Where’s that clone of mine? I had her locked in the downstairs coat closet last time I checked. But she’s pretty smart and manages to sneak out. I’ll have to check Hugh Jackman’s trailer. Yes! Yesterday, he was just down the street – filming his new movie right here in (now) totally hip Grosse Pointe. Once I drag her away from Hugh, I’ll have her stock up on some red, white and blue things for this weekend.

If you’re like me and have not done a thing to prepare, check out some of these things I found around the Internet. Most of them are on sale. Besides parties, sales are the best part of July 4th weekend.

Jennifer’s Finds for the Fourth

Top from upper left

1. Poppy Canvas pillow from Hable Construction ($140)
2. Barnacle Centerpiece from Anthropologie ($19.99)
3. Maryland Blue Crab print from Etsy’s Bright, Bold & Beautiful ($16.00)
4. Sand Dollar on a Stand from William Sonoma – on sale ($49.99)

Bottom from upper left

1. Marimekko Lady Bear messenger bag from FinnStyle ($143)
2. Extreme Modern coaster set from Etsy’s Aunt Bee’s Kitchen ($8.00)
3. Red lacquer “must have” tray from Jonathan Adler ($150)
4. Votive Lantern from Pottery Barn ($39)

Good news! Belvivere, purveyors of luxury Italian linens, is clearing out some of its excess inventory, and they’re giving us first dibs on their inventory. They’re selling sheets sets for $187 and $199 for a duvet set. According to Belvivere CEO Jay Conti, some of these sets regularly sell for $500.

I checked out the sale myself. Right now I saw only 3 styles of bedding. Two of them I like a lot. Gold isn’t my thing. I hope they’ll be adding more items when the sale begins officially on July 3rd. I need some towels for the guest room. If you’re looking for a deal on some great quality bedding, follow this link now before that sheet set gets away.

You could purchase a pair of similar chairs from Overstock.com for the low low price of $199.99. You have to put these together and the site doesn’t say what type of wood us used for the legs. They come in a variety of colors as long as it’s white. I have to say, I was stunned at the number of knock-offs I found on this site.

So, which do you choose? Do you think you would fool anyone with the knock-off?

I like to make outdoor cushion with a contrasting piping. Choose a pattern and use a solid for the piping. You can also use all solids. For example, a solid blue with white piping. Then red pillows with blue piping. Add a white lumbar pillow with red piping. Nautically chic!

Greenhouse has a large line of value outdoor fabrics to choose from. And at $15.00 per yard you can even add some custom placemats and planter covers.

These fabrics are sold through the trade. So contact your favorite designer, or pop me an email via this form.

Here are a few things that were up for sale as of yesterday.

Trays, place mats and bowls from Pearl Dragon, pillows by Monya, and throws from Pur Cashmere (were $356, now $179). You have to act fast or the best stuff is gone. Great shopping site.

Their items run the gamut from lighting to sheets to tabletop things. And the discounts are real. So that’s good.

The only grumble I have is that you’ve got to sign up and have a password to enter. Wooooo! Quelle exclusif!

Spare me. Just let me in.

Their note cards are sold in sets of 6 and sell for $14.00 each.

Either one of the above styles would be perfect to send a farewell letter to Sarah Palin.

You can have the gals print your name on some of their styles. Initials are le must here in Grosse Pointe (speaking as Tucky)

If you’re from Maine, like many of my relatives, a lobster is always welcome. By the way, did you know that lobsters were so abundant back in the dark ages, that only poor people ate them? Go figure.

So scoot over to Linda and Harriet and check out their beautiful designs. They make the flowers I wrote about yesterday.

On a slightly more serious note, I do miss getting letters. Why don’t we all start a new trend and send our best friends a letter? Include a little photo, or a pressed flower from the garden. Don’t know what to say? Leave me the recipient’s name and the general topic in the comments and I’ll reply wtih a Jennifer-generated note. (No one will ever know).

Final note: If you’re not a letter writer, these notes would make great artwork.

Clarissa Hulse

First up is a fellow Hulse (my maiden name),¬† Clarissa Hulse. She has tons of things on sale in her salesshop. But she’s also discounted four of her bedding sets 20%. They are: Black Wingnut, Black Meadow Fireweed, Passionflower and Single Wingnut. Use the code: summer_20.

Designer’s Guild

The gorgeous pillows and throws, etc. that are the creations of Designer’s Guild are marked way down right now. Their sale ends this Sunday. So snap up the bargains! Plus, free shipping. Use Jasmine USA to get a $10 gift voucher!

Hable Construction

Hable Construction is celebrating their 10th anniversary with a big sale. Lots of goodies you won’t want to miss.

So here’s a question for everyone. Do you like these sales notices? I’m wondering if you get a lot of them yourselves, so these are two-timing. Should I keep this sort of news coming?