Gemstone Gifts

Nothing says I love you like a big expensive rock. It can be set in a ring, necklace or paired as earrings. Gem or semi-precious gemstone tennis bracelets are also popular gives.

Below is a list of popular gemstones and their meaning. You can also wear these stones on your person to help dispel any problems you are having in personal relationships.

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Sapphire: This stone, which is usually the color of the deep, blue sea, corresponds to the energies of the Archangel Michael. Michael protects you from forces antithetical to love such as violence and lust. The sapphire can help women select an appropriate husband.

Rose Quartz: This light pink crystal heals the heart and promotes a sense of self-appreciation, and self-love. It also helps you open your heart’s center so that you can give love, unconditionally without any expectation of a reward in return. It improves your mood and enhances feelings of joy.

Diamond: Diamonds have traditionally symbolized the commitment of one human being to another, but in this case they also symbolize a commitment to taking care of your Higher Self. The stone vibrates at a frequency that strengthens your intuitive abilities. It helps you perceive beyond surface appearance and understand the truth about another person.

Emerald: This brilliant green stone is used to restore balance. Healers use this an anti-stress stone and to restore harmony to troubled or split personalities. Traditionally, an emerald was also thought to help you learn lessons, so you don’t repeat mistakes in your love life. Its deep sea green color is reminiscent of the subconscious, so it can assist in the manifestation of appropriate relationships in your life.

Ruby: The blood red light of the ruby helps to dispel feelings of discouragement and self-doubt and infuse your heart, mind and aura with love. This is the stone to wear if you feel like you are drowning in self-pity. It dispels negative self-talk and is thought to increase confidence and beauty. . It can help you achieve a vibrant social life and attract the right friends.

Amethyst: This beautiful purple stone that helps you let go of past hurts and relationships. It will help you access the truth that will set you free. If you are a control freak, this is the gem that will help you ‘Let Go and Let God’. Amethysts help release fears and anxieties that might be lurking in your subconscious and preventing you from moving forward by bringing them to the surface. It helps release fear and anxiety and also reduces tension and stress in the body.

Clothing that feels nice against the skin such as muslins and silks also make great romantic gifts because they make your lover feel sexy. To put your love in the mood also think of giving them incense or candles made from such scents as vanilla, cherry or sandalwood.

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Purple Wedding Shoes Are a Trend

Purple is a very popular color when it comes to wedding dresses this fall and of course what is better to go with these then purple wedding shoes. Another upcoming trend is the graduated color in fabric. This look is the dress that is white that fades down into a delicate ultraviolet tint or a pink tint and then into a deep purple. The deepest brown purple, called aubergine, is also in and you will see that color in wedding sashes and also wedding boots and shoes.

Getting purple wedding shoes can be a bit of a challenge unless you want to dye your own. This is done easily enough as there are tons of sites online that sell ready to dye satin shoes. However it is almost always less fuss and muss to just buy a pair of wedding shoes. However do be prepared to pay a pretty penny for shoes in exotic bridal colors like red, orange or purple. The brighter the color, the more you can expect to pay.

Purple is definitely the it bridal color for Autumn 2008. If you are wondering where to get shoes in a real dark plum o grape color then look no further than Jimmy Choo’s bridal Shoe Shop. He has satin wedding shoes with an almost four inch heel that are sling backs. There is a really skinny diamante collar around the ankle and also the signature Jimmy Choo hardware (these have two side diamond clips with gold.)

How much for these unique purple peep toed shoes? Only about 900 buck each. It seems wearing purple shoes very pricey.

By the way these sexy Jimmy Shoes also come in a tomato red if you happen to be one of those brides who is a Scarlet Woman. Red is also a popular trend for fall. In fact you can expect to see a kind of lush eighties return to red, purple, gold and green velvets and heavier satins for the winter wedding season.

If you are looking for a really glitzy purple pair of wedding shoes Christian Louboutin has the ticket.

The designer, famous for his footwear with the scarlet soles has created a pair of outrageous Very Prive purple pumps (in a nice grape hue). The heels climb to five inches high and the shoe has a hidden inch and a half platform. These might be a little bit too campy for some brides but they are definitely a glamorous and very unique item. The combination of the purple with the red sole is definitely distinctive and your wedding guest will envy and remember your wedding shoes for a very long time to come, as these are so glamorous.

