Saturday, March 31, 2012

Season of Bloom



April 1st is when most of us go ga-ga about cleaning and renewing.

For those who fell off the New Year’s resolution bandwagon, this is your 2nd chance! And if you are a self-diagnosed OCD, like me, you would want to tidy-up and revamp everything.

Here’s top 5 ideas for spring-cleaning, let’s not be fools attacking this in one day after all, there are 30 days in April.

1. Monetize while you organize your closet. You may just make enough to buy that piece you've been wanting. Last year, I earned $70 salon credit for donating my evening wear, shoes and accessories to support their charitable programs. I pocketed $550+ for consigning casual clothing and handbags. Then I dropped off the rest to a non-profit agency near and dear to my heart.

2. Throw away those sweaty mats, exercise outdoors, meet new friends and enjoy the results.

3. Cleansing is another spring trend, however it isn’t really for all. Find out if detox is for you.

4. Raid your pantry of junk and healthy up your diet. Remember, diet only works if well planned and dining out avoided!

5. Change your look, lighten your locks and donate it for a good cause.

Now enjoy the season and your healthful beauty in bloom!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Duet



Months prior to Stuart Weitzman celebrating his famed photographer Mario Testino's exhibit at the The Museum of Fine Arts on October 17, a similar get up as Alessandra Ambrosio in a slitted black dress and pointy pumps...

Two pieces is all you need for "Walking After Midnight." Sun-glowed in deltoid baring strapless leatherette mini LBD and black pumps, complimented by personally designed “Sheila’s Tuxedo French” nails and red puckers…non-essential accessories will only take away from confidence exuded.

AA image by Huffington Post

#51 – Smart Wear? Label Whore? Or Simply Baduy?

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Summer...not!



Winter weather, Autumn outfit, just 2 days prior to Spring. Low 40's in Scottsdale and mid 70's in New York, this can’t be right!

#52 – Smart Wear? Label Whore? Or Simply Baduy?

Playing with texture...faux suede shearling camel jacket, shiny satin reversible stole, burnt orange cotton top, deep olive green vintage corduroy wrap around skirt and leggings to cover the stems.

Eyewear by Versace
Boots by Uggs from Saks.com ($0 - thanks Amex MR points!)

Makers from Italy, Vietnam, India, China, USA and Australia

Sunday, March 11, 2012

Forty-four... and 52 weeks to forty-FAB!



Inspired by my good friend Maureen, I thought of posting a photo from my shoe collection every week. You should see her closet all organized with shoe pictures attached to plastic containers for easy find. Talk about type A’s…it takes one to appreciate another :) However, there aren’t enough weeks in a year to showcase the result of my shoe addiction plus I didn’t wanna leave out any of my faves.

So, I thought I’d share my favorite outfits and get reactions from you all fashion polices out there. You be the judge whether the attire is Smart Wear or a Label Whore or Simply Baduy (buh-dooy), the Filipino term for un-fashionable. At the end, I will let you know the least expensive piece of clothing of the ensemble. By the way, it’s not about the label, if you can rock an economical get up and make it look like a million dollars, that’s voguish!

Oh and to make it more interesting, I will list the countries where the pieces were made from. Let’s see how many "Made In USA" tags there are, it might explain the current state of our economy. Ha!

Saturday, March 10, 2012

In my 40's



At 40 - Living a very busy life mostly dedicated to everyone around me, I decided that every year moving forward, I would set a goal and do something just for myself.  A personal goal to grow and re-invent myself.  That was the year I joined a boot camp with my friend Marybeth to jump start my health journey.

At 41 - My son Ivan talked me into BeachBody.com. It all started with a bet on abs vs. tattoos, but that's another story. While I started a novice with P90Lean, I graduated slowly to the classic P90X.  It was challenging but I absolutely loved it.  I lost 20 lbs down to 132.

At 42 -  Feeling young and more fit than ever, I trained and completed the San Francisco Nike Women's and Scottsdale Women's 1/2 marathons with Team Bling, thanks to Stacey!  I was very proud of myself, but ended up with a left knee injury and had to go through 4 months of therapy to recover...physical therapy that is!

At 43 - Learning from my hubby's extensive orthopedic experience, and with my therapist's advise to rest, I decided to give up running and learn about wines.  Yolanda was my connoisseur.  I quickly discovered that my favorites are Barolo (you can never go wrong with Italian, hence I married one),  Red Zinfandel (any 2009 vintage from Lodi California), and Rioja (2005 Spanish vintage by Marques de Riscal).  Most any other reds in between work too =)

Now 44 - I am venturing into this widespread world of bloggers.  I am not a journalist nor a tech geek to write and design blog sites.  This will be another year of growth opportunity for me.

I thought that "Chasing Sheila" would be most appropriate as I continue to focus on ME - my life, my style, my fashion inspirations, my destinations and my culinary passion....um well not cooking, but eating =)

More to come...