New Year, New Look!

Welcome to the new Classy & Fabulous blog! If you're reading this post from a feed reader, I hope you'll pop by so you can see my new blog design makeover that I first told you about {here}.  I'd love to hear your thoughts on the new design. :) Although I've been on twitter for a while, I recently started a facebook page too, so I hope you'll check it out. Lastly, if you have my old blog button on your site, I hope you'll update it with the shiny new version in my sidebar.

For the past year I've been looking at blog designs and various designers but I just wasn't ready to take the plunge as I still wanted a bit more time to think about how I wanted the site to look and feel. In January I celebrated my 2-Year Blogiversary and thought this would be a gift to myself to celebrate.

Last month as I took a look again at Marina's website- Penny Lane Designs -I happened upon a super cute prefab design that was very affordable and I could see from her portfolio that she has consistently turned out beautiful and unique designs. While I didn't go the completely custom route, with all of the extras she offers such as font changes, blog button, page dividers, a new signature, a new background design, title banner and a much needed wide bar and overall wider design to showcase larger images, I knew I could really achieve a customized look that would reflect my personal style and the essence of the classy woman.

Marina is a sweetheart and was so easy to work with. I often felt guilty because we'd try a lot of different options for each component but her focus was on producing a blog design that I would be happy with in the end, I really appreciated that. After exchanging numerous e-mails and sharing my vision of what I wanted for the overall design, we've now achieved that. I highly recommend her to anyone looking at getting a custom designed blog and I think you'll like her pre-designed options too, you can check those out here. They are very affordable-her designs begin at $25 (not including all the extras I mentioned) which is a great way to quickly and inexpensively give any basic blogger site a face lift.

I chose the 'Paris' theme which is actually where Paul and I got engaged. Funny enough the actual post date that is shown on the design sample on her prefab page is my birthday-Aug.27th and the colors are so me. I just knew it was meant to be! Even though I'm not a huge fan of yellow in my home decor, something about it in combination with the other neutral, airy colors that I love (soft blue, taupe and white) gave it a little more personality and pop of color that I really like.

When any new design is installed, a designer must log into your blogger account to add the new code, which means they need to be granted admin privileges it also means they have access to everything-this was a little scary for me, I'll be honest. My blog is kind of my baby and a lot of time and effort has gone into it but Marina put me at ease and had everything set up in about 45 minutes. All of my content, followers, comments etc., that I had previously remained completely in tact. Thank you Marina for making it all painless!

While I loved my old design, it was time to move forward with a new look. Let's take one final look back at my self-created blog shall we?

*Note: I am in no way compensated for sharing Penny Lane Designs with my readers as I paid for my new design. I just believe us ladies need to stick together and help each other out when we find something worth sharing. Plus, I thought if anyone is agonizing over which designer to use, this might be helpful!

I hope you'll pop over and visit Marina to say hello via her website or blog.

Here's to a beautiful weekend!


*image (1)

{What I posted 365 Days ago~Valentine Treat Inspiration}

Ready for a Change

I have some news to share with you. Classy & Fabulous is finally getting a makeover! After two years of the same design (give or take a few tweaks) and months of comparing blog designers and their portfolios I've called upon the help of a lovely blog designer to transform and update my blog.

For the past two years, like many of you, I've learned the ins and outs of html, played around with free blog backgrounds and gadgets, created my own blog buttons and added various features that fit within my budget at the time-{free}. While I'm happy with what I was able to create on my own, and still love the cream and aqua script with scroll detail, I'm ready for something new and fresh.

As I write this I'm anxiously awaiting my first design proof and I just know that she will create something that will have the polished and professional look that I'm after. The new design should be up within the week! :)

Warmly,
Karla

*image source

Stylish & Affordable Stationery

Last month, one of my sponsors Pear Tree Greetings was kind enough to provide a $50 gift certificate for our giveaway to one lucky reader to spend any way she pleased. When I revealed the winner, I promised to share with you in an upcoming post what they were sweet enough to send me too.

