My new dressing room!

One of the perks of moving to our new house was the agreement that because my husband got his mondo sized garage, I could use a bedroom in the house for my "lady's nice things" room! I was very excited how this worked out, because having a room like this was something that I had only dreamt about in the past.

After we moved into the house in late October, it was a whirlwind of activity with the holidays and projects around the house. I didn't feel like I could truly focus on the purse room/dressing room until I had things take care of for the holidays. During December, I did get a good amount of momentum done on the room and I'm happy to finally be able to share the beginnings of my purse room!

Check out my video reveal on YouTube here:

I ordered a display cabinet from Home Decorators, the Essex Glass Door book case - and I'm using this to display a number of my handbags. Not all of them fit in the cabinet unfortunately - so I am looking for a secondary, likely smaller, cabinet to house extra purses and books…. However I love the styling of the Essex cabinet and the aesthetic it brings to the room.

The chair was a particular sticking point for the room. (And being able to finally share the room!) I wanted a chair that would pull out into a twin sleeping space, so that the room could function as additional guest sleeping space when we were hosting a number of people at our home. I originally was looking at a twin sleeper chair from Ballard Designs, the Tate Twin Sleeper Chair, and had settled on a fabric and design.

However at the last minute, I came across a chair at JCPenny, called the Twin Sleeper Chair, that was on *mega* sale - and it was a deal too good to pass up!! (Practically half of the price the Tate Chair was going to be.) In my hast in ordering from the few day sale going on, I missed that the fabric on the gray (my color of choice) chair was a microfiber… which because of fingerprint imprints would not be my first choice - overall I'm excited about the value and I think it will work great.

On the walls, I added a few prints by Lauren Maurer (check out her Etsy store!) - her gorgeous dress form watercolors have been some of my favorites to pin on Pinterest.

I also included a "charms wall" where I can add various wall pieces of interest as I find ones that speak to me.

All in all, I'm excited about the room and where it seems its headed. I think there is still a lot of work to be done, items to be ordered, and some more moving of things around… but I'm quite enjoying having my own space in our new home for my own passions and pursuits.

I'm looking forward to adding some finishing touches - changing out things like the chair at my vanity, adding a script print ottoman, and possibly a full size dress forum mannequin. It has been a lot of fun to be a bit "girlie" with a room in the house!

Do you have your own "lady's nice things" room? How have you chosen the decor for that room?

LUSH Giveaway!

I'm hosting a holiday giveaway series on my YouTube Channel, Bags4Bubbles - check out the giveaway that is going on now... for three great holiday products from LUSH Handmade Cosmetics!

There will be a series of holiday giveaways on my channel as a thank you for a great first year making videos on YouTube! Be sure to check them out! I am not affiliated with LUSH Handmade Cosmetics in any way, all products shown were purchased with my own money.

Playing a bit of catch up!

Well, things have been busy, busy, busy!! We've been swapping out cars, going to lessons, and getting things done around the house... all this has not left a lot of time for blogging unfortunately! I have continued to do videos for Stay at Home Mom September on my You Tube channel, beingmommywithstyle. I've also posted a few fun videos on Bags4Bubbles as well.

As a part of SAHM September, I have added additional videos on Finding Mommy Time & a Gymboree Clothing Haul!

On Bags4Bubbles, I've shared my new favorite item to collect... and a favorite makeup look.

I'm hoping things will get a bit more back to "normal" soon, as it seems like we've been so busy lately - I've hardly had time to even assess what we've been up to! I have been enjoying my additional Zumba classes at the gym and addtional activities for the girls.

In bag related news, I haven't had a wishlist for the longest time... and I think I finally have one forming! So as I think on it a bit more, I'll have to do an updated post, with what I *think* my wishlist for the future is going to be!

Giveaway Earrings from The Fashion Minx!!

Last week was a fabulous week, not only was I awarded custom thumbnails on my Bags4Bubbles You Tube Channel (and have now also received them on beingmommywithstyle!) - but I won a blog giveaway on The Fashion Minx!!

Julie, aka The Fashion Minx, is a native New Yorker that has a passion for fashion and shares it with her readers on The Fashion Minx. She shops in a variety of places to show that fashion doesn't have to mean pricey. By mixing high end and low end items, she has a unique fashion sense that is fun to follow on The Fashion Minx!

In August, The Fashion Minx hosted a blog giveaway of an adorable pair of rose gold colored earrings from the Bauble Bar - which I was fortunate enough to have won!!

They are super cute and I love how dainty and girly they are:

I've also found this adorable rose gold tone bracelet on The Bauble Bar that I believe I will need to add to my jewelry collection in the near future to go with my adorable new earrings...

Rose Glam Bead Bracelet, baublebar.com, $32

Thanks so much to The Fashion Minx for this awesome giveaway! Learn more about The Fashion Minx HERE and be sure to follow her great take on fashion at: www.thefashionminx.com.

Writing break, upcoming fun, & more!

Well, as you may have noticed... I've taken a bit of a writing break in August. I needed a bit of refocusing time, to refresh, and figure out how to redirect the blog for the rest of the year. I like to keep the blog a fine balance of personal and product oriented, but at times it seems to swing more one way than the other... At that point, I like to refocus and assess whether my balance is fine as it is, or whether I need to adjust my writing on the blog to include additional elements that I would like to be here!