Wearing these shoes is very expensive. The cost is twice as much as buying a pair of purple Jimmy Shoes at $1500.

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Indian Royalty Chic

If you want to look groovy then go for a look known as “Indian Royalty Chic.

The appeal of Indian Royalty Chic is that it is so lavish and yet non-pretentious looking at the same time. Indian Royalty chic is a posh look but at the same time it is very humane emphasizing comfort and breathable materials.

The color palette of this type of casual chic is jewel-like and corresponds to the energy centers in the body called chakras. Red, emerald, purple and gold are favored colors along with fabrics that have beautiful mirrored insets. Red and gold are colors that are considered to draw money in Indian culture. Anything hand detailed, tie-dyed or braided was considered to be the height of fashion.

Furniture was ornately carved and made out of natural woods or painstakingly woven out of reeds. Te very rich had their furniture sumptuously ornamented with gold, silver rubies and diamonds. Popular motifs that decorated the walls and the ceiling were the gleaming sun with radiating spokes. The sun with radiating spokes is still a popular motif today and decorates everything from Indian glassware to blankets to muslin clothing.

Indian royalty also saw themselves as the kings and queens of the animal kingdom and parades of elephants, horses and other animals were expressions of personal power. This is because back then only kings was allowed to own elephant and only kings could own horses and other exotic beasts. Lions and mythical beasts were particular popular as were peacocks.

Instead of wall paper Indian royalty decorated their rooms with draped fabrics. Favorite colors for these draperies were dark blue, gold, red and white. Silks were often hung from the ceiling and brocades were hung from the walls to make the area more sumptuous.

The gifts that Indian royalty exchanged with each other were also of the highest quality. A favorite item was the pashmina woolen shawl. These could be worn on chilly nights or be thrown over furniture to make them more cozy. The highest quality pashminas are hand detailed and come from Kashmir.

Indian tie dyeing known as bandhani, or knot dyeing, in which parts of a silk or cotton cloth are tied tightly with wax thread before the whole cloth is dipped in a dye vat; the threads are afterward untied, the parts so protected being left uncolored. The technique is used in many parts of India, but Gujarat and Rajasthan produced, and are still noted for, the finest work. You can find examples of this tie-dye technique decorating Indian clothing, bedspreads, and other items.

Whether it is jewellery, a sculpture, a small jewelry box or a piece of furniture’s the height of opulence in Indian culture is gold jewelry. Indian royalty was very much distinguished by the jewelry that hey wore. Gold earrings jewelry or gold pendants jewelry are the most precious of gifts. Gold is also regarded as a great investment, which is very useful at the hour of need.

Wedding Pedicures

If you are wearing open toed shoes or flip-flops to your wedding then it really does benefit you to get a pedicure. You do not have to spend a lot of money at a fancy spa to get your toenails done. You can also buy do it yourself kits. In fact these kits make great gifts for all of your bridesmaids who might be wearing flip-flops or open toes shoes to your wedding as well.

These kits are not that expensive to buy called Wedding Pedicure Kits and they include the footwear.. Yu can get them on site on the webs like The Knot they only cost about $25.00. These types of kits usually include everything that you need to give yourself a salon quality pedicure. Usually these are sold as wedding pedicure kits include a pair of flip-flops in a bag plus the appropriate buffing, filing and clipping nips that you need to spruce up your toenails for your wedding day. Some kits also come with stickers and sequins and other decorative touches.

Usually though you have to get your own nail polish especially if you want your toenails to be an offbeat color like yellow or black. Some wedding pedicure kits that come with the flip flops and everything inside only have a limited color of nail polish in them. There are many wedding pedicure kits that sell everything you need to give your toes a nice French Manicure.

According to Wedding Bells Canada magazine there are few essential things that you need to do if you are going to do your own manicure at home. First of all start with a leiseruly and long soaking in water to soften up your toenail cuticles. If you do not do this you might accidentally over cut the cuticles. If you do this you could hurt yourself or beome infected so make sure your toenails are nice and soft.

After you have soaked your nail trim and file them and make sure they are a soft square shape and not an exaggerated oval. Pointy toenails are downright dangerous especially if you are wearing nylons.Try to make sure that they look even so that they look great in your open toed wedding sandals. Never leave your toenails too long as they can easily become ingrown. After you have done this be sure to moisturize your feet so they look smooth and soft for your wedding day as well.

