorry!

I normally will never do a sale post, but since this is an annual thing ( who knew?), I decided to share in case you did not know: Free People is having a 4 hour sale tonight from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. EST! Take 20% off orders of $200-499 and 25% off orders of $500 or more with code “STAYGOLD.” Shipping is always free at Free People on orders over $100.

Yippee! Oh, wait. My budget is gone this month. Wah. Wah. I will not be partaking of this lovely sale, but if you have the funds, I have some recommendations.

All of these items are now under $100!:

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My corduroy overalls. I love these. I am embarrassed how often I wear them. They go with everything! I wrote a post with more outfit ideas on these overalls in October.

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This chevron slip (photo from Free People website). I purchased it on sale last month in coral and have not taken a picture of it yet. But I did wear it under a dress yesterday, with the bottom peeking out. Sexy lingerie you can layer? Yes, please.

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The ” With A Light Heart Dress” I just posted about today. This would be a great deal!

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The Miles of Henley Dress. I have this in three colors. It layers very well. It is unbelievably flattering. I think I will wear one tomorrow! I did two posts featuring this dress in the past. This one shows the lilac and the charcoal. This one shows more of the rust.

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The Mix In Crochet Dress. I bought mine in rose in May. I have never posted about it, but I love it! Sorry about the horrible picture. It was taken at 11:00 at night in the summer (the night I met Patrick Rothfuss).

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Free People’s Golden Age Top. This has an open back and is so cute layered over lacy slips. I sense a theme of wearing my underclothes out of the house. This is not the time to exam this closer. More pictures of this top can be seen here.

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The Manina Colorblock Skirt. As of this writing, there were two size larges left! My post about this skirt can be seen here.

Okay. This one is $110. But still a fantastic sale price:

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The Estelle Maxi Dress. I adore mine. This is $110, but still almost half off, it is a great deal. My post about it with more photos is here.

What is on your wishlist? Is there anything you will be splurging on? Are you excited about this surprise sale?

“It Tastes Like A Cinnamon Roll” Cake

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This cake is actually called “Honey Bun Cake.” However, after eating a bite of this cake, my child exclaimed, “it tastes like a cinnamon roll.” And you know what? It kind of does.

But better.

This cake began when I was looking around for a recipe with honey in it to try. I was feeling guilty that my father is a beekeeper, and yet, I rarely cook with honey. I found this cake. After glancing at the recipe I realized that there is no honey in the ingredients. But it looked delicious. I HAD to make it. I found two versions of it that varied slightly. I figured I would just combine them to my liking. I used the cake portion from this Betty Crocker Recipe and the glaze is from Michelle’s Honeybun Cake on All Recipes. It worked out perfectly.

Yum!

This cake was incredibly easy to make. It smells like fall to me. Cinnamony and warm.

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sour cream (8 oz.)
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Grease a 9 X 13 pan. Set aside.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees or 325 degrees convect bake (if you have a convection oven)

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Pour cake mix, vegetable oil, and sour cream into a bowl. Mix in your mixer or with a hand mixer just until it is all incorporated. Now mix in each egg and combine until batter is smooth.

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In a separate small bowl mix together brown sugar and cinnamon.

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Pour half of the batter evenly in your greased 9 X 13 baking dish.

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Sprinkle brown sugar mixture evenly over top.

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Pour remaining batter over cinnamon mixture. This is the tricky part. Carefully spread the batter so that the cinnamon mixture is not getting incorporated in the batter. Do this until the top layer is even.

Put in the oven and bake 45 minutes.

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Remove from oven.

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Immediately mix powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla in a bowl with a fork.

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When it is runny, prick numerous holes in your warm cake with a fork.

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Pour glaze over cake evenly.

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Allow cake to completely cool (about 45 minutes) and then indulge! I cut our cake after thirty minutes. That was as patient as we could be. It smelled so good. It was also an hour before dinner. Maybe not the right choice, but definitely the right loveliness for our mouths.

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My husband said, “I might like this better than peach cake!” Being that peach cake is his very favorite, I will take it that this recipe is a keeper.

Enjoy! (We did with ice cold glasses of milk.)