Love & Lights

 

As the snowflakes begin to trickle from the sky, the fires start to burn, and our noses start to freeze we know it is that time of year again where “the world falls in love.” Christmas, New Years, Kwanzaa, or Hanukkah whatever holiday you celebrate seems to bring people into a state of excitement, love, and enthusiasm. It is when people cherish what they are blessed with or whom they are blessed with and get excited for the new beginnings to come.

For me holidays are an excuse to cuddle and think about what I have accomplished, and what I want to accomplish. This year was very hard for me, as I am sure I have mentioned in previous posts. That being said I tend to hold dear to the ones I love endlessly and cherish most of all. As you can see in my pictures I am holding a tiny kitty. This for those of you who do not know is my darling baby Eliza Jane.

These holidays are the perfect excuse to appreciate the ones we love. To realize we are blessed to have pets, and friends, family, and loved ones to be surrounded by in a this time of lights & love. I don’t want to write too much for the holidays, as I think it is a time that speaks for itself! But I wanted to wish you all Merry Christmas (or any of the other holidays I mentioned above) & a Happy New Year! I hope you all were all able to be smothered in love, presents, and joy.

Merry Christmas Love,

Chelsea Nine

The Art of Layering

All my life I have been one of those people who runs extremely cold. No matter what time of year or season it is I seem to always be freezing, because of this (and the fact that I live in New England) I have had to perfect the art of layering. Layering is a really important skill to learn no matter where you live. It can completely transform an outfit or just make your day a lot more comfortable. It can also be very helpful when you find yourself having to jump from one activity to another.

I love wearing layers, it is a sense of comfort that I don’t really get to experience as much during the summer. In the colder seasons, however, I truly love how many outfit options layering provides. For example taking a simple sweater and leather leggings then changing the vest, the shoes, the scarf, or the coat can take an outfit in so many different directions. I could go from trendy and chic, to comfy and casual, or festive and fun all with simple layering tweaks!

It is a little more fun to express yourself when you have fewer limitations such as having to wear lighter or less clothing in order to stay cool. In the summer I tend to show off my figure, but in the winter it is my chance to hide my curves, something I love to do. It is fun to be a little mysterious and leave your outfit and personal style to do the talking. Plus it is always nice to throw on a sweater and feel like you aren’t completely leaving your bed in the morning.

I put together three different looks that show how you can take the same piece and with the art of layering can completely transform your look. It is so easy to take a simple sweater and change things such as your shoes, your jacket, etc. and mix and match to create versatility in your wardrobe. What makes layering so difficult for people is typically during your shopping experience… for example people don’t seem to think of their wardrobes as a whole so when they go out and shop they forget to match items they love!

Are you one of these people? An important question to ask yourself…. if you are no worries you just need a small change of mindset. Next time you are out shopping maybe take pictures of your favorite sweater and jeans or your favorite long-sleeved shirt and leggings. Bring those pictures with you to match with the items you fall in love with in the store. Then when you see a really cute vest that will be both comfortable and stylish you can look back to your sweater collection and see if anything you own will pair well with your new buy.

In the three looks I created I wanted to represent three different styles, people, and ways you can layer in order to properly show how powerful a proper layer can be! It’s not really hard if you live in New England or anywhere cold really, but how do we juggle our five to ten (depending on if you are a sweater collector or simply a lover) different sweaters? Well the answer is simple…. Layering! Buy different scarves for cheap or invest in a couple faux fur vests, dusters (see previous post), or simply light cardigans to layer on top of a chunky knit!

I hope with my visuals and advice you feel a little more confident about the art of layering, especially since this time of year it is important to stay warm! If you want to look into some posts I wrote in the past on layering check out: Style Session: The Duster & Got a Love Like Denim.  

A Birthday Getaway.house

This holiday season has been fully loaded, as it was not only Thanksgiving, but also my birthday a couple days later. I am now 26 years old and hoping this year is, as they say, my “golden year!” This past year was filled with a lot of growth and trials that I could have never seen coming. So with a new year I needed a cleanse from my current environment, and wanted to getaway somewhere new.

The perfect opportunity to do this is by escaping to Epsom, NH in a tiny house cabin. Through one of my co-workers I was introduced to a beautiful little cabin that is created like a campground, but unlike most campgrounds this one is only filled with tiny houses! For my birthday I went and escaped to one of these precious places. It was filled with Yahtzee, warmth, and Christmas cheer as we played Christmas music all night long.

