MY BLOG HAS MOVED!

This blog has a new home....

it is now being hosted right smack in the middle 

of the 

 Fashion Meets Faith website! 

I hope you'll visit me over there.

We'll soon be setting up a way for you to follow the blog,but for now, come see me and find out what I'm in love with right now.

Thank you for being such faithful followers of this blog. I appreciate each and every one of you.

Love you all,

Shari Braendel

Click here to visit the new blog:

Fashion Meets Faith

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A Widow's Experience at Beauty Boot Camp

 Oh my goodness I was so excited to see this blog post on Ferree Hardy's website  I thought it'd be fun to share it with you too. Ferree Hardy began her blog for widows and she has quite a following...and a book for widows, too, that is absolutely beautifully written. She gave me a copy and if you are either a widow or know one, I highly recommend you get a copy. Here is a pic of it.

Ferree came to our Beauty Boot Camp two weeks ago in Tennessee. She wrote a post about it on her widow's blog and I thought I'd pass it along to you too. I love Ferree's heart and know you'll love her too, by the time you're done reading this. Thank you, Ferree for writing about BBC AND for pouring into widows around the world. -Shari

By Ferree Hardy

Online ministries and websites come and go, but I've watched Shari Brandel's Fashion Meets Faith for three years now and what this ministry does is grow and grow! I decided to check it out for myself last weekend to see if it'd be a good thing for widows. Carol, widowed since May of 2012, found out about it when I announced it on this blog in May. And a widow for five years--Wanda--- came on her own, and I was delighted to break out at Baskin Robbins with her for icecream. Both Carol and Wanda told me the same thing: Beauty Boot Camp is a great ministry for widows too!

This is Carol and Ferree the first day of Bootcamp 

• It's refreshing to get away for a weekend of girl talk
• An afternoon of shopping with professional stylists and expert bargain hunters??--what a deal!
• Laughter! And more laughter! It's good for the soul!
• Discover there's God-given beauty within each of us just waiting to show up on the outside!
• Learn to dress in a way that brings out your own special beauty and honors your Creator God
• Experience meaningful fellowship with women who will touch your heart and feed your soul
• And without that husband around anymore to say, "Honey, you look beautiful..." when we look in the mirror we need to know that God intimately loves us and delights in us
• You'll be transformed inside and out! 

And here's AFTER hair stylist extraordinaire Sherry Long
worked her magic!

• click the Speakers Schedule tab to find an event you can attend 
• sign up for her on-line classes starting in September
• buy the book Good Girls Don't Have to Dress Bad if you want all the information right now and at your fingertips in the least expensive way
• start saving up for the next Beauty Boot Camp
• or even consider a new career as you train with Shari to become an image consultant!

If you are in the Knoxville, TN area, get to know Donna Roland www.DonnaRoland.com, for an unforgettable Girlfriend Getaway, styling, personal shopper experience, closet organization and more! In Charleston, SC, Sherry Long can become your personal fashion coach and give you a fantastic new hairstyle! Contact me at WCplace@gmail.com for her DesignHer contact info.

So, in closing, what do you think? Can you see how a beauty boot camp could benefit a widow who's ready to step into the next chapter of God's story for her? I'd love to hear your comments today. 

♥ ferree

P.S. Note from Shari: 
If you are a widow or know of one, visit Ferree at her blog for widows by clicking here.

Contentment

I'm excited to introduce Guest Blogger Renee Law. Here's a picture of us together with a few others from our June CIC class having lunch! She's the one next to me in the purple against the window.

Renee is a recent graduate of Fashion Meets Faith's Christian Image Consulting Course and now contentedly resides in West Virginia. She is available to speak to your church, MOPS, Moms or other women's groups in and around the Hunington, WV area. Or if you're in need of a local, fabulous stylist, she's your gal! She can reached by emailing her here. 
Enjoy her post!

Shari Braendel

"Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned to be content with whatever I have." Phillipians 4:11 NLT

By Renee Law

Contentment....God has been teaching me many things about that word. You see, I am from West Virginia. I have lived here 40 out of my almost 41 years. My goal in life was to move away to someplace I deemed as fun and exciting....a BIG city!

I have begged God and my husband to allow us to move somewhere else. Neither of them has allowed that to happen yet. I can say now that I am truly thankful that we are still here. Yes, thankful! You see, if God had opened any doors for us to get out I would never have learned to be content with where I was. I would have run as fast as I could. 

Do you ever feel that way about your body? Just completely discontent with what you see in the mirror?

