Have You Ever Had Your Colors Done?

During the 1980′s women would often get their ‘colors done’ – a trained specialist (like for example, one of your mom’s friends) would evaluate your coloring (hair, complexion, eyes) and then tell you if you were a Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter. You would be told what colors you should wear based on this evaluation.

This type of oversimplification and rigid rules of style went out with those scarves you were supposed to be able to wear in 150 different ways (instruction booklet attached).

Yet, there are colors that suit different people – and they can still be a good foundation to build a personal look on.

Today fashion rules are much more flexible (and fun) but not everyone has the confidence to break the rules (or the eye to do it well). In that case, we start a fun 4 part series based on the 4 seasons:

Are You A Spring, Fall, Winter or Summer?

Women of all Seasons

Join us as we look at the characteristics for each season and the colors that compliment them.

Which season are you?

Perhaps you will be surprised by the results. Perhaps we’ll inspire you to try out some new colors. Or, you can use the seasons as a gift guide for the Winter and Spring folks on your Christmas list (that’s probably how far we will get this month). And, of course, in true Celebrity Icing style – we will include some sparkly Stars and some starry sparklers for you to enjoy -with some fun nods back to that colorful decade, the 80′s along the way…

Take this quick quiz to find out which Gossip Girl style is perfect for you…

Are You a Vanessa, Blair,

Serena, or Jenny?

.

1. How would you describe your relationship with your mom?

a. She’s not a big part of my life any more.

b. She has very high standards but I’m going to live my own life.

c. She is worried that I will repeat the mistakes she made in her life.

d. She is so busy with her career that I often feel like she doesn’t even notice I’m around.

2. How would you describe yourself?

a. I’ve grown up a lot over the last few years – I’m a better person and my relationships are healthier.

b. I feel like I can achieve anything once I set a goal for myself. I’m also much more independent and in control of my life than I was a few years ago.

c. I’m pretty much the same person I was a few years ago – I’m never satisfied with my situation, I always want more – and I’ll do almost anything to get what I want.

d. I’m smart, confident, and a hard worker but unlucky in love. Things are improving: even if my relationships still never seem to work out, at least I know I’m on the right track.

3. Describe what you would wear to an important job interview.

a. The hottest designer’s interpretation of business wear: possibly a bit over-the-top, but very expensive. I would put a lot of though into the shoes and purse as well.

b. I tend to feel most comfortable in black.

c. I would wear something appropriate (not too revealing, slightly conservative) and then accessorize with a funky necklace and earrings.

d. It doesn’t matter where I’m going – every outfit includes a short skirt and high heels.

Add Up Your Score

Question 1

A – 1, B – 2 , C – 3, D – 4

Question 2

A – 3, B – 1, C – 4, D – 2

Question 3

A – 4, B – 1, C – 2, D – 3

JENNY

(if you scored 0 to 5)

VANESSA

(if you scored 6 to

SERENA

(if you scored 9 to 11)

BLAIR

(if you scored 12)

Stay tuned- next week we’ll show you some inspired styles for each Gossip Girl…

I’m due to have my baby very soon so I guess I have babies on the brain more than usual.

Should Babies Wear Jewelry?

Some cultures seem to prefer jewelry on their children very young (bracelets, earrings). My mom bought all of her girl grandchildren tiny engraved bracelets when they were born – not sure if this is  German thing or just a personal predilection – she also buys child-size silver cutlery for all the kids…

This week we feature baby bracelets:

agraciousplenty.com

I also know other people who are passionately against the whole concept of adorning their precious little ones in precious metals.

Of course, if you are going to string your baby with bling make sure it is safe.

Always observe the age guidelines for jewelry – most of it is not practical for children under 3 (it is only worn during a photo session or special ceremony like a christening and then kept as a keepsake or heirloom). For specific information about recalls, please refer to ConsumerReports.org. Here are some basic guidelines:

• Don’t leave children unattended (this includes naptime, bedtime)
• Purchase jewelry from a reputable jewelry store (you get what you pay for).
• Be suspicious of any jewelry purchased from a vending machine or dollar/discount store.
• Watch for small pieces and jewels that might detach (choking hazards).
• ”Breakaway” clasps or weak elastic is the best choice for all jewelry worn around a child’s neck (or better yet, just avoid this jewelry until the child is older).
• Ask the store to confirm what metals are contained in the jewelry. Good jewelry stores (online included) will provide this information on their websites.

