This blog post is created in partnership with eBay. However all thoughts and opinion are my own (as always.)
I am very busy (lol) and I am sure you are too. And one of the things that I truly feel has made a difference in my daily life (as someone who goes in and out of my apartment a lot – multiple times a day, usually wearing different outfits/accessories and even switching handbags) the one thing that has made a difference is having a “catchment” area to throw everything.
But you don’t have to lead the life of a busy blogger/businesswoman working in fashion to appreciate the beauty of a perfectly curated and organized area to put all your daily stuff into. I think anyone who leads an active life would.
So it’s Spring time again and it’s time to get organized. I’m a big eBay fan (I can probably bid in my sleep) and when they handed me a challenge an eBay $100 gift card to use towards Spring cleaning it was game on.
The thing about getting organized is making sure your catchment area is located in a place you naturally would ‘park’ all your things. For me this is usually the foot of my bed. And remember what I said about throwing stuff? I would just literally throw everything there. It was time for an upgrade.
I knew I wanted a) a tray + b) a couple of boxes or bowls. This would create a perfect designated space for my phone, keys, jewelry, pen(s) , notebook, some makeup and quick cleaning supplies (I am always getting my stuff dirty – don’t ask why). So armed with my eBay gift card I went to eBay’s very convenient Spring Headquarter page and started hunting.
I found my tray immediately and also scored a pretty mirrored box similar to this one in 10 minutes. You might take slightly longer – like I said I have been eBay-ing for a while now. I also bought another cute little container to store my business cards (I always seem to run out of them at events !). And after a few more minutes I found a darling stone bowl very similar to price and look of this one*.
What I bought on eBay.
So here’s my catchment area now – tadaa!
Isn’t this great? The trick is when you’re trying creating a gorgeous (and functional) catchment area is to make sure there is a complimentary color palette and that there is a balance of shapes.
And the best thing is all this was less than $100 dollars. And it makes my life much more orderly and organized. So if you haven’t been on eBay – do start exploring the site. It’s a great place to find affordable items. Whether it’s to create a beautiful table display or even to find items to organize your home with – you can find it easily on the eBay Spring headquarters page (or even eBay in general.) And if you’re already that amazing person who has her home perfectly organized – perhaps you can send an eBay gift card to someone who is need of… organizing.
This blog post is created in partnership with Switch Jewelry. However all thoughts and opinion are my own (as always.)
I love jewelry and I truly feel the right pieces can make or break an outfit. This is especially true in a professional or business environment. You can’t get away with a crazy feather skirt on an everyday basis … but attention-grabbing earrings or a piece of statement bracelet adds style to any look.
I have the Black membership which allows me to pick 3 gorgeous pieces at any one time.
So last week when I was approached by Switch to talk about their jewelry subscription service I was very excited because beautiful jewelry can get a bit pricey and just like outfits – you do get tired of wearing the same few pieces over and over.
My first selection was this Givenchy bracelet that – not surprisingly, got a lot of compliments from complete strangers when I wore it to an event the day I got it lol.
They have all kinds of jewelry to choose from and 3 types of membership plans:
1. Gold | $29 – rent one piece of jewelry at any one time
2. Platinum | $49 – rent two pieces of jewelry at any one time
3. Black | $69 – rent 3 pieces of jewelry at any one time
Once you’ve chosen the type of membership plan that works for you – just pick the jewelry piece(s) you like and it gets shipped to you within a few days.
Another favorite – a sparkly and modern ear-stud!
Sending them back is easy too. Send the jewelry back in the Switch mailer box. There is a prepaid shipping label which you then use to stick right on top of the old mailing slip. It’s really that simple.
I really love the selection Switch has on their website – as they have everything from relatively unknown jewelry designers (which I love discovering!) to favorites like Eddie Borgo, Givenchy and Hermes. So if you’re looking to add amazing accessories to your outfits but don’t want to commit to just 1-2 pieces, Switch is the perfect solution. I also know that a lot of people need to wear a variety before deciding which pieces fit their wardrobe and/or lifestyle which is why again – Switch is perfect.
