A New You in 2011

As 2010 is coming to a close, I can’t help but reflect on this past year – the ups, the downs, the wild times, the lazy nights. For many, 2010 has been a year of change, some good, some bad, but for all, 2010 definitely has some lasting memories.

It’s hard to stay motivated and even remember what resolutions you made last year as the New Year approaches. For me, 2010 was an odd year. However, the friendships and bonds I developed this year out stand any other year and for that, I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

I’m going to try something new for 2011 – a way to reinvent myself, if you will. Instead of making a laundry list of “to-do’s” or resolutions for 2011 that generally lose steam by February, I am going to focus on one main element per month. Here is my list – it’s easy to lay it all out on paper but I imagine it will be slightly harder to follow as time goes by. If someone would like to join me in this journey so we can hold each other accountable, do let me know! Obviously, the elements are what work for me – maybe switching them up would work better for you?!

January 2011 – Get Fit. No explanation needed however, take January to focus on exercise (just like everyone and their mother is). Do cardio 3-4x a week, lift weights 2-3x a week, take a dance class 1-2x a week, take a yoga, pilates, or Dailey Method class 2x a month, and exercise outside at LEAST 2x a week.

February 2011 – Get Focused. Focus on anything that is lacking in your life – a career, a household, a friendship, a love life. Take February to really focus on what’s important to you. Take the steps necessary in getting you from where you are to where you want to be.

March 2011 – Get Organized. Tie up any loose ends in your life. My camera battery charger is missing – replace it now. Spring clean the closet, your kitchen, your bookshelf, and so forth and donate items to Goodwill or sell back to a consignment store. Organize your contact list in your e-mail and phone. File away papers and develop storage units for necessary things.

April 2011 – Get Healthy. Put down the bottle. April is for sobriety. Take the lessons learned in January (and although it should continue to apply throughout the year), keep up the exercise! However in April, focus on a diet – maybe do a Detox, drown yourself in gallons of water daily. Take the 30 days of April to not drink a sip of alcohol – sounds easy, but how often does one have a glass of wine with dinner? Just try it – or guide me through it?

May 2011 – Get Cultured. I mean, going to Bay to Breakers is a culture lesson in itself, but really, what I mean is go to a museum, an exhibit, the zoo, a musical. Do things out of the ordinary and take May to LEARN about new things. Read a book about Africa. Take a salsa dancing lesson. Ask a friend to teach you how to cook some cool meal from their country of origin.

June 2011 – Get Stable. Stability is something that everyone goes back and forth on – sometimes you are emotionally stable, but not financially stable. Sometimes you are financially stable, but not physically stable. Take June to line up everything and focus on stability. If you’re financially unstable, ask someone to help you figure out a budget and make a time line of when you can become debt-free! If you’re emotionally unstable, seek help – talk to a friend, find a therapist, read some self-help books. It’s hard to pick a month to become “stable” considering how quick lives change, but going into the month and thinking “how can I make things better for me?” is an easy start.

July 2011 – Get Educated. Learn something new! For me, I’d love to learn to speak another language. I took 4 years of Spanish in high school and what do I have to show for it? Mi pluma es azul. My pen is blue. Sad. I’d either like to revisit Spanish or learn something completely new – maybe French? Greek? German? Italian? I know 31 days of July won’t make me a pro, but at least it’s a start!

August 2011 – Get Happy/Spiritual. What makes you happy? Take this month to figure it out. Find peace of mind. What’s your spirituality? Is it church? Is it yoga? Is it meditation? Reflect and refocus and find a happier you!

September 2011 – Get Traveling. I’ve made it a goal to put away money each month for this trip. I would like to travel to Greece in September for 2 weeks for my birthday with 3 of my girlfriends. GO SOMEWHERE! The end.

October 2011 – Get Giving. Many people like to volunteer time around the holidays, but why not get a head start? Sign up locally to volunteer. I know in San Francisco, the Nike Women’s Marathon goes on – see if you can get involved as a volunteer. Throw a party for a friend and ask for donations to a charity of your choice. Help a friend out in need (that’s part of being a good friend anyway, year-round, might I add) but maybe ask. A lot of people keep things to themselves – asking if they need anything might open up a closed door that you never even knew about.

November 2011 – Get Daring. Do something you’ve never done. Go sky diving. Sign up for a marathon. Talk to that guy or girl you’ve been eyeing for the last few months at Starbucks. Blog if you’ve never blogged. Do something out of your comfort zone – again and again and again – in the month of November. You might just end up being even more bad ass than you already are.

December 2011 – Get Pampered. You spent an entire year trying to better yourself. Take December to pamper yourself – manicures, pedicures, massages, facials, a spa day. Get a new hair cut or color. Buy a new pair of shoes. You deserve it!

Red Carpet

More HALE on the Red Carpet brought to you by Getty Images and the always-stylish Keltie Colleen. This red carpet was for the 3rd Annual LA Fashion Corner at the W Hotel in Hollywood. Keltie is wearing the Kelley Head Piece in brass. To order, click here!

HALE on The Court

Warrior Girl Christi wore the Brooklyn Hand Piece on the Golden State Warriors Court during the December 2, 2010 game where the Warrior Girl 2011 Calendar was officially unveiled. She looks gorgeous, as always!

Happy Holidays!

Pretty much the cutest video I've seen in a long time. Introducing Marcel the Shell With Shoes On:

My Holiday Gift Guide

I have compiled a 2010 HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE in an attempt to offer some ideas to my readers. While many of these ideas are very specific to the people in my life (no siblings, no boyfriend), I will also give ideas to you that can be a general gift for people in yours.

