I recently posted this picture of one of my FBFs Karen Butler at age 56 in her bikini and it seemed to create quite a stir. I’m sure you can see by the photo why comments and compliments filled the post. Everyone wanted to find out how she did it and what her real secret is.  Well I talked with Karen and here is what she had to say……….“Everyone wants to look younger, feel younger, have more energy and stay strong and fit. When it comes down to it there really isn’t much you would exchange for your health……I know I wouldn’t. So why does everyone wait until something happens, they get sick then they are surprised and frantically try to fix it. Disease rates continue to escalate and we all know if we don’t do shoot for a healthy life style then the odds of being another statistic are great. Our bodies need fruit on a regular basis because phyto-nutrients prevent disease and slow down the aging process. Researchers have known this for a long time but we are not listening to the statistics as the disease rates climb. However even our soil is depleted of nutrients and our fruit toxified with chemicals. If you try and buy organic it is chemical free but if the soil nutrient is poor than the nutrients of the fruit will be also.  

There’s a much better way to not only look better and feel great but it actually works at the cellular level to help repair and heal the body and slow down the aging process. No the answer is not in a pill or another multi-vitamin. Nature intended for you to consume food in WHOLE form because all the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and enzymes are together in one package. They work synergistically to give your body the nutrition it requires for optimal health. . That’s exactly what MONAVIE is ….extremely intense nutrition in Whole Food Form. I believe there is no single product more powerful for anti-aging than MONAVIE.

What is MONAVIE? Its 19 wild/organic fruits from around the world, the main one being ACAI, the worlds #1 Super-Food. ACAI is only grown in the Amazon, in the richest soil on the planet. That’s a huge reason why the fruit is so effective. No other fruit is higher in Anti-oxidants than ACAI. When you consume your daily shots of MONAVIE (2oz twice a day) it’s the equivalent of getting 13 servings of fruits and vegetables, the same amount of Resveratrol (the anti-aging nutrient in red wine) as 30 glasses of red wine! You’ll get all your omegas 3, 6 and 9 and it has the same protein profile of an egg. They’ve never found another fruit like it. In addition it contains plant derived glucosamine for joint health.

Before MONAVIE I wasn’t really able to train because my joints were all shot from overuse. Since my body is getting the nutrients it needs I no longer crave or eat as much food and I naturally dropped a couple sizes. At 56 I was able to go back into training harder and stronger than I ever have. But for me, by far the most important benefit is being pain free and off all the medication that I took for about 10 years. I seriously thank God everyday for MONAVIE!! I’ve heard people say that getting healthy is hard, complicated, time consuming and expensive. I’m sorry that’s how I would describe being sick.
If you’re wondering how it taste; it is FABULOUS! Cheers!” For information on Karen Butlers Big Secrets you can email her directly. @klbutler54@yahoo.com, or visit her on the web at http://www.kbutler.mymonavie.com  This blog post has been provided by Nannette Bosh, courtesy of http://www.bangleandclutch.com . We think Karen looks amazing and would love to see her in our fashion jewelry http://wwww.bangleandclutch.com/jewelry.html/ View other photos of Karen Butler below. As always we welcome your comments. 

56 and FABULOUS: Now we know your secret………

Remember the saying, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder?” It is time to remind ourselves everyday as we look in the mirror beauty is starring right back at us. As woman we tend to forget the true definition of beauty. We read magazines, watch TV, compare ourselves to others and forget the true being of who we are. It is not about a dress size, but the size of our Heart & Character. Beauty is about confidence, no matter what size you are, you can walk into anywhere, own every step, every move and love who you are! Curved Beauty is about loving your curves, embracing them and not being afraid to show them off …It’s time to Curve your outlook on who you are and to focus on the elements you love about yourself.

After working as a Makeup Artist for over 6 years, I have seen women of all shapes; sizes and looks sit in my chair. Yet, there is one thing they all have in common …everyone has at least one beautiful feature about them. Whether you are a stay at home mom, a teenager, a celebrity or a career woman, each demographic represents a form of beauty we can learn from. Also, I can guarantee we all have imperfections. Marilyn Monroe once said “Imperfection is Beauty”, a true statement just to think if everyone was “perfect” how exciting would the world be.

