Bow Tied

Maybe it is the ultimate girly girl in me, but I love tops and accessories with bows. Oddly enough my obsession with this fashion trend happened much later in life. I realize bows are considered the ultimate girly accessory, correlated mainly for toddlers and in the pigtails of cheerleaders, but they are just as intriguing to this girl as well.

Below are some pieces worthy of my wish list.



{Embellished Bow Top - $58}



{Old School Ruffled Collar Bow Blouse - $77}



{Antonio Melani Baylee Tie-Detail Blouse - $119}

{Valentino Couture Bow Platform Pump - $745}

{Marc by Marc Jacobs Bow Earrings - $60}

{Lulu Guinness Striped Small Bow Annabelle Bag - $213}

Get Motivated!

Henry Ford once said:

"Any person who uses his skill and imagination to see how much he can do, rather than how little, is bound to succeed."

One might conclude, then, that if all of us are capable of doing more, then success is surely within our grasp!

There’s no doubt that the pace of change in our daily world is unprecedented and keeping us all busy and challenged! But no matter how hard we are presently working, there is always a tremendous amount of unused capacity in each of us. The potential is there.

So the real question becomes: How do we motivate ourselves to put forth our best effort all the time?

For example, a clerk who sets a goal of processing 35 invoices per hour instead of 30 boosts her productivity by over fifteen percent! Not out of the question, is it?

When asked about his genius, Thomas Edison replied:

"I never did anything worthwhile in life, nor did any of my inventions come by accident. They came from setting goals and then working hard to achieve them."

If Edison, with all his genius, had to work hard to achieve his goals, how can the rest of us get ahead by doing anything less? Keep up the good work you’re doing. Don't give up when you hit a road block that makes your day a little challenging. And for the love of love, BELIEVE in yourself and what your capable of. You might just be surprised on how far you will go.

Feelin' Quirky

Have you ever stopped to think of some of the things that truly make you. . .you? A friend and I were talking recently about those little quirks that are distinctly our own and make us who we are (No matter how weird they might be.). I thought it might be fun to share a few of mine with you:

I can't stand using my brush if there is hair stuck in it from when I used it last. I have to pull the hair out first.
I often times will eat cereal separately (a glass of milk with dry cereal) because I don't like soggy cereal.
I break out into random song.
I still sleep with a cute stuffed animal until hubby comes to bed.
Whenever I see a dog taking a walk, I always say, "Lookit him! Isn't he cute" whether it is a boy or girl.

What are some of your quirks?

Bathing Beauty

Good Morning Gorgeous!

After a long day of work or simply when I want to pamper myself, there is nothing better than soaking in a warm bubble bath. To me there is nothing more relaxing than putting on some soft music, lighting a few of my favorite scented candles and enjoying some quiet time.

I've tried a number of bath salts, bath bombs, bubble baths . . . basically any and all bath products I can get my hands on. A girl can never pamper herself enough as far as I'm concerned!

Below are a few of my favorite all natural spa products from Lush.

{Butterball. This vanilla scented bath bomb makes you feel like you are laying back into a cozy white blanket of creamy buttery froth. This little fizzer is the ultimate in comfort with chunks of creamy cocoa butter; it’s fantastic for rehydrating dry skin.}

{The Comforter. This massive slice of vibrant fruitiness gives you the feeling of being enveloped in a warm hug and gently consoled by the friendly fruity aroma of a blackcurrant candy. It was created to bring a real sense of comfort to people, just like a real comforter would. Snuggle in, and stay undercover until you’re ready to face the world once again. Even better, each bar creates two baths of fruity comfort.}

{Floating Island. Escape to your own fragrant island and float away to the scent of vanilla, sandalwood and lemon foam to calm a weary mind and restless body. Now, technically, islands don’t melt, but you’ll be absolutely floating after submerging yourself in the tub with our luxurious, slow-melting, fizzy bath melt. Helen combined creamy cocoa butter with our signature Bath Bomb mixture to create a fizzing bath melt that would melt very slowly in the water, allowing you to lie back and really enjoy the beauty of the experience. Slip away to an island of luxury.}