I may be someone who loves clothes, fashion, décor, and technology, but I also love nature! I think the world we live in is such a gift since it is so beautiful, but in our culture today we are told quite a bit to focus on so many things that in reality aren’t what is truly important. It’s no wonder we live lives we don't always feel immersed in, that is because we aren’t focusing on the gift that was given to us.

They say there is a lot of scientific proof that shows healing from different kinds of nature relaxation and connection. Things such as: meditating, bare-footing (which is simply walking barefoot in nature), hiking, etc. So since it was my birthday, and I wanted to getaway from my previous year what a better way than with this precious cabin?

It is truly the coolest place ever too, I mean cozy, cuddly, perfect… you name it. The window out looking nature was the best part, but unfortunately it was dark when we arrived. We made dinner in the tiny stove, we grilled steak outside over the fire, and we enjoyed how fun it is to be immersed in nature. If you are feeling like you need a break from your life please look into this beautiful place, because it really simply is a breath of fresh air.

Recently I have been focusing my blog on a little more than just fashion, as I am sure you have noticed. I don’t want to make my audience subjective to just people who enjoy fashion and style. I want my blog to be a place to come to feel rejuvenated from your day, whether it is a style inspiration or just a mind boost. In my last blog on tumblr.com I made it so much about what I was wearing and less about my audience. In the next couple posts I will go back to my fashion roots, but know that I have a lot more to offer than just fashion advice.

On a Fashion Note:

Since I haven’t included a lot about fashion I must give you a fashion forecasting for this upcoming season. I have been noticing velvet everywhere in Europe and Asian, and now it is coming from L.A. and is making its way to us New Englanders. I am sporting a velvet outfit (in the pictures above) I bought from a cute boutique through Ebay. I don’t usually shop there (as my heart belongs to Amazon), but being a head of the trend means looking for trends wherever you can find them.

v  If you are interested in escaping or visiting these tiny homes you can visit https://getaway.house/

v  If you saw the book in the posts and would like to read it, check out Michelle Athena Norton she is the author and a friend (more about her coming soon): https://www.amazon.com/Charlotte-Wooden-Castle-Michelle-Athena/dp/1522776389

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday…

Love Always,

Chelsea Nine 

Moon Glow Jewelry

Get the Look

Black Hat: Icing

Black Dress: Forever21

Choker: Icing

Necklace: Moonglow.com

Tights: Amazon.com

Knee High Socks: Marshalls

Pointed Toe Heels: Aldo Shoes

As the shadows of what once was

Fade into the past

My heart is haunted by the love

That was supposed to last

But in the night you left me

Fallen into the dark kings grasp

And now my only mirror to your soul

Is the moon and the memories she casts

            I wrote this poem about a man who fell in love with a woman only for her to die in her sleep taken by the grim reaper. His only way to remember her and the memories past is to look up at the same moon to which they once shared. I imagined a Halloween night centuries ago where they had no pictures just memories to remind them of love lost.

            Now we are so blessed to have so many ways to remember the ones we love that have past. We can document so many memories a blessing that was not always a reality. One of the ways I have documented a memory of the one I love is through my Moon Glow necklace. This is a very special form of jewelry as it documents the moon from a night you want to remember. I think the coolest thing about this necklace is finding that magic is real, and can be seen in the patterns of the moon!

          

           The way this jewelry works is to first think of a date for instance my birthday 11/26/91 then apply that to the website. Next the site will reveal what phase the moon was in on the night you want to remember. When I went to create my Moon Glow necklace I wanted to make sure it was a night I wanted to hold dear forever. I debated between keeping it simple and making it the moon phase my birthday just as the example above or the night I met my boyfriend as he has truly changed my life.

            I decided to put both phases of the moon into the chart to see if I liked the way one moon phase looked over the other since I could not decide on the date. To my surprise I found that the moon was in the same phase the night I was born as it was the night I met my boyfriend. They say that you are drawn to each other by the pull of the universe, well I could not agree more!

            When I received my necklace I was so happy with how elegant it looked. I added by birthstone Citrine to it in order to add some positive energy as Citrine attracts love and happiness, and guards those that would break your heart (information found at: https://www.crystalvaults.com/crystal-encyclopedia/citrine). I am not one to like a lot of lavish jewelry and I hardly ever buy myself jewelry in general, but this necklace was something that has brought me so much joy since the day I purchased it!