Unfortunately, we have been programmed to want to immediately change our flaws …nip, tuck, refine, and replace. I am all for wanting to improve and define what God has given us, but it is important not to lose a sense of who we are along the way and become obsessed with outer beauty. People tend to forget, no amount of makeup, surgery or clothing will upgrade your beauty status. If inner confidence and self love is not present, it will overpower any cosmetic alterations attempted.

As woman it is important for us to define a sense of WHO we truly are and teach generations to come that beauty is not something you buy, it is something discovered inside. If not, beauty will lose all sense of meaning. So next time when looking in the mirror, picking apart your flaws or “imperfections” , remind yourself “Imperfection is beauty” and those aspects contribute to who you are, embrace them and remember to be a beautiful, confident, you!

This blog post was written by Makeup Artist, Tiffany Hall-Scarmana. If you would like to connect with Tiffany directly visit her on the web at http://www.curvedbeauty.blogspot.com . We would like Tiffany to invite her clients to check out http://www.bangleandclutch.com/jewelry . This post is part of our guest blogger series meant to inspire and motivate women. They do not necessarily reflect the political, religious or other view points of http://www.bangleandclutch.com , Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., AskNannette Bosh, http://www.asknannette.com  or http://www.nannettebosh.com . Thanks for the female inspiration Tiffany, we like Look in the Mirror: Who Do You See Looking Back at You!!!

Mother’s Day is a recent memory. Like most moms I was treated to a day where I could do whatever I wanted. I was Queen of the remote control. The lunch menu detailed food that I wanted, and I didn’t have to cook it. My daughter, young as she is, made several Mother’s Day cards at school, church and home with various scrapbooking adornments, which she proudly presented to me and begged me to select my favorite one. The sun was shining, and the day was happy. There are times in our lives where thi9ngs may not seem happy or joyous at all. Events happen and steal our joy. How do you recover from this?

Where are you going to get your joy? I must confess life is not all roses. My six year old daughter’s favorite sayings is; “It’s not fair”. She is learning that life isn’t fair at times. What would life be like if we had everything we wanted? King Solomon had it all; power, fame, fortune and wisdom. Yet, he put his happiness in temporal things and became very unhappy. Have you ever said to yourself, I will be really happy when……….? How long does this happiness last? What about when you have achieved a great accomplishment, the next one must be bigger and better right? It’s never enough and the cycle continues. Searching for the “happiness high” that you’ve experienced before can go on forever. What makes you happy? I’m not talking about for a few hours or days; I’m talking about happiness for awhile long, happiness that has staying power.

I encourage you to try these four suggestions on living a happier life: 1. Think of the small things that make you happy and write them down. This could be a sunny day, the smell of fresh cut grass or even hearing your favorite song on the radio. 2. Keep everything in perspective. Put things in their proper place. If something makes you unhappy, consider the scenario in the big scheme of things. Will it really matter when you are 80 years old? 3. Look at the root cause of what makes you happy in your life. Remember what it is that gives you joy. 4. Put yourself second and serve others. Happiness in serving another person first rather than ourselves; is a humbling experience and can be very rewarding. Have you ever heard the saying “Giving the shirt off your back”, if so have you ever given yours?

Happiness is a great feeling. The wonderful thing about happiness is that it can be found in small packages. Why not take time to look for the small stuff that makes you happy today???????? This blog post was written by Darcy Keith award winning speaker and author.  If you would like to connect with Darcy directly visit her on the web at http://www.DarcyKeith.com . We would love to see Darcy in our Carmel Pendant necklace. http://www.bangleandclutch.com/jewelry/necklaces/carmel-necklace.html/

These posts are part of our guest blogger series meant to inspire and motivate women. They do not necessarily reflect the political, religious or other view points of http://www.bangleandclutch.com , Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., AskNannette Bosh, http://www.asknannette.com  or http://www.nannettebosh.com . Thanks for the female inspiration Darcy!!!!

I met this Red Hat lady at the Mall the other day, while I was on my Goddess of Lattes duty at Starbucks. She ordered her coffee, graciously left a tip and then settled at one of the tables to watch the world go by. And she got me thinking about the whole Red Hat thing. You’ve probably read the poem by Jenny Joseph “When I Am an Old Woman I Shall Wear Purple with a Red Hat, Which Doesn’t Go and Doesn’t Suit Me” http://www.wheniamanoldwoman.com , http://www.redhatsociety.com/ . And I wondered, why do we feel we we’re old (read as “over 50”) to do something “out of the norm”? Why do we need permission to do things that make us feel beautiful, special or unique? Why is it so difficult to celebrate the Goddess-ness we hold inside? Like wear a maroon shirt when the rest of the office wears white? Eat off the “good” china when there’s no company coming over? Or wear a ball gown to go grocery shopping with your equally bedecked little girl? (I did this once ~ such delicious memories!)  

