Real Talk: Self-Care

I've had this conversation a few times with a friend of mine (and gym buddy). We're kind of all-or-nothing girls. When we're exercising, we're eating right, and vice versa. But once one of those falls off, the other follows quickly.

I've noticed for myself that dressing up and wearing jewelry also falls into this routine with me. When I'm not taking care of my body by working out and eating well, I don't always feel like showering, putting on make up, doing my hair, or putting on nice clothes and jewelry.

This holiday season has been such a rush I really haven't felt like taking care of myself (or had time to), so Double Up December is ending a few days early. Sorry! One of my goals for the new year is taking better care of myself on all fronts: exercising, eating well, and taking care of my physical appearance. I don't know about you, but I feel so much better about myself and life when I'm doing good things for myself.

Trust me, you are worth the time and effort it takes to look good and be confident! I just have to start believing that myself...

Happy New Year! Share with me some of your goals for 2015 in the comments! :)

Double up December: It's a Wrap 2

It's scarf weather! It has been for awhile, I just don't always think to wear one :)

How do you wear scarves with your jewelry?

Double up December: It's a Wrap 1

My dear husband knows me so well. So well, he can pick clothes out for me better than I can. This dress is one example.

Isn't is pretty! I wasn't 100% sure about it at first, as I am with most items I can't wear a necklace with. But this works perfectly with statement earrings and a fun headband!

Do you have someone in your life who seems to know your style better than you?

Double up December: Jubilee 2

After Christmas sales! I hate the crowds but love the deals.

What better way to shop than jeans and a simple tee? 

Do you shop the after Christmas sales?

Double up December: Jubilee 1

How about black and white for a fun, classic look? I got this dress at goodwill and am rocking not with this sweater that's just a little too short :)

I love how the colors of jubilee help brighten up this otherwise plain (but still classic) color combination. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Double up December: Lavish Blooms 2

First and most important: Merry Christmas! I hope you get to enjoy this day with family and friends and remember this is the holy-day that allows us who have accepted Christ to be one with God. How can you not at least smile for that amazingness??

I hope you've had a fantastic day with celebrating the day God became man because he loved you and me that much :) Merry Christmas!

Double up December: Lavish Blooms 1

I've shared before that I'm not a bit mono-chromatic fan, and the following pictures show another reason I shy away from it.

Yes, I've been eating lots of Christmas goodies, but no, I haven't put on that much weight!! So lesson learned: when wearing all black and long sleeves, give some space between the arm and body!

Jewelry: Lavish Blooms necklace, gold bracelets from the Crush set, and Shine Bright studs.

Double up December: Belize 3

Red, gold, and leopard! It's my last day of work for Christmas, so why not be super Christmas-y? I've never really worn red and gold together before, but I'm loving this warm, sassy look :)

I'm wearing the three gold strands from Belize doubled and the Shine Bright studs. Seriously, do yourself a favor and buy the Shine Bright earrings (two pairs - one silver, one gold) for $23. Such a great deal!

Double up December: Belize 2

I still can't believe it's almost Christmas! All my shopping is done, but my wrapping isn't. The plans have been made, but the house isn't completely spotless yet. So hard to be a Mary this time of year!

I'm wearing a blue chiffon shirt from Van Heusen and white dress pants from Goodwill. My husband always found good deals on Van Heusen from Kohls, but I never knew they sold women's clothes. Then we found the outlet store. Well, now most of my new clothes come from Van Heusen. Plus, the sizes run big. Size 0 for everyone! ;)

This is Belize worn long with all five strands and the Zoey earrings.

Double Up December: Belize 1

Yesterday was a crazy day. My husband had to take an exam in Athens and locked his keys in the truck! So I drove down there with the dogs (any reason to go to Athens and/or hang out with my dogs!) and we spent the afternoon walking around campus and downtown. He passed the exam, by the way :)

This is Herbie and me by the English department building, where most of my classes at UGA were. I'm wearing thrifter jeans, a sweater I got for Christmas a few years ago, and the gold strands of Belize. 

