One Busy Bee

Last year, we stayed in watching LOST on Netflix and watching Toby for Julia as she and her siblings went out to a club in San Francisco. She ended up coming home that night instead of staying out in the hotel. I guess the club scene isn't all that's cracked up to be. I'm not into it anymore but I do have desire to go dancing every now and then. Anyways, last year we decided to stay in to save money as we had a big financial responsibility we wanted to be prepared for: Our First Home. We were packing and moving in the first week of February. Spending $50+ per person just for cover just to be surrounded by a drunk fest of people didn't sound appealing to us. This year, we're not going CRAZY but at least we are going to be out of the house and we're headed to Tommy T's in Pleasanton, CA to see San Jose-native, Anjelah Johnson. She's best known for her Bon Qui Qui character. I hope DB will find her funny. He'll at least think she's pretty. I&#

I have always been a fan of Elvis Presley since my Auntie Annie had every inch of her room covered in Elvis photos and memorabilia. I only caught a few sneak peeks of her room in the family house in San Francisco. I wasn't even 10-years-old when she gave me her hard cover book of Elvis and Me by Priscilla Presley. I read it back then, re-read it a few years later and will probably do so again. I don't recall if anyone in grade school made fun of me for bringing a book about Elvis to school to read but apparently if they did, I didn't care enough to remember. My aunt also gave my sister a whole lot of her clippings she has collected over the years of Elvis. I remember going through them and one stuck out in my mind with a headline that read along the lines of "The Last Photo of The King". It was a profile shot of him laying in his casket. He passed on August 17, 1977 at only 42-years-old. My sister also bought a cassette tape of his songs at Kmart and b

This just breaks my heart. Please read: Christmas letter from a "hard to place" foster dog Among trying to reach my goal of making 20 little girls in need smile with a Stella & Dot gift (which I am no where close to reaching, sadly enough), animals have always been close to my heart. I wanted to be a veterinarian when I was younger but learning how much schooling and funds were needed to get there, plus the many difficult instances of losing an animal, it was just too much. The death of our family cat, Ali, of 22 years, happened when I was a freshman in high school. My mom had Ali before my sister was even born, I believe. She never de-clawed him and he would scratch the hell out of my legs when he leap off my lap in a hurry. We had to put him down because he had some sort of leukemia and he wasn't doing very well. He spent his last night with us in my bed. It was so hard to say goodbye to him in that Concord vet hospital on Clayton Road. I remember which cage h

I came across this posting on Twitter today and it got me thinking after having a phone conversation with Christy last night. All the while in the drive-thru line at In & Out Burger (I'm bad, I know!), devouring the burger on my 5-minute drive home, having a few bites of fries when I got home (animal style, not recommended), walking the Beeves in the cold, cleaning Mamas' litter box, taking out the trash and wrapping DB' presents and a surprise Stella & Dot gift a friend is giving his wife. As mentioned in yesterday's post, Christy is a hard-working new mom. DB and I joke around that I'll someday be that house wife, that I can quit my job now if I wanted to but knowing me, I need to work and contribute a little bit financially to my household. This article says it is best to have a working mom. Even part-time. Fit Pregnancy Magazine: A Job Is Better For Mom's Health Posted today, December 14, 2011 A previous study put a $122,732 annual price ta

I am at a different time of life, for sure. My nephew is now 5.5-years-old, I have had two close friends and a cousin give birth this past summer, I have a home of my own, plans to be wed, honeymoon plans are in the works and by next Christmas, I will be pregnant myself. Christmas 2008 I spent some time this weekend with my Maid of Honor and her 4-month-old son, who I call my nephew. She has no biological siblings and she's been my rock though so much in my life. I want nothing more than for her to be happy and for her son to truly think of me as Auntie. We've been friends for over five years but man, a lot sure does happen in half a decade. She's a fantastic mommy and I am happy to see her in a good relationship, extremely happy, possibly up for a promotion and has a partner that works things out well as a couple. I just heard this weekend that they plan on having baby #2 next year. Perhaps we will be pregnant at the same time! I brought along a mutual friend, the on

