Dressing to impress this Valentine’s Day

6 Feb posted by

Photo by Doug88888 

If you’re in a relationship, Valentine’s Day is likely to be one of the most important events on the horizon and there’s just a few days left before the big day.

Whether you’ve booked a table at your favorite restaurant for a romantic meal for two, you’re just spending the day with that special someone or you’re hanging out with your best friends and enjoying the single life, don’t forget to put some thought into what you’re going to be wearing.

Here are a few tips for planning your Valentine’s Day outfit:

Coordinate with the situation

You’ll need to make your outfit location-appropriate. No one wants to see a girl trying to go for a picnic in a mini skirt, but feel free show off your stunning in a belted dress.

Color is key

On Valentine’s Day, the colors you choose to wear become even more important than usual. Colors can let someone know exactly how you’re feeling, so put some thought into the color of your Valentine’s Day outfit when buying. Wearing an outfit that’s aglow with sumptuous reds will instantly convey a message of love – just like red roses can. Similarly, a dress that’s mainly made up of dazzling whites can make you look sweet and innocent, so be sure to pick the right color.

Accessorize!

As with all outfits, the way to bring everything together nicely is to make the most of your jewelry and accessories. If want your date to pay the most attention to you (and what you’re wearing), you might find that understated jewelry is the better option. Rather than wearing chunky bracelets and statement necklaces, opt instead for low-key charm bracelets, chain necklaces and simple rings.

Sophie has been a freelance writer for 3 years now, specialising in fashion and retail. You can contact her at sophiekelly88@gmail.com


Filed Under: Shopping, Tips

In the dark

8 Nov posted by

For some reason my flash didn’t go off for this photo and I think I was running late and didn’t notice that I needed to retake it.

On this day I was presenting some work I’d been working on to the company so I wanted to show off a little bit of my personality and be a little bit more dressed up than usual.

Top: Forever 21

Skirt: Forever 21

Tights: Target

Heels: Colin Stuart

Charm Bracelet: Express


Filed Under: Daily Outfit

How to: Travel with jewelry

4 Nov posted by

As a follow-up to my recent post on how to store your jewelry, I wanted to do a post on how to travel with jewelry. When I a reader asked about this, I realized that I honestly had no clue. I’m guilty of throwing the jewelry I want to take with me on a trip into a plastic Ziploc or two.

So I did some research, including Googling, asking on Twitter and Facebook and just asking some girls I know. Here’s what I found:

First, do NOT use this:

You’re probably thinking: But it’s only $20.. and I can buy it on Amazon…. and it’s cute and small… and…

Nope. This will only result in your jewelry getting tangled, broken, cracked and possibly even lost (when someone runs off with your entire cute, little bag).

These tips will take a little more work, but they won’t cost much, and they work!

General tips for traveling with jewelry

  • Always keep your jewelry in your carry-on when flying. You never know what could happen between you checking your bags and when you arrive at your destination. This rule is especially true for anything with real stones or sentimental value.
  • Always store jewelry in a dry place with low humidity. This goes for home storage as well. When traveling, think about placing your bag near the AC or in an open area – not inside your duffle bag surrounded by clothes and then thrown into your trunk on a hot day.
  • In general, to avoid tarnish, place some moisture absorbing materials, such as white chalk, charcoal or silica gel, in your jewelry bag or case.

Types of Jewelry

Next, let’s look at the individual types of jewelry you might have and what you should consider for each.

Pearls

Because pearls are extra delicate, it’s imperative to store any jewelry with pearls in its own case/pouch/box. A soft, fabric-lined container will keep your pearls safe and looking great.

Silver Jewelry

Silver is also rather delicate to travel with, as it can tarnish quite easily. Believe it or not, but you can actually buy tarnish-free bags to store silver jewelry. They look like your average Ziploc but actually help keep tarnish away from your necklaces and earrings.

Stone-beaded Jewelry

Any of your chunky necklaces that feature stone beadwork also need special care. Wrap these items individually in soft fabric or tissue paper before putting into a bag. This will keep them from cracking or breaking and will keep any painted beads with their full color.

Metals

Any jewelry that is a real metal (gold, silver, etc.) should be stored carefully. Never store different types of metals in the same container, as this encourages tarnishing and dulling. Save your mix and matching for once you get there!

Chain necklaces

To keep your necklaces from getting tangled, use heavy cardboard to keep them separate.

  1. Start with a large piece of cardboard (I’m sure you can find an empty box hanging around – otherwise think about using a box that you would otherwise recycle from food).
  2. Lay the necklace (clasp closed) on the cardboard to estimate the length.
  3. Cut the cardboard just slightly longer than your necklace.
  4. Cut a slit at the top and bottom of the piece of cardboard.
  5. Put your necklace into the slits.
  6. Be sure that this is fairly secure before packing away. (I’d put each necklace in it’s own plastic bag after securing it on the cardboard just in case one falls off.)

