Lets Give Thanks To All Of Our Moms

So, Mother's Day is this Sunday and I thought it would be appropriate to do a post on moms.

I am yet to be a mother, but I can't wait till the day that I get to be (although it is no time soon..don't get any ideas!). From talking to new moms and old moms I have learned that there is no better joy than having a child. Through all the sleepless nights, poopy diapers, spit up, messes, etc. that child is a gift from God. Not only is that child a gift, but so is our Moms.

Our Mothers do so much for each one of us day in and day out. I know my mom has been there in some of the hardest times as well as the most exciting and she was always there for any support needed. Though, she never hid how she felt and was always completely honest with me (which I value the most) my mom is truly one of my best friends. I have so many great memories with her from shopping, vacations, doing all the girly stuff and from crying on her shoulder. She has always been there for me and I thank you Mom for that.

Now, don't get me wrong...my mom and I did fight like cats and dogs when I was younger, but the relationship between a Mother and Child always stands true. A Mother will be a Mother for life whether your child is 2 years old or 52 years old. So lets give thanks to our Moms this Mother's Day whether it be your Mom, Grandma, Aunt, Mother-In-Law, or someone who has been like a Mother to you. They all deserve recognition.

So thank you to my Mom and to all you out there who are Mothers. It is by far the toughest job, but also the most rewarding. The scariest, but also the most exciting. Have a great Mother's Day!




"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts." -Washington Irving

A Little Shout Out To iSanctuary

So this past weekend was beautiful and relaxing! What better way to kick off this nice weather that we have been having than to spend some quality time with some beautiful ladies. Myself, my sis-in-law, mother-in-law and two aunts headed down Saturday night to the Shops at the Arbor in Los Alamitos.

If you have never been there...one word for you...GO!!! The shops are adorable and the atmosphere is even better. We went because I had gotten a flyer for an event at A Place Of Our Own- Hair and Art Salon in which they were hosting a trunk show for a jewelry line called iSanctuary. Let me just say...WOW!!! This jewelry is amazing and totally reasonable in price. It is so unique and something that you will not find anywhere else!

Best of all about the organization is that it helps women be rescued out of human trafficking in India and reintegrate into society. Human trafficking happens all over the world and India has a huge problem with it with 10,000 women enslaved in prostitution.

What is human trafficking you ask?

"Human trafficking is the transportation and sale of human beings, often for purposes of exploitation. Leading authorities estimate that more than one million people are trafficked every year, adding to the figure of 27 million people around the world presently living in slavery.  80% of trafficking victims are women and children.  Victims of sex trafficking are most commonly forced, deceived, abducted or sold by their families, transported and then sold into slavery. " (isanctuary.org)

iSanctuary works with girls who are between the ages of 13 and 18 years old and works at "providing survivors the means to be reintegrated as valued members of a community" (isanctuary.org)
All the jewelry is made from these women and 100% of the profits goes back to them to be placed in a savings account for them after they leave the home.

Their motto is Purchase with Purpose and it really does feel great to purchase something that you know is helping someone else out.

We left the event with beautiful jewelry and feeling good about a purchase and learning more about an amazing organization which is making a difference in the world.

Want to find out more about iSanctuary or how you can give back? Go to:

www.iSanctuary.org
http://isanctuary.wordpress.com/
www.shopsanctuary.org

They also have a showroom which you can go to!

Our showroom is located at 17777 Main Street, Suite C-2, Irvine, CA 92614

iSanctuary Showroom Shopping Hours

Tuesdays: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Thursdays: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm

*Call to schedule an appointment or to hear about additional shopping hours.

Here are some of the beautiful pieces I and my family purchased:

I hope that you look into iSanctuary more. I know that I will be buying jewelry from them more often as well as helping out in any other way possible. 

Lets all try to make a difference in this world and try to spread our love and the love of the Lord. Every little bit helps.

So What Do You Think?

Alrighty! Well the Royal Wedding is done and over with, but the underlying question is "What do you think about all the hats?"

