Okay, I am kind of obsessed with chandeliers. But I have never lived in a space with high enough ceilings to pull it off. But I actually think I can pull off putting this West Elm Hanging Capiz Pendant ($295) off.

Every time I sign myself with a new online account I try to use Firefox because there’s a prompt which asks “Do you want to remember this password?”. I learned the hard way that I should have all my passwords somewhere when my hard drive was erased last year and all my accounts suddenly became a confused mess. But now I’m thinking that a hard copy of all of my online identities is an even better idea. This Open Sesame Password Reminder Book ($13) fits the bill for storing all that information. And if you’re extra careful like I am…

Email and texts are great for lots of things but thank you notes are not one of them. It’s always good to have some nice stationary on hand to send off a quick note when necessary. Even better if it’s personalized. The good news is that personalized options are coming down in price and coming in more varieties than ever. For a stylish and casual option, I like Dabney Lee Personalized Cards ($75) which you can customize any way you like. This is one time when it’s good to go old school.

I’m sure many of us have made that resolution to work out more. Sometimes, however, attire for these chillier temperatures can be lacking. But not if we pick up something like this Athleta Long-Sleeve Twist Top ($69) or the Toboggan Jacket ($118). The fitted jacket is insulated for those brave enough to run outside while the top is designed with Meryl Skinlife fabric to draw away all the sweat we’ll be working up. Come on give yourself some incentive to get moving.

Every year, Christmas seems to creep up on me. Within a glimmer of a second we go from cutting the Thanksgiving turkey to watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” on NBC. But alas, the 25th is TWO days away and that means one thing…time to get gifts, right? (more…)

Here’s a cute way to ‘say it with flowers’. This Roped Posies Necklace ($38) from Anthropologie.com makes me smile. And although I love a fresh bouquet, they’re not exactly portable. So tie this necklace on when you want to give yourself a treat.

Mary J. Blige is just about ubiquitous this week. On Sunday she did her thing on “Christmas in Washington” and this morning she was  on “The Today Show” and she’ll round out the week with the ladies of “The View” on Wednesday.  She’s doing all this not just because it’s the holidays but because her latest CD “Stronger With Each Tear,” drops today. I have to hand it to Mary because when she releases her albums around the holidays they make good gifts (even if the gift is to ourselves). Anyway, I have to say that besides her already released…

Thinking about New Year’s Eve yet? I am at least in that would love to wear more sparkly shadow to bring in the next decade. I’m leaning toward one of M.A.C.’s Mineralize Eye Shadow Duos ($19.50) to help add a little drama. I like it because I just need the one product to create look since it’s designed with two complementary shades and a mix of bolder frost or shimmer and more subtle color. My first choice, Family Silver is already sold out but I could definitely work with Midnight Madness too. Bring on the glittery nights.

As a child, I had a tough time with English—both the language and subject. I was a child of first generation immigrants from Puerto Rico and for the first few years of my life, I spoke only Spanish. By the time I starting attending school, the only real exposure I had to English was through television shows like “Magic Garden”, “Sesame Street” and “Electric Company” (yeah, I’m taking it way back). Because of this, I always got mediocre grades in English that shadowed the excellent grades I received in my other subjects. I couldn’t figure out why…

This year was rife with chatter about cap and trade, the climate conference in Copenhagen and reducing our carbon footprints. You didn’t have to be Al Gore’s closest ace to realize that going green(er) had evolved into a national discussion. “Eco” this, “Organic” that. Even the corporations behind our favorite brands wanted us to be clear that they were in on the act as they added purportedly greener options to their product lines. From dishwashing liquid to cars, more environmentally friendly choices became ubiquitous. The proliferation of green also meant more competitively priced items as the…