Guaranteed Goodies

For example, the Danforth Diamond website informs you that their 14K Yellow Gold Baby Girl charm is made from Harmony Recycled Metals (and you receive a Certificate of Authenticity with your purchase).

Charming Baby

Charm The Little One

A great gift idea for a little girl – buy her a charm bracelet. You can buy her charms for years to come, making gift shopping easy! She may not be able to wear it right away, but it can grow along with her – the charms you select while she grows up can symbolize milestones in her life (shoes for first steps or ballet shoes for first dance recital, for example). It’s also a nice way to show your commitment to be in this little girl’s life – perfect for divorced dads, distant grandparents, or mom’s best friend!

14K Yellow Gold Charm Bracelet

Traditional Baby

The Gingham Grasshopper offers bracelets that are like the bracelets babies used to get at the hospital, only much fancier. The bracelet pictured below is made from .925 Sterling Silver and freshwater pearls (read their safety issues link for their guarantee).

theginghamgrasshopper.com

Yummy Mummy

Dr. Bloom’s Chewable Jewels – are actually for mom, but baby gets to chew on them when teething.

Dr Bloom's Key Chain and Bracelet

Here’s one of Celebrity Icing’s favorite celebs, Milla Jovohovich, a fan of Dr. Bloom’s jewels.

www.chewablejewels.com

This week celebrityicing compares two famous and iconic American boys: John F Kennedy Jr and Nick Simmons.

Sadly, JFK Jr’s plane crashed tragically in 1999, so he is no longer with us (although our crushes on him will live forever).

A Life Built on the American Dream

The original Kennedy, Joseph (John F Kennedy’ father), still held the tenacity and ambition of his Irish immigrant family – making his fortune in banking and the film industry. Gene Simmons came to the US with his mom Florence (a holocaust survivor) from Israel and built his fortune in the entertainment industry using raw talent, ingenuity, and excellent business and marketing skills.

Joe Kennedy; Gene Simmons with his Mom

Controversial Dads/Grandads

According to time.com, Franklin D Roosevelt called Joe Kennedy (JFK Jr’s grandfather) a ‘crook‘ (although indirectly). According to wikipedia.org, Al Franken (now a US Senator) described Gene Simmons (Nick’s dad) as “the most awful person I’ve ever met” during a 2002 interview.

Famous Family

The Kennedys and the Simmons are the closest thing Americans have to the royal families of European countries. The average person is very familiar with their lives, which are covered in the media in detail. They are affluent, exciting, inspiring, and -most importantly – photogenic.

US President John F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacquie Kennedy, daughter Caroline Kennedy, and son John F. Kennedy Jr make up the most famous first family of the United States of America and belong to one of the most famous, wealthy, and influential US families (“the Kennedys”).

Rock bassist, vocalist, actor and successful businessman Gene Simmons, girlfriend Shannon Tweed, daughter Sophie Tweed, and son Nick Simmons make up one of the most famous rock n roll families (perhaps a close second to the Osbournes?).

American Royalty: Two Families

Surprisingly Vulnerable

Despite all of the advantages that good looks, wealth, and popularity bring –  both JFK Jr and Nick Simmons seem(ed) to be rather flustered by the attention and even embarrassed by their situation. (JFK Jr grew out of this so perhaps will Nick Simmons.) The tousled hair, eye-rolling, and awkwardly long limbs during the post teen years help purvey this image of course.

Professional Pursuits

John F Kennedy Jr was a talented actor but was discouraged by his family and studied law instead. He also founded the magazine George. Nick Simmons is also an actor (he plays himself on a reality TV show about his family) and creates comic books.

Tall, Dark, and Handsome

Swimsweets, I mean suits...

