FabSugar

Fab's Spring Handbag Guide! Convertible bags

FabSugar — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:02:22 PDT

When form meets function you have the convertible bag. These have been the celeb favorite lately. Remember Reese and her Lanvin? As well, Ashley Olsen's all about it. When worn as a satchel, the long strap hangs in a cool lackadaisical fashion; when worn as a shoulder bag, it looks travel ready. The convertible bag is even more convenient than the car, if you ask me. Here are some fab favorites.

I hope you're loving my Spring Handbag Guide! Just can't get enough? Join the Ooh! Cute purses! group founded by justjaime27.

Prada Nappa Gaufré Convertible Satchel, $2,360.

A couple more so,

Loeffler Randall Kitty Small Slouch Bag, $495.

Dooney & Bourke "Mini Bubbles" Small Satchel, $150.

LilSugar's Baby Registry Essentials

LilSugar — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:56:34 PDT

It's amazing just how much stuff a person as tiny as a newborn baby needs. But as anyone who's gone through it before can tell you, babies are high-maintenance little people! If you're lucky enough to have friends and family who want to gift the new addition, they'll likely be looking to rely on your registry.

Consider registering at a larger, all-inclusive baby store, like Giggle or Buy Buy Baby in addition to a smaller, local specialty shop to provide the greatest variety in terms of projects. Sites like MyRegistry.com and AmazingRegistry.com allow you to create a customized registry from a variety of different online sources, making them a great option when family and friends are spread out around the country. Make sure that you get the most out of your registry by following our guide to everything you need to bring home baby!

LilSugar's Registry Must Haves
Every mom (and every baby) is different, and while we recommend using our list as a starting point, it really helps to see products in person, and talk to other new parents to find out exactly what worked for them. While this list encompasses what we believe to be the essentials, don't be shy about adding on some "just for fun" selections as well. If there's a piggy bank or stuffed animal that you've been coveting, go ahead and put it on there - people love gifting pretty presents. Happy registering!

At Home and on the Go
The amount of living/storage space that you have available should be a factor when making your decisions about whether you need a bouncy seat, playmat, and swing. When it comes to selecting a stroller, think about how soon you may be considering baby #2 - if it's within a year or two, you'll want to check out double strollers or convertible options. And now's a good time to think ahead to a toddler car seat (if you have room to stash it).

Stroller (or two)
Stroller Blanket
Footmuff or Bunting
Infant Car Seat
Toddler Car Seat
Swing and/or Bouncy Sea
Portable Crib
Carrier or Sling
Tummy Time Mat or Blankets

Layette (and Beyond)
You'll quickly learn that people love buying itty bitty baby clothes . . . but the 0- to 3-month wardrobe doesn't last very long! Register for a variety of outfits for baby's first year, but not beyond that. Since you don't know how quickly he/she will grow, it's hard to forecast what your needs will be for more than a year out.

Receiving Blankets
Swaddling Blankets
Side-Snap Undershirts
Coming Home Outfit
Onesies
Rompers
Sweaters
Sun Hats and Beanies
Socks
Sleep Gowns

Keep reading for the rest of our registry essentials!

The Slim Bag-In-Bag Stores Your Tech, Gadget Essentials

Kristy Korcz — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 11:48:39 PST

The most inconvenient part about being a geek is the sheer number of gadgets and tech essentials that we carry around every day. Keeping them all organized and safely stored in just one bag can be fairly tricky, and let's face it - it's hard to find a chic tech bag that you'd carry daily. Unless, of course, you have the Slim Bag-in-Bag ($29) from Invite.L, which fits into just about any bag, converting your favorite purse into an instant gadget carry-all when you need it.

Coming with a padded center pouch to hold your tablet or ultrabook, and 13 pockets to store your camera, phone, cords, cables, external hard drives, and whatever else you carry around with you, it's pretty much the perfect tech accessory for geeks on the go. This would make a fantastic addition to your carry-on, but can be a lifesaver for daily use. And since the Bag-in-Bag comes in 10 different hues, there's definitely one to complement your favorite bag.

