Thursday, February 27, 2014

Thursdays Threads!


I'm beginning to wonder if it will be winter forever. High is 20 today folks. TWENTY. Fahrenheit. Brrr. So as you can imagine, I'm still bundled up for winter.
Here's my commute in:

Don't I look cold? Yeah that's cause I am. I'm sporting that awesome knit Skidmore hat I bought at my 10 year reunion (yep, I'm that old). It's especially awesome because it's fleece lined so super soft. Plus it's my barn colors AND has ponies on it. You may recognize the Raj scarf from last week. It's really become a staple in this weather.

Ok so now that I'm safely indoors where there's heat, let's see what I'm wearing today...



Let's start at the bottom and work up today.
My boots are by GC Shoes. They're not actual leather which is always a bummer for me, but I love the color and they were super duper on sale which makes them a-ok in my book!



I love the studs too. They're like mini cowboy/biker boots. Super fun!
The jeans are by Seven. I found them on the final clearance rack at TJ Maxx awhile back. The pocket details are adorable and I love the contrast stitching around the pockets (it's on the front pockets too).


My belt is from ebay and may or many not be by Hermes. It's a really soft leather, also in hunter green like the boots. (Sorry for the washed out color on the photo.)


My sweater is by Cynthia Rowley. Another final clearance find. It's really warm, and I love the color blocking on it! The dog hair didn't come with it, but it seems to adorn most things I own.


See how I tied in the green sleeves with my accessories? Nice work Amateur, nice work.

You may recognize my necklace from yesterday's LBB post. I loved it so much I couldn't wait to wear it! It's the Rain "Key to my heart" necklace. I'm not wearing the earrings that came with it, as I can't wear costume jewelry in my ears without getting an icky infection. So those I'll have to pass on to a friend.



 Arm Party Time!

 
 
You should all recognize the watch by now, so we'll skip to the bracelets. Left has on what looks like a bangle but is actually a stretch bracelet from Marlyn Schiff and a cuff bracelet I got on Little Black Bag  by Lydell (I think, I can't actually remember for sure who makes that one). On the right hand is a rhinestone number by Shashi. I love their bracelets! They usually are string bracelets with some sort of embellishment, and are soooo pretty! I have a few from them. The last is a wrap bracelet by Bindi, also from LBB.

I know you're DYING to know what I'm carrying for a purse today. (ok, ok maybe not, but play along! I love purses!) 



This is my pretty I got from the TJ Maxx website for $79.00. It's a leather Emma Fox bag that is one of my faves for sure! Soft like butter, and one of my FAVORITE colors! It's not photographing that well in the florescent light, but it's a dark green somewhere between forest and hunter. Love LOVE LOVE.
So that's it for today! What's your favorite from today? Or from any day for that matter? I'd love to hear from you readers, so leave a comment or two below!

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Little Black Bag was really hard on my wallet this month....

Well my friends.... I've only been so-so in the not shopping department this month. I've been pretty good everywhere but Beval (I mention that here) and Little Black Bag. In my defense, they both had lots of great sales, and as you know, it's in my blood to never pass up a great deal. NEVER. So today, as I hang my head in shame over all the money I spent, I shall show you my mega haul from Little Black Bag. This was 4 separate shipments, so at least I didn't do this all at once... And remember I traded for most of it. I think the grand total for these four shipments was under $200.00. I know it's a lot of money, but wait till you see everything!

Oddly enough, the second box I shipped actually arrived first. So we'll start with that one!

First up are these oxfords from Restricted (retail value $50.00). (LBB had a sale, buy 1 pair of shoes get 2 free. THREE PAIRS OF SHOES FOR THE PRICE OF ONE!!!) Phew. Sorry. I got really excited.


Aren't they adorable? Hot pink and black. They're Faux Leather, which normally isn't my thing, but they're actually super comfy.

Next is a crazy pair of shoes I got that I think will look adorable with a black and gold dress I have. They are by Poetic License and retail for $129.00.


