Deux Lux Obsession

I may or may not be a little late to jump on this train, but have you guys heard of Deux Lux? Their absolutely gorgeous Felix Weekender Duffle was one of Oprah’s “Favorite Things” in her magazine, but since I don’t read Oprah’s magazine, I had to find it through Pinterest.

Felix Weekender Duffle – $137

Their bags are faux leather, which isn’t usually something I’m into, but the reviews all say it’s great quality. Plus, it keeps the prices lower, and it’s vegan-friendly!

Urban Outfitters also has the sequin weekender, but in canvas.

Deux Lux Sequin Weekender – $99

I love the little gold feet! Isn’t the blue gorgeous?

They have so many different styles and sizes and colors. My very favorite is the small duffle, but I can’t decide which color I like best! I naturally gravitate toward black, but there are two blacks. Why is life so hard?

Felix Small Duffle – $86

Cosmic Love Duffle – $106

The “leather” looks better on the first one, but it doesn’t have the big tassels!

Of course, if I had a purse, I’d just have to accessorize it with some smaller pouches.

Cosmic Love Brush Case – $53

Felix Toiletries Bag – $64

Felix Wristlet Pouch – $53

I’m crazy about the iPad sleeve, too.

Felix iPad Sleeve – $64

There’s a laptop sleeve, too! And they’re not all sequins. They’ve got some slightly more understated bags that are just as fabulous. You know I can’t resist the sequins, though. Have you seen this one? It used to be available at Nordstrom, but it’s not anymore.

Ditsy Duffel Bag – Found on The Purse Page

Gotta love the bow. You have to check out this site – they’ve got totes and clutches and wallets and satchels, too!

Have you found any new obsessions lately?

     

End of the Month Excitement

Hi, guys! I’m so sorry for the two weeks of light posting. Things got a little whacky at work, and I needed to take some time to recalibrate and make sure I had my priorities straight. I really, really love blogging, but I also love my job, and I need to make sure to remind myself of that more often. I’m so lucky to have a job at all, and especially to have a job that I enjoy.

And then, of course, it was Thanksgiving! Did you all have a good holiday? We weren’t able to travel to see our families this year, but we’re extremely fortunate to have amazing friends here in Atlanta who invited us to spend the day with them.

I’ve been slacking on my projects lately, so I don’t have much to post about, but I have SO many ideas that I can’t wait to get started on! I’ll be posting about those very soon. In the meantime, I leave you with a few things that have had me excited lately. The first three will probably get their own posts, with much better quality photos … eventually.

Number 1: My half-completed Suzani-print no-sew curtains. I’ve got two panels down (enough to shield my foyer from prying eyes for the time being) and two to go.

Number 2: My new/old brass floor lamp. Thanks, Universe – and Kim and Marie!

Number 3: OPI‘s brand-new soak-off colored gel/polish hybrid – in Lincoln Park After Dark, of course. It just came out! (It’s different from Axxium.) I searched for reviews on this before I went and got my manicure, and couldn’t find any, so I’ll definitely be writing my own in a couple weeks when I have a better idea of how they hold up.

(Yes, I’m holding my mouse. My hands looked fat if I wasn’t holding anything.)

Number 4: And lastly, my dog’s first time going out to lunch and to the Piedmont Dog Park. She was SO well-behaved! If you know my dog, you know that this is HUGE.

That’s all I’ve got for now. But there are big things coming, I promise.

     

My Ideal Gift Wrap: Shining with Simplicity

Well, guys, in just a few days, the holiday season will officially be upon us. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling a little overwhelmed already. I swear, it seems like it was just July. I haven’t saved up for Christmas shopping. I haven’t started brainstorming gifts. I don’t have any good holiday recipe ideas. All I have are my New Year’s Eve shoes.

To calm my frenzied brain, I’m focusing on something simple: gift wrap. I’m personally not a fan of embellishing gifts with fancy origami tags or silk flowers or anything like that. I mean, sure – I enjoy presentation as much as the next gal, and I think it’s great for very special occasions, like weddings or showers. I’ll admit I found a certain glee in covering our wedding party gifts in sheer pink glitter ribbon goodness.

But for Christmas, there are just too many things to wrap. Gotta keep it simple. I think I’ll aim to use gift wrap that’s two things: classic and metallic.

Like, for example, this gold and silver wrapping set from Ikea.

Or perhaps this Kate Spade-esque gold polka dot paper from Kate’s Paperie.

Maybe I’ll go just a teeny bit overboard by using metallic washi tape instead of the old standard Scotch.

This is also from Kate’s Paperie:

And Etsy has a ton of festive washi tape, too.

From Etsy seller Chickydoddle

I’m sure I won’t be able to resist topping it off with some sheer wired ribbon.

From Etsy seller TodoPapel

… OK, so maybe I’m not great at keeping things simple. But I assure you, when that night-before-Christmas terror strikes, I’ll have no trouble cutting out the unnecessary adornments. Have I mentioned that I tend to procrastinate?

Have you started preparing for the holidays?

     

Less Money, Mo’ Glitter

Last year, around Thanksgiving, my friend Mary Alice sent me a link to her friend Liz’s blog, where Liz had posted an amazing pair of glitter ankle boots. I clicked over to Solestruck and ordered myself a silver pair immediately.

Senso Wilma in “Silver Glitter”

When they arrived, they were amazing, of course, but weren’t very comfortable. They were super stiff and very high. And plus, what I had pictured as an edgy pewter shade was actually disco ball silver. But man, were they sparkly. I planned my New Year’s Eve outfit around them and waited patiently for December 31st.

(Crappy phone pic I found from Dec. 13, 2010)

Sadly, when the day arrived, I was sick as a dog. I tried so hard to rally. I even got dressed and slipped on my silver shoes. But I just couldn’t bring myself to leave the house. Depressed, I decided to return my nearly-$200 glitter boots. They just weren’t meant to be.

Fast-forward to this year. It’s the week before Thanksgiving, and an Urban Outfitters catalog arrives. I flip through it just for kicks, even though I’m starting to feel like I’m really outgrowing dear old Urban. And that’s when I spot these:

Deena & Ozzy Glitter Wedge in “Gold”

Only $69. Slightly sturdier-looking. GOLD. Done.

I put the catalog down and said to Brad, “I’m gonna go order these.” I wasn’t kidding. New Year’s Eve outfit, here I come!

(I know – these would probably be easy to DIY. But for only $69 – $62 after my promo code? D-I-Y, Shmee-I-Y.)

Have you started planning your New Year’s Eve outfit yet?