Classic Gent

There is nothing more sexy to me than a man in suspenders, or maybe a vested suit. The classic tailoring and detail of menswear is enticing and there is no woman I know of that can say no to a man dressed for the executive's office.

Maybe the draw of suspenders is that they're more unique in this day and age, such a throwback to a time when men were gentlemen and women were ladies, where men swept women off their feet and danced with them into the sunset of the silver screen.

But I must say, I do think women carry a special liking for suspenders because its something nice to hold on to, like a tie, to pull in for the perfect kiss!

*thanks tumblr and weheartit for the photos*

So whether you are sporting plaids or pinstripe guys, top it off with a pair of suspenders or make your look a complete three piece suit and take note of how many heads you can turn over happy hour!

Here's to the gentlemen!

Ladies what do you think?

Atmospheric Potential

Who ever said the sky was limit?

Personally, I want to go past the ozone layer.

~Jessica Kelly

*merci Fenanda Prestes Photography*

Ambition is always something that came natural to me, and I'd like to think its contagious, so please catch my disease. Think of your "life plan" now think of your "wildest dreams" how big is the gap? How about bridging that just a bit? You can only accomplish what you allow yourself to believe you can accomplish. Far too often we fall victim to our own crime of limiting ourselves, and I think that is the worst thing to be held prisoner to. Do you realize you have the capacity to make all your wildest dreams come true? No, I am not talking about Jiminey Cricket, I am talking about you. What do you really, deep in your gut, want out of life? Well, then make it happen. Grab life by the horns and lead it away into the wilderness. One of my favorite quotes directs to aim for the moon, the absolute highest goal you can imagine for yourself, because then even if you don't get all the way, you still arrive among the stars. That is unintentionally how I have always lived my life: if I say I'm going to do something, I mean it, and I do it. I don't allow myself to settle for mediocre when I know fabulous is just a good umph away.

So please, the next time you try to limit yourself to what people tell you, you can't do, or even worse what you think is impossible for you, ask yourself one very important question: What do I really want more than anything? Shoot high and go for the goal, as you focus on the little steps along the way, you'll look up and one day realize the huge leaps and bounds you have made in getting there.

*thanks weheartit for the photos*

See you in space!

Don't forget today is your last day to VOTE on Etsy for the Embellished Necktie and grab yourself a chance at a fabulous French photo HERE!

Fashionspiration: Shopping in the West Village

Come my darlings and take a journey down the ever changing streets in New York City. Venture through the Subway and exit into a world that has managed to blend the best of it all: The West Village. Spunky and edgy like Brooklyn, but chic and designer conscious like the Upper East Side whether you're in Chelsea, the Meat Packing District, or the West Village you will be sure to capture excitement. So stay chic in with elegant touches of designer trinkets that are hidden behind your military studded persona! Strap on your gladiators and face The City for a day of exploring and shopping to only come back with an armful of goodies!

West Side Shopping by fashiondiva304 featuring Stephen Webster jewelry

Items in this set:
EAST MILITARY DRESS, 20 GBP
Forever21.com - Shoes - Casual - 2073816261, $25
Prada black studded leather flat zip clutch at Bluefly, $1,125
STEPHEN WEBSTER - STUD DOME GOLD PLATED RING, 390 EUR
Marc by Marc Jacobs Sparkle Stud, $58

Seek. Discover. Conquer.

And Don't forget the Voter Giveaway is ending soon, so stop in HERE to get your shot!

Feature on Etsy Voter & GIVEAWAY

I had the supreme delight, after a not-so-great weekend, to learn Monday afternoon that one of my Embellished Neckties has been chosen to be featured on Etsy VOTER! I was so excited to finally get some bigger publicity on Etsy that I actually jumped up and down...you know, like a 5 year old girl getting the Barbie she hoped for..yeah. Nonetheless, I am sending out the all-call for everyone to sign on to their Etsy accounts and help me VOTE VOTE VOTE!! This is such a fantastic opportunity for Embellished and I would appreciate every bit of help I can get!

*thanks weheartit for the photo*

Please go HERE and check out the Etsy Voter, the silver striped necktie (and the only menswear item listed) is from Embellished. Please cast your vote and spread the love!

*photo property of Embellished please do not copy*

In honor of this very special feature, I am offering a SPECIAL GIVEAWAY for your help with Etsy VOTER. One lucky Embellisher will win their own 5x7 copy of the "I Dreamed a Dream in Time Gone By" portrait. Now PAY ATTENTION because the entries for this contest are a little different...