On top of my last posting of amazing December offers, this was just announced! Purchase the La Coco Clutch in black or metallic for $148 and get the After The Rain brooch in Gold that you can clip onto the clutch for FREE ! It's a $44 value and completes the clutch. The lucky person receiving this clutch can use it with or without the After the Rain brooch, or clip on a family heirloom to change it up. You can also use this brooch on the La Coco chains also pictured above, to hold together a scarf, on your label or blouse! There are so many ways to use a brooch. Get creative! Shop at Stella & Dot and be sure to LIKE my page on Facebook !

It is the time of giving. Many of my family and friends have adopted a family or a senior citizen this season and is making their holidays a whole lot warmer. A friend I recently reconnected with from middle school, Christina Vela in Stockton, CA, is a Mary Kay Consultant and she is trying to get folks to buy a wrapped Mint Bliss Energizing Lotion for Legs & Feet, with socks and mint chocolate candies for $20 to be given to as many residents at a Senior Center in her community. Please help her make sure no one gets left out by contacting her at vela17@yahoo.com or making a purchase at her Mary Kay web site. Thanks, Christina! You are truly touching and making a difference in people's lives. For the animal lovers out there like me, Pet Food Express is offering 20% off any Kong toys to be donated to a foster pet or a local shelter. Animals unselfishly give us love. What a difference a toy makes to ease some stress for an animal waiting for a permanent, loving home and encour

I transferred my contacts to MailChimp and will hope to produce a great monthly newsletter for my Stella & Dot mailing list subscribers, customers and former hostesses. I just Tweet ed that the first 10 people to sign up will get $10 off their Stella & Dot order in the month of December. Sign up here! I promise that your information will not be shared or sold to any third parties. Subscribe to our mailing list The popular Stackable Deco Rings, available in sizes 5-9 and only $49.

My favorite band, Los Lonely Boys kept me company this morning as I got ready for work, and on my hour-long commute to work. On their latest album, Rockpango, their Deluxe Edition has a long track of them jammin' and messin' around called 'Outtakes'. You know you're a fan when you have this memorized and it still makes you laugh. They do impressions from Alejandro Escovedo, Van Halen, Elvis Presley, Beyonce, and you can tell they're just having a good time. I have had the pleasure of sitting in on something like these sessions and during sound checks and you can't help but laugh. They're so hilarious it'll make your abs sore the next day. Obviously I have all of their albums so I put their songs on shuffle on my iPhone while on my way to work and I realized 40 minutes into my commute that I was going 85 mph in a 65 mph zone. I was singing "Road to Nowhere". Here they are performing it at Chukchansi Casino earlier this year. Enjoy! Th

I think this season will be interesting. From my post yesterday, I was rooting for Kori. I thought she was a little spitfire in Season 6 of the Bad Girls Club. She turned out to be the first HBIC for sending the most appealing text. It feels she's stepping up her game to take advantage of the business opportunity that comes along with being on reality TV and she wants to win the game, but possibly like Lea from Season 5 in Miami and the winner of Season 2's Love Games, the winning relationship didn't even last til the airing of the show. That's a shame because Robert seemed like a sweetheart. Kori already kissed 3 guys on her first 'date', talked a little smack, all while Sydney is only spotted kissing one person. While crazy Judi from New Orlean's Season 7, she's already getting crazy with her purse always at her side. After the first episode, I am rooting for Sydney. She left Season 6, wasn't loyal to her boyfriend and is bisexual. When asked by

Love Games 3 premieres tonight! This season's cast is Sydney and Kori from Season 6 and Judi from Season 7 of The Bad Girls Club. Tune into Oxygen tonight for the season premiere. I'm rooting for Kori. What about you and WHY?

