Tag: Barrington tote

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Fabulous living Fun Ways to Organize

Barrington Tote Review

Hi everyone! Happy Wednesday!

I hope you have been soaking up the summer and had a smooth week so far. This month has been a mix of summer fun Fridays with activities and day trips, nights spent grilling with family, taking walks after work and sneaking in every bit of sunshine! My calendar hasn’t been too packed which has given me space to enjoy the simple moments of summer and love it!

I have taken some day trips and one of my must-haves is a big tote bag. Last week, in my post about travel tips, I talked about how I got a Barrington Tote bag for my birthday and how much I have been loving it.

Me and my new tote for my birthday!

I’ve had it for almost a month and have used it multiple times, so it’s time for a proper review.

I’ve heard about the Barrington company for years, but wanted to wait for the right time to make the purchase. When I saw Barrington was collaborating with Simplified, I knew this was the time. After lots of research and online browsing, I decided to go for the St. Anne’s Tote with no zipper in Happy Stripe with a pink monogram and it was the best purchase for me.

If you are debating on making a big purchase, like a new purse or tote (whether it’s through Barrington or another brand), do your homework. Figure out what you have a need for, what do you want the purpose of your purse to be (a dainty purse, a tote, another accessory?) There are so many different brands and styles, it can get overwhelming. 

From there figure out what pattern speaks to you or goes best with the purpose of your purse. Are you looking for a year-long bag or one just for a season?

Lastly, decide how you want to accessorize it with a monogram and color options. This is the fun part, feel free to get creative.

After you get your purse order and it arrives, it’s time to try out your new tote.

Here’s a few things I love about my Barrington Tote. 

Ready for a day errands
  • The size- I love the size of the St. Anne’s tote. It can fit so much and things are still organized with pockets in the inside. For a day running errands or heading to the office, I can fit a laptop ( I have a Mac Book Air), my planner, a legal pad, a book, packages to mail, a few smaller pouches and some odds and ends.
A look in the inside
  • The durability-I brought it on some road trips and had it in and out of cars and places and I wasn’t worried about hurting it. I could easily find everything I needed to bring without having to go on a deep dive in my purse. I brought a hoodie, extra clothes, a pillow, snacks and some toiletries and more small pouches and everything had a home.
Everything I needed for an overnight trip fits in here.
  • The interior pockets- Having interior pockets makes it so much easier to find things and store things too, from chargers, to sunglasses and wallets.
  • The print- I love the colors, pattern, and monogram. The pattern is called Happy Stripe and it sure makes me happy.

I went back and forth between wanting a zipper or not, I have totes with both zippers and non-zippers and ultimately decided to not to go with a zipper and I’m glad I did. For the reasons, I use this purse, it’s been easier to not have a zipper.

I have been so happy with my purchase of my Barrington and Simplified Tote. If you are on the fence about getting one, I can whole heartedly recommend it. I have a few summer trips planned in the coming weeks and I know this tote will be coming with me.

If you have a Barrington purse or tote, what are your thoughts on it? Let me know in the comments below! Have a great rest of your week and I will see you back here on Friday!

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Let's Look Travel

Let’s Look: Best Travel Tips


Hi everyone! Happy Wednesday! I hope you are having a great week so far!  It’s the second Wednesday of the month which means it’s time for another Let’s Look as I link up with Erika and Shay.

Here’s some of the past prompts. In May, we talked about our morning routines, in April, we talked about pet peeves, in March, we talked about Amazon purchases, in February it was about our medicine cabinets.

As we make our way through summer, one thing you may be doing is heading on a trip, so this month, we are talking about travel tips. I did a post about summer travel tips that you can read here. But here’s a bit of a refresher and some new advice!

I broke down my travel tips for a day trip, weekend away and week long trip. I have been going on lots of day trips recently, so I have it down to a science. All these tips are for road trips in a car, but can be altered for flying.

