Ashley's Faves: Earthy Bracelets

Oh yes, ma'am! I do love earthy bracelets right now! Sometimes, it's hard to find jewelry that goes with brown or earth tone clothing, and these three bracelets are perfect! They got a ton of compliments, and make a great match for brown base-color outfits.

Loves it!

Wooden Bangle Bracelet: $9.00

Gold and Cream Stretchy Bracelet: ON SALE $8.00

Gold, Wood and Red Beaded Bracelet: ON SALE $11.00

For fabulous accessories, visit AshleysBigSecret.com. Please feel free to comment here, or give us a shout out at writeus@ashleysbigsecret.com.

© Copyright 2007. Ashley’s Big Secret, Inc.

Ashley's Faves: Charm Bracelets and Necklaces

I'm awfully excited about my father's birthday. We're having a lovely picnic at the lake with some Bocce Ball, Sancerre (see below) and a delicious European meal of meats, cheeses and fresh bread. I love eating like that- it's so relaxed and elegant... and feels much more indulgent than it actually is!

I was lucky enough to find a recipe for fresh cheese from scratch in an old cook book, and have been busy coming up with different herbed cheeses to serve for our picnic. Now you know me- I fake it in jewelry and in the kitchen [see Fake It In The Kitchen] so this recipe is just as easy as can be. I adore cooking things that appear very gourmet and complicated but are actually very easy.

As excited as I am about this recipe, I am so much more excited about what I'll be wearing. As with cooking, I like to wear jewelry that appears to be much more expensive than it actually is. (That is my Big Secret, after all.) These two charm pieces are just perfect for that! Everyone thinks they're some sort of fabulously expensive designer's pieces, and they go extremely well with a crisp, white shirt. Fauxture Pink Pearl Charm Set $79; Gold Essential Charm Bracelet $24 at Ashey's Big Secret.

For fabulous accessories, visit AshleysBigSecret.com. Please feel free to comment here, or give us a shout out at writeus@ashleysbigsecret.com.

© Copyright 2007. Ashley’s Big Secret, Inc.

Jeff's Jewelry and Wine Pairings: Sancerre

Summer is for Sancerre

Sancerre is my all-time favorite summer wine. You can certainly drink it any time, but a summer afternoon by the lake is just about perfect if accompanied by a chilled (not too cold) glass of nice Sancerre and some interesting cheese.

Sancerre comes from the Loire Valley in France. The French like to say that wine is a reflection of its terrior, its soil and location. Sancerre is a product of “white” soil, which is rich in limestone. The soil and the location give the best Sancerre a taste of the soil that is unmistakable. It is pleasant, light, and earthy.

Sancerre is more interesting than the Australian and New Zeeland Sauvignon Blanc in taste, although they both come from the same grape variety, Sauvignon Blanc. It is also more expensive (sometimes a lot more expensive) than the New World Sauvignon Blanc, but what the hey. How much can you drink?

What brings me to a light-hearted discussion of Sancerre is that this weekend is my birthday (no gifts, but checks made out to cash will be accepted).

When asked what I wanted to do for my birthday by Ashley of Ashley’s Big Secret fame, I told her I wanted to have a picnic by the lake, play Bocce and drink, you guessed it, Sancerre and sparkling water and sample interesting cheeses, salamis, and crusty French baguettes from Panera Bread.

Life is good.

This is an important birthday for me. I am exactly halfway through my intended lifespan. Counting on good genes and no particular effort on my part, I am planning to live to 116 at which point I will decide if I want to live longer. Of course, as long as I have a good supply of Sancerre, sparkling water and interesting cheeses, I may decide that life should go on even further. I will keep you posted.

As far as jewelry to wear with a light, but interesting white wine, Ashley suggests that you look at our Fauxture Charm Necklace Set and our Gold Essential Charm Bracelet. Ashley says they are perfect for a rich summer picnic- sophisticated and fun.

For fabulous accessories, visit AshleysBigSecret.com. Please feel free to comment here, or give us a shout out at writeus@ashleysbigsecret.com.

