Thursday 3

{true!}

{amazing butler's pantry}

{pretty!...wish I knew where this is from}

Luxe for Less: Bamboo Bangle

I came across a gold bamboo bangle on Pinterest and loved it immediately so tried to find where it was from.  Turns out it was Gucci and costs a whopping $4,359 at Saks.  Ummm kind of out of my bangle budget to say the least.  I knew I had to be able to find something with a similar look and feel for less so I started to hunt around. I found it at C.Wonder for $28!  I'd say that's a pretty big difference.  Granted, it's not Gucci, but I'll take it anyways!  And the C.Wonder bangle comes in lots of fun colors making it perfect for stacking.

Gucci bangle                                   C.Wonder bangle 

Thursday 3

I've seen some other bloggers do a "Friday Favorites" post series so I thought I'd start a series like that of my own! Here is my first installment of Thursday 3, showing 3 images that have caught my fancy:

Can you tell I've got elephants on my mind?

{Painting by Caitlin McGauley}

{Plate from c wonder}

{Garden stool from one king's lane}

Keep home close to you no matter where you go

Here's a great gift idea for someone who is about to move far from home...or for anyone who takes great pride in where they live, where they have lived, or where they're from.  Such a fun way to keep your roots close to your heart, no matter where you may travel.  

Maya Brenner's state necklaces:

{had to represent with my home state of CT!}

{for those who want to add a little bling}

{for those who prefer silver}

The perfect laptop bag for traveling!

I do a lot of traveling for my job, and one fun item on my 'to do list' has been to find the perfect laptop bag for traveling.

I had some very specific criteria this bag had to fit:

• had to be lightweight
• had to have a shoulder strap
• had to be durable and not stain easily
• had to have a top zipper
• had to fit nicely beneath an airplane seat without having to be put it on its side
• had to have multiple compartments to keep my belongings organized
• had to easily fit my laptop, tablet, wallet, etc without looking too bulky
• had to look professional so I can bring it into client meetings

I'm happy to report that, after going into countless stores and spending lots of time browsing online, I finally found it!!  I present to you, the perfect laptop bag for traveling, MZ Wallace's Bedford Nylon Bag in black:

{side 1}

{side 2}

{love it!}

This bag has:

• 4 outside zip pouches of all different sizes
• durable shoulder straps plus a detachable cross-body strap
• 10 interior pockets to fit everything from your cell phone to your business cards to your iPad
• a detachable mini purse
• 2 side pouches to hold your drink or an umbrella
• gold hardware and a red interior to make it stylish
• and the list goes on....

And, to top it all off, it's made from a durable nylon that is both water and stain resistant!  You could use this as a baby bag, a gym bag, a laptop bag, or just as an every day purse.  It doesn't get better in my book and I couldn't be happier with my purchase!