“Terrible Tuesday” – The Importance of Etiquette
The rules of proper etiquette and protocol have been around for years, but they are far more important in this day and age than ever before. Implementing proper etiquette and protocol skills into everyday life should be habit for everyone – including children. After all, a person who displays proper etiquette not only feels good about himself, he also makes those around him feel important and respected.
Did you know that an impression is made within the first seven seconds of meeting someone? Seven seconds is an extremely small amount of time, so you must rely on your etiquette skills and social graces to ace that first impression. Are you up-to-date with these skills? Well, it is never too early, or too late, to start.
Having social grace means that you can maneuver through any situation with ease; whether you are in an interview or on a dinner date you will have confidence and put your companion at ease. For instance, at a dinner table, you will know which fork to use, how to eat bread, and where to place your napkin. A great example of how it feels not to know proper etiquette is in the movie Pretty Woman. Remember when Julia Roberts wasn’t sure how to use her appetizer utensil? She was visibly unsure of herself, and she had to look around at the other diners to figure out what to do. You can save yourself this embarrassment by becoming well versed in social etiquette.
Obviously, proper etiquette is important in a social setting, but it is crucial in a business setting. In order to achieve business success, you must be able to adapt to ever-changing situations and act with confidence. Displaying proper etiquette will get you noticed and, obviously, being noticed is great for business! For example – There are two people being interviewed for a top position at a large company. One is late and not dressed appropriately. What is more, he makes the mistake of not making eye contact when speaking to the interviewer. But the other prospect is early for the appointment and dressed in a suit. He also makes the effort to be assertive and eager during the interview. Who do you think will be chosen for the top position? The person who displays proper business etiquette will always have the edge in such situations!
As you can see, etiquette is an important part of everyday life. A person who displays proper etiquette shows respect for himself as well as respect for those around him. Don’t you think it’s about time to test your social savvy?
Erin Sharplin Love
“Manic Monday” – Tips For Organizing Your Time
Everyone needs more time in their day! Getting organized, in general, saves time, but there are ways to organize your life to make better use of your time.
Tips for Organizing Your Time
- Prioritizing is key! *Tip – Combine your personal and your business lists.
- Complete the most important tasks on your to-do list first.
- Prepare for the next day by picking out what you will wear.
- Create a timeline to keep yourself on target. This also lends itself to creating habits. (doing things at the same time everyday)
- Going through the mail and getting rid of all junk mail will save you time in the long run.
- Plan your meals a week at a time. This will save you time in the grocery store and at home!
- If you tend to “dawdle” make use of a timer to make sure you stay on track.
- Never wait! Use that time to make phone calls, read an article, etc.
- Create a space specifically for items you need right when you walk out the door (keys, wallet, briefcase, etc.)
- Know when to schedule appointments. For instance, cut down on wait time by making appointments first thing in the morning.
- Delegate when you can.
Remember – Procrastination breeds dread!
Erin Sharplin Love
“Fashionable Friday” – Four Fashion Rules For Every Woman
As a fashion and image consultant I have noticed that these four rules apply to every woman and every figure.
1. Choose your best asset and play it up! For instance, if you have great legs, accentuate them! Playing up your assets will draw the eye from you trouble areas. 
2. Wear the right colors for your skin tone. The right color against your skin tone can make you look alive when you feel like you’ve seen better days! 
3. Find clothing in YOUR size and stick with it. Clothing to small can make you look bigger and clothing too big can make you look bigger, too. Find your just right size and you’ll look perfect!
4. All women want longer legs and there are ways to fake long legs. The longer your pants, the longer your legs will look. Just skimming the floor is perfect. Another tip is to wear shoes that match your pants. Or if you are wearing a skirt wear shoes that are your skin tone. 
I hope this helps!
Erin Sharplin Love
“Topsy-Turvy Thursday” – A Few of My Favorite Things…
I love to try new products and every now and then I run into some great ones! Here are a few of the best items I’ve run in to lately:
Skinceuticals Clarifying Cleanser – I have extremely oily skin so sometimes it is hard for me to find a cleanser that doesn’t dry my skin out too much or one that adds to the oiliness. But I found it in this product! This products active ingredient is salycilic acid which exfoliates as it regulates my oil. I love it!
