The Only Thing Constant Is Change

It's been a while since I've posted and that's mainly because I was going back and forth with the idea of re-branding. I purchased a domain and in the coming days/weeks there will be a few changes made around here. The name known as Handbagshairandheels will be changing to WhyNotKristin. I feel that this suits me better as well as the direction that I'd like to take my blog. I have also updated my social media accounts to reflect the changes so if you're not following me on social media please do so @WhyNotKristin . Thank you all sooo much for your support throughout the years, I am looking forward to bigger better things!!!

Today Is My Friday

Don't you just love when the weekend comes early? I know I do!!! I couldn't hardly contain myself at work today, hoping and wishing that is get an email from my CEO with an early release. That never happened and to make matters worse I had a 5PM meeting. Nonetheless I was still excited to run outta the building and get my weekend started. 

Today I decided to chill in my city and check out 1st Thursday's in Del Ray. Del Ray is an area in Alexandria 'where Main Street still exists'. Del Ray has that old school everyone-knows-everyone vibe. It was kool to just walk around and chill and see everyone enjoying themselves. My friends and I definitely used this time to kick back and enjoy the scenery.

I'm looking forward to all this weekend has to offer. I hope you all have a safe 4th of July!!!

Dope 33rd!!!

1.       So many significant things about the number 33. Jesus performed 33 miracles and was 33 when he died and rose and #JesusYear.

2.       Since I had Friday off I went and got my free cookie dough iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts.

3.       And treated myself to a mani/pedi.

4.       I hit up the mall and got a super cute Adidas shirt for a great price.

5.       I also got a pair of Rayban Clubmasters as a gift and took advantage of Sunglass Hut’s 25% off.

6.       I had dinner at a restaurant I was dying to try.

7.       The ambiance reminded me of California for some reason.

8.       Oh how I love California and wish I booked a trip there #iDigress

9.       I ordered Chicken and French toast at the restaurant.

10.   And a ginger margarita.

11.   There was a free go-go concert at the mall’s plaza.

12.   Did I ever mention my love for go-go?

13.   I danced and partied in the rain with friends #DripDrop

14.   Because I’m such a homebody I ended my birthday eve early and went home to watch OITNB.

15.   I went off on my family for being 4 minutes late singing me Happy Birthday.

16.   My grandma was getting dressed for bed but didn’t want to miss the festivities of singing for her first and favorite  grandchild so she sprinted out in her birthday suit (hilarious because we were on FaceTime).

17.   My only true birthday plan was to participate in the Wipeout Race (a 5K with several obstacles).

18.   The race was fun yet challenging.

19.   Did I mention it has hot as hell ever.

20.   During the race my little cousin had her baby on my birthday!!!

21.   I had buffalo wings after the race from Buffalo Wild wings #HatedIt

22.   Didn’t celebrate at all on my actual birthday because there was a summer storm with tornado warnings

23.   Last minute Sunday morning I decided to text a few friends to meet for brunch.

24.   We met at Fuego in Clarendon.

25.   Did I mention how much I LOVE Mexican food?

26.   3 course brunch for $19.99 and $2 drinks for the win.

27.   I used my new camera and uploaded pics in real time.

28.   I gotta learn more about my Samsung NX Mini #BirthdayGift

29.   Went back to my house for my Hello Kitty ice-cream cake #ThanksSue

30.   Took a nap afterwards, I was still tired from the race

31.   Went to the movies because I LOVE movie popcorn.

32.   I saw DOPE, you have to go see it!!!

33.   It wasn’t the most extravagant or excited but I’d have to saw turning 33 is pretty dope!!!

Happy Birthday!!!

The Best of May

Hello April...

I am beyond excited for April, a new month, new goals and hopefully warmer weather. My April calendar is almost maxed out and I'm beyond ecstatic that I have the time off to get into some things that I enjoy. For starters, I'm taking a Spring Blogging Bootcamp with the fabulous blogger Kim Postell. I'm only a few days in, but I'm already loving connecting with other bloggers and future bloggers. Although I just started, I would definitely recommend this Bootcamp for you guys. I'm also taking an online course in religion and hip hop. I look forward to learning about how religion effects hip hop culture. 

Those are few things on my April calendar. Luckily, there are sooo many events taking place in the DMV area and I'm happy to share them with you in case you want to get done with the get down!!!

So there you have it. Let me know if you'll be attending any of the events above in the comment section. Also let me know if I'm missing out on anything, maybe I can squeeze it on my calendar. 

Birchbox: Home Sweet Homespun

Once upon a time I was all caught up in subscription boxes. The first box that I subscribed to was Birchbox. If you’re not familiar with Birchbox, where on earth have you been? I kid, I kid. Birchbox is a monthly subscription box ($10 per month) which sends you sample and deluxe sample sized products based on a profile you fill out. Now in all honesty, I canceled my box over a year ago. I felt like I was getting products that didn’t match my skin nor hair type and I was giving away more product than I actually used. Fortunately, Birchbox still e-mails me and I received an e-mail which offered a 40% discount. This of course made me curious to see what they were offering. Little did I know, Birchbox created Limited Edition boxes that are themed and have mostly full-sized items. This was a win-win for me because I didn't have to make a monthly commitment, I chose the box which interested me most, and I was able to take 40% off. 

