Why do we love Pinterest?

I'm a HUGE Pinterest fan. I mean HUGE. I like to think of myself as a PIN MASTER. Which is probably why I have over 1000 pins and about 20 boards to my name. (http://pinterest.com/pinkletters/)

Why is Pinterest such an amazing sensation? I have a few theories. I think Pinterest fulfills our need for sharing and receiving validation for our thoughts and opinions, and I think we all get a thrill from the idea of, mainly in the virtual sense "owning" these beloved things we pin.

Pinterest I think was genius when they came up with the idea of the "Activity" or "News" board where you can get a quick glimpse of those items you have pinned that others like or repin. Its fabulous! I love to see that my old friend "Suzie" loves that scarf as much as I do. Enough to add it to her own collection of thoughts and wishes. I love to see the styles of "Grace" and the gorgeous things she is eying these days. Its almost like you get to peek at each other's journals and see what is important in your life these days. I can tell who is getting married, having a baby, picking up cooking, picking up photography... all simply from the types of pins they are pinning!

And boy do I love collecting those genius ideas for myself. Not only does the act of "pinning" speak to my characteristic of poor memory, but in a virtual sense I'm gettin to own something that otherwise I wouldn't get a chance to own. I can look at and daydream about those lovely boots all day long, even though my budget is not allowing me to feel them and touch them. It will do for now! And when the magical day does come that I can call those boots mine I know exactly the link that will take me to the page to purchase them.

So in essence, Pinterest holds my virtual accessories closet and helps me develop my future collection... so, follow me! http://pinterest.com/pinkletters/

The simple things

You know those one or two pieces of jewelry that finally stick? Every other piece before then either got lost or you started to use less of it or it sadly got ruined... well I don't think it was until I was in high school when I got my first piece of jewelry that stuck.

As I mentioned before, I am a minimalist accessories owner (which is something I am working on improving), and to be honest the majority of the pieces you will find in my jewelry box today include gifts and a few old costume jewelry pieces from places like Forever 21.

But the gifts are golden. Not only do they have sentimental value, but they are items that you may not have chosen for yourself. But with the no risk reality of a FREE accessory, you've acquired this piece that may be out of your comfort zone... but it goes just right with that top you just bough! Perfect!

So, back to that first piece that "stuck." It actually wasn't a gift (the second one was). It was actually a discount clearance item from one of my main shopping locations, Dillards. The piece was a simple chain necklace with a charm that looked liked a wax stamp with a "J" in the middle. Sterling silver, shorter chain length, and simple as can be. It has become one of my staples and my boyfriends favorite piece of mine. He likes the simplicity of it (of course) but I like the personalization of the J and the fact that the chain and the charm have stood the test of time and still look great with just a little bit of polish here and there.

(Not the exact piece but pretty close!)

No joke, I'm pretty sure I bought the piece for about $15 - $20. Its one of those pieces that once its pulled out of the back of my jewelry box I find myself wearing it pretty consistently for a few weeks before it gets forgotten and then I'll pull it out again in a few weeks and wear it again for awhile. There have been times when I thought it was lost and then its found (yay!) and I pick up wearing it again. How its lasted to follow me for this long I will never know, but I'm glad it has.

The other piece is a ring my boyfriend gave me on our first Christmas that is a James Avery "Love Knot" ring. It is simple, sterling silver, and just enough ornateness to feel special to me. When he first gave me the ring I panicked a little because of the responsibility of wanting to show I cared by keeping good care of it and wearing it every day. Now, if for some reason I forget to put it on in the morning I feel naked all day. Hopefully someday it will be replaced with something with a little more bling... someday. :)

Trend here? Simple, silver, quality. I like quality jewelry. The pieces I've bought that weren't, I was disappointed when they started to fall apart or tarnish or get bent... etc. But even some pieces I've loved I just can't hold on to for the life of me (hence the collection of poor single earring that will probably never see their other half...). 

The time was right

Earlier this year I had a goal. I was determined to purchase a Michael Kors watch. Why, you may ask? Easy, I wanted it. Easy as that. There was no necessity, there was no requirement, it was truely and purely a luxury I wanted for myself.

When I set my mind on wanting this new fancy watch, I knew that I did not just have $250 lying around to hop to the store and purchase it. Far from it. I've already mentioned that student loans are a reality of my life and to be honest, every extra discretionary income dollar I get I feel guilty for not spending right towards paying those off... but a girl has to live life to the fullest, right?!

Not only that, but I am working a full time job (first big girl job, remember?) and that keeps me busy 8-5 and then some, and in my "free time" decided to start taking some graduate classes... I swear, I can do it! So, after a few long days, long weeks, long months... I couldn't help but feel that I deserved a pretty little thing or two to make my day a little bit brighter.

I feel like watches are the ultimate necessity/luxury. Not only do they serve an uber practical purpose of letting you know that time it is at all time, without having to look at your phone and look like you're distracted (I swear a watch is the best investment for a new young professional because of that exact reason), but they provide an extra oomph to your daily style that becomes more of a routine of habit than a drawn out difficult style decision each morning.

There is no hesitation, now, when my day is beginning and I am getting ready for work I always think to put on my watch. And when I don't wear it now, I feel naked, or that I am unprepared for what lies ahead. Before I finally splurged to get myself this pretty little thing, I was reliant on first, a $50 OK basic watch and/or a glance at my handy phone. Sure, its OK for awhile, but eventually you start to realize that "there is a better way!"

Therefore lies the easy decision to splurge on this watch. And what made it EVEN easier was my "gift to myself" for my hard work. I cheated a couple of months, but my Micheal Kors watch was not acquired until nearly 3 years of work at my big girl job. Sure, it was difficult to wait to splurge for such a thing, but having to pay for furniture, work necessities, bills, and some travel, made the wait bearable.

Needless to say, the purchase has proven entirely worth it. Am I suggesting you need to get a MK watch (and no, I am not endorsed by said company in any way)? No sir. What I am saying, however, is that a stylish, quality watch is an investment piece which you can wear each and every day.

And what made this accessory all the more worthwhile is that I chose the mixed metal version. In the past, mixed metals were not my favorite. However, in a watch it means that each morning I don't have to think twice about whether the piece will match my chosen outfit of the day. I know it will.

Happy hunting!