Skinceuticals Equalizing Toner – I always feel like I need a toner after I wash my face. Some beauticians and aestheticians don’t think that toner is necessary, but I do! I love the spray pump on this toner!
Skinceuticals Phloretin CF – Skinceuticals boasts that this product contains “breakthrough technology” and will promote cell turnover thus slowing the aging process. Phloretin also may reverse some signs of aging. When I read that I said “sign me up!” I love it!!
If you use or purchase these products I would love to know what you think!!
Erin Sharplin Love
“Wedding Wednesday” – Wedding Traditions and Customs
Did you know that many of the wedding traditions and customs that we participate in today are many centuries old? For instance, did you know that the phrase “tie the knot” originated with the Roman practice of the groom’s untying the knots on a girdle worn by the bride? Another interesting fact – the trend of wearing white for one’s wedding was started by Queen Victoria in 1840. Learning and incorporating such traditions and customs into wedding preparations is a fun way to recognize the historical importance of the union:
The Bridal Veil – Many believe that the wedding veil predates the wedding dress by centuries. One explanation is that it comes from the days when the groom would throw a blanket over the head of the woman he chose to be his wife! Another explanation is that the veil comes from arranged marriages where the bride’s face was covered until the marriage ceremony was complete so the groom couldn’t change his mind if he didn’t think she was attractive. Traditionally, however, the bridal veil is a symbol of modesty, respect, and virginity.
The Bridal Bouquet – In ancient societies, it was believed that strong smelling herbs and spices would drive away evil spirits, bad luck, and ill health, so brides carried a bouquet of herbs and spices. Elizabethan brides carried such embellishments to mask body odor resulting from the lack of regular bathing habits, partly because of the belief that such cleansing rituals left the body more susceptible to diseases. During the Victorian era, bouquets were made of flowers so the bride and groom could send secret messages to each other through the meaning of the flowers they carried or wore.
The Wedding March – Traditional marriages feature two wedding marches. Richard Wagner’s “Bridal Chorus” is traditionally played during the processional and Felix Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” is traditionally played during the recessional. This custom dates back to 1858 when Queen Victoria’s daughter, the Princess of Great Britain, selected those two songs for her wedding.
The Wedding Cake - Ancient Romans baked a cake made of wheat and barley and broke it over the bride’s head as a symbol of her fertility. It then became a tradition to place many cakes on top of each other to symbolize the wish for a fruitful union. As part of the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom kissed over the cakes. During the reign of King Charles II, it became tradition to turn cake into an edible part of the ceremony, adding sugared icing. It is interesting to note that in today’s traditions, the wedding cake remains a symbol of fertility.
Well, I hope you learned something! I sure did while I was researching! 
Erin Sharplin Love
“Terrible Tuesday” – Ten Commandments of Computer Etiquette
The Ten Commandments of Computer Etiquette
1. Thou shall not use a computer to harm others.
2. Thou shall not use the computer to spy on others.
3. Thou shall not use the computer to steal money from others.
4. Thou shall not use the computer to steal information from others.
5. Thou shall not use a false existence on the computer.
6. Thou shall not knowingly send a virus to others.
7. Thou shall not send unsolicited e-mail to others.
8. Thou shall not take advantage of bad situations that may arise.
9. Thou shall not misuse any instant messaging program.
10. Thou shall show respect for others while on the computer.
Thanks for reading!
Erin Sharplin Love
“Manic Monday” – Organizing Your Cleaning Supply Closet
Every Sunday is “cleaning day” for me and I realized yesterday that my cleaning supply closet may have been the most disorganized spot in my house. So I decided to organize it! Let me share with you what I did:
1. First things first! I removed everything from the closet and in the process found a few things that didn’t really belong in the broom closet.
