Contagion

Hello everyone,

Last night my partner and I rented Contagion from RedBox.  AMAZING!  I can't get over how great it was- yes it's loaded with big name stars which I usually hate, but they did such a great job becoming their characters; and you really forgot who you were watching.  Basically this movie chronicles the spread of a deadly virus and all the mistakes people made for it to spread.  It really gets you thinking.  Needless to say, I was creeped out when I went to the library today.  I used the hand sanitizer stations several times as I walked around picking up CD's and books.

Speaking of books, now that the semester is over, I can start reading for fun again.

Today I pick up:
I am not myself these days -  by Josh Kilmer-Purcell (he's amazing!)

The Velvet Rage - Alan Downs (I guess you could call this one a "self help" book- gee thanks mom and dad)

-and lastly-

The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Cookbook by Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell  (I want to try some nice country summer recipes)

I'm quite excited to start reading these books, and as I finish I will review each!  I'll be Oprah, you will listen to what I tell you to read.  How does that sound?

Until next time-

The Sweetest Surprise

Hello everyone,

It has been nuts around here, but now that finals week is over, I can get back to blogging.  I've been doing a lot of shopping, so I will try and catch up with all of the reveals.  Today I have a special one to share.

Back in 2008, my partner and I went shopping at the Coach outlet, and he purchased my first Coach bag for me.  It was an unexpected gift, and I was so excited!  Sadly, when our apartment burned down later that year, it was lost along with all the rest of our stuff.  Coach has long discontinued this bag, and whenever I looked for this bag on ebay the sellers had it Buy It Now, and marked up nearly double the price it cost when new!  Fast forward to last month- I finally found one that had bidding on it, and it was at a great price.  I told my partner that I absolutely had to have the bag, and I would bid whatever I needed to in order to win it ($167 was my max).  Well the final three minutes of bidding came up and I put in my max bid.  Much to my horror I watched as the bidding jumped up, and up, and up.  Soon the price was well over my max bid, and I had lost.  I was really bummed when he called me.  We talked for a few minutes, and I told him that I was bummed because I lost.  His response:  "I know you lost, I'm the one that outbid you."   He won the bag for me!!!  It's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me; one month later, and I'm still excited!

Without further ado- my Coach Transatlantic Carryall.

(please excuse the empty Ralph Lauren photo frames- I just bought them last month and haven't figured out what to put in them yet)

It's in amazing shape for being 4 years old

The vachetta details

Check out that bottom! lol

Needless to say, I'm a very happy guy lately.  :)  Be sure to check back for more reveals, book reviews, and other fun summer stuff!

Until next time-

Quick Note

Hello everyone, I know that I haven't been around in a while, but it's been a busy few weeks. I have made a few exciting purchases recently, and I will reveal them all tomorrow. I just wanted to drop a quick note and let you all know that I am still around. Until next time-

Michael Kors Knox Flight Bag

Hello everyone,

Some exciting things have been going on around here which I'll talk about later- but I decided to celebrate and buy myself a new bag for all of my hard work!

The Michael Kors Knox Flight Bag in Luggage.  Best part- it was on sale!  This bag is the perfect cross body for summer- I'm super excited.

Now I just need to buy the matching wallet- ha!

Until next time-

Spring Break!

Hello everyone,

Yes- I know that I'm slacking.  But I must admit, I have been lacking in motivation as far as blogging goes, but I will try and get back into the swing of things.

This week is Spring Break (thank God) and what better way to kick it off than a small reveal?  My partner and I had some free time this afternoon, so we went to the mall to do a little shopping.  We haven't been to the mall in months, so there was so much new stuff!  I've had a Land's End return credit swimming around in my bag for nearly a year now since I returned a pair of brick red trousers last fall- so I felt it was time to use it (plus I was dying to buy something new).   The credit was only $9.00 or so, so I had to keep it "cheap".  I bought a new summer belt!  It's a surcingle style- with a band of red boat wheels against a navy blue background- and my favorite part- the gold buckle!  This will be a perfect casual summer belt- and the best part- it was only $7 or $8.

