Back to Bloggin' with Swtichflops

Hi again!

So I was window shopping the other day and I saw something so intriguing that it made me think of my blog, and how much I missss it. So now I’m back and bloggin!

The thing that I found is called Switchflops. I have mixed ideas on them, but still think they are worth knowing about! Pretty much, the idea is that they have a ton of v-shaped designs that attach to their line of shoes to make them look like a completely new pair of shoes!


So, they have different basic styles to choose from, like wedges or kitten heels (which I approve of), or flip flops. Don’t get me wrong, everyone needs some basic sandals. But those are so affordable already that you probably don’t need to splurge on this product.

At first I thought that they might be cheap and tacky, but once I saw them live in action I realized that some of them look really great! A fun idea for matchy-matchy people.

Check out the website here and let me know what you think! It's interactive so you can choose your basic style and see what it looks like with the different straps attached. When I observed the product in-store (at the Plaid Giraffe, Whyte Ave, Edmonton, if you're interested), it seemed like the straps stay on quite secure.

Love,

Ami G

Surfing with Style

So, anyone who stays updated on cocoperez.com already knows this, but I think it’s so fun that I have to repost it.
Surfing.Is.My.Dream. aaaand, now luxury brands like Chanel and Marc Jacobs are expanding their brand to appeal to other people who love it!
I’m curious to see how these sell… but I love the option of them!


It sort of makes sense considering that other sports equipment has been introduced and ended up with success. Shown below I have the ad featuring a Chanel rugby ball, and one of their snowboards underneath.


I looove this combo of fashion and sport, I need to get rich and hit the waves now time!

Love, Ami G

Accessorize Affordably

I’m an eBay addict and have been scoring big lately, so I wanna share with you my fav thing to buy online: jewelry (and accessories).

First, most of the time you don’t have to worry about sizes (rings excluded- those are tricky). Second, since there is such a plethora of sellers, you get a huge variety of styles. Third, on a site that is auction-style there is so much potential to get a great deal!

This works best if there is something specific that you are looking for. For example, I have wanted a cameo for soooo lonnngggg, but they’re difficult to find and can be somewhat expensive. The one posted below however, I got for 99 cents including shipping!! Actually, every item pictured here I received for $2.50 or less (including shipping), which is way better than what I could find in the store.



Top: Shows a 24 inch gold chain on the left, Namaste yoga pendant on the top, and cameo on the right.
Bottom: Peal headband on the left (so Ami), and large pearl earrings on the right.

Happy shopping, show me what you find! Caution: This gets extremely addicting.

Love, Ami G

Keys to my Heart

Aww, last night I received a “just-because” present, which I think are the absolute most special ones. One of my friends saw something that made her think of me, so she bought it, made it into a necklace, and it is now one of my fav pieces of jewelry!


The key made her think of me because I had just been telling her how beautiful my house keys were when I lived in Spain (like something out of Lord of the Rings), and I had planned to made a necklace out of them but everything was so rush-rush that I forgot.

I then came back and saw that Tiffany had out this new line of gorgeous keys and that the fad was growing!

A couple friends have them (real ones and knock-offs included), but I’ve sort of been waiting around for one with sentimental value. And now I have one and it’s gorgeous! So I thought it deserved a quick blog so that she knows how much I love my key :)

Thanks Melly,

Love, Ami G

Little Black Dress

I’ve wanted to learn more about wine for a long time, but didn’t really know how to get started. Then I came across a wine log that I saw at Starbucks (or was it Chapters?? That in between area always confuses me), so I went online and bought one for cheaper just because I’m a bargain hunter like that lol.

So my terminology is getting better and I’m actually starting to remember which wines I like and why! So I decided to share one of my new favs with you; it’s perfect for a girl’s night!

It’s produced by Little Black Dress (so fitting already, right??), and I went for the Cabernet Sauvignon, I like my reds with a full body. I was drawn in by the cute girlie label and the fact that it was 13.5% - I like looking at the alcohol content for ladies nights! The price was around $14, and I was just as satisfied with the taste as I was with the name! The only thing was that I found it a little fat (meaning that it wasn’t quite acidic enough to taste balanced). However, some of my girlfriends might prefer this since they are just starting to drink wine, and less acidity means they won’t get as much of a strong finish (the last flavor you sense before swallowing). So this is a great balance of a full wine that I like, and smooth, gentle drink for the wine skeptics. Last, their slogan is definitely worth mentioning: “Responsible drinking is always in style”. Make sure your get-together turns into a slumber party so no one is driving after their taste of Little Black Dress!

If you’re interested, they also have a website (www.littleblackdresswines.com) which is kind of adorable and had little black dress styles to match your wine or your personality. But I took the test and it said that I’m not into lace and frills…. So wrong. I live for lace. But still a fun idea.

Cheers!

Love, Ami G

Socks on the Runway

I know it’s a little early to be thinking about fall wear, but when I saw Miu Miu’s pre-Fall 2010 collection I got a little excited about high socks!



Going to school in Edmonton (uhg), a city that gets dreadfully freeeeezing in the winter, I’m always looking for ways to stay fashionably warm (I was ecstatic when the UGG trend caught on). I should be able to wear my skirts and dresses a couple weeks longer this year by hiking up some knit high socks! Can’t wait to wear them with boots! I don’t think mine will have the $425 price tag that comes with the ones shown above, but they’ll still be inspiring my outfits.

Love, Ami G

Passion for Polyvore

Hola,

I decided to share with you another one of my guilty pleasure sites that I waste wayyy too much time on. It’s called www.polyvore.com, and it takes some playing around to completely get it but it is so much fun!