Ah man, do I regret not taking my BioLean more regularly. Like anything else, I got a little too comfortable with it. I haven't been sick in almost a year and a half and that is a record for me. I would forget to take it in the morning, I'd forget to restock my supply at work, or I would just say that "Oh, I'll take it when I get home." Nope. Too late. Too much procrastinating and I got sick. I had a headache all day at work this past Monday and refused to take anything for it until late afternoon. I took some Advil. I got home around 8 pm, walked Bevo in the cold and immediately came back to the house sneezing my head off. I made my last plate of Thanksgiving leftovers, continued to sneeze while watching one of my new favorite shows, Pan-Am , with DB and kept denying "I'm NOT sick!" I was but it's been so long. How could it be? I had a hard time sleeping, texting my clerk saying I think I'm sick to ensure she'll be at the office

I received this email from my future Mother-In-Law and I couldn't agree more. I have said it before that since moving to my new town, I am all for spending our money in town and locally. Please read on... Birth of a New Tradition for Christmas 2011 As the holidays approach, the giant Asian factories are kicking into high gear to provide Americans with monstrous piles of cheaply produced goods - merchandise that has been produced at the expense of American labor. This year will be different. This year Americans should give the gift of genuine concern for other Americans. There is no longer an excuse that, at gift-giving time, nothing can be found that is produced by American hands. Yes there is! It's time to think outside the box, people. Who says a gift needs to fit in a shirt box, wrapped in Chinese produced wrapping paper? Everyone - yes EVERYONE gets their hair cut. How about gift certificates from your local American hair salon, or barber? Gym or yoga club memb

November is upon us. Leaves will cover the ground, turkeys and honey hams will be ordered, and you'll see family you haven't seen all year this Thanksgiving. It's a time to give thanks for the freedoms we have, the friends we've made and the family members that provide you that unconditional love. I personally have plenty to be thankful for and a lot to celebrate from the year 2011. I acquired a new home, loved ones, family and friends are well, my little Boston continues to brighten my day, my nephew Sol & Nathanael, and niece Emma arrived into this world safely, my fiance was able to get another job in this horrible job market, I still have my current job, BUT I have taken up being a Stella & Dot Stylist this past May and have been doing very well! As any person should show appreciation for people that have positively effected their lives, as any company should show appreciation to their valued customers, I wanted to put this event together for the people

Stella & Dot has been receiving an amazing amount of press, especially by Good Morning America! Again, we were featured with Laura Spencer and for only 24 hours, the Double Wrap Pyramid Bracelet is 50% off! Normal retail sells for $59, it will now be $29. Limit one per customer. I would invite you to see this bracelet live at Shirasoni Japanese Restaurant tonight in Brentwood, CA for Ladies Night, but I do not have the bracelet in stock. I DO have the entire Renegade collection in my display and when you spend $50, you can get one of the three pieces in the collection at 25% off. Did you see that Britney Spears tweeted about our Tribute Bracelet earlier this month? That is pretty cool. This bracelet has been quite popular. It is currently on backorder but if you purchase it now, it will ship to you when our warehouse receives more to fulfill orders. In the month of October, 20% of proceeds of this bracelet goes to The Breast Cancer Research Fund. Only a few days left! This

I have to say, I'm pretty excited about this. I fought the whole Twilight craze until late 2009 when my friend, Brittany J. , couldn't stop talking about it when she was staying with us for a little while. I just thought, oh, it's for kids, it's the new Harry Potter. I read the first Harry Potter book and I wasn't a fan. But I watched Twilight with her. Our trips to Blockbuster are always epic and we're always crying from laughing so hard. I can't wait to see her this Saturday. I remember watching the scene of when Bella walks into the classroom for the first time, steps in front of a fan causing her hair to blow, and Edward goes into shock. I'm like "WTF". I could hear it like it was yesterday, Brit laughing, and saying, "Oh, you have to read the books! It's SO good! You'll understand." She let me borrow the first couple of books and as I read further into Twilight, I decided to buy the whole set in hard cover throu

