Sunday, February 28, 2010

a new hobby.

Second only to my obsession with music would be purses...bags of any kind, really. Cute, reusable shopping bags? Can't resist buying them. Totes? Clutches? Overnight bags? I'm pretty much obsessed with buying any form of bag you can think of. I think my love of purses has surpassed my love of shoes. Maybe.

So this brings me to my new hobby - being a Thirty-One Gifts consultant. In all honesty, I never really saw myself doing something like this. But after going to a Thirty-One party a couple weeks ago, I loved their stuff so much I just felt like it would be something enjoyable for me to do.

So far, I own the skirt purse, large utility tote, boardwalk bag, thermal tote, along with a few other items. The skirt purse is my favorite so far (seen in the picture) - it's really a great size. It's small compared to what I usually carry, but it's bigger than it looks. I still have plenty of room for everything - my (big-sized) wallet, blackberry, ipods (I carry two), small makeup bag, and more. AND, best thing about it is the skirt! I've seen skirt purses before (one purse with interchangeable "skirts" you can buy to change the look), but was never impressed. Most of the ones I had seen were obvious - you could seek all the hooks around the purse and I didn't like that. With the Thirty-One skirt purse, the hooks are completely hidden, so it looks like the skirt is the actual purse. And, of course, they have plenty of really cute different skirts to choose from.

Moving along. You can see the entire catalog here. And then you can make an order directly on my site - www.mythirtyone.com/aubreyb. :) Almost all the items can be embroidered, so they make wonderful gifts for any occasion...birthdays, babies, great for bridesmaids, Christmas, etc. I will say that they have a lot of really great things for mommies. I think one of their bags has enough pockets for six sippy cups or something crazy like that (that could be an exaggeration, but trust me it was a lot). However, not being a mommy, I can say that a lot of the same items are great for just being organized.

As a consultant, I also facilitate parties. They do *not* have to be in-home parties, so realistically I could do a party for you if you lived three states away (a web party or catalog party). There are several benefits to hosting a party...discounts, free stuff, all those good things. And most importantly, it's fun.

I'm hoping this endeavor goes in a good direction, and whatever happens, I can at least say I tried. And it was a wonderful excuse to purchase large quantities of great purses and bags all at once!!! In all seriousness, feel free to leave a comment here with your email address if you have any questions, or email me at a.l.bumgarner@gmail.com. I'll be happy to answer!

Monday, February 15, 2010

recent jamz

Since I really have nothing to say, I shall make a list. Here's what I'm currently listening to:

1. The Fear - Lily Allen. Before hearing this song, I only knew who she was from Perez Hilton (I know, you're probably thinking "really?"). From what I gather, she's pretty messed up, in an Amy Winehouse sort of way. Love this song though. Found it via Pandora (Imogen Heap radio). I have discovered the joy of listening to Pandora more on my blackberry in my car...woo!

2. Glittering Clouds (Locusts) - Imogen Heap. Again, thank you Pandora! I love Imogen and I'm surprised I hadn't heard this one. It was featured on a compilation called Plague Songs. Very interesting concept. The album is made up of 10 songs, each representing a Biblical plague from the book of Exodus. Kind of cool, but also very weird. Imogen never disappoints though.

3. Who Is It (Carry My Joy On the Left, Carry My Pain On the Right) - Björk. Although I proclaim to be a huge fan of Björk, I'm mostly just a fan of her old stuff. This song is from her album entitled Medúlla which was released in 2004. Not really "new," but newer than say Debut. Anyway. I'm loving this song, specifically the beat box rhythm she uses in the background for the whole track. And it's quite upbeat - similar in mood to "Alarm Call," another great track of her's that is worth listening to.

4. I Can't Love You Now - Sarah Jarosz. This girl is the missing link I have been searching for since Nickel Creek stopped recording. Only seventeen years old, plays the mandolin, and writes great songs. I can't stop listening to this one in particular. Along with the rest of the album (Song Up In Her Head).

5. Edge of a Dream - Sarah Jarosz. See above.

6. In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel. I love a lot of Peter Gabriel's music, and I could probably always list this song as being "currently played." In my book, it's one of the best songs ever. My love for this song was recently rekindled after watching the movie "Say Anything...". OMG. I LOVE THIS MOVIE. I always figured it had to be good if it featured this song, but I hadn't seen the movie until a few months ago. The first time I watched it, I kind of felt like, meh. I'm not a huge fan of Ione Sky (who plays the lead female role of Diane), but John Cusack is wonderful. And it's such a great story. Simple, but great. And after visiting Best Buy yesterday, I now own the dvd. yay! I'm watching the Olympics right now, and seriously, someone should ice skate to this if they haven't already.

7. Live in Las Vegas - Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds. So, I probably have five different live versions of most songs on this album, but you can't go wrong with this combination. And the $15 iTunes gift card I had was burning a hole in my pocket.

On an unrelated note, I hope you all had a fantastic Valentine's Day. Ross & I were completely cheesy and saw the movie - "Valentine's Day," in case you are missing that - ON Valentine's Day (yes, we were one of those people). There were a couple endings that I didn't see coming and I thought were kind of awkward, but overall it was pretty good. Taylor Swift's character was actually pretty funny and she did a good job, as did the rest of the cast. I really just had a hard time picturing Bradley Cooper in the role he ended with...? I will end this now and say no more in case any of you are dying of suspense and don't want me to ruin the ending. HAH.

And I guess I had more to say than I originally thought.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

All is Full of Love

In honor of Valentine's Day, and in honor of the fact that I love Björk & this is one of her best live performances, I give you:



I consider Björk to be one of the most innovative artists of my lifetime. And this is probably one of her best songs, for the message if anything. Her music is definitely an acquired taste, but there's no denying that she is out of this world on the creativity charts.

Monday, February 1, 2010

Mindy Smith

Well, here lately I've gone from a Björk kick to a Mindy Smith kick...I know. That's like going from orange juice to supreme pizza with pickles. What can I say? I like to keep the variety going. I may return to Björk later.

I first heard Mindy Smith when she opened for Nickel Creek at ASU. Such a great show. Mindy Smith is fantastic. She has a tone for country/bluegrass that can't be learned. Kind of like Alison Krauss in the sense that there's no way you could ever practice for getting that vocal sound. You either have it or you don't.

She combines the themes of religion, love, and self-discovery in her songs and it's all really heartfelt. A straight-from-the-heart-to-the-page kind of thing. Love it. I wouldn't classify her as country or bluegrass. Somewhere inbetween, but more on the country side. Worth listening to however you choose to look at it though. Also, her cover of "Jolene" (featuring Dolly Parton) is really good if you like that song.

Recently I discovered this song of her's called "Peace of Mind" - a new favorite for sure. Favorite enough for me to post the lyrics...but you don't get half the meaning out of them compared to when you hear the actual song. It's one of the prettiest songs I've heard in a while I think. So I'll leave you with that.

I need peace of mind and a hopeful heart
to lose this rage and move out of the dark
I ain't lookin for rainbows or shooting stars,
just some peace of mind and a hopeful heart

I need peace of mind and a lullaby
cause there's an angry voice in my head tonight
telling me to do things that can't be right
I need peace of mind and a lullaby

And a miracle for this broken soul,
a little miracle for this broken soul

I need peace of mind and a gentle hand
as I try to change the way I am
and hope God forgives me when I can't
I need peace of mind and a gentle hand

or a miracle for this broken soul,
a little miracle for this broken soul

I need peace of mind and a hopeful heart