*photos property of Embellished please do not copy*

1. Go to ETSY VOTER and vote for the Embellished Silver Necktie

comment below with your vote number

2. Tweet this giveaway

comment below with your tweet URL

3. Facebook this giveaway

copy your status update in a comment below

4. BLOG related subject (ex: prom) and include the necktie with a link to VOTER.

comment below with the blog url

Contest and Voting closes Midnight April 29th

GOOD LUCK AND HAPPY VOTING!!

MERCI BEACOUP FOR YOUR SUPPORT MES CHERIES!

Huge Helping of Humbleness

Well I have just come out of a the worst weekend for 2010 so far, and am at one of those crossroads where I just want to give up and cry but know that I won't, and will only push through with the little bit of strength that I can muster. Humbleness is an interesting thing, its a good quality, yet I think it it easily the hardest one. Lets face it, no one likes someone shoving in their face everything they are not good at...well, I have had a weekend of that.

*thanks weheartit for the pic*

My time here in France has not been easy in any sense of the word. Being millions of miles away from my family, my friends, and any normal life as I have come to define it, is hard enough, but add in some other extenuating circumstances and things get magnified. Well I've been so focused on my problems lately that I really, really let down my friend who has been my rock through this entire transition. I was so blind sided by it, and then saw everything clearly and felt so terrible. Its of course in those moments that there is no wording in the world that can you pull you out of the hole you've dug. Of course there are a million excuses for acting like a fool, and usually they are pretty valid, but at the end of the day, you screwed up and that's the bottom line. Of course luckily you have been blessed with people in your life that realize no one is perfect and we all make mistakes and you can both pick up the pieces and move on. My friends are so important to me and I would never ever want to hurt them in any way, so this is one of the biggest faux pas's for me, and for that I am truly sorry.

I can't really divulge on too many of the details involving the other situation, but know this darlings, I have reached this point where I feel like France is turning me into this person that I don't like. Someone whom I have never been. I think all I can do is suck it up and make the best of it. Do things I don't like or agree with and just try to appreciate all that I have right now rather than dwell on all that is bothering me. Besides, everyone has to pay their dues right, well maybe this is just a part of mine, but where's the line, how am I supposed to know? I hate feeling out of control and I hate conflict so when both of those are combined I'm really in an uncomfortable situation.

So there it is mes cheries, and here's what I'd like from you: advice and support. What do you do when life hasn't just got you down, but has literally put stopped you in your tracks and made you question everything you felt was true about life and about yourself?

Sunday and a Giveaway Winner

I hope all you lovelies are having a relaxing Sunday. This weekend has been wonderful, isn't it great when the warm weather finally starts coming around. Its funny how dependent I am on sunshine and blue skies for total happiness, its so fleeting in the winter and with the freezing weather on top of that, its just too much for me to handle. This whole week I've been taking advantage of wearing my dresses and sunglasses with all my new gladiator sandals, its been a much needed change.

*merci WeHeartIt*

But today I am here to bring some sunshine to one lucky Embellisher all the way from Israel! I hope you all enjoyed learning about Orly and her Shop, and were super excited about this giveaway like I was! So I won't hold you in suspense any longer

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:9Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Congratulations... Amber of Travelling Amber!!!

*thanks Orly for the pic*

I hope this brightens your day, and for the rest of you lovelies, don't worry you will of course get your shot in a giveaway coming up very soon!

Pourin Your Heart Out

I've had this look on my face far too many times, whether sitting at a piano, or on a bed with my guitar. There is something about music that allows whatever emotion you are feeling to be poured out onto the empty piece of paper in front of you; to fill the silence of your heartbreak, or uplift your sheer bliss. Music takes over when their are no words, and lyrics provide poetry to even the most indescribable feelings.

*merci weheartit.com*

All my life music has been my constant companion, I have a love for it that was born in me and is unending. A great love of mine is finding new artists, especially when they carry some unique sound, it is so interesting to see how many forms music can be carried through!

What is music to you mes cheries?

Spread a Little Love

Happy Earth Day everyone!! I hope that, if not everyday, today you take a second to take a 360 degree turn and look at how pretty the planet is on which we live. As a traveler one of my favorite things is experience the amazing diversity of beauty our planet offers, from grand canyons to soaring mountains, rolling hills to unending seas of sand, our home is breathtaking!

