eBook Readers Can Be Beautiful

I inherited my son's Kindle over the Christmas holiday, so the first thing I did was get online to replace the cover because I didn't want to carry around a Star Wars cover. (Okay, the second thing. The first thing was transferring all my books from my cloud onto the device.) A friend of mine had purchased covers from an online site called Oberon Design, so because hers was so gorgeous, that's where I went.

It arrived yesterday.

Isn't it stunning? And so me. The workmanship is exquisite, the leather thick and heavy, and the pewter rose charm that acts as a clasp is the perfect counterpoint. I can't stop picking it up and sighing over how beautiful it is.

My poor iPad cover looks really sad in comparison. It's a vinyl Kate Spade cover that looks like a black/white composition notebook, which I thought was fun and clever when I got it. In fact, the same friend who showed me the Oberon site talked me into getting the notebook cover, too, I just realized. Anyway, I'm fighting not going back and ordering a different cover for my iPad now.

Maybe I'll just ask for one for my birthday.

Etsy items I love

I'm starting to collate my Christmas shopping, which means I have a tendency to turn to Etsy to fill in gift holes. Yes, I'm one of those annoying people who does their shopping all year 'round so I'm usually done before December hits.

But in my recent Etsy hunts, I find myself wanting more for myself:

I order from this shop almost every year. I love her work. It's both pretty and durable, a great combination. I've been in love with her leather journals from the start. I'm thinking this might be the year I finally get one.

Isn't this adorable? She recycles sweaters into these hoodies and fingerless gloves. I bought one from her last winter and love it to pieces. Even better, she does a huge range of sizes and colors.

I love steampunk styling. I have a version of her mended heart necklace that I got as a treat to myself after Iron Eyes came out that I get comments on all the time. Lovely and lightweight.

I'm probably one of the few romance writers who doesn't like Jane Austen, but I love, love, love these earrings.

The shoeman cometh

I love shoes. LOVE shoes. When I was in college, I worked for a year at a shoe store, which completely triggered my obsession ever since.

Meet my latest acquisitions. I just bought these yesterday.

Aren't they adorable? Both are suede, and they're in my two favorite colors, red and green. And one of the nicest parts about living in California is that I can wear the green ones pretty much all year round if I want.

The red ones are just plain hot. ;)

Little Black Bag

Looking at previous posts, you might think I'm addicted to shopping. I'm not. I promise.

I do, however, like to shop, so I'm always on the lookout for new and interesting sites.

Little Black Bag is the latest.

Basically, it takes the latest accessories craze and combines it with mystery bags and swap meets. You pick an item you want, then get two random items to go with it. You then have the option of trading items in your bag with other people to try and get three things you really want. You have a week to trade, and if you decide at the end you don't like it, you can choose to skip it entirely. You can even start over.

I shouldn't be having this much fun trying to get three things I like, lol. This is the bag I'm currently enamored with:On the other side, it says "fighter."

There's a ton of designers, from Betsey Johnson to Kenneth Cole. Items include jewelry, handbags, hats, and home items. The site just launched, and right now, I'm playing around with my first bag. I haven't signed up for a monthly membership, but I can see it happening. I don't get time to go out and look for cute things very often, so online shopping? Always a win.

In which I buy shoes

I talked about my obsession with Baublebar a couple weeks ago, but to be honest, my love for shiny jewelry isn't alone. It extends quite a bit to most accessories, like purses and shoes. My daughter doesn't quite understand the fascination, though now that she wears adult sizes, she's beginning to see a little of it. But when I had to go to DSW this past weekend to use some gift cards before they expired, I still got the, "But you don't need shoes!"

I ended up getting *cough* three pairs, one from clearance, one to replace brown casual boots, and one I just couldn't resist.

The clearance pair were just a pair of plum loafers, uber comfortable and very versatile.

Then, I got a pair of Not Rated oxfords, butter soft and so comfortable:



But my purely unnecessary purchase were these wedge platforms:



I have no idea where I'll wear them, but I couldn't resist. I wanted them desperately to hurt my feet so I could have a reason not to buy them, but no such luck. They're as comfy as the oxfords and to much fun.