Dress up your watches

Apart from my wedding plus engagement rings and the occasional pair of drop earrings, I’m not really one for jewelry. Sure, I’ve been known to bling it up on particularly dressy occasions, but for the most part, I prefer to adorn myself with very little- and the one small jewelry box in my closet is testament to that.

My watches, however, are… plentiful, to say the least. From vintage roman numerals to digital displays, rhinestone-encrusted numbers to Mickey Mouse hands, watches are most definitely jewelry- functional jewelry!

And therein lies my love of them. Not only are they beautiful or fun or kitschy, they actually tell me what time it is! Some throw the date in as well, or let me know what time it is in Paris, where some of my family live.

If you’re wondering where this Ode-to-a-Watch-esque post came from, I’ve been asked to do a review of Watchband.biz, a site offering- you guessed it- watchbands.

Not just any old watchbands, mind you. We’re talking artisanal watchbands, crafted by hand in Austria in a process that involves more than sixty separate stages. That’s right, sixty. This means that no two of their watchbands are alike- and, given the proper care, should last you a long, long time.

The site features many gorgeous, buttery-leather straps, but the ones that immediately caught my eye were the ones pictured here, the Prestige collection. The texture and colors of these straps look just about right for a variety of watch styles. At US$107.40 per band, what’s to stop me from “sharing” the band among several of my watches? All I need are some tools, maybe a couple of pins and screws (also available at the site) and I’m ready to go.

Of course, there are straps of every kind here- from mesh metal to waterproof rubber-but what struck me is that they all look exquisitely made. Definitely a store for true watch aficionados, and those like me- who just love a good watch. Visit Watchband.biz to see more.

DKNY Bag on Sale: Like Butter

Seriously, just look at this leather. This is DKNY’s Turn-Lock Calf Hobo, and it’s on sale for $147 right now (from $295).

Details: Polished calfskin with a soft grain, Woven shoulder straps with leather bands, Front pocket with golden turn lock, Brushed gold metal hardware, Interior magnetic closure, and Natural canvas lining with two patch pockets and a zipped pocket. Size is 15″ x 9.5″ x 4.5″ (at base). Ooh la la.

*Update: it’s sold out now! You might also be interested in the gorgeous Antiqued Calf Leather Hobo, which is not on sale, but is mouthwatering nonetheless.

Alice Apron

Because I run my brand new foodblog on TypePad, I learned about Rosy Little Things, whose owner’s blog was a TypePad featured blog.

Rosy Little Things features the cutest handbags, but what immediately won my heart was the Alice Apron:

“The pocket on your left has a quote from one of our favorite books, Little, Big. It says:

I will live in a house
By the side of the road
And be a friend to all.

The pocket on the right has an original drawing of a little house. The details are all hand-painted by Alicia.”

Isn’t it just darling?

See the Alice Aprons.

My Glam Space

I’ll admit: I’ve never liked MySpace. It just never appealed to me. But gosh, I’m loving glam.com’s GlamSpace (currently in beta). It’s like they took MySpace and remade it for me!

Now I realize why so many people are addicted to MySpace.

Check out my GlamSpace or get your own.

Clutching Marc Jacobs

If you’re like me, you love Marc Jacobs… just not the price of his products. His Quilted Zip Clutch (pictured above) at $450 is not exactly affordable, but just might be in my husband’s budget for my upcoming birthday (the hint has been dropped!)