On Rest and Leisure

Happy Easter! I'm taking the week off to enjoy my children who are home on spring break. We're all in need of this break, because...

"Leisure brings clarity to the mind. Allow yourself time to rest, relax, and be rejuvenated, and as you do, your intellectual desires will once again begin to emerge." -Matthew Kelly

Have a beautiful week!

--Keri

Together WE Can Do Great Things

One of the aspects I love about CAbi clothing is that the company gives back to women in need. Those of you who have known (or read) me longer, know that supporting women in need is close to my heart.

This season, for every chic tank sold, the Heart of CAbi Foundation gives 100% of the profit toward providing clothing for women in crisis situation. These could be to displaced people affected by natural disasters (Hurricane Sandy, fires, or other natural disasters), or mothers of children with cancer and other serious illnesses, who haven't had time to take care of themselves in months or sometimes, years.

The Heart of CAbi Foundation also offers microloans to women in other countries. These loans help a woman to start or expand her own business, based on a business plan she prepared, and improve her family and living situation. Their repaid loan is then provided to another microloan applicant.

To donate to these powerful causes, just round up to the nearest dollar on any CAbi order, order a chic tank, or purchase a gift certificate for the foundation from me.

So often, we see powerful causes and wish we could donate a million dollars. This way, we can. Because when each of us gives just a tiny bit, and thousands of women do the same, it becomes a lot. You, with your compassion and generosity, enable other women to live fully and look forward to life.

Contact me if you'd like to support this endeavor!

In closing, here's a video that shows those gifts in action.

--Keri

Refresh for Spring!

The arrival of spring is also a time to renew your resolutions for self-care. Here are my tips for refreshing your look and your perspective as you head into the sunshine.

Ready Your Closet

Clean out your closet to be ready for spring. Bring forward the clothes you’ll wear in spring and summer, and move back (or out!) the winter wear.

Need help? I’ll come to your home and help you with your spring closet cleanse and  make suggestions on how to freshen up your look.

Shoes and Bags

If you have some favorite footwear that's still in style, consider bringing them to the shoe repair to make them like new. While you're there, drop off your favorite totes for some TLC as well.

Makeup

Go refresh your colors. Find your style with on-trend looks. The smoking cat eye with nude lips offers a dramatic look, and the simple cat eye with red lips is a great day look.

When you’re current with makeup, you glow. 

Don’t forget to take care of your eyebrows this spring.

Hair Tips and Styles to Look For

Bigger curls and bangs (if you like them). If you wear a ponytail, put some volume on top, with a couple of curls (not all straight hair). Messy is the look, but clean, healthy and well-maintained is the style!

Winter hair can be very dry. You can visit your salon for a deep conditioning and maybe even a clear gloss. If you’re coloring your hair, ask for a clear glaze to be put in with your color, to give your hair that healthy shine. 

Undergarments

Don’t overlook your undergarments. Spring is a great time to make an appointment at Nordstrom for a fitting to make sure you’re wearing the right size. If you have a larger bust, you’ll wear out your bras more often. Keep several in your closet, so you can switch them often and they’ll last longer.

Self Care

Don’t forget a facial. You should have one every season: your skin changes from winter to spring, from dry air into moisture. Get the new skin shining through and enjoy your glow.

Get a pedicure. Grey or greige are on trend, or go with the colors of the season.

Exercise! If it isn’t your routine, try 10 minutes a day. Barre3 offers great online classes. Ride your bike to run your nearby errands or visit friends. 

Have fun with your girlfriends. Be spontaneous. Meet them for lunch along the water, take a walk or get a pedicure together.

Wear Sunglasses

Go big this season, and SMILE!

--Keri

Why WOULDN’T You Wear That?

I work with so many beautiful women. It surprises me when I hear them say, “I wouldn’t wear that. I have no reason to dress that way.” 

I’m not referring to evening gowns or impractical styles: I’m talking about wearing styles that flatter us, dressing well, or stepping out of our sweats (or yoga gear) and into something that makes us feel beautiful, pretty, or pulled together. Why wouldn’t you wear that? 

I can remember as a very little girl wanting to be beautiful and girly. One of my most cherished memories is from when I was about 8 years old: my dad took me to Goldwater’s to pick out any dress I wanted. I truly felt like a princess. 

We all have that princess in us—that desire to share the best of ourselves in every way—but sometimes we lose sight of her. We might be in a season of life that we box ourselves in and think we shouldn’t dress well. Why shouldn’t we?

Looking good helps you to bring out the best in yourself, and enables others to see the best in you. As women, we have so much to offer! The more confidence we have in the way we look, the more we’ll notice a difference in the way we meet people and the way they respond to us. 

When you roll out of bed and race out to the store in your sweats, or if you do the same to drop your kids off at school, do you find that you reach out to others? Do you engage in conversations, or are you holding back—even avoiding contact—because you don’t feel put together, prepared, and ready to step out? When I leave the house this way, I adopt this behavior because I don’t feel ready to engage. 

We each represent something unique and special. It’s not wrong to have good self-care. It’s how we’re made as women, a part of our design. There is beauty in every creature, and looking good can open us to stepping out and sharing our gifts.

Reveal your inner shine through all forms of self-presentation! You will notice a change in how you glow, inside and out.   

--Keri

 

Writing to Heal

Last night I read a beautiful post written by a woman who gave an account of her daughter's birth. Anticipating a "normal" baby girl, she delivered a precious little girl with Down Syndrome. Her account told of her anticipation, surprise, and return to joy. It truly moved me.

Today, a related post came my way: Writing to Heal. Just as that mother wrote herself from grief to joy in her post, Rosemary Alva encourages her readers to do the same: write to heal.

My post today is simply to share hers:
http://rosemaryalva.com/2013/02/27/writing-to-heal/

We all want to live well. Sometimes that means to heal, so we can live well, and fully live.

--Keri

Bracelets: Create an Arm Story

Whether you call it arm candy, arm envy or arm charm, I’m seeing bangles and bracelets as this season’s best accessory look. It’s still my favorite look and favorite jewelry accessory, yet the presentation has shifted.

Last season was all about layering up the wrist with mixed textures, materials and metals, as well as sentimental pieces. This season is about “arm identity”: 

You want to create an arm story.

Let your bracelets tell a story about you. Share your passions and your style. What do you love? What is your favorite color? What is your favorite style of bracelet? Bangles, cuffs or maybe something that is bold and classic. Maybe your favorite memory and daily routine is teatime. Yes, you guessed it… there are teacup bracelets.

Don’t be afraid to try something new to you, and don’t worry about it matching your outfit. Actually, you will be even more on trend by expressing yourself in an interesting way. 

Another approach this season is to think “Midcentury Mismatch”. Pick your favorite era and mix it with your style. 

Monograms are still on trend this season, too.

You can never go wrong with Coco Chanel. Timeless.

If you saw my post on personal look and signature, you'll know my take on accessories isn't to go out and purchase all new accessories for every season. Take whatever you loved before, and; wear it differently. Pair it differently. When you do shop, choose carefully. 

 

Your goal is to stay on trend, look fashionable, and look interesting and engaged in the world around you.

Your goal is not to reinvent yourself every season.

With personal style, you're collecting pieces you like over time, and building a versatile collection. For example, color is a fun personal signature because you can always be on-trend with your color. Find shades and textures with that color, and add it to your overall look. 

Have some fun with arm identity, so your jewelry becomes your personal style and tells a story about who you are, what you like, and even what you value.

--Keri