Saving my Christmas Money

I hope that everyone had a lovely holiday! Our Christmas celebrations were joyful and our New Year's Eve was peaceful. And both were delicious. I am normally very pessimistic, but the calm and anticipation that I feel as I enter 2012 can only be described as otherwordly. I don't know what's at the root, but I hope the feeling stays with me and passes on to my friends and loved ones.

One of my first goals of the New Year is to obsessively check my morning e-mails for the almost-daily 30% sales at Banana Republic. I have $125 in gift cards burning a hole in my pocket. I think that I'm going to get this:

{Source: Banana Republic}

Thank you, Pantone!

I also want these, but my lame knees said "no."

{Source: J. Crew}