Fashionable Ways to Raise Money for Charity

Giving to charities is important not only to feel good about helping others but also to help the broader community meet the needs of those who are struggling. There are many ways to give to charities without having to sign a check. Here are three ways you can donate to worthwhile causes and gain something for yourself at the same time.

  • Celebrities are often associated with charities as spokespeople or they use their celebrity status to help bring awareness to specific causes. In some cases, celebrities donate proceeds from their own product lines or the sale of items from their own closets. This is the perfect way to get items for yourself while putting your money toward great causes like Kars for Kids.
  • The Pink Ribbon campaign for breast cancer awareness or the yellow wristbands for the Livestrong Foundation are both examples of how a brand can be used to generate money for charities, but there are plenty of other causes that sell specific products and give the proceeds directly to charities. They include gift cards to various stores, handbags, pieces of jewelry, shopping bags, cosmetics and more.
  • Online and traditional retailers often hold promotional events whereby a percentage of the proceeds are donated toward charities. This is an excellent way to get your shopping done and give to charities at the same time.

Charities certainly do appreciate cash donations, but with people feeling the pinch of the tight economy, it has become difficult for charities to raise money. Purchasing items for charities endorsed by celebrities or buying items from awareness campaigns or promotions lets you snag something cool for yourself while also donating to worthwhile causes.

Filed Under: Fashion, General Tagged With: , ,

Bargain Shopping-2011

Looking west at Target_Corporation#Subsidiarie...

Image via Wikipedia sourced-Target international

Both the New York and the Paris Fashion Week showed the world that the fashion world will have a riot of colors expected for Spring/summer2011
shades of cobalt blue, navy blue, aqua green, turquoise,and watery shades with pink hues with a purple tint.
Earthen color themes are Huge as well.((Candy Dish: Spring Fashion Fun (collegecandy.com)))shades like stony grey, shabby white, fruity colors and many eco-friendly themed fabrics and colors  summer will be reflected in the exuberant red, orange, purple and the greens.((Top 5 Easy Fashion Updates For Spring 2011 (5min.com))) Many places to find such colors at a bargain price are places like Target(which has it’s own fashion designers) Kohl’s is another store that offers huge deals on spring fashion,Yonkers’s and Dillards as well as sears and JC Pennies are huge budget contenders that are not to be left out of the running. Many stores offer sales such as “night-owl sales” that begin at midnight and end at dawn, or “Door-buster sales” that begin at dawn and end at noon. Often times, going to such sales offers a huge Bargain discount, as much as 50% off the regular purchase price of the outfit. Another way to Bargain shop is to either Shop online at the stores online boutique which can offer deals off of shipping and handling if you spend more than a certain am mount of money. They also offer deals by giving emails to consumers with coupons or store sale times included within the e-mail for printing and presenting at the store for said discount.

Filed Under: Fashion, Shopping Tagged With: , ,

Accessory Designers Have the Most Fun

What is your favorite part of an outfit? For many people, it is the accessories. Finding the perfect necklace, earrings, belt, or other accessory can feel like a victory. As much fun as it is having and wearing the perfect accessories, can you imagine how much more fun it would be designing these great fashion pieces?

There are many jobs available for people who are interested in designing accessories. In fact, many people choose to go into business themselves, designing their own accessories. There are many different accredited online degrees that will help you with this dream, from fashion degrees to business to marketing. When choosing this career path, one of the most important things to do is begin to build your portfolio and network with professionals.

Many fashion designers work with outside accessory designers to put together perfect outfits. Deciding on the metals, stones and other elements for a necklace can be a great way to express your creativity. On top of that, many accessory designers also make their pieces themselves. What could be more fun than pulling out some wire and ending up with a great bracelet?

The fashion industry can be a tough place to work, but for those who go into accessory designing, it is a fun and rewarding career. Working not only with your mind but also with your hands can be the ideal combination for anyone who is interested in fashion. You may also quickly find yourself working closely with famous fashion designers to put on a fabulous runway show. You can’t have a great outfit without the perfect accessories!

Filed Under: Fashion Tagged With: , ,

Get Ready For Spring

Spring is fast approaching.  The time to put away the heavy sweaters and bulky sweatpants has come.  You knew that it would.  Time to show some skin, no more long sleeves, lots of leg showing.  Whether or not you have prepared your body for the start of Spring, there is a new era to fashion, the tan.  Have you been in the tanning salon all winter, getting ready to show off your perfectly bronzed body as soon as Spring finally peaks through the clouds?  If not, the time is now to make it happen. There is still time to get ready for the warm weather.