© Copyright 2007. Ashley’s Big Secret, Inc.

Ashley's Faves: Red Jade Bangle

This is something that just arrived- it is so cool and fabulous! It is carved from a single piece of rare red Jade! Even the bangle noise that these create is interesting; it sounds sort of like glasses clinking. Wow- it's gorgeous, interesting and rare! Available here for $24.00.

For fabulous accessories, visit AshleysBigSecret.com. Please feel free to comment here, or give us a shout out at writeus@ashleysbigsecret.com.

© Copyright 2007. Ashley’s Big Secret, Inc.

Ashley's Faves: Big Purple Rectangle Ring

Oh, you know me.... I like big, fancy, ostentatious cocktail rings. They sparkle brilliantly, they get admiring looks from both genders, and they scream, "I am such a DIVA!" And better yet, even if people know it's not the 'real deal', they still think you paid a couple hundred bucks for it.

This ring is one I just had to add to my personal collection the second it came in, and has been a staple in my jewelry wardrobe ever since. GORGEOUS! Even better, it's on sale for $25 at Ashley's Big Secret.

For fabulous accessories, visit AshleysBigSecret.com. Please feel free to comment here, or give us a shout out at writeus@ashleysbigsecret.com.

© Copyright 2007. Ashley’s Big Secret, Inc.

Introducing Clip Earrings!!!!

We have received lots of requests for more clip earrings.... You asked, and they are here! We now have a special section just for clip earrings, and have added 20 new styles just for you!

Click here to check them out!

For a variety of reasons, many women only wear clip earrings- but they are so hard to find! We've made it easy and affordable to wear fabulous earrings in the latest styles.

We hope you like them! Here is a little sampling.... enjoy!

$16.00

$15.00

We have many more at www.AshleysBigSecret.com!

For fabulous accessories, visit AshleysBigSecret.com. Please feel free to comment here, or give us a shout out at writeus@ashleysbigsecret.com.

© Copyright 2007. Ashley’s Big Secret, Inc.

Ashley's Faves: Pink Bubblegum Beads

These are some of my absolute favorites. Why? Well, aside from their fierce, fabulous and flashy style, they make you a TOTAL MAN MAGNET. Seriously, unless you are ready for men to come out of the woodwork in order to tell you how fabulous you are, you aren't ready to wear these beads! I like to wear them with a black shirt so they stand out. Available here for $15.00.

For fabulous accessories, visit AshleysBigSecret.com. Please feel free to comment here, or give us a shout out at writeus@ashleysbigsecret.com.

© Copyright 2007. Ashley’s Big Secret, Inc.

Ashley's Faves: Big Swanky Gold Cuff

I just totally adore this fabulous bracelet! To me, it's very evocative of 1970s super hero women, and I feel like SuperAshley when I wear it! It gets a ton of compliments, and is the perfect gold bracelet! $27 at AshleysBigSecret.com

For fabulous accessories, visit AshleysBigSecret.com. Please feel free to comment here, or give us a shout out at writeus@ashleysbigsecret.com.

© Copyright 2007. Ashley’s Big Secret, Inc.

Introducing Ashley's Faves

It's no secret that every once in a while (like every day or so) I become completely obsessed with a new piece of jewelry. Sometimes it's a new piece in the collection, sometimes it's a particularly juicy sale item, and sometimes it's a little bauble I've just discovered looks great with a particular outfit.

Not wanting any of my fabulous fashion insights go to waste, I've decided to start making my revelations public in a forum that will be called, 'Ashley's Faves'. You can find them here, or in our store at AshleysBigSecret.com.

Without further ado...

Can you imagine anything more perfect for this summer than a chunky, bright, fabulous bangle bracelet? Not me! They are so totally 'in', are nearly guaranteed to get a bunch of compliments and are therefor deemed completely fabulous and worthy of Ashley's Faves.

For fabulous accessories, visit AshleysBigSecret.com. Please feel free to comment here, or give us a shout out at writeus@ashleysbigsecret.com.

© Copyright 2007. Ashley’s Big Secret, Inc.