The Art of Accessories

I know it’s the beginning of the year and a lot of folks think about getting fit and going to the gym. I also seem to head back to yoga class searching for a little bit of peace and a lot of stretching and strengthening of my back every January.

So what is this you ask? And how does it relate to being fit? It’s a yoga mat!Actually…correction a custom yoga mat.

YogaMatic allows you to either choose from one of their designs or upload your own photograph/graphic image to have a custom yoga mat created for you. Since I’m a web/design dork (I secretly want my license plate to say CMYK) I immediately picked the web color palette spectrum as something that would sooth my soul while practicing my downward facing dog. If I designed my own I’m sure I’d create a collage of a ton of images I have in Photoshop of my family and the places we’ve been to make me smile when the yoga instructor is making me sweat.

I know that I’m the kind of girl who wants to have the cutest yoga mat, bags and clothes (you can’t concentrate on your pose when you have visible pantylines, right?!) so this one is right up my alley. Now if I could just get it together with actually following through on my resolutions for 2009…

What are your resolutions for this year? Anything good?
dwj

January 6th - 8th: Get 25% off of everything* at MAC Cosmetics. Use promotional code: MACFF9. There’s a lot that I would stock up on…

dwj

*excludes Viva Glam

Classics are always timeless. I’ve read Little Women a million times and watched the movie over and over and it gets better every single time to me. Because I truly believe in the classics, I apply that same philosophy to my sneakers.

Converse Chuck Taylors are the multipurpose sneaker for me. I wear them to work, on the weekends, with jeans or with dresses.

My love affair with Chucks began 15 years ago on a cross country family trip when I was 15. I still own the pair of green and navy blue blackwatch plaid chucks I bought at a mall somewhere in the southwest (I was obsessed with green and blue plaid and eventually progressed to a love affair of Burberry and it’s signature plaid) and wear them on occassion. Traditionally when I buy a pair of chucks I buy white but this year I upgraded to charcoal - I thought I’d get my grown folks on with a darker color palette.

I work in a business casual office so I don’t wear high heels that often, plus I commute, so my charcoal grey Chucks will blend quite nicely with my khakis and more casual attire at the office. These shoes are versatile and come in a wide range of colors so you never get bored. You can also custom create a pair on the Converse website - and that puts a new spin on a very old classic.

dwj

I know Christmas just passed, but I bought myself something the other day…I couldn’t help it. When I saw the new Target Hayden Harnett line, I couldn’t resist.

I discovered the high end Hayden Harnett line a few months ago and was smitten with a very nice bag that had a very high price. The Target line is sooooo much more wallet friendly. I quickly scooped up the chain linked tote pictured above to add a nice everyday bag to my wardrobe. I also was really tempted to buy the yellow and purple tote that I saw while at my local Target. Oh and there’s a very hot oversized clutch/shoulder bag too…Okay, I’m loving them all. Definitely check them out online or at a Target near you. I’m pretty sure they’re going to go very fast.

dwj

Now until January 10th receive 25% off your entire purhcase at Jessica Simpson Collection. That’s a nice way to start the new year! Use promotional code: 25OFF09 at checkout.

dwj

It’s cold in DC right now.  There’s lots of wind but thankfully we haven’t been blanketed with snow yet. I HATE winter. I hate the bitter cold, the mandatory hat wearing and the way that you can never seem to shake the cold feeling once you’ve been chilled to the bone. So I decided to give myself a perky springtime manicure this week in an effort to try to perk myself up from my winter blues.

Essie’s Swept Off My Feet is a perfect glossy pink. It’s that perfect shade of raspberry pink that you want your lips to be stained with in the summertime. It’s a glossy creme and because it’s an Essie nail polish it wears really well. I haven’t had any chipping with an Essie polish yet, that’s always a plus.

I’m hoping when I look down at my fingertips while I’m typing at work the color will perk me up. I don’t know if that will really work but I’ve got to give it a try, right?
dwj

I realized that with the new year there may be a few new readers, or readers who didn’t necessarily start reading the blog from the beginning. So please, allow me to reintroduce myself…

My name is DWJ and I run the Art of Accessories. Originally the Art of Accessories was a website that I started for a graduate school project in January of 2008 but I liked it so much and I gained an audience so I kept it going.

I am a self proclaimed shopaholic (and I have the proof in my closet). I love shoes, handbags, jewelry and definitely makeup. I think accessories are what can make or break your wardrobe, but I also don’t believe in paying a lot of money for everything you own. Every week I share products that I buy, have gotten as a free sample, have been sent to me by a company (and yes, I will be honest even if something was given to me), or things that I’m interested in purchasing. A few regular features are:

• Monday’s Manicure: On Monday’s I share a new nail polish color with pics and all to let you know what’s hot and what’s not.

