Halloween Night

Today is the "scariest" day of the year.
It is time to dress up like your favorite character, trick or treat, and watch some scary scary movies!

So, I was thinking of some of my top scary movies...not necessarily in terms of "scariness".

1. Halloween - Michael Myers at his best, just "appearing" out of nowhere.
2. Friday the 13th: the original one, with the camp counselors making out and getting slashed with the music playing in the background! Classic!
3. Rocky Horror Picture Show: It is just so so so much fun!
4. 28 Days: The whole Zombie thing really got to me.
5. When Darkness Falls: That woman in that black dress...I was actually a little scared. So scared I wouldn't go outside in the dark after I finished watching it, I just stayed at my boyfriend's (now my husband) place!
6. Psycho: the look on Janet Leigh's face and the shower scene made me scared of the shower for weeks (my mom still made me take a bath though...don't worry!)
7. IT: okay, Killer Clowns from Outer Space times a thousand.
8. Scream: I love love love this movie.
9. The Exorcist: the head spinning, the crazy little girl...
10.Children of the Corn: okay, if you want to really be scared, watch this...

Words for Thought...

On Worldle you can go and create some of those fun but interesting word posters that you often see in black and white, with a bold font and words that provoke thought and ideas.
Now you can create your own, and even print and make poster of them to hang on your wall.
I made two that would hang on either side of a door, a yin and yang so to speak.
Check out mine and make your own!

My Wordles:




Have a Fun Friday...and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

What's Happening: Online

Well, the bad economy has given people alot of free time. And when I have alot of free time, or any free time, I peruse the web so I can share all of the wonderful things I have found.
Here are a few things:

Ping : this is a new online invite site, where you get to make your own invite, make an event site, and even send invites in text messages. This is like evite, but with a touch more panache!

Scrapblog : on this site, you can make digital scrapbook pages. You can send your online scrapbook to friends, print pages, or make a book online. The graphics are senstional, and the possibilities are endless! Check out my scrapbook: http://www.scrapblog.com/viewer/viewer.aspx?sbid=807689

SocialVibe : pick a cause and a sponsor, and post your badge on your social networks. Make money for your cause! Get involved!

Mint : Gather all your fiancial accounts in one place, and see how and where you are spending, set goals, and get investment tips...great!

Cozi : set up calendars for the whole family, and make sure you know what everyone needs to be doing at every point of the day! Stay organized and receive all your appointments via text message and on Outlook!

i like totally love it : need a great and unique gift, or want something special just for you...check out this site, with all the wild and wacky things to purchase online (you will be amazed!)!

Finally, my style pick:

Style Guru's Style...

www.kaboodle.com

Dream Big: How to Start Saving!!!

One year ago, USA Today polled 45 of the top economists in the country about the state of the United States economy. The consensus was that 98% believed we were in a recession, and that the unemployment rate would continue to grow into the fourth quarter of 2009.
Having lost over 760,000 jobs in the U.S. in 2008, and with consumer spending and investing down to unprecedented levels since the Great Depression, it is obvious that the United States is in a recession...and based on the amount of investments lost, the hike in gas, food, and retail prices, the break-down of real-estate giants, and the recent bailout plan, things seem to be getting worse before they get better.

However, there is an old saying...What goes around, comes around...and there surely is a bright side to this sad economical period. When the sun shines again, it has got to shine brightly, because we are in one of the worse slumps in the history of America. So, now is the time, to start saving, to build up a reserve of cash. At a time when spending is down and stocks are down, and most of the wealth of the nation is caught up in these bad real estate deals...the time is now for us "common folks" to get on the gravy train.

But HOW do you start?

Well, one sure fire way is to decrease your own spending. Invest in items that will save you money over the long haul. Flex fuel vehicles, that take a variety of fuels, often at a lower cost, will certainly decrease the amount you spend on gas, and the cars tend to be similar in cost to traditional cars. Buy a deep freezer, so you can stock up on lower priced food and keep it fresh for months longer than fresh food lasts. Downgrade your subscriptions, to the newspaper and magazines. Get just one magazine a month, and change it up every year. Peruse the magazine websites for clips of the articles and all the sweepstakes you would normally miss. Read online newspapers daily, for FREE! Use services like Netflix and Bookswin if you rent tons of movies per month and buy tons of books. This way, you can save money on gas picking up and returning the movies, and save the costs of late fees. For books, why buy EVERY book you ever want to read, rent them and send them back for more, for the cost of one book, per month! For those luxuries you CANNOT live without, buy the larger tub of C.O. Bigelow Lemon Body Creme or Noxzema, they last long and tend to cost less per ounce. Also, shop for your clothes at Bluefly or subscribe the many sample sale sites, such as Editors Closet or Gilt Group for designer shoes, bags, and clothes at up to 75% off.

Cut out those things you SIMPLY do not need. Lunch out everyday. Fast food, from twice a week, to once every two weeks. Movies, if you have cable, buy them pay-per view just a few months later, for half the cost of just ONE ticket, invite friends over and share the costs. Cocktails, save on those $12 drinks, and instead, make a round of drinks at home for the group before you go out. Spend the night dancing...instead of at the table protecting your expensive drinks. Buy exercise videos and DVDs and equipment for home use, and cut out that expensive gym membership you NEVER use! Working out at home is free, minus the cost of the program, convenient, and worry-free...who will see the holes in your yoga pants at home?

Use a ledger to take stock of all your savings, and house it in an account SEPARATE from your checking account. Reward yourself with a small token when you hit certain amounts at your goal. You will be surprised how fast you can save $100!

The Best of the Bargain Sites

Bluefly:

This Christian Louboutin Wallis Wedge, at $568.00 is not the best deal on the net, but for such a great shoe that you can pair with tons of outfits, and the Mary-Jane style that will never go away...it might just be worth it!

