Can I Just Tell You?

{My Favorite Time of Year}

2012-09-07T06:43:00.004-05:00

Oklahoma State fans, this one is just for you! Check out these Gameday Goodies!

Gameday Goodies by canijusttellyou featuring nocona boots

{FLASH SALE: ENDS TODAY}

2012-08-22T10:07:00.000-05:00

60% off Toujours Bracelet: $13.60 

50% off Tranquility Necklace: $29.50 

40% off River Lariat: $41.40 

 ALSO, when order through this link (good through September 11) and you spend $50 or more, the summer collection is HALF off, craziness!! Be sure and check out all of the sale items ;)

{Wednesday Inspiration}

2012-08-22T07:15:00.000-05:00

Yep. Your work, your family, your marriage, YOU.

Want to feel like a million bucks and have the greenest grass in the neighborhood?

Take care of yourself and those around you today and everyday!

{TAX FREE WEEKEND 2012}

2012-08-17T10:20:00.001-05:00

For any of my TX folks out there, you know this a HUGE shopping weekend! I am staying out of the malls and doing some shopping online. Fortunately for you, Stella & Dot is offering NO TAX on your orders this weekend too! Great way to shop for back to school-- dress up some of your favorite outfits with new accessories! Plus we still have lots of great pieces on sale! Check these out below and find them all here

Happy shopping y'all!

{Wednesday Inspiration}

2012-08-15T07:00:00.000-05:00

We talk a lot about making good decisions in our house. And to quote an unknown source "The greatest part of your happiness will depend on who you decide to share it with". This is an important lesson that I teach my girls, and hope young woman everywhere understand. It goes perfectly with the saying "He's just not that into you." If the person you adore treats you any less than the most amazing person they have ever met, then you need to move on. You are extraordinary and should share yourself and your happiness that someone that sees you as such.

{Monday Muse: Lace}

2012-08-13T09:39:00.002-05:00

Well, it's Monday. I have a complicated relationship with this particular day. I love knowing that there is a week of fun ahead of us, but despise waking up early to get our week started. So, maybe it's just Monday morning that gives me trouble... But if I get up make the girls, A, and myself a healthy breakfast, feed the dogs and the fish, get a load of laundry started, unload/load the dishwasher, prep dinner for the evening, get the girls and myself dressed for the day and answer some emails/schedule some blog posts I feel like I can do anything! But, you can see why I don't like waking up.

Anyway, for a bit of fun among of the monotony, here is little fashion inspiration:

I'm love the lace trend, and I tend to keep it to my tops and jewelry.

I love how this lace necklace pairs nicely with a print shirt for a very pulled together look.

Also, I am loving the lace shorts trend, although I haven't brave enough to try it myself. I would suggest pairing with a blousey shirt, like this model did.

And lace looks so appropriate on the red carpet or a night out as well!

How will you try out this trend?

{Pinterest Addict}

2012-08-10T06:00:00.000-05:00

I can't enough of Pinterest these days, much like the rest of the virtual world. I constantly find inspiration here for my wardrobe. I recently found an outfit I loved, and decided to recreate it. Everything is less that $100. Is there an outfit I can recreate for you?

Pinterest Addict for less than $100 by canijusttellyou featuring a brown belt

{More Mint}

2012-08-09T06:00:00.000-05:00

I'm loving the floral skirt trend. How about you? This is a great transition into fall outfit incorporating the "it" color of the season as well: mint.

Fall 2012 by canijusttellyou featuring a leather shoulder bag

{Wednesday Inspiration}

2012-08-08T07:00:00.000-05:00

{Tell Your Story}

2012-08-07T07:41:00.002-05:00

Check out the new charm collection. Tell your charm story!

{Finish the Look}

2012-08-07T07:39:00.003-05:00

{How To: Wear a Statement Necklace}

2012-07-17T10:36:00.002-05:00

I always hear from friends and customers, "Oh I can't pull that necklace off." I'm hear to tell you, YES, you can! A statement necklace instantly updates any ensemble. It's an easy way to transform an outfit and make you feel so stylish. Watch the video before for some great tips!

{MAXImize your Summer}

2012-07-12T07:18:00.002-05:00

MAXImize your look this summer with sale pieces at www.stelladot.com/marisawilliams

Wednesday Inspiration

2012-07-11T08:00:00.000-05:00

2012 Fall Collection | Stella & Dot

2012-07-10T09:39:00.001-05:00

Get ready to FALL in love with our latest collections! Watch below! See something you love?
Visit www.stelladot.com/marisawilliams to order online!

Fall Collection Sneak Peek

2012-07-04T12:26:00.001-05:00

See the whole collection at www.stelladot.com/marisawilliams this Saturday!

{Just Minty}

2012-06-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

I love this color for summer! It's especially appropriate for an outdoor event, don't you think? For all your summer parties and weddings, check out my summer shop here!

