Monday, December 6, 2010

A craving of color

While reflecting on my current handbag inventory (lol) I've come to the sudden realization that I have no more color left. Where did they all go!? Beats me.

Currently I have:
Black MJ large single
Black mbmj flash kelsey
Black jcrew hobo
LV mono speedy
Balenciaga officier RH city
and a few other tote bags.

And so my lust begins. Red? Purple? Green? Orange? I have no idea where to start - or even what to consider! I do love me some leather... so that will of course be my only requirement.

I've never owned a Rebecca Minkoff bag. Her nikki style is pretty cute - maybe if I could find it in a happy bright color.

And orange... of course. Hermes (just a daydream). But wouldn't an orange bag be simply fabulous with a darker outfit? I'm not gonna lie - an orange garden party would be absolutely divine.

So - I'm sorry I don't have any photos today, but any bag suggestions would be great!

Friday, December 3, 2010

Current obsession: Fair Isle.

So even though San Francisco doesn't get anything close to nordic weather (although a snow day would be really awesome) I'm currently obsessed with anything and everything fair isle related. I've rounded up a list of some of my favorites.

Last night at forever 21 with my sister I spied this and I may have to have it. The fair isle hoodie pullover won't break the holiday bank at 32.80. Plus it has a hood - and who doesn't like being able to snuggle down into hoodies in the winter? I really like the color accents on this one - it spices it up a bit instead of just sticking to a blue and white palette.

Also from forever 21 is this fair isle cardigan. It comes in two colorways - grey/cream and light brown/cream. I think I lean more towards the grey/cream one, but at least its good to know we have options. And at just two dollars more than the other one, 34.80 still isn't a bad deal for a cozy sweater. The big buttons and pockets really give it that winter flare. I'm really digging the big collar on this one... in fact I may have to snag this one over the blue one. Oops!

Not feeling the need for a sweater? I spied these cutesy gloves at Nordstrom's in the BP department and they were put on my Christmas wishlist right away. Fingerless gloves are sure to keep my hands (and wrists) warm while commuting every day to and from work - and the added bonus is that my fingers are free to still use my iphone (have you ever tried to use your iphone with mittens or gloves on? here's a tip, it doesn't work. at all.) so I'm still free to text, make calls, surf the net, and listen to music without having to pull my gloves off and on. And at 18.00 if they don't appear under the tree I won't feel guilty going out to buy them for myself at that price.

Over at JC Penney's I spotted this sweater if you want something that will give you a belted look. For only 21.99 this sweater is a steal - and it comes in three colorways - chocolate heather, heather charcoal, and ivory. My only concern is what color I would get for myself... hmm. Plus on the JC Penney website you can check stock in realtime at your store to make sure its available for you if you wanted to run down and grab one. How cool is that?

And I couldn't resist on these... although I might not wear them out of the house these are just too cute for words. For anyone who has hardwood floor in the house (me) or whose feet just can't get warmed up these MukLuks would be a great gift to make sure your someone stays warm during those cold winter nights. I really dig the buckle design on these, too!



Hope you enjoyed my little list - hope everyone is having a great Friday (Happy Weekend!) and stay warm!

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Holiday gifts for under 25.00

Hello readers! I apologize for my absence - the Thanksgiving holiday and the weekend surrounding it was full of family, friends, lots of food (3 thanksgiving dinners!) and multiple trips across the bridge. With the official count to Christmas being only 26(!!!) days away and the first night of Hanukkah tomorrow night I thought I'd do a spotlight on some of my favorite little things for under 25.00.

For the person who loves doing manicures but hates to spend the money I found this while looking around at nordstrom. The Essie nail corrector pen would be a fantastic gift - and priced at 14.00 it would make an excellent stocking stuffer! (I should probably take my own advice and pick this up, lord knows my nails would thank me).

Over to etsy I've found an abundance of gorgeous, handmade goodies to get for friends. Some of my favorites happen to include the sapphire blue swarovski drop necklace from shingingstones. Priced at 16.00 it's an adorable piece that is sure to draw attention!

For the earring lover I also found the Aventurine ear studs by LoveErica which I think would stand out fantastically against darker hair. Another awesome jewelry piece that won't break the bank these earrings are only 14.00.

If you have a drink mixer in your life, Crate and Barrel's "500 Cocktails" book would be a great gift (along with some mixers, perhaps?) to enable anyone to create awesome cocktails without ever having to leave their apartment. At 16.95, this book would leave you with some extra cash to perhaps purchase 1 or 2 of the Dizzy cocktail glasses to complete the whole gift.


And for the person who just needs to relax (hey, I think I qualify for that) I spotted the Virtuoso candle at Anthropologie last night and stopped hard in my tracks. Not only does it smell good, the tin is adorable - and I'd probably use it for something to store little trinkets in when I'm finished burning the candle. Now, my only issue is which scent to get, they all smelled really good..

So let me know what you guys pick up and who on your naughty and nice list will be getting what this year.

Hope you have a fantastic Tuesday!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

On growing.

As of late I've felt that I'm in fact changing. I don't know if you would call it a growth spurt, but its something. I've been re-evaluating some things in my life and contemplating what to do next with them.

1) Work. I can tell you right now that I'm not happy with what I'm doing. What would I rather be doing? Obviously not what I'm doing now. But my real question is what would I do that makes me happy. I quite frankly have no idea. Obviously something more in the creative field. I would love to eventually make photography or writing into a career but I'm way too amateur for that. But regardless - the point that I'm trying to make is that I'm incredibly unhappy job-wise at the moment and I'm doing everything in my power to try and change it (come on google, you know you want to hire me.)

