In 20 years of writing for House to Home, I don’t think I’ve seen so many nice condos and patio homes on the market at one time until now.

The picture is of one of my favorites behind Erie Day School, but there are some for every price range and plenty are open tomorrow for viewing. Read my full story here. One thing to keep in mind about condos is some developments do not permit For Sale signs, so if you, like me, ride through neighborhoods and figure nothing is for sale — check with a Realtor because right now nearly every condo development in the region has a few for sale.

A shout out to all the folks who sent me their favorites. We couldn’t accommodate everyone, but I will be doing this again. You can create your open house tour here. If the condos you want aren’t on the tour, call a listing agent, get an appointment and check out some great places to live — in all price ranges.

Check out all of this week’s House to Home right here:

Can any of us afford a little piece of Chanel? Well, I covet the buttons. And we can buy buttons. And it isn’t even Fashion Friday, yet.

First of all,  today’s blog resulted from my friend Susan McChesney posting a video on the classic Chanel jacket on her Facebook page. Then I Googled Chanel buttons and discovered the jewelry that has cropped up with Chanel buttons.  Here’s an article about it. Pieces are available for $200 to $390 — still not everyday pricing, but it is Chanel, vintage Chanel, at Monkee’s. A lot of sites offer Chanel buttons, but not everything is genuine, I am guessing.

Trellis in Erie, Pa., has a selection. So does Traditions Unlimited in Erie. Call them and a few vintage stores and ask — you might find some gems that will have you wearing Chanel.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one. 

It’s always nice to find a surprise in a house for sale. This week in House to Home, we visit  Pebble Creek, where the  home at 5471 Granite Lane has two full floors of living and separate entry points — perfect for a multi-generational Millcreek family. Read the full story here. The house is open next Sunday, and it lists for $249,900.

Check out all of House to Home right here:

My new shoes

Last year, I wanted floral shoes in the worst way.

I never found a pair that were the pattern I wanted and in colors I would wear. Then Zappos stalked me all across the Internet and in my e-mails after I left things in a shopping cart on the website. I caved, and my husband encouraged it because he needed new shoes and found his old standbys cheaper at Zappos than anywhere else on the planet.

We bought shoes Saturday and they arrived Monday becasue they upgraded us to VIPs. I am wearing my new kicks today even though they are a little colorful for a snowy day.

And they go with purple, red, green and black, although not all in one outfit. I bought a pastel version of the same shoes. They are pretty springy, but it’s time for springy.

I think these were $55. What’s that song — “I can’t drive 55.” I’ll be singing that all day and dancing through meetings in these new kicks.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.

Styling for the waistline? Love this one at left — it’s $40 from JC Penney, and it’s Liz Claiborne — gotta love this one. It’s one of eight styles Oprah features in her picks for waist whittling styles — see the rest of them here.

Cosmo UK has the top 12 fashion must-have items right here – beanies  are still rocking runways. Other cool trends include round sunglasses and neon sneaks — I am way ahead of the fashion curve on this one. I’ve had bright neon kicks for years — pink, green – right now — mine are purple. Take a look at these cool shoes on Zappos.

And the jeans that supposedly eliminate cellulite from our friends at Wrangler were chatted up and blogged in January by nearly everyone. Here’s a link to purchase them on asos.com. But this is the European version of asos — it’s the only place I could find the jeans. They are not available on the US version. Nor are they mentioned on the US Wrangler site.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa.

Dresses, dresses, dresses. I am loving the dresses. This one from ModCloth.com speaks to me because it is called Author Outings Dress. It has a vintage feel — here’s the ModCloth.com description: “goldenrod-yellow fit-and-flare frock! Its retro hue, lightly textured stretch fabric, and see-through, crocheted details make this dress as intriguing as your latest work. You know it’s not fair to judge a book by its cover … ”

I had a dress that color many moons ago, and I also had that collar on another dress. It’s all back!