If you've never heard of them or purchased their stationery before, it is beautiful. They have a vast array of simple and fresh designs, many available in a variety of color palettes and their quality is top notch. Note cards are given heavy weight cardstock for durability and even the envelopes are far nicer than the standard, run of the mill envelope. They too are thicker and provide a polished look when corresponding with family and friends. Pear Tree provides everything from save the date cards to personalized photo address labels, mommy cards, children's birthday invitations, baby shower invitations to holiday photo cards. They are now my go-to place for stylish, yet affordable stationery and labels. With over 50 years in the industry, they definitely know what they're doing!

I was fortunate enough to receive 2 different sets of their gorgeous address labels. The first set is for me to mail to personal friends, so it has a more feminine flair. I love damask patterns and was very tempted to pick this style. However, with the same color scheme in mind I wanted to do something a little different and when they arrived in the mail, I couldn't have been more pleased. Here is the 'Delicate Lace in Blue' pattern.

{To protect my privacy, I am using address label images from their website}

My second set will be used by both Paul and I, so I wanted it to remain neutral but provide some color and an 'eco' sort of feel, given that we both cherish our precious earth. The pattern below is called Elegant Floral. These labels are what I received first and formed my initial impression of Pear Tree as being a detail oriented company. The square labels are unlike anything I've seen before (they have round and regular size available also) and are 2.25 inches wide/hight, I couldn't wait to use them!

You can imagine my surprise when after I had ordered these labels, one of my contacts within Pear Tree decided to surprise me by sending me a batch of 25 cards with envelopes that she specifically selected with my personality and blog style in mind! Although they are different in color, these 'Elegant Red' (which are actually terracota brown and pink on cream cardstock) flat notecards match the labels I had already ordered which we both thought was too funny. If I later wanted to order matching address labels, they have these lovely 'Elegant Red Labels' too. I love the simplicity of this design and the informality of my first name only.

No matter what I'm looking for, I always find the Pear Tree site easy to navigate, personalization of items are simple and I receive all merchandise quickly and in excellent condition. In my opinion, they are a fabulous company to work with. As they describe in their own words how they came about, this is also why I appreciate them "At a time when all the other options out there were either too expensive, too cookie cutter, too cutesy or waaaay too much work, Pear Tree Greetings blossomed."  If you haven't used them yet, I hope you'll visit them for any upcoming stationery need.

*Disclaimer-I am not being paid to write this review nor am I receiving any product in exchange for it. I did not receive my address labels or note cards in exchange for a write up. I did however, let them know that I wanted to provide a review, upon receiving my stationery, as I think they are one of the most generous companies with a fabulous product to boot, which is a rarity.This is my personal opinion and experience with Pear Tree Greetings.

Now, here's the really exciting part. Some of you lovely ladies will win something fabulous from Pear Tree this month too!  I'll be doing something a little different this time around. Here's a hint, there will be more than one winner. ;) I hope you'll pop back over this week because I'll have all the giveaway details on how you can enter to win your very own Pear Tree Greetings goodies!


I hope you are doing something lovely this weekend!

CSN Stores Review Coming Soon!

Guess what?! I was contacted by CSN Stores again last week. They asked if I would like to host another review or giveaway on my blog. Of course I accepted!  I chose to do a review this time around, since I did a giveaway last time. For anyone who doesn't know what CSN Stores is...it is a collection of 200+ online stores-all in one place! They sell everything you'll ever need for your home and beyond. They even sell pet beds, handbags, luggage, shoes, outdoor furniture and more. They really are a one stop shopping source and the best part is you can shop all of their amazing stores with just one cart!

 After yesterday's inspiration post, you all know I have been daydreaming about beautiful bathrooms lately. Actually, I spent some time on the CSN website today trying to decide what I would like to review. I started with some larger items (you know, bathroom related things that really aren't in the budget right now), and I think this dresser style vanity is just gorgeous! I look forward to having a  bathroom vanity like this one day!

{source}

However, for my review I think I'm going to pick something a little smaller. It really is a hard job to choose an item, with over 200 stores to shop at! I know, poor me. ;) Keep an eye out in the next few weeks for my review from CSN Stores!

For those of you that didn't get to participate or see my first giveaway post and might be curious- it was with one of their stores-AllModern.com, click HERE to see the post which includes 17 of their gorgeous accent pillows!