Not the best photo- but you get the idea.  What better way to kick off the break than a small reveal?  Later this week we plan on doing some major shopping, so stay tuned for the reveal!

Until next time-

Hello everyone,

I can't get over the nice weather we are having today- while I was running my errands I actually got "Sunroof Hair"!  It's been months since I was able to drive around with all the windows down and I loved it.  Right now I have the balcony door open, and the breeze coming in is amazing. 

I was up late last night working on a project and a couple quizzes for school- yuck.  I'm so ready for Spring Break.  Oh.... speaking of Spring Break, I picked up something new to wear.  My Coach flip flops finally came  in, so I picked them up from FedEx today.  Now all I need is a Ped Egg and I'm ready for the beach.  HA! 

They didn't look black in the photo- but I'm not complaining

 Check out the details- they have the Coach creed in the heels

Signature tread

Well I guess I should take advantage of a free afternoon and clean up the apartment.  Just one more day and I'm free of school for a week- I will love having some free time to do whatever for an entire week.  :)

Until next time-

Weighed Down

Hello everyone,

I have a little bit of down time while I'm working on homework, so I thought- Why not write a blog?!

I can't believe it's been ten days since my last post- and for each of those ten days I've been carrying my Keepall 45.  However, it's getting so freakin' heavy, I've decided to switch into a lighter bag.  I had originally planned on my Marc by Marc Jacobs Trash Bag, but I wanted to dress up today and wear my Sebago suede wingtips, so it looks like a job for the Monogram Speedy 40.

I'm selling more things- my Saumur 35, Zippy Coin Purse and Versace sunglasses.  I don't think I'm a shoulder bag kinda guy- I prefer handheld.  So I think I want to buy either a Rivoli or a Sac Plat- maybe (if I get enough money) a brand new Gucci- but again, I'm more of an LV guy, so right now it's all up in the air.

I ordered more Coach stuff from the online sales- this time just a pair of flip flops- I'll post those later this week when I pick them up.

Spring Break is next week- YAY!  We are planning on going up to Michigan City one day for the outlets (and I'm in the mood to gamble)  But we'll have to see how this next paycheck plays out.

Here is all the crap inside my Keepall 45 this week.  And keep in mind that this bag is heavy empty- let alone with all this stuff inside.  (sorry for the horrible photos!)

Well, I need to get some laundry going and this homework done before class starts- so I'll blog later this week.

Until next time-

Toledo Blue

Hello everyone,

Like many other people this week, I've been watching Whitney Houston music videos- I just love her energy in the earlier songs.  However, I had quite a surprise when I watched Heartbreak Hotel- turns out she was an Epi lover like I am!

Classy shot

Just look at that beautiful Toledo Blue Speedy!  And if you look closely you can see a matching Riviera in the back of the Rolls Royce a few seconds later in the video.  I just thought that was the coolest thing- so I've decided to carry my Toledo Blue Keepall 45 this week.  The moment a Toledo Blue Speedy 40 shows up on eBay in good condition, I'm buying it- I don't care about the price!!

My Keepall

This bag is huge, but it fits everything I need, and I always get lots of compliments on it.  This was my "first" Louis Vuitton bag in my collection ( I say "first" because there were actually three others, but they are all long gone).  

Well that's all I have time for today, I just wanted to share my exciting discovery with all of you.  Join in on the fun tomorrow when I review my Sac Plat-  I don't think I've shown that bag on here yet.  

Until next time-

Short Blog

Hello everyone,

Our friend didn't come afterall- she came down with a cold, so I hope she gets feeling better!  Today I have the day off, so I'm just relaxing until I have to go to class tonight, which is much appreciated!  I plan to order an agenda refill today so I can start using my new agenda this week, and with all of the projects/tests/social engagements I have planned for the next couple of weeks I am going to need it.  I just don't know how I'm going to stuff yet another item into my bags!  They're getting pretty full these days.  This weekend I need to select some fabric, I'm sewing some curtains.  I'm very excited to do this, the apartment is looking better and better each day!

