Embracing 2014

My favorite time of the year just ended. It starts with Thanksgiving (the best holiday in my opinion) which leads with comfort food, football, and shopping. Then it is my birthday. When I was younger, it was terrible having a December birthday. Mostly because some people would just give you a birthday/Christmas present. There is nothing worse than a birthday/Christmas present when you are a child. Now I embrace my December birthday because it is always a great time to reconnect with people during the busy holiday season and flights around my birthday are always cheap. This is good for birthday getaways. My favorite time of year ends with Christmas. There are 12 days of Christmas (this includes New Year's Eve and Day which are their own holiday) with the last day of Christmas being January 6th.

My favorite time of the year contains the best shopping period: end of the year sales! You can redo your entire wardrobe with end of the year sales. My favorite fashion season is fall, so I really do wait for end of the year sales to buy things I have been coveting. Since I live out in California, my wardrobe doesn't really change much throughout the year (sorry for those who are experiencing the polar vortex!!!). So I always take advantage of these sales to boost my wardrobe for the upcoming new year. To me, it is the ultimate fun.

However, I didn't buy too many things this end of year sale season. Part of it has to do with the electronic purchases I made the previous month and half (see last post). I also did get alot of things I wanted for my birthday and Christmas. The only item missing were black boots with a flat heel which I ended up buying last week off of RueLaLa. They arrive tomorrow and I hope I really like them because I can't return them. Though perhaps the reason I didn't buy alot of things during the end of the year sales is because my wardrobe might actually be perfect? Nahh :)

I did want to discuss my new favorite accessory: a brave collection bracelet. The brave collection line was started by an American named Jessica Hendricks who was teaching English in Thailand. She traveled to Cambodia and was enthralled by the culture and history while appalled by the rampant human trafficking. I won't go into human trafficking predicament on my blog because it breaks my heart and makes me so angry. There is a plethora of information on the interwebs. Upon her return to the US, Jessica founded The Brave Collection which employs Cambodian artisans to make bracelets. The bracelets contain the word "brave" in Khmer, the language of Cambodia, with a woven extension. They are also very pretty. I have the sugar mix bracelet which complements any outfit, in more ways than one.

Read here to learn more about The Brave Collection. Sometimes I feel we all need a little armor to get through the day. There is nothing better than a Brave Collection bracelet. Well, that and the perfect pair of black boots.