Oh, and here's a little something for all of you. These guys must be reading my mind since our bathroom needs a major overhaul. It just so happens that CSN has a contest running called the Green & Clean bathroom bailout. One lucky winner will receive a brand new bathroom from CSN Stores' Room Rescue Crew and Do Your Part that includes $10,000 worth of green products - including a new toilet, tub, faucet, fixtures, flooring, lighting, a vanity, and more! They'll even give you a code for 10% off your next purchase.

I entered it today.What are you waiting for? Enter HERE for your chance to win a fabulous new bathroom makeover! Already adore your bathroom(s)? Well then maybe you can say a little prayer for me to win (I promise to document the whole process and share it with you all if I do). *winking*

Warmly,

The Little Black Dress: Appropriate for a Wedding?

 

{via}

Today I'm excited to introduce you to my first guest blogger Carol Rame. Not only is she a talented wedding planner and blogger, but a longtime friend of mine going back to our elementary school days. We lost touch for a little while but were able to reconnect through facebook over a year ago.

Carol is a Certified Wedding Coordinator and a member of the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada. On her blog ‘Noteworthy’ she writes about the ins and outs of planning dream weddings. Her high attention to detail has allowed her to become greatly successful in just one short year. She offers full planning packages including design and decor, and just launched an i-Planning service which allows brides worldwide to consult with her via e-mail to plan their ultimate wedding experience!
 

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Recently Carol received an email from a friend inquiring about wedding attire etiquette as it pertains to the little black dress. I thought it would be appropriate to share with all of you. Here is the question and how she responded:

"I have to ask your professional opinion for a friend of mine...we need you to settle our debate. She wants to wear a dress to her friend's wedding, but it is black.


Is it bad etiquette to wear a black dress to a wedding...or is that old fashioned? Please help!"

So here goes-the great debate.

In many circumstances, black has obtained a bad rap simply because it is seen as the colour to wear when in mourning.

It used to be (and still is followed by the majority) that the only colour not to wear was white to a wedding, as only the Bride should be in white on her wedding day.

Now I suppose if you were the Mother of the Bride, or Groom, it would cause a bit of a stir, however when in doubt, I would suggest to play it safe and ask the Bride herself how she feels about it.

In my own personal opinion however, I tend to view the "little black dress" as being very timeless, chic, and classy, especially for such a formal occasion (think Audrey Hepburn).

I do believe that the stigma of "mourning" has worn off quite a bit, and in some cultures white is actually seen as the colour for mourning. I think that as long as the "black tie affair" is around, there will always be black tuxes worn, which naturally look good when paired with the little black dress.

Nowadays, there are many couples who are opting for black to be their wedding party colours (which traditionally wasn't done until more recent years). Now what I would recommend is, just because you wear black, doesn't mean you have to go all black-have some fun with it!

Dress it up with your accessories! Try wearing a softer colour with it during the day (like white or pale pink, even silver) and swap the look for an evening one later (by going with a bold colour or gold). There are so many ways to dress it up or down with shoes, a fancy clutch, jewellery, scarves, and belts-try it out and add a splash to it!

~Carol

Thank you Carol for being my guest blogger today and for sharing your insight on a question I think many women have wondered at some point. Especially when some women travel from overseas to North America it is important for them to know what to expect since every culture and country is different. HERE is Carol's original post on this topic.

Since we are on the topic of  the little black dress, and because a few of you have recently e-mailed me with some fashion-related questions, I thought I'd show you a favorite from my own closet. This dress travels well, doesn't wrinkle and  I have got so much use out of it. I originally purchased this dress for my cousin's wedding a few years ago. They had both the smaller and larger size but not mine, so I bought the larger size and had it tailored to fit.

While I love color, I typically opt for black especially for evening and very formal weddings. The reason why this dress works is because the strapless style is classic and timeless. It hits right at the knee so it is appropriate for a variety of occasions and venues. I love the fun detail that the tulle and bow add to this dress and the length makes it perfect for the dance floor.  ;)

Celebrity Solstice Cruise {Greece, Italy, Turkey} July 2009

What are your thoughts on wearing black to a wedding? Do you do it? Are you completely opposed? Leave a comment, we would love to hear from you!

A Sweet Surprise!

Guess what I found today?! I was running some errands and popped into Whole Foods to do an exchange and happened to turn around while I was waiting at the returns desk and I spotted these lovelies.