I’ve noticed that it’s the very young and the very old that seem to be able to shed this claustrophobic mantle of “normalcy”. Once we hit our 30s, we all become bland, ordinary and afraid of standing out. We force our luscious Goddess-ness into minivans and business suits, when what we yearn for are pink convertibles, Jackie-O sunglasses and way too many gold chains around our neck. We live normal, homogenized, non-stand out lives and we smother the lusciousness thrill of vintage lingerie, worn on the outside, or some one-of-a-kind thrift store find. Except when we get “permission” like on Halloween or New Year. Isn’t that sad? Why do we stifle the very spark that makes us Special? Why mask the outside reflection of your inner uniqueness?

Today, I double dare you to do something Out of the Ordinary! Something that fills you with Bliss and makes your Being tremble with the lusciousness of authentic living. Even if it scares the crap out of you!!! Step into your greatness and create yourself a Goddess-worthy Life! I think we’d be a lot less worried about what people think of us, if we realized how seldom they actually do!

The Goddess Known as Jacqueline Gates was written by FBF Jacqueline Gates. Would you like to connect with Jacqueline? Surely nothing short of hotmail would do. LOL! You can visit her site http://jacqueline-gates.com. This blog post is part of a series of posts we will run from female guest bloggers. These posts are meant to inspire women and do not necessarily reflect the political, religious or other view points of http://www.bangleandclutch.com , Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., or asknannette.com. As always we welcome your thoughts comments and questions. This post was provided courtesy of asknannette.com. Thanks Jacqueline! We think the Red Hat Society might like http://www.bangleandclutch.com/exclusives/carmel-necklace-2.html/

Here’s a simple thing you can do to increase your self-esteem, feeling of self-worth, and your confidence. KNOW YOUR VALUE! Okay it sounds easy when you just say it like that. I know it can be challenging to see your own talents, because the things you’re good at are the exact things you’ve been doing for a long time, or that came naturally to you in the first place. Because expertise comes either with time or naturally, most people don’t even notice that they are an expert. It’s important to realize that you have expertise and that you have real value to offer to people. This can provide you with the confidence you need to start a new business, approach a new person, or start writing your book. Self-worth will allow you to lead a better more productive life. So find what you’re really good at.

This took me a while at first, so stick with me if it doesn’t just come to you. Think of your hobbies, think of what you do every day. Think of how much you had to learn to get where you are today. Think of what you do at work, what technologies you use, and how much you had to learn to get where you are. Think about the classes you took and the knowledge you’ve gathered over the years. Recall the compliments you’ve received, and the times when people said “I wish I could do what you can do” or “You will have to teach me sometime” or even “I could never do what you do”. Consider each instance, and really think about what percentage of the population could learn a lot from you about a certain topic. That’s a lot of people isn’t it? Yes it is.

You are unique, and you have specialized knowledge that you did build upon through years of experience. Think outside of business for a moment to your personal life and your hobbies. Are you great at being a friend? Are you an excellent home-maker? If you think these things don’t count as expertise, take a look at Martha Stewart. She has created an empire around keeping a home. In short, I would bet big money that you have at least 5 areas of expertise. Realize that! Remember, your expertise is valuable and your energy indispensable. You are a superstar!

Do You Know Your Value was written by FBF CarolAnn Edie. Would you like more tips and tricks on how to become more confident? For more of CarolAnn’s tips and tricks about Confidence and Style please visit her blog at http://CharismaU.com or you can email her at info@CharismaU.com. Thanks CarolAnn, we think you would look great wearing http://www.bangleandclutch.com/exclusives/carmel-bracelet-6.html/

This post is part of a series of posts we will run from female guest bloggers. These posts are meant to inspire women and do not necessarily reflect the political, religious or other view points of http://www.bangleandclutch.com , Nannette Bosh, Nannette Bosh Inc., or asknannette.com. As always we welcome your thoughts comments and questions. This post was provided courtesy of asknannette.com. Thanks CarolAnn!!!!!