I personally think some of them were ADORABLE! But some of them were a little over the top. Now I know in the states hats like that are not as popular as they are in Britain. Except of course on Opening Day at the horse races. I mean come on...every girl would like an excuse to wear a hat like that at some point in her life. Well, at least I speak for myself, but I have yet to find the occasion. Maybe I need to take a trip to Britain so I can finally fulfill that longing! hehe

Well, enough with the rambling. I know us States girls are not as likely to wear such hats on an everyday basis, but we will wear HEADBANDS!!! I have been reading up on the headband craze (I have to since it is what I make) and everyone seems to have the same feeling that since Kate Middleton is on her way to being a fashion icon, they all state that the headband and hair fascinators are going to be even more popular than they already are!

So, here is some newbies from Bonjour Belle! Let me know what you think! I tried out a bow headband for fun and would love to hear feedback!

These are sure to make anyone say, "Hello Beautiful"!!! 

All That Is Fashionable For Summer 2011

Hello Beautiful!
It's crazy to think that we are already almost to May and that means that Summer is right around the corner. Now, as girls we then think...have to get that summer body, have to get some summer clothes and accessories, and bathing suits!!!
So I have been doing my research on what is going to be popular in fashion for this summer 2011. I have been searching websites and of course reading a little "In Style" and "People Style Watch" to get some ideas.

I am very excited about the colors of this upcoming summer season. They are bright and fun and are to be mix and matched! They are being used in floral patterns, 60's and 70's inspired wear, and "amazon" wear. Here is a great website that explains the season's colors and how to use them:


http://www.girlslovestyle.com/2011/color-trends-springsummer-2011/

So now that we know what colors are popular its all about the swimsuit styles!! Yes, I know that not everyone is ready to think about that (myself included) but we still have some time before we really need to put one on...haha. Here is what I found to be the summer trends:

1st swimwear trend summer 2011 – various fabrics, textures and styles

2nd swimwear trend summer 2011 – lingerie inspired women’s swimwear- (not too sure about that one...eek!)

3rd swimwear trend summer 2011 – tribal and exotic printed women’s swimwear

4th swimwear trend summer 2011 – bondage-style women’s swimwear

5th swimwear trend summer 2011 – tangerine women’s swimwear (That orange color shows up again!)

For the full article go to 

http://www.fashionweartoday.com/trends/womens-swimwear-trends-summer.html

Now lets move onto my favorite category...hair accessories!!! Here is a blurp I found that states it best!

          

"Co

co Chanel once said “Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; dress impeccably and they remember the woman”.  However you dress, whatever you wear, apart from your clothes, what really stands out is how you are accessorizing it. An accessory can make or break your look.

The upcoming season different hair accessories promise to be big. They promise to add something extra to the smart and chic hair styles. So, even if you wear the same hair style every day of the week, you could make it look different by trying out one of the various hair accessories."

o

Floral Hair Accessories:

"Just as the hair styles this upcoming Spring promise to be feminine, so does the biggest trend in hair accessories – Floral theme, which represents the ultra feminine power. Whether the flowers are ornate arrangements or just plain simple wreaths – they are everywhere. The floral theme is very romantic and a must to try out in the season." - Nidhi

Check out the rest of the article at 

http://www.glamcheck.com/fashion/2010/11/16/hair-accessories-trend-s-s-2011-floral-accessories/

Another great website to check out for summer fashion trends including turban headwraps, wide brim sun hats and headbands is :

http://www.asianfashion.com/blog/springsummer-fashion-trend-2011-headwear.html

Now that we have the hair accessories underway...we need to know what hairstyles are popular this summer.  We have been seeing curls, braids, fish tail braids and buns popping up all over as the hairstyles for Spring and Summer 2011. I found a website that I thought was great because it had a lot of pictures from fashion weeks all over. Now I know that at fashion weeks the designers tend to go a little over the top (that is probably an understatement) but we can at least get an idea! Check it out at:

http://www.ourvanity.com/beauty/top-springsummer-2011-runway-hair-trends/

Another great site for those of us who have long hair is:

http://www.starandstyle.com/2011-long-hairstyle-trends-spring-summer.html

Here are some the pictures of styles that I liked:

Hope all this helps for the upcoming Summer season! Now it is time to go shopping and experiment!!! 