My heart literally skipped a beat and I felt my eyes start to tear up. It was like seeing an old friend. lol. I've been dreaming of peonies and if you read my post titled Pining for Peonies a few weeks ago then you know how much I adore them.

In Florida they are very rare unless imported and cannot be grown here because of the extreme heat. I haven't had any in this home we share ever and in fact I haven't seen any in almost 4 years. I have been deprived, that was until today! I've been seeing posts on peonies pop up everywhere during the past couple weeks which always makes me smile my but nothing brightened my day more than seeing all those florist buckets filled with bouquets of pale pink peonies. *SWOON*

I was so excited and asked the clerk how much they were-just $9.99 for a 5 hearty stems! That is a steal compared to the  $10 per stem with a minimum $100 order requirement that the florist shop wanted to charge, when I inquired. I kept staring over at them propped up against the passenger seat all the way home and couldn't wait to pull the plastic off, snip the stems, remove some excess leaves and get them into a vase. Since this opportunity doesn't come around often here, I couldn't help but start snapping photos of each individual bloom and the arrangement in the vase. They started out here on the kitchen table.

Then I decided that they should be in the place where I spend my day so I can admire them as much as possible, so they are now in my office on this table here:

I love that little framed art which reads "The World is Your Oyster" which I made a few months ago. I really do feel like it is at this moment. I'm so excited that my week has started off so wonderful. Lots of good things are happening, I had another great sponsor contact me today for a fun, new giveaway and I can't wait to share the details with you in June.

Oh, and I also picked up another one of my favorite things at Whole Foods-their amazing lemon bars. This is what I ate for dessert tonight and enjoyed every last bite.

It's amazing how the little things truly are the greatest gifts and can be the sweetest of surprises.

I hope you all had a wonderful start to your week too!



*images all my original work

Women, Food and God

Let me start off by saying that I never watch an Oprah show while it's airing at 4pm. I had turned the tv on this afternoon to make sure Sarah's House on HGTV was going to be recorded this Saturday via my  DVR. When the tv came on Oprah's show had begun and it really intrigued me. She had a special Author guest Geneen Roth with a wonderful new book.

I believe that this book has the ability to single handedly change the mindset that a lot of women are experiencing as it pertains to weight. Whether it's a battle with 100lbs or 10lbs, it's not the food that is the problem. It goes much deeper than that. You may have heard that concept before but I believe this book is dramatically different. Despite this post's title which is actually Geneen's book title, the book doesn't focus on God in the religious way that you might think. It is all about our inner longing for something greater, in causes us to look into our past to better understand how we can move forward and love ourselves as women, and so much more.

While doing the interview, Oprah was brought to tears because after many years of struggling with her weight and not really knowing what the deeper issue was, she was finally able to have one of her famous 'aha' moments and did not hold back from sharing it with the women of the world. She was able to pinpoint the exact time and belief from her childhood that she has channeled and let hold her back, it has prevented her from becoming the very best self that she has always dreamed of. Once again, just one reason why I view Oprah as the classy woman that she truly is. She doesn't proclaim to be perfect, with all of the world's celebration of her and her life achievements, even she was stumped as to what was holding her back from loving herself completely for so many yeas and from losing weight for good. That was until she read this book.

All of us as women want to be and feel beautiful, lovely, loved, desired, important, special, meaningful and the best version of ourselves. It's been a harder road for some than others. Many don't love themselves or see theselves as the beautiful women that they truly are because of a number on a scale or the size of their thighs. What's worse is that many women have passed on the same self-loathing to their daughters (and in some cases their sons too) without even realizing it. While it's true that father's play an important role and this can be passed down from them, it is generally women that are guilty of beating themselves up on an almost daily basis in the pursuit of achieving their ideal image of beautiful and thin in their mind.

The biggest message in this book is about loving yourself and kindness. Be kind to yourself. Look into your soul and feel who you truly are, not your mistakes, past disappointments or failures. One of the deep messages in this book was about feeling. We've all heard about how many alcoholics or drug addicts numb the pain of their current situation or past with these bandaids. Have you thought about your relationship with food? Many eat because they are bored, overwhelmed, in pain or worse-want to prevent actually feeling any pain at all. The feelings and pain that aren't experienced get buried for a while but actually double as the food attempts to cover it all up. Then not only is pain felt but so is dissatisfaction with one's self.

