WHEN BLACK BOOTS GO BAD

Every woman has them. One amazingly perfect pair of boots. The kind of boots that zip right up... The kind of boots that fit your leg just right.... The kind of boots that go with everything and everyone... You can wear them up, you can wear them down... Comfortable, chic, they are your "go tos" from Fall to Spring. (Or in Los Angeles, whenever the eff the gods of weather decide to drop below 70). 

I had these boots. Er... I still have them. But they are gone, really. Something happened between last May and now and I don't even know who they are anymore. And frankly, without them, I'm a little lost.

OKAY, fine. Am I being dramatic? Maybe. But seriously, when I tell you I lived in these boots, I am not lying. 

Meet my Steve Madden riding boots. Purchased, oh... I'd say sometime in 2008. for about ... oh... $118 bucks... maybe. These were (up until yesterday) the kind of boots that got attention. Simple, black and totally nothing special, I am telling you, every. single. time. I wore them I would get stopped... ""Where did you get those boots? I love them."

"These old thiiiiings??? Oh, I've had them for years." Revealing they were Steve Madden was like telling someone your adorable blazer is from Target... which inevitable garners the  "Omg, So cute, who knew?!" reaction. 

Little did anyone know, that these boots had probably been repaired and resoled, oh, maybe 4 times (thereby costing five times more than their original price)... But it didn't matter. And frankly, I would have continued to resole forever. For no boot fit me like this. I thought we'd be together forever.

We took trips to the beach (I'm squatting, but trust me. I'm wearing them).

We dressed up like characters. (Guess which one is meeeeeeeeeee!)

But then it happened. While packing for my trip to Chicago with Lifetime Moms for the Mom 2 Moms Conference, I pulled my boots out... because, duh. Unlike the 98 degrees outside my apartment, it IS Fall in Chicago. And Fall means boots. And boots mean these. 

I try them on. 

I look in the mirror.

I'm baffled. 

Something is off. 

They look strange. 

They look different. 

It's feeling very "when good times go bad"ish and my once "everything, everywhere, everyone" boot looks dated. 

WHAT HAPPENED???? It's like they just stopped WORKING. Not even Tim Gunn could make it work.

When did these beloved boots go from being totally acceptable and even IN to looking like they've been run over by a truck carrying two tons of bad style????? 

SO, what I'm getting at here is:  I NEED NEW BOOTS.  I REALLY NEED NEW BOOTS.... Where do I even begin??

Thankfully, I have a fun new pair of ankle booties I saw on Piperlime (obsessed with the recs that Olivia Palermo makes) that I brought with me.... so for the time being (here in the land of true Autumn), I'm okay.

But when I get home, and life starts again, I'm going to be lost.

What am I getting at here with all this whining? WELL, the point is, like me, there are probably many of you that are holding on to shoes or clothing that you need to say "SEE YA" to in a major way.  And though I did a wardrobe overhaul about a year and a half ago, it might be time to do it again...

What are YOU holding on to that you need to say goodbye to? What will you replace it with? Tell me!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY: THE VIDEO GAME GLAZE

The intensity begins...

MOTOROLA WINE TASTING WRAP UP

You know what's fun? Drinking with friends. You know what's even more fun? Drinking with friends and eating ridiculously oooey, gooey grilled cheese sandwiches ... and ultimately having your friends tease you about  the cheese that inevitably ends up on your black blazer.... See exhibit A --->.

I've been amidst a crazy surge of work and life, but believe me, I haven't forgotten about the event I hosted in partnership with Motorola.  The event brought together some of my favorite LA pals and bloggers. Equipped with more wine than Bordeaux and Napa vineyards combined, we got together at LA's Corkbar to sample said wine, eat yummy apps, and play with Motorola's Photon Q.  This phone is a blogger and social media enthusiast's dream. The navigation is easy and the social media tools are fast. The PC-like keyboard with LED edge lighting and big screen making typing and tweeting a cinch... especially after several glasses of Chard... and Pinot... and Cab...

Huge thanks to friends Christina Simon of Beyond the Brochure, Diane Mizota (the Kate to My Alli) of Away We Grow, Matt Steiner of Launch Education, Sarah Maizes of Mommy Lite, Kathryn Gray of October Media Group for their support of #flirtywithqwerty... AND and of course, Motorola! It was a fun night!

For more information on the Photon Q, click here.

This is a sponsored post. 

STAR WARS: "BAD IS GOODER"

I realized sometime last year that even at age 4, there was already a language barrier between my son and me. Simply put: He is a boy. I am a girl. He speaks sports and Star Wars. I speak sensitivity and style. (And other things, too... I'm just trying to make a point though. So go with it).

At some point, in the last year or two, he was introduced to Luke Skywalker and all things Jedi and his world changed. Instead of grilling me about how a light bulb works or a vacuum sucks up dirt, at breakfast I am challenged to a discussion of how Darth Vader got his training and why the dark side is so "dark" after all. (Or something like that. Again, I don't even understand what he's saying).

Despite intense theater training at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, short of swinging around a light saber (or "light saver" as he refers to it) and making "throw the force" sounds, I SUCK at playing Star Wars. Refer to exhibit A below. In this world of make believe, "bad is gooder," "Obi was Kenobi," and I'm a clueless Jedi Knight.

WINE TASTING WITH MOTOROLA!

As a woman who loves some vino, and loves vino with friends, I was DELIGHTED when Motorola approached me to host a night of wine tasting. Um, okaaaay! 

On Thursday, September 27th, I will be hosting a small gathering with some of my favorite friends, Los Angeles bloggers, and digital influencers to sample some delicious wines and appetizers at a very cool and hip wine bar in LA and take a look at Motorola's Photon Q,  a 4G LTE QUERTY smartphone with scratch resistant glass (perfect for busy and clutsy, wine drinking moms like me).

