Shop til you drop and win a Stella & Dot Soiree Bracelet!

Just because we’re in the middle of a national economic recession doesn’t mean you can’t look oh-so-fabulous. Every smart Belle knows that half the fun of shopping is getting a great deal on something gorgeous. And here’s your chance! The posh Hamilton Mill Women’s Consignment Sale is back with more designer brands than ever! Coach, Alfani, Louie Vuitton, Jones New York, Anne Taylor, Shelly Segal and many, many more top name brands will be there. The Sale starts Tuesday, September 21, 2010 from 5-9PM, then runs Wednesday through Friday from 9:30AM to 1PM with a 50% off sale Saturday from 9AM to 2PM at the Dacula Kids Village at 1152 Auburn Road, Suite 107, Dacula, GA 30019.

How would you like to get a sneak peek at the exclusive Seller’s Preview from 5-8PM on Monday, September 20, 2010? Then raid your closet, ladies, for your gently-worn in-style clothes, shoes or jewelry and bring them in to sell. You can earn a little extra money to keep or to spend on more beautiful goodies. Learn more about how to become a Seller…it’s easy!

A stylish event like this is just too good to keep secret, so help spread the word: Tell all the stylish gals you know (and the guys who want to buy them gifts…remember the holidays are coming soon!) And if you post this article to your Facebook or Twitter status, you’ll be registered to win a gorgeous Stella & Dot Soiree Bracelet to be given away at the sale. So get online to spread the word, clean out your closet and get ready to shop ’til you drop!

Book a Trunk Show today and be entered to win the Ultimate NY Shopping & Styling Spree for 2 (worth $2500) or a $500 Stella & Dot Shopping Spree. But hurry! The Style Muse Contest ends September 30, 2010!

The New Stella & Dot Fall Collections are here! This year we celebrate strong women, rich cultures and exotic design. Founder and CEO, Jessica Herrin – named one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 10 Women Entrepreneurs for 2010 – puts it best when she describes the new line:

• The Vintage Luxe Collection is couture for everyday, paying homage to the details like you do.
• The Metro Chic Collection puts an edgy twist on femininity with lots of dimension.
• The Day to Night Collection multitasks as much as you do, wearing as gorgeously with denim as with a little black dress.
• The La Coco Collection is your own style statement that you create with versatile, mix-and-match chains, strands, and brooches.
• The Little Girls Collection is a whimsical tribute to the little girl in your life who matters most and her growing sense of style.

It’s finally here! Stella & Dot just introduced their Little Girl’s Collection just in time for Mother’s Day. There’s even a gorgeous set of pearls, just for the little Belle in your life. After all, every Southern Belle needs pearls to wear, no matter how old she is! To celebrate, I cordially invite you to our Mommy & Me Online Trunk Show>>

Just because you’re a Rogue Belle doesn’t mean you don’t like to shop. And every Belle LOVES gorgeous jewelry. So I’m happy to announce the Grand Opening of the Rogue Southern Belle’s Boutique with our exclusive designer jewelry line, Stella & Dot!

Turquoise & Pave Soirée Bracelet

To celebrate our Grand Opening, I’m giving away this beautiful Soirée Turquoise & Pave Bracelet, worth $29.

There are 5 ways to enter this drawing to win. Use each way once to enter as many as 5 times. The more you enter, the higher your chances of winning. This giveaway will end on April 30, 2010, so hurry!

Enter to Win the Turquoise & Pave Soirée Bracelet

1. Visit http://www.stelladot.com/belle and find one gorgeous piece of jewelry that you just adore for yourself or as a gift for someone else. Then come back here to post a comment below about what you like about that piece of jewelry.
2. Write about the Rogue Belle’s Boutique Grand Opening on your Facebook or Twitter page. Be sure to include a link to this page. Then come back here and comment about it below.
3. Buy anything at http://www.stelladot.com/belle.
4. Sign up for the Rogue Belle News.
5. Become a Fan of the Rogue Belle’s Facebook Fan Page.

Remember, Men: Mother’s Day is right around the corner! Enter to win this bracelet for the Rogue Belle Mommies in your life.

My Southern Belle Instructor

I called my grandmother Mema. She was born Mildred Franklin Brannen. As Southern tradition dictates, she was given her mother’s maiden name as her middle name. My parents continued the tradition (but skipped a generation) and gave me her maiden name, Brannen, to fit between my first and last names. This explains why so many Southern girls have boy’s middle names, in case you were wondering.

She was my father’s mother and she was responsible for making sure I understood all the rules for being a proper Southern Belle. And she had beautiful, big blue eyes. I was the first grandchild and had hazel green eyes. She always told me that I had Dada’s green eyes. Dada was her husband – my grandfather – whom I never knew because he was killed in a tragic tractor accident while working our family farm at Denhamville when my father was only 12 years old and my uncle, 8. Both my father and uncle inherited Mema’s blue, blue eyes. Growing up, I could always tell if Dad was angry (and hence I should make myself scarce) because those blue eyes would become pale, almost white. I’ve researched it and learned that the phenomenon of blue eyes turning pale is due to the blood pressure spike that occurs during anger or fear…part of the fight-or-flight response.

My two younger brothers both inherited my Mom’s intense brown eyes, and my son and daughter were both born with hazel eyes. But my son’s eyes turned brown before he was one year old, while my daughter’s eyes turned from hazel to brown when she was six years old. I had thought for sure that she would’ve kept those green eyes after 6 years but alas, it was not to be. My uncle’s oldest daughter, Kaly, has Mema’s beautiful blue eyes and his son, Jeremy, has the hazel eyes like me. My uncle’s little twin daughters, Jenna & Kayla, have the blue eyes and show no sign of them changing color now that they’re 6 years old, so I guess it’s just me and Jeremy to carry on Dada’s hazel eyes.

Have you been able to keep track so far? Good. Because family history and relationships are very important here in the South. Mema made sure I understood that, too. However, I’m pretty sure that my Mema’s been rolling over in her grave for several years now, ever since I went “rogue”.  That was her prediction in case I violated one of those proper Southern Belle rules – “And when I’m long dead and gone, I’ll just roll over in my grave if I catch you doing [blank].”

I miss my Mema. I wear her wedding band as part of my wedding set. I touch it every day and think of her.