You are here: Home / 2011 / May / Archives for 4th

Jewelry Must-Have’s

May 4, 2011 By

When was the last time you looked in your closet and found nothing to wear? All of the time, right? As a Stella & Dot Independent Stylist, I’ve met many women who have this “problem” and I am here to help fix it! By building a jewelry wardrobe, you’ll can stop complaining and start enjoying getting dressed in the morning!

Here are some basic jewelry must-haves:

Hoop Earrings

Silver or gold, whatever your preference, hoops are the ultimate go-to earrings. They will never go out of style. Steer clear from the larger size because those tend to be trendier. Stick with a 1 to 1 ½ in circumference and a maximum thickness of ¼ inches. Hoop earrings are flattering and so versatile with any necklace.

Jill CZ Hoop Earrings

An everyday, every way necklace

This is a necklace you can wear everyday with almost any outfit. Whether it’s a personalized charm necklace with your children’s initials, a treasured pendant or your birthstone, keep it effortless.  Layering a longer necklace or another complementary piece is a simple way to be stylish.

Everyday Charm Necklaces

Statement necklace

Get ready to step out of your comfort zone with a fabulous statement necklace! Be daring and wear your statement necklace with pride! Whether it’s a cluster of pearls, a bib necklace or a vintage masterpiece, a statement necklace always makes your favorite outfit stand out! It only takes one of these show stoppers to turn every head in a room!

Metropolitan Mixed Chain Necklace

A pop of color

With the summer months ahead, wearing less is more! But wearing jewelry with a pop of color is even better! Turquoise is the quintessential summer stone! Look for pieces with your favorite shade of blue or get wild and wear a bright pink or coral beaded piece. When it’s not as warm out, choose an earthy tone. Greens and browns will transition easily from summer to fall.

Layla Stretch Bracelet in green

So before you run out and start buying new pieces, be sure to check your current jewelry wardrobe. Purge old and tarnished pieces. Mix in your favorite pieces and splurge on some new must-haves! Inexpensive jewelry, although nice to your wallet, only makes you purchase more over time. Quality trumps quantity in this case!

Would you like to learn more about building your jewelry wardrobe? Want to earn your jewelry wardrobe for free? Email me at: kacie.keenan@gmail.com for more information about hosting a trunk show or a jewelry styling session!

Hoping to keep you sassy and stylish,

Kacie

Filed Under: Fashion & Beauty Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Best Way to Exercise – Watch your Results Soar

May 4, 2011 By

Google ‘health and fitness tips’ and you will find 155,000,000 results. Talk to five health and fitness professionals and get six different opinions. Clearly there is enough information to go around.

However, with all this information, what are we supposed to believe? Have you ever started a workout routine only to read a week later that you are doing it all wrong? It can be frustrating and overwhelming.  One of my favorites is the debate as to whether you should do cardio before or after weight training.  I’m still not sure, so I alternate before and after.  I figure at least I have a 50/50 chance of getting it right.

Fortunately, there are actually a few tips that most everyone will agree on, and one of them is my favorite.

It has changed the way I work out, and my fitness results have soared!

On the surface, this may not seem like an earth shattering, OMG Kristi you are a genius type of tip, but it really is.

The tip is INTENSITY.

Whatever your exercise routine, do it with intensity. Maximum intensity.

For all of you who just said “duh”, this is really one of those tips that is easier said than done and takes some practice.

I have been weight training consistently (and fanatically) for 12 years, and not until this past year did I really understand Maximum Intensity.

I got some advice from a college football coach. He put together a three-week plan that included an all over body workout three days a week for three weeks. No cardio.

My first reaction was serious anxiety. How could I work out so little and not either lose muscle mass or gain fat or both?  However, in his plan, he said something that made me want to try it.  He told me that I had nine workouts, and I must make the most out of every rep, every set, every workout, because there are only nine. So work out at your max intensity and make it count.

My second reaction was excitement about this challenge to make it count.  It was on!  I always thought I worked out really hard until I started focusing all my attention on this make it count stuff.  Immediately, I was doing more weight and more reps than I had ever done, and I saw my muscle tone change (something I hadn’t seen in a while).

An added benefit: my workouts are much shorter now. If I really focus on the exercise and the intensity, instead of the kid’s next field trip, or what I am making for dinner, I can get a better workout doing fewer exercises and fewer sets.

4 Tips for Maximum Intensity

  1. Stop thinking about your list of 46 things you have to do today
  2. Only think about the exercise you are doing right now
  3. Make sure your last rep is as good of form as your first rep
  4. Ask yourself if you can do one more rep or one more minute, then one more, then one more

If you are going to make the effort to exercise, make it intense.

Make it count.

Filed Under: Health & Wellness Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,