Hearts and Sleeves - Week Fifty Two

Audrey Hepburn is known as one of the most beautiful women of all time. Here is one of her favorite poems that reveals the secrets that she put into practice and that made her unforgettably lovely to the rest of the world. For attractive lips, speak words of kindness. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone. People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw out anybody. Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others .The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the  figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides. The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows! By Sam Levenson

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Fifty One

Eating is something that you will never grow out of, but having someone always cooking your meals will be left behind with your younger years. Be prepared to strike out on your own in the culinary world by learning to cook now. Ask if you can cook a couple of meals a week and begin to experiment with new recipes. Martha Stewart and Better Homes and Gardens are good resources. And as you go along, begin to gather a collection of recipes so you’re well prepared and practiced. And remember, when you get married you will be feeding your husband as well. So for the sake of your future marriage put this into practice!

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Fifty

Instead of soaking your hands in lotion and still feeling dry, use this old fashioned treatment to get super soft skin. First use a salt scrub (if you don’t have one, just mix table salt and body wash together), then rub in shortening. Yes, I said shortening, look for it in your kitchen. Slip your hands into small Ziplock bags and let them soak in a bowl of warm water for ten minutes. Next wash the shortening off, slather body butter on, and then slip your hands into gloves. Leave in overnight, and revel in your new found softness first thing in the morning.

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Forty Nine

The air is clogged with carols, the malls are stacked with stuff, and the TV plays and replays It’s A Wonderful Life. These are all sure signs of Christmas, but not signs of what Christmas is about. The only way for the holidays to be truly merry and bright is to keep your focus on the most important part of the season - the birth of Jesus Christ. When you remember that it is Him that we are celebrating, Christmas takes on a new meaning and you can have a holly jolly feeling that passes all understanding! (Matthew 1:18-2:12)

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Forty Eight

As the seasons change it’s easy to get the urge to buy an entirely new wardrobe, but who has the money for that? Instead of spending all your savings on a few new outfits, spend a fraction of the money on the ultimate low budget fashion wonder – accessories. Invest in scarves, jewelry, hair pieces, nail polish (yes, it is an accessory), fashion belts, and other things that can work with multiple outfits. Now you’ll look absolutely cute, and still have some cash left over for something else!

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Forty Seven

Your brain is just like any other muscle in your body – if you don’t work it out it will get out of shape and flabby. But don’t worry because the cure to mental obesity is just one bookstore away! Keep your mind active by always learning something new.  And don’t just stay in your comfort zone by reading material that you are already familiar with, stretch your mind and discover something you’ve never known about this world. Need some starting ideas? Search for E. M. Bounds, Do Hard Things, cupcakes, The Chronicles of Narnia, Christian biographies, The Lucky Guide to Mastering Any Style, and Jane Austen.  Enjoy the exercise!

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Forty Six

Where do white satin dresses, guest cards, diamond rings, tuxedos, and lifelong commitments collide in this world? In your upcoming wedding! You probably have some big dreams in mind for that special day, but after the engagement ring is slipped onto your finger you will quickly discover that wedding dreams do not come cheap. Start setting money aside for the big day now so that you can spend the time before your wedding being hopelessly in love, not balancing skimpy budgets and buying Costco cupcakes.

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Forty Five

A sock is not just a sock, and not just any sock goes with any shoe. Every lady should have these types of sock tucked away in her drawers – ankle socks, knee high socks, liner socks, lace liner socks, and knee high nylons. Each type of sock has its use. Ankle socks are a staple used for tennis shoes or other casual wear, knee high socks are lifesavers when wearing boots in the cooler months and are a source of undercover warmth, liner socks take flats from at home to classy, lace liner socks are great with high heels and mange to look cute through peep toes without allowing you to freeze for the sake of style, and knee high nylons are the most subtle way to cover up while providing some warmth and also smoothing out the look of skin. Stock up on the type of socks you use most, but always have a couple of pairs of the others so that you are ready for any situation. As far as color goes black is the most essential, followed by nude and white.

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Forty Four

Do you spend the week before a formal event stressing over what you are going to wear? Avoid the agony by keeping an eye out for gorgeous dresses now. When you’re at the mall  go to the formal section to see if anything is on sale, and if you already have a dress picked out, look at the accessories to see if anything might be that perfect touch. You can stop into second hand stores, and you might be surprised at what a Goodwill can hold. Now when a formal event comes your way, you’ll already have red carpet style hanging in the closet.

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Forty Three

Smokey eyes are a classic look but can be intimidating for the inexperienced. Follow these simple instructions to make it an easy addition to your makeup skills. Buy a tutorial kit from Sephora, Maybeline’s Smokey Eye shadow pallet, or Cover Girl’s Smokey Shadow Blast stick. Use the lightest color and cover your entire eyelid (from lash line to eyebrow). Take the main color and fill in your eyelid area (from lash line to crease). Use a darker color to accent the corners of your eyes. Take a brush and blend all of the layers together. (Remember that you want to look smokey, not striped.) Finish up your look with eyeliner and mascara, and you have a smoky eye. (And don’t try to skip the eyeliner, without it a smokey eye looks like a black eye.)And don’t think that the smoky eye can be done only in black, also try it in browns, purples, and greens. If you still need help mastering the technique, look up tutorials online.