Make sure your feet are completely dry before you add polish or you may get an uneven finish on your toe nails a nice touch is to match the polish to your wedding dress or to your wedding’s color theme some how. One trend is for brides to actually paint their nails the color blue so they can fit the requirments of that age old rhyme – something old – something blue.

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Reusable Shopping Bags Are In

So what is the most fashionable purse you think you can carry with you? Do you think it is a Louis Vitton purse? How about a leather handbag made by Prada? Is it going to be that clutch by Chanel? Think again as none of these choices are ecologically correct. In fact because many of them are made by exploited labor in factories far away they are about as ecologically incorrect as it absolutely can get.

Nowadays the absolutely most fashionable purse that you can carry is called “the reusable shopping bag.” Every celebrity in the world now carries them to show their adoring public how eco friendly they are to the world.

The problem is that so many retailers are selling these bags and making them quite ugly. It is hard to find one that does not have a big bag or logo on it. The question is where to find really lovely versions of the bags, which are basically paper coated with plastic. High end ones will have designs like zebra stripes, pleasant graphics or even be a trendy solid color. They will not have a picture of blueberries or a cabbage on them.

Yet another consideration is where to find a big one or one strong enough to carry everything that you need. You want one that is well constructed and coated with enough poly substances to keep it stiff and sturdy. Hand stitching is also a sign of a quality reusable bag.

If you want to switch over to reusable shooing bags but think some of them are quite ugly then you might want to look at a website Reusable Bags. This is a site that sells only these bags and in a great variety of styles including stringless bags, heavy duty bags, paper bags, hemp bags, produce bags and thermal bags.

Of course you can get reusable Shopping Bags without paying amide but usually they are marred with advertising. The ones sold at stores like Reusable Bags are more fashionable and have attractive decorative patterns on them.

Another distinguishing thing is that you can get some of these bags in a much larger size than you ordinarily could if you just picked them up from merchant. This is good if you have multiple stores to go to and have a lot of purchases to stow away under your arm. The larger the better if you are planning to use it like a big purse. Many of them now have snaps and cheap zippers so you can use them like a purse if need be.

It is amazing how sophisticated some of these bags are getting. Some styles such as the Reisenthal City Shopper even come with such perks as buckles and a cell phone pocket even though they are made from the most inexpensive materials.

Wedding Reception Trends

There are all kinds of wedding trend receptions to look forward to this fall. For instance The Times from the United Kingdom foresees several things being quite hot in wedding wear and fashion.

One of them was the color black. Bridesmaids in black dresses and a bride in white or vice versa is a big trend. So are rare black orchids. White orchids are so passé. Black orchids are more unique and will match your black wedding dress. However they will cost about 800 bucks per floral arrangement so look before you leap on this one.

The other big trend? Giving your guests an iPod Nano that has all of your favorite tunes rather than the usual little packet of lemonade, plant or bag of candies. This way couples that are at your wedding can remember your love by dancing to the music that both of you love long after the celebration is over.

Another trend is sweetheart tables. When it comes to seating arrangements you no longer have to worry about who gets to sit at your table. Sweetheart tables, that only sit the bride and the groom, are recommended so that you don’t have to worry about showing any one preferential treatment. You don’t have to make a decision about who is more important. In essence, nobody gets offended if they don’t get to sit next to the bride and groom because nobody is.

You and Your Wedding (also from the United Kingdom) has some trendy suggestion about how to serve fashionable food at your wedding reception.
In terms of canapés the hottest offerings are foods that look like sushi but are not really sushi. An example is the mini roast beef and Yorkshire pudding type concoction. Or a mini hotdog rolled or piece of ham rolled with a vegetable.

There is also a trend towards ice sculptures but unlike your standard swan sculpture it is very contemporary to embed fairy lights in the sculpture. You can even get tables made out of chuncks of ice that are embedded in ice and serve things such as sushi or drinks from them.

When it comes to fountains some individuals are still discovering the chocolate fountain into which people dip bananas and other chunks of fruit. However to be on the cutting edge you might want to consider a coulis fountain. In this case it is pureed fruit like raspberries that courses through the fountain.