{Canadian Maple Soap. All sorts of things come to mind when you think of Canada, but maple syrup tops the list. Made with real maple syrup and topped with sugar, it's gentle and soothing and leaves your skin soft and smelling sweet. In fact, it smells so delicious you may be tempted to top your pancakes with it, but I'd recommend it for the bath and shower instead!}

No More Peach's and Cream

Summer is almost here and the trend in makeup - sexy, sizzling and dramatic! No more peach's and cream...

 

Lips are berry stained or sheer glossy orange. Foundation is slightly more matte, saving the cheek area for a bit rosy hues. Eyes are where the drama sets in; yes the trend of the heavier lined eye is sticking around for summer. The shadows that are on trend for this summer are hot, and from sensuous teal to golden metallic, and creamy neutral shades, and smoky grays... all the attention is on the eyes this summer. The cheeks are being played up big time, oh yes blush is so back in a very big way! Choosing a blush should be determined by your skin tone. For the warm toned girls like myself, stick to blushes and bronzers that have a peach tone or light brown tones in them. The secret to using blush is blend, blend and blend again.

What are makeup trend are you most looking forward to for summer?

Friday Flashback

{The gorgeous rose my sweet hubby surprised me with.}

This past week was full of little surprises. My hubby kept telling me we had "errands" to run on Sunday and I had to go with him. He even picked out what I needed to wear for these "errands". Turns out there were no errands at all, but tickets to a Tampa Bay Rays game. Then later in the week I came home from a long day to find a gorgeous pink rose waiting for me. To round off everything, I was asked to be a "celebrity judge" of this year's Project Style fashion challenge in November! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. Wishing all you moms out there a very Happy Mother's Day!


{Hubby surprised me with tickets to a Tampa Bay Rays game. We had SOOOO much fun . . .even though we lost. This is a rare moment that you will EVER see me in a hat. I swear the joke is that I have a mis-shaped head since hats never fit me, but this one did quite nicely.}

{A sweet treat with chocolate fountain goodness to celebrate National Hospital Week.}



{Laughing HYSTERICALLY at the season finale of New Girl. Oh how I wish Jess and Nick would get together already!}



You Can ALWAYS Turn Around

So it's a little after 10pm and I just got off the phone with a dear friend of mine. Without going in to details, she is just at the end of her rope - feeling like at every turn there is another challenge, another obstacle and more chaos that is holding her back and she needs to overcome.

As much as we all might like to at some point in our life of another, nobody can go back and start a new beginning (There is no reset button on life), but anyone can start today and make a new ending.

I'm one of those friends that wants to help fix things. I want to be there for those that I love; to give strength and encouragement - to let whoever it is know that they are not alone in their struggles. But at the end of the day, it is not up to me to take the reigns of someone else's life.

Every person has four endowments - self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom...the power to choose, to respond, to change.

How many times have you heard, or heck maybe even said,

"I just don't know what to do."

"I can't do this anymore."

"I give up."

You know what, we have ALL been there - and that is OK. The key is to be able to pick up the pieces and move forward. I'm not saying it will happen in the blink of an eye or overnight or will be easy, but eventually in the process you will find your own strength. Through the careful hand-holding of your own spirit, through recognizing, honoring and expressing your feelings, by nurturing your body as the vessel that holds your spirit in the web of life, you will discover that you have, without your consciously knowing it, developed the inner sturdiness from which you can find fulfillment again.

Trust me, I KNOW, it is not easy to live life sometimes and face the world with a smile when you're crying inside. It takes a lot of courage to reach down inside yourself. HOLD ON to that strength that's still there and KNOW that tomorrow is a new day with new possibilities. If you can just hold on long enough to see this through, you'll come out a new person - stronger, with more understanding and with a new pride in yourself from knowing you made it.

Remember, there is no happiness in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.