the present state

We're in the home stretch, you guys. It may not look like it by this picture of our living room, but I swear, we are ::thisclose:: to being packed and ready to move. And I. cannot. wait. Living in boxes has led to way too many occasions where I stub my toe/bang my knee/hit my elbow simply because we're running out of room as we try to pack our lives in convenient, portable boxes. Moving is expensive, so we've been trying to watch how often we eat out and have resorted to just making quick (cheap) meals in our kitchen while simultaneously packing said kitchen. We left out two mismatched plates to serve us for the next three days, and every time we make something, we have to wash it out so it's ready to be used by the other. It kind of reminds me of college.

And to continue the theme of chaos and randomness in our lives in this blog, I wanted to mention a review of sorts on two things I recently purchased:

Ann Taylor Gallery Tote

This tote is made of vegan leather, and while I usually prefer real leather, this bag is so soft and so light, and I have no fear of scratching the "leather" since the polyurethane can handle some beating. I've been eyeing the Pashli from 3.1 Philip Lim for awhile, and the zippers of this tote are definitely a nod to that. AT was having a friends & family sale where everything was 40% off, and in addition I had a $40 gift card, so this tote cost me $18.80 + tax. At that price, it came home with me to be my low-maintenance work tote. It retails for $98, which I think is a little high, but with a promo like 30% off, I think it's a worthy piece. The straps are long enough to fit on the shoulder, yet not too long to be ridiculous as a hand-held tote or on the crook of the elbow.

There are four functioning zippers in total - two in the front and two in the back. When they're unzipped, they reveal a tan/dark brown/white polka dot pattern, which I thought was a fun touch. The inside only has one zippered pocket in the back in the same polka dot fabric as the zipper insert. I don't mind not having more separation too much - more pockets would have been great, but not a deal breaker for me.

And the second thing: 

 

 Coach Saffiano Leather Phone Wallet

I purchased this wallet with a gift card I had been saving. After endlessly muttering to myself about how great it would be if I had a wallet that would hold my phone and my credit cards, I finally went out there and bought said magic wallet. There are plenty of these phone wallets out there, but I went for this one because I liked the slim profile, the button closure, and the detachable wrist strap. I also liked the fact that this was in saffiano leather, a hardier leather that would stand up to constant use (and some drops!).

The inside is also leather and comes with 5 credit card slots (1 being the ID slot with a plastic covering). I like that this limits the amount of cards I can carry, but the slots can easily store 2 or 3 cards each if you want to carry more. The left side of the wallet has a pocket for the iPhone. It's built for the iPhone 5, but my iPhone 4s fits securely in it, too, and I've heard other people tell me that their Samsung Galary can fit in it as well. The back has a zippered pocket for coins. There's no explicit "cash" pocket, but I just use the little slip pocket behind the credit card slots as the place for the random bill or receipt. I've only had this for a week or so, and I already don't know how I managed without it. It's so convenient for on the go and for those out the door runs.

Happy Monday!