One day during a Channel 3 taping I noticed that the women being interviewed when asked to talk about themselves dutifully noted the number of children they had and the age of each child. Then it was onto their husbands followed by what they did for work. It was at that moment I realized that as women we actually define ourselves not as individuals but most always as a mother and a wife first. Why? We are not simply the wife of so and so and the mother of the captain of the baseball team. Not to say our children and husbands are not great and if they are then we absolutely had something to do with that. But where do we fit in?

Why do we find it so hard to promote ourselves or toot our own horn? There is a difference between confidence and conceit. We run all over and take care of everyone else leaving ourselves until last.  Are we ever #1? What is it that we “love” to do? What is it that makes us great?  I’m thinking we should all take 5 and rethink who we truly are as individuals. Think about who YOU are as individual woman and what it is that makes you special, unique and wonderful. If you have a hard time saying it out loud I recommend writing it down on a piece of paper and then read it on a daily basis.

You truly owe it to yourself. You may never find yourself being interviewed, but when you meet someone new you will speak with confidence about what it is that YOU do and what special things YOU have to offer to the world you live in. Offering up a 30 second commercial about yourself (not your family) can open many doors you never even realized existed.

Many thanks to Better Connecticut and all of the wonderful experiences they have given me.

http://www.wfsb.com/betterct/index.html

Becoming Your Own 30 Second Commercial by Nannette Bosh a Certified Lifestyle & Relationship Coach. Nannette Bosh is the owner of http://www.bangleandclutch.com and as always we welcome your thoughts comments and questions. This post provided courtesy of asknannette.com.

Remember your prom night? Remember who was there, the guy you went with, what you wore? I do and I realize as a write that twenty-five years later I still talk about my prom. My guess is you do too. When I get together with my best friend from high school we sometimes look at our old prom photos and laugh. We were over tanned the guys wore top hats and we wore southern bell dresses. LOL! Life is the memories we make, good and bad they shape us and guide us throughout the years, memories are the fiber that make us who we are even if we often prefer they did not. The prom for a young girl is a night of beauty, a time to shine. For most of us the only other opportunity to be a beauty in the spot light is our wedding day. As a young girl attending your prom, the dress you wear, the way you look and feel that evening is a wonderful memory you have for life and a staple one in our society. Your entire life ahead of you it is not only exciting it is an exhilarating experience. What about the girl who cannot afford a dress for the prom?

I consider myself an advocate for women and causes that involve women and even impressionable teenage girls are the ones I find dear to my heart. I believe if you are going to give it should come from your heart. Sometimes even the smallest gesture of support can be very rewarding. Last year Bangle and Clutch was approached by an organization with a cause I simply could not turn down. Princess And The Prom http://www.princessandtheprom.org/ is a nonprofit organization that collects gently used gowns, shoes and accessories distributing them to girls in need who otherwise would be unable to attend their prom.

Curious about how Princess And The Prom started, I recently spoke with one of the founders of the organization Cheryle Podgorski.  The inspiration of the organization actually came from Cheryle’s daughter Lauren and a few of her friends working on a service project for school. Lauren and her friends teamed up with their mothers and began collecting prom dresses in late 2006. Arrival prom season 2007 this group of moms and daughters had a goal of dressing 50 girls, much to their surprise the need was greater than they realized. In their first year they doubled their goal suiting 100 teens. A discombobulated house full of dresses, shoes and accessories along with transportation to the suiting site was a little overwhelming for Cheryle and her small crew of volunteers. What comes around goes around and for all of the crew’s kindness and giving, in walks Shawn McCann owner of Best Cleaners http://www.bestcleaners.com/ . He kindly offered not only to donate the cleaning, storing and transportation of the gowns in the future but also storage and transportation of the shoes and accessories!

The work is extremely rewarding Cheryle says.  She loves to see the many past recipients stepping up to the volunteer plate to pay back the organization for the impact it has made on their lives. At the suiting event this year Princess And The Prom will dress a whopping 600 girls! Maybe you do not have time to volunteer or perhaps your family funds are a little tight that’s understandable. However you, your daughter or someone you know might have a prom dress hanging around that can be donated. Help make the prom a memory for a teenage girl that without your help might otherwise miss out on her day to shine. Twenty-five years later will she look back and laugh at her prom photos or will she remember she couldn’t afford to go? If you would like donate or learn more about the organization you can visit them on the web at http://www.princessandtheprom.org/ .

This blogpost has been brought to you courtesy of AskNannette.com