The Basement of the Bargains

When I wake up in the morning for my daily dose of caffeine, I like a bit of whimsey with it. So imagine my delight when I ran across these delightful cup and saucer sets whilst browsing the Gevalia website.

Have your coffee or tea in high style from the Mona Lisa or the work of Claude Monet. The VanGough, alas! appears to be gone forever. And I have a particular fondness for those irises.

A set of two cups and saucers in your choice of design was originally $42.95. Now, however, you can toast the art world from a great work of art for just $22.95. Or, if you want just one, it’s now $14.95, marked down from $21.47.

At last I think I’ve found a replacement for my greatly mourned American Gothic coffee mug that sadly met its demise a few months ago. Oh, Mona? Want to come have coffee with me?

Everyone knows that Bluefly.com carries designer clothes, jewelry, handbags, and so on, but some of you might not be aware that they also carry a wide variety of great deals on household items as well. I decided to take a spin through their housewares section this morning and lo and behold, lookie what I found!

These lucious leather nesting trays with white wooden frames by Vera Wang will look fabulous for serving drinks or just gracing your kitchen. Not wild about the green? That’s okay. They also come in a delicious shade of blue.

The retail value on these trays is $140.00 for the set of two. Of course, since you know where to shop, you can get a much better deal. How does $84.00 a set grab you? 40% off always sounds like a great deal to me!

Black and white is one of the hot color combinations this spring, but it’s also a classic that never completely goes out of style. Diamonds, they say, are forever. Combine black and white diamonds with a deep, deep discount, and it’s hard to go wrong in either financial or fashionable terms. That’s why I’m excited about the huge sale on black diamond jewelry going on at Amazon.com right now.

This handsome black and white diamond infinity bracelet would look striking on any wrist.

The design is elegant and classic. 1.47 carats of diamonds sparkle in 10k white gold. The bracelet measures 7″ long. But you can see all that.

The list price of this piece is $1,400.95. Amazon carries it at the bargain price of $699.99. However, for a limited time, selected black diamond pieces - including this one - get another 40% whacked off the price at checkout. By my admittedly shaky mathematical calculations, that should save you roughly another $280.00 on this bracelet, leaving somewhere in the neighborhood of $420.00 to pay.

Less than $450.00 for a bracelet that originally cost $1,400.00? The real question is whether you can afford to pass up savings like that!

Well it isn’t a pipe. It’s a tie. A tie with a subtle, humorous pattern of pipe stripes, as it happens.

This elegant silk tie by Moschino is dignified enough for the office, but whimsical enough to allow a man to display his sense of humor.

After all, who doesn’t like a good Magritte pun?

And of course I wouldn’t be writing about it here if it wasn’t a good deal, too. Originally priced at $96.00, Forzieri Italia has it on sale for Spring at just $72.00.

Mother’s Day is just around the corner. In fact, we’re standing at the corner. Are you ready? If not, here are some great ideas to please your mother without hurting your bank account.

Does your mother love the nightlife? If so, she would probably love this sleek patent leather clutch by Kenneth Cole.

The suggested retail price is $118.00, but you can get it from Bluefly.com for just $71.00. Nice.

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Are you looking for fun, fabulous, warm weather sleepwear? Then it’s time to go over to Sleepyheads.com and check out their sale section. Yes, they’re blowing out some superfantastic flannels, but they also have some wonderful goodies for the warmer weather at a bargain price. For instance, these deliciously kitschy Frankie and Johnny cotton lawn capri pjs are on sale for just $55.00, down from the original $78.00.

They look smart and express a sense of humor, but will also keep you cool and breezy on those hot summer nights.

Oh, and to sweeten the deal, if you enter the code ‘warehousesale’ at checkout, you can save another 15% off the sale price! Now that’s what I call a great deal.

If my house was burning down and I could save just one thing from my kitchen, I know what it would be: my KitchenAid stand mixer. Not only does it do a great job on everything from cookie dough to bread, it’s sturdy and hardwearing. It’s even quite handsome.

If the worst happened and I couldn’t save my beloved stand mixer, I know right where I would go to get a replacement: Cooking.com.

The KitchenAid Professional 600 stand mixer has a six quart capacity. That means you can mix the dough for up to thirteen dozen cookies at once! Just think how fast and easy your large scale baking projects will go with that sort of power at your fingertips! And its ten-speed slide control means your dough will be mixed, kneaded, or whipped just the right way no matter whether you’re making wheat bread or a delicate meringue. Comes with paddle, balloon, and bread hook beaters and a splash guard. It’s also available in four handsome colors to coordinate with any kitchen decor.

Of course, all this can cost a pretty penny. In fact, suggested retail value for all of this is $499.99. If, however, you decide to get it from Cooking.com, you pay just $399.95. That’s just over a hundred dollars off! And if you buy right now, you can get two more great deals: free shipping with code C93842 (some restrictions apply, so be sure to double check them) and a rebate offer for a free ice-cream maker attachment (retail value $79.99!).

Mmmm…homemade bread and ice cream.

With Mother’s Day coming up quickly, I’m guessing some of my readers are looking for great bargains on items to pamper Mom. And some of us are seething because a sibling has come up with the gift of sending dear Mom on a cruise or giving her tickets to Europe or otherwise sending her off on a fabulous adventure we won’t be able to replicate on our budgets.

Ah, but it’s possible to add to such a gift with something to make her trip even more enjoyable.

For instance, Saks Fifth Ave has an amazing deal on a cashmere travel set. Matching 100% cashmere wrap/lap blanket, eye mask, and suede bottomed slippers are all compactly stowed in a matching pure silk habutai drawstring bag. The set comes in four different colors and the slippers come in small (5-6), medium (7-8) or large (9-10).

Of course, all this doesn’t come cheap. Luckily, it does come a lot less expensively than it used to. Originally priced at $565.00, it can now be Mom’s (or yours) for just $338.90.

Best of all, there’s a free shipping offer on orders of $150.00 0r more in honor of Mother’s Day. Just enter code SPRINGFS at checkout, and save even more!

One of the best wedding gifts Mr. Twistie and I received was a handmade quilt. It’s beautiful and snuggly warm on cold nights. Alas! Not all of us are lucky enough to know someone who a) knows how to quilt and b) wants to do so for us. Handmade quilts rarely come cheap from commercial sources, too.
Still, it’s possible to get a handmade quilt without spending the traditional pair of limbs if you know where to look and when to buy.

This charming quilt is designed by Denyse Schmidt and made of 100% prewashed cotton to prevent shrinkage. The whimsical design would look great in just about any bedroom. Remember, it’s handmade so some slight color and texture variation is to be expected.

Best of all, many of Denyse’s delightful works are on sale 35% off at Throws and Pillows.com right now. That means that while the twin size of this quilt was originally $300.00, it can now be yours for just $214.99. Don’t worry, the larger sizes are just as good deals. Still, you might want to hurry. I’m betting a deal like this will lead to a rapid lack of inventory on several styles!

Who can resist a good bubble bath? I certainly can’t. That’s why I was so pleased when I checked out the sales at Beauty.com only to find this set of Aquolina Bagno bath foams at such a bargain price.

The set includes one 100ml/3.38 fl. oz. bottle each of: White Chocolate, Icing Sugar, Cardomom, and Wild Strawberry-scented bath bubbles.

Sweet, spicy, and utterly delectable. Oh, and as I said, a great deal! This set is a $40.00 value, but Beauty.com is selling it for just half that at $20.00. So whether you’re looking to indulge yourself or for a little extra goodie to add to the Mother’s Day pile, this is a great idea.