New shopping spree enabler! Call a support group!

I always used to look forward to catalogs appearing in my mailbox. Now that I am more eco-conscious (and busy), catalogs are like paper spam, or at best, something for my kids to cut up for art projects. While I still enjoy the experience of looking through a catalog, I find myself shopping online instead, but a new iPad app offers the best of both worlds with a catalog shopping experience in digital form. The interface of Catalog Spree is not only beautiful, but also provides a realistic page flipping experience for all sorts of store catalogs with the swipe of a finger. The most dangerous feature for shopping-happy moms like me is the ability to find out more details by touching specific items on a page. The detail page and shopping cart icon takes you right to a product's e-commerce store for purchase. I gave it a whirl with the Catalog Spree Nordstrom catalog. While flipping through the shoe section (shooooooes!), I just had to check out the dress pictured next to a cute pair of summer heels. Then, I had the option of sharing this dress with my Facebook friends to solicit their opinions which is super smart. Current catalogs include Cool Mom Picks favorites like Dwell Studio, Serena & Lily, Tea Collection and Artful Home. If you become a subscriber to one of them, any time a new catalog comes out you'll automatically see it in the iPad app. Will this be the shopping mall of the future? Who knows. For now, I just like the eco-concept of getting fewer paper catalogs in the mail and instead having an interactive shopping catalog on my iPad. I look forward to seeing what other stores join in the shoes. I mean, fun. - Beth Catalog Spree for iPad is available for free on iTunes. Online interaction is needed for e-commerce features, so WiFi access is required. Membership in a shopping support group is optional.