I'll be tweeting from the event with #flirtywithqwerty so please check in on September 27, 7-10pm PST. (You are following me on twitter, aren't you?)

So grab a glass, and let's drink! (Note: hair might even get washed for this event. Oh, yes. Exciting. Can you say #flirtywithcleanhair?!)

This is is a sponsored post. 

eBay: Top Tips from eBay's "Celebrity-Owned" Consignor!

All in favor of extra cash, say "Aye!" (AYE!)  Since becoming a member of the eBay Parent Panel, I've started to consider how much extra cash I'm sitting on and doing nothing about. What I've learned in the past 9 months is that almost anything can be sold on eBay-- like ANYTHING. However, with the exception of a few items, when it comes to clothing and fashion, for me the question has always been: SHOULD I sell it? Should I sell my favorite Parker animal print dress that I bought for $253, buuuuuuut my boyfriend thinks I look like a pirate in....?  Should I sell my Manolo Blahniks that I wore three times (maybe), but I bought for... OY. (God knows how much I bought them for). 

Well, I connected with Dana Weinrot of Celebrity-Owned. Dana is a top-selling consignor on eBay with great ideas and tips for all sellers- from beginning to experienced. 

1) How did you get started selling on eBay and what was the first item you listed?

My husband was always so enamored with eBay since its launch and believed it was such a great platform to unload personal items on. For many months, he encouraged me to try to sell just one item from my closet to see how the process worked. After many, “no, it seems like to much work and so overwhelming!” replies... i finally gave it a try.  After listing my first item, An iconic Prada nylon backpack, I truly saw the value of listing my “trash”

2) Where do you work from? How do you manage all your inventory?

I operate my business from an office. I went from my first office 8 years ago in a tiny 200 square foot space to now occupying 2500 sq ft. We use a listing tool called Blackthorn which also manages all our consignors so we know which items belong to which client.

3)  Where do most of the items you sell come from? Is there a minimum you require as far as cost of item? What about label? What would be off limits?

All the items I sell come from clients all around the country. They are all pretty much word of mouth. Friends of friends of Friends. Usually less then 6 degrees of separation.  I try to accept items that will not sell for less then $50. I tell clients most brands from Tory Burch on up are game but there are still some brands I will say no to that do not have strong resale value.  Pants, jeans, suits, evening wear and wedding gowns are my off limit items as they really are hard sells since they have usually be altered a bunch.

4) Do you ever sell an item that you can't believe someone would sell? As a lover of fashion, what would be something that you would never sell on eBay- or does anything go?  

Anything goes for me. I don’t judge and I personally don’t hang on to much of anything if I'm not using it.  Oddly enough my personal rule of thumb is that if I'm going to purchase something over $1000, it has to have resale value as I will generally sell it within 6-8 months of owning it.   Since I know the top resale brands, I tend to only buy those.... Recycling items quick keeps your closet fresh and your credit card statements subsidized... since I buy and sell frequently, I don't feel as guilty about my big ticket purchases.

5) A pair of Manolo Blahniks, in black with strappy studs (I'm going to include pic in my post). They're about 3 years old and have been worn about 3 or 4 times. Sell or not to sell... and how much?

Sell indeed! Why keep something you have not work in 3 years. Not that you have held on to them so long, resale value has decreased. That coupled with Manolo Blahnik not having top resale value anyways, you are probably only looking at a resale value of approx $150.

6) If you can't move or sell an item, what options do you offer customers?

Everything eventually sells at the right price. So I hang on to our items and keep them live in my eBay store for many many months and continue on lowering prices every couple months until you find the right customer. You never know who is looking for what and when. So it's amazing that you can have an item listed for 4 months at $150 and then all of a sudden lower it to $130 and they sell the next day. That's what keeps things exciting for me.  Seeing what other people are willing to pay for these items really keeps it fun!

7) What makes CelebrityOwned stand out more than other designer clothing/ re-sale stores on eBay?  

First, our inventory is spectacular and there is something for everyone. We have 6000 items live all at fixed prices for anyone around the world to buy at anytime. Then, our customer service is second to none! I pride my business on that as I know how important it is to respond to customers in a timely manner and make them feel like they are really be treated well. In addition, we ship right away, so customers get to enjoy their items right away.  Most customers are shocked how fast they get their items!  I truly believe this is what makes us stand out and our feedback on eBay speaks to this as well. And lastly, I believe our prices are fantastic!

8) Your top tip for new sellers or people that just want to clean their closets and make some cash is ____?

Do your_research and_know what your item is worth before you list. Always look at completed items for the same one you are listing and see what they have sold for in the past.

Visit Celebrity-Owned on eBay today!

This is a sponsored post.

BABY BOOK

Yesterday morning, J pulled out his baby book from his book shelf.  "Why is it empty, mommy?" Speechless, I shrugged. I had no good reason for the barren pages in the baby book (aka. the requisite memory book carefully crafted by only good mothers).  It appeared that I started to fill everything out... His birthdate, weight, family statistics... even details on his first words and foods. But at 15 months, I stopped. No pictures, and no hand or foot prints.

"Can we do it now, Mommy? Can I do a footprint now?"

Luckily, he caught me in a moment of pure frazzle. School was out. I had a ton of work to do. I had very little coffee in my system. And back up adult help was hours away.

I put the baby book (with the welcome home sign my mom made still inside) on the floor. With an almost size 12 shoe and dried up ink, I could see that 5 years ago, this project would have been a lot easier.

A few minutes and lots of paper towels later, we had a size 11.5 foot representing our house.

Guess it's never too late to capture a memory... and feel like a good mommy.