My mom loves 3 things: knitting, TV/DVD's, and computer-type things, so when I came to my dad in the Summer to buy her an iPad for her birthday, he went in on it with me. Now, let me tell you, my mom is not the most tech-savvy woman, however, this may have easily been her favorite gift she's ever received. She plays with her iPad non-stop whether it be reading a book on it, playing Words With Friends or Angry Birds, or watching DVD's on it. Yes, the gift is a little pricey but if you have siblings and can all pitch in, if your mom is like my mom, she might just LOVE it.
Shop for an iPad: Starting at $499

Cheaper Alternatives & Other Ideas: A Kindle, a cashmere scarf and glove set, a bottle of her favorite perfume, a gift card to her favorite store, a gift basket of some of her favorite things such as beverages, candy, movies, magazines, lotions, and so forth, or a cool piece of jewelry from HALE. Get creative!
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My dad is a guy who has everything and is impossible to shop for. He loves technology, he loves sports, he loves The Beatles and music in general. He has everything in the above mentioned categories, so to play it safe and keep it fun, I got my dad (accompanied by my mom and I), tickets to go see Daniel Tosh live at the Masonic Auditorium in San Francisco. No, not all dad's would enjoy the foul humor of Daniel Tosh, but my dad does - and to make it even more fun, we'll be joining him and doing dinner prior to the show. It's a win-win and a great memory. A live show, whether it be stand-up, Cirque de Soleil, a concert, a sporting event, or a Broadway musical, is always a creative and memorable gift.
Tickets for shows can range from about $50-100 per person, depending on the show.

Cheaper Alternatives & Other Ideas: Memorabilia for his favorite team (Giants World Series gear if he's a Giants fan or Warriors new-logo gear), fun city tours on Groupon (AND YOU SAVE MONEY!), an iTunes gift card, a digital picture frame, etc.
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My girlfriends are my saviors and I feel like having positive friendships is a very important element of life. I am so lucky to be surrounded by the women and men that are in my life and while I am thankful every day for this, I don't thank them often enough. We're all in this weird "20-something" position in our life where we don't know what we're doing and need some comfort in knowing we're not alone. I've stumbled across a great blogger, who happens to now be a HALE fan, named Keltie Colleen. No, I am not giving my friend's Keltie for Christmas, but I am giving them her book ($16) and Mantra Cuff ($8) because everyone needs a little inspiration now and then.
Buy the Mantra Cuff and book here and follow Keltie's Blog here.


Alternatives & Other Ideas: Framed photos of you guys, lip gloss sets from Sephora, a mani-pedi day, a bottle of their favorite wine, or a cool piece of jewelry from HALE!
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A cool but pretty easy gift for a co-worker or boss is a box of chocolates. Yeah, See's is boring, I know, but check out Christopher Elbow Chocolates. It literally is chocolate art. Super frikkin' cool chocolate pieces that most definitely get more attention than your traditional See's Candies. AND... they taste as good as they look and are only found in 2 locations in the US - one of them being our beautiful city of San Francisco. Now that's unique.
Check them out at Christopher Elbow Chocolates.

Cheaper Alternatives & Other Ideas: Starbucks gift cards, homemade baked goods, shiny office supplies like a cool letter opener or pen, or a fun coffee mug. Or hey, a cool piece of jewelry by HALE!
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IF I had a boyfriend, I tend to shop for him like I do my dad...in a sense. Guys like cool stuff - they don't like clothes, unless they ask for some specific jacket or something. They like technology, they like sports, they like man-stuff... like steak dinners, working out, and fast cars. The boyfriend is a tricky shopping experience because you want to get him something that he would like but you want to make it personable so it's not something that just anyone could give him. I always think a romantic day trip or weekend trip is a nice gesture and fun for the both of you - wine tasting in Napa followed by a stay in one of the hotels is clutch... so is a weekend getaway to the Central Coast, Tahoe, or Southern California. This can get pricey but from the relationships I have been in, we've always created some sort of "unofficial" bucket list of things we'd like to do together, places to go, restaurants to try, etc. Think hard about whether you have had this conversation with your boyfriend or not and try to cross one of those off your list - it'll spice things up and change up the every day routine for a day or two or three.
Cheaper Alternatives & Other Ideas: A sporting event, something off of his Christmas list, something naughty (feel free to use your imagination there), DVD's or games for his gaming console of choice, a scrapbook of memories, funny gifts only the two of you would understand, etc.

Celebrity Style Spotlight: Blake Lively

There are many celebrities out there who choose to wear what is dictated to them by others and in turn, have very few fashion risks. Then there are those who stray from the norm and really exemplify killer style...for example, Blake Lively. In the December issue of VOGUE, Anna Wintour discusses Blake, the cover subject of their VOGUE's Best Dressed Special Edition, as "a girl who genuinely adores clothes and has an instinctive sense of how to wear them. No wonder Karl has his eye on her."

Blake Lively is one of my favorite celebrity fashionistas - ever. She is always polished, always radiant, is never afraid to take a risk, and has the confidence to rock digs that not just anyone could pull off. She is truly my dream client and would love to one day see her in HALE Jewelry.

A few of my favorite red carpet looks from Blake:
Blake in Versace
Blake in Marchesa
Blake in Versace again - the girl is just astonishing in Versace gowns!
Blake in Cavalli