Well I have to run some errands this morning- sorry for the short blog. 

Until next time-

Just Another Week

Hello everyone,

It's just another week around here full of school and work- a friend is coming into town and will spend the night with us mid week, so I'm looking forward to having a fun time.  With that comes all the chores we've been putting off, like cleaning the other half of the apartment, and finishing decorating the bathroom.  Getting a new home ready is a lot of work.

We've been eyeing a set of Ralph Lauren crystal at Macy's- it's made in Germany and it's absolutely beautiful- well we bought it.  Not for the full price at Macy's, we found the same set at Marshall's.  Regularly the set of 4 Double Old Fashions is $60 and the set of 4 Highballs is also $60.  We got all 8 for only $67.50, now all that's left is the decanter- which I'll probably just buy full price.  As an added bonus, we got two prints for the bathroom for $16 a piece.  So it was a successful trip.  For more information on the Ralph Lauren Glen Plaid set of crystal, please click here. 

That's all I have time for- I have an apartment to get in shape.

Until next time-

Whitney Houston - Where Do Broken Hearts Go

A New Life

Hello everyone,

Back in 2008 my partner and I were visiting one of the local Farmer's Markets downtown one Friday.  This market is pretty cool- there are craft and antique booths, fresh vegetables, and Joseph Decuis brings in a booth and sells hamburgers and other fine foods.  This place smells amazing!  Anyhow, on one of our trips to this place we encountered a booth this lady had set up selling old dining chairs that she had painted black and placed trendy fabric on, the chair was only about $80.  The only reason I bought the chair was because I liked the lines and the details.  However, I quickly grew tired of it, and needless to say it had to be changed!

 Here it is in our old apartment- that place was so UGLY!

 Outside before stripping the paint

 Satan's fabric

 Here was the surprise underneath the ugly fabric- MORE ugly fabric.  And it stank like old cat piss.

 Gross

 The supports underneath had rotted out- no wonder we couldn't sit in it.

Ready to be stripped

After I had removed the fabric, I used paint stripper to get the layers of bad black paint off.  This stuff was nasty- it burnt through my rubber gloves, burnt my arms, and got in my eyes.  Never again!  Then I sanded the wood for what seemed like years.  Originally I had planned to paint this cream- but once I sanded down, the wood looked nice and weathered- like a chair from Restoration Hardware.  I like that store, so this was a bonus of the project!  I selected velvet for the chair fabric, I knew that in a high traffic seat the velvet would be distressed enough to match the wood- and it looks great!  Overall I'm very happy with how my project turned out, and I look forward to doing it again with another chair- I know my bedroom could use a seat.

 Final Product

 The worn velvet gives it vintage appeal

 Medallion

 The black paint got stuck in some of the carving, and it really helps to accentuate the details

Leg Details

I hope that you enjoyed todays blog- it's a bit off character considering my blog is mostly about shopping/style/my boring life etc.  lol

Until next time-

Humpty Dumpty- Coach Haul Part Three

Hello everyone,

Well, I took a spill last night- upon arrival to our residence, I climbed out of the car and made my way around, I had my laptop, charger, and mouse in my left hand, and my mail and package in the right hand.  No one warned me that the driveway would be coated in ice.  So I slipped and fell flat on my elbows- my glasses and laptop went flying and the wind was knocked right out of me!  Much to our surprise, my laptop, glasses, package, and Burberry shirt were all fine.  It hurt so bad, but we got a good laugh out of the situation, which is always good when you make a fool of yourself like that.  My partner tells me I fell gracefully which I'm happy I at least looked good while falling on my face. Ha Ha!  Needless to say my elbows and shoulders hurt today- but I'm unbruised from the situation.

Well aside from that it's been a fairly good week so far, I have a couple projects that I need to finish for tomorrow, otherwise I'm enjoying my day off!  And this is really embarrassing- we've eaten at Chipotle SIX times this week- it's addicting.

Coach Reveal:

Here is my newest piece- and all vachetta card/coin holder.  It's in stunning condition for it's age.  A perfect addition to my collection.