With so many celebrities being able to travel to places year round to keep their golden color, how are we lowly peasants supposed to keep up?  With a tanning membership of course.  Tanning salons have popped up literally everywhere.  They are almost on every corner.  For a nominal fee, and to be honest it is really a good deal as far as that goes, you can tan once a day for the month.  Of course there are different packages you can purchase, such as stand up or lay down booths, you can pay a small extra fee to have a spray tan put on if you need it in a hurry, and various other services available at these salons.  You can also purchase a variety of self tanning products, as well as products to keep your skin soft and smooth, protected from anything harmful from the tanning process.

Of course there are those who will tell you that it is not a healthy thing to be in a tanning salon or bed, but they probably are not in need of a bronze goddess tan like the rest of us.

Filed Under: Shopping Tagged With: , ,

How to Dress for a Date

Fashion seems to hit a road block when it comes to dating, at least for some. With the anxiety creeping up for some individuals before a first or second date, it can become difficult to choose a fashion-forward outfit. Here are some tips to get you on your way to a great date.

You should first take account of what you know about the date. What is the dress code for the restaurant? What will you be doing? In most cases, you will be able to discern the formal level of the date. You could even call the locations that you will be going to, in order to get a better picture. If all else fails and you’re on a surprise date, ask your date and do your best.

Become flexible with your choice for your fashionable date. While you may be going to dinner and a movie in June, don’t forget that nice sweater. Not only will it add to your outfit, but also it may save you should the venue be surprisingly cold. You can always choose to put it on your chair or leave it in the car.

Look on the Internet if you need that missing piece for your date. For instance, you could look at casual and dressy options like a stylish pair of jeans to that perfect little black dress. This will allow you to quickly and easily look at some options.

While dressing for a date can be anxiety provoking, take some basic steps to find the perfect outfit. If you need to call the locations or ask friends for advice, don’t hesitate to do so. At any rate, give yourself room for error and try not to worry too much – the important part is enjoying your date and having a good time.

Filed Under: Fashion Tagged With: , ,

On-Line Window Shopping

While shopping has taken on a whole new meaning since the dawn of cyber space, people still love to browse.  We love to just look at all that is out there.  Making a selection is tough when you have hundreds of web sites at  your disposal.  So just as shopping has taken on a whole new meaning, so has window shopping.  Maybe you are not ready for that new car yet, but you really would like to see what is out there.

Just sit at your computer and window shop all you want.  Get a fresh cup of coffee, make sure the kids are not home and get lost in cyber space for a while.  You never know what you will find.  Maybe that new car is not the model you originally wanted, but you found one you like better at a better price.  Maybe you just want to spend the afternoon looking at the most expensive diamonds money can buy.  It is not attainable, but it sure is fun.

Maybe you have been looking for something and you have not been able to find it.  Sometimes when you are just browsing you come across exactly what you had been searching for, by accident.  You can also learn a lot about what you want to buy.  You can ask, “What is the best car deal around?”  “What is everybody wearing for Spring this year?”  “What is the most popular computer, cell phone, gaming system, etc.”  The list goes on and on.

Whether it is hard core shopping or just a look, that nice little trip through the computer can help you get through a tough day, and you just might find the bargain of the century.

Filed Under: Shopping Tagged With: , ,

The Real Shopping Trip

With millions of people doing all of their holiday shopping, and all of their other shopping for that matter, on line, is the shopping trip a thing of the past?  What about the age-old girlfriend shopping ritual, planning the trip for days, maybe even weeks?  This bonding event cannot be allowed to fade into the mist.  Retail therapy is a proven stress release.  Women the world over have used a good shopping trip to get over a bad day at work, move on from a bad relationship, just get away from the house for a while.  While shopping girlfriends can solve each others problems as well as the problems of the world.  Anything from what should I wear to that dinner? to How do I get over him? has been solved during an afternoon at the Mall.

Everyone packs into the car, of course leaving room for the rewards of retail therapy, a car packed with bargains.  The shopping route has already been planned out.  The first stop will be for those purchases that are “must haves.”  The therapy part comes from the shopping for “whatever”, whatever you feel you need to make you feel better or get over whatever it is you are using shopping to forget.  It is a perfect afternoon, you have gotten the things you need, as well as had some much needed girl time with your friends, who always have the perfect advice for you.  Everybody wins and everyone goes home happy, until the next crisis arises.

