How to take care of your Jewelry

My wavy hair is fantastic and my skin is glowing. It is hot a humid here in Miami and life is great.

What does my hair skin have to do with jewelry? The same recipe that means success for hair and skin is harmful to your jewelry. Put simply humidity will shorten the life of your jewelry if not properly cared for.

Ideally jewelry should be kept in an individual storage bag when not in use and placed in a cool dry place. Dry location can get away with storing jewelry in a jewelry box or jewelry bags. In humid climates ideally you want to store each piece in its own airtight container. Such as a Ziploc baggie or small individual stack-able containers.

You should never bring your jewelry in the bathroom with you where it gets all hot and steamy from the shower. Humidity will cause the gold plating and metals to turn more quickly then a dryer less hot location.Some precious stones should never get wet. If possible take off your rings before washing your hands in the bathroom. Every little thing you can do to prolong the life of your jewelry allows you to keep and wear that piece of jewelry for that much longer.

Before going to the gym or any kind of exercise take off your jewelry because sweating in your jewelry will eat away at gold plating (no matter how thick it is) or any paint that may be on it.

Don’t throw your jewelry all on top of each other. That only serves to get stuff caught up on each other and scratch on other pieces. Each piece of jewelry should have its own spot to rest in while you are not wearing it.

If you are wearing jewelry and perfume, spray the perfume on directly after getting out of the shower when you are fully dry wait for the perfume to dry and soak into your skin and then continue with your routine. Even better if you know you will be wearing a necklace spray your perfume somewhere where it will not come in contact with the perfume. Perfume has alcohol, oils, colors, and scents that will shorten the life of your jewelry and cause build up making it not as vibrant. The same goes for lotion it has any number of additives the can shorten the life of your jewelry.

Jewelry should be last on in the morning and first off at night when you get home. I know we all have piece of jewelry in our collection that we would sleep in if we could but the oil from our bodies and sweat are not good for the metals, stones, and paints.

Keep your jewelry clean wipe it down with a jewelry cloth to get rid of any build up that might have accumulated on it. This will keep your jewelry shiny and make sure it catches attention for the right reason. If something spills on it clean it off right away.

If you are a mom to a young child don’t let the little one pull on, chew on, or play with your jewelry. It is not meant to take that kind of abuse and could break outright or enamel and plating could come off in your child’s mouth.

Felissa is an Independent Stella & Dot Jewelry Stylist based out of Miami, Florida. She facilitates trunk shows and private viewings in your home and office. To check out her website you can visit www.StellaDot.com/FelissaHadas

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A little more on Adding Value to your Company

When considering your business and how to add value to something you believe is valuable to others take a step back and think about what it is you are doing. Does this new addition really add value that your target audience will appreciate or will you be lessening your brand and image by bringing on this particular thing. Whether taking on a partner or cross promoting with another company will they care about your image and good name as much as you do? Do they know what is important to you when it comes to your business? If all you care about is a numbers game and drawing more people to you then partnering with anyone out there on the Internet without looking into their name or product isn't a concern for you. However if you are trying to cultivate your image so that your customers know you care about each and every one of them then it is important to make sure your new team member is trying to do the same thing. Yes we all need to get our brand out there but we shouldn't do it if it will cost us our name that we have worked at creating.

Last night I went to a theater production that I am going to keep nameless. It was a professional production that completely dropped the ball as far as I am concerned. Instead of working together, whenever the entire cast was singing you couldn't understand the words. Each individual person was on the stage for themselves and not the good of the show. People bumped into set pieces, wardrobes were malfunctioning – several wigs fell off during dance numbers. I personally would be embarrassed to have my name associated with a show that was such a mess. and this coming from a person who can think a group of 5th and 6th graders put on a magical performance. By not doing their job 100% last night the cast and crew sullied the production and the people who worked so hard to get it on Broadway in NYC and then take it traveling around the country. It was just another night on the stage for them, another show to get through instead of put their heart and soul into the performance. I would never recommend this show to anyone which means they tarnished the brand and there is nothing they can do to change that for me now.