It was cold, but we had fun. Still can't believe it's almost Christmas!

Here's our monster tree, by the way. That's a whole other story. 

Double up December: Frills 2

I'm feeling ... pink? I don't know how this happened, but I just realized I wore pink two days in a row. Is that a bad thing?

Yes, those are shopping bags behind me! Christmas is coming fast!!

I usually just wear a long necklace with this sweater, but chose to rock these new favorite earrings! :)

Double up December: Frills 1

These earrings are my new favorites! They are rounded on the bottom (that helps smooth out the jaw line), long (can make you look up to 10 pounds thinner), and lightweight!

Aren't they pretty? And perfect for scarf weather??

Double up December: Heaven 2

Did you know Heaven can be worn shorter too? Yep. The key piece is on its own chain and can be pulled to the middle of the necklace and fed through the loop all the other charms are on!

Double up December: Heaven 1

Heaven's going to be awesome. I'm sure we are all already aware :) This necklace is a great reminder of all we have to look forward to - and it's also a great gift to someone who may have a loved one already there.

It's reversible!

When you purchase this necklace, it comes with a pamphlet explaining what each piece means based on the section about Heaven in Revelation 22.

Double up December: Montana 4

Four? Yep! There are more ways to wear this necklace, but I'm stopping at four for now.

I'm wearing the two removable strands together - the shiny side backwards. The studded triangle look is pretty trendy now. Instead of investing in a studded shirt, you can just flip your pretty Montana necklace over :)

Double up December: Montana 3

Aside from the traffic, rude people, and silly music about reindeer and snowmen, I love Christmas. I especially love learning over and over new things about the circumstances surrounding Jesus' birth. Today in church we learned about how incredible Jesus is and why we should worship Him and be in total awe of Him. There are so many amazing things in science and nature about how God cares for us ... it's fantastic!

I made a pretty big jewelry snafu today, so I hope you can learn from my mistake (and know that even jewelry ladies make jewelry mistakes! :))

This is wrong. If you're wearing a necklace, you should be able to see it! Don't make this mistake!

Double up December: Montana 2

I enjoy living near the mall sometimes, but this time of year it's really overwhelming! Traffic backs up so far and it's hard to get anywhere. But alas, not everything can be bought online!

I'm wearing just the sparkly strand. This one would look great with jeans, like I'm wearing it today, or with a LBD for a Christmas or New Year's party. It's so simple and classy.

This is a Bebe blazer I found at Goodwill at the beginning of the year (love it!) and a shirt I've maybe worn once before from Forever 21. I love the color and the ruffles but don't always know what to wear it with!

Double up December: Montana 1

If you want the necklace that does it all, look no further. This one will definitely have more than two posts for Double up December, and probably many more in the new year. Here it is ... Montana!

Isn't it pretty? I love the blue tones. It really sparkles in person.

I'm also wearing the Wrapped In Faith bracelet and Skyfall ring. I can't wait to show you the many other ways to wear Montana!

Double up December: Hopeful 3 (bonus!)

I want to take a second to talk about bras. If you've been following my blog for awhile, you'll know I love a good bargain and don't mind wearing secondhand clothes (and get most of my clothes from Goodwill). But when it comes to undergarments, I fully believe in spending more and making that investment. That's why, when Victoria's Secret has a good deal, I'm all over it!

In the process of Christmas shopping, I discovered that Victoria's Secret was having one of the usual sales of two bras for $42. That's a lot, but think of how many times you wear your bra. And how much comfort right there means. They were also giving away coupon scratch-offs, and I got one free bra! So we found a nice-looking sports bra (that I haven't worn yet) and got it free. PLUS, they were giving away necklaces for spending a certain amount. I'm not sure what amount it was or how I ended up earning it, but I'm not questioning it :) I paired it here with the Hopeful necklace.