Just Minty by canijusttellyou featuring wedge sandals

Just Minty by canijusttellyou featuring enamel jewelry

{Wednesday Inspiration}

2012-06-06T06:00:00.000-05:00

{via}

You are loved. You are important. You have purpose. Be kind to yourself.

{Road Trip: Keep the Kids Happy}

2012-06-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

Packing up the car and taking the girls to visit friends and family in Oklahoma tomorrow! I can't wait to see childhood friends, eat at my favorite restaurants and be with some the people that I love most in the world! After scouring the internet, I've come up with my list of necessary accouterments for happy road trip with kids!

Frequent Stops and Things To Look Forward To:We are stopping in Grapevine, TX on the way to OK and back. Our first stop will be to see the SEA LIFE Aquarium and then on the way home, the Lego Discovery Center. This will be the halfway point of our trip. The girls will be ready for lunch and to stretch their legs and then hopefully take a nap the rest of the drive. We also plan to stop in Waco for a quick snack and bathroom break and Ardmore for another bathroom break and trip to Braums. No trip to OK is complete without a stop at Braums!
Snacks, Snacks, and more Snacks:Our favorite easy, no-fuss snacks are:

3. Wrapped "Prizes":

I found a few coloring books, sticker packs, and crayons at the dollar store to give Lily as prizes for good behavior on the trip. For every hour that she behaves, she gets to open a new prize.

4. New Books & DVDs: Luckily our car is equipped with a DVD player in the back for the girls to watch movies. We've borrowed a few from friends and bought Alice & Wonderland so the girls have new movies to enjoy.

5. Books on Tape for Mommy: I'd like to think that I would be able to listen to a new book in the front seat, but I have a feeling that may not happen... I have it dwnloaded to my phone just in case, so I can listen with one earbud in.

6. Ways To Keep It All Together: Taking an ice chest for juice, milk, and a few other perishable snacks as well as trash bags and lots of handy wipes, but the thing I am most excited about is a travel toddler tray we found that attaches to the car seat.
I don't know why we didn't get something like this sooner! Not only can she eat snacks, but color or play with the Ipad without it sliding off her lab and mommy having to rescue it off the floor while driving. Genius!

If you have any other helpful road trip ideas, please share!!

{$50 of Free Jewelry in June}

2012-06-04T12:00:00.000-05:00

Have a big Stella & Dot wish list? Host a Trunk Show in June & earn $100s in free accessories, PLUS a bonus $50 in free product! Check out details here! I'd love to host a show for you this month!

{Three Things}

2012-06-04T06:00:00.000-05:00

Lily has discovered Angelina Ballerina and is in love with ballet! My heart is bursting!! I've already found a dance class for her to take in July, just to try it out of course. :) I am sooooo looking forward to seeing her in a leotard and pink tights.
Sydney's birthday is next week! I still can't believe she is going to be a year old!! It seems like just yesterday we brought her home from the hospital. I can't wait to celebrate with our friends and family. The theme of her birthday party is "You are My Sunshine". I've really enjoyed researching party ideas and putting it all together!
It's official. I have the most amazing husband on the planet. Last week alone he cooked dinner three times, made homemade chocolate chip cookies, and homemade banana nut muffins while working overtime. Seriously, I couldn't ask for a better husband, father and provider for our family. Now to find the perfect Father's Day gift to say thank you for all his hard work!

{The Way}

2012-05-31T06:30:00.000-05:00

I found this post about parenting recently, and I'm completely in love with it's sentiment. Highlighted are pieces I would like to focus on in our home:

There is no such thing as stress-free parenting.

A reader requested that I share my thoughts on stress-free parenting, as the father of six kids. And while I have learned a lot about being a dad, and finding joy in parenthood, I also know that stress-free parenting is a myth.

Parents will always have stress: we not only have to deal with tantrums and scraped knees and refusing to eat anything you cook, but we worry about potential accidents, whether we are ruining our kids, whether our children will find happiness as adults and be able to provide for themselves and find love.

That said, I’ve learned that we can find peace.

Peace isn’t a place with no stress, but a place where you take the stress as it comes, in stride, and don’t let it rule you. You let it flow through you, and then smile, and breathe, and give your child a hug.

There is a Way of the Peaceful Parent, but it isn’t one that I’ve learned completely. I’ll share what I’ve learned so far, with the caveat that I don’t always follow the Way, that I still make mistakes daily, that I still have a lot to learn, that I don’t claim to have all the answers as a parent.

The Way

The Way is only learned by walking it. Here are the steps I recommend:

Greet your child each morning with a smile, a hug, a loving Good Morning! This is how we would all like to be greeted each day.
Teach your child to make her own breakfast. This starts for most children at around the age of 3 or 4. Teach them progressively to brush their teeth, bathe themselves, clean up their rooms, put away clothes, wash their dishes, make lunch, wash their own clothes, sweep and clean, etc.
Teaching these skills takes patience. Kids suck at them at first, so you have to show them about a hundred times, but