If you're like me, you look in the mirror and think, “Why do I have to be bigger on the bottom half? Can I push some of this booty weight to the top?”

Or maybe you have the opposite problem. You wonder why you have to be so blessed on your top half? If you've read Shari’s book "Good Girls Don't Have to Dress Bad" you know which body type you are:B, O, D or X

No one seems to be happy with the letter they are (except maybe the X's, but even a balanced body like an X struggles with her body at times!)

Again, we are back to the word "contentment". We are just they way God wants us to be. 

Embrace the way He made you. God doesn't make mistakes. Your hips are not a mistake. Your thighs are not a mistake. Your blessed or small chest is not a mistake.

If you need a reminder of how to be content, visit Fashion Meets Faith's Contentment Board on Pinterest. 

You might just want to print some of these sayings on some small cards and post them on your mirror or in your car to remind you to be content...just where you are.

          You are His masterpiece just the way He created you!  Loved sharing with you today!

Renee Law 
CIC Graduate of Fashion Meets Faith

Who can wear a peplum? You can!

This week I introduce to you Guest Blogger Sharon Woryn!

Sharon is a graduate of Fashion Meets Faith's Christian Image Consultant Training Program and resides in Michigan. She is experienced in speaking to groups, large and small, Christian and Corporate, Moms and the Mature! This week she's sharing about Peplums and how to wear them. 
Welcome, Sharon!
-Shari

Peplums are in style  and you will find them in all the stores as they show transitional pieces for the season and get in new Fall merchandise. 

The peplum was popularized by Dior in the 1940’s with jackets that were nipped at the waist with peplums at the hip to create an hourglass shape. 


Peplums are feminine and elegant.  All body types can wear a peplum but you must try the peplum top on because they are cut differently and the length and amount of flare will work differently on each body type.  This suit is part of Talbot’s new Fall collection.

 

If you are a b body type, then  your tummy is your challenge area and a peplum top can be a great way to camouflage this area.  Some peplum bodices have a higher waist an inch or two above the natural waistline which can be great for concealing your midriff.  Wear the peplum with skinny jeans, the new slim ankle pants or a pencil skirt.  Avoid a knit peplum top because it will be too clingy for your body type.  This top from Bluefly has a waist that is higher than the natural waistline.

If you are an O body type and your bust is your challenge area, a peplum top can create balance and proportion by accenting the waist.  Because you have great legs, pair the peplum top with a pencil skirt.  This top is by Anne Klein and is available at Macy’s.

If you are a d body type and you don’t want to make your hips and thighs look larger, a peplum can be flattering on you too, just be sure that it accentuates your waist and doesn’t end at the widest part of your hips or thighs.  Wearing a monochromatic look with the top and your skirt or slacks in the same color will work well for you.  The peplum top shown is great for a d body type because it has a ruffle which creates visual interest in the upper part of the body as well.  It is from Target.

Curvy girls can also wear a peplum,  just wear it with tapered or cropped slacks instead of skinny jeans.  Darker colors will give you a leaner look.   This beautiful turquoise top is from Forever 21.

 

A lace peplum or a metallic one paired with a pencil skirt would be a great look for a formal or evening event.  Choose some elegant accessories and feminine heels to complete the look.  I love pearls with a peplum top but wearing some edgy accessories would also be very modern.  This one from Forever 21 is very reasonably priced.

When you are out shopping, take the time to try on some peplum tops.  You will be surprised at how lady-like this style will make you feel!

Tell us, would you wear a peplum? If so, would you prefer a dress or top? And do tell, what is your body type?

Emerald - Day 2

Thanks for coming back to join us mid-week!

Yesterday I left off with a question: What if Emerald is just the starting point?

What if Green is the color of the year?   How would you add it to your wardrobe?  How can you be “trendy” without following unflattering trends?  What if you added the Color of the Year for the next 10 years… what would your closet look like?

Ok… first question.  Let’s call the color of the year Green.

How do you add green to your wardrobe?

If you have the basic neutrals (remember Navy is THE all-time best)… Black, Navy, Grey, Tan, Cream and White… with ALL of their various hues. 

If you have neutrals you can add Green to any outfit.    PICTURES

• ·         Add a Green Jacket to your wardrobe

• ·         Pick up a Green set of flats, heels or running shoes

• ·         Grab some Green accessories, gem stone earrings, bracelets or necklaces

• ·         Find a great Green purse

Here are a few webpages to look at for Emerald Ideas:  To find more ideas go to Google... type in Pantone Emerald 2013 and look at Images... you will see lots of ideas!