Sample SALE: SERGIO ROSSI

Yes, sleek and sharp shoes!!!!!!!!!!!!!
ON SALE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It gets no better.
To get online for this sale,
click here to get on Gilt Groupe!
http://www.gilt.com/invite/karynmorton

Dream Big: How to become DEBT-FREE!

YES!!!!!!!!!!!
You can certainly be debt-free. Debt is not a right of passage in life. Debt is not a necessity, and debt is certainly not handed down in the gene pool. Debt is
sometimes necessary, FOR THE SHORT TERM, when we need to buy a home or a car, and to not have $100,000 to plunk down on the home of our dreams. But, the notion that you
have to forever be in debt is a falsehood!

Debt is an amount of money you have borrowed that you pay back with interest. It is usually not the principal amount that gives us the trouble. If I borrow $5200 and no interest is ever added, I can pay that off in one year, paying $400 per month. I can pay it off in two years paying $200 per month...and so forth. I can see, exactly, how long it will take to pay off the principal. YET, when interest, or the money you pay for the convenience and service of getting the loan in the first place, is added each day, each week, each month...then it becomes less clear to consumers how much they really owe. If I am paying 21% interest on a $5200 loan, compounded annually, or in other words, added to the amount of the loan, annually, at the end of year one I will owe $6292 and if left unpaid, at the end of year two I would owe $7613. So if all I can afford is $200 per month, I will be paying on this loan for many years, because interest is being added constantly, and I have not adjusted my payment to include this interest.

Debt is complicated and it is frustrating, when you have other bills that are continually coming in as well. We want to buy and spend on sight, yet when it comes time to pay those bills, we often want to only pay a minimum amount, or can only AFFORD a minimum amount. That increases the life of the debt, and gives most of us the notion that we will forever be in DEBT!

Well, there are many avenues you can take to become Debt-Free. I do not know them all, but I can tell you how I am becoming debt-free. I use EquityTRAX, www.mydebtfreedate.com. This system asks you to input your monthly bills that are credit-based (credit card, auto loans, mortgages, personal loans, student loans, etc.) Using a special formula, the company will send you a monthly statement that shows you how to pay off those bills, gives you a DATE you will be debt-free, and allows you to continue to pay, ONLY what you currently pay on your bills, or add more if you desire to pay off your debt more quickly. Each month, one or more of your bills will be paid in excess of the minimum due. This will shorten the life of the loan, and help you pay if off quicker. Eventually, once your debt is paid off, the system shows you how to save that money to build a reserve of cash for retirement.

It is a genius idea, and so far,it is working well for me. If I follow the plan, I will be debt-free in 12 years, and I have a large student loan. Some fellow members will be able to pay off their homes in less than half the time of the life of their loan (20-30 years).

You can get EquityTRAX by becoming a member of Financial Destination, Inc., and I can help you with that. Not only am I a member, I am also a representative. You can e-mail me at fdidet@ymail.com for more information. We sure to include your name, your phone number and e-mail, and mention of Style and Substance for a special gift.

Fashion Fix

Venus and Serena Williams did a recent fashion spread for Harpers's Bazaar that shows them battling it out on the the court. The sexy sport stars look ravishing in a number of designer dresses, but these two pics take the cake!





Pick up the November copy of Harper's Bazaar for more!

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In other fashion news, the winner of Project Runway was Leanne, with her wave pattern collection in muted ocean tones. I was more partial to Kortos bright and vivid palette, the beading, and the wonderful cut of her dresses. Kenley, known for her 50's styling, was a little too over the top and craftish for me. Plus, her collection was disjointed and was not cohesive to me.
Check out a few of their styles, and decide for yourself!
Congrats Leanne!!!!!!!!!!!!

MY PERSONAL FAVE: Korto


Leanne


Kenley

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Neiman Marcus Christmas Book 2008

I love the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book.
It is full of ALL of the things that a woman of style would love to
have in her wardrobe, jewelry box, and on her feet...it is also full
of luxury one of a kind gifts that are usually VERY expensive, but VERY unique
and special.
This year, the two items in the book, affordable (well, in relative terms, of course) and luxury that appealed most to me are the:

His and Hers Lego Sculptures for $60,000.00

and the Marc Jacobs Alonya !

The lego sculptures are different and unique...and you can rest assured, NO ONE else will have these, well, that you know personally. Imagine these in your playroom...with the pool table and old school Ms. Pac Man game.
Then, the MJ Alonya, the pleated body, the beautiful leather, the frame handbag will go from day to evening...and is fierce!

So, leave a few hints to your significant other...you might just get a really special surprise for Christmas.

Biden vs. Palin: The Battle of the Century

Well, okay, maybe not of the century, but CERTAINLY for this week.
Tomorrow, we will all, all of us concerned with the future of this country anyway, be
glued to our sets, waiting to what Biden and Palin will bring to this all important
debate.
Set to start at 9:00pm, and available on virtually every channel from broadcast television to our cable mainstays, this Thursday's debate, already highly debated by the media, will show us all whether Palin has the knowledge and the chops to hold her own in Washington.
So get your popcorn ready, because this is sure to be a drama for the ages!

Shoe Time

There is NEVER a bad time for shoes, especially if it is a fierce shoe.
Well, in the 2009 Fashion Week Show in Milan, a fresh new crop of designer pieces
were debuted...including some new shoe collaborations.
My fave, the Sigerson Morrison and Pringle collabo...which has produced a soft, muted, selection of heels in buttery soft leather.



These are a departure from the hard-edge gladiators we saw all this summer, and will
be a fresh new take on the sandal frontier. No news yet on price, but if you want them, you better start saving now. I have a feeling these are gonna be a show and wallet stealer.