in search of a good leather bag

leather by chickenb00 featuring a frye satchel

I'm in need of a good leather bag.

I don't really carry a bag except for when I'm toting around yarn/books/clothes to and from work or my gym stuff to the gym. Otherwise I keep a small wallet in my pocket with my phone and keys. Yeah. I'm one of those people that doesn't really like to carry extra stuff. I don't understand why women carry around big bags of stuff, seems heavy and like extra work. More stuff to accidentally leave somewhere.

About a year and a half ago I gave up my $5 Spiderman messenger bag for the more adult bag below. I traded for it on Little Black Bag (use my link to get 25% off your first order). It's been a great bag, but I don't think it was meant for everyday use. Because it is faux leather it's peeling and doesn't look very pretty anymore. And because of that I'm now using a Hello Kitty back pack I snagged for $5 (after I'm reimbursed for the mystery shop). So much for trying to be more adult.

I'm on the hunt for a good leather bag. Unfortunately those aren't cheap, a couple hundred dollars for a good bag. The nice thing about real leather is that it doesn't peel and as it ages it gains more character. Real leather also lasts a long time, so it's usually worth the price you pay. The thing is...I don't really care about name brands. Coach, Dooney & Burke, Prada, etc. I don't care. The name just adds to the price. But of course the name brand items are usually the nicer looking and easier to find items.

Right now I have my eye on the center bag in the top image (it's also on my birthday wish list). It's the Cameron Satchel from Frye, but at $500 it's not in my budget. For now I'll continue to use my HK back pack and the bag above until I can find a good leather bag.

reading - Electrified Sheep by Alex Boese This post brought to you in part by:

nom, nom, nom...let's eat - drink edition

I like tea...actually, no...I LOVE tea. I drink it almost every day. I would drink it all day, every day, but I'm not sure that would be good to do. I try to drink plenty of water as well. I like my tea hot, but mostly cold and lightly sweetened. I like it without any sweetener too. When I got back from Cali in April I was obsessed with boba tea and had a glass just about every day for two weeks. Now I'm obsessed with hibiscus tea, which I discovered a couple of years ago when I met Babe for the first time in person. I can't get enough of the stuff and it's such a pretty color.

Anywho, I've been perusing the interwebs for loose tea that I'd like to get my hands on so I can make tall pitchers of ice cold tea for the summer. Here are a few:



organic buttered rum via David's Tea coconut and vanilla, this is probably better hot, but I think it'd make a great boba tea    
Three Wishes Tea via David's Tea
jasmine and rose petals, makes me think of something exotic or summer nights under the sky  

Dragon Pearls via David's Tea green tea, scented with jasmine. I love to watch these pearl teas bloom. it's like magic

Kokomo Green via David's Tea mango, pineapple and papaya - all tropical flavors. I love mango in tea, nice and sweet no sugar needed
 
Carolina Honey via argo tea a simple lemon and honey tea, good for whatever ails you     
Chamomile Blossoms via argo tea this is what I call sleepy time teat, a nice hot cup at the end of the night will help you relax and put you to sleep  
Sevenberry Sangria by Teavana
raspberries, blueberries, grapes, strawberries and more. one of my favorites from Teavana. I hope they never stop selling it.

Cha Yen Thai Black Tea by Teavana current favorite to make with boba, thanks to a suggestion from a Teavana employee   

I could keep going with the tea. There are so many other flavors and combinations that I'd like to try. I could have a whole cabinet dedicated to tea. My belly feels full just thinking about it.

 

Do you like to drink tea? What's your favorite?

reading - Bali Raw by Malcom Scott This post brought to you in part by:

outfitted ver. 3.13

ready for spring by chickenb00 featuring a turquoise nail polish

Sunday it was 60+ degrees and today...today my phone says it's gonna snow. I'm super ready for spring, but in the mean time, here's a comfy in between outfit. I nice cozy sweater with some jeans and Converse. I love a good v-neck shirt, they make my boobs look smaller or so I'm led to believe.


chiffon ruffle top to by Penny Rae Vintage on etsy

I love Maylee's sweater and button up combo. It makes me want to buy more button ups. And her mint shoes are awesome too.

So simple is Miriam's outfit. Solid black over a polka dot top. Another sweater over a shirt combo. I always feel like she's just come from a photo shoot when I read her blog posts. She's always well put together. Clean and crisp.

I'm not super girly, but I love this ruffly skirt and how it's paired with a simple denim shirt. Just my style.   And if you haven't check out my shop yet, go ahead and get to it. I'm trying to clear it out before spring so I can start with a clean slate. It's a great time to pick up cuddly cowls and fun animal hats AND at 50% off with the code SPRING50.   reading - Heads in Beds: A Reckless Memoir of Hotels, Hustles and So-Called Hospitality by Jacob Tomsky This post brought to you in part by:

pretty cool shit ver. 13.1

OMG!!! Hello Kitty Skateboard decks!!! I must have one at least.

When lightening strikes the sand. Pretty Awesome via The Daily What


Judith Ann Braun - finger drawings these are beautiful.