• http://covetgarden.com/blog/2013/1/7/emerald-city.html

• http://www.fashionmagazine.com/blogs/fashion/2012/12/06/pantone-colour-of-the-year-2013-emerald/

• http://thestylespy.com/2012/12/green-with-envy-emerald-is-the-pantone-2013-colour-of-the-year/

• http://www.makeupandmacaroons.com/2012/12/emerald-green-is-pantones-colour-of.html

• http://blogs.glam.com/glamblush/2012/12/07/10-beauty-buys-to-enter-pantone%E2%80%99s-emerald-city/

This is where the swatches really start becoming useful.  Shari’s swatches will show you which colors are best for these “pop” color accents to your wardrobe.  The small investment now can help you save on getting pieces that don’t quite work for your coloring. 

Back to the questions:  So in order to be “trendy” with Green accents you will need to pick up a few and wear them.  If the color is great on you, you will be noticed as a beautiful, put together woman who understands how to best present herself… which is WAY more fun than attempting trends not meant for “normal” women.

So this is a question for you ladies… If you added a color every year for the next 10 years what would your closet look like?  How would it be different from your closet today?

For me?  Most of the green in my closet is Green Bay Packer fan-wear.  I have a few green tops and now thinking about it… they are a really nice addition to my regular outfits.  I think that getting a few more under jacket shirts might be on my shopping list next time around.

I hope this adventure into the Pantone was a great experience for you and helped you step out of your “normal”… it did for me!

Join in on the discussion below or over on Facebook.

Thanks for joining us for a Green week! 

Laura Gutknecht

Certified Christian Image Consultant

Supporting Editor of FashionMeetsFaith.com

Pantone Color of 2013: Emerald

In the land of the Fashion Industry the Pantone colors are the first place many fashionistas look for the “in” colors of the year.  This year’s color of the year is Emerald.

OK… cool… now what?

Well let’s go back to last week when I had you pull out your swatches and take a look at the famous fashion guru’s on the Pantone website.

Let’s start with the fashion guru’s.  They know the fashion industry, they choose trends, and they support creative ways to move the industry forward, as you can read here, they sometimes are fashion forward by bringing inspirations from past decades.

Let me switch gears real quick for an example:  Industry experts in automotive measure cars selling.  They look at cost of a vehicle, miles per gallon, resale value, and other practical, logical and boring things.  

Auto makers were trying to figure out what drove the sale of a new vehicle… is it the miles per gallon, paint color choices, the options they can select for cloth, leather, wheels, heated seats, etc.  

What astonished executives was this… many customers count the number of cup holders in the vehicle before deciding to purchase it.  

What?!?   Cup holders?  Really?  

That is what is changing designs of new vehicles today?  Yep.     
(Note:  this isn’t for every customer or the only factor but it was a shocking one.)

Let’s go back to the fashion guru’s… they may know the industry, the trends for styles and colors but I think the reason you are here, on this blog, following us on Facebook… the fact that the Fashion Guru’s haven’t gotten yet is this… Not everyone looks good in the fashion guru's trend choices.   

What!?! 

Yep.  You heard it here.  You are NOT crazy when that Emerald blouse looks hideous on you because it was cut like a potato sack.  You’re NOT crazy when that Emerald set of eyelashes looks like an alien possessed you.  

Trends are NOT a good source of information when it comes to finding YOUR best look.  Leave the trends to the models and grab your swatches for this next step.

Emerald may be the trend color of the year but it doesn't mean that it is YOUR color of the year. 

For this next step we are going to call Emerald green.  It’s in the green family.

Your color green looks different and let me show you what the 6 DCC’s green swatches look like when placed side by side..

Tell me what you see.  I see olive for Warms, darker green for Deeps, bright green for Clear’s, lighter green for Lights, medium green for Softs and semi-bright green for Cool’s.

Do you see Emerald?  It might live between Clear and Deep.






What if Emerald is just the starting point?

Come back tomorrow to hear more about our Green discussion.

For today… Tell me what your favorite color Green is. 

• Which color green do you use to paint your house, add as throw pillows or use as a comforter for your bed?
• Which color do you wear (besides St. Patrick’s Day and Christmas)?  What DCC are you?

Use a paint store color if you need to explain your color (like Home Depot, Benjamin Moore, etc) and add the link with your response!

See you tomorrow!

Laura Gutknecht

Certified Christian Image Consultant

Supporting Editor of FashionMeetsFaith.com

West Point bound

Hey all, thought I'd share some personal news with you this week.