Download of the Day: MyScript Notes Mobiles

Kelly Schwarze — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 12:17:41 PST

Your everyday bag is certainly packed with enough: wallet, smartphone, camera, iPad, and an old-fashioned notebook to jot down passing moments of inspiration. Make the final leap into a technology-enabled life and finally use the iPad as an actual handwriting tablet.

MyScript Notes Mobile for iPad ($8) provides the familiar pleasure of writing notes, reminders, or the next great novel without any pesky autocorrect windows popping up.

Take basic notes using MyScript and convert into shareable digital text in one of 32 languages. Converted text can be sent directly to an email client or social network. When you want to keep the look of the notebook page intact, they can also be sent outside the app as a PDF or image file.

We also like that you can take a page from your old elementary school habits and create multiple notebooks for each purpose within the app to stay organized. Label one notebook just for pictures, one for work ideas, another for home projects, and whatever else you used to keep in the paper notebook no longer weighing down your bag.

Download of the Day: Poshmark

Kelly Schwarze — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 19:08:40 PST

Shopping is quickly moving to the mobile world, with stores offering deals on the go and only accessible via mobile devices. Now, consumers can get in on the draw of selling their own goods to a mobile world with the new shopping app Poshmark.

Forget the old days of dragging bags of unused clothes to thrift stores hoping your trash becomes someone else's treasure (and let's face it, those buyers are so picky); Poshmark turns the hassle of fashion resale into an easy digital experience all within the comfortable confines of an iPhone. Created by the same brains behind social fashion website Kaboodle, Poshmark came to life "so that anyone can easily convert their closet into a stylish boutique with their phones," according to founder and CEO Manish Chandra.

Based on virtual events called Posh Parties, app users can enter a specific party - designer accessories, for example - browse goods, interact with other guests, and list items from their own closets for sale. The experience gets even more social by sharing listings on Facebook and inviting friends to future Posh Parties.

Of course, the employees of the Poshmark marketplace are always on hand ensuring that transactions go smoothly, and that all home sellers and customers keep coming back to the app to score fellow fashionistas' finds.

Foods That Prevent Weight Gain

Self — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 04:15:32 PDT

We are pumped to share one of our fave stories from Self here on FitSugar!

Prefer your morning java to a steaming cup of tea? Here's a compelling reason to make the switch: a new study in the online journal Obesity suggests that green tea may help prevent weight gain. Other recent studies have also suggested that drinking a cup or two of green tea each day may help you manage your weight. But is sipping green tea really the best way to stave off pounds before you pack them on? We asked Willow Jarosh and Stephanie Clarke, SELF contributing editors and co-founders of C&J Nutrition, to weigh in.

Green tea and veggies that are very low in calories like celery, cabbage, lettuce, cucumbers, etc. are healthy to include in your diet because they contain antioxidants, water to keep you hydrated, and fiber, which can help you feel more full and potentially eat fewer overall calories," Jarosh and Clarke say.

Jarosh and Clarke are not convinced that most of us can drink enough green tea to mimic the weight-loss results found in some of the recent studies. But enjoying a cup or two each day may improve your health as part of a relaxing ritual, so it's worth a shot!

Looking for a few more ways to prevent weight gain before it happens? Read Jarosh and Clarke's two favorite tricks after the break.

Joshua and Diane Take a Sweet Ride in a Classic Car

Lindsay Miller — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 02:02:00 PDT

Joshua Jackson and Diane Kruger made a glamorous exit from a Beverly Hills parking garage in a vintage Volkswagen Karmann Ghia convertible on Friday afternoon. The sexy pair did a little shopping on Beverly Drive before driving off and headed home with a couple of gift bags from children's store Bonpoint. Diane and Josh are back in LA after heading to France together for the Cannes Film Festival, where they hit the red carpet for the Sleeping Beauty premiere, and she made appearances as a spokeswoman for L'Oréal. The busy couple are frequently apart due to the demands of their careers, with Josh shooting Fringe in Canada and Diane frequently traveling for her modeling and acting gigs. Still, they love to reunite and share romantic moments whenever they get a chance. They were two of the many stars on the red carpet at the Met Gala last month, and they are equally cute and cozy when they're dressed down and casual, like at Coachella in April!

