My new dressing room!

One of the perks of moving to our new house was the agreement that because my husband got his mondo sized garage, I could use a bedroom in the house for my "lady's nice things" room! I was very excited how this worked out, because having a room like this was something that I had only dreamt about in the past.

After we moved into the house in late October, it was a whirlwind of activity with the holidays and projects around the house. I didn't feel like I could truly focus on the purse room/dressing room until I had things take care of for the holidays. During December, I did get a good amount of momentum done on the room and I'm happy to finally be able to share the beginnings of my purse room!

Check out my video reveal on YouTube here:

I ordered a display cabinet from Home Decorators, the Essex Glass Door book case - and I'm using this to display a number of my handbags. Not all of them fit in the cabinet unfortunately - so I am looking for a secondary, likely smaller, cabinet to house extra purses and books…. However I love the styling of the Essex cabinet and the aesthetic it brings to the room.

The chair was a particular sticking point for the room. (And being able to finally share the room!) I wanted a chair that would pull out into a twin sleeping space, so that the room could function as additional guest sleeping space when we were hosting a number of people at our home. I originally was looking at a twin sleeper chair from Ballard Designs, the Tate Twin Sleeper Chair, and had settled on a fabric and design.

However at the last minute, I came across a chair at JCPenny, called the Twin Sleeper Chair, that was on *mega* sale - and it was a deal too good to pass up!! (Practically half of the price the Tate Chair was going to be.) In my hast in ordering from the few day sale going on, I missed that the fabric on the gray (my color of choice) chair was a microfiber… which because of fingerprint imprints would not be my first choice - overall I'm excited about the value and I think it will work great.

On the walls, I added a few prints by Lauren Maurer (check out her Etsy store!) - her gorgeous dress form watercolors have been some of my favorites to pin on Pinterest.

I also included a "charms wall" where I can add various wall pieces of interest as I find ones that speak to me.

All in all, I'm excited about the room and where it seems its headed. I think there is still a lot of work to be done, items to be ordered, and some more moving of things around… but I'm quite enjoying having my own space in our new home for my own passions and pursuits.

I'm looking forward to adding some finishing touches - changing out things like the chair at my vanity, adding a script print ottoman, and possibly a full size dress forum mannequin. It has been a lot of fun to be a bit "girlie" with a room in the house!

Do you have your own "lady's nice things" room? How have you chosen the decor for that room?

Happy New Year!

Well, life does get in the way from living sometimes - doesn't it?

We moved, craziness ensued... and I haven't managed to update Mom's Got a Brand New Bag in quite some time. Here are some highlights...

Big girl beds...

Birthdays...

Christmas trees...

Also, we had a lot of New Year's fun!



I'm debating where 2014 is going to take my blogging... should I jump to Word Press and try to take it up a notch? Or keep it the same with occasional updates here. I'm still in the decision stage but will be sure to post an announcement if I make the switch to Word Press under a new blog name!

Hope your 2014 is starting out great and I wish you all the best this upcoming year!

Ponds Luminous Finish BB+ Cream!

Pond's Luminous Finish BB+ Cream is in stores now and new for the US market in July 2013!

I have been trying it out the past few weeks and have absolutely been loving it! I was sent the Pond's Luminous Finish BB+ Cream by Influenster to do a product test of it before it released in the United States and also post a product review of it, if I felt the product was worthy.

I've enjoyed using the BB+ Cream, and I have to say the timing was absolutely perfect - as I had been leaning towards wearing BB creams for the majority of the summer. I was happy to try another option, and the Luminous Finish BB+ Cream didn't disappoint!

It claims to improve your skin texture over a period of two weeks and also decrease dark spots on your skin as well, I do believe I've seen an improvement in my skin and I know my skin feels better... so that is an important part as well.

Also, it gives great coverage and I can "build" it in areas where I would like a little bit more coverage - but it doesn't cake up or look like I'm wearing a ton of makeup. BB creams are great to let your natural skin shine through, and this BB+ cream is no exception, in that it gives my skin a nice healthy glow when I'm wearing it.

The BB+ cream also works great as a moisturizer, so i'm looking forward to wearing this during the winter months when my skin tends to get a bit dry - and if I can put faith in any company to know its moisturizers, it would be Pond's. A company known for its moisturizer world wide for decades.

This item is currently available on mass retailer store shelves now, and retail price is approximately $9.99.

See the full review and explanation of the Pond's contest below:

See my 2 minute entry in the Pond's Facebook competition for who best displayed and represented the product in under 2 minutes!

Vote NOW on the Pond's Facebook page for the best representatives of the BB+ Cream! Voting goes through August 12, 2013.

** Items in this review were sent complimentary for purposes of completing a review. This is not a paid review. All opinions are my own.

Review: Kodiak Cakes Flapjack and Waffle Mix!

I was contacted by Kodiak Cakes to review one of their products, and while I don't normally accept food reviews and initially was set to decline, I changed my mind after some consideration . The concept of a healthier box mix without preservatives intrigued me and I also appreciated that it is a family owned business, being a former entrepreneur myself.