On a personal note, while I can't personally attest to having had a lifelong battle with weight or food; I will say that I have fallen into the category of eating when bored, overwhelmed or diving into a chocolate bar to temporarily de-stress from a crazy day. Like most women I have beaten myself up about a few pounds here or there from time to time. In my early twenties I did some modeling, an industry notorious for telling women that they are not good enough, thin enough for runway, not edgy enough for editorials, not pretty enough for commercial shoots, etc. During those three years I experienced a lot of highs and lows after every go see, audition and job. In some ways it changed the way I saw myself at that time.  While the photo shoots were a lot of fun and the money was really lucrative at times, I chose to move on and leave that world behind which I knew was in my best interest. Since I had started later in life, I was at least wise enough to know what was good for me and healthy and what just contributed negatively in some ways to my life.

If you get a chance to watch the later airing tonight of this show "Why Oprah says she'll Never Diet Again!", I highly encourage you to watch it or program it into your DVR. That link includes the page on Oprah's site which provides more information. Here is the link to the book, at just $12.99 on amazon I think it is a great investment that every woman struggling in this area should consider buying for themselves or even their daughters.

The purpose of life it to grow, love, renew ourselves and completely understand all that we were intended to be.

Have you read this book? What things have you learned about yourself in life over the years that have made you the woman you are today. Anonymous comments are always welcome. :)

Be well.

xo



P.S. Don't forget to enter our $50 Stationery Giveaway from Pear Tree Greetings!

Clinique Giveaway Winner!

Happy Easter! I hope you all had a fabulous weekend. As promised, I'm going to announce our spring giveaway winner. Firstly, I wanted to thank each and every one of you who entered for taking the time to do so, for tweeting about it, blogging about it and grabbing my blog button too!

One lucky lady just won herself a full size jar of Clinique's Moisture Surge Facial gel. I used Random.org for the official selection earlier this morning and out of 75 entries, the winner is No.56!

Congratulations to Kristin of 'My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia'! Enjoy! Please e-mail me with your mailing address so I can mail this out to you right away. :)

I'm excited about our upcoming giveaways, so stay tuned later this month for the next one. I love giveaways and I will be doing at least one per month. Also, for anyone who is looking to sponsor Classy and Fabulous: if you own an etsy shop, a business or blog and you'd like me to feature your product or service in a future giveaway, be sure to email me (look for the large envelope in the sidebar). In return you'd be listed as a sponsor in my sidebar and would receive a feature post about your blog/business aside from the giveaway post itself.

The weather has been sunny and gorgeous here today, I hope it has been for you too and that you all have a little spring in your step. I wish you a happy week ahead!

More than Enough

I am humbly reminded again with this scripture below that I have more than enough, we have more than we need and no matter how much we worry or plan or save, we will always be provided for. He loves us and provides for us in more ways than we could ever hope for or imagine.

"Therefore! I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life?

And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you - you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you as well." ~Matt. 5:1-2 6:19-21, 24-33

I really enjoy these quotes too, they should be a daily reminder for us that worry will only add stress and subtract years from our life.

"Worrying is like paying on a debt that may never come due."  ~Will Rogers

"To worry about tomorrow is to be unhappy today." ~Author unknown

Wash your worries away and remember that tomorrow always brings another new and glorious day.

Have a blessed Friday!

I FINALLY Won a Blog Giveaway!

Are you the type of person who ALWAYS wins? Whether it be scratch tickets, radio contests, giveaways or draws, you just seem to win them all? Or are you more like me who rarely wins but when you do you get SUPER excited? I wanted to share my excitement with you and give you hope that after multiple entries, if you keep entering blog giveaways long enough you'll eventually win. ;)

What has caused my excitement you ask? Well, I happened to wander on over to visit Ashley over at the Domestic Fasionista to peruse her wonderful Christmas posts. I read her post on being 'Blessed by a Frugal Christmas' and loved all the great, inexpensive ideas where the focus is on using what you have to decorate for Christmas, something that I firmly believe in.

At the end of her post, she had a fun giveaway for this Gooseberry Patch Christmas Book:

Image Source

I left a comment with a few frugal Christmas decorating ideas and I won this amazing book! Thanks Ashley! It arrived a couple days ago and I really enjoyed flipping through it to uncover some amazing recipes and some fun crafty ideas too!