Earrings

Using a method similar to the chain necklaces idea, poke holes for each earring on a piece of cardboard. Feel free to put as many as you want into one bag as long as they are made of the same metal. Put them in a bag as well in case one falls off. You definitely don’t want to be chasing that lost earring down in the depths of your luggage.

Watches

Simply wrap your watch up in a sock. You just want to be sure it’s not going to get scratched up.

Anything else?

I’d love to hear from you all on how you travel with your jewelry. Did I miss something? Feel free to comment or shoot on over to Facebook to let me and others know!

Thanks to these sources for providing some of the information found in this article. And a big thank you to all of the girls who let me pick their brains on the topic!

For more jewelry tips, check out my post on how to store jewelry.


Filed Under: DIY, Tips

Extra girly

3 Nov posted by

Some days I just feel like looking extra girly. Ruffles, curls, heels, the whole shebang. This was definitely one of those days.

Top: Maurice’s ($5!)

Skirt: Ann Taylor

Heels: Envy

Earrings: Macy’s


Filed Under: Daily Outfit

How to: Store jewelry

20 Oct posted by

I’ve been trying to come up with some good ideas on jewelry storage for a long time. Since I moved to college (ahem: too many years ago), I’ve been using one of those tiny little Rubbermaid drawer thingies. It worked out OK for a few years. That was before I had as much jewelry as I do now, before I had nice jewelry (I still don’t have much really nice jewelry) and before I had a lot of space that was actually mine.

I’ve been thinking recently about coming up with a new way to organize my jewelry, and I’m playing around with a few ideas.

Jewelry Furniture

Jewelry furniture can be a really great way to store jewelry for anyone with a creative hand.  Often people source from their local Goodwill and then spend an afternoon redoing it to make it great.

You can make this

Get a classic looking jewelry armoire

into this

Modern Jewelry Armoire Makover

Pros:

  • Make something your own
  • Lots of space for jewelry
  • Hidden out of sight

Cons:

  • Even when reusing things, this can get expensive once you pay for the furniture, paint and hardware
  • Takes up a lot of space in your room
  • Time/creativity required to redo the furniture

Bulletin Board Style Wall Storage

You may have seen different variations of this across the Internet. Some people use a basic bulletin board, often covered in fabric, and hang their jewelry from there. Something like this:

Other people have gotten more creative. This is actually the top of a table repurposed as a jewelry holder:

Pros:

  • Ability to easily create something to match your surrounding (as simple as adding fabric)
  • Fairly affordable
  • Easy access to your jewelry

Cons:

  • Difficult to hang a variety of items beyond just necklaces
  • Limited storage for girls with a lot of jewelry

Mannequins

For a girl with less jewelry than I have, the mannequin storage might work out. There are plenty of variations on this from heads to hands. Sort of related to this is the tree idea. Either way, the point here is that you hang your jewelry in a sort of artfully.

Pros:

  • Unique, artistic look

Cons:

  • Very little storage
  • Difficult to find mannequins to use

Drawer Organizers

Finally, there are the classic drawer organizers. This allows you to organize each piece nicely in felt-lined trays and then tuck them out of sight into the drawer.

These trays are a great option, but there are also some other stylish ideas I came across for drawer organizers. Check out these little teacups and saucers:

Stylish Jewelry Storage

Pros:

  • Lots of size options and space for lots of jewelry
  • Stylish, unique idea
  • Affordable (find mismatched cups at your local Goodwill)

Cons:

  • Lack of large necklace storage

Any other great options?

After looking at all of these, I’m sure I’m missing some great ideas. How do you organize your jewelry? I’m thinking of using a combination of wall storage and the teacup idea, but I’m definitely up for any other suggestions!


Filed Under: DIY, Interior Design

Layering up for fall

30 Sep posted by

The weather is officially like 10 degrees from freezing overnight, which means when I get up my house is like a refrigerator (we don’t control our heat so it’s not on yet!). I may have gone overkill with the layers yesterday but the cold weather got to me.

Looking back on this outfit, I’m not crazy about all of the black and I think even just wearing leggings instead of full tights would have broken it up a little more. Another way I might try this is by wearing a blazer instead of the undershirt.

Oh well… ideas for next time!

Dress: Max & Cleo

Undershirt: Target

Tights: probably Target

Heels: Martinez Valero (these were my wedding shoes! look familiar?

Necklace: White House | Black Market (what I wore for the rehearsal dinner)

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Filed Under: Daily Outfit
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