*merci weheartit*

Remember that if you see litter on the ground from some inconsiderate person and help it find a trash can. If you're asked to spend a Saturday morning planting some flowers in your neighborhood, maybe consider the benefits before immediately saying, no. We do not have to be Tree Huggers to appreciate and upkeep the place we all call home.

Happy Earth Day, I hope its green and breezy!

Also, don't forget to enter the latest giveaway!

Love Birds from Israel Giveaway

If you have read this blog for any amount of time, it is not hard to tell that I have a passion for art and anything unique. I love that something can be translated from a mere idea sparked by a feeling that is then brought into fruition through multiple media venues. In college one of the many art classes I took was in ceramics, and it was one of my favorite classes. Today I want to introduce you to Orly Design from Israel. Orly is a wonderful ceramic artist on Etsy whom I know you will instantly fall in love with, just like I did! Enjoy, and maybe they'll be a giveaway coming your way...just saying.

*thanks Orly for all the pics*

1. What got you started in ceramics?

My name is Orly, I’m married and a mother of 3 beautiful children. In the past 7 years we live in a moshav (village) in Israel. Since I remember myself, even as a child in my parent’s house, creation was always there. My parents had a factory for knitwear, which sold all over Israel. I understand today that my attraction to the handmade creation field started back then.

Over the years I have tried working with different materials and techniques, but once I tried ceramic – I fell in love! It’s a wonderful feeling to take a lump of clay with no shape or color and turn it into a personal, lively and unique creation. This kind of creation offers me endless possibilities. I enjoy creating sculptures, jewelry, functional and decorative items. I like to combine in my ceramic work other materials from the nature, such as rocks, wood, glass and more. During the day I spend most of my time in my studio, where I create and teach art and ceramics for kids and adults.

2. What made you decide to turn your hobby into a business?

In the past I sold my work to friends, but due to increasing demand and friends recommendations I decided to open my Etsy shop, and I got hooked! I love the exposure, support and the wonderful atmosphere in this new world.

3. What inspires you, what is your creative process?

As I mentioned, we live in a village I love the atmosphere here and I love living here. I think this is what inspires me during my days: nature, singing birds… One of the things I stared creating lately (and I just love it!), are items for weddings. I’m so excited when someone chooses one of my creations for their big day!

4. If you could have a super power what would it be?

I would love a super power that will allow me to choose how many hours will be in a single day. There are days (many of them) that 24 hours is not enough at all ... On the other hand there are days that I would be glad to finish and start a new day…

Orly has teamed up with Embellished to offer you Embellishers a wonderful opportunity to have your very own piece of Israel! These lovely Initial Love Birds pictured above are scheduled to possibly fly your way in a few...here's what you gotta do:

1. Visit Orly Design and comment below on your favorite piece

For extra entries

2. Tweet or Facebook this Giveaway and comment the URL below

3. Be a follower of The Embellished Life and comment that you are

4. Fan Embellished on Facebook and comment below that you've joined the group

So if you take advantage of all your opportunities you will have 4 comments total to give you extra chances to win these lovely love birds! This 4 day giveaway will go on until Saturday, April 24th Midnight NYC time so hurry and get in your entry!

Bonne Chance Mes Cheries!

Fashionspiration: Les Voyages de le Printemps

Spring travels are just the best aren't they. Everyone begins crawling out of their winter hibernation and stretching into a beautiful world of florals, sunrays, and ice cream cones! Here's a fun weekend travel ensemble for you!

Printemps Voyage by fashiondiva304 featuring Miu Miu shoes

Items in this set:
boohoo.com | Womens Fashion Clothes | Womens Clothing, 15 GBP
Pink Fitted Blazer, Vivienne Westwood Red Label, size: 14, 435 GBP
Old Navy Girls Dark Stone Tint The Darling Boot-Cut Jeans, $20
Cork and leather wedge sandals, $650
Kate's Paperie : Shop : Mini Suitcases, Turquoise : E0001608 :, $10

Pourquoi Pas?

Why Not....put on your fluffiest dress and bright red cape and stroll through the nearest forest? Live your own fairy tale sans the Big Bad Wolf on your next sunny day. Sit in the meadow and enjoy the tea and cookies you brought with you in your basket for Grandma.

*merci weheartit*

Curly Hair Trauma and Giveaway Winner!

I hope you all enjoyed learning about DevaCurl and are well on your way to becoming sold out fans like I now am!

