Modern Mom

     Looking for a gift for a new mom? I found the perfect little keepsake gift!

These adorable charms by Nashelle are hand made to order,  in recycled 14 karat gold and sterling silver with natural gemstones. The company was started by a mom, as always I love supporting mom owned and operated businesses!





You start your custom necklace with a classic light rope pendant chain that is durable and dainty. 


From there you can add personalized; charms, bars, mini charms, and gemstones.

The personalized bars are a best seller! You can add the baby's name on the front and the birthdate or a special word on the back. They are available in 14 K gold and sterling silver. $35 for the bar with a front stamp, back stamp is an additional $12.00.

Add a charm or two, or three. The charms are hand-stamped, lightly distressed round discs. They come on a jump ring to slip onto your chain. Available in 14k gold fill or sterling silver. $30 a piece.

Want to add a little sparkle of color??  You can purchase a little dainty gemstone drop to add to your custom creation. They have almost every color in birthstones! $12 per stone.

Allow 2-3 for delivery, as each creation is hand-made to order.

You can find these great gifts at www.southmoonunder.com or http://store.nashelle.com/.

Friends- Please tell my hubby, I would LOVE one of these for Mother's Day!!!

Although our children spend most of their time in "play clothes", it doesn't mean that they can't be fashion forward!
Dressing our children in a fashionable way is of course way more fun for us at this point, however, if you are a fashionista, why not get them on board now??!
How we dress our children now, and for years to come, will help lay the foundation for little fashionistas of the future! Now, this goes for little boys as well! I happen to have a little boy, and thought that boys clothes were not going to be as exciting as girls, but I was so wrong!
Shops like H&M and Old Navy are making it possible to fashionably dress both girls and boys, and for a great price!
Check out some of these great looks for Spring from Old Navy!

Old Navy:
Pull on camo pants- $10
Beatles rock tee- $10.50
Canvas lace-free slip ons- $14.50

Old Navy For Girls
Raw Edged slub knit Cardigan- $14.50
Ruffled Foiled graphic tank-$6.00
Canvas lace-free slip ons-$14.40

One of the strongest trends for Spring 2010 is neutral shades. I knew this to be true, however after watching the Golden Globes, where every other celeb was in a nude shade gown, it really drove the point home!
You can add this trend to your look in a lot of fun ways. If you are hesitant, as always, it is best to add one item to your wardrobe or your look and go from there.
I suggest a blazer, a nail polish or a fabulous pair of shoes!


Nail Polish

This versatile and sleek gray shade will match any outfit!
Essie $8
www.essie.com


Shoes
Flesh colored shoes have the advantage of always being in style, because they are so versatile. They are much easier to wear, than a bold red or pink shoe, which makes them very practical. The BEST part about nude shoes is, they ELONGATE your legs! Yes, moms they make our legs look longer! Who doesn't want that?!
Here are a few that I found. From sandals to a basic pump, everyone should have a nude shoe in their closet this spring!




Sandal- This fashion forward sandal, made from soft supple leather, is perfect with dresses, skirts, shorts or your skinny jeans!
Sandrahh by Steve Madden
$79.95 www.stevemadden.com


Wedge- The stacked wedge heel, elevates the chic caged sandal. Not only is this shoe right on trend for spring, but wedge heels tend to be very comfortable(I am looking out for ya)!
Report
$199.95 www.nordstrom.com


Pump- Wear this classic pump day or night! Perfect with skinny jeans or a fun, flirty dress!
Captivat- by Steve Madden
$69.95 www.stevemadden.com

Blazers

I don't know about you, but I have such dry skin right now! It's bad enough that my skin is a  pasty shade of WHITE...but now it has succombed to winter's wrath and is extremely dry as well! I know as moms, we have very little time to pay attention to ourselves, so here is a quick fix for "winter skin"!
Each winter I try to find the best moisturizer for my skin, and each year I come up short.
Never actually happy with what I found.
This year, is different!
I saw an ad for Vaseline Sheer Infusion in one of my fashion mags this past week, and decided to give yet another moisturizer a try.
I was not disappointed! This stuff really works!

Some moisturizers simply lay on top of the skin, while others rub in a quickly and disappear. Vaseline Sheer Infusion actually rubs in quickly, which I like, but it penetrates all 3 layers of your skin. Although it has a such a deep hydration, it does not leave a greasy after-feel. In fact, it is really light and silky!










Vaseline Sheer Infusion comes in three different formulas:
Vitamin Burst
Mineral Renewal
Botanical Blend
Each formula adds a little something extra to the benefits of this fabulous lotion.


If you are suffering from "winter skin", I would suggest running out and grabbing some of this stuff!