2. I took the few things that did not belong in the broom closet to their rightful places.
3. Alot of cleaning products come in boxes and I don’t like boxes. You can’t see how many of the item you have. For instance, I took everything out of boxes that is individually wrapped or is not toxic – like swiffer duster sheets. I replaced the boxes with baskets. That way I can see what I have and I will know when I need to replace something.
4. I keep light bulbs in my broom closet, so I took each bulb out of their boxes, as I did in the previous step, and put them in labelled baskets.
5. I united all of the cleaning items I use into a carrying case that I can pick up and carry from room to room with me.
6. I placed all extra items, such as, bulk items for refills in a seperate spot that is easy to get to.
7. When I organize a broom closet for a client I typically purchase a “broom/mop organizer” but I didn’t have one yesterday so I had to improvise. I screwed some hooks into the walls and on the door of the closet that I found in my husbands shop. Then I hung all of my brooms,mops, swiffer dusters, etc. onto those hooks to save floor space.
Now next Sunday it will be so much easier to clean!! I am not dreading it as much as I usually do!
Happy Cleaning!
Erin Sharplin Love
“Fashionable Friday” – Are You a Fashion Fad Addict?
Each year haute couture designers come out with new “trends” or “fads” for each season. Ready to wear designers take their cue from them and begin to design clothing for everyday people like me and you. Some of these trends may not be right for every person or for every body type. The best advice I can give to you as a certified fashion and image consultant is that you don’t have to wear something just because it is the trendy thing to do.
After all, we all have different tastes, as well as, body types. If you don’t like a trend that happens to be hot at the moment, don’t wear it. You will only appear uncomfortable. If there happens to be a trend that you love, try it out. Experiment with it. There are many different designers and one of them should fit your idea of the trend perfectly. If not, however, don’t force yourself to wear something that doesn’t look good on you.
For instance, for the fall, frills and lace are aplenty. If you are small in stature it will be difficult to wear a frilly shirt without it wearing you! You may be able to find a toned down version, however, and that would be the one to go with. My point is that it is alright to play with the trends to find the perfect one for you, but by no means do you have to submit to all of the trends.
I have come up with a quiz to help you to figure out if you may be a “fashion fad addict”. I would love to hear some of your responses. If you have time, please e-mail them to me. Or if you have any other questions, please feel free to call or e-mail me!
Hope to hear from all of you soon!
Are you a “Fashion Fad Addict”?
- Do you constantly buy the latest and the greatest that you’ve seen in magazines or other media?
- Does your entire wardrobe represent many styles/eras of clothing?
- Do you often feel as if you don’t have a “thing to wear”?
- Do you have many fashion mistakes within your wardrobe?
- Do you have family and friends who feel your clothing is a bit “over the top”?
- Do you often feel as if you are not dressed correctly for the occasion?
- Do you find yourself discarding many items of clothing and accessories each season?
- Do you often feel as if your clothing attracts unwanted attention?
- Do you experience feelings of boredom with classic wardrobe pieces?
- Do you often find yourself regretting purchases, not knowing where or when you will wear them?
If you’ve answered “yes” to one or two of the above, you’re probably not a Fashion Fad Addict, as everyone needs variety.
If you’ve answered “yes” to two to four of the above, you probably need to watch your fashion step, as you could become a Fashion Fad Addict.
If you’ve answered “yes” to four to six of the above, you need to approach fashion more rationally with an eye towards longer term, more basic pieces.
If you’ve answered “yes” to six to ten of the above, you are indeed a Fashion Fad Addict, and your wardrobe and pocket book are suffering, as the fashions you are attracted to, and purchase are fads and don’t have a long fashion life. Some change here is probably
necessary!
Also, if you answered “yes” to any of the above questions a certified fashion and image consultant could be your answer!
Erin Sharplin Love
“Topsy-Turvy Thursday” – Book Review
Eat This, Not That”
In my opinion, Eat This, Not That, is a book that every one should have in their possession. This book was written by David Zinczenko, the editor-in-chief of Men’s Health magazine, with help from the website calorieking.com. Eat This, Not That is a book dedicated to helping it’s reader choose the healthiest meals from some of the most popular restaurants, including fast food restaurants, in the United States. I am so excited to give you a sneak peek into this book!