Since you all were gracious enough to bare your most embarrassing curly hair stories,

I will lighten your day with mine:

I have had curly hair all my life and it has definitely been a lifelong learning curve to get it to its beauty today. Those middle school days are the worst aren't they? My most traumatic curly hair story happened in 8th grade, I had just broken up with my Boy du Jour and was wanting a new change, so I headed to Great Clips...{heed my warning to never go there}...I showed a picture to the lady of an old haircut i had that was just above shoulder length and semi-bobbed. Somehow she turned that into this horribly stacked out version what I was wanting. Keep in mind this was still before the wonder of GHD type straighteners, that can magically transform your curly hair into the model straight hair you see in magazines. My hair was huge, it had been cut straight off with no angling, shaping, or layering to let it fall nicely into place and I looked like a kindergarten drawing of a girl, you know, where they draw a block of hair on the stick figures head. I was traumatized, I still hide photos of me from this time!

It took me 21 years to find someone that could properly cut my hair, and I can say that I have never since, nor ever will again, step foot in a Great Clips or similar low-cost cuttery chain! This has definitely been my favorite giveaway so far, I just love finding new beauty products that rock. As I know you guys do to, I won't build up anymore suspense.

The winner of the DevaFuser is...

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:24Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Congrats Rachel!!

Here is her curly hair traumatic story:

Once upon a time in the eighth grade I decided to emphasize my already curly hair with a perm. I was going to be different from every other girl at school with straight hair. I had it cut in layers first to give the curls extra bounce and then permed. I came out looking like a poodle with the little puffy fro if you're one of those people who compare humans to their animal look likes or if you prefer plants a pom pom tree. I went to school for one day like this with a scarf and after merciless teasing went straight back to the hairdresser to get it removed. Well - due to the cut up layers - even the straight hair looked disheveled - it was like a female Billy Ray mullet. I had it all chopped off into a bob and did not cut my hair for 6 months. But luckily I had a really good friend who supported my through my hairtastrophy. And she is still one of my best friends to this day and has supported me through even bigger catastrophes. Love her

This is my good friend Rachel, and luckily we supported each other through our mutual bad hairtastrophies, maybe that's what brought us together!! Isn't it great when you can bond over mutual beauty failures? haha! Well definitely check out DevaCurl and brighten your Sunday by giving your hair the DevaFuser, it gets Two Thumbs Up in my book for sure. If you still would like information on the How To and Before + After, the article is still up for your information: HERE.

*thanks weheartit and DevaCurl for the pics*

Have a Happy Sunday Darlings!

Fashion is Fluid

Like all art, fashion is fluid. It is personal to its wearer, personal to its admirer and takes many different forms and meanings to every eye that gazes upon it. Always changing, yet constantly remaining the same. Its a long term relationship that you stand by through highs and lows and can reflect back with memories that bring tears and laughter. A lifelong marriage to the amazing person you are.

This fluidity is what I love about fashion. You can layer it, you can change it. It can fit any mood, any style, and any location that you wish to be transported. Fashion is a shape shifter, an appreciator of all that has been, and all that can be. It loves its wearer and creates muses for the masses. Always providing you with the embellishment you desire for the blank canvas that is your body.

One step down a runway can spark a movement, just as one step into a doorway can change a life. It can shout out your personality to the world or temporarily hide you when you need solicitude. So versatile, so dependable, fashion can be called on for any situation you find yourself.

*all photos thanks to We Heart It*

What is fashion to you?

The Road Home

On the road home today from the South of France, I hope you all have been following along with the many daily musings of The Embellished Life while I've been gone! I hope to have pictures up soon straight from Cannes!

Bisous!

Fashionspiration: Beachy Breeze

Beachy Dream by fashiondiva304 featuring Ri2k bags

Items in this set:
Fichu striped blouse, $345
Kors by Michael Kors Scorpion leather sandals, $76
Ri2K Ariel Grab Handbag, Green, 135 GBP
Shopping Bag - American Eagle Outfitters, $40
Resale-Riches - chloe celeb-beloved jackie-o style round black...

Celebrity Muse

Someone I am always captivated by is Emmy Rossum. She is truly a classic gem in a see of rhinestones. She stays out of the paparazzi game and is always elegant. Bravo Emmy for single handedly showing Hollywood how it used to be in its golden age!

*Merci PenHittingPaper - Tumblr*

Puts you in a trance doesn't she?

