Little Black Bag Haul

I fell for this site called Little Black Bag.  It's addictive and fun, and I was feeling like fun was lacking in my life.  Lucky for me, a work bag that fit a book, snacks, and my regular purse things was also missing from my life, and I saw a bag that I believed may fit the bill on LittleBlackBag.com

A short intro: this is a site where you choose one item, and 2-4 other items are placed in your virtual bag for you.  The retail value is over $100, and then you are free to trade with others that have a bag that is also unshipped.  It's super fun, and really addictive.  I actually ordered two my first month.  The subscription rate is $49.95 a month, the non-subscription rate is $59.95 a box.  Plus shipping and tax in CA and NY.  It is SO MUCH FUN.

Here's their link:  http://lbb.ag/OHb

After much wheeling and dealing, I ended up with a bag that I am thrilled with!  Here it is:

What's in there?
Upper left, clockwise:
R & Em reversible tote, one side says Lover, one side says fighter, inside is striped $38 retail
Anthony Nila satchel $80 retail
Echo scarf in pink and orange $28 retail

I had four items on my list that I would have loved to have in my bag at the end of trading, and I ended up with 3 of them.  I am super happy with this purchase.  It came shipped in a large carton, wrapped very well.

The R & Em tote is a great size, taller than many totes, and sturdy cotton.

It's also got a messenger length strap, great for when I'm toting multiple bags.  That's in addition to the hand straps.  It's also got good shape to it, it's not super floppy so that things easily fall out of it if you are not careful.  It's sassy, and made very well.  This was not in my original bag, I traded and traded like crazy and finally ended up with it.

The Anthony Nila bag was my reason for ordering the Little Black Bag.  I checked the measurements and thought it would be perfect for work.  I needed a bag that would hold a book and a few other things but not be too big.  It could also hold a kindle or a netbook, though it's not padded.

The material is pretty soft, so the shape does not hold up perfectly when you put it down, but it's very light.  The turn key closure is not something that I am used to dealing with, but it does keep thing secure.  I needed a bag with the optional cross body strap, because I am often carrying multiple bags or at least a baby at the same time, so a shoulder or hand strap is not practical for me sometimes.  I was expecting this bag to have purple trim.  It's more of a blue, but in some light it may be called purple.  However, the tone of this blue/purple is really unique, and I'm very happy with this bag.  There are 2 small pockets on the inside front of the inside, and a zip pocket on the inside AND the outside of the back.  The back zip is the perfect size for my phone, which I'm super happy with.  The bag descriptions on the site are not so great.  They have just one or two pictures, which could be improved upon.  I did not see the back or the inside of this bag when I ordered it.  They didn't even say whether there were or were not other pockets on this bag at all.  For my purposes, it's perfect and I love that I can throw it around without worrying about it, unlike some of my leather bags, which I baby so that they will stay looking new.

Last up, scarf by Echo.  When I saw this, I thought it would be the perfect way to try out the trendy color of the season, orange.

It is a lovely color in person, bright but not neon, and I love the print and the combo with pink.  I had not idea how LARGE this scarf is, but it's made of rayon, and very lightweight.  I could wear this as a pareo, that's how big it is.  It's semi sheer and a great color, and I look forward to trying it out. I am always attempting to build a scarf collection but often I just end up not using the piece, so we'll see how this goes.  At least this is a low commitment way of trying it out!

I had so much fun making trades with the other girls on this site.  Even now, without an open bag, I watch the news feed.  Also, there have been a ton of new products up this week, and even though I log in several times a day, I was surprised this morning to see a new bag, already sold out!  The items can move fast, so if you see something you HAVE to have, I suggest that you open a bag immediately.

Here's their link:  http://lbb.ag/OHb

This was bought with my own money, I just loved it so much I wanted to share. However, if you click thru my link, I do get a bonus item for referring you.  If you love how this website sounds, I'd appreciate you using the link!  I had a blast and really look forward to my next bag.

The Limited Print Blouse

I added this item to cart and was mulling it over when the husband said, "Just do it." and so, I did.  I think it was a great buy.  This is a sheer printed blouse in purple/plum/white/black.  I wore it to work with a black t shirt underneath.  It has 3/4 sleeves and a banded bottom, in a loose silhouette.  I am hoping as the temperature rises I will also be able to wear it with a tank top underneath for those rare super hot days of summer.