According to Eat This, Not That the “Worst Fast-Food Chicken Meal” is the Chicken Selects’ Premium Breast Strips from McDonald’s (5 pieces) with creamy ranch dressing. It packs 830 calories and 55 grams of fat!
Chick-fil-A restaurant scored an A+ on the list of healthiest fast-food restaurants. There isn’t a single sandwich that is over 500 calories. A few other healthy restaurants are Subway, Boston Market, and, unbelievably, Taco Bell! The worst restaurants were Panera, Pizza Hut, On the Border, and Macaroni Grill.
Eat This, Not That is packed with one surprise after the next. For instance, at McDonald’s the Quarter Pounder with cheese has only 410 calories, compared to the Premium Grilled Chicken Club Sandwich which has 570 calories! And most of us think that anything with the word “grilled” in it is healthier! Another surprise was the Starbucks Black Forest Ham, Egg, and Cheddar Breakfast Sandwich with a Grande Sugar-Free Nonfat Vanilla Latte has 510 calories, whereas the Bran Muffin with Nuts and a Grande 2% White Chocolate Mocha has a whopping 890 calories!!
This is just the tip of the iceberg for Eat This, Not That! David Zinczenko deserves a big pat on the back for writing a book that will help keep us fit and trim while we enjoy the luxury of fast food and restaurant hopping!
*I purchased Eat This, Not That from www.amazon.com
Erin Sharplin Love
www.panachebyerin.com
“Wedding Wednesday” – Common Mistakes That Brides Make
Getting married should be one of the most important days of a woman’s life. More times than not, women dream of their wedding day years before it happens. They will have every little detail planned to perfection in their heads, but implementing their dreams comes with challenges.
Unfortunately, many brides make some common mistakes in the endeavor to realize that dream. As a certified wedding coordinator, I was taught to be aware of these mistakes, and I am passing some of that knowledge on to you. The following list describes the pitfalls you want to avoid while planning your nuptials:
- Bride’s who “blow” their budget – Bride’s are generally excited about planning their wedding day and tend to “jump the gun” and start booking vendors right and left without thoroughly shopping the competition. Most vendors require down payments to book an event and in the case of cancellation, the down payment will most likely not be refunded. So, brides, shop before you book!
- The couple who doesn’t know the rules for obtaining a marriage license – There are very important rules that need to be followed in order to receive a marriage license, and if the rules are not followed, you will not receive it in time for the ceremony. To receive a license in Louisiana, you must bring birth certificates, $26 in cash, and divorce papers if either of you have been married before. Also, the marriage license must be purchased no later than seventy-two hours before the wedding, and the license is good for only thirty days.
- The bride who waits to the last minute to order her wedding gown – The wedding gown is one of the most important features in your wedding! You will want to make sure you get what you want, so go shopping almost immediately after you get engaged. It is extremely rare that a wedding gown will be bought directly off the rack, ready to wear. Most gowns will need to be ordered and then altered; so saving enough time to complete those tasks is crucial. Give yourself at least four months.
- The bride who does not affix the correct postage to her invitations – Most invitations require additional postage beyond the thirty-seven cents that is already required. The printing company you have hired will most likely be able to tell you how much postage you need to make sure your invitations will be delivered properly, but it is always a good idea to take a “ready to mail” invitation to the post office for weighing.
- The bride who tries to plan the entire wedding on her own – Your engagement period should be one of the most enjoyable times in your life, so why ruin it by stressing yourself out trying to plan the perfect wedding! It is unbelievable how much time and effort goes in to planning a wedding, so it is advisable to delegate different tasks to friends or family, or better yet, hire a wedding planner!
Mistakes are easy to make when you are not armed with the knowledge it takes to prevent them. I hope this article helps many a bride to relax and enjoy her engagement and wedding day.
Erin Sharplin Love
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