The only downside is – you will fall in love with a lot of the pieces. 🙂
Use promo code AMBITIONISTA and get 1/2 off your first month of any membership plan.
From the moment I wake up to the time I go to bed, my days are hectic and scheduled with meetings and events back-to-back. And living in Los Angeles, those events and meetings can have me rushing from one corner to the city to another – taking up a lot of time and energy, every single day.
This is why UberX has been a god-send to me ever since I started using it in 2012. The UberX app has enabled me to lead a productive work-week in a way that has not been previously possible. I can schedule rides beforehand and/or have rides linked to my smartphone’s calendar (so that my meetings’ destinations automatically appear in the app when I open it up to get a ride).
Of course, having someone else drive enables me to focus on other things like having phone calls or even catching up on work during the periods between Meeting A and Meeting B.
Being able to put my commute-time to good use (as a way to refocus and re-energize myself) for my next meeting or event in a busy work day has enabled me to give 110% percent to my team and to my audience.
A studio session recording a live video-webinar talking to an audience of about 1000 people.
Recently, Uber came up with a sister app called Uber Eats which basically enables me to order great food from a number of excellent restaurants/cafes in my area and have an Uber driver to deliver it to me.
Driving and following directions are not my best skill-set, so having an Uber driver get me from one destination to the other easily has been crucial to enable me to have a great work-day.
I also love that I can easily pull up my trip history on my smartphone or computer to keep track of my work expenses.
Having someone drive me goes beyond convenience – it feels like the smart and sane thing to do. Not having to deal with navigation and finding parking and instead using the time to re-energize myself in between meetings and events has enabled me to lead my life the way I want – from dawn till dusk.
Photography by Sabrina Hill
I love eBay with a passion. Friends and family members know that my eBay app is probably one the top 5 apps that I use on my smartphone. And the reason is quite simple – I love the thrill of shopping for fashion steals – from mundane basics like tweezers ( found a rose gold one for $9 a week ago ) to runway-ready pieces at incredible deals. Because hey, who doesn’t like a good bargain?
So when the eBay people approached me a couple of weeks ago to ask if I would like to collaborate with them to talk about their new eBay ShopBot – it was an easy YES. I use eBay almost daily… and when my boyfriend heard my latest collaboration was with eBay, he was slightly apprehensive.
BF: So eBay …. just made an app called ShopBot .. that makes using eBay easier?
Me: Yes.
BF: You can search and bid blindfolded using their current app. I don’t know if I want it to be easier.
But it is easier. Case in point – I was looking for a white wool coat to add to my collection of coats and was browsing the website of a very fancy department store and found the coat of my dreams… and it was $6000. I did not want to spend $6000 on a coat so I took a photo of the coat while using eBay’s ShopBot.
Using eBay ShopBot, you can search either by typing exact search terms i.e “White Wool Coat” and follow the prompts given to refine the search, or take a photo of a similar item to the one you’re looking for like I did.
As soon as you see the item you want – just click “Buy”. eBay ShopBot will prompt you for your PayPal or credit card details the first time you use it. You can then opt to store this information so you won’t have to enter the information again in the future.
So back to my white coat. I found it and bought it using eBay ShopBot and a few days later:
Tadaa! Gorgeous coat for a fraction of the price (and time.)
The eBay ShopBot is still in beta, so they’re still adding and refining the app as we speak. But it is an amazing addition to eBay (and shopping as a whole.) So if you’re looking for a personal shopping assistant that could help you sort out bargains easily – I’d love for you to try it.
You can download and use eBay ShopBot by typing “eBay ShopBot” into Facebook messenger, adding it as a friend, and click “start shopping”.
Happy Shopping!
Credits
Photography: Sabrina Hill
Location: The District by Hannah An, Beverly Hills