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Forty Two

When the going gets tough, a lady shows herself tougher! When discouragement comes against you, when you are so tired you want to cry, and when fear seems to be gripping your soul – don’t give up! Christ doesn’t give you more than you can handle and you can do all things through Him, so whatever is against you is no match for the dynamic duo of you and Jesus. A lady in the Kingdom of God is not only a beautiful princess, but a fierce warrior in times of battle. So slip on your high heels and pick up your sword, today is the day to keep fighting on till the victory is won.  (Galatians 6:9)

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Forty One

As the weather changes it’s time to start layering clothing, but don’t just throw on a bunch of shirts and be done with it. Layering is all about contrast, so mix textures, patterns, and colors. And remember the basic laws of layering - the longer the item the farther it should be under the layer, the thicker the item the closer it should be to the top of the layer, and the lighter the color the farther it should be under the layer. Take some time this week and go through your closet playing with layering. Be creative and you may find that you now have new outfits without spending any extra money.

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Forty

Living everyday life can be discouraging because it is just so… normal. But think about this for a moment - The future is merely an accumulation of tomorrows that are a few tomorrows away from today, and today is merely the result of an accumulation of yesterdays, and this means that today was yesterday’s future, and since today is the way it is because of how you lived yesterday, that means that how you live today determines what tomorrow will be like, and not only tomorrow but your future in general! The everydays are not a monotonous obligation of life, but the stepping stones to your future. So live today with all that you are by the power of the Holy Spirit so that your future will be everything that it can be. Today is a beautiful day! (Lamentations 3:22-23)

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Thirty Nine

Sure you can wear a tank top and shorts during warm months, but a lady doesn’t show that much skin when it’s cold outside. Showing seasonally appropriate skin is important because what might look natural in August will seem revealing during the winter months. Only as the seasons get warmer can you start letting that skin get some exposure, and until then use wisdom and discretion. Besides, who really wants to show off their winter white skin covered in goose bumps because they’re freezing?

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Thirty Eight

Eating is a part of everyday life, and since everyday life should be made to be more beautiful, a lady should know how to set a table with good taste. Table setting methods vary greatly depending what event it is for, ranging from casual brunches in the kitchen to black tie at the White House, but this is the basic pattern you can use every day. Just follow the diagram provided and remember a few tips - the fork and napkin always go on the left side of the plate while the knife and spoon always go on the right, and the knife blade always faces in toward the plate and always points up to the drinking glass.

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Thirty Seven

Many beauty experts claim that the key to beauty is confidence, but they never say what you should be confident in. Some place their confidence in money and possessions, but that confidence fluctuates as easily as the stock markets. Others place their confidence in fame and popularity, but that can change as quickly as a fad. Others place their confidence in themselves, but instead of becoming more beautiful they are selfish, which is one of the most unattractive qualities on the planet. The only secure thing in which you can place your confidence in is Christ. When all that you are is found in Him nothing can shake you and you are filled with a beauty that doesn’t fade away with bad hair days, tears, or wrinkles. Remember that living in the Lord’s Presence is a perpetual beauty treatment, so never leave it! (Matthew 7:24-27)

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Thirty Six

Keeping your purse tidy can be a challenge, but until a line of Mary Poppins purses are available in retail stores, here are little tricks to keep the clutter under control. Mess prevention begins when you are shopping for a new purse. Look for one with pockets included instead of a large tote where things are easily lost. Keep your makeup in a separate bag in your purse and use a little bag for change or always put it in a pocket of your wallet to keep the coins from rolling around all the time. And once a week empty out your purse and sort through everything, putting things in their right places.

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Thirty Five

Makeup can do wonders for your face, but too much of the magic substance spread on will not give you a fairylike glow. Things can go wrong in makeup application when more than one focal point of the face is emphasized. You can focus on your eyes, your lips, or your checks with makeup. Try and just focus on only one. Anything more than that belongs to costume parties or evening makeup.

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Thirty Four

It happens to the best of us. You’re going about your day and a thought pops into your head that is sinful, trashy, and just so nasty that it makes you blush to think about! Instead of feeling condemnation or ignoring it and letting it linger in the shadows of your mind, do a mental detox, starting with repentance. Ask God to make you clean inside and out so your mind can be a holy place where He can dwell. Your mind is never empty, so once you clean out the trash fill up the space with something good. Pull out a Scripture and meditate on it, tell the Lord all the things that you’re thankful for, focus on someone else and bless them, or hum some worship songs. Fill your mind with the things of God so that there is no room for anything else! (Philippians 4:8)

Hearts and Sleeves - Week Thirty Three

The ultimate fashion staple in this modern world is a chic pair of jeans. Find your dream pair by keeping these simple tips in mind. Super low cut jeans are not cute if you show skin whenever you bend over or if you have love handles that you would rather keep out of sight. Mid rise jeans that hit right beneath or at your natural waist are far more flattering. Buy at least one pair of dark wash jeans that you can dress things up with and use lighter or more distressed denim for casual wearing. And always buy jeans in two slightly different lengths, the longer ones for wearing high heels and the shorter ones for wearing flats.