Tip of the Day: Color your mood.

Studies show that colors can affect your mood, so why not cheer yourself up with a bright yellow shirt?  If you wear a certain color it can make you feel a certain way. Blue is mellow, red is bold, black is fierce, pink is flirty, you get the idea.  When you wake up and are feeling bold and powerful, try a red and black combo. Feeling artsy? Try complimentary colors (e.g. purple and yellow, blue and orange).  Feeling sophisticated? Go for navy blue. Feeling down? Well, let’s turn the happy up with a bright coral and yellow combination.  

I always try to wear a bright ensemble on a rainy day because everyone is so gloomy.  Simply seeing your clothing can be uplifting to anyone who sees you.  I love when people tell me, “your outfit makes me happy!”  because it’s so cheerful and bright.  Test this theory out for yourself; try a neon shade on a dreary day (and see who you make smile). 

Color yourself (insert mood/state of mind here) with these great new tips.     : )

~Fashionista~

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Today’s Song:

Sea of Sorrow by Alice in Chains

This is post metal-grunge sound is great. Alice in Chains is one of the best bands to hear what harmonizing can sound like! Voices blend and sound amazing together and the guitar line is just plain B.A. i’ve listened to this band since i was 2 and i can say that even if you don’t like metal or grunge you will fall in love with how amazing Alice in Chains sound is.

Posted in: Icyblue, Media | Comments(1)

Tip of the day:

Today Fashionista is out being her fashionable self, and I, Icyblue, am taking over today’s tip!

My tip is wear a tie, and not a clip on tie! Actually go out buy a really cute patterened tie and tie it yourself. Here are the steps to tie a tie!

To tie the half-Windsor, place the tie around your neck and cross the broad end of the tie in front of the narrow end. Fold the broad end behind the narrow end and bring it forward on the opposite side. The left and right sides of the narrow end, and the inside of the loop around your neck, form a triangle. Continue folding the tie over the sides of this triangle, rotating around the triangle in one direction. The sixth fold should bring the broad end up over the top of the knot from behind; push the end down through the loop in front of the knot between the fourth and fifth folds, work out any wrinkles, and pull the knot tight. If the tie is unbalanced, untie the knot and try again giving yourself more or less length to work with.

To tie the Windsor, place the tie around your neck and cross the broad end of the tie in front of the narrow end. Then fold the broad end behind the narrow end and push it up through the inside of the loop around your neck. The left and right sides of the narrow end, and the inside of the loop, now form a triangle. The third and fourth folds should complete one rotation around the outside of the knot. The fifth fold brings the broad end over the top of the knot from the front to the back. The sixth and seventh folds again complete one rotation around the knot. The eighth fold should again bring the broad end up over the top of the knot from behind; push the end down through the loop in front of the knot that you made with the seventh fold, work out any wrinkles, and pull the knot tight. If the tie is unbalanced, untie the knot and try again giving yourself more or less length to work with.

The four-in-hand knot is tied by placing the tie around the neck and crossing the broad end of the tie in front of the narrow end. The broad end is folded behind the narrow end and brought forward on the opposite side, passed across the front horizontally, folded behind the narrow end again, brought over the top of the knot from behind, tucked behind the horizontal pass, and the knot pulled snug. The knot is slid up the narrow end of the tie until snug against the collar

NOW MY PERSONAL FAVE!

1. Begin with the inside of your tie facing outward and the wide end on your right and extending about a foot below the narrow end of your tie. (Pictures are mirror images, in other words images are what you would see if you were looking in a mirror.)
2. Bring the wide end of the tie under the narrow (right side to left side).
3. Bring the wide end of the tie over the narrow end and through the loop (left side to left side).
4. Bring the wide end of the tie through the back of the loop (left side to center).
5. Hold the front of the knot loose with your index finger; pass the wide end down through the loop (created in step 3) in front.
6. Remove your finger and tighten the knot.
7. Hold the narrow end and slide the knot up to the collar

Now wear your tie and be proud! It’s cute and fun and when you go out i promise you, you will be asked if it is a clip on and you can proudly say no! Wear a tie but tie it yourself!

-Icyblue-

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Once you have figured out why you are blogging, the next bit is to add goals. While chattercube has monthly contests with their bloggers, there is more to blogging than monthly prizes. Blogging should be something you do because you have things to say, or have an opinion about something. Yet at times, blogging is more of a chore in a world of distractions, deadlines, and people pressures that distract from the joy of blogging.

