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.

Happy Birthday to Ashley!

Ashley is turning 23 for the 3rd time!

We're so excited, that we're throwing a 'Bubbles and Baubles' event! Jewelry and Champagne are two of her favorite things! For a very limited time, Ashley's Big Secret is offering
FREE SHIPPING!
That's right- until Friday, shipping on any order is FREE!

That's the 'Baubles' part- for the 'Bubbles' part, have a toast of your favorite bubbly for Ashley!

Cheers,

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 our Stephanie Collection!

I am so pleased to introduce our new Stephanie Collection, named after one of our dearest friends. These pieces are chosen for their versatility, ease of wear and value.

Stephanie is, to say the least, a SUPERMOM! She is what all little girls dream of growing up to be... and some of us are still hoping we'll grow up to be her, too! She is one of those women who handle career and family flawlessly- while still looking gorgeous!

I have always been in awe of her- even thinking about how much she has going on makes me want to take a nap! We had the pleasure of working with Stephanie to put together her collection, and let me tell you... it's FAB. We picked each piece with a busy woman in mind. The collection includes jewelry that goes with everything, baubles that will make a t-shirt and jeans look classy, and of course, we kept your budget in mind.

Without further ado... here are some of the pieces from the Stephanie Collection!

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.

Gold iPod Anyone?

For a whopping $600 bucks, you can own a gold plated cover for your iPod from Amosu. Looks pretty cool, huh?

Actually, I think it looks pretty classy so I won't make fun of it. But if I had $600 bucks just begging to be spent, here's what I'd spend it on:

$11.00

$12.00








$79.00








$18.00








$9.00





Then I'd take my left over $462 and pay rent. Now that's how a smart girl shops.

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.

2 Boobs and a Baby Contest!

Hey all! I'm so happy to let you know that we are sponsoring a contest for one of my favorite podcasts- Two Boobs and a Baby! A southern girl, Heather, and her Canadian husband, Dave, talk about their adventures as a new family.

Listen to their podcast for details on how to win $100 of fabulous Ashley's Big Secret jewelry!

You can also head over to their website, www.TwoBoobsandaBaby.com to check them out!

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.

Wine Tips for Cheapskates!

Please indulge me, dear reader, as my wine suggestion today involves three parts.

Part I – Apropos of nothing, my lovely wife started hocking me about serving too much nice wine to our guests at dinner. I cannot imagine what prompted her outburst as it was 8:00 in the morning and we hadn’t had dinner guests for several weeks. Perhaps, I had been on good behavior for awhile and complaining about wine at dinner was the worst thing she could think of at the time.

Anyway, she seemed adamant that I understood the wastefulness of giving too much expensive wine to tipsy guests.

Part II – When we lived in Kansas City, we used to go to a Greek restaurant called Tasso’s and run by a Greek guy named, you guessed it, Tasso. We used to order Roditys wine that came in a somewhat used looking bottle for about $15. It was OK and who knows what Greek wine is supposed to taste like, anyway.

One night I was going to the Men’s room and went left into the kitchen, instead of right to the Men’s room. Two wrong steps and I was in the middle of the kitchen watching Tasso pour wine from what must have been a five gallon jug, like the huge water bottle that sits upside down on an office water cooler of old. Tasso had the huge bottle under his arm and was pouring it, through a large funnel into one of the somewhat used looking bottles of Roditys. Next to the bottle was a box filled with used corks which he put in the bottle, once it had been refilled.

Part III – After thinking about Parts I and II, above, I have come to a revelation. At our next dinner party, I will start the evening with two bottles of, say, Heitz Cellars Trailside Vineyard 1994 Cabernet Sauvignon, my last two bottles. When the two bottles are gone, I intend to stealthily return the bottles to the kitchen where I will refill them from the box of Delicato Cabernet Sauvignon in the refrigerator.

Next, I will proudly return the bottles to the table and, without a word, refill everyone’s empty glass. The fun will be to see if anyone notices. My guess is that my guests will either be too tipsy or too polite to say anything, or both.

I will let you know what happens and if you are invited to my house for dinner, please do not give up the punch line as I may, or may not, refill the bottles from the refrigerator. As I think more about it, I may just drink the last of the Heitz Cellars and refill the empty bottles tonight, so that they will be ready for our next dinner party.

Too bad for me- all the women in my family already know about Ashley's Big Secret, so I can't apply the same principal to giving jewelry as a gift. Otherwise, I could save a whole lot of money by giving them, say, a gigantic ring knowing they, like my tipsy guests, wouldn be unable to tell the difference.

In wine we trust, Jeff

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.

Summer Bangles from StyleTips101.com

My girl over at StyleTips101.com (one of my absolute favorite blogs) wrote a great article about bangles for summer I thought you should read. She has FABULOUS fashion advice!

"Well we all know that bangles have been around for some time now, and it doesn’t look like they will be leaving us any time soon. Why? Because they’re so much fun! Bangles look great any day, any time. They accessorize an outfit better than almost anything ( not everything though) and they also look great.

"Now that summer is just around the corner, bangles are peeking their way out slowly and making their big entrance. They will be appearing on beaches mostly, and they will be sparkling all the way, because this summer it’s all about colors, flowers, and lots and lots of sunshine.

