Mental Health Awareness, Not Just October and a New Cause Calendar

It’s hard to believe that October is already here. I find the rest of the year always goes so fast after Halloween. This past year I decided to forgo many of the usual get-togethers and celebrations I have held in the past to focus on more personal matters.

I have posted less, trying to focus on quality not quantity; what has been happening in my life has had a lasting and permanent impact on my life, so that influenced my writing and point-of-view, prompting me to adjust the look, feel of my site a few months ago and resolve to a new site mantra: today is a gift, that’s why it is called the present.

So the in honor of Mental Health Awareness Week—a cause near and dear to me—I have added a new page, an Awareness Calendar, listing all (or many) of the days, weeks and months dedicated to social advocacy and social responsibly for a variety of causes. This lives in a new section called Resources where Anniversaries, Birthstones and annual Holidays still reside and new ones may surface (stay tuned).

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Looks to Rock This New Years Eve

Screen Shot 2013-11-21 at 1.24.16 PMI’m a creature of habit, I find something I love and I stick with it. That said, certain occasions scream (measured) experimentation and for me, New Years Eve is one of them. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not conservative with my look (at least I don’t think I am), but I’m a look-loyalist–I think I just made that up. Here are some of the things I’m thinking about trying this New Years Eve that are either new or a different flavor of something that is already tried-and-true.

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Summer Thank You Gifts: Perfect Pairs

20130620-233054.jpgI’m going to a few summer parties and I can’t wait. It’s alway such a blast to party in the warm weather and enjoy some fun in the sun, especially since now my kids don’t need constant supervision. I always like to bring something for my hosts that contribute to the meal, but what about hosts that tell you: “just bring yourselves.” That never seems right, right? Right.

IMHO it’s always important to express thanks with gratitude for an invitation with a gesture. I also want to make sure that what I share with my recipients aren’t run-of-the-mill. These ideas are gift pairings that are fine alone, but are truly better together

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Chic Summer Style: Delicate Jewelry

20130618-202603.jpgTo me, summer style is all about breezy-chic and no-fuss cool (I don’t mean “funky-fresh” cool, I mean temperature cool). What says that better than delicate jewelry that doesn’t weigh a ton, but looks sweet and maybe even sparkles. I’ve been keeping a list of items I want to snatch-up–either for me or for the summer birthdays I have to buy for, and truth be told those might be a “one for you, one for me” situation.

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Spring Essentials and Welcoming Change

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A cherry blossom in midtown

The changing of seasons is always a signal for me that it’s time for change–change in scenery, wardrobe, attitude (even a minor adjustment can bring upon an entirely new outlook). It’s always wonderful when being a gift-giver can also be an opportunity to act as a catalyst for positive change, particularly for someone you love. Now I’m fully aware that meaningful change isn’t as easy as slipping into a new pair of pants, but sometimes small things can add up and that’s all we need to cobble together an attitude adjustment.

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Things That Say Spring

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Image Courtesy of Marcio Jose Bastos Silva / Shutterstock.com

Even though last week was the official start of spring, those of us in the north east aren’t quite feeling it yet. I won’t postulate about climate change and how a mere twenty years ago I was running around Central Park, the same time of year in cutoffs and a t-shirt during daylight hours (oops, I guess I just did)… but I will say that my insides are aching for a warm, delightful spring day and all that entails. So instead of dreaming, I thought I would put pen to paper (or finger to keypad as it were) and strut down memory lane until Mother Nature complies, as we know she ultimately will.

Top ten things that say spring:

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Updated Easter Hats

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Easter weekend is just days away and as a fashion enthusiast, I tend to benchmark and contrast experiences as they relate to a textile or accessory. So…what goes better with Easter than hats? I also think we’ve come a long way since the white, woven, ribbon-accented bonnet I used to don approximately thirty-five years ago (although I did get a new one every year).

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Unique and Fun Valentines Day Gifts

Screen Shot 2013-01-22 at 9.48.18 AMAs I pondered what to include in this post, I immediately scratched off anything that could be considered a “stand-by” or a given for a couple reasons:
1. You already know what these are before my finger even brushes a key.
2. I would not be satisfied with that list, because that would not be delivering on the promise or purpose of this blog.

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Tech Gift Ideas Found At CES

20130115-225402.jpgI began this post en route back from the International CES in Las Vegas where I walked the floors of the North, South and Central Halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Every January, spectators from every continent come to demonstrate and spectate…and, hey it’s Vegas, so they also celebrate. I was pretty surprised this year, in addition to cool TVs, camera and appliances I also found a bunch of interesting electronic gifts to look forward to in the upcoming months… Some are even available now, and totally worth the possibility of an early adopter mark-up, if you ask me. Here are my top picks for the tech lover in your life.

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Justin Bieber Themed Gifts

20121201-162121.jpgIf you dig this post or it gives you some good advice, you have my daughter to thank. After a rough day yesterday I looked to her youth and cheery outlook to inspire a post. Her advice: she told me how Justin Bieber always makes her feel better…I thought I’d give it a whirl. I’m sure it didn’t have the exact same euphoric effect that it has on her, but it certainly didn’t hurt: I got to search for items and ideate with my best girlie and that totally got me in better spirits until — whaddaya know — I was having fun. My son and husband on the other hand were probably very happy to go to baseball clinic this morning and get away from all the “Baby, baby, baby, ohhhh…”

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