I don't know about you, but my T.J.Maxx was practically a ghost town this week. I guess people are shopped out after the holidays. The store itself seemed rather barren, too, with the exception of the new fitness gear that greets you at the front of the store. However, the more I looked, the more good stuff I found. Highlights include a ton of new stationary and journals, many with inspirational messages like "Don't quit your day dream." Love stuff like that. And in the home goods section, I spotted some Anthropologie-esque pillows featuring drawings of London, Paris and New York City. Super chic! Just the sort of inexpensive finds to get us through January. Only 58 days until spring...

Pssst! Follow me on Instagram for more real-time shopping photos.

With Valentine's Day coming up, I thought it fitting to showcase some of the latest baubles catching my eye in the jewelry department at Target. Don't they have the best stuff?! From statement necklaces to statement earrings, Target has on-trend sparkle that will help transform existing clothes in your wardrobe into a fab Valentine's Day look (budget-friendly!) - or make a sweet gift for a special friend. I'd love to receive this necklace - I love the color palette of mint, navy and smoky topaz - this bold bib necklace, or this elegant necklace (only $11.98 online at Target.com!) And because our homes need love, too, I mixed in a few photos of some of the new home decor items in store. Bright yellow, coral and blue are just what you need to liven your space and keep the winter doldrums at bay.

I haven't been to Sears in a loong time, which isn't to say I don't browse their website frequently, but let's just say Target is on one end of my mall, and Sears is on the completely opposite end. You do the math. But on a recent frigid weekday, I decided to get some exercise by powerwalking through the mall, pushing the LO in his stroller, so we made our way over to Sears and I was so glad I did! The new offerings from Metaphor (which are almost all marked down 40-50% off right now) are stellar. The colors and cuts are fresh, modern and fashion-forward. Just take a look at my photos! Even Kardashian Kollection impressed me this time, with lots of party-ready frocks and sassy work separates that looked great and were very reasonably priced.

I did a little searching on Instagram and discovered that @SearsStyle has created a hashtag #TheNewMetaphor, so clearly they're promoting the new look, too. I'd follow them for inspiration, as they share how bloggers are wearing the looks - love how @katalina_girl styled this deep-v sweater (here) and @cryskay's head to to Metaphor look - amazing!

Have you checked out the new fashions at Sears lately? What did you think?

Happy Sunday everyone! Welcome to the 3rd edition of a new series we're dubbing the "Sunday Funday Bloghop & Linkup." Join me and my fellow hostesses Jennifer of Fab Fatale and Kristin of Bon Bon Rose Girls every Sunday morning at 8 a.m. for fun giveaways, good friends and inspiration to "try something new today"!

Bloggers, please share your "best of the week" post in the linkup below so that we can all see what you've been up to. Our fav linkup each week will be featured at Fab Fatale, Bon Bon Rose Girls, and The Budget Babe blogs in next week's Sunday Funday edition! Readers, please join in the fun by checking out all of the linkups below - the response to our first two linkups was absolutely incredible (here and here), so thank you for participating and making this such a huge success. We couldn't do it without you!

To welcome you to our bloghop series and show our appreciation, we're giving away a $50 Amazon giftcard below! Bloggers, readers, and everyone in between are welcome to enter for a chance to win.

Follow our Sunday Funday Bloghop & Linkup Pinterest board! We'll be pinning our "Sunday Funday - Best Of The Week", as well as each hostesses' top 5 fav linkups every week!

January is the month for clearance sales but amidst the deals are new arrivals to tempt us (or just give us a taste of what's to come for spring). At H&M, most clearance items were marked down an additional 30%. For new arrivals, silhouettes were mostly boxy and oversized on top, and fluid or relaxed on the bottom. I can get with that. I was loving all the fun new prints that reminded me of past Prada, Gucci and Etro collections: Think whimsical bugs, global prints and scarf prints. I picked up some new clothes for my little guy (I think most of his wardrobe is H&M!) and made sure to bring a small bag of garments to donate to H&M garment recycling program - you get a 15% off coupon good towards one item and the cashier was kind enough to let me use it towards this purchase, and gave me another coupon to go!

Take a peek at these items and decide whether you'll spend now on some new winter clearance items - or save up for spring!