Necklace Envy

I tend to go solo for most of my shopping.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy shopping with friends and like to go shopping with my mom.  Once in a while I even enjoy taking my daughters shopping with me for me.  However, most of the time I shop with them, it is for them...at...Justice.  It's just that I don't mind shopping by myself.  Granted, I don't always make the best purchase decisions.  And, that is why I like a good return policy!  It is always good to have the flexibility of even a 14 day exchange policy, just in case you change your mind.

A lot of my friends like to have a buddy to shop with.  I rarely turn down a friend when they ask me to be their shopping companion.  It is always more fun to shop when you have a friend with you, and it's good to have a friend's honest opinion.

There is one problem, though, that I have run into. That is, when you and your friend both want to purchase the same thing.  Of course, you can both buy the shirt and be "twinsies."  But, what happens when there is only one of something, and you both want it.   That happened to my girlfriend, Lindsay, and I when we were on some of our shopping outings earlier this summer.  On one occasion, we were at Illusions by Jill (in Lincolnshire, IL) and picked up the same skirts in two different colors.  Mine was in neutral colors and Lindsay's was in blues.  Lindsay liked the color I picked up better than the blue one she had grabbed.  But it was a perfect fit on me, and it was a must have.  It was all mine.

Now before you think that I am a horrible friend for following the first to grab rule, let it be known, that one week later, we spotted another different skirt (just as cute).  There was just one.  It was navy blue and white stripe, and we both liked it, but Lindsay grabbed it first, and it was hers.

Then, there was the time we went to the Vernon Hills French Market in the Metra train station parking lot (which is held every Saturday until October).  Lindsay found this beautiful necklace, which I have been coveting ever since she bought it.

The necklace is by an artist, named Beth, who has beautiful handcrafted jewelry.  You can email the artist at 2cor517anewcreation@gmail.com.  This necklace is truly an eye-catching piece.  It is neutral and will go great with a lot of different outfits.  Beth had lots of other unique pieces, which you should definitely check out at the French Market, if you are there.

Yesterday I was really happy when I found a similar looking necklace for myself at Mainstream Boutique, a great boutique in Northbrook (936B Willow Road, Northbrook, Illinois), with terrific fashion and reasonable prices, which I will be blogging about in an upcoming post.  You can find Mainstream Boutique on Facebook.

This necklace had matching earrings and reminded me of Lindsay's necklace.  The look is not as soft as the flower necklace by Beth, but I love the color and think that the leather chain is cool.  Plus, this way I am not copying Lindsay, and I can avoid the "twinsies" scenario.  I will definitely be wearing this necklace come fall and winter.

One more necklace I came across in the past week, which I wanted to mention is the one below:

This necklace is from Priceless in Vernon Hills (you can find them on Facebook).   It is a long black cord necklace, which would look great with jeans, black jeans or any of the cute patterned leggings that are trending for fall.  I thought this necklace, as well as some others they had at Priceless, were very unique.