Wednesday, March 29, 2017

Amrita Sen Coloring Book and Bracelet

A few weeks ago I was contacted to see if I was interested in reviewing an adult coloring book, Cosmic and Eternal Love: An Everlasting Love Story as well as a handcrafted silver plated bracelet.*

Amrita Sen Coloring Book  Bracelet
 This post contains affiliate links, and www.andreaswellnessnotes.com benefits from actions taken on the links.

Both the coloring book and the bracelet are designed by Amrita Sen, a well-known Bollywood singer who performed at the 2009 Academy Awards with AR Rahmen, singing “Jai Ho” from the Oscar-winning movie, Slumdog Millionaire.

I love adult coloring books and often give them as gifts. Coloring is such a soothing activity, perfect for winding down after a long day or for relaxing on the weekend. I love that it doesn’t involve technology and lets me daydream or clear my mind.

Every other page of the  Cosmic and Eternal Love: An Everlasting Love Story coloring book contains the story with coloring space around it. Reading the story and coloring is the perfect escape from reality for a little while.

Amrita Sen Coloring Book


As soon as I saw the bracelet I was drawn to it even though it is more ornate than my usual, simple style, but I love the Bollywood-style elements.

Amrita Sen Bracelet 1

I love wearing the bracelet and seeing and feeling it move on my wrist.

Amrita Sen Bracelet 2

Questions: Do you own any adult coloring books? If so, does it help you relax and take your mind off things? Do you wear bracelets? Do you own a Bollywood-inspired one? 

Be well,
Andrea
Disclosure: I received the coloring book and the bracelet free to review. As always, all opinions are my own. 

Sunday, March 26, 2017

Green Jacket

I wasn’t very excited when Pantone announced that greenery was the color of the year 2017, as I’m not necessarily drawn to green. However, when I started to sort through my closet, I realized that I had more green pieces than I thought. I even bought a new green item, which I’ll show you in a future post.

Today’s green jacket has been in my closet for several years, and it actually always makes me happy when I wear it because it is such a bright green.

Green Jacket 1

I paired the jacket with a tank top that has some green in it.

Green Jacket 2

Green Jacket 3

Green Jacket 4
Green Jacket 5
Links to clothing items are affiliate links, and www.andreaswellnessnotes.com benefits from actions taken on the links.

Outfit Details: Green jacket old (I like this green Banana Republic blazer), white jeans, silver lace up flats (similar)

Questions: Do you like green? Have you added any green items to your wardrobe this year?


Be well,
Andrea

Sunday, March 19, 2017

Red Accessories to Dress Up Jeans and A Cardigan

A few weeks ago, I posted about how I dressed up jeans and a cardigan with a multi-strand big pearl necklace, rose gold flats, and a statement bag.

This time, I dressed up the same jeans and cardigan with red flats and a red necklace. I love that we caught the cherry blossoms while they were in full bloom when we took these photos. Sadly, they are already gone by now...

Red Accessories 1

Red Accessories 2

Red Accessories 3
Links to clothing items are affiliate links, and www.andreaswellnessnotes.com benefits from actions taken on the links.
 
Outfit Details*: Jeans, Long Cardigan, Red Flats Mango old (I like these red Mango flats). 

This casual outfit is very me - comfortable yet I feel put together. It’s perfect for working from home, running errands and chauffeuring the kid around.

Question: What’s your go-to casual outfit?


Be well,
Andrea

Sunday, March 12, 2017

Black and White Coat

Black and white is one of my favorite combinations. I have quite a few black and white pieces in my closet and love how easily they can be combined to create new looks. In fact, my travel wardrobe last summer was predominantly black and white with some blue and green accent pieces. The black and white pieces worked out great as I mixed and matched them, and the accent pieces kept things interesting.

While we were in Germany in July, there were already a lot of end-of-season sales going on with multiple price reductions on some pieces, and one of the heavily-reduced pieces I picked up was a lightweight black and white coat. I also bought a matching dress in another store a few days later; you’ll see the dress in an upcoming post.
Black and White Outfit 1

I like the black and white geometrical pattern of the coat. The day we took these photos it was very windy; hence the weird position of my hands in the next photo...


Black and White Outfit 2

I decided to wear white jeans, a black blouse and my silver lace-up flats. 

Black and White Outfit 3
Black and White Outfit 4
Black and White Outfit 5
Black and White Outfit 6
 Outfit Details*: White jeans, black/white coat (I like this one), black tunic (similar), silver lace-up flats (similar).

Questions: Do you like black and white together? What are your favorite color combos?  


Be well,
Andrea


*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, and www.andreaswellnessnotes.com benefits from actions taken on the links.

Thursday, March 9, 2017

Can You Wear Red with Pink?

Of course you can wear red and pink together! But just a few years ago, my answer would have been no. Well, at least I wouldn’t have worn it. For too many years red and pink together was considered a no-no and that “rule" got stuck in my head for a long time...

I wore my red pants with a pink turtleneck and a red and pink scarf a few weeks ago on a very windy day, and I wore the same outfit again yesterday for International Women’s Day. 

Red and Pink Outfit 1



Red and Pink Outfit 2

Questions: Do you wear red and pink together? 


Be well,
Andrea

Sunday, March 5, 2017

How to Dress Up Jeans and a Cardigan

Jeans and a cardigan make a basic outfit - an outfit that can easily be boring. However, if you dress it up with the right accessories, you can go from boring to more interesting.

Jeans and Cardigan 1

The jeans* I am wearing are a very light wash. I usually don’t wear jeans in that wash as a darker wash is often more flattering and versatile because darker jeans can even work in many work situations or for dressier events. But I wanted to add some lighter colored jeans to my wardrobe as I thought they would be a nice change for spring. Plus, they are really, really comfortable.