I'm in New York with my husband, Dave and our son, Luke, who is entering the West Point Prep School to prepare to enter West Point. He is my baby boy who is now over 6'7" and has been recruited to play basketball for Army.

Today I dropped him off....here we are at the hotel before we took him for his in-processing. As you can see, he still has his hair.

And here he is at the end of the day right after taking the oath to serve the United States of America in the Army when he graduates from West Point.

 Oh dear will I miss this boy. He seemed to be a bit nervous as in this pic they had just given us 5 minutes to say Goodbye...we won't have contact for the next 3 weeks...though we are hoping for a phone call in there sometime. As they say, no news is good news so we really don't want to hear from him before the designated time.

But because of his tears (I think they were of exhaustion), and because of mine (more like a river), will you lift up prayer for Luke when you read this? And if you do, will you let me know you did in your comments below.

It will do this mama's heart some good today.

Thank you friends,

love, Shari

Would You Wear This?

I'm in New York dropping my son off at West Point...and yes, this mama has been crying a river. 

However, in my search for something camo (oh don't worry, I will likely buy out the gift shops tomorrow), 

I came across this unusual dress. 

Artists Adrienne Pao and Robin Lasser have created tent dresses or ‘wearable architecture’ for the outdoors. 

Let's just say I probably won't be wearing it to the next Army/Navy game. 

Ahem.

Love you!

Shari

Beauty Boot Camp

WE STILL HAVE ROOM!

It's a weekend you won't soon forget...I promise!

Click here to watch the video from a past BBC.

JOIN US! It's a great way to kick off Fall 2013!

love, Shari 

The Whole Elephant...

Ever hear the expression... "How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time."

I think I ate the whole elephant and I honestly am too excited to write a post about just one thing tonight...

Here is why...

1) You ladies wrote some AWESOME things in the survey.  If you didn't take it please join in the fun!... http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HQWBP3L.

You talked about having local consultants, more books, more posts, guest bloggers, more pictures... body shape, colors, more expensive clothing, less expensive recommendations... full outfits, full closet makeovers... 

It is SO exciting to see that you are as passionate as I am about all of these things and your comments are showing us that our hearts are in the right direction even though there are only two of us blogging, Facebooking and sharing on social media.  You give us the encouragement to keep growing!

2) You are SO beautiful!  Honestly I have put myself as Shari's side kick, behind the scenes blogger, and it is Shari's success that gives me the privilege to support this amazing group of women... thank you SO much for the compliments and the personal emails.  

I've never felt more awesomely loved yet so willing to be the best "roadie" to Fashion Meets Faith's next steps.  Thank you for my own spotlight for those very precious moments.

3)  OK... so you probably want some Fashion-y stuff don't cha?

Okie dokie!  I will try to keep it to one topic today...in a way I only know how... with honesty and complete truth.

The Pantone Colors are sort of the "bible" when it comes to colors in the Fashion Industry. 
(note:  this is coming from Laura who has stumbled into this site, looked at it like a deer in headlights, and who promptly clicked the "close" button for the last 12 trips to this website... Shari will have a different perspective.)

Anyways according to wikipedia the Pantone colors are chosen by elite fashionistas from around the globe.  They are based in New Jersey, not far from New York City.  They decide the best colors of the year and are the leading expert in color trends around the world.

Ok so what does that mean to you?  It means that this is where most of the designers get their inspiration and they want to make sure they create collections that are on trend or compliment the trend colors.  These are the colors you will see at the mall when looking around.  They show up in accessories like handbags and shoes and even show up as makeup trends (when they maybe shouldn't... last years top color was tangerine!)

In the next few weeks we will take the colors from the Pantone and share with you how YOU can wear them with your regular styles at home.

While I gather the information and then have Shari check my work (I need her to make sure I translated "fashionista" correctly).  I have a few homework assignments for you too!

The homework...

a) Find your DCC.  Soft, Light, Warm, Cool, Deep, Clear.

b) Get your swatches handy, if you don't have a set then grab one here.

c) Take a peek at the Pantone website.  This particular page shows the inspiration for styles this season.  The people are from the fashion industry.  If you don't know a person, if you don't know a term then take a risk and google it to see what it means or what that person is famous for... trust me... I know from my experience that it is scary to dip my toe into the fashion world so don't worry I will be here to bring you back to the modest, "normal" world that we love here at FashionMeetsFaith.com!

Until next time stay beautiful!

 ----

Laura Gutknecht

Christian Image Consultant

Supporting Editor of FashionMeetsFaith.com