Forty-eight hours from now, I will be in the Chicago airport with my sister, getting ready to board our flight to New York City!!!!  To say I am excited is a massive understatement of how thrilled I am about this trip.  I will be attending BlogHer 12, one of the biggest blogging conferences in the world, along with about 6,000 other women from around the country.  We’ll be attending sessions to teach us how to improve and grow our blogs, how to create great content that will serve you, our readers, and we’ll be connecting with companies and pr firms, too.  I even get to interview a cookbook author!  Be watching for that post, after the conference!

My gorgeous Emilie M messenger bag from the Annabel Collection! It's exactly what I need for my busy trip!

BlogHer will be two days, of the almost four, I get to spend in New York.  The other two will be spent being a dyed-in-the-wool tourist, alongside my sister!  I can’t wait to visit Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty and look out over the city while I stand at the top of the Empire State Building.  All the plans we have, and everything I will be doing at the conference, will mean I am on-the-go the entire time. I want to have hands free to take lots of pictures, to sample great food and to hug all the women, in person, that I have “met” and been working with over the last two years, online.  All that activity, and the items I will need to have with me at all times, requires a very special kind of purse and I have got it!  I’m so excited to be able to share another Emilie M bag with you!  Emilie M is almost ready to launch their new online boutique!  Be sure to sign up to receive the notice for when they go live, and in the meantime, you can browse all the gorgeous bags in their online catalog.

Even the lining is sleek, shiny and beautiful! I love the blue and gold jewel toned fabric! Plus, do you see the two pocket pouches and another zippered pocket. This purse has tons of storage compartments!

The main feature I was looking for in a bag for the conference was hands-free functioning.  I wanted to put it on and wear it and not have to think about it again.  But, it was enough to just be functional.  I’m just vain enough to want it to look good, too.  :)  Wearing it would also mean that it would have to be roomy enough for the items I would want with me at the conference, but not so big that it was like lugging around a backpack full of college textbooks.  I wanted it to be fashion-forward and functional.  And on top of that, I wanted it to be affordable.  Emilie M saved the day, once again, with their beautiful messenger bag from the Annabel collection.  If you didn’t see the post about my other Emilie M bag, you can read it here and see why I have fallen in love with this company and their beautiful, designer-look and -quality bags.  You’ll feel as though luxury was your everyday experience when you get to carry one, but you won’t have had to swallow that $400 or $500 designer bag price tag.  As a matter of fact, my bag is only $55.  With the years of durable, functional and accessorizing use I intend to receive from it, that is an excellent frugal buy!

Besides the roomy storage and compartments inside, this beautiful bag has two zippered pockets on the front! I love the black and chocolate -- neutral enough to go with anything and pretty enough to be dressed up or down. As a matter of fact, that's one of my favorite features about all Emilie M bags. They're so versatile.

With a roomy interior that sports a zippered pocket and two open pouches for things like cell phones or business cards, my new Annabel messenger bag from Emilie M was already a perfect solution for my trip.  What a delight that the stylish purse also has two zippered pockets on the front!  The long adjustable-length strap gives me lots of options for how I can carry or wear it.  Love, love, love everything about this bag!  I selected the black bag, with chocolatey croc-look accents.  It is also available in camel or mallard.

I want the first picture you see of me wearing it, to be in New York, so for now; here's the pretty messenger bag from Emilie M being carried by a model, from their catalog. I'll switch it up when I get home with pictures of me on my New York adventure!

There’ll be lots of pictures of me wearing it in New York.  I can’t wait to share them and all the news about my trip, with you!  And, if you happen to be walking through the Expo Hall at BlogHer, this week, and you see a woman with a fantastic Emilie M bag, come and say, “Hi!”  I’d love to meet you and show you this fabulous purse, in person!

I received the Annabel messenger bag in order to test the product in person and collect information for this review.  No monetary compensation was received and a positive review was not required.  As with all Busy-at-Home product reviews, the views and opinions expressed are wholly my own and based on my personal experience with the product.