If it wasn't for my newsletter from TheKnot.com , (which was originally TheWeddingChannel.com, which Jessica Herrin co-founded, now the CEO and Founder of Stella & Dot ,) I wouldn't have known it was 6 months to the day that I will become a Mrs., a Wife, a DB. It's a pretty amazing feeling and it makes it so much more real. I just kept thinking that our wedding date is so far away. I guess I better light a fire under own butt, huh? Invitations are in its final stages and will be purchased today or tomorrow to be printed. They are simple and elegant and was chosen from TheKnot.com . I was going to go with The Aerialist Press as they do amazing work, they're so friendly and they're in the same building as my office in Emeryville. I looked at the proof I had again before deciding to not go with them and it caused a frown to develop. No, not just a frown, a full on pout! What I would have held in my hand would have been so beautiful. I planned on framing it. Actu

Image from http://observatory.designobserver.com/entry.html?entry=8597 This is quite a pet peeve of mine. I understand that as a 5'1" woman in a crowded BART train that I cannot reach the overheard bars and I will most likely find myself having to breathe through my mouth while standing under someone's armpit because they're not SURE . But why do I have to scoot my chair back to obtain some personal space? And why am I stepping back TWICE during a casual conversation? I would go into more detail for a juicier post but I don't want to be Fired for Blogging . It happens. What pet peeves top your list?

My puppy love, Bevo, turns 3-years-old today. He had a day at Happy Hound to play with other small dogs and he'll get two new toys and a new box of cookies! I just love my little guy. Bostons are awesome!

Tonight, your Stella & Dot Independent Stylist will be at Little Miss Everything in Brentwood, California at 220 Oak Street from 6-8 PM. Come by and check out some vendors to get gift giving ideas for the upcoming holiday season and possibly WIN $50 in cash! Last month, Jill Cone of Sweetpea & Lovebug won! It was so easy and we decided to team up on another upcoming event. Please stop by! Next Friday, October 21st, I will be in the Sacramento area of Natomas at the below event. Next Saturday, October 22nd, I will be inside The Catwalk Brentwood during The Home-Town Halloween event from 5:00 PM - 8:00PM. Get the kids dressed-up for an early Trick-O-Treating event downtown. Come inside The Catwalk Brentwood for some candy and a special coupon just for MOM! Then, Saturday, November 5th, I am hosting my very first Customer Appreciation & Holiday Shopping event at my house exclusively for my former Stella & Dot hostesses, customers and family & friends. (A

Thinking about what to get your stylish girlfriends or family members? Click on the video above, there are some great Stella & Dot pieces available for the holidays. If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area and LIKE my Facebook page ( www.facebook.com/StellaDotBernadette ), you will are invited to a special holiday shopping event with Stella & Dot and other great vendors on Saturday, November 5th between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM in Brentwood. So please, Save the Date!

Isn't it great to have something that almost no one else has? Like your house, your spouse, your rare, pure-bred dog, a piece of history or a family heirloom? On my cousin's recent visit to the Bay Area from Hawaii with her husband and 2-month-old son, Sol, she, my sister, my cousin, Mike, and I received pieces of jewelry from our grandparents. Along with them, our grandmother told us when she received them. They were either given to her from our fathers, her sons, as gifts or from my grandfather on his trips when he was in the military. I received a gold bracelet from Laos and a matching ring that is missing a ruby-like stone. No problem, I'll get the stone replaced. But how cool it is to have a piece of something that my grandmother has kept for decades? I hope to pass it down to my children someday. Whether it was purchased out of a vending machine or a street vendor, it will increase in value over the years. Coming October 1st, Stella & Dot will be kicking off s