2) Relationship-wise. Something big is coming. I can tell you for sure that 2012 will have wedding bells. I'm excited, nervous, a little scared, and incredibly happy. I'm thrilled beyond belief to know that we are moving toward getting engaged and anytime it happens I'll probably burst into tears and then jump up and down.

3) My self image. Okay laura, lets face it. Your metabolism is not the same as it was back in college. You've sadly inherited hips and a stomach from mom's side of the family. So, I have to go back to exercising. Maybe zumba, or a bootcamp - something. Because I really don't want to look like a whale as I enter 2011.

4) Do something good for someone else. I have so much stuff laying around the place that's unused - body care stuff up the wazoo. So instead of hoarding it for when kingdom comes, I think I'd like to put together baskets for the less fortunate. I have a ton of brand new Hello Kitty stuff (um mom, I'm 26 now) that I think some little girl may love. So I need to get going on that. Just need to find a place in the city that would take all of it.

So, that's kinda where I'm at right now. I have been doing better and my shopping ban has helped. I've been working on the Christmas presents for my cousins, and the only people left are Dave and my sister.

Other than that... I'm just waiting, waiting, waiting for the clock to strike 6 so I can go home.

And some pretty tulips that I spotted earlier this year - just because.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Gearing up for the holidays

With the now drastic turn in weather (goodbye high 70's) and gloomy wet forecast for the weekend its starting to finally feel like November. Hurrah! So I thought I'd compile a little list of things that's making me excited for the holidays and finally feeling like this time of year should be.

The great tree in Union Square is on its way up - towering over the annual ice skating rink that takes over a large part of Union Square. And the Macy's windows are already lit up with their wreaths, too!

Another great addition to Macy's (jeez I sound like a Macy's ad!) are the SFSPCA Holiday windows. In need of a new furry companion? Look no further - from November 19 (that's today!) through January 2nd walk yourself down and check out the cute puppies and kittens available for adoption through a partnership with the San Francisco SPCA and Macy's. Not in the mood for a friend but would like to help out anyway? Volunteers are still being accepted. And who wouldn't want to play with a new furry friend for a few hours while helping to raise money for them?

Also, if you haven't seen anyone walking around lately, the holiday cups are back at Starbucks. Even your overpriced mocha latte espresso is dressed up in holiday spirit! And.. just these upcoming few days - Nov 18-21 from 2-5PM all Starbucks holiday drinks are buy one get one free. Just in case you needed a little extra push for your favorite drink you can feel good by getting one for a friend... (or keeping it for yourself for later, hah).


Chunky sweaters. Finally - weather to support layers! I'm actually really digging this one from the Gap. I love the cowl neck and the zipper detail. Want it? Get it at the Gap for 54.50. And with 5 colors to choose from, I really have no idea which one I would get (I'm pretty indesisive most of the time...).

And you can't have a rainy season without rainboots! I'm beyond thrilled that with the storm slated to slam into San Francisco later this evening that I'll finally get a chance to pull out my adorable new pair of red rainboots with beige socks. SO.EXCITED. I don't think I could possibly put it into words. But now - my feet will stay dry, warm, and look (hopefully) good while I get to frolic in the rain.

And you thought that was just for kids, didn't you.

Have a fantastic Friday!

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

A confession.

30 for 30 is not so simple as it seems.

Especially when you have record breaking temps in the middle of November that sends you running for sunscreen and anything with ice in it.


Hey San Francisco - didn't you get the memo?

So, I'm not going to lie. I had to break the 30 for 30. Long sleeves, sweaters, and wool skirts just didn't cut it over the past few days, and instead it felt like the summer we never had.

I'm still going to stick to my shopping ban *ahem*. I am wearing an outfit comprised of pieces from my original 30 today (blue shirtdress, jeans, and tory burch plum revas).

I guess my main question is - for this challenge, what happens when the weather throws a kink your way? Just like if you had planned on skirts and suddenly you were stuck in a snow storm - what would you do?

Thursday, November 11, 2010

3 & 4 and a fortune to boot

Hello there! Lets have a outfit roundup for days 3 and 4, shall we?

Lets start with 3. A really chilly day in the bay area so I chose to go with the longsleeved tuxedo shirt with a wraparound hoodie striped sweater. Paired it with a pair of jeans and the jcrew black booties (which i LOVE but they hurt my feet... ouch! may have to do something about that...). Since we had a dinner to attend last night the outfit took me from work to a casual dinner setting with friends. I got complimented on my outfit, too!
Total pieces used = 4

Today has been equally chilly as well, so much so that I've started carrying my leather gloves around in my bag with me. I have to be able to grip those cable car bars while hanging on for a ride home! So for day 4 I am pairing my black jeans with black tory burch shoes, the blue striped gap top, and wine colored sweater. Can I just say how much I love this sweater? I eventually want to get daring enough to pair it with a belt around the middle... but I may have to work up to that!
Total pieces used = 4

Last night at the aforementioned dinner gathering I picked out a fortune cookie from the pile and cracked it open and pulled out my fortune to reveal something that made me grin from ear to ear. "Good things come in small packages. One is coming to you". Oh i really hope that this hindsight is 20/20!

Still contemplating on opening up about some non-fashion related stuff going on, but I don't think I want to bog anyone down with it.

Anyway - at least today is Thursday so here's hoping today and tomorrow pass quickly to get us to Friday!
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