They have a plethora of backgrounds, designs, clothes, shoes and accessories to choose from, and basically you just make pretty squares showing outfits that work together with a funky background. They have affordable, cute items like clothes from Topshop (one of my favvvv places to shop in Europe), or tiny designer items that exceed $5000! Every item is attached to the link where you would actually purchase it, so all of these wonderful wardrobe builders are completely attainable! However, I try to forget that since I have an online shopping problem as is.



Making these squares is like playing Barbie, but for big girls. They also have competitions on a regular basis where the winners can get anything from a $100 gift card from NIKE and having your slogan featured on their shirts, or flights and tickets to the premier of the latest Twilight movie! Some of the super exciting ones are for Americans only, like the opportunity to get a contract as a fashion assistant and appear on the Rachel Zoe show (!!). But there’s plenty of other cool loot than anyone around the world can win, all for playing with fashion for free! Loves it!


Make sure to show me some of your creations if you get the Polyvore fever :)

Love, Ami G

Humanity Bracelet

My boyfriend recently bought me a bracelet because he thought it really suited me, and it’s my new fav accessory! Have you ever heard of Humanity for All?? It’s a charity-driven fashion line that aims to raise money for global understanding and consciousness for humanity. I love their designs as well as their message!!

My bracelet is a brown leather strap that wraps around about 5 times, and has silver sayings with studs in between and a funky clasp. Some of my fav messages are “Accept Diversity”, “Give Back”, “Seek Wisdom” and ”Make a Difference”. They come in a bunch of colors and styles, and make such good gifts! Good job boyfriend :)



Love, Ami G

My Coach Confession

Sooo, I have a confession. I’m not the biggest fan of Coach (don’t get mad at me!! → this is a risky post cause ½ my friends have Coach bags :S). I know it’s super high quality and they have some great stuff, and are even affordable (compared to other fashion labels that is). Buttt, I’m just the kind of person who hates having the same things that everyone else has, and Alberta has swarmed over Coach. I don’t blame them, we don’t have that many world-known designer stores here. So I have no problem with other people having Coach, it looks good! It’s just not my style; it’s the same reason that I try to keep my shopping at Aritzia to a minimum.

Buuuut, their new collection has me quite excited, it’s based off of illustrations by Pierre Le-Tan → the author of children’s books like Puss in Boots. Cute! You’ll notice it immediately next time you step into their store, it really stands out from the classic design covered in labels. It’s fun and seashore themed!!



I haven’t seen too many people carrying these around yetttt, and even if I do, they’re so much fun! I think I might have to get one of the neckerchiefs…Oooh, and just for the record, incase you do want to get me a present, I will accept Coach shoes and jewelry, specifically rings. Loves it!

Love, Ami G

Shopping Rules

So, as it turns out, I am an expert shopper. I have a knack for finding every cute thing in the store, which is oober fun while I’m shopping, but not so fun when I look at my bank statement. And I clean out my closet twice a year and find sooo much that I never wear and just give away, even though some things have hardly ever been worn!
So I’ve come up with a couple rules to stop myself from spontaneous purchases that I will later regret. The shoes and jacket posted to the right were purchased after I followed all my rules, and I am sooo happy with them ☺

First off, I’ve stopped random purchases on anything over $15 unless I’ve already planned to buy it. For example, consider I go jean shopping because I’ve ripped a hole in my only skinnies, and I happen to find a pair of jeans that I love for $100, and an adorable matching top for $30. I can buy the jeans, because that had been planned for, but not the top. I keep the “over $15 rule” because when you find something cute for under $15, it’s probs a good deal so go ahead and snatch it!

Second, I wait to see if that article of clothing crosses my mind alot. Most things don’t because there is just so much out there that thinking about all of it would consume my whole day. If my mind does keep wandering back to that one thing, I ask myself 2 questions.
Can I find something similar for cheaper? Like at XXI, or is this unique?
Does it match what I already have? AKA, will I wear it? My jacket and shoes defs followed my rules!

*My only exception is when I find something adorable at the beginning of a shopping day in another city for over $15. Then I allow myself to get it if I’m still thinking about it at the end of the day, because driving back would just be a ridiculous hassle.

So that might have sounded a little complicated… but if you’re a shopaholic, it makes sense and you catch on fast! Have fun and show me some of your must-have items!

Love, Ami G

Sale Sale Sale!

I've discovered a lovely little website, which I would certainly indulge in if I was working more than 8 hours a week haha. It has great sales on REAL gucci, prada, lv, and fendi bags, all of the best labels! They're not the newest stock or anything, mainly just the classic styles. But really, those are always in.

The good news: This is actually available in Canada!! I find too-good-to-be-true deals all the time, but they're always only for Americans :(

The great news: FREE shipping!! And that is Canada included! I have been wanting a Louis Vuitton backpack for way too long, and realllly, $192 isn't that bad for one... Should I get it?? Eek! More of my favs are shown below, and you can choose your favs for youself if you click here.

Tell me if you get something! Even though I'll be jealousss


Love, Ami G

FootzyRolls

Loves It!!
This idea is too genius. I have definitely brought flats or flipflops along in my bag just incase those oh-so-pretty stilettos end up oh-so-painful. But then I don't want to put my dirty heels into my purse, and I can't carry a clutch because sandals do take up a significant amount of room (well, compared to other clutch necessities such as gloss and camera!).
But footzyrolls are the solution! They roll up and are built for this type of treatment so they are durable. And as long as you carry them in the bag that they come in you will always have something to protect your purse from your used heels!


I only have one suggestion for this product.
They have options for what color your footzyrolls are, but not yet for the bag. If they made a cute or catchy design for the shoe bag then they could also market the convenience of not having to lug around your used shoes in a boring carry-along. Us Gen Y folk love having options.

Click here to check out the website!

Love, Ami G