• The Sewing Chronicles: I started sewing at the end of the summer and I will occasionally share a project that I’m working on. Look for sewing projects and sewing insights on Tuesdays.

• Wednesday’s Woes: Sometimes readers email me their accessory/makeup dilemma and I try my best to give advice.

• Friday’s Fabulousness: Every Friday I share something with you that I think is just fabulous and I hope you’ll think it’s fabulous too.

I love reader comments (keep them coming) and getting emails. I’m hoping to have more contests in 2009 and to post even more frequently (I usually have two posts a day Monday through Friday). Check out the sidebar for categories to browse through old posts, subscribe to the RSS feed, leave comments, email feedback and definitely become a regular.

Welcome, to the Art of Accessories.
dwj

And I’m back!! This was the longest break I’ve taken from the blog ever, but sometimes you need to refresh and recharge in order to be in prime shape when you return. I have done a lot of sleeping, web browsing and window shopping in NYC. I think I’m ready to return to you guys for another year.

First let me say, Happy New Year! I’ve been thinking and planning and plotting to do new and better things for the Art of Accessories this year. I’m almost at my 1 year anniversary, can you believe it? I can’t but I hope to gain more and more readers this year and keep giving you all the things that you come back for on a daily basis.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. I got some very nice presents, but I have to admit I was just happy to have some time off from everything. So presents…I guess I should share. One of my favorites is my Sephora Makeup Brush set. My mother read the blog and bought them for me! Of course my father didn’t think that was a good gift at all, but to a beauty junkie like myself it was the most magical thing she could’ve given me. The brushes are so pretty I’m almost afraid to use them but I have been testing them out since the day after Christmas. They were definitely one of my favorite things. My husband and I also bought ourselves a Wii for Christmas. It’s definitely the gift that keeps on giving!

Well I am so happy to be back, I’m so happy and excited for a new year and I’ve got lots to share.

Thanks for coming back and reading The Art of Accessories!
dwj

To the readers of the Art of Accessories -
I’m surprised every month when I see that so many of you read this blog on a daily, weekly or monthly basis! Thank you so much for your comments, emails, questions and feedback - they mean a lot to me.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and you get to spend it with your loved ones. I’ll be taking a little break from the blog to spend time with my family and friends for a few days.

I hope you all know that you’re a part of the Art of Accessories family and I am so fortunate to have you in my life. I didn’t realize this little project for grad school would turn into an every day thing but I’m so glad it did. I look forward to sharing more beauty, bling, shoes, handbags and accessories in 2009 with you all!

Happy Holidays and I’ll see you right back here on January 5th. I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday season.

xoxo,
dwj

Lately I’ve been looking at going back to basics. I don’t own many neutrals or basic pieces and as I’m getting older and my style is changing I realize I need more foundational pieces (Example - I have owned the same pair of black pants for about 3 years now and they definitely need an upgrade). So with that back to basics mode I have been looking for a black pump to add to my wardrobe.

Of course I can’t just pick a regular round toe and be done with it. Instead, I’ve been looking at the Promiscuous ‘Doted On’ heel that kind of has oxford details. I love black suede shoes especially because they look so good with black tights which are a huge staple in my winter wardrobe. And these just look sexy and fun to me, don’t you think?

Perhaps when we head up to NYC for the holidays I’ll get a chance to browse Sak’s huge shoe store and get more ideas from that. You’ll just have to wait and see!

dwj

So all last week I was running a contest for two readers of the Art of Accessories to win 6 sets of chicBuds earphones for themselves and their friends. I got some great entries and decided on two winners.

Who won? Click below to find out and read their entries!
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I painted my nails Sunday night in this color and I had to share it with you guys for the holiday season even though I already featured a Monday’s Manicure today. What can I say? I’m in the giving mood today.

If you want to feel a little festive for Christmas, I’d recommend Sinful Colors Nail Enamel in ‘San Francisco’. This is a glittery emerald green shade that does not have a rough glitter texture at all (I love that about Sinful Colors). You can pick this up at your local Walmart for less than $2 and I think it is absolutely gorgeous. But I’m also addicted to green, so I may be biased.

And I know that Hanukkah has begun and if you’d like a subtle blue shade for the holiday, might I suggest Sinful Colors Nail Enamel in Aqua.

Happy holidays!
dwj