Here's a sneak peak at one fo the recipes that I plan on making from this book. Do these look delicious, or what?! It seems easy enough to make and would be a yummy Christmas Day treat to munch on, or a sweet gift!

Sorry for the blurry pic, I snapped a pic from the book.

TOFFEE

1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter
3/4 brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Butter an 8"x8" baking pan; spread walnuts on the bottom. In a saucepan, heat butter and sugar; bring to a boil stirring constantly. Cook until mixture darkens, about 7 mins; immediately pour over walnuts. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top; cover with a baking sheet to hold in heat until chocolate begins to melt. Spread chocolate over top. Regrigerate; break into pieces when cool. Makes about one pound

Recipe provided in the book by Wendy Lee Paffenroth. Pine Island, NY

At the time I had read Ashley's post, I had also been meaning to write a post of my own on our frugal Christmas, so here is my previous post titled 'A Humble and Merry Christmas'.

Speaking of blog Giveaways, stay tuned as Classy & Fabulous has some new sponsors and we're working together to provide you some fun giveaways in the New Year! I'm looking forward to seeing many of you become blog giveaway winners yourselves this year!

Be sure to 'follow' this blog so you'll be eligible for the goodies and we'd love it if you'd tell a friend. ;)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Re-gifting Etiquette

What percentage of people do you believe re-gift? You might be surprised to know that a recent study revealed that 67% of all people have re-gifted at some point in their life. Another interesting fact is that the most popular way to re-gift is to pass along the items to co-workers at Christmas time. About 40% do just that!

At one point, re-gifting was considered to be a huge faux pas and done in poor taste. Today, however, it has become widely acceptable in our modern society. Blame it on the economy or the green movement, but people are determined to save their hard-earned money and keep items out of the landfills too. It's a nice way to make use of unwanted gifts that are perfect for someone else you may know that would appreciate or enjoy it more. Sometimes a return is impolite or just not possible and this is a suitable alternative. I do realize this option isn't for everyone and many are uncomfortable with the idea f re-gifting for various reasons.

If you do plan on re-gifting this year, here are some guidelines:

1. Keep a Log Book- First off, to avoid uncomfortable situations, be sure to keep a small log book to note who gave you what so you don't give the same gift back to the person who gifted it to you to begin with. That would be incredibly embarassing. This also allows you to think of your circle of family and friends so you can ensure that nobody close to the gift recipient may recognize it. If you are not 100% sure of who gave you the gift, do not regift that particular item.

2. Pristine Items Only-Under no circumstances should you ever give a gift that was used or opened. All items need to be in immaculate condition and in their original packaging also. You wouldn't want to receive a used present or a gift in banged up packaging, and neither will your recipient. Be sure to keep all 'regift' items in a special closet or bin and ensure everything is kept clean and free from dust also. If you are giving a book of any kind or jewelery, make absolutely sure it was never inscribed. That would be awkward for both you and the recipient.

3. Shop Mindfully-You should use the same selection process when shopping through your own gift closet as you would if you were in a store. Be sure that the gifts you choose for your recipient show thoughtfulness and are geared especially to their hobbies, interests or preferences. For example if your friend hates green and you give her a green scarf, that won't be well received. Don't give a gift so you can de-clutter your guest bedroom closet. The gift must be useful for the person who will receive it.

4. Be Honest- If the recipient asks you point blank if it was a re-gift, don't lie. Let them know that it was hand selected for them because you knew they'd like it for "x" reasons. If money is tight for you, be honest and also let them know that you really wanted to give them a special gift but were short on cash. I'm sure they'll understand. Know that 99.9% of the time nobody will ask you this question, as asking the very question is a bit rude and distasteful.

5. Make it Special- Wrap it up in some pretty paper or a gift bag also in pristine condition (it is never okay to give any gift-purchased or regifted-in a crushed or used looking gift bag). Be sure to check the tags on the bag too to make sure it doesn't contain old names on the "to" and "from" areas. You'll want to write a card to go along with your gift where you can perhaps write a brief line or two about why you chose such a gift for your friend or family member.