Baby Dreams - oh my uterus, so cute.

shopkick - I love this app. I've earned several Target gift cards just for walking into stores. It helps that I work at the mall. Ha!

local artist who is currently not so local
Also, is anyone having trouble seeing GFC on the side bar? I've noticed I can't see mine on my blog and I can't see it on several other blogs as well. I just get an error message. Is there a fix for that?

reading - Bonk by Mary Roach This post brought to you in part by:

nom, nom, nom...let's eat - february edition

Don't forget, Friday begins a new month, which means it's time for a recap on February goals and some new goals for March. Get your goals together and come link up with us!
I can't believe I haven't done a noms themed things I like post since November. How'd that happen?!? Well a few more days and I can eat meat again. So...yup, a meat themed post. Ha! The thing I want most is fried chicken or chicken fingers, other than that though I haven't really craved meat.


Parmesan Chicken Fingers from Pinch of Yum - of course since I've been wanting chicken fingers I had to start with chicken fingers. I think I will attempt to make these this weekend.


Ham and Chive Fritters from Spoon Fork Bacon - I don't eat ham. The only pork I eat is bacon and pepperoni on pizzas, but I'd sure have a bit of ham with these beauties.


Unami Burger photo via Cook & Be Merry - Her review isn't positive, but that photo...mmmmm.  I still want to check this place out. I've heard good reviews too.


Beer Battered Buttermilk Fried Chicken via Food and Wine - That's a mouth full to say. I love fried chicken, but I don't like making it because I dislike frying things. I wonder who I can convince to fry this for me if I do all the prep.


Chocolate Banana Macarons from design.bake.run - Okay, I couldn't do a full meat post. I had to add a sweet treat. I need someone to give these a go and send them to me *coughcoughRIMAcoughcough* I think they'd go great with the Banana Nutella smoothies I make every morning.

reading - Attachments by Rainbow Rowell
This post brought to you in part by:

boom bap...muzak! v. 01.13

Another things I like (Tuesday) feature. Some of the music that I enjoy. The first two songs I tend to play on repeat on my iPod. Other than that I have nothing significant to say about this handful of songs. Enjoy!



Your Summer Song - Exile ft. J. Mitchell



Soul Kiss - Lee Wilson ft. Mos Def



Feelings - Whitney Coleman ft. Alpha.Live (a local artist, the dude is a close friend of mine, pain in my ass too)



Jesus Saves, I Spend - St. Vincent



You Are Not My Friend - Norah Jones

What do you like to listen to?

reading - Try the Morgue by Eva Maria Staal This post brought to you in part by:

home sweet home - december edition

Last time I wrote this post I said I was going to focus on one type of room. Lies. But you don't care do you. You just want to see all the pretty rooms I picked out right?


In a small space this would be a beautiful set up. Storage under the bed, a good use of space.
The only setback is you can't hide stuff under the bed. Ha!


Though this was meant to be a kids desk, I think that if you change the height this would be a great office/studio desk. I like that you can change the height of the shelves. This would be an easy DIY.


A reading nook. Or maybe a place to cuddle on a sunny day...maybe even in the nude. Ha!


Bunking with friends at the ski lodge when the sunny weather of Cali is a bit too much and I just need to see some winter snow.


I'm not really big on floral, but I'm drawn to the color combination here.

Lastly and totally unrelated. This song is by a friend of mine, Blake Allee. It is off his album called My Best Friends are Machines. It's one of my favorite songs of his. Enjoy!



reading - A Feast of Crows by George R.R. Martin This post brought to you in part by:

nom, nom, nom...let's eat - november edition

Thanksgiving is next week and my plan wasn't for this to be turkey day themed, but it kinda is. It bees like that sometimes. All that matters as that all the goods look good enough to eat. Now where are my stretchy pants?

I'd never had green bean casserole until I moved back to the US for college from Germany. And I thought it looked kind of gross. But I love green beans and gave it a try and now make it...occasionally. You thought I was gonna say all the time didn't you. Ha!   I made pumpkin cheesecake a couple of years ago, but it didn't look as good as this pumpkin cheesecake with salted caramel sauce. I might have to try this recipe this go around. Or maybe I'll go in a completely different direction. After all, it's just going to be me.
Vegan stuffing. This looks super good. I've made kale chips. I think that's the only vegan thing I've ever made. Well I mean, fruit salad, but I don't think of that as vegan.
This wild rice stuffing looks delicious as well. And I love rice. Wild or otherwise.
You'd think I'd include a yummy delicious looking turkey somewhere in the post, but no...but there is this post of an after turkey day sandwich WITH a moist maker. Anyone know what show that's from?   As for that cranberry stuff...I really really enjoy the stuff out of a can that is still shaped like a can. Yeah. I'm one of those. I love that stuff. Go ahead and judge me. I don't care. I like it. I don't do any special rolls or anything either. Maybe some King's Hawaiian rolls or crescent rolls. I might have to do something different this year.
reading - A Feast of Crows by George R.R. Martin This post brought to you in part by: