shove me some chevron

bracelets + chevron print + sparkle = heaven on earth.

admire them here.

geek chic

for the tech-savvy girl on your list, i've spied a couple of great ideas...first, how utterly gorg is the tory burch metallic etablet case? i particularly love the note from saks: please note: e-tablet not included. thanks.
i'm also more than a little in love with these glamnoir 2gb usb drives...geekdom never looked so good. which is to say i want one immediately if not sooner.

and for totally reasonably priced pick-up-on-the-run ideas, hit homegoods and look around the impulse buys near the registers for supercute jeweled phone cases for around $10 and headphones for under $4 that are comfy, good looking and offer awesome sound.

a wired holiday is a happy one.

all images from linked sites

watch the gap

holiday shopping starts out an organized fantasy... it's idealized by our long and thoughtful lists, dogeared catalogs and big, thematic plans. in reality though, some of the most efficient holiday shopping is done on the go - on our way to or from work, a doctor's appointment or an oil change. this month, window shopping and killing time are crucial to our effectiveness. i'll certainly share the best things i've seen on my walk to work, and i hope you'll do the same!
from the gap, i die for the nylon puffer totes ($14.99 - $17.99) and the silver ones (by far the most moon-tastic, in my opinion) aren't available online anymore, so scamper in. these are perfect for wet, slushy days and to throw everything from extra socks, a rolled up hoodie and all your other essentials. i mean my essentials. i mean your gift recipient's essentials...you know what i mean.

i also obviously love the sequin totes ($44.50) though the silver seems to be only available in stores. clearly, silver's a big deal right now.


and the velvet totes ($39.50) are so cozy and luxe at the same time which is, in my opinion, a pretty perfect combination. warm and versatile in the gray, and piercing and on-trend in the blue, these are a total win.

these are all perfect as secret santa gifts, the best "stocking" around to be filled with other goodies, or a standalone gift for someone special. or of course for you - i mean me - i mean...

top image from martha stewart, all images from the gap

honey gift files: early possibilities

i think it’s never too early to keep on the lookout for potential holiday gifts. like anything, the second something is marketed as a holiday gift, the price tag goes up a little, so i always like the idea of picking things up throughout the year as you see things on sale or for good prices.

though it often makes sense to wait on more personal gifts until you get closer so you know what they need or want, the more generic gifts for hostesses, hair stylists, work colleagues, etc can be great to pick up along the way.

some of my perennial favorites are from pier 1 - i love their little jeweled boxes which are three in a pack (three gifts!) for about $13 and they can each be wrapped in pretty tissue paper or cellophane for a perfect little token - for a little over $4 each! these are also great little gifts for when people get engaged - they're perfect for rings. also along the glittery lines, i love the jeweled pens (above) for $9 each.

for even less, i looooove their nylon reusable totes and i find that people really use them, including me, as i have five of them and they're stashed everywhere. so pretty, so useful, so green. and so $3 each. to be really green, don't even wrap them (they're sort of wrapped themselves) and just clip a gift tag on with a little note.

these faux python lipstick cases are $2.50 each and are a perfect token for someone who loves pretty things. i love the idea of the yellow or purple ones since both colors are so big right now, and i don't think you could ever go wrong with pink.

for a really cute little combo gift, i love the glitter leaf pen ($3.50) and the boho purse notepad ($4.95). of course you could also pair the jeweled pen with the boho purse notepad. this is one of those gifts where i inevitably get a little gift for myself too.

have you had any good holiday finds yet?

all images from pier 1

a cut above

when i gasped upon seeing these kimberly mcdonald earrings, i knew they were meant to be shared. and meant to be owned. by me. well, until then, let's just observe and weep.










using interesting geodes and rare gemstones, kimberly mcdonald's designs are unique and eyecatching - classic and edgy in the same moment. i love how she uses diamonds in conjunction with the other materials - so thoughtful and restrained to not go totally rogue where tradition is concerned. sometimes they're dainty and pave, sometimes raw and uncut.
and she's a firm believer in reusing materials, rather than continuing to deplete natural resources, which makes each piece even more lovely and one-of-a-kind, which is so special. here is what she says:

there is such an abundance of material out there, we need not continue to harvest many of the materials needed to create. i like to think of each creation as an extension of what nature has given us and we strive to preserve the integrity of the material and its unique energy. we also strive to reuse rather than reap. jewelry was initially created to carry symbolic talismans and stones of energy or import. i believe it should still have that meaning and that we can accomplish this without pillaging nature.