Love It or Hate It? CB2 Tie-1-On Sectional

Julia Millay Walsh — Sun, 22 May 2011 08:00:30 PDT

CB2's new overscaled Tie-1-On sectional is a weather-friendly, water-resistant polyester chair with black nylon straps that allows you to tie two chairs together for a loveseat, sofa, etc. It's basically a bean bag chair for the outdoors with an extra convertible feature. I don't have a backyard pool or lawn to decorate, so it may be a moot point, but I think I'd prefer a cushioned, teak chaise or something of the sort for my imaginary outdoor space. How about you? Do you love this?

Love at First Steam: Breaking Up With My Iron

Julia Millay Walsh — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 06:00:00 PDT

On rushed mornings, the last thing I want to do is drag my space-hogging ironing board out from the closet, unfold it, plug in my iron, and wait 10 minutes for it to heat up. Instead, I wind up choosing something a little less wrinkled than the clothing I initially had in mind. So I decided to buy a fabric steamer, the Rowenta 1400-Watt Pro Compact Steamer ($50), and see if I might become a convert.

My steamer is so compact, I can easily slide it under my bed when not in use. When I'm in a rush, I can conveniently pull it out and plug it in. Within two minutes, the little machine is gurgling away and ready for action. The set comes with a door hook, where I can hang the wide steam-head brush and hangers for my clothing.

The steamer has a fabric hose with a 360-degree swivel base, so you can steam at any angle - and you don't need to lay your apparel on a flat surface like an ironing board, either. Better yet, it can be used on any type of fabric. So every once in a while, I steam my curtains to keep them looking prim; they don't even have to be removed from their rods! I've also used my steamer to banish wrinkles from my sofa's skirted slipcover and even things like fabric bags and pillowcases - all tasks I'd never try with an iron.

I've had this baby for three months now, and probably use it every other day, a drastic increase from my biannual ironing. So there, I'm officially a convert. I don't know how I got through life without my magical fabric steamer, but I can say with 100 percent certainty that I'll never go back. Join the club: you (and your wrinkly laundry) will thank me.

Refuse, Refuse, Refuse, Then Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: 10 Tips For Going Zero-Waste With Kids

LilSugar — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 11:31:18 PDT

The average American throws out 550 pounds of paper, 318 pounds of food, and 90 pounds of glass per year, with nearly 80 percent of that garbage ending up in landfills. Transforming the average household into a zero-waste, all-natural, toxin-free utopia is an overwhelming concept if you try to tackle everything at once. Best to go through the house room by room, step by step to see which disposable products can be replaced with more eco-friendly options.

Having children may somewhat complicate the zero-waste transformation, but they in no way make it impossible. If you need a little push in the right direction BeSimpler is an inspiring business where one of the two extremely eco-chic founders (they both have kids and live waste-free!) will actually do a house visit to help mamas simplify and eliminate unnecessary waste. Here are some of their tips to transform a house into a waste-free, kid-friendly, sustainable home.

Babies use a lot of diapers. Most disposable versions go right in the trash along with handfuls of wipes, destined to spend years decomposing at the dump. Reusable cloth diapers and wipes are the best option for a zero-waste home (there are plenty of services who do the pick up and laundry), while compostable diapers are a good second option. Unlike other single-use diapers, compostable nappies are made of ingredients that will compost when put in the proper environment - they contain no petroleum-based plastics that pollute our Earth by remaining un-decayed for hundreds of years.
Babies make messes. Swap paper towels for microfiber cloths.
Rid the home of piles of junk mail by getting yourself off the lists at dmachoice.org and catalogchoice.org.
Treat boo-boos with peroxide, gauze, and paper tape instead of Band-Aids.
Use a neti pot or reusable handkerchiefs for stuffy noses.

Keep reading for more tips for converting a home into a waste-free zone.