Cambridge Satchel

Latest obsession: the Cambridge Satchel Company. Based in the UK, they make awesome leather bags that British kids apparently use for school. They come in a huge range of colors, from classic brown and metallic silver to fluorescent pink and bright white.

These are from the Fluro line. (fluro= fluorescent. Nifty, eh?). When I went to buy mine, I wanted one of these. But let me tell you, it is NOT easy to find these babies in New York, and ordering one online would mean massive shipping costs. Maybe. (I don't really know, I didn't look too much into ordering online, I'm more of an instant-gratification type of person.)

When I went to one of the only stores in Manhattan that carries Cambridge Satchels, I saw this one:

And now I own it. MUAHAHA. 

Here are some more of their color options, because they're pretty and you should like them.

You can monogram your bag, which is pretty awesome:

Ok bye.

Favorites

Clutch with Jewelry

White Room with Accents

Blue/Green crystals

Color Bursts

Zara Horse Shirt

Lately, I've been absolutely devoid of energy and on the brink of overwhelming exhaustion, so instead of writing a full post, I've decided to share with you some of my most recent favorite things.

Starbuck's spells my name wrong

For your amusement.

3 different occasions, 3 different locations. Things that make you go HMM...

D&D

The Decoration and Design Building, across the street from Bloomingdales in New York City, is the mecca of design showrooms. The building is 18 stories high, and houses some of the most important companies' showrooms.

I've always known about the D&D building, but had never been inside. Until today. The elevator banks are unique on each floor, which was a fun surprise.
This was one of my favorites:

The walls are entirely paneled in wood, like a lodge. The only thing missing was a deer head adorning the wall. 

I think I liked it so much because of how unexpected it was.

Most of the upholstery showrooms had student samples (A.K.A. discontinued fabrics that they no longer needed) in big plastic containers. Myself and two friends from school must have gone through at least a dozen of these containers. We started on the 18th floor and worked our way down, so we could explore every floor (none of us had been here prior) and get as many samples as possible. It was a great way to spend the morning, and I think it energized all of us about our impending project.

Another perk of going to the D&D building:

My new pencil collection.

WHAT?! THEY WERE FREE OK!

Flower Power

Two words: Floral Denim.

Completely on trend for spring, completely attainable on a budget, and, surprisingly, NOT completely stupid looking!

Because flowers are a bold pattern with multiple colors, I'd say the safest bet would be to pair them with neutrals, the way these three pairs are shown.

I've been seeing pairs that cost upwards of $150, which is absurd.

 Let's be real...these jeans will never have a second life. You'll wear them this spring and summer, and maybe a handful of times next spring.  For most of us, these will never become a wardrobe staple, and 5 years from now we'll wonder what the hell we were thinking wearing them at all.

If you want to spend a boatload of cash on a pair, more power to you. I'm sure they will fit like a dream and not fade or fray regardless of how many washes they endure.

But I just bought a pair for $30 that look shockingly similar to a Current/Elliot pair that cost $198. (In fact, I think I like mine BETTER!)

Obviously you can tell by the pictures which pair are mine, but if both pairs were laid out next to each other...would you still be able to tell? Nope. Sure, the fit may be a little less tailored feeling than, say,    J Brand's (whose jeans I adore), but they satisfy my momentary fashion obsession. And really, what more could I ask for?

New Bedding

What's a girl to do after a mild emotional-breakdown due to over-exhaustion from working and going to school and working and doing homework and working?

Buy new bedding, obviously.

These are my new Kate Spade sheets that I splurged on.

I loved the grey, white, and pink geometric pattern the moment I saw it.

The grey polka-dot pillow cases are Royal Velvet.
I couldn't find any coordinating Kate Spade pillow cases, so I searched the store and came up with the dots. Not too shabby, eh?

The duvet cover is one I've had for quite some time. I knew that this sheet set would work well with it, which was one of the driving factors in me purchasing these babies. (Ok fine that's a blatant lie. I would have bought them anyway.)

So a bummy day turned out to be not so bad.

Shopping makes things better. Always. That is a rule of life. You should probably start practicing it...

Bookshelf reorganization

As my room is slowly coming to a finish, I think it's time I start posting some of my before and after pictures.

This is what my bookcase looked like before:

Disaster doesn't even begin to do it justice. Do I even need to say anything more about it?

Here's the after:

This is a list of things that are different:

1. Approximately 65% of the books, papers, and junk were either donated or trashed.

2. The items I couldn't part with but were an eyesore are conveniently stored in pretty baskets dispersed throughout the selves.

3. The books are organized by color.

4. Some of my favorite pictures and trinkets are now showcased to add some visual intrigue.

5. There is unused space on the shelves to prevent them from looking cluttered.

      I could continue the list, but I think the pictures speak for themselves.

One of my favorite things here is something from my childhood. 

I've had a button collection ever since I was a kid, but it's always been stored in a shoe box (a children's Stride-Rite box, if you must know) which meant they were kept in a closet. But...why take up extra closet space storing things that are so pretty? AH-HA!

I put my buttons in a mason jar and now they are proudly displayed on my bookshelf. The child in me is extremely pleased with this.

Each shelf has it's own points of interest, with the middle most shelves holding most of my favorite colors and items. Those are the eye-level shelves, so I may as well put things I love on them, right?

The before-and-after difference is like night and day. In fact, the entire room looks astonishingly different, even though the furniture itself (for the most part) hasn't been changed.

Check back soon for more room-updates!