Obviously you don’t want to associate yourself with a company or person who doesn't care enough to love their own brand and it was obvious the actor and actresses on stage last night did not. To find the right partner for yourself whether it is a one off deal or something you hope to continue into the future make sure it is the right decision for you. Are they the type of person or company that will do everything possible to make sure the customer or client is happy? Do they value customer service and quality over quantity? Does what they have to offer better your brand or are you doing them more of a service then they are doing for you? Make sure you are each offering something tangible to the other even if it is just name exposure make sure both sides are trying to achieve the same goal. Word of mouth from happy customers and clients who love their product and feel the two complimented each other. Even if you think all I am doing is hiring a receptionist does that person convey the message I want to be sending to anyone who calls they are the new “face” of your business the first person that everyone comes in contact with make sure that receptionist knows how important their work is to your company.

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PSA: Dogs and Halloween!

About now you are all going to the store and bringing home candy for the children who come trick or treating in your neighborhood. Here are some safety tips.

If you have a dog who counter surfs or gets at food in the pantry you might want to stick with a non chocolate candy this year. The rule of course is that the darker the chocolate the more toxic it is. That being said an entire bag of peanut butter cups or fun sized snickers will leave any size dog with quite a stomach ache and the potential for worse. IMHO I don't feel the risk is worth it. Not that any candy is healthy for a dog to eat but candy corns and gummies are a lot less toxic then chocolate.

Leave the dogs home on Halloween in a safe and secure room in their crate.You don't know if a kid will be wearing a costume that will freak out your dog and the reaction is either going to be fight or flight. Plus with all the crowds you don't want them to get stepped on by accident. Walk them in their costume during the day so the neighbors can see and comment everyone will be happier especially your dog.

Halloween night make sure to have the dogs in a safe and secure location preferably in their crate before you take the candy out and the first kids come by. Wouldn't want the dog to run out the door by accident when you open it for a group of kids. Even the best trained dog could forget themselves and put their mouth in the treat bowl or run out the door with all the commotion and excitement.

If this is your pets first Halloween with you this is not the time to show off to your neighbors by having a giant dog barking on the other side of the door or a stressed out little one who wants to run and hide. If you are having a party at your house and people will be dressed up or there will be a lot of kids running around put the dog away in a room with a sign on the door saying something like sleeping baby so no one tries to go in and play and the next thing you know your dog is missing.

If you have kids who are going around make sure the candy is in a dog safe container the minute it comes in the door. Best if it goes on a top shelf in the pantry or the fridge or freezer and given out by an adult. Any extra candy that you have from passing out should be stored the same way.

Walking your dog after Halloween. Take a flashlight along with you and a pocket full of appropriate treats in case they find something half eaten or still in the wrapper on the ground so that you can make a trade your treat for the one they found on the ground. All it takes is a second because they can smell it before you can see it. Keep dog treats in your pocket for several days after Halloween for when you are out walking you will be surprised at how much candy you find out there now that you have a dog to walk and keep away from it.

Everyone including your dog can have a safe and Happy Halloween you just need to plan ahead.

Felissa is an Independent Stella & Dot Stylist located in Miami, Florida. She facilitates Trunk Show for women and their friends all over South Florida.To view the jewelry or book an event visit www.stelladot.com/felissahadas or email her Felissahadas@gmail.com

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How to choose Jewelry that will make you HAPPY!

In this article I will be putting links to different pieces for you to look at and think about. Click on them all to help you look at pieces you never would have on your own. Are they you? Do they make you smile? Do you "get" it? Can you picture yourself wearing it?

Happy doesn't necessarily mean you are keeping up with the latest trends or buying the exact same piece your friend is wearing. Only you can know if you will be happy wearing it or if it will never see the light of day.

To me never seeing the light of day is an unhappy purchase and I know for me I would much rather want to wear the piece of jewelry to sleep because I don't want to take it off then to never put it on in the first place. I have quite a few piece of jewelry real and costume that fall into the not wanting to take it off ever category.