So I accepted the review and received two boxes of their FlapJack Mix to review (along with a super cute apron!) - I set off to try my hand at making some pancakes!

They really are straight forward, dare I say... easy? To make... Instructions were quick to follow and it just took 1 cup of the mix to 1 cup of water, a bit of whisking, and we were off!

They cooked up quickly, 1 minute on the first side and 30 seconds for the second, and turned out great! The true test was the taste... and they passed with flying colors! I would definitely say they tasted better than "other" box mixes I had tried in the past, and I thought the consistency was great. Light and fluffy, not too thick or thin, the 1 cup to 1 cup ratio worked out great for me!

I will be looking for other Kodiak Cake products at my local Target stores, as most Target stores recently started stocking their products. Will let you know what I find in an upcoming Target haul!

See the full video review here:

** Items shown in this review were sent to the reviewer complimentary for consideration of the review. This was not a paid review. All opinions are my own.

2012 YouTube Year in Review

My YouTube Story and 2012 YouTube Year in Review... plus, a holiday Henri Bendel giveaway!!

I consider 2012 my "first" year on YouTube, even though I've had the account for a few years prior. I just started paying more attention to my YouTube account in the past year and steadily increased my uploads to where I now consistently upload 2-3 videos a week on my main channel. It has been an incredible experience and I never envisioned a year ago that could turn into what it has become!

I'm hosting a series of holiday giveaways on Bags4Bubbles' channel as a "thank you" for such a great first year on YouTube! Here's to a great second year in 2013 as well!

Louis Vuitton Multicolor Insolite Wallet Review

The Louis Vuitton Insolite wallet is a great large style wallet available from Louis Vuitton in monogram and multicolor prints. It also comes with a variety of interior options and is great to feel like you have a more "customized" wallet, rather than a plain colored one.

It opens up flat and holds 12 debit/credit or other cards - with two flat bill compartments, one interior coin area, and a large zippered area that is accessible without opening the rest of the wallet... Which is great for items you want quick access to!

So far, I'm really loving this wallet! It is easy to use and a great full-size wallet! The only cons I've found with the wallet so far is that is a lot more "exposed" than my previous Sarah style wallet, which felt more "private". The coin area on the Insolite also is not very user friendly and coins slide to one corner, which makes them hard to get to... a solution to that would be a separate coin change purse.

All in all, this wallet was a win for me and I'm enjoying it, and may even consider another one in the future!

* This is not a sponsored review. I am not affiliated with Louis Vuitton in any way, and all opinions are my own.

LUSH Giveaway!

I'm hosting a holiday giveaway series on my YouTube Channel, Bags4Bubbles - check out the giveaway that is going on now... for three great holiday products from LUSH Handmade Cosmetics!

There will be a series of holiday giveaways on my channel as a thank you for a great first year making videos on YouTube! Be sure to check them out! I am not affiliated with LUSH Handmade Cosmetics in any way, all products shown were purchased with my own money.

Sephora VIB Sale Hauls!

Here is my collective haul from the Sephora VIB sale in November! It is the best time of year to stock up on the products you use most often and also a great time to try out new things as well - during this once yearly sale at Sephora.

What's in my purse makeup bag?

My purse makeup essentials!

- Sephora Mineral Makeup compact
- Too Faced Pink Leopard mini compact
- Too Faced Flat Kabuki Brush
- Dior Addict Gloss in Draped Lilac (Nordstrom LE)
- Too Faced Lipstick Lip of Luxury in Free Love
- Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Peek-a-Boo
- Tory Burch sunglasses fabric case
- Sephora hairband

Closet Tour

Requested on YouTube - a closet tour!

Answers to your questions on You Tube!

You asked... I answered!

My answers to a few popular questions that I've gotten recently on my You Tube Channel, Bags4Bubbles...

Tips for buying Pre-owned, Authentic Designer Handbags & Accessories:

Top 5 Purse Styles and Designer Handbag Brands that are essential for any woman to own!

Playing a bit of catch up!

Well, things have been busy, busy, busy!! We've been swapping out cars, going to lessons, and getting things done around the house... all this has not left a lot of time for blogging unfortunately! I have continued to do videos for Stay at Home Mom September on my You Tube channel, beingmommywithstyle. I've also posted a few fun videos on Bags4Bubbles as well.

As a part of SAHM September, I have added additional videos on Finding Mommy Time & a Gymboree Clothing Haul!

On Bags4Bubbles, I've shared my new favorite item to collect... and a favorite makeup look.

I'm hoping things will get a bit more back to "normal" soon, as it seems like we've been so busy lately - I've hardly had time to even assess what we've been up to! I have been enjoying my additional Zumba classes at the gym and addtional activities for the girls.

In bag related news, I haven't had a wishlist for the longest time... and I think I finally have one forming! So as I think on it a bit more, I'll have to do an updated post, with what I *think* my wishlist for the future is going to be!