Here at celebrity icing we get style inspiration from our favorite stars. To get the JFK/Nick look above:

Meaningful Necklace

Chai Necklace (Judaic symbol, means "alive or living")

Swim Trunks

speedousa.com

Tousled Hair

The perfect accessories for the new mom!

Get Personal

These sweet charms are custom made, available at myretrobaby.com.

myretrobaby.com

Another idea – select a moppet from danforthdiamond.com to match gender and birth stone for a reasonable price (pictured below is the moppet for an August baby girl).

danforthdiamond.com

Available in gold, and they also have a sterling silver option (no stones) for under $40!

danforthdiamond.com

You can always get a tattoo of your children’s names – this is getting more popular now that tattoos are becoming so mainstream.

Rocker Travis Barker (Blink 182) has his 3 children – Alabama, Landon and Atiana tattooed on his lower back.

Special Delivery

For the truly unique gift, etsy.com is always a good bet.

Here is a vintage locket and charm combination created to safeguard photos of those precious little ones – and for an extra $2.00 she will gift wrap it for you and enclose your personalized note on a card.

Etsy seller Tamar

Great Things Come in Small Packages

A gift just for mom is also always appreciated in a time where everything is about the baby.

Try to keep jewelry kid proof so she can enjoy it – curious fingers or rough housing rug rats can pull big earrings right out of mom’s ear. These butterfly gold earrings are pretty safe (and pretty!) – they also symbolize the transformation of your friend (or wife, daughter, or sister) into a mother.

danforthdiamond.com

Let’s face it, it’s hard to come up with good names for your kids. You might go out of your way to give your child a unique name only to have 5 other kids with the same name in his or her kindergarten class. A few years ago, no one would have said Isabella was common but now the playground is teeming with Bellas and Ellas. Isabella (or a version thereof) is the new Jennifer and Ava is the new Stephanie…

The trick is to come up with a name everyone involved is happy with, that isn’t too common -but that is also easy to pronounce and spell. My own pet peeve is ‘unique’ spellings of common names – the Jenyfurs, etc –  I’ve always thought it just makes it look like your parents can’t spell. Is your child really going to thank you after the thousandth time they’ve had to correct the spelling of their name? 

Celebrities seem to be be very challenged in this area – I guess their approach is different because they know that little “Rebel” or “Free” will never have to put their name on a resume or seek employment in the real world. A world where studies have shown that any name that is too hard to pronounce, or even just too ethnic – means less interviews… 

Well, here at Celebrity Icing we like to celebrate our favorites, so rather than making fun of all the goofy names selected for celebrity spawn we thought we’d spend some time featuring some of the names we like!

Beckett is the bee’s knees

Melissa Etheridge and Julie Cypher named their son Beckett and their daughter Bailey (presumably before Grey’s Anatomy went on the air…). The name Beckett means ‘Bee Cottage’ which is rather cute and inspires one to all sorts of nursery room decorating ideas. Beckett may have been named after the famous Irish writer or (and I hope it’s this one) Scott Bakula’s character from Quantum Leap. What child wouldn’t want to be named after the mysterious and adorable time traveler?

Coco is classy yet cute 

Courteney Cox Arquette  and David Arquette named their daughter Coco (rumor: after Courtney Cox). This name meets all of my criteria: if you see it in writing, you immediately know how to pronounce it – yet, at the same time, it’s very rare. According to thinkbabynames.com it is originally from Spain and is the short form of Soccoro (which means ‘lover of soccer’? no, just kidding…). It is cute, yet with a classy hint of Coco Chanel. My only fear would be that people might not take my daughter seriously – but that won’t be a problem if she turns out to be funny like her dad or a strong personality like her mom… 

