$90 Can Buy Lots of Leopard, Complete With Matching Accessories

Mom and I visited a little gift shop today because I got a 25% off coupon from them since this is my birthday month. Emma was like a little octopus in her stroller. Hands and arms were darting out in every direction; touching, grabbing, slapping, and squeezing.

At one point she knocked over an entire pile of tee shirts that were folded neatly on a table. I got down on my hands and knees to start folding so I could reconstruct the cute little display. Suddenly, I felt a little spray of beads rain down on me. Emma had grabbed a necklace that was hanging from a shirt on display. Not just any necklace on any shirt, but an oversized, heavily beaded necklace on display with a flowing, sheer, leopard print mu-mu. Truly, a stunner that would have done Liberace proud.

The owner of the little shop is the sweetest woman, and I felt terrible arriving at the cash register with my fist full of beads to announce that I needed to pay for a necklace that my baby broke. She informed me that the beads and mu-mu were a matched set that came as a pair. Of course that made perfect sense. If you're going to wear leopard from your neck to your knees you need some large and sparkly beads to accentuate the mid section.

I went to fetch the shirt from the rack to complete my unfortunate purchase. It was a size six petite. Ha! I wasn't going to own a new leopard shirt after all, but rather a new leopard print left sleeve. Then I caught sight of the price tag. $90.00!!!! The shop owner dug out a pair of pliers and offered me the chance to repair the damage, so I propped some glasses on the tip of my nose and set about the task of restringing the ugliest set of beads to ever grace a hideous leopard print shirt. In the end, and after much tweezing and plying, I presented the sales clerk with a size 6 petite leopard print shirt and a one of a kind, custom, hand beaded necklace to match! Ha!

I offered sincerely to purchase the shirt and be along my merry way. (In the back of my mind I was wondering if they would at least let me cash in my 25% birthday coupon? And if I could really be tacky enough to ask??) Ha! The shop owner was so kind and gracious. What a relief to me. I've never been so embarrassed in a store before. She did not make me buy the shirt after all, for which I was extraordinarily grateful. From now on, I'm only parking the stroller next to racks of really cute clothes in appropriate sizes. Live and learn.