Jennie Kwon Design's Arrow Earrings

My ears are super sensitive and even though I have pierced ears, I rarely wear earrings because I am really prone to infections. I wanted to get a good quality pair that I could keep in 24/7 and not have to worry about. My friend told me about Jennie Kwon Designs and I fell in love with so many pieces of her jewelry! But since I am not a millionaire with a huge jewelry spending account, I limited myself to just one item - the arrow earrings. These come in a version with diamonds, but as we already discussed, I was trying to limit my jewelry spending. These earrings are so awesome! They combine the things I love best about a stud and a dangly earring. And I haven't had any sensitivity or ear infections with them so I pretty much just keep them in all the time. The one thing that bus me is sometimes they twist to the side so the arrow doesn't hang down straight. But I just check every now and then to make sure they are straight.

I'll definitely keep an eye out on Jennie Kwon Designs' line for future jewelry purchases!

Catbird Jewelry Love!

Catbird recently had a stacking rings sale and so of course I had to pick up a few lovely pieces.  I am obsessed with dainty stacking rings recently so this sale was perfectly timed!

I picked up the dark side of the moon ring, a heart ring, and a first knuckle ring in rose gold.  Love all of them!

Essie's Off The Shoulder

Here's Essie's Off The Shoulder, a bright hot pink from their summer 2012 collection.  I am not normally a pink person but I loved this one and wore it for over a week (which is a long time for me!).  This is 2 coats with a base and top.  Application was pretty good but I needed the second coat to smooth out streaks and bald spots.  This is an amazing color for the summer and even though it's a hot pink I think it's fine for most offices.

Long Time No Post! - Human Update

All right, now that we have the pug update, it's time for the human update!  Not much going on here and most of it is running related but I promise to include a couple pug photos!

Sunny is not that playful but she has somehow managed to break two of my bracelets!  I guess it doesn't help that she has the fastest growing claws in the east and I only have dainty, thin bracelets.  I finally got the two fixed and have worn them nonstop since.  I love my lil skully!

I've been drawing a lot lately.  I try to draw something every day although I've hit a lil block the past day or so.

See how realistic my drawings have gotten?  Haha, I kid, I kid!

I went searching for a new running shoe with a little more cushion for my long runs.  I tried on many, but it's really hard to find shoes for my fat feet and toes, that won't aggravate my tight Achilles/calves.

I finally found a good pair!  Mizuno Precision - nice wide toebox, light, more cushioned, and comfy!

I'm sad they don't come in brighter colors like some of the other Mizunos.  They're pretty good but not perfect but they're as good as I was able to find at this point.  The tongue slides a teeny bit and I sometimes get foot numbness in them.  Also the wave insole feels pretty good but after 8 miles there's this one point on the wave that starts to feel a bit uncomfortable on my right foot.  My right foot is always the one with issues!  But my feet did feel a lot less tired than in my Green Silence.  I just wish the tongue on this shoe was like the Green Silence.  It did feel a bit weird running in more cushioned shoes at first but I got used to it eventually.  I also discovered that my previous calf/Achilles issues were not tied to the toe heel drop like I thought, but the kind of shoe.  I need neutral shoes, not stability, apparently.

But my all time favorite shoe is still the Green Silence!

I found out that they're discontinuing these by the end of the year along with the Brooks Trance!  I've been stockpiling them whenever I find a good deal online!  So sad!  I love how super light these shoes are and I LOVE the tongue which is basically an extended flap of the shoe.  I never get any foot numbness in these shoes.  And these are the most green shoes I've come across, which is great for the environment, but I hear that these shoes break down a bit sooner than traditional shoes.  The only downside is that my feet get a bit tired in them in my long runs, although I noticed it hasn't been as bad recently, so maybe my feet are getting stronger and more used to them?

I've tried to do as many long runs outside as I can before the weather here gets too unbearable.

One route even went through the National Zoo!  Man that place is one big hill but it was really cool to see the animals out and about in the early morning.

And many runs along the Potomac. 

I even tried going to Theodore Roosevelt Island.  (yeah, that's a dog on a kayak below!)

But it was pretty desolate in spots and I didn't want to end up like an episode of Law & Order.  And as soon as a bug flew into my hair (not near, not on top, INTO), I freaked out and ran out of there like a crazy woman.

View of Georgetown and tons of kayakers.

After each long run I feel pooped and need to lay down starfish style on my floor for a bit, while I pet Sunny and upload photos from my phone.

Then I refuel.

And sometimes I elevate my feet with the help of Sunny.

Phew, just reading all this makes me tired.  Too bad I have to go running soon!  But this time it will be indoors - too hot outside right now!

