I met Juliet Renee Williams of JulRe Designs several months ago on of all place, Twitter.  After one look at her website www.julredesigns.com  I knew that I had come in contact with an extremely talented jewelry designer.  Last week, I had the pleasure of meeting Juliet in person at the Skin Serenity open house and fashion show.   Even more incredible than in the photos, the colors, sparkle and unique design of these amazing necklaces, earrings and bracelets had everyone drooling!.The phrase "statement jewelry" really pertains to Juliet's masterpieces. 
About JulRe Designs:
Her Exquisite Wearable Art consists of a wide variety of high quality semi - precious and precious stones and metals.  She designs each piece in her studio in Jersey City, NJ and showcases all new work exclusively in the JulRe Designs showroom in New York City and at Trunk Shows and Fashion events in other major US cities.  Juliet's jewelry has been featured on NBC's "Today Show", WNBC's "Weekend Today in New York" and in Heart & Soul magazine.  Her designs are inspired by her undying love of color and fashion.
"I get inspiration from the rapid pace of the fashion world and the beautiful colors that nature bestows upon us. The mind, body and spirit connections help me to remain balanced and creative. The love and support of my wonderful family and friends keeps me grounded and centered. It all comes together in harmony through the beautiful pieces I love to create and share" says Juliet.   

Check out some of my favorite pieces!  Host a trunk show and earn free jewelry or order direct on www.julredesigns.com

Sound familiar?  You have a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear.  You have a tough time putting together outfits.  You have so many clothes that you forget what you actually own.  The solution to these problems is not to keep buying new clothes that you don't need, but to actually discover what's in your closet, get rid of the pieces  you're not wearing, and learn to make new outfits from your existing wardrobe. Women spend thousands of dollars a year on clothes, shoes and accessories, yet they tend to wear only a fraction of what they own.  By rediscovering and recycling your clothes,  you can save money and help the environment at the same time!

The first step to shopping your closet is to familiarize yourself with the contents. This means a good closet clean-out.  Get rid of anything that is tired, pilled, stained, ill-fitting or just not getting worn for one reason or another Sort your unwanted clothes by trash, donate, consign, etc.  A fun way to recycle your clothes is to have a clothing swap with your friends.  Break out the wine and cheese and have a ball trading clothes and accessories!

Once you've edited your wardrobe, you have a clean slate to work with.  By weeding out what you're not wearing, it will be easier to organize your clothes and create new outfits.  I recommend organizing your closet like a store by grouping together pants, tops, blouses, skirts dresses, jeans, etc.  I also like to sort these groups again by color (ex:  black pants, beige pants, brown pants, etc).  The more organized your closet is the better!  Also, make sure that you can see what you own.  If you have fabulous shoes that are tucked in the back of your closet in a shoe box, chances are that you'll forget about them.  Make sure that everything is visible  and easy to access.

The next step is to reinvent your clothes by using the pieces in new and different ways.  The goal is to stretch what you already own.  Think out of the box by breaking up sweater sets and suits and dressing up more casual pieces with accessories.  A great way to get fresh ideas is to start your own inspiration book or board by clipping magazine pictures of outfits you'd like to replicate from similar pieces that you already own.
For example, if you like a photos of a model wearing dark wash jeans, a white blouse and a turquoise necklace, you might be able to put together a similar outfit from what you have in your closet.

The last step is to make a focused list of what you need to complete your wardrobe.  Perhaps you own a great floral silk skirt that has remained unworn because it needs a top to go with it.  Or maybe your wardrobe is lacking some essential pieces such as fabulous tees or a good blazer.  Make a focused list so that you only purchase what you need.  Before you shop, do some research on the web to find out what's on sale and which stores have the best selection of what's on your shopping list.

Have fun with your clothes!

Meet Nancy Wood, the 3rd place winner of the Mom Makeover Contest.  I met Nancy a few weeks ago at the TJ Maxx in Newton . Our mission was to spend her prize ($100 AMEX card) on new clothes.  With Nancy's husband out of work, she has been working two jobs to keep the family afloat--so clothes shopping just hasn't been in the budget.  Nancy showed up wearing a "too-long" raincoat,  ill-fitting pants and a stretched out top, doing NO justice to her fabulous figure!

With just $100 to spend, I wanted to make sure that Nancy got pieces that would mix and match. Since her lifestyle is casual, we chose clothes that were both practical and versatile.  We decided on two pairs of capris, four tops, a great pair of sandals and a neutral bag, giving Nancy a much more flattering and updated look.  
Nancy must have told me ten times how much this makeover meant to her and how excited she was to focus on herself for a change.  She loves her new look!

Over the past week, I've had the pleasure of working with two of the Mom Makeover Contest winners---1st prize winner Brenda Lee Taylor & 3rd prize winner Nancy Wood.  Both women have faced major challenges over the past few years, yet they remain positive, courageous and truly inspirational. I am so happy to be a part of their makeover & to have the opportunity to help these wonderful women look and feel great.

Meet Brenda Taylor.  Brenda's daughter Susan Taylor sent in this incredible nomination letter:
My name is Susan and I am nominating my mother, Brenda Taylor, for this makeover.  I believe she is highly deserving. My mother is such an amazing mother and always fights for what is right even through all of the stress she's been through this past year. She has been a nurse for over 20 years and a mother for almost 19 years.  My mother is recently separated from my father. She left to give us three a better life (excessive stress on marriage when he lost his job). She recently survived a pulmonary embolism and was diagnosed with diverticulitis as a result. From January to March, she was in and out of the hospital due to these things. Not many people survive a pulmonary embolism, but she did! She has been out of work since January due to these tragedies. She finally got a new job working for the state as a nurse and starts in two weeks! I am so proud of her! My mom deserves this makeover.

Brenda's response:
Most sincerely,
Brenda Taylor
Proud Mom of two amazing children
Proud to be a Nurse
Yesterday, I took Brenda out shopping--the first step of her transformation.  We started at Night and Day in Andover where Merit, the owner, expertly fit Brenda for a bra and body shaper.  


                                         Before                                   After


Our next stop was at Thirty Petals in Belmont to spend Brenda's $200 gift certificate!  Outfitted in Jag jeans, a versatile black top, black sandals and a fabulous necklace, Brenda was ready for a night out on town!                                           


Brenda also won a gorgeous bag from Passport Boutique of Cambridge, jewelry from JulRe Designs and a pink maxi dress from Shabby Apple.  The next phase of Brenda's makeover will be hair, make-up, more clothes and a professional photo shoot.  In total, Brenda won a prize package worth over $15,000! See below for the whole list of prizes.



 978.807.0577  Value over $600

 

Grand Prize!

I've been working with my dear friend, Life Coach Ginny Williams on a new venture called Reinventing Yourself from the Inside Out. Yesterday was our pilot workshop---or should I say, more of a day retreat for helping women "unearth their inner and outer brilliance".  The morning session was all about working on the "inside"---learning about ourselves and reconnecting with who we are...powerful stuff! We broke for lunch and then I took over for the afternoon session which was all about clothes, the messages our "look" sends, and ways to build a fabulous wardrobe that reflects who we are, inside and out.

The attendees' feedback was extremely positive...the only negative thing we heard was that they wished for more time!  So, next on our agenda is a weekend retreat---a whole weekend to focus on nothing else but YOU. Sound good? We'll also be taking our show on the road.  Please contact me if you'd like to chat about offering Reinventing Yourself from the Inside Out to your place of employment or group/organization,
978.807.0577 or susan@agreatnewlook.com