I traded for these ridiculous NCLA nail wraps too. I think they'll be fun for accent nails. (Retail value $16.00)


I traded for this blue and gold Robert Rose two row necklace as well. I really love this, it's so delicate and pretty! Retail value $20.00.



I kept getting these headbands and trading them away, but I really like to wear them at the gym and out on runs to keep my crazy hair in check. So I decided to finally ship some. I'm glad I did, they're actually awesome! They come in sets of two, each with a retail of $18.00. So total retail for the ones below is $36.00.


I had been after this Deux Lux card case for awhile. I love the contrast of the turquoise on the tan. It's been elusive, but I FINALLY got someone to trade it to me. Yay! Retail $35.00.


Much to my surprise, boxes 2, 3, and 4 all arrived at the same time. WHOA! It's like my birthday!


We'll start at the top and work down. The top box had just one pair of sandals in it. I traded them away, had traders remorse and bought them again. In my defense I used a credit to pay for most of them.  They're by NYLA and are actual leather. Very cute! Retail value $69.00


Bag #3 had lots of goodies! First up is another Robert Rose two row necklace, this one in gunmetal and purple. Unfortunately it arrived broken, but I am confident LBB will make it up to me. They're really good about that! I'm hoping they're not sold out as I really love these! Retail value $20.00


Next is another necklace, this one is by BCBGeneration. It's a little crimpy from the packaging but should straighten out if I hang it for a day. It's really cute! I love the "Fearless" statement. Maybe I'll make this my new lucky horse show necklace. Retail value: $18.00.



This little spike bracelet from K. Kreative was actually released long ago, before I joined LBB. I've seen it pop up in the gallery once or twice but was never able to get it. But finally I did! Yay!!! Retail value: $16.00


This adorable lips bracelet from All the Rage was a free with purchase promotion. I didn't open a new bag for it, but was able to trade for it. I think it's adorable! Retail value $20.00


This next necklace and earring set is by Rain. I almost didn't ship it, but I'm SO GLAD I did! It's sooo pretty! The rhinestones are super sparkly and it's very delicate. Love love love it! Retail value $33.00.




This Raj scarf I already have in gray which you may have seen here. They're really soft and warm. I love the pastels in this one, and it's helping me think Spring may show up soon. Retail value $50.00.



And now for the shoes. (Yes I opened twice during the shoe sale. How could I not?!) I have these Kensie shoes already in black, and I love them. They're real leather and cow hair with little horse bits on the top. What's not to love? Retail value $109.00.


These really cute flats from Blowfish are the pair I actually bought. I love the pattern! The colors didn't show up very well in the photo, but they're black with purple and silver paisley swirls. Very cute! Retail value $45.00


The last item in this box are the shoes I traded the NYLA sandals for originally. You can see why I'd make the trade! They are real leather, by Ivanka Trump, and are GORGEOUS! They have a slight shimmer to them and are just a gorgeous feminine shoe. SO MUCH LOVE for these. Retail value $135.00


And finally... Bag #4. Which oddly enough was the first one I shipped. The first item I'll show you is my last pair of shoes. Seriously, no more shoes! After these. They are from Penny Loves Kenny, and despite being fake leather, are awesome! Retail value $124.00



Next is this adorable pony scarf by Cejon. How could I not ship the pony scarf?? It's very thin more like to wear with an outfit than for warmth. It's also the blue color in the second photo, the close up washed out in the photo. Retail value $28.00



I traded for these Scratch nail wraps. I love the purple! Retail value $12.00


I was super excited to get this pearl cluster bracelet from Catherine Stein Designs because I wanted to layer it with another one I have. But upon seeing it, it's pretty large and I think is really pretty all by itself. Retail value $26.00


This gold bow necklace by Lolita is actually a little less nice than I expected. It's a very lightweight metal making it seem a little cheapie, but it's really cute. I'm sure I'll wear it anyway! Retail value $26.00.