            As I began to share my excitement of this amazing experience through social media I found that I was not the only one who experienced magic in this jewelry. My cousin who just got engaged to her amazing boyfriend put her birthday, her fiance's birthday, and their first date into the chart and found the same incredible realization I did… the moon phase was the same! How crazy that magic exists all around us and we are so blind that it is even occurring. The moon was once a tool for so many things in the past and has dictated many events of each season.

JANUARY: WOLF MOON

Native Americans and medieval Europeans named January's full moon after the howling of hungry wolves lamenting the midwinter paucity of food. Other names for this month's full moon include old moon and ice moon.

FEBRUARY: SNOW MOON

The typically cold, snowy weather of February in North America earned its full moon the name snow moon. Other common names include storm moon and hunger moon.

MARCH: WORM MOON

Native Americans called this last full moon of winter the worm moon after the worm trails that would appear in the newly thawed ground. Other names include chaste moon, death moon, crust moon (a reference to snow that would become crusty as it thawed during the day and froze at night), and sap moon, after the tapping of the maple trees.

APRIL: PINK MOON

Northern Native Americans call April's full moon the pink moon after a species of early blooming wildflower. In other cultures, this moon is called the sprouting grass moon, the egg moon, and the fish moon.

MAY: FLOWER MOON

May's abundant blooms give its full moon the name flower moon in many cultures. Other names include the hare moon, the corn planting moon, and the milk moon.

JUNE: STRAWBERRY MOON

In North America, the harvesting of strawberries in June gives that month's full moon its name. Europeans have dubbed it the rose moon, while other cultures named it the hot moon for the beginning of the summer heat.

JULY: BUCK MOON

Male deer, which shed their antlers every year, begin to regrow them in July, hence the Native American name for July's full moon. Other names include thunder moon, for the month's many summer storms, and hay moon, after the July hay harvest.

AUGUST: STURGEON MOON

North American fishing tribes called August's full moon the sturgeon moon since the species was abundant during this month. It's also been called the green corn moon, the grain moon, and the red moon for the reddish hue it often takes on in the summer haze.

SEPTEMBER: HARVEST MOON

The most familiar named moon, September's harvest moon refers to the time of year after the autumn equinox when crops are gathered. It also refers to the moon's particularly bright appearance and early rise, which lets farmers continue harvesting into the night. Other names include the corn moon and the barley moon.

OCTOBER: HUNTER’S MOON

The first moon after the harvest moon is the hunter's moon, so named as the preferred month to hunt summer-fattened deer and fox unable to hide in now bare fields. Like the harvest moon, the hunter's moon is also particularly bright and long in the sky, giving hunters the opportunity to stalk prey at night. Other names include the travel moon and the dying grass moon.

NOVEMBER: BEAVER MOON

There is disagreement over the origin of November's beaver moon name. Some say it comes from Native Americans setting beaver traps during this month, while others say the name comes from the heavy activity of beavers building their winter dams. Another name is the frost moon.

DECEMBER: COLD MOON

The coming of winter earned December's full moon the name cold moon. Other names include the long night moon and the oak moon.

THE BLUE MOON

Each year, the moon completes its final cycle about 11 days before the Earth finishes its orbit around the sun. These days add up, and every two and a half years or so, there is an extra full moon, called a blue moon. The origin of the term is uncertain, and its precise definition has changed over the years. The term is commonly used today to describe the second full moon of a calendar month, but it was originally the name given to the third full moon of a season containing four full moons.

(All from https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/solar-system/full-moon/)

            It is so crazy how important the moon has been all through history and how it still binds us even today. This amazing site has given us the ability to feel one with the moon by wearing a night to remember. One last piece of information I am excited to share about this amazing product is that not only does it look just like you have the moon strung around your neck, but when you are completely surrounded by darkness this baby glows in the dark!

            If you too want to discover how the phases of the moon have influenced your life without you even knowing it and want to be reminded of a moment forever visit: https://moonglow.com/. You don’t have to choose a necklace either there are many different jewelry options if you do not like to wear jewelry on your neck! I urge you to create your own, and discover the power of the moon during this spooky week. 