Tallulah springs to mind

Bruce Willis and Demi More AND Simon LeBon and Yasmin Parvaneh both named a daughter Tallulah. This name means “leaping waters” in the Choctaw language (behindthename.com) or “jumping water” (babynamewizard.com). There is a waterfall named Tallulah in Georgia, where famous Tallulah Bankhead came from. It’s a beautiful sounding name and very rare. According to the namevoyager at babynamewizard.com – it’s never been in the top 1,000 names in any decade on record. (In contrast, Gertrude was ranked #24 in the 1890′s and Isabella was #2 in 2007.)  Tallulah Bankhead was actually notorious for her promiscuous behavior, boozing, drugging, and is actually thought to be the inspiration for 101 Dalmation’s Cruella Deville so I’m going with the idea that these children were named after the waterfall! Then again, so many parents named their daughters “Paris” in 2004, that it is ranked #156 in popularity – so nothing can surprise me anymore… yuck… 

ngeorgia.com

Proving you can have your cake and eat it too, here are some yummy recipes from some sweet stars. We’ve also included some jewelry inspired by our featured stars (because we’re celebrityicing.com and that’s what we do!).

AMY GRANT

Singer Amy Grant is about as wholesome as apple pie. You can get her family recipe for Mud Puddles at recipegoldmine.com.

Old-fashioned but still funky…

These earrings’ lever back closures make them seem like they may have been handed down from your mom. Yet the bezel setting is definitely perfect for today – and for Amy Grant.

ANNETTE FUNICELLO

One of America’s sweethearts, you can get Annette Funicello’s recipe for Peanut Butter Cookies at cdkitchen.com. It received a 4 out of 5 star rating so you know it’s not mickey mouse…

A ‘good’ girl who still attracts the ‘bad boy’…

A conservative style can still be coy, like these two tone ‘X’ hoop earrings – (because boys are always more interested in the X than the O’s).

ELVIS PRESLEY

The King sure had a sweet voice and he also had a sweet tooth, even when it came to sandwiches! You’ve probably heard of his grilled peanut butter and banana sandwiches but how about his other favorite, the Fool’s Gold Loaf? Apparently he loved this peanut butter, grape jelly, and BACON sandwich so much he flew to Denver from Memphis to pig out on them. You can read the story and get the recipe at my favorite recipe sight, recipezaar.com. PS I have posted some of my own creations at this site, too.

Fit For A King!

A bold and eye catching ring tells the world that you are successful and not afraid to show it. More conservative folks might say it’s tacky but you don’t care what others think – that’s the message a ring like this sends.

Thanksgiving on Gossip Girl

Inconceivable!

Eleanor Waldorf announces her engagement to Cyrus Rose! Cyrus is played by the excellent Walllace Shawn – who we’ve seen before in the Clueless TV series and the movie the Princess Bride, and he’s perfect for this role. Eleanor shows a softer side as she actually puts Blair first for a change. She goes out looking for Blair and is even nice to Jenny! Shocking. Hopefully Eleanor and Cyrus’ marriage lasts longer than Lily and Bart Bass – after this episode, their wedding seems doomed. Particularly after Lily ends up back at the loft eating turkey with Rufus and family, while Bart eats crow from his spy spot outside.

Don’t Forget to Say Thanks!

Who are you thankful for? Your daughter or your best friend?

Say Thanks

Or maybe you are thankful for that special man in your life?

Say, ‘thanks for all the memories’ or, maybe, ‘here’s some help getting there on time for a change’ with a watch that also allows him to carry valuable data with him (like, photos of you and the kids for example).

USB Memory Watch

Or, tell your mom thanks for making the huge dinner every year!

Flowers are always nice, too. On a budget this year?  Offer to make the centerpiece or set the table. If you’re handy with a sewing machine, you can make place mats that are perfect for the season (and not too expensive either!).

At the very least, don’t be a turkey and help set and clear the table!

Don't be a Turkey!

So this week on Gossip Girl:

Serena’s mom Lily gets the ugliest emerald necklace I’ve ever seen from her new husband. She was hoping for a nude photograph of herself instead (if you don’t watch the show, don’t ask…) so it’s hard to tell if her look of disappointment is due to the fact that she’s not getting the picture or just because her consolation prize is just so UGLY. It looks expensive but it’s still ugly. I can’t seem to find a picture of it anywhere so if anyone has one, I’d love to show it off so, unlike Lily and her nude photo disappointment, we can all ‘get the picture’.

I couldn’t even find anything similar, all the other necklaces were too nice. Picture something that Joan Collins would have worn on Dynasty – very eighties looking; very clunky, shiny, and excessive.