I LOVE THIS BRACELET from All the Rage! This is another of those unattainable items I've been longing for. It was released before I became an LBB member and I had seen it pop up once or twice but could never get one. Low and behold they released 3 more, and I snatched it up right away! Of course it went on sale a week later, but we won't talk about that since I love it so much. Retail value $26.00.



And lastly, I'll show you the Jules Smith spike bracelet. I decided to add this to my bag rather than trade for it, because it had a really high retail value as compared to the add to bag price. Often you have to trade close to and sometimes more than retail to get an item, and in this case, it seemed smarter to just buy it. So I did. It will stack perfectly with some others arm candy I already own. Retail value $39.00



So let's look at stats shall we?

Bag 1 Total RTV: $286.00
Bag 2 Total RTV: $69.00
Bag 3 Total RTV: $446.00
Bag 4 Total RTV: $281.00

Total RTV: $1082.00

Not bad for spending around $200! Granted, I probably didn't need any of it... But it's so pretty! And I managed to pay all the bills too, so no harm no foul, right? I'm hoping to rein in the LBB for a little bit before I turn into a complete hoarder. But if they keep having sales.... Let's just say I make no promises.
If you want to join in the madness that is Little Black Bag, click here. If you sign up using that link, you'll save 25% and I'll get a free gift when you ship your first bag. Win win!

Happy Birthday Stridebox!

It's been eons since I've shown off a Stridebox hasn't it? Yep. Slacker. February marks their one year anniversary! In celebration, they sent to their first subscribers an EXTRA BOX! Imagine that? Soooo I am going to first show you my anniversary gift and then the February box. Let's go!



They sent this super cute birthday card thanking me for being an early subscriber instead of an info card.

The first (and biggest) item was a water bottle that's so much more than a water bottle! It unscrews at the top AND bottom for easy cleaning (awesome right?). But the best part, it has a little handle/pocket type thing with room for your smartphone, a key, some gels, and your ID/money. I think it's amazing. Seriously.



Next up is a protein powder. I haven't actually tried it yet, but it's birthday cake flavor, so how could that not be awesome? Get it? Birthday cake flavor for their birthday! Cute, Stridebox, cute.


And the last item, you KNOW I love. Another slap wrap! It's reflective so perfect for road running.


Many thanks to Stridebox for the awesome anniversary gifts! It was so unexpected. What a great surprise!

So now, on to February's box! My box this month actually got lost, so Stridebox sent me a replacement. They said if the first one shows up to pass it on to a friend or enjoy it myself. It never did show up, but it's so nice of them to be so generous!

As always the info card is right on top when you open it:



First look, I love the heart paper for Valentine's day and the cute sticker:


First item is a chap stick. Such a great item for this time of year! Every time I run outside in the cold, I wind up with chapped lips. Every. Time.


Next is a Rise protein bar in almond and honey flavor. I haven't tried it yet, but it looks delicious!


I was super excited to see this Pocket Fuel in the box. I'm getting low on gels and coffee flavored ones are my FAVORITE!


This Cerasport item is an electrolyte drink mix. I'm excited to try it!


I CANNOT wait to try these Sharkies. They're gummies shaped like SHARKS! Yes!


Skratch has been included a few times in my Stridebox, and it's a great product! It's a very light flavor, not super sweet like some of the other mixes can be.


This foot gel sounds really interesting. I think it's both a moisturizer and a liniment for achy feet. Sounds like a must have to me! I look forward to trying it out!


You all know how much I love the "stuff" items in Stridebox. You know the thing that's not edible and use can use more than once. Well this month is no exception! Since it's still dark all the time, this little light is perfect for outdoor running this time of year. It's just a little clip on guy, but it's super bright! It can either stay on totally, or be set to flash. Great little trinket!



And last but not least, Stridebox always includes a sticker or two. I love the Valentine's day theme this month!


So there you have it! If you're interested in signing up for Stridebox, it's $15.00 a month including shipping. Just click here! I don't think they have a referral program but feel free to tell them I sent you :)
Happy Running!