Girlfriends must unite to keep this years old tradition alive.  It is too important to our emotional well being.  So put down your mouses, stop that search engine!  Go get dressed, round up the girlfriends and go shopping.

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The Perfect Purse

Purses were created to be functional, to hold the things a woman needs to take along with her when she is out and about.  A place to keep everything in its place, with the convenience of knowing that it is all in one place and within arm’s reach.  It was a marvelous invention.  The purse has however, become the fashion statement of the ages.  Many many designers are making many, many millions creating new, unusual and different designs for purses the world over.  If a movie star is photographed with a clutch, the stores are sold out of it within 24 hours and the orders for it are backed up for months.  Celebrity fashion fuels the buying habits of the common man, or in this case, woman.

We all have that longing to be Angelina on the arm of Brad, or Jennifer or Kourtney out for a night on the town.  We feel that if we emulate these celebrities by obtaining an article of their clothing, we can step into their shoes, even if for just a little while.  We cannot walk around every day in ball gowns, we cannot begin to afford real Jimmy Choo shoes, so the purse becomes the easiest attainable accessory.

It also has the distinction of having enough different sizes, colors and fashions for anyone to make it their own statement.  You may be particularly fond of a certain designer, or perhaps it is a large purse you are looking for.  Maybe you need something functional, with a lot of space and pockets for organizing all your items.  Heck, buy them all.  Woman have been known to reserve entire closets just for their purse collections.  We borrow, exchange, recycle, trade, sell, immerse ourselves in purse etiquette.  At the end of the day, women love all of their purses.  They will tell you that each and every one says something about them.

Filed Under: Fashion, Shopping Tagged With: , ,

Time To Put Away The Turtlenecks

The groundhog did not see his shadow, making spring literally days away.  The weather is playing tricks on us, teasing us with some summer-like weather one day and less than twenty four hours later, inches of snow and back to the boots and heavy coats.  Welcome to the transition zone, the change of seasons.  The changes outside are obvious, the snow shovels and plows are disappearing, some small budding green foliage is starting to appear.  The cars appear cleaner and the coats are getting thinner.  It is definitely the change of the season.

Spring is a favorite time for the fashion world.  As winter comes to a close, we move from bulky, heavy warm clothes to lighter fabrics and sweaters quickly replace heavy coats.  Colors become brighter, shirt sleeves are shorter and pants are replaced by skirts and shorts.  People have been in the gym so as to show off their new waistlines which have been hidden for months by bulky sweatshirts and heavier pants.  Turtlenecks are replaced by plunging necklines, bulky sweaters are replaced by camisole tops and lightweight blouses.

Spring is the time to put away the lined boots, although there are some designer boots that are fashionable year round.  Fashionable shoes with heels from pumps to stilettos begin to appear on the street.  Gloves are gone for the season and purses are coming out in full color regalia.  Even the men put away the overcoats.  Heavy suits give way to colored golf shirts and lightweight khaki trousers.  Spring is here, enjoy the change of fashion seasons.

Filed Under: Shopping Tagged With: , ,

Bargain Or Bust

Every shopper loves to find a good bargain.  Some shoppers will go so far as to purchase only items that appear to be a good bargain, or at least are on sale, or have some percentage off the price.  With the introduction of the Internet and the fact that sales papers are literally dropped on your door step every week, finding a bargain is really quite easy.  If you are making a large purchase, plan ahead.  Plan on spending a few weeks or months possibly waiting for the item to go on sale, or for the manufacturer to offer some deal to go along with your purchase, such as extra items included or percent off sales for purchasing more than one. Some stores will take your name and phone number or e-mail and will notify you when something you want goes on sale.

Watch your bargains carefully. Some percent off sales may look good, but if you know the store well, you will know if the prices have been marked up to make it look like you are getting a bargain when you are not.  Knowledge is power people.  Even if it is not a huge money item, keep an eye on it.  Check several stores, prices can vary quite a lot from store to store.  If you know what the item would normally sell for and you know what prices different stores are selling it for, you have the power to know when it is a bargain.  Armed with the proper knowledge and the fact that you have done your homework, the bargain is yours for the taking.

Filed Under: Exclusive Deals, Shopping Tagged With: , ,
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