In order to really be happy with your purchase I recommend you take a minute and really look at yourself with the item on or at least spend some time looking at a picture of the item. Try something else on while you think about the original item. Do your eyes and heart keep getting drawn to the original item? Is this an item you wish you owned? Then go ahead and purchase the item.

Does it make you smile when you look at it? If this piece of Jewelry makes you smile when you look at it chances are you will feel happy and comfortable wearing it. Not only will you find yourself coming up with excuses to wear it but random people will come up to you on the street and ask about it. People would not come up to you if you are hiding the piece of jewelry or if you are unhappy or bashful while wearing it chances are it will not look right on you and stick out.

Can you see yourself wearing the item? What will you wear it with? Do you need to wear it with a cocktail dress or could you also pair it with Jeans and a tank top, tee, or turtle neck and be just as happy wearing it? For instance when I first saw the Garden Party Necklace I thought I would need to wear it with some kind of fancy outfit that I could never find. Plus it is giant and I never used to wear statement necklaces. Sure I might have oogled them at Tiffany's or Cartier or window shopping I just never thought it would be an everyday thing for me to wear a statement piece. Guess what I wear the Garden Party all the time with Jeans, a black shirt, and sneakers and women stop me to ask where I got it.

Is this piece too colorful, too big, too bold, too gold, too silver, too long, too short? If any of those things about the item really bother you, I suggest you look for something a bit more your style. I am not saying give up on those things completely but you need to look at the entire piece and love it. If there is something about it that bothers you figure out what it is and look for a piece without that issue.

Sometimes you see a piece of jewelry and just don't get it. If you are somewhere where they care more about helping you then making a sale in 2 seconds let them show you how to wear pieces you would not have considered. For instance I truly did not "GET" the Adrienne Mixed Chain Necklace. I saw the video about how to wear it and I said ok I sort of understand it. Several weeks later I saw it in person on someone and fell in LOVE. I have paired this necklace with everything from Jeans and a tee to a skirt and blouse. I let a young girl play dress up with my jewelry and she saw it as a belt and that is how she wore it.

However if the piece is gold which is something you don't normally like and can you still see the entire piece and love it then I say go for it. Take that step out of your comfort zone you will be happy you did.

If you find yourself always reaching for the same type of jewelry maybe it is time to take a look around at what other women have on and if you like it ask where they purchased it. If you don't like it think about what you don't like about it so you can avoid that in your next jewelry purchase. This exercise will open your eyes to the amount of jewelry women wear even ones you didn't think wore any you would be surprised they do they might even wear bold statement pieces that you just never noticed before. Obviously if the point was to get noticed then they didn't do a good job but at the same time they figured out how to wear the item without sticking out like a sore thumb which means they probably love the piece of jewelry and that is something you want to strive for in your next purchase. Be in love with the piece of Jewelry, feel confident wearing it, feel happy when others notice it and smile.

Don't be bashful invite a Jewelry Stylist to be your personal shopper and help you figure out what you like and let her know that you have never really gone jewelry shopping before and would love some help picking the jewelry and figuring out what to wear it with.

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Felissa is an Independent Stella & Dot Stylist in Miami, Florida. She does Jewelry Trunk Shows for women both in their home and at their offices as well as private viewings. She will let you take your time trying on all of her jewelry and give you tips on what to wear it with. You can contact her at felissahadas@gmail.com to book your event.

Felissa is looking to expand her Stella & Dot Team join her as a Stylist today and let her coach you to success.

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Join me on Facebook!

I just created a group on facebook and would love for you to join. Doesn't matter if you like just one piece or if you love the entire collection I would love to hear from you. Let me know what your favorite piece or pieces are. The more I know what you like the better I am able to help you and your friends.

Here is the link to my page http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=125877377021&ref=ts

Interested in having a party? I would love to put a Trunk Show together for you.

Need help with a fundraiser I can do that as well. I can tailor the fundraiser to fit your organizations needs.

Of course if you are completely in love and would like to become a stylist let me know I am building my team and would love to help you succeed with Stella & Dot.

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