I haven't blogged about family or the girls in quite some time, so coming up in September I would like to bring some more blogs about what has been going on with us around the house. Not that anything too exciting is happening... but I do like to look back on my blogs to see what the girls were up to from time to time as well.

Also, I do have some exciting projects coming up that I've been working on for the blog and You Tube - there will be a giveaway at the end of August, I started a series on my Bags4Bubbles You Tube channel today of handbag wear & tear/maintenance videos that have been highly requested as of late, and I also just completed a "day in the life" video that should be posted on beingmommywithstyle by the end of the week! I will be sharing those on the blog in the next week, and the giveaway will be live by the end of August!

So we've been keeping busy! Looking forward to sharing more of what we've been busy doing with you!

Weekend Blog Walk at 'At Home Take 2'!

I'm excited to be featured as the guest blog for the Weekend Blog Walk at 'At Home Take 2'! Take a minute and stop by to say "hi"! And join in the blog hop fun!

Thanks to 'At Home Take 2' for another great blog hop!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Product Review: Gigi Hill Audrey Tote Bag

Gigi Hill is a company that was started by two moms that had fashion and function in mind. They wanted to create bags that were feminine, but could still meet the demands that moms have on bags. The company has a full line of handbags and accessories to meet the needs of any consumer that desires a bag that can be functional and pretty at the same time.

They've sent me a purse to review and I'm excited to share my thoughts with you on this feminine and functional accessory!

Gigi Hill Audrey Tote, www.gigihillbags.com, Starting at $130

The Audrey is a versatile tote style that I selected in the Enchanted color, because I thought it would be a great addition to be something different in my collection. The print is a gorgeous tangerine and pink rose floral against a neutral tan background. The exterior is a faux leather finish that is easily cleanable and could be wiped off with a baby wipe - and the interior has a laminated canvas lining that would contain spills while still being pretty to look at with a colorful striped lining.

Size wise, the bag is the perfect tote size... large enough to carry all of the things you would want to carry in a large tote, without looking like lugage. It is spacious and could carry everything from items for a diaper bag, to work essentials. There is a magnetic button closure at the top and snaps on either side so that you cinch in the sides to create more of a closed look when you don't need the top to be open. The strap drop is 10.5 inches and comfortably fits on the shoulder.

There are a few special details which make you realize that the creators of Gigi Hill really are passionate about handbags and creating something special for their consumers. The interior has a tag that reads, "a great bag is a woman's treasured secret place" ~ gigi hill. There is also a matching key holder that can hang from the d-ring on the inside. I think these extra touches just make the bag feel that much more personal and special.

My verdict: I think that the Audrey style tote bag is a fabulous bag that would be perfect all types of occasions. From mommy bags to work tote, this bag could do it all! The enchanted print is perfect for summer and the bright floral print feels very in tune with this season's trending colors. It is comfortable to use and the perfect tote size.

In a few words, substantial, beautiful, and most definitely worth the $130 pricetag. If you're looking for reasonably priced durability that will last you a long time, I think that a Gigi Hill bag would be perfect.

Watch my video review on the Audrey Tote here:

Learn more about Gigi Hill here:

http://www.gigihillbags.com

View the Audrey Tote, Starting at $130 - HERE

Stop by their Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/gigihillcollection

* Please note the products in this review were sent to the reviewer by the company to perform an independent review. I've given my honest opinions on the products mentioned.

You Tube Giveaway Winner Announcement!

The drugstore beauty favorites giveaway ended tonight and a winner was selected! Official video announcement is below:

I used Random.org to select a winner and out of 195 comment entries, the winner was #33!

Congratulations to Nidia143Pedro! Thanks to all that entered! I had a lot of fun with this giveaway and there was a great response! I'm looking forward to doing more giveaways in the future!

Disappointing Beauty Products!

These are products from beauty categories: hair, makeup, mascara, and nail polish that I was disappointed in and would not repurchase again! Some products I disliked so much that I will not even continue using them!

I try to do a fair bit of research when I'm buying cosmetics and rarely buy things on impulse - most of the time especially with more expensive items I'm pleased with them and the items perform how they are supposed to... but sometimes even when I've done research on items they just don't work out for me. Since I share my favorites fairly each month, I thought I would share some products that haven't worked out...

Hair: Garnier Fructis Sleek & Shine Shampoo and Garnier Fructis Flat Iron spray - both items left horrible build up on my hair and left it feeling icky!

Face: Revlon Colorstay foundation made my sensitive skin break out horribly and Revlon foundation primer worked okay, but had an over-powering floral smell that I didn't like at all.

Mascara: The wands on both Bare Minerals Flawless Definition and Benefit's They're Real mascara were disappointing and actually made my lashes clump together MORE... Benefit's They're Real and Maybelline Falsies left me with horrible smudging and smearing...

Nails: Revlon's Quick Dry polish top coat was anything but quick - and two Essie polishes that I tried were difficult to work with, had a thinner consistency than I was used to (compared to Zoya & OPI - which I LOVE), and were just generally streaky when applied. I'm going to give the Essie polishes more tries, but the first impression was overall just not good.

Blogging on the go!

This is my first attempt at "mobile blogging", so excuse all of the typos I'm sure will be present! Since we have a few trips coming up, I thought I would explore blogging from my iPhone and the mobile blogging application!

Here's a fun pic from my phone of Wednesday's pink nail polish... Zoya Dana!