I received the above badge from FourSquare on my recent breakfast outing with Julia in Livermore. I had 1000 check-ins. And 21 badges. According to Yelp , I have 1085 check-ins, have been the Queen of Carson City, Nevada and got up to #12 in the Seattle area on my last trip to Seattle, one year ago. I love Yelp and all the coupons/deals I get just for checking in. I rarely check-in on Facebook unless it's something cool (to each their own), or I just want to be annoying and tag everyone I'm with. The last time I tagged someone was DB and I was talking smack on our recent trip to Umigo Racing in Livermore. For the record, I did not 'smoke' him. I typically check-in just before I leave a place, not the very moment that I arrive. You really shouldn't make it known of your exact whereabouts, especially if you're alone. Recently, a friend's husband was with our group for dinner while his wife was in Southern California on business. He jokingly thanked G

"POV's The Learning tells a surprising tale of immigration, globalization and America's shifting position in the 21st century. When the United States took possession of the Philippines in 1898, American teachers set up the islands' public school system. English was established as the language of instruction and remains so to this day. Today in the Philippines, there is a large pool of trained, motivated, English-speaking teachers, especially in high school math, science and special education. In their country, these teachers receive poverty-level salaries, making them prized recruitment targets for many U.S. school districts, especially those in cash-strapped inner cities. While a salary in one of these urban districts may be low by American standards, it can be as much as 25 times a teacher's salary in the Philippines." - The Learning . I heard about it on a segment on KCBS 740 AM radio this morning. As I began my commute, I had the radio off and was thi

Stella & Dot was a big hit in NYC to kick off Fashion Week. Blythe Harris was there to talk about our new Fall line, including our handbags, and had our limited edition pieces displayed. See the below video and models working it on the runway. Not every item available is needed to be displayed. Simple. Model wearing the Lido Necklace, not yet available Model wearing the Noir Pendant, not yet available What do you think of the new pieces? And what we've been waiting for, here is Stella & Dot in VOGUE Magazine. Please pick up the October 2011 issue. If you stop by my table at any announced events or host a trunk show with me, the Panther Pendant will definitely be there for you and your guests to try on. And for those of you who love watching Keeping Up with The Kardashians , here is Kourtney Kardashion wearing the Festival 'Til Dawn bib that is being discontinued. It is now available for $99, originally $198. Get it today! Shop at www.stelladot.com/Be

50% Off All Bar Drinks??? An exclusive discount on celebrity-adored Stella & Dot jewelry and handbags??? YES!! Only at Kaenyama this Saturday, October 1st. Come see and try on the newest pieces of the Stella & Dot's Fall jewelry collection, including their entire line of leather handbags that are of the same luxurious quality and made in the same factories as Marc Jacobs, Coach, and Kate Spade but cost 20% less. The handbags are featured in September's InStyle magazine, while the jewelry has been in InStyle numerous times, plus in Redbook, Lucky, Ladies Home Journal, Fitness, O Magazine, and our Panther Pendant will be in Vogue's October 2011 issue. Get great gifts for yourself, birthdays, promotions, or even the holidays! It's never too early. Spend $50* and get $10 off *Before tax & shipping Not into jewelry? All bar drinks are 50% off! What a deal! Their Kaenyama Martini is amazing, they have a great wine selection and Sapporo is on draft

Offer stands until I get my 100th 'LIKE'. As a consumer myself, I rarely sign up for e-newsletters and only follow companies on Facebook that I really like, am a repeat customer for, and if they're a company that does not flood my timeline with more than 2-3 postings in one day. Please rest assured that I will not post more than 2-3 times a day, mostly it's just one per day. For those on my e-newsletter list, I only send out a blast 1-2 times a month. Who and What do WE win? I am looking for my 100th Like. Since I am 24 shy and still want the 76 people that like my page already to have a chance at winning, my 100th Like and their friends can win! When you "Share" or "Invite Friends" to Like my page, they might be the 100th one to do so. If they are, I will ask the WINNER to provide me the names of 10 of their friends that also Like my page and they will win as well! You and your friends could win gift certificates ranging from $10-$50 to use on