amen sister.






and can i just say...OMFG.



kimberly's designs are sold at only a few places which are here.

images from rockras, la mag, pierce mattie public relations, modern jeweler, polyvore, jewelsnob, browns fashion, life-content, kaboodle, the cut london, holt renfrew, beauty lab ny, jewelsfile, gem gossip, elle

all in the wrist

ever since last summer when i purchased these bracelets, i've been nursing an obsession with bracelets and the addictive jangling sound they make on my wrist when worn in abundance (which is now every day).

there is almost no limit to the number of combinations you can dream up with bracelets, and the more of them i add to my collection, the more i enjoy the collection itself. i'd have to say that after the inaugural set last summer, sets of thin metal bangles became my thing because they were easy to amass quickly and inexpensively. so many stores have great selections, and they're just as good worn separately or paired with bangles from other sets as they are worn together.




my personal favorites are the kind that are thin and come en masse, because they're the most bang for your buck and can be worn single, as a handful, or the whole bunch, and they can easily be mixed with everything else. the ones above are from old navy, avenue (a great source for slightly larger cheap jewelry finds) and nordstrom and are perfect starter sets to add to now or later.
below (all from nordstrom) are some wider sets with fewer pieces, but i like them because they're very substantial and because they include goldtone options that won't turn or irritate (i find the cheap gold ones always do on me, so i stick with the silvertone which i have no problems with, but some people are fine with the gold).







still along the bangle line, but with some blingy embellishment, i love the seasonal whispers bangle sets from nordstrom which come in several different versions (more on website). they would look great as a single bangle alongside other blingy bracelets, or again, as the whole bunch.



imagine how pretty they'd look with these faux micro pave bangles! (i mean, what wouldn't...)

or with these amazing ippolita rock candy bracelets:


i also love love love enamel bracelets as a fun (and jangly) was to add punches of color and shine, and kate spade does an incredible job with them, not surprisingly. and as if they aren't pretty enough, the idiom bracelets, are inscribed with single line messages like "tickled pink" on the pink bracelet, "the grass is always greener" on the green, and "clean slate" on the white. and on some, there are phrases like "have courage" and "take a chance."

i love when things that are pretty on the outside pack some extra meaning on the inside - it makes it feel like a little private moment you have throughout the day.






and it might be illegal how much i love these two:


okay, and moving away from kate spade before she gets a restraining order... i'm also mildly obsessed with trina turk's versions.

and the sequin enamel bangles at nordstrom are priced very reasonably and hit the mark dead-on too. so many options!!!


so pretty, right? and i have to say, i found a couple great epoxy and enamel bracelets at avenue in several colors for under $10 a piece, and have been enjoying them. A LOT. alone, together, and with other bracelets, they look excellent (and not like they were $10 each).






i'm also loving all the bracelets out there that are made of interesting and unexpected materials. the two below from house of harlow are leather and crystal and master the fine line between edgy and chic, don't you think?


in a similarly hard-edged look, this set in various textures from lane bryant (another great plus-size source for jewelry) strikes a great balance and could be used to soften an outfit's hard lines, or to rough up an otherwise prissy look.

i love these nature-inspired wood-like options from cara (first 2) and kate spade, respectively. such a great way to ground an ensemble without being matchy matchy or predictable. and of course, great to pair with bracelets in other materials too.



for a more metal-heavy look with some added interest, i love these from avenue (top 2) and lane bryant (bottom 2).




and how about these clear or somewhat clear versions? i think the first one from alexis bittar is insanely beautiful and could be worn in just about any situation on earth. her mixed color bangles below are a great option for pairing, and also can be worn casually, dressy, and everything in between.



and a lucite bangle? need i say more?
and if you don't love the idea of accumulating a whole collection, but you like the look of piled on bracelets, i love the options here.

from cara, nordstrom:

from kate spade (love this one, can't you just hear the jingle?):

from lane bryant:

from lane bryant:
i think the real beauty of this kind of jewelry is that your collection can continue to evolve forever, which is a really cool thing. you can always be on the lookout for new pieces - in foreign countries, at estate sales and antique stores, in grandmothers' jewelry boxes, and even at the mall. i seriously think the only way you could go wrong would be to not treat yourself to some bracelets!

all photos from linked sites