Ann Taylor trouser jeans, dark wash

I went on a bender on the Ann Taylor website. I meant to look at 1 thing, and ended up purchasing 4 things. Should I be surprised? No. They were having a take an additional 50% off sale on top of sales kind of sale. So, the good news, if there is any, is that this total order cost under $100 total, but I do now know if I NEEDED all of these pieces. First up: stretchy "trouser jeans" in dark blue. I put that in quotes because the top fits more like a jegging. It was tight. Too tight to keep? I couldn't decide. That, and the only part that kind of bothered me was the button, which I was hoping I could move. So I decided to keep them, since the color was good. Oh, and I couldn't decide if I had camel toe. I know, not a good look, not a good question. But otherwise, they seemed ok, so I was hoping that they would wash and stretch in my favor. We will see. I was disappointed, since their size 0 trousers actually do fit me very well, actually are usually a little loose, so it was strange that these jeans seemed to fit a little snug. I guess they are meant to be that way?

After a wash, the jeans fit perfectly and do not camel toe any more.  I'm not really sure how that works, but I am very glad that they are machine wash professional jeans that do not go creeping where they do not belong.

2012

Has it really been over a year since I have written anything? Well, I guess I did have a new baby to grapple with. Between maternity wear and the random things that a baby needs, I guess that it just didn't make sense to keep this up in that time. But now, my body has settled into its new form and the baby thing is more or less controlled chaos. Time to get back into things and see if I can get a handle on all of this 'stuff' again. I've been reading ZenHabits and it's been helping me to try to wrap my mind around getting by with less... although I'm not really sure I'm doing the greatest job, what with the new sloew of baby toys and things lying around here. But at the very least, I personally have been able to get rid of a bunch of clothing that I wasn't using. I got rid of a bunch of work out clothes. Because... realistically, I do not work out. I will buy some when I need them. I have not needed them yet! I also got rid of a bunch of pajamas. I simply had too many, more than I needed, and I got rid of a bunch of older cotton t shirts and tank tops. I still have too many, but I'm working on it. I got rid of a bunch of T shirts with sentimental value - things like T shirts with with my high school or college on them. T shirts I do not enjoy wearing. Actually, I do not wear T shirts, period. I also got rid of some T shirts I'd bought while traveling, from Paris, China, Hawaii, that I likewise did not enjoy wearing. My closet is looking much roomier than it has before, and I'm re-organizing it. Now... shoes! I had a big purge about a year and a half ago, and I still have many shoes that I do not wear. However, I can't bear to get rid of gorgeous shoes, even if I do not wear them. I'll think about that some more before I delve into it again. Always there is more I could get rid of, I'm working on it, but it's definitely a step in the right direction. I bought 4 pieces recently and got rid of 8! So, I think that's a great sign.

The Sak handbag: Iris Crossbody in Linen

So, as a new mommy, I found that I needed a Mommy Purse. A dreaded phrase of mine, but it's all turned out ok. What were the features that I was looking for... Crossbody strap in canvas (not leather, for comfort reasons) preferably with a shoulder pad SEcond Shoulder strap (I prefer generally to wear bags on the shoulder, when I have the option.) Zip top, not flap top, for ease of access to contents Medium size (I usually go for small bags but I needed space for binkies, toys, and baby's sweatshirt) Leather body (I am just not happy with PVC or other plastic purses. They wear badly, usually.) And surprisingly, even with these few stipulations, there were very few choices for me. There are many crossbody bags ont he market currently, but not many with two straps, one in canvas. I also considered bags with only a crossbody strap. Many of these bags were messenger style, too flat for my liking. Also, they tended to be very structured, which I am usually into but I wanted the ability to stuff random things into this purse, so a more relaxed silhouette was preferred. I already have a The Sak bag, and like it very much. The leather starts off soft and so the bags are a little slouchy. The leather feels very nice on the hand. They have a range of colors. I ended up with the Linen color, and off white color. It's not my first choice, but it has served me well. It's a good neutral that goes with everything. Their colors tend to be warm, and I wear cool, so I have a harder time choosing a color from them. But the colors themselves are nice.

Why are there no blogs on online jewelry purchases?

This has been driving me nuts. Why can't I find any posts on reviews of online jewelry buys? I guess I will have to start. How else are we, the public, to know what kind of quality to expect if we order from online jewelers? I hope this decision helps others who may by looking and wondering about whether to purchase online...

knee high brown boots $70 +

I have not had the oppertunity to try these out yet, but I'm very excited about them. I needed lower heeled brown knee highs for inclement weather and work. We'll see how these do. Overstock is great! Aug 09

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I have finally experienced weather appropriate to these shoes - Love them! With insoles, they are very comfy. The low heel is very good for work and errands. I want a pair that isn't knee high, for convenience's sake... I do not have any jeans that will tuck into boots yet, so it would be easier to have a lower pair.