 Chillin' with the Epi Speedy and Vachetta Agenda

 Came with original booklet

 Minor wear on the interior

Near mint!

Sadly I promised my partner that this would be the last piece until I get my credit cards under control- so I'm probably done buying for the year.  Oh well, my closet is full anyhow.

Until next time-

Beautiful Day- Coach Haul Part Deux

This entry was originally written on 02.02.12  and posted on 02.07.12, however, the actual date that it took place was 01.31.12.  Please enjoy.

Hello everyone,

The  weather today was beautiful- I got to wear shorts!  Shorts in January is nuts, but I knew it might be the last time for several months, so I had to take advantage of the weather and exploit some of my Spring wardrobe.  Today I also carried my monogram Speedy 40- again, with Indiana weather, you never know if it will rain or snow at any given time- so when the precipitation is at 0% for the day, you have to take advantage of it!

Let's see- after class my partner and I went to the better side of town to do some shopping.  We went to Target (I LOVE Target!)  and bought some coffee, gum and creamer.  Afterwards we went across the street to Von Maur and did some browsing- I almost bought a pair of Puma's, but they were a little ugly (only $29 though).  I finally got the battery in my watch changed!  I can wear it again after many months of it sitting in the safe.  Then it happened- I ate at Chipotle for the first time!!!  It was AMAZING!  They are a really great company too, very earth conscious. Click here to learn more about Chipotle- we need more restaurants like this to choose from! 

Overall it was just a beautiful day, and we had a lot of fun spending time together!

-------------------------------------------------------

Now- I know that all of you are excited to see what I got in the Coach Factory Online Sale-  well here is the reveal:

Here is my $29 cosmetic case- I'm a boy, so I obviously don't wear makeup (unless it's Halloween and I'm dressed as Cher--loooong story lol)  So I will use this for my triangles and drafting supplies.

 Zipper detail

 The goods inside

 Features 3 pockets!  It's great!

Clearly it doesn't fit an architectural scale, or circle templates, but it does the job.  My boyfriend bought the same one in black.

Now onto the BIG reveal, my Neal loafers, only $79!  They look tacky in photos- but in real life they are beautiful shoes.  I was joking with my partner that I should wear them with my Mono Speedy, a Burberry polo, and Versace sunglasses so I looked like a Label Whore!  HA! 

Okay gang, sorry for the long post today!  I hope you all enjoyed my new goods, and be looking for the final Coach reveal!

Until next time-

Dooney and Bourke Alto Lock Folio

Hello everyone,

Just a quick note- I'm selling a piece from my personal collection.  Snag it while you still can!  Less than half the price of brand new!

 Dooney and Bourke Alto Lock Folio

I know I will regret selling this piece- but live and learn.

Until next time-

It's here!

Hello everyone,

Once again, I am sorry for the delay between postings.  It's been a busy week with work and school and such (it's always the same excuse lol)

Anyway- on to the goods, a couple weeks ago I bought an agenda on eBay.  After having sold my Louis Vuitton Groom agenda last summer I rediscovered my need for an agenda and had to buy another one.  I decided to buy something a little more affordable than an LV agenda- I opted for Coach.  I'm so mad at myself at this point, because I had this same agenda (but in purple) and I never should have sold it.  Oh well, I love my new one- it's all vachetta leather, and aside from a few pen marks on the back (why can't people control their pens?)  it has a nice patina.  It looks well traveled.  Now all that's left is a new 6x8 agenda insert and a pen!

Introducing the Coach 6x8 Agenda (is this from the Legacy line?)

 

Classic Coach agenda

 

Close-up of the turnlock

 The lining is Tattersall

But the fun of buying things I can't afford didn't stop there!  Coach Factory Online had their Valentine's sale- I bought a pair of Driving Mocs and a case for my triangles, pencils, and compass for school- now I can tote my supplies in style!

And for those of you who would like to laugh at my stupidity for having sold the purple agenda in the first place- here is a photo:

Alright- well that's all I have for today.  I hope all of you are enjoying the unseasonably warm weather we are having in the Midwest today!

Until next time-