Day Trip

  • Make a list of everything you plan to bring (I always like to keep it on my phone, so I can reference it- write everything down-from wallet to snacks, even chargers)
An example of a packing list (mine are more detailed but this just an example)
  • Totes and smaller pouches are the best tools. I love to bring a big tote (some of my favorite brands are my new Barrington tote, my Longchamp tote and my Thirty One bags) and then store smaller items like chargers, ear buds, gadgets in the pouches.
  • Always bring the necessities in addition to the fun things. (I always bring extra medicine, a first aid kit, a book, my glasses, some backup makeup, a hoodie or sweater, sunscreen or sunglasses- in the summer, just in case I may need them.)
  • A good road trip isn’t complete without some good snacks and don’t forget bottle water and drinks in case you get stranded in a car.
  • I always pack a backup outfit or blanket in case something happens and a day trip turns into an overnight trip. 
  • I always have a go-bag with extra clothes, toiletries, a blanket and pillow in my trunk.

Weekend Away

  • A lot of the same advice applies to a weekend away as they would to a day trip, but here’s a few extra tips. 
  • I always like to use sample products from toiletries and beauty products when I go away. It’s a way to try different products, see what works, but you don’t have to worry about long-term uses.
An example of some free samples that I can’t wait to try when I go away.
  • If you are low on items, use them on the trip and then toss them so you don’t have to bring them back.
  • Don’t overpack, try to keep in mind what events you need to pack for and try and stick with a color scheme too, it makes planning outfits easier

Week Long Trip

  • Always keep a packing list with all the details of every item and every place, event, or activity you need an outfit for.
  • Pack back up items in neutral colors to mix and match for outfits ( I always pack a white shirt, a t-shirt dress, and an extra pair of shoes that can be worn with other outfits.)
  • Leave room for souvenirs or any items you may buy or bring back. 

I enjoy traveling for long and short trips and while packing can be stressful or overwhelming, breaking it down by making lists, keeping things simple and not overthinking always helps. Always remember, if you forget something, you can always pick it up at the store!

That’s just some travel and packing tips that work for me. Tell me, what travel tips do you live by? Let me know in the comments below! Happy Traveling!

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Friday Favorites

Friday Favorites #41


Hello all! Happy Friday! I hope you had a great week! This one was a fun week, filled with friends, activities, and a good work week. 

Someone is happy for the weekend!

We are inching closer and closer to warmer and summer-like weather and I can’t wait for it.

As we get ready for the weekend, here’s some things I’m loving this week as I link up with Erika and Andrea!

Firefly Lane– The second part of season two of Firefly Lane came out at the end of April and I slowly made my way through it. I watched an episode or two a night and really enjoyed seeing how the series wrapped up. It was based on a book, so if you read the book series, you know how it ends. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to the characters that I grew to enjoy. Overall, I was satisfied with how it wrapped up. If you watched, what were your thoughts on the series?

New Scent– It’s been a few months, so it was time for a new body lotion and spray. I am currently using Coco Paradise by Bath and Body Works. I got it for free with a purchase and couldn’t wait to try it. It’s the perfect scent to get you ready and excited for summer. It’s the perfect mix of ocean and coconut. This will be the best thing for a beach trip this summer!

Barrington and Simplified Collaboration– Simplified announced a collaboration with Barrington, a purse brand and the patterns and colors are so fun! There’s so many different styles and bags you can choose from with Simplified patterns or colors. Plus, you can get them monogrammed too! I may have to add a few of these to my Wish List.

Just a look at some of the bags!

Ed Sheeran New Album– Ed Sheeran’s new album, Subtract, came out last week and it’s what I’ve been listening to it non-stop. I love the variety of music, from slow and soft to fast and upbeat. I’ve loved listening to Sheeran’s music over the years and I couldn’t wait for this new album. I’ll be seeing Ed Sheeran in July and I can’t wait. This will be the second time I’ll be seeing him in concert and I’m going to do my best to have most of these songs memorized.

Elizabeth Holmes on the Simplified podcast– Another Simplified favorite (sorry, I can’t help myself!) Last week was the Coronation of King Charles III, I caught parts of it on Saturday and actually got to do some stories on it too, more on that next week! But ahead of the Coronation, Elizabeth Holmes, my favorite Royal expert, shared thoughts about Royal fashion and the Coronation and more on Emily Ley’s Simplified podcast. It was so fun to hear two of my favorite people talk about Royalty. Such a special treat.

Such a fun listen!

There you have it! A look into some of my favorite things from the past week. Some collaborations, new scents and hobbies. Certainly a little bit of everything! Tell me: what are you looking forward to this weekend? Let me know in the comments below! Happy Friday friends!