Rich vs Poor

Rich and poor. Isn't the mentality between the two of these so crazy? The book I just finished reading is set in India, where the caste system prevails, and it explores the mentality between two women whom life has handed very different cards. The poor one lives in the slums yet gives everything she can to help another, and the richer one (middle class, not even upper class) is so quick to keep her possessions that they have a strong hold on her actions as well. She sees the servant woman's generosity and is shamed which made me wonder...

*Merci We Heart It*

What is it about the more we have, the tighter a grasp we put on it?

Appreciating what we have is something you think should come easily, but it doesn't. Its all too easy to get caught up in what someone else has that you don't. We always think we don't have a lot, but wealth if anything is always this: relative. I challenge you the same way I challenge myself, anytime you find yourself comparing to others try putting yourself in the upper hand position. How much more grateful will you be when you continually contemplate all you have been blessed with and how you can help those around you that have less?

Fashionspiration: Shopping Uptown

Shopping by fashiondiva304 featuring The Sak bags

Items in this set:
Suzette silk-jersey playsuit, $490
Petite grey tipped mac, 80 GBP
Alexander mcqueen trousers BLACK, 210 GBP
Marc Jacobs Satin ballerina flats, 140 GBP
The Sak Silverlake Convertible Satchel Bag, $160

Beauty of the Vanity

I love beauty products. They make me so happy,

like a little girl playing at her mother's vanity.

I also love vanities, so timeless, so elegant. Truly a snapshot of days gone by.

What is your favorite thing about beauty?

HURRY Today is the LAST day to enter our biggest Giveaway yet!

DevaFuser by DevaCurl a revolution for the Curly Girl!

ENTER HERE

Taxis, Timing, and Love

I just finished watching a romance film with my friend and it got me thinking, how quickly women fall in love. Of course it is easy to see this when you need to have two characters end up together in under two hours, but it still arose an interesting point. Men and women are wired so differently, although we have more in common then general society stereotypes allow, it is fascinating to sit back and ponder.

"Its easy to fall in love. The hard part

is finding someone who will catch you." ~ anonymous

As I think back on my past relationships I know that I could have easily fallen in love in most of them, the tricky part is timing, sometimes you are preoccupied, sometimes he may be elsewhere. But in those relationships I remember learning his passions and finding ways to infuse that into our activities, or learning about his family and friends and letting them into my life too. Always changing and looking toward the future, never yielding so much that you lose yourself, but continually transforming into that "We" that you desire. I would like to reference a quote that sparked this train of thought in the first place.

"A lady's imagination is very rapid. It jumps from admiration to love,

from love to matrimony in a moment." ~ Jane Austen

For me it has always been like this, it is nothing I feel men should be afraid of, why else are you dating? Even when I was younger I always felt that dating was a test run for finding my husband, and when I no longer saw a future for the relationship, I ended it. It is selfish of me to stay with a man and lead him falsely in a direction I am not, just for the sake of me staying away from the scary word "single." Now, am I saying I've never gone on a date with a guy I wasn't quite sure had a future? No. I am saying that if I have decided after a couple dates that I would like to see where this might go, I'm jumping both feet in. Whereas I feel many men dance around the dating pool for quite some time before finally deciding it may be time to honor society with a prolonged dip. This subject is summed up perfectly in an episode of Sex and the City.

*Merci We Heart It for all the photos*

"Men are like cabs, when they're available their light goes on. They awake one day and decide they are ready to settle down, have babies, whatever, and they turn their light on. Next woman they pick up, boom, that's the one they'll marry. It's not fate, it's dumb luck. It's all about timing, you gotta get em when their light's on." ~Miranda Hobbes

Don't forget the DevaFuser CurlTASTIC Giveaway is coming to a close real soon!

Enter HERE for our biggest giveaway yet!

Amigos

No truer words have been spoken darlings. Our friends have patience through our rants and confusion when it comes to the dating field and provide countless volunteer hours to our cause. They are our on call therapists and lifelong partners in crime. They provide a shoulder for tears, arms for comfort, muscle to pull us up when we're down, and words for motivation.

What are friends to you?

Don't forget to enter the DevaFuser Giveaway HERE!

Fashionspiration: London Layers

London Town by fashiondiva304 featuring Carvela shoes

Items in this set:
Union Jack cotton tank, $125
Ruffle Front with Drawstrings Open Cardigan, $17
CURRENT / ELLIOTT Short, 210 EUR
Carvela Wish Studded Over The Knee Platform Boot, $355
Large Leather Suitcase, 220 GBP

Don't forget to enter the Curly Hair Giveaway HERE

trust me you don't want to miss this one!