Celebrating New Years and Staying Classy

New Year's Eve is one of the most celebratory times of the the year. As women, we get to bring out that most fabulous sequin dress for a fun dinner out on the town or it's the time were we can showcase our home with fabulous cheeses, decadent desserts and of course a bubbly bar stacked with champagne! We all want to have a great time, but that doesn't mean it's time to let your guard down and become a sloppy drunk.

Five ways to celebrate, but keeping it classy!

1.   Slow It Down. Don't race towards the finish line. Enjoy your drinks. It may be New Years, but the faster you drink, the quicker your night will end with you feeling horrible!

2.   Know Your Limit. Keep your drinks within two glasses of your limit. Try not switch between wine, beer, mixed drinks and shots (this is never a good idea). Everyone wants a good buzz, but do you really want to be throwing up in an unknown bathroom before the clock strikes midnight?

ribbons

3.   Act the Part. Sometimes it can be more fun to pretend that you're drunk rather than actually being drunk. You're friends don't have to know that your playing a part, but if you can pull this off you will have more fun throughout the night, while remembering everyone else's stupidity. You might even have some fabulous stories to tell your friends the next day!

4.   Full Stomachs and Hydration. Munch on appetizers throughout the night if possible. Please don't drink on an empty stomach, you won't make it past the first hour. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Yes, we know you aren't working out, but if you drink water while enjoying that second glass of champagne, this will help with any potential hangover the next day.

5.   PARTY LIKE IT'S 2015! Most importantly, enjoy your night with the friends and family you love! New Years is all about celebrating the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from the previous year while welcoming in the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly for the upcoming year. Because let's be honest, as much as we want the New Year to be the best year ever, there's no guarantees so let's take the good, with the bad, and HAVE A PARTY!

When You Cross The Road...

Written By: Danielle Silva Heckenkamp

I know, I know, we all want to go through life assuming that the world should revolve around one and only one person, ME! Well it doesn't and yet again, I have another example to discuss with our readers.

Most of us would think that the idea of crossing a road should be pretty self-explanatory, if not, then you should have learned that as a pedestrian, crossing the road when the cars have a green light is mostly likely not a good idea. It's actually probably a horrible idea!

Yes, of course I have a story to back up this post about crossing the road. Several days ago, while waiting for a light to turn green I noticed a woman standing at the corner ready to cross the street. Well, did she decide to cross when the pedestrian light gave her the recommendation? Nope! She decided that it would be smarter to begin crossing a busy street after my light turned green. Because of course pedestrians have the right of way, no matter what.... Nope! Wrong again! There's a reason the pedestrian light comes on at a certain time, well because that's the safest time to cross a busy intersection. Not only did this woman cross the road when the cars had the right of way, but she also chose to do so at a very, very, no I mean a very slow pace (age was definitely not a factor to the slowness, let's just say it was a smartphone). I was not the only unhappy driver to say the least, but I kept my cool and sat and waited for her. Because patience is an active virtue, right?

What's the moral to this story? Well there is actually more than one!

The obvious one is that the woman's inconsiderate approach and choice to ignore the rest of society functioning around her was ridiculous selfish. Who needs to watch for cars when they will watch for me, right? Wrong again!

Another lesson was the response many of the drivers wanted to relay or did display towards the woman. Yes, she was inconsiderate, but screaming at her was not moving her along any faster. Even though I was irritated, and it gave me a great topic for a blog post, it also helped me work on something that I struggle with each and every day....PATIENCE!

Have a Safe and Happy Weekend!

The Sugar and Spice Moments of Life

We all have a little bit of sweetness and a little bit of sauciness. It comes out at different times and in different circumstances of our lives. Sometimes we need to pay more attention to our emotions and our quick responses. Our world has become obsessed with "finding ourselves", "climbing the ladder" or "never letting anyone walk all over us". While, yes, all these things have their proper place and time, these shouldn't be our motto for life. There will be times we must stick up for ourselves, our beliefs/morals and work to gain that position we have been striving for, but this doesn't mean we should coast through life with a negative opinion of everyone and be constantly on the fence ready to attack anyone that differs from our position.

The simplicity and beauty of a flower should be how we approach the craziness of life.

As human beings who wish to be loved and to love in return, we need to focus on the simple things in life, the small successes that help us reach our larger goals. We don't need to walk over everyone to climb the ladder of success, oftentimes that ladder will be reached quicker with less chaos when we use our innate relationship with others to work with them instead of working against them.

So, what's the lesson? Life has its sugar and spice moments, those moments when we are extremely gentle and kind and those moments when we must stand up for ourselves or others (those horrible, unpleasant situations), but for the most part we should fill the majority of circumstances with the "sugar" moments. We will get further in life and eventually, when we get older, there will be much less regret if we learn to love and work with others, instead of always pushing our own agenda.

The best moments in life can be found in a cupcake.

Roses, Chanel and Champagne

Lush

Left my heart in Paris

Zhush

Alena-and-Alexandra

Lucky in Love: Classy Dating

Lucky in Love, Lucky in Love, what else matters if you're lucky in love?  

Name what movie that song is from!  Hint: it's an oldie but a goody!

Tips for Classy Dating

Every woman needs a few tips:

1. Find the man of your dreams, and never settle.

2. Make the man work for his prize, and the prize is you! (What women doesn't like to be pursued?)

3. A man should be a man.  No excuses for lack of manliness.  We want real men!

4. Show you are interested with small subtle signs, making him want to come back for more.

5. Nothing is guaranteed in life, remember that! 

6. Dress to Impress, all the time.  Your workout clothes are never acceptable in the dating world.

Dress for your man, you will be surprised at the response!

7. Be yourself.  A relationship will never succeed with a fake personality.

Be the "Sophia Loren" in your man's life!

Be the "Cary Grant" in your woman's life!

Every man needs a few tips:

1. Find the woman of your dreams, settling will only make your life unhappy down the road.

2. Pursue the woman with small, but important romantic gestures.  She will remember them all!

3. Men appreciate feminine women.  So find her!  

Believe me, women love to wear skirts and heels, we like the attention!

4. Watch for the small signs your woman sends: locking eyes, a quick smile or a touch of the hand.

5. Be prepared to be let down.  There are no guarantees and it is highly unlikely you will find the woman of your dreams on the first try.

6. Dress to Impress.  Each woman has her own preference of how men should dress, but once you find out what your lady likes, dress for her and believe me, she will dress for you.

7. Be a man and be yourself.  Never lead a woman on, truth is golden in a relationship!

Here's my "Cary Grant"!

Hounds Tooth and Cobalt Blue, My Love

Written By: Ooh La La (Danielle Marie)

My love for autumn pretty much relies upon my love for fall fashion!  It brings out all those adorable coats, sweaters and skirts we are unable to layer in the summer heat.  My husband and I attended a wedding rehearsal and dinner for a couple near and dear to our hearts this weekend and wow was the weather beautiful: sunny for the most part, a little bit of rain, but that's good luck, right?

~This wrap hounds tooth jacket is from Allure Beautique,  http://www.allurebeautique.com/ ~

~ My love for cobalt blue pencil skirts paired with this beautiful hounds tooth wrap coat ~

~ The black collared shirt is a great piece from Express ~

~ Don't forget to add extra color in your shoes! Liz Claiborne (pumps) ~

~ This fabulous bracelet is ILY COUTURE http://www.ilycouture.com/Default.asp 

with a Vera Bradley neutral clutch ~

(This clutch is my go to for events!)

~ This comfy and beautiful cobalt blue skirt is from New York and Company ~

~ An unforgettable fall day! ~

What are your fall fashion go-to pieces?