BECKY SHER | Hype A cute place for change

This year, no more scrounging on the bottom of your backpack for change to pay for that midday meal. Lunch money gets a major makeover when you carry it in a totally cute change purse. Tops on our list these days are the handcrafted beaded accessories designed by New Yorker Elissa Bloom. (Doesn't her name sound like she was just born to make whimsical creations?)
Bloom's designs range from tiny coin purses just big enough for your driver's license, a tube of lip balm and your ever-important lunch money to larger handbags and cosmetics pouches. All of them feature Bloom's unique caricatures of women (with names like Penelope, Carrie and Simone), bold shapes like hearts and butterflies, and seriously bright colors. We're partial to the coin purse called "Polly," but we love them all. A Bloom coin purse will run you about 20 bucks -- a bargain for something so cute! Want a peek? Head to www.elissabloom.com to see photos of Bloom's products and a list of stores that sell her creations.
Inside 'Alias'
It's possible that you've never heard of the ABC show "Alias" or its fetching star, Jennifer Garner. But only if you've spent the last year or so totally out of contact with the outside world. Now fans of the show can get the inside scoop on Sydney Bristow's secret life in "Alias Declassified: The Official Companion" (Bantam Books, $16.95), a full-color book that you'll want to keep right next to the remote.
In "Alias Declassified," you'll go behind the scenes of the show, where the real action happens. You'll find out what happens in the writers' room, how the costume designers create Sydney's many, many, many disguises, and how the show's crew pulls off dangerous stunts. Plus, there's an episode guide to the first season, and plenty of interviews with Garner, "Alias" creator J.J. Abrams and other members of the show's cast and crew.
And if you're still aching for more "Alias," pick up "Alias: Recruited" (Bantam Books, $5.99), the first in a series of prequel novels that delve into Sydney's college days and her recruitment into SD-6. (We're gonna assume you know what that means.)
Look for both books at bookstores or online booksellers.
XBecky Sher writes Hype for Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. You can write to her at bsher@krtinfo.com.