Every summer from when I was 8 until I was 12 I visited my grandparents in Cleveland, OH and I used to hang out with my aunt, who was and still is one of the coolest and most stylish people on the planet! All she carried was Coach. She had Coach wallets, and Coach key chains, and, of course, Coach handbags. You name it, she had it. She is amazingly stylish to this day and I wanted to be just like her. Even though I am not nearly as stylish as she is, nor will I ever be, I followed in her footsteps and am also a lover of Coach handbags. So, naturally, it was a pleasure for me to review their new Kristin tote.

The Kristin tote is in a word, gorgeous! Sounds cliché, I know, but since I have to send it back you can take my genuine word for it! The Kristin tote is one of those handbags that women will come up to you and ask who you’re wearing. It’s one of those handbags that become instant conversation pieces. It’s very, very simple, but the details are unmistakable.

Made of soft leather the Kristin tote is easy to carry and isn’t stiff. I hate stiff leather handbags, don’t you? My favorite details are the chains that make up the handles and the majestic purple lining. The chains are heavy enough to allow you to really feel the quality of the bag, but certainly not overbearing. The flap on the outside makes grabbing your wallet or cell phone super simple. For people like me whose handbags become dark bottomless pits, the pouch on the outside is where you place all your essentials. It will make your life so much easier!

Halle Berry was recently seen carrying her Kristin tote. What can I say? She definitely has good taste! The Kristin Tote comes in three colors: green, black, and brown and retails for $598.

On the Net: www.coach.com

Full disclosure: I received a PR sample for review and have to return it to the Coach offices in NYC.

If you have been reading my blog lately you know how much I love Polyvore, so I created a STOKKE Polyvore to give you a snapshot of some of the most popular STOKKE products!

STOKKE by jenniferjames on Polyvore.com

Anyway, I saw the cutest rings from FOSSIL in one of the Christmas-laden department stores. Amidst all the flashing bulbs and tinsel I saw FOSSIL rings I think would be so fun and cute to wear. They range from $30-$50. I’d definitely wear one, depending on the occasion. Maybe at Blogher next year.

On the Net: www.fossil.com

I have been an Earth Footwear enthusiast since the very first time I bought a pair. I love my Solars so much I wear them everywhere, from taking a quick run to Starbucks to traveling all the way across the country. To say I love them is an injustice.

I bought my Solars when I attended a Disney Mom Blogger event and they were so comfortable that I have literally worn them every day since. I have never in my life worn a pair of shoes this much, but they have held up wonderfully and still look great. More importantly, though, they still feel comfortable!

Fast forward to the Type-A Mom conference where Earth Footwear was a sponsor and as I touted how much I love Earth Shoes, moms kept asking me if they really help you lose weight. My universal answer? Yes and No! When you wear Earth Shoes you really feel it in your calves. There is no doubt about it. But, you won’t be able to put on a pair, click your heels twice, and miraculously lose ten pounds. They’ll definitely help you attain your weight loss goals if you put in some effort.

Currently, I am trying out Earth’s Exer-Walks and they are equally as comfortable as my Solars and they also give me a workout every time I wear them. My calves are killing me whenever I get in from my walk.

I definitely won’t sit here and say you will lose a ton of weight wearing the Exer-Walks. You will definitely feel a difference in how your body feels after you’ve taken them off, especially in your lower legs!

The Exer-Walks won’t be available until January, so you’ll have to wait a few months to get them.

Click here to learn more about Earth Footwear’s technology.

On the Net: www.earthfootwear.com

And check out the storage and the quality of the wood!

It’s currently on sale. For $799! Sigh.

On the Net: www.westelm.com

Sure, there’s no shortage of cute baby clothes in the States. That’s true. But there is a shortage of cute baby clothes with adorable characters who children adore, parents instantly fall in love with, and whose names are so distinctly British you just want to buy the entire lot.

Seeing the Olive&Moss characters like Louis the Lion and Otto the Owl really make me miss those days when my daughters had pudgy cheeks and big, round baby thighs. Olive&Moss celebrates the wonderment and curiosity in children that allows them to appreciate characters who have friendly personalities and clever dispositions in ways we’ve long, long forgotten. Plus, the bright hues and the well-designed animals make for delightful baby clothes your children will look adorable wearing.

Olive&Moss, a British company, with its cast of 15 characters will be making its debut here in the States in a few weeks. Their bibs, baby sets, greeting cards, and wall stickers will be sold at Ollie Bollen. Be sure to give them a warm welcome!

Even though I blogged today over at my social media blog about going back to basics with blogging I still see the importance of social media. And when a gadget can make social media easier, I am all over it!

I have the Peek and, yep, I love it! Whenever I am traveling and can’t get to a hotspot for my iPod Touch I always use the Peek to read and send emails. I’ve always found the Peek to be incredibly reliable. In fact, it surprises me sometimes how great their coverage it. I don’t think I’ve ever experienced any place where I can’t get a signal.

I also use the Peek to tweet when I can’t get to a hotpot with my iTouch. I have it set up with Ping.fm right now, so I can send tweets. I just can’t see my replies which is utterly frustrating.

But last week I heard that Peek is coming out with the TwitterPeek that allows you do nothing more than tweet. I love it and want one! You can preorder it on Amazon.com for $99.

I love that it doesn’t need Wi-Fi! But there’s only one thing I don’t like: it only supports one Twitter account. That’s pretty lame, no? While I have one main Twitter account, I do have several that I maintain. Nevertheless, I am really thinking about pre-ordering a TwitterPeek because there are a lot of times when I can’t get on Twitter with my iPod Touch because of the darn Wi-Fi issue. And I refuse to buy an iPhone until I can justify the cost.

Check out the TwitterPeak on Amazon.com. (No, that’s not an affiliate link!)

Etsy offers a wonderland of remarkable, handmade items for the holiday season. Like I mentioned yesterday I typically go to Etsy to find jewelry, but everything is so great and beautiful I would be remiss if I relegated myself to baubles, rings, and pendants.

I found this amazing Etsy shop called Papermoth today. The artist has such beautiful art and the most important thing — it’s not too expensive. I know everyone needs to make a living, but in this economy if you can discover beautiful art that is nice on the wallet, I call that a win-win.

On the Net: www.etsy.com/shop/papermoth

I have always been enthralled by English history. Perhaps my fascination was piqued after I watched A Lion in Winter in high school where Katherine Hepburn literally breathed life into Eleanor of Aquitaine with her acting genius. After watching that I was forever hooked.

And then came all the bestselling novels by Philippa Gregory who undoubtedly took some liberty with history, but whose books are so fascinating helped me keep track of who’s who among English royalty.

The award-winning Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, recently published by Harper Collins, is a novel about the man behind the infamous Henry VIII, Thomas Cromwell, who I really don’t know much about, but am eager to.

I will be traveling next week, so I think I shall buy it for the downtime when I’m away. I’m excited to finally take some time to learn about Cromwell. All of these years reading English history I always glance over him, choosing instead to focus on the juicy details of Henry VIII’s crazy life. Should be an interesting read.

On the Net: HarperCollins.com