Have fun Beautiful!

Lets Get Crafty!

So I have been looking for little cute Spring/Summer craft ideas and I have found a couple which I thought were adorable and not on a difficult level (which is perfect for me)!

The first is a hand made door sign in which you can customize it to your liking and it is really easy. Perfect for year round or make a cute Spring one. Check it out at the link below!


http://www.christineandcoblog.com/2011/04/reversible-door-sign-from-recycled.html

The other is a cute handmade rope vase. It is perfect for that rustic Spring look or anytime of the year and this project is pretty easy also! Check  it out:

http://trulylovelywiththelaneysisters.blogspot.com/2011/04/recycled-and-reused-team-roping-ropes.html

For more crafts check out this cool Blog at

I plan on trying these soon so I will let you know how it goes. If you all try them before me please let me know how it went for you and post some pictures here on the blog! 

Talk Later! ;)

Having Way Too Much Fun!!!

Hello Beautiful!!!

So this weekend was a great weekend filled with lots of friends and family. I had a not so good Thursday when our computer completely took a crash and wouldn't even turn on, but we spent that night at dinner with our good friends Ryan and Nicole and had a blast. We had an amazingly funny waitress and had a great double date night at WoodRanch with some good food and some Kendal Jackson! Yumm!

Come to find out Friday it would cost too much money to fix our old computer so it was cheaper to just get a new computer. Sounded like a good deal to me! As we looked around the sales person said that computers only tend to last about two years on average! What?! Then he said that a Mac lasts a lot longer and doesn't get viruses. Although it would be more expensive initially. So, we ended up with a Mac computer and I am having way too much fun with it! I love everything about it! It has a great editing program for your pictures (which I am experimenting with) and tons of other goodies! Its great to help me get Bonjour Belle going better!

Saturday we had a great BBQ at our house with friends and Sunday was an AMAZING Easter service at SeaCoast. They never disappoint with their church services! We spent Sunday afternoon with family and friends and watched my adorable niece do her egg hunt. There was a lot of competition for her being she is the only child of the family old enough to hunt for eggs! hahaha

Today has been busy fulfilling my wholesale order for Tranna Jocy which they will be selling some of the combo clips/pins at their boutique this weekend! I also got new fabrics and have been eager to just lock myself in my crafting room and go to town on headbands and accessories, but that will have to wait being that I need to go cook dinner! But here are two that I have made thus far! More to come!

Hope you all had a great weekend!!! Talk soon!

A Recap of Events and a Blessing In Disguise

Hello Beautiful!
So as I still sit in my PJ's today I am writing this and reflecting on the last month. For a little background I had surgery about 4 weeks ago due to a lacerated tendon of my big toe on my right foot. Careful when doing dishes...I did this by breaking a glass on the counter and then the glass fell on my foot. From now on I am wearing steel toed shoes! So, I have beenn out of work since then and hanging out at home. I was bummed that it happened and have gone through my ups and downs during this time, but I have realized a lot.

I didn't want to sit in front of the TV the entire time so I got to working on my side business (aka. Bonjour Belle). I love to be crafty and this gave me the great opportunity to pursue it and possibly promote it. I have been having fun being creative with this business and have gotten the products into two great stores! It has started to take up a lot of my time which is great considering I can't drive to go anywhere and I am really good at sitting on my booty right now!

Not only has Bonjour Belle gotten busier, but I have had time to reflect on myself and my friendships. I have grown closer with some friends that I truely love and have really had the time to figure out who I want to be as a woman. Most importantly, I have realized that God really does have a plan. Things happen in His timing and we just have to let go of the reins and let Him take control. Im not saying that Im very good at this (I tend to like to be in control) but this whole experience has taught me to just put my trust in Him. I don't know what is next on the agenda, but I know that God does and I am just going along for the exciting ride!

So until then, I will continue to hobble around with my best friends (aka. My Crutches) and continue to be creative! We will see what happens next!