When I used to think of gingham, all that came to mind was this pink gingham pants outfit that my mom used to make me wear when I was about four or five years old. I hated every minute of wearing it because it had cuffs with ruffles that were sewn on with clear plastic thread and that thread used to pinch and scratch my wrists all the time. It drove me crazy! My mom, of course, thought I was just being cranky and it seemed as though she would seek out opportunities to torture me by making me wear it. She insisted that it was because of how adorable she thought I looked that I was forced into wearing it so much, but despite the compliments, I grew to despise gingham as the bane of my early childhood. Flash forward to the present and gingham abounds for spring being one of the hottest trends for warmer weather. Given that I have yet to see any fanciful ruffles sewn on with scratchy thread, I am willing to forget the past and embrace my checkered future. Some of my top picks are featured here and the best part is that they are all $125 (that adorable little Tory Burch phone wallet) or less, like that fabulous and easy to personalize gingham bracelet from www.zazzle.com which comes in just under $25. So, bring a little spring into your (probably cold or snowy right now) world right now. Go, gingham!