Hortense Jewelry

Today consisted of a super crappy day involving not one but two roaches at work (one actually had the audacity to scurry across my desk right towards me - a declaration of war!), mean grillings and uncomfortable meetings (seriously, why do people have to be so unpleasant for no good reason?), and my fumbling with answers and being generally stupid.  So I was very happy to come home to my wriggly pug and a package!  My Hortense jewelry finally arrived!  I got the coco and wish me luck bracelets in rose gold with gray silk cord.  The beads are a bit smaller than I thought they'd be and the string makes the bracelet look a bit casual (not sure if this is office appropriate - not going to stop me from wearing it to that roach-infested place), but I still love them!  And they are perfect for stacking.  I've been going through a huge rose gold phase for the past several years.  So here are my two new bracelets with my Iwona Ludyga skull bracelet (also in rose gold of course).  

My pug wanted to help me model the bracelets.

Can I shower with silk cord bracelets?  I don't want to put them through unnecessary wear and tear but I hate having to put it on and take off.  It involves awkward finger maneuverings or teeth!  And my pug only helps me model, she doesn't help me put on my jewelry.

Iwona Ludyga Jewelry and MZ Wallace Bag - Love!

I came back from vacation to find my order from Iwona Ludyga had arrived!  I had ordered some rose gold skeleton jewelry and I love them!  So dainty and tiny - LOVE!

Here are the skull earrings with my solemn pug staring at nothing in the background, and then a picture of one of my ears with the skull stud. See, isn't it tiny?!  I don't think anyone will notice they're skulls at work unless they looked very closely (which is a good thing!).

I also got a rose gold tiny skull bracelet.  So perfectly dainty!  And somehow the skull almost always stays in position!  I don't know how it does that - maybe it's the weight of the bracelet - with the skull on one side and the clasp and tag on the other?  Because I have thick wrists I had to request that the chain be 7 inches instead of the 6.5 inches it typically comes in.  I found that if you order from Iwona Ludyga directly, she is very accommodating with special requests such as sizing and different types of gold, but additional costs may apply for increased chain lengths.

Shhhhh!  Don't speak!

Oh and that's Essie's Over the Top on my nails.  I love that polish - one of my top five.  But I now have to take it off before returning to work.  Sigh.

On a random note, here's a picture of my not new, but very old, worn and well-loved MZ Wallace bag.  It's the Olivia in light gray.  I don't think this color and style combination is available at the stores anymore.  I took this picture to show my friend how big the Olivia is.  It's my favorite MZ Wallace style so far because it has a ton of exterior (and interior) pockets, and the strap fits much more comfortably over my shoulder than those stiff rounded handles.  I need a new bag soon though and I'm contemplating getting an even bigger one.  But until then, I love my tried and true Olivia.  I tried an Elsa, which is a cute style that I loved at first but hated after suffering the inconvenience of no exterior pockets.

I Love Jewelry and Need a New Tote

I'm not one to post regularly.  I do it in spurts and so tonight is posting night!  


I love jewelry.  Love it so.  And I always want more!  I'm not into cutesey or super trendy jewelry.  I just like whatever strikes me at the time.  I have pretty sensitive skin, so I'm pretty limited in the metals I can wear and limit it to gold or platinum (although on my budget, it's more gold than platinum!).  But lately I've come to love rose gold and somewhat yellow gold.  I used to only wear yellow gold as a teenager but I was forever scarred by my older sisters' teasing that I looked like a rapper with all my yellow gold.  


When I lived in NY, I really loved Lori McLean.  Always great and interesting pieces there that were reasonably priced for what you got.  They have a website that I've shopped off of before and are super good about communication and adjustments.  So I guess I could continue my jewelry shopping even outside NY, but they don't change their selection that often.  Ebay is also a great source if you know what you want.  


This is what I wore today, an antique yellow and white gold and pearl ring and an antique marcasite bracelet.  I love the bracelet but that darn clasp is always opening and falling off.  

I really want something new, but since I moved and switched jobs recently I'm trying to curb my jewelry spending for a bit.  Sigh.  

I'm also in need of a new tote bag.  When I first started working, my friend/coworker made fun of me for the tiny purse I carried to and from work and how I had to use shopping bags to carry work home with me.  So she made me an awesome tote bag that lasted for 4 years of carrying my heavy documents and commuting book.  It's started to rip a bit (although that doesn't stop me from using it) and I'm so sad at the thought of having to retire the bag soon.  :(  I keep trying to convince her to make more bags!  I've gotten a lot of compliments on it from coworkers who were surprised to discover that my friend made it for me.  But lately it's seen better days as it's nearing the end of its shelf life.

Do you see the ripping?  So sad!