6. Inappropirate Gifts- You might have a closet full of re-gift items just ready to unload but you are far better off to show up empty handed and send an appropriate gift later then to just bring any old thing along for the sake of showing up with a gift. Put yourself in the recipients shoes. How would you want to be treated?

7. Have Fun!-Enjoy preparing such a gift as much as you would heading to the mall and shopping for hours. Be confident in your decision to re-gift and don't let other people's opinions on the subject make you feel bad. If you truly believe the gift comes from your heart and you are perhaps a little low on cash, do what makes you happy. Remember, the new modern manners and etiquette of today do not turn up their nose on this subject just so long as it is done tastefully and discreetly.

8. What NOT To Regift-You're probably wondering if there are any exceptions to the regifting rules. There are several types of items that you shouldn't regift. Many items are perishable such as lotions, perfumes, and other bath products. If they have turned color or the consistency has changed they are not only unsuitable for giving but they need to go into the trash.This is where using a log book comes in handy because you can add the received date for the gift. Likewise family heirlooms, expensive jewelry, travel souvenirs, items with corporate logos or any type of outdated or unusual DVD's, VHS tapes, CD's or books.

While regifting is popular during the holiday season, you can also do the same for other occasions like birthdays or baby showers where you may have been given a duplicate item that never got opened or used. As long as you follow the guidelines above, your gift recipient should be just as thrilled to open your gift as they would one from someone else and you keep money in your pocket and find a home for a useful item that simply didn't work out for you.

So you must be wondering by now if I regift, given that I've just dedicated a whole blog post to the subject. The truth is that I sometimes do. I don't go out of my way to make everyone's Christmas gifts re-gifts, obviously that would be ridiculous. I do however from time-to-time receive gifts from well meaning family, friends or acquaintances that just aren't my personal preference. They are items I'll never use that would otherwise sit on a shelf and eventually wind up in the trash (if it was perishible) or donated to a charitable organization. I do donate items also when I don't feel they might be appropriate for anyone I know. The majority of the time I use my re-gifts for white elephant exchanges where it is generally very acceptable and the whole point of the event is for fun, often the very enjoyment comes from gag type gifts or themed gifts. I just have fun with it and am happy when I can save some money and keep our planet as green as possible.

Beyond the monetary aspect, in general I just believe people have too much stuff. There is a whole lot of excessive manufacturing taking place to produce new items which pollute our planet, which is completely unnecessary. If we'd all just take better responsibility for what we buy and bring into our homes and what we do with the items we never had a use for (which were gifted to us), then we'd all be better off all around.

What are your thoughts on re-gifting? Have you ever re-gifted? Fill out our anonymous poll on the upper left hand side bar and also see what fellow readers have voted on too. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

OUR FIRST BLOG CONTEST!

{CONTEST NOW CLOSED}

Hello Ladies! I'm excited to do something a little different from now until the end of 2009. I am running a little contest (actually, it's our first one here at Classy and Fabulous) to advertise your business for FREE! Why you ask? Because you are my valued blog readers and I want to bless you. I also believe in supporting other women and enjoy watching their success! Advertising can be one of the most expensive costs for a traditional business and I don't know any blogger that doesn't want more exposure for their blog.

If you have a blog, blog website, an Etsy Business or a traditional business website that you want to promote and will appeal to the readers of this blog, I will be selecting 3 different readers to showcase on my blog from Monday, November.16th  until the end of this year, giving each winner the same amount of advertising time.

In order to be selected as a winner, you will need to do 3 simple things:

1. Be (or become) a follower of this blog.

2. Leave a comment at the end of  this post with an optional link to your page (so this is actually FREE advertising for everyone entering the contest) and tell me how long you've had your blog website/business for and why you are so passionate about what you do.

3. Tell me what you like most about our blog or what draws you to return. :)

That's it! I will be selecting the 3 winners on Monday evening at 6pm EST by means of a random hat drawing and will be contacting each of you so that I can get your logo, blog button or a special image that I will feature in our sidebar along with a link to your site. If you want to link back to my blogpage, that is optional but always most appreciated!

If you don't have a business but feel that someone you know would enjoy this blog and may want to enter this contest, feel free to forward this page link to a friend. Look for the little envelope icon under this post to forward it or you can forward this post via twitter or facebook by clicking on the icon in our left side panel.

I'm looking forward to featuring you~Good Luck!