Jeans and Cardigan 2

Dressing Up Jeans and a Cardigan with Accessories

With the light wash jeans I wore a black turtleneck and a long black cardigan. Without any accessories, the outfit was basic and a bit boring. To add some interest I added my multi-strand faux pearls. I always like white pearls against a dark sweater.

Bacon and Beer Classic 6

I also wore my rose gold flats. They were an unexpected find at Banana Republic in the fall (I believe they were reduced from $100+ to less than $20), and I haven’t had a chance to wear them much yet.

Jeans and Cardigan 3

Rosegold Flats
Finally, I carried a statement bag. The bag is Gabs, an Italian brand that’s very popular in Europe. I bought a green Gabs bag when we visited Germany in the summer. This one is a Christmas gift from my sister. 

Jeans and Cardigan 4
Outfit Details*: Jeans*, Long Cardigan*, Flats (similar splurge*), Gabs handbag (I like this*, this*, and this*).

I think the accessories took the outfit from basic and a bit boring to interesting.
  
Bacon and Beer Classic at Levi’s Stadium

I wore the outfit to the Bacon and Beer Classic at Levi’s Stadium where Andy was a judge.

Bacon and Beer Classic 5

We got to taste some decadent bacon dishes (It was veggies and salads the next day, and I made sure to work out extra hard at the gym…).

Bacon and Beer Classic Bacon
Bacon and Beer Classic Pork Belly Shooters

 We also got to hang out in the VIP area and visit the visiting team’s locker room and media room.

Levi s Stadium VIP Lounge

Jeans and Cardigan 5

Levi s Stadium Visiting Press Room 2Levi s Stadium Visiting Team Press Room

Plus, we snuck into the empty stands and took a photo; apparently, we were not supposed to...

Levi s Stadium 1

Finally, we had some fun on the slide and giant shoe.

Levi s Stadium 5
Levi s Stadium 6

Questions: How do you dress up a “boring" outfit? 


Be well,
Andrea


*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, and www.andreaswellnessnotes.com benefits from actions taken on the links.

Thursday, March 2, 2017

Sentence a Day: February 2017

Today I’m once again joining Sarah from Foxy’s Domestic Side and Leslie from Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After as we share the sentences we wrote in February. This is my second month writing one sentence a day; you can read my January sentences here.

February 1, 2017
Andy and I went to the gym after work; we were so tired afterwards that we both fell asleep on the couch before 8 p.m., but we did catch the sunset first.

Sentence a Day Sunset

February 2, 2017
More rain is coming our way for the next week or so, and I’m glad that we took advantage of the sunshine last weekend.

February 3, 2017
We made it to Costco right before it closed; I’m glad we won’t have to fight the crowds on Super Bowl weekend.

February 4, 2017
Our gym workouts still leave us really tired; will we ever get used to them again without getting so tired?

February 5, 2017
I didn’t watch the Super Bowl but went to a relaxing yoga class instead - bliss.

February 6, 2017
We had a low-key weekend, but I’m still not as prepared for the week as I’d like to be.

February 7, 2017
The day started with a dead battery, which threw a wrinkle in things, but the day was still productive.

February 8, 2017
Lots of rain and grey days make me appreciate the sunshine we usually get a lot more.

February 9, 2017
I’ve been fitting in a gym workout every day, and I love and realize how much I missed the gym when we didn’t have a membership.

February 10, 2017
The kid is off next week, and I love that he’ll get to have fun and be a kid.

February 11, 2017
After eliminating caffeine completely during the cleanse, I now have one cup a week, and I enjoy every drop.

Sentence a Day217 Coffee

February 12, 2017
We spent the day getting ready for the week; why does the weekend always have to go by so quickly?

February 13, 2017
I had a work meeting in the morning and got to spend the rest of the day with the kid.

February 14, 2017
I had to teach a night class, so no romantic dinner for us, which is okay with me as I’m not the biggest fan of Valentine’s Day.

February 15, 2017
We took the day off and went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium with the kid and one of his friends.

Sentence a Day217 Monterey

February 16, 2017
We ran lots of errands today.

February 17, 2017
It rained all day and other than going to the gym, I didn’t leave the house, which always makes me feel a bit strange.

February 18, 2017
We went to a beer festival, and it was insanely cold, but the kid and I hung in there.

February 19, 2017
I fell off the stepper at the gym today during an intense 30-minute interval workout; I shouldn’t have checked what Andy was doing but focused on myself...

February 20, 2017
We got our taxes done; never fun, but I’m glad it’s done.

February 21, 2017
I loved spending lots of time with the kid last week, but I definitely didn’t get all my work done; it’s time to catch up this week.

February 22, 2017
I wore red and pink today and loved it; it’s interesting that I wouldn’t have liked that combo at all a few years ago.  

Sentence a Day217 PinkandRed

February 23, 2017
I ordered a cute new necklace today.

February 24, 2017
We went to see a good friend perform, and it was lots of fun. 

SentenceADay AlternativeFacts

February 25, 2017
Andy and I got to go on a daytime date to the Bacon and Beer Classic at Levi’s Stadium, where Andy was a judge.

Sentence a Day Levi s Stadium

February 26, 2017
We enjoyed the beautiful day today.

Sentence a Day Beautiful Day

February 27, 2017
Today was a very busy day; I was sooo tired at 8 p.m.

February 28, 2017
I can’t believe the month is already over!

If you wrote a sentence a day and posted about it, please link up here:





Question: Are you going to join us this month and write one sentence a day? It’s lots of fun to look back at the month; I promise.



Be well,
Andrea