Picking Out the Poison

Get the Look

Black Bomber Jacket: Forever 21

Lace Crop Top: Primark

Olive Pants: Walmart

Black Quilted Clutch: Forever 21

Black Timberland Boots: Savers

In the world we live in today we are told “GO, GO, GO!” We are encouraged to put aside emotions, life, family, friends, and life moments all because we need to work. Then as life goes by we notice ourselves feeling weak, and sick from dealing with the daily poisons of the world all because we put our well being aside. 

All my life I have been told that I am all about “fun” and that I need to come down to reality. This always made me frustrated as I don’t think I am all about fun, as much as I am all about living my life. People put aside so much to go to work every day, and that is a really sad cultural norm that we have created for ourselves.

Fall is my favorite season for so many reasons, as I have mentioned before. It is a time of year where people come together to fulfill season traditions and holidays that celebrate expression & being thankful. Our culture is very much consumed by the need to push aside personal time in order to make money, and I do completely understand money makes the world go round, but not your well being.

Every fall I try to go to one of my favorite places in the world, Gould Hill Farm. It is an incredible place to go apple picking as it is high up in the mountains surrounded by the treasures of the world. I have been going to this particular orchard with my family since I was extremely little, and I really do try to go each and every year. It is important to take time for yourself, your family, your friends, even your pets, and you will realize that by taking time you are taking care of yourself.

 People push aside time as if the world has endless amounts of it when in reality we all have a ticking clock. Part of health and beauty is to take moments off from the restless culture to appreciate the world & people around us. Going to places we went to as a child and bringing the ones you love to create new memories is truly a gift. We may all have to grow up and join the real world, but we also need to remember how important it is to stay connected to our youth.

As I was walking around the orchard watching my boyfriend monkey his way up the trees I looked out at the incredible horizon and took a deep breath. It may not have been a long moment of gratitude, but it certainly was pure and full. Nature has a way of giving back to you just by you being engulfed in it. If you find yourself feeling sad, angry, stressed, anxious, depressed, restless, or any other negative feeling take a walk and focus on everything around you. I know it seems silly since this won’t make the pains go away, but being appreciative can sooth the soul.

Apple picking in this incredible orchard is one tradition I will always make an effort to uphold as it is just one day to be in the beauty of nature. As I get older I am able to take time for myself less and less, but I know it is sooooo important to do so! Take this season of thanks as a way to appreciate the things we have, the people that bless us, and the beauty of nature. Remember that traditions are here to give us a sense of stability in this forever changing life, and as much as life tends to consume us we have to make sure we step back.

I know you may be confused as a first time reader that I am writing about tradition as this is a “fashion, health & beauty blog,” but as I mentioned before health and beauty start with your mind and then your body. It is important to use these moments to heal our souls. For the fashion element I will say that this can also be a great time of expression and fun too! A lot of people will get all dressed up to go out and feel the fall. Families will get dolled up and use these beautiful places as backgrounds for Christmas cards.

As I mentioned in my Fall Shades & Color History post (see post below) during the fall season people are surrounded by color giving them a sense of excitement to dress up. Apple picking is always so fun for me as it gives me a chance to be inspired by color, and I usually wear candy apple reds, granny smith greens, or McIntosh maroons. Every year I get excited to celebrate the tradition of not only Gould Hill Farm, but also dressing up to feel my very best while enjoying every part of my day.

I always say if you look good you feel good, and how much more fun is it to look good & feel good while making memories you will carry with you forever? Dressing up doesn’t have to mean “dressing up” either! It simply means feeling good in what you are wearing. I notice a lot of people wear dresses to apple pick which I have done in the past too, as it is usually still hot out. This year I went very casual and wanted to feel good even if I wanted to climb a tree.

Remember to take time for yourself, remember to take time on your appearance maybe not all the time, but sometimes to feel good. Remember to enjoy the beauty of nature that we tend to forget about on day to day, and remember to create traditions that celebrate you & the ones you love! We don’t have endless time in this world, and it is a gorgeous one. Find those places that bring you a sense of bliss, and make an effort to go to them at least once a year! You will surely find that you will enjoy your life a lot more if you do, and remember we all must pick out the poisons life brings by appreciating the things we do have!