"So take out your thick, colorful bangles, preferably in happy, sunny colors such as pink, green, blue, and yellow! Make sure you wear bangles at the right times: bangles with a classy evening dress is a big no-no. But if you’re going to the beach, stack some bangles on your arm, and there you go…you have some arm candy ( well, kinda).

"Also hot this summer, are transparent bangles, and you will be seeing them everywhere. Again, wear them with caution as they don’t go with everything. If you want to pair some bangles with a simple summer dress, make sure the bangles and the shoes match (or the bangles and your tote). "

Reprinted with permission from www.StyleTips101.com. This article can be seen at http://styletips101.com/accessories/summer-bangles.html. A special thanks to Aniela!

Some bangles we love are the Pink and Gold Bangle, the Pink Rocker Bangle, the Red Polka Dot Bangle, and out Blue and Purple Stretchy Bangle. All will make you look like a total rockstar!

Fantastic April Addiction Sale!

At the first of every month, we come out with new sale items- and even though today is April Fool's day, I'm not foolin'!

(My accountant probably wishes I were, though!)

As everyone knows, I am totally addicted to fabulous jewelry... and of course I love bargains. We we've dubbed this sale our April Addiction sale to indulge my 2 favorite addictions. A girl's gotta have a couple vices, right? We have some pretty amazing sale items including Kissaka Pearls, and some items as low as $3.00!

Have fun... and remember- Veni Vidi VISA!

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.

Come be our Myspace Friend!

We've had lots of fun on myspace recently, and we'd love to have you add us as a friend! Go to http://www.myspace.com/ashleysbigsecret to check us out! We reveal some of our jewelry faves as well as offer sneak peaks and discounts to all of our myspace friends.

See you there!

Ashley

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.

The New vs. The Old

Ever since opening Ashley's Big Secret, I get asked the same questions alot- 'Do you only wear your own stuff? Do you ever wear real stuff? What about your old jewelry?'

These are very, very good questions! I have always loved jewelry, and my mother and I have been collecting for years. On the other hand, I am very proud of Ashley's Big Secret's jewelry- heck, Mom and I are personally resonsible for every piece in the store. I love our jewelry-it's new, it's funky, fun, hip. Much of what I wear is, in fact, my own stuff. Not everything, though.

For years I have received gifts of gorgeous jewelry that are all absolutely beautiful and mean alot to me because of who it came from. It's really fun for me to be able to put a really special bracelet, for example, with a fun necklace from my own collection to make both look even more beautiful.

As for some of the real stuff, Mom and I have been mixing and matching real and faux for years! In my experience, its fun to have a great pair of diamond earrings, but if you match them with a big, fabulous ring like this one, you get way more compliments on the ring! The fact of the matter is- no one knows the difference!

So there you have your answer: I wear mostly Ashley's Big Secret, but love to mix and match it with peices I already have. It's the best of both worlds!

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.

I am SO in Love!

I've been perfectly horrible about blogging lately, so I apologize. I've been tremendously busy- and in love! Well, not with some stupid boy! That would be far too girly for me! Oh no, I'm completely infatuated with fun new jewelry combinations for Spring. (See, you can make a girl strong, proud and self-reliant, but you can't make her give up her baubles!)

This one above is a combination that is nearing perfection, as far as I'm concerned. I've paired the Hammered Silver Cuff with a Hammered Silver Ring. They look awesome together and give off a sort of warrior-princess chic feel that I totally dig. I was so excited, I just had to take a pic so y'all could see!

I've also found a great way to spice up some of my more boring suits for business lunches: With a plane white shirt and brown slacks, I spice the whole thing up with a flower pin and gold jewelry... fabulous! With a powerful Gold Cuff on one hand and some Toni Bracelets on the other, I feel like a source to be reckoned with!

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.

Fabulocity! Fun with Models!

We had so much fun dressing up our new 'models'! It was like being a little girl again! Here's what we came up with:

Glamour is a must! This beautiful lady looks fabulous in our orange spring collection.
Check out Ashleysbigsecret.com for our complete line of spring faux jewelry at fab prices! These Circle Shell and Glass Bead sets are fab- and come in a variety of different colors. YOU too can look and feel like a diva on a budget.




This mysterious model is wearing our “Fauxture” line of pink pearls and charm necklace. We also have a beautiful charm bracelet to go with the necklace. Click on http://www.ashleysbigsecret.com/ and view all of the fantastic line of faux jewelry at fab prices!


CEO during the day DIVA at night! A must have for a new twist on simple pearls. The pink pearl and charm necklace will dress up any daytime power suit and look stunning in the evening at a candle light dinner. Find out what all the hoopla is about http://www.ashleysbigsecret.com/. The pink pearl and charm necklace is one of the beautiful pieces from our “Faux-ture” line
MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL…..I AM THE MOST BEAUTIFULL OF THEM ALL!! Pink is beautiful…this pink pearl and charm necklace even looks fab with summer wear! Oooh! We just love pieces with great versatility!

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.

The Debut of our Models!

Today we debuted our new models! We think our fun and funky mannequins are just gorgeous! What do you think? Find them on our site here.

What should we name them???

Leave your suggestions in comments, or write us at writeus@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.