Skellie has some great thoughts on “Six Simple Things You Can Do To Enjoy Blogging More” right here.

Better blogging could not agree more with the six simple things:
Keeping track of milestones
Structure blogging around your family and social life
Find your favorite place to blog
Get to know your readers
Add an income stream to your blog
Engage with other bloggers

But Better Blogging would add some more to that list.

Write well, Problogger goes into the idea that poor writing cannot be overcome by having brilliant content. Your content being brilliant is immaterial; it is how you present it. If you write a one line haiku over 30 blog posts, most people will not get that, and you lose your audience. Good writing skills, reading your blog entry aloud before posting will help you catch most of the rough spots in your blog post.

Blogging is a business, if you treat it like a business that you love, success will follow. If you are blogging just because you think that this is a way to fame and riches, there is a sharp disconnect between reality and your hopes. You will not get rich quickly, but you might make a splash. Readers are fickle, always remember that, and you will end up doing well.

Out side of that, read Skellie’s entry, and the Problogger entry, they make for some very good advice.

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Today’s Song:

Pretend That This Is Fiction by The Pink Spiders

A quirky kind of song that i really cannot put what genre it is in. The group has a pop alternative feel with some jazz and swing elements. They’re sound is really indescribable and all that the band said in an interview is that their sound is “you love us or you hate us there is no in-between” Enjoy the Pink Spiders and check out my blog all week because by Friday i should have a concert review of Pink Spiders and the Horrorpops.

Posted in: Misc | Comments(2)

Tip of the day: ALWAYS check the sale’s rack.  I swear, my favorite articles of clothing come from the sales rack, partly because no one else wanted to buy whatever it is and partly because I am so proud of the great deal I got. The other day I purchased a dress that had a paisley, zebra stripes and a melange of everything inbetween  printed on it (super chic in my book) for only $9.00 at Kohl’s. I love the dress because I know that no one else would wear it (and no one else wants it because it’s on the sale rack); and it was originally $48.00, but it was 80% off!  The great thing about getting clothing from the sale’s rack is that even if you don’t wear it that much, you really did not lose much money by purchasing it. 

My personal favorite sale’s rack is the one at Kohl’s, you can always find a bargain there.  But there is also a great 3 to 5 dollar clothing rack in Rue 21 that I recommend for any “of the moment” looks you want to try.  

Another tip: try checking the sale racks at the beginning of each new season, because all of the old season’s clothing is always marked down.  Meaning, winter clothing is super cheap right now because spring clothing is being brought out.  You can purchase some pieces that can be worn until the weather gets warmer in spring, and you will have them when the weather gets colder again in autumn. All in all, there is absolutely nothing wrong with shopping from the sale’s rack, in fact it’s smarter!

Happy sale shopping!

~Fashionista~

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Tip of the day: It’s actually a trick of the day; here is an awesome and totally easy do that looks pretty enough for a princess to wear. All you need is one small clear ponytail holder.

This style is designed for all hair lengths and styles, but is a little trickier to do with short bangs.

Here is a picture of what the Princess loops (as I call them) will look like when you’re done.

Step 1: Start on one side of you head, near your hairline, and grab two smallish sections of hair then tie them in a knot.  (tie the knot loose or tight depending on what style you like best; I did mine fairly tight)

Step 2: Gather the two remaining ends of the hair knot and merge them into one strand.

Step 3: Hold the combined strand in one hand as you pick up another strand of hair (the same size as the first two) and tie the new strand with the existing merged strand to form a second knot.

Step 4: Continue making knots until the entire hair line (ear to ear) has been knotted.  Once you knot the entire area, use a clear elastic to tie off the final knot.

Ta da! Beautiful princessy loops!

Option 2: After step 4, put your hair into a ballet bun, ponytail, messy bun, or even curl it for a look that is your own.

I put mine into a chic messy bun:

This only takes a few minutes for a beginner to do; it took me 5 minutes to do the first time.  Once you get the hang of the loops, you can do almost anything with them. You could wear this great look regularly or on special occasions like prom.  No matter what, everyone will ask, “how did you do that to your hair?” Enjoy the new look!

~Fashionista~

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