G: Glitter & Glam Giveaway

In honor of the Letter G, there is a Giveaway at the end of this post, so be sure to read to the bottom for your chance to enter and win!

Warning:  the following image may cause temporary blindness.  Tell me the truth…what do you think of this shirt?

Pretty snazzy, huh?

My father wore this shirt in the 70s.  My mother went to the store, made the conscious decision to buy the two fabrics, a pattern, and make this one-of-a-kind wonderment of 1970s fashion.   The red really glitters in the sun…

I like a bit of glitter in my own wardrobe, so I’m wondering if the like of glitter can be inherited in the genes?  My parents definitely dressed the part in the 60s and 70s.  Maybe that’s why I like Elvis and the Rolling Stones, too. 

If you haven’t been shopping lately, glitter is in this season.  Shirts, skirts, scarves, and accessories.  They all glitter…

If you like glitter in your clothing, people might take notice.  You might draw some attention.  What will attract people to you even more, however, is the glitter in your eye. 

When your eyes sparkle, it’s attractive because others are drawn to your soul, not your scarf.   What causes the sparkle is increased tear production, which reflects light.  Your eyes tear when you show emotion, either happy or sad.  Instead of (or in addition to) glamming out your closet, think about glamming up the twinkle your eyes.

The Glitter & Glam Giveaway

The one women in history who I respect for both her Glitter and her Glam was Coco Chanel.  Born in 1883 in southern France, her mother died with she was 6 and she was raised in a convent.  The nuns taught her to sew…and the rest is history.

To win a copy of the book “The Gospel According to Coco Chanel,” leave a comment on this post telling me how you glitter or glam, or if you liked my dad’s floral shirt (click on “Comments” at the top of this post).  All e-mail addresses will be kept confidential.  If you win I’ll contact you by e-mail to find out where you’d like the book to be mailed.

Contest Rules:  One entry per person.  U.S. and Canadian residents only.  The only way to enter is to leave a comment to this post.  One winner will be selected by random drawing on Monday and announced on The Chameleon’s Backbone next Tuesday, April 12.  Good luck!

Mamalita Giveaway

The Holiday Party Season has officially begun.  Last night, while getting ready for Party #1, I found a TV show playing a taped interview with Christopher Reeve (post-accident).  When asked what makes a hero, he said “I think a hero is an ordinary individual who finds strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.” 

I liked that he said ordinary individuals.  I especially liked it because today is Giveaway Day , courtesy of Seal Press.  And, the book up for grabs is all about perseverance. 

Mamalita is Jessica O’Dwyer’s memoir about the overwhelming process that she and her husband went through to adopt their Guatemalan-born daughter.  My favorite books are true stories.  This one is really interesting, maddening, and joyous…all at the same time.

For the chance to win a free copy of the book, enter your answer to the following question in the comments area above.  The winner will be selected at random and announced on The Chameleon’s Backbone on Friday.  Also, check out the video below where you can hear in Jessica’s own voice about the conditions she faced during the adoption process.

Thinking about perseverance…

I would go through hell and back for ______________________.

Right now, my answer is a peanut butter and chocolate chunk cookie.  Under less sugar-craving circumstances, my answer would be True Love.

 

 

“Beautiful You” Giveaway

The past two weeks have taught me a valuable lesson.  Which is….don’t forget about yourself when life gets busy.  Dealing with a demanding work schedule, a funeral, family emergencies, and too many other things to mention, resulted in me:

• stressing out;
• not getting enough sleep;
• cutting out exercise;
• eating on the run; and…ultimately
• getting sick.

I temporarily forgot (duh!) that it’s absolutely necessary take care of MYSELF to be healthy, happy, and capable of attending to everything and everyone else.   When I put myself aside, it’s usually the first sign of trouble.

So, it was very appropriate that today The Chameleon’s Backbone was scheduled to post a review of the new book, Beautiful You by Rosie Molinary. 

 

For a chance to win a free copy of the book, simply click the comment button above and enter a one word comment, finishing this sentence …

“I love my beautiful _____________________” . 

The winner will be selected at random and announced on The Chameleon’s Backbone on Friday. 

Beautiful You, A Daily Guide to Radical Self-Acceptance is not one of those books that you will spend hours at a time reading curled up in your favorite chair.  Instead, take a journal to that chair…read a page or two of Molinary’s suggestions…and then pick an activity to accomplish that day or that week.  The book contains 365 suggestions to improve a woman’s self-awareness, self-esteem, and promote a healthy body image.  These include journaling about different topics, doing various activities, helping others, taking time for yourself, watching certain movies, etc.

Some are easy, like #291 “Drink Tea.”  In fact, I have a cup of tea beside me right now…in my favorite cup…

Others are more time-consuming, like #69 “Ditch What Doesn’t Fit.”   I’m overdue for a closet clean-out.

And others are ongoing commitments to change, like #157 “Forgive Others.” 

I found that by skimming through the book, there were some suggestions that really resonated with me. There is enough variety included that there is definitely something for everyone. 

Plowing through the book over 365 consecutive days is probably not practical for most of us.  But, don’t let that deter you.  I took my copy, looked through the table of contents, turned to the pages that interested me, and marked them as easy, medium, or difficult.  That way, I can approach them as time allows.  I think I’ll get started right now with #266 “Love an Animal.” That’s an easy one that  I can do every day. 

I love you Buster!

Don’t forget to enter the drawing for a chance to win a free copy of Beautiful You.  Click the comment button above and submit one word that finishes the sentence “I love my beautiful ________________” .  The winner will be selected at random and announced on this site on Friday.   If you win, I will contact you by e-mail for your mailing address. 

Have a beautiful day!