Cute-cute-cute-cute-cute!

from Anthropologie, $158

*update* – my custom shoulder bag is being made! woo!

“Hello, lover.”

From Etsy user and mom of twin girls Bayan Hippo. She designs and hand-makes all her bags and sells them at fantastic, recession-friendly prices. ($27 – $35)

I actually could really use a shoulder bag, like the one below, more than a double strap bag that you carry on your arm like the one above. I have a double-strap one already (from the Gap) that’s nice for shopping, but I’m forever trying to hoist it onto my shoulder when I’m running around the city, and it’s annoying because it just. Doesn’t. Work. Stubbornly, I don’t want to let go of the possibility of it suddenly, magically staying put, so I keep hoisting, it keeps falling, and I wind up grumpy.

I don’t see this style in yellow, but she welcomes custom orders. She also offers purses in velvet, and has a huge variety of different fabrics and patterns.

Mom-run business FTW!

I have a frequent shopper card for Anthropologie, so to celebrate my birthday they sent me a 15% off coupon for any in-store item. I’m wary to go into Anthro, to be honest. Every time I do there’s something in my purse, or some sensor tag on my clothes from Old Navy that I forgot to take off that trips off the alarm and sends an overearnest twenty-two year old shopgirl running over to inspect my person. It’s gotten to the point of them being quite rude to me, although it tends to difuse quickly if I produce and snip out the offending tag, or (in the event I can’t find it or don’t want to go digging around in my pants in public) rolling my eyes and saying, loudly, “This is because I’m black, isn’t it?!” This is the part where Stu! swears on her dog that she’s never going shopping with me ever! again!, and I don’t blame her.

Still, and all, it’s a beautiful company filled with pretty things and brilliant, creative ideas, and they did a really good job of packaging the coupon.

I think this idea would translate well to seating cards at a wedding, or giving a gift certificate for a present.

One of my favorite blogs, Frolic, has a new sponsor called oktak, and I’m smitten by the pretty bright colors of their coin purses and clutches. They also offer eye glass cases and handbags. I’m not a clutch girl usually, but these might convert me, especially for carrying to a Sunday spring brunch with my bestest ladies. They have TONS of colors and patterns. For my collage above I picked out six that were “so very Amber”. I kind of want them all.

I’m in love with these pretty product photos at Williams-Sonoma, all for Valentine’s Day.

Happy weekend.

This week I’m blogging about all of the little things I kept meaning to blog about but never got around to.

Maggie Mason posted about this yesterday; I’d forgotten about it. Heads up, it’s a little on the long side: 7:14, and it’s worth watching uninterrupted.

Enjoy.

I’m looking, but so far I can’t find anything in my apartment that needs a label. I’ll have to find something to organize soon, so I can use these pretty labels from Stuck Label Company.

Launched just today, this little shop is the brain child of graphic designer Karisa Winkel and the classy, whimsical Jordan Ferney.

Thumbs up, ladies! I love them!

This cute program takes a digital image and converts it into a faux Polaroid. It’s kind of cheating, but the results are really pretty.  It makes a genuine Polaroid camera noise and then takes a few minutes for the picture to appear.  While it’s “developing”, you can shake it!

I used the program to convert a cell phone photo my friend Carissa snapped and sent to me.  The bracket is from Anthropologie, and the a lamp shade and cord are both from Ikea.  She strung the cord through the bracket and made herself a charming, inexpensive, zero-footprint light, perfect for a her tiny apartment bedroom.  So cute!