Where do you love to go apple picking? Is there a place you go every year? What traditions in your life bring you bliss? Let me know! The best way to make new traditions is by sharing them with others and finding new places to explore! If you too would like to visit my piece of heaven visit: http://www.gouldhillfarm.com/ 

Fashion Nova Jeans Obsession

Get the Look

Black Turtleneck: Marshall's 

Moon Necklace: Moonglow.com 

Wool Tan Cape: Amazon.com 

Sunglasses: Primark 

Jeans: Fashion Nova (of course)

Black Booties: Target

Finding that perfect pair of jeans is basically impossible. I know that I personally haven’t worn a pair of jeans in years! I have very high hips and a very dis-proportioned figure, so finding a pair of jeans I feel physically comfortable in is extremely hard. I would love the way I looked wearing jeans, but then I would sit down and literally lose circulation in my stomach because they rise higher on my stomach and lower on my back (due to my figure). I would get cramps and have to unbutton my pants whenever I could just because jeans gave me such physical pain.

I hate when people tell me I can wear whatever I want because I am tiny… that is the most frustrating thing I hear about clothes. No one, I repeat, no one has an easy time finding clothes, especially not petite women. Every pant I find that I like is too long for me, and I don’t like to spend a lot of money on pants since they usually get ruined (aka stretch out in between my thighs and eventually rip), so why would i get them tailored? Remember people... we all have something!

For years now I watched the girls around me put together these gorgeous ensembles wearing beautiful pairs of denim, and to be honest I felt really bad about myself because I couldn't wear them too. I just wanted to wear a pair of jeans and not lose circulation and get cramps… I just wanted to be “normal.” I started talking to my co-workers about my problems and my amazing boyfriend, and they all were very encouraging telling me that I shouldn’t give up on that perfect pair of jeans! So a couple weeks ago I decided to take a risk.

 I have been ordering a few items here and there from a website called Fashion Nova, and have been happy with my orders. They were, however, all spandex items so I wasn’t really worried about the fit. I love the site because they cater to trendy, affordable fashion, but also to girls with curves. They carry plus size items, as well as cropped so they really hit all of the “hard to find” sizes. The biggest issue in retail I used to hear day in and day out is that when you are a certain size it’s not necessarily that you can’t find clothes that fit it's that you can’t find cute clothes that fit you.

I am ecstatic to say I ordered a pair of jeans (shown above) and have never been so happy with a pair of pants! They fit perfectly, I mean perfectly and I cannot even believe it! When I pulled them on the first time I felt like I was in the movie The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, as if they were some kind of miracle. They are high wasted which is why they fit me so well; other pants dig into my stomach (as I mentioned above) due to the fact that I really need pants to come up higher. They are also cropped so the length is perfect too! 

The shipping took longer than they said it would, which did frustrate me to be honest. The promised time is 2 business days, but they don’t mention that it is 2 business days after they ship it, and for me personally it took them about a week to ship it. However, the fact that they fit me so perfectly, felt so incredibly comfortable, and look like they cost me $50.00 or more when they actually only cost $28.40 with shipping (and a discount code) they are more than worth the wait.

I am now going to be ordering a few more pairs to wear to work (aka ones without rips) because I just can’t tell you enough that this is such an amazing site! I can’t speak for all the products, and I do know that the other items I ordered (aka skin tight body suits) were a bit thin, but still so comfortable and chic. I recently recommended Fashion Nova to one of my old co-workers she was skeptic about the site because they have bad reviews, but now is obsessed and keeps ordering! 

I think shopping online is always a risk since I learned in my fashion design courses that every store has their “croquis,” which is simply a basic sizing chart that may not be accurate, but is what the store bases their sizing off of. For example when you go to certain stores such as H&M you go grab your normal size 6 pants. You go into the dressing room or take them home and try to slide them on and can’t get past your calf!

Why is that? It’s because that stores “croquis” starts at a smaller size than a normal size 6. So they might start at a size 2 and call it a 6. You always have to be careful with sizing in general. I will go into more detail about this issue in another post as it is a HUGE problem with the industry. For now I will finish by saying I was a bit unsure about sizing until I slid them on, and felt like I was in a whole new world!

Try out the site yourself, and let me know! Have you ever ordered from this site before? How was your experience? Do you have a site to find those perfect jeans that you can’t stop raving about? I am always in the market to find new places and try new things, and I love to hear your feedback!

Below I listed a few different examples of some Fashion Nova jeans available on the site, and if you would like to try this incredible site out yourself, here you go: https://www.fashionnova.com/