Want to hold your wedding the same way that the celebrities do? In this case You and Your Wedding recommends having a make up artist on staff all day to wander around the guests and do people’s make up! No bad pictures need to be taken at all.

This champagne colored suit for the groom is very trendy according to Wedding by Color, a site that looks specifically at what types of color themes are possible when you throw a wedding. However for the bride the snow white gown with blue undertones is also coming back. The dignified champagne colored groom suit, which is so seventies in flair is very hot for Autumn 2008.

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Classic Perfumes for Brides

Wedding Bells Canada is a very prestigious magazine about weddings and they had a very interesting article recently about the types of perfumes that have been traditionally worn by brides in the past century. The perfume you wear as you walk down the aisle can be a big thing as whatever scent wafts by your wedding guests needs to memorable.

According to the Canuck version of Wedding Bells ere are some great scents created by the great perfumers that have always been classic to wear on your wedding day. You want to choose a perfume that is reputable, that lasts and that has ground notes that you really like as you will be wearing it all day. Wearing perfume is advisable rather than a water or toilette or essential oil as they simply do not last as long. You want to wear something that is artfully concocted.

One of them is Chanel No 5. This scent was invented by the great fashionista Coco Chanel in the 1920s. This classic perfume is a familiar yet beguiling mix of jasmine, ylang ylang and vanilla. Chances are that your mother or another relative actually wore this very famous perfume down the aisle. There are lighter versions of this perfume as well if you find it too strong. However it definitely makes an impression when you wear it and it can fit in the “something old” category of your wedding.”

Newer but still a classic in its own right is Calvin Klein’s eternity, which is an enchanting blend of freesia, sage and sandalwood. It came along in the seventies along with the designer’s famous eternity rings, which were a triplet of different colored gold circlets. It is a more contemporary scent and very beguiling.

If you want to smell like many bride’s did in the sixties then try Youth Dew. It is one of Estee Lauder’s most famous scents and fits into the “something old” category for your wedding day. It is a blend of patchouli, lavender and spices. It is a cross between a hippie scent (thanks to the patchouli) with a touch of church lady (lavender.) It is also a good scent for a gay wedding because it is so unisex in a very strange way.

A lovely but very strong smelling perfume is Opium by Yves Saint Laurent. This is one of those popular but very powerful and pungent designer scents from the seventies. It is made of sandalwood, cloves and Plum. This is not for the faint of heart. The Cloves and Plum scent are very very strong.

Another nice touch is to get candles and essential oils in the same scents as these perfumes and also have them burning at your wedding. This permeates the room with your signature bridal scent. You can also give away miniature bottles of these as wedding favors to your female guests.

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Upcoming Fall Trends

There are number of important trends emerging for fall. Here is a run down of them.

First of all look for hourglass silhouettes. This means that on everything from blouses to suits you are going to see darts and seams and great tailoring. You might even see a bit of bustle or padding on skirts and maybe even mild shoulder pads in blouses and jackets.

Just when you thought the whole Kill Bill thing was over it is back as School Boy Chic. Little cotton shirts, wool vests with silk baking and ties are back in style. The only difference is that the ties are a lot wider than we have ever seen before.

Another trend seen on the runways everywhere is a love of gray clothing. You are going to see this in everything from underwear to dresses to coats. The ideal hues look like a dead television screen. Likewise the color silver is huge, which is in direct contrast to last year’s fascination with metallic coppers and golds. Shiny silver space age fabric is also very hip.

Another trend to watch for are huge bows. You are going to see them on everything and everywhere from back ties, to the tops of pumps to one shoulder strap. This look is, of course, very eighties in flair. The bows will be somewhat mitigated in effect because they are likely to be in the same neutral gray shade as a dress.

Also eighties are the pleated trousers that are going to come back. Think Annie Hall but not as baggy with similar deep pockets. The leg will be wider on women’s trousers than we have seen for quite a whiel now. They look best with a high pair of pumps – especially patent leather ones in black. These are to be paired with very tailored shirts with lots of darts and a built in bow tie.

This fall skirts will be very full and pleated but don’t expect them to fall below the knee. Instead they will fall just above the knee or higher. These skirts will have vivid patterns with them and are meant to go with the long thick chunky wool sweaters (also in shades of grey.)

Ever seen the capes worn by Maggie Smith in the move “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie?” That is exactly the kind of wool tweedy cardigan that is going to be the hot cover up for this fall. These capes tend to be shorter in length and also be double breasted at the front.