It is $79 and it is one of a million dresses I love. I am also coveting many frocks from Ruelala.  The site has numerous BCBGMAXAZRIA designs. Click here to see a few. I have friends who told me about these sites. Thanks friends.

Just a heads up — you do have to join to see all the stuff, but it costs nothing — just your e-mail address. So far they have not been stalking me like Zappos does (I get reminders that they miss me on nearly every web page I open — it’s a little creepy!), but I am a huge Zappos fan.

If you’re going to shop online, here’s the full glossary of terms I never knew, thanks to Recessionista.com. Get the full story here:

• B&M = Brick-and-mortar (aka, this deal is redeemable at the store’s physical location).
• BOGO or B1G1F = Buy One Get One Free
• C/O = Cash Off
• CPN = Coupon
• DND = Do Not Double (aka, no doubling up on coupons allowed!)
• GDA = Good deal alert
• GWP = Gift With Purchase
• H/F = Handling Fee
• LPG = Lower Price Guarantee
• MIB orNIB = Mint in Box or New in Box (aka, the product is brand new).
• NAZ = Name Address Zip Code (to see if you are eligible for the deal).
• NED = No expiration date
• NOCC = No Credit Card
• NWOT = New WithOut Tags
• NWT = New With Tags
• POP = Proof of Purchase
• PP = Purchase Price
• SMP = Specially Marked Packages
• TMF = Try Me Free (samples, anyone??)
• UNL = Unlimited
• YMMV = Your Merchandise May Vary

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.

Fashion statements are red this month — and today’s Valentine’s Day mantra might be “buy something red.” Take a look at the red dresses rocking the runway during The Heart Truth Red Dress Collection Fashion Show 2013 right here. The New York Daily News covers it in style with 27 fabulous fashion ideas modeled by everyone from Gold-medal Olympic gymnast Gabby Douglas – pictured above — to Kelly Osbourne.

Today is the perfect day to buy a little red dress. Here’s a link to the terrific selection at Macy’s – for teens to women in styles for career, casual and glamorous evening wear.

Here’s a link to JCPenney’s red dresses – one adorable peplum number from Bisou Bisou is only $35 — how can we choose just one?

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.

There’s an entire fashion show dedicated to chocolate clothing. See the video here.  Of course this topic made me think of Lady Gaga’s meat dress — it has its own Wikipedia page — see it here. But instead of showing a picture of that, I found some other fun stuff.

Kara Rodemer from Delish.com wrote about some yummy and oddly stylish dresses like the one at left, a chocolate bubble dress. She had more — like Cloris Leachman in a cabbage dress,  a spaghetti and meatballs dress, an artichoke dress, a creampuff dress, stale bread dresses (and slippers) and more salad dressings — err make that dresses. Click here to see 10 fun outfits all made from food on the Delish.com website.

Now, we know what to do with those leftovers!

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.  

Look what’s happening in House to Home this week! Add red to a room — it’s often inexpensive, fast and you’ll be red-y for Valentine’s Day with some classy accents. Read the story by Decorating Den’s Marie Feltz here.

Garden writer Sue Scholz shares all the blooms that popped open last week in that heat wave. She had white Christmas rose hellebore, English daisy and other flowers. She wasn’t the only one —  Read her story right here.

We have quite a few additional stories that will get you in the mood to decorate — get the lowdown on all the trends for home decorating for 2013 — great ideas are brimming in House to Home.

Next week, I have a story for you on open houses at two huge homes in Fairview — a builder and interior designer’s home in Manchester Farms and a completely restored (by a local builder) 1800s beauty with a lake view on Dutch Road.

Touchless technology
Make a DIY snow globe
Mixing color among hottest trends for 2013
Counteract dark days with sparkle
Shine On
Around-the-World Interiors

And catch up with open houses this week.

Pam Parker is the editor of Lake Erie LifeStyle, Her Times and House to Home at the Erie Times-News in Erie, Pa. She is the mom of three, stepmom to three and step-grandmom to one.