What are your philosophies on bra-buying?

Double up December: Hopeful 2

Pre-Premier, I never considered layering my smaller sentimental necklaces. Now, I love it. The framing draws more attention to that sentimental piece, and everyone can benefit from a little more bling :)

This is the Paradise Found necklace, which I wear all the time. Click on the "Paradise Found" tag to see all the posts with it.

Do you frame your sentimental pieces?

Double up December: Hopeful 1

This necklace will make a great Christmas gift for someone you know named Hope, who's going through a hard time, or likes simple necklaces that have a lot of meaning.

I paired the Hopeful necklace with the gold Down to the Wire ring (order this one size up - it runs small), and the Shine Bright earrings.

This was a comfortable outfit for a little Christmas shopping. As fun as going to the mall is, I'm enjoying online shopping a lot more this year! What are your best Christmas shopping strategies?

Double up December: Chiffon 2

Today I paired Chiffon with a chiffon shirt. I'm clever like that. 

One of my favorite things to do with multi-colored jewelry is pair it with clothes that don't match. For instance, Chiffon doesn't have any blue in it, so I wore it with a blue shirt.

Double up December: Chiffon 1

Want to know another fashion trend I'm uncomfortable with? Pattern mixing. I've never been able to figure it out, but I decided to go for it today! The navy and navy matches, right? :)

I'm wearing the Chiffon necklace and earrings, Kaleidoscope bracelets, and Reminder ring. This ring is sooooo pretty! One of my customers ordered this ring and I fell in love with it and had to get it with my next show. I was also hesitant to order the Kaleidoscope bracelets, but they go with so much more than just the necklace. Highly recommend them.

So seriously ,.. does this outfit match?

Double up December: Kaleidoscope 2

This necklace is great for winter because it's scarf friendly and really brightens up black.

I'm wearing a black shirt from Papaya, green skinnies from Kohls, and a grey sweater also from Kohls. I'm wearing all the jewelry from yesterday except Starlet, as it's brown. And no make-up ;)

Double up December: Kaleidoscope 1

I saw this necklace in the catalog and literally thought, "Ugh, how ugly." Then I saw it on one of the other ladies at training and fell in love. Premier is allowing jewelers to host their own parties once each month for a year starting this November, and I got this necklace for free from my last show. It matches pretty much every color in my closet and does quite a few things, such as ...

I'm wearing the necklace short with the Nova earrings, Kaleidoscope stretch bracelets, Jasmine ring, and gold Starlet bracelet. These earrings are huge and pretty, but actually really light.

Double up December: Mint Condition 2

For every formal picture day, there's a fun, casual jeans day!

I'm wearing thrifted jeans and cardigan, and a tee shirt I got from Rue 21 several years ago. It's one of the few pieces I've gotten from there that's actually held together.

All the same jewelry from yesterday: Mint Condition, Jasmine, Hint of Mint, Arabesque, and Pistachio.

Double up December: Mint Condition 1

We have picture days occasionally at my day job, including today. Today's were for Christmas cards, so we were all festive in our red and green! I'm wearing one of the new dresses from Goodwill, the company cardigan, and a belt from a different dress.

Jewelry: Mint Condition necklace, Hint of Mint earrings, Arabesque bracelet, Pistachio bracelet, and Jasmine ring.

How do you rock company-issued wear?

Double up December: Opening Night 2

Pearls and the south just go together, even in winter! Yes, there are grey pearls and pink pearls and blue pearls ... but something so classic about ivory pearls! 

I warmed up this pretty sundress with tights and a cardigan. Let me know what you think!

As I mentioned yesterday, my husband and I hosted Thanksgiving and lots of things got shoved and hidden from us. That includes my clip-its! In a pinch, two safety pins can work, but it was super difficult to put together. Make your life easier and stock up on clip-its!

I'm also wearing the Elaine bracelet from our current line today.