To go along with the whole school boy chic and chunky wool sweater look plaid pumps are going to make a comeback as well. These pumps look great with these wide short pleated skirts above the knee. They come in color schemes such as green, red and black, blue, red and black and red, black and yellow plaids and look very sexy and hip.

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Looking Trendy With No Money

Sometimes you simply do not have the cash to go shopping and look trendy. That is where you need to get savvy about where you shop for bargain. It is totally possible to look great without spending a mint.

First of all you need to learn how to pass up the sale that sounds like a bargain but actually isn’t. The bottom line is that 10% off is not much of a discount. You need to stick to your guns and wait until there is a 40% off sale. The idea is to look for bargains that cost half of what it cost the retailer.

Yet another clue is not stop buying year round. You need to buy last year for next year and think ahead a few seasons. You also need to buy one piece here and there. The surest way to get into debt is to go on a big shopping spree and blow all of your money. Remember too that shopping at the end of a season is always cheaper.

Shop online if you want to save money. There are simply more accessible wholesale outlets available online than anywhere.

Another solution to looking great while you are on a budget. Simply get into the habit of swapping clothes with equally broke girlfriends. This is one way to get you a new look. Women know this works and some take it so seriously that they hold large swap meets where everyone switches clothes, shoes and other items.

Another way to look great is to buy vintage. Make sure you are not buying from a vintage store that caters to celebrities or you could pay much more than you bargained for. Search the discount and second hand stores for bargain. Sometimes you can find the perfect t-shirt or scarf at the same place you buy your toilet paper in bulk.

Remember that being a fashion victim can sometimes mean you paid too much for an article of clothing. It is also important not to be a fashion snob. If you care too much about labels you may not save any money.

The ultimate way to save money is to buy a sewing machine and start making the clothes yourself. Of course the only issue here is time. If you are slow or inefficient sewer it may not be worth it to you to spend twenty hours making a dress and include the cost of fabric. However if you are a whiz with the sewing machine then it may well be worth it to you to start sewing.

Sometimes a sewing machine is your best ally when it comes updating your clothes as well. Sewing a ruffle on a skirt or narrowing a pair of jeans may be the perfect way to update an out of style item.

Items That Spruce Up a Wardrobe

Sometiems all it takes to fix up your wardrobe is to get a few key pieces. One way is to pay attention to your accessories. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to accomplish all of this either.

To make old outfits look fresher try a new belt in a metallic color or in metal. Another way to spruce up an old coat is to simply get a new bag. A big black leather handbg with a bit of hardware on it looks very modern and it never goes out of style.

Another good investment for sprucing up your wardrobe is ballerina flats. You can get hem in classic black or in a trendy color. You can’t go wrong if you wear them every day. They look great with almost any outfit and they are very comfortable. Other fashion experts swear by Miu Miu heels, which look great with jeans or a skirt. They sex up any outfit immediately.

To change your look tries investing in patent leather. High black patent leather boots paired with a sleek pencil skirt certainly look chic and different. You might also want to try a little black dress for evenings out. If you already have a lot of little black dresses try to mix it up for a change. Get that little black cocktail dress style but instead switch it up so it is a gold, purple, green or bright red dress.

If you can only afford to invest in one different look then many freelance stylists recommend investing in an empire waist dress or a wrap dress. These are comfortable styles that make a person feel polished. They are smile and elegant and perfect for every day. They also detract from problem spots like the hips, thighs and tummy.

If you can’t afford clothes, buy a few pairs of new underwear. They always feel fresh. You can also just look better in your clothes buying a body shaper. These smooth your silhouette and look great under any outfit. Furthermore they don’t look so obviously like they are body shapers anymore. Many of them are versatile enough to work under any ensemble and come in many different colors and textures.

Vintage style floral print dresses are also very contemporary because they flatter the figure. To keep looking modern keep your hair natural looking. Anything else will look dated. It also helps to go with simple pieces like bracelets and chunky necklaces. These are the most fashion forward pieces that you can acquire when it comes to changing your look.

A neck scarf can also drastically change the look of any outfit. They are also all the rage because they give outfits a very sixties look. They are versatile and distinctive and can be twisted around in any way to change the appearance of a dress or a shirt.