EITHER OR WISH LIST: I CAN'T DECIDE!

Hi friends! How was your weekend? I spent it with my parents doing some serious clean up/home improvement projects at my grandmother's house and I have to say, I am wiped! 

So, since I will almost certainly be total couch potato while I let my aching muscles heal today, I thought it only fitting to shin two variations which I am having major trouble deciding between. Care to help me choose? Here are the either/or pairings in my online shopping cart right now . . . which should I pick?

from top to bottom . . . . 

nixon small kensington in gold ($175) or 

nixon kensington leather in natural/silver ($125)*

make it happen gold foil notepad by laracaseyshop ($20) or 

jumbo writing pad by poppin ($8)

kate spade saturday sneakers by pf flyers ($65) or 

converse chuck taylor all stars fancy ox ($55)

black trim correa sandals by toms ($59) or 

yosi samra cambelle flat sandals ($130)

dots iphone case by priscilla peress ($35) or 

emily rickard color study no. 7 iphone case ($35)

So hard to choose! I may just have to buy them all . . . kidding!

*Do any of you married ladies have trouble finding a watch that works with your wedding and engagement ring? Either I find the watch too casual in comparison to my ring's setting or the watch-ring combo just looks overwhelmingly shiny. I look the way watches look, though, and miss wearing one so I am hoping one of these works out!

RING, RING, IT'S RIFLE CALLING

If you read the O.I. you know that I love Rifle Paper products. So imagine my delight when I found out that Rifle has designed and launched a whole range of iPhone cases. Did I just blow your designy mind?

They come in different levels of protection—from mere hard shell to a thickly lined case—and are competitively priced at between $30 and $32. Now we just have to make a hard decision: which one to choose?!

See all the beautiful options here.

TOTALLY TECH

Happy Friday folks! What are you up to this weekend? Are you one of the lucky few who have Columbus Day off on Monday? (I do, but I am so swamped with school work, I am sure it won't feel like a holiday . . . )

You know what I will be daydreaming about while I plod away through my mountains of art history texts? The iPhone 5. Shocker, given my total lack of interest in Apple products (psych)! I am up for a contract renewal this week and I am trying to stave off my itchy "purchase finger" by distracting myself by daydreaming about other fun gadgets.

So, without further ado, here are my top picks for fun, practical, conversation-starting tech toys. Get the links after the jump!

LUXE PLATES

If you have been reading the o.i. for a while you know that I am obsessed with all things Apple, my iPhone 4 being no exception. So I am always on the look out for cool covers to protect the gadget that is now used countless times a day. Still, it is surprisingly difficult to find a plate or cover for the iPhone that is both interesting and unique, sophisticated and well designed.

Enter Luxe Plates! These beauties can be made out of four different types of metal (stainless steel, brushed stainless steel, gold plated, and nickel plated) and securely adhere, without residue, to the back of your iPhone. Their website also seems to indicate that these work with other cases and accessories. And if you don't like any of their pre-made patterns, you can have them craft one that features your own personal design! It also doesn't hurt that each plate is reasonably priced between $23 and $33. Sweet!

Check out Luxe Plates here.

(The last pattern reminds me of this top photo, no?)



(Thanks to Design*Sponge for the tip.)

SMRTCASE

There is a lot of buzz about the iPhone coming to Verizon in September which is only fueling my love of all things Apple. With the iPad coming to stores tomorrow I feel like today is a good day to allow myself to get excited about the possibility of making a switch to the iPhone in the fall and having nearly every major electronic I own be designed and produced by Apple! That said, I wanted to share this super cool iPhone case, designed by SmrtCase, that allows you to hold up to three cards in a slot in the back of the case. This would be perfect for me since I tend to stash my monthly subway pass in the back of my iPod Touch case for easy access (which means I have to bend back the flexible case to take it out twice a day, not a great system). I particularly love the fact that this case isn't bulky, is reasonably priced, and simply designed. Completely wishlist worthy.

Check it out here in black, white and pink. It's also available for some Blackberry phones too!

BUILT CASES

Last week I shared my birthday wishlist with you all, a list which included a Built lunch bag. Well, I have spent some time perusing the rest of the Built website and have found some other awesome products I thought I would post about. I love their neoprene cases! Particularly since they stretch to accommodate everything from your file folders to your digital camera. All of these are a bit on the pricey side, but I am pretty sure the quality makes the purchase totally worth it.

From top to bottom, left to right:

• Cargo Camera Bag Medium, $70
• Laptop Porter 15.4" Wide, $70
• Cargo Travel Organizer, $25
• Peanut USB Flash Drive Holder, $7

Enjoy!