I chose the Home Sweet Homespun box which was originally $40. This box is dedicated for those that want to enjoy a  'cozy night in'. Think, a good smelling candle, warm cookies, and toasty feet propped up watching a movie. I could tell this box was going to be all that as soon as I received it. I'm a sucker for cute packaging, and cute this was!!!

I just love the cute little note that Birchbox includes as well as all of the items listed.

A girl can never have too much confetti!!!

Check out everything that sprung up out of my Birchbox.

My absolute FAV are the Milk Cookie Mix. If you've never had cookies from this company, do yourself a favor and order them immediately!!! I also like the hanging photo clips, I hope to use those soon. 

There are a few more subscription boxes that I'd like to try such as Popsugar and the Fabfitfun box. Let me know in the comment section if you subscribe to any subscription boxes and which one is your FAV. Also, let me know if you have a promo code, cause your girl loves a discount!!! 

Modage Style Fashion Bus Tour

 

This weekend I was able to meet up with a few women that enjoy the art of thrifting as much as I do. Have you ever heard of Modage Style Fashion Bus Tour? Well if you haven’t, let me help you get your life and become exposed to everything that is related to thriftng. To learn more about the tours join the Facebook group. On this particular tour we were scheduled to visit 3 Goodwill stores, however, the weather had a mind of its own and we had to cut our visit to two locations. Nonetheless, the stores that we visited were exactly what me and my closet needed. I can’t believe that this was my first time thrifting this year.

Look its DC Goodwill Fashionista modeling her new bag!!!

Before we started the trip, Lerkia (the organizer) gave us the rundown of how everything would work and answered questions. She also showed us a few of her Style Maven items that were for sale and would go hand in hand on this thrifting adventure. I purchased one of her extra-large ‘Thrift Store Junkie’ totes, I wanted a sweatshirt but I had to make sure my fund$ were intact for whatever treasure I’d stumble upon. As we were heading out we were given the cutest Style Maven pins that allowed us to take an additional 10% off of our purchase. Lerkia also had us a light breakfast of muffins, cinnamon rolls, tea and juice to energize us to go from rack to rack!

Cinnamon rolls, bomb.com!!!

Our first tour stop was at the Goodwill in Dale City. I didn’t even know this location existed, but now I have a new location on my thrift radar. The staff was very welcoming and you could tell that they were looking forward to us visiting. Honestly all we needed was a camera and we’d have our own thrifters reality show. I guess customers noticed how large of a group we had because one of them reached out to Lerkia to get more info on the next Style Bus Tour. When I say that this location had all the goods, they had everything. Although I didn’t really go through the home section, I saw huge decorative mirrors, pianos, and cute picnic baskets. Did you all know that I am secretly addicted to picnic baskets? Now ya know lol! Although I’d known about this trip for a couple of weeks I didn’t necessarily have a plan on what I actually needed. Luckily the thrift Gods were on my side, I found some really cute items at a great price. Take a look below at some of the fun we had…

 

Lerkia with her fabulous thrifted bag

 

 

 

 

I had to snap a pic of this 'Cosby"' sweater since I wore a thrifted 'Cosby' sweater

 

I can't believe I didn't get this...

 

Our second stop was at the Goodwill in Anandale. I didn't get as many goods from here but some of the other ladies racked up. This location definitely had something for the entire family. They even had a few pair of shoes that were 50% off. Check out all of the fun we had below.

 

This was my buddy on the bus be sure to check her out here

Although I'm not a fan of red, I absolutely loved this picture

What cute luggage you have!!!

I could not imagine being a caterpillar daily, cute for someone but not me :-(

I sooo love this pic, it reminds me of thrifting with my mom

Can you believe that this beauty was $1000 (it even had authenticity papers)

This one came home with me...



 

I loved the headboard on this bed, sooo pretty

Such a cute blazer...

 

Look at all of the looks the Goodwill put together

 

 

Since the snow started coming down heavy we decided it was best to grab food and head back to DC. Honestly, all of that shopping had me tired and hungry.

 

 

I really enjoyed myself, the vibe was great and I left the tour feeling totally inspired about fashion, especially thrift store fashion. It's always good to meet up with people that share your same interest, I can't wait to do it again. In case you're interested in the pieces I got keep scrolling down!!!

 

 

Such a cute Ann Taylor blazer

I love this wool Gap wrap jacket

This nautical Banana Republic shirt is a classic

All black floor length dress

I love this pink and green tunic

Such a cute classy H&M dress

Did someone say pastel?

I love this grey cross body bag

I will be getting this skirt re-sized soon

Can you tell there's a print theme going on?

This is my favorite find of the day

Look at the details on this dress

This has to be an authentic handmade piece

More details

The leather basket bag was everything and so is my bracelet

 

Have you all gone thrifting lately, if so what was your favorite purchase?