As I sit here in my house for the 3rd day in a row, looking out at the Blizzard of 2010, I keeping thinking, Spring, Spring, Spring!!!
Spring fashion will start to hit stores towards the end of the month. I am so excited to check it all out!
Especially, Sonia Rykiel's second collection for H&M, which launches on February 20th in stores worldwide.

photo courtesy of H&M


This collection follows the success of her lingerie line, and will provide us with bright and bold knitwear! This line will help us with the transition from arctic temps to spring like weather! 
These knits are the perfect way to add a pop of color and fun to our "mom" wardrobes, and are pretty functional too!!
The color palette includes, black, yellow, hot pink and baby pink! Stripes, studs and rhinestones add to the glamour of this collection. 
Prices will start at $10 for a sparkly bangle to $70 for a hot pink blazer with applique detail on the sleeve.
Be sure to check out this hot collection in stores February 20th! I really hope to be "dug out" of this storm by then, so that I can get to the mall and scoop up some of these fun knits!!

Looking for something special to wear on Valentine's Day, but don't want to spend a lot?
I am here to help! 
Right after Christmas every year, retailers go from red and green to red and pink! They make sure that store fronts are screaming Valentine's Day. With this, is the idea that you as the consumer will get so in the mood, "so to speak", that you will drop tons of money on candy, lingerie, cards, etc.. 


As moms, our focus and our money go to our children...but on Valentine's day it's about our husbands! We can not forget about them! So, if you want to look cute/sexy that night,but do not want to break the bank doing so, do not worry. I have done some retail research and found some affordable options for you! I have found over the years, that you do not need to buy the items specifically marketed as "Valentine's Day" items. Why not look through the clearance racks and think outside of the "red and pink" box?!!


Here are a few piece that I thought were cute/sexy and at great price points!


Victoria's Secret- Striped Baby Doll
Clearance price $18.99 orig $38.00
The contrast bows and buttons make this super 
feminine! Comes with matching v-string.
www.victoriassecret.com







Betsy Johnson- Leopard Print
Clearance price- $49.90 orig $75.00
Look sassy in leopard print! Pink bows at 
the bodice add a flirty touch!
www.neimanmarcus.com







I think boy shorts are super cute!
Worn with a little cami, it's both comfortable and practical, while still looking sexy! Here are a few that I found:




Victoria's Secret- Cheeky Lace Trim Boy Shorts
Clearance price $3.99 orig $9.50
These come in 6 fun colors and are flirty and fun!
www.victoriassecret.com

Victoria's Secret Ruffled Panty
Clearance price $5.99 orig $16.00
Very flirty with a little embellishment on your
rear! Comes in 4 colors.
www.victoriassecret.com


Juicy Couture "Sweet" Boy Shorts
Clearance price $8.90 orig $18.00
These sweet little shorts come wrapped like 
a piece of cake! Super fashionable, super cute!
www.nordstrom.com

I have a helpful tip for storing your boots! Once this snow finally comes to an end, and the flowers are in bloom, the boots get shoved a side for the fun spring shoes! Unlike the new spring flowers, your boots will start to slump over in your closet if you do not care for them properly. 



Yes, you could go out and spend tons of money on boot inserts to keep them upright in your closet, but I have a better idea! Roll up an old magazine and place it inside your boots. 
This will prevent them from slouching over, and they will keep their shape all spring/summer long!
So, instead of tossing out your next issue of US Weekly, shove it inside your boots!!

I thought I would try and brighten my own mood today, and hopefully yours too!
After a long weekend full of snow, I am so over winter and have decided to look ahead to spring.
Or at least to spring nail trends. I am getting sick of the dark, vampy hues that quite frankly are matching my mood right now! I need to cheer up and thought what better way, then to check out the hot new spring hues for my nails! So here we go!

                                  (colors: Particuliere, Tendresse, Inattendu)
                                             $23- www.nordstrom.com

Hot off the Spring 2010 Runway in Paris...Chanel debuted a taupey, mushroom shade that is highly anticipated for spring, called Particuliere (pictured above). It is very much like You don't know Jacques from Opi's France Collection.
Others colors include:

Mint Green
I still love Mint Candy Apple from Essie's Winter Collection.
$8- www.essie.com



Black/Blue
This is a fun color to try, especially on toes! I like Aruba Blue by Essie.
$8- www.essie.com



Peach 
I like this new one from Essie's Spring 2010 collection, called Tart Deco.
$8- www.essie.com

Coral, Bright Green and Lavender 
Coral is one of the most popular shades for spring, and one of the easiest ways to add that pop of color that you need! This year, Lavender and green hues are hot too! All of these fun shades can be found in OPI's new collection, that hits stores in February, called Hong Kong.


Look for Lucky Lucky Lavender, Jade is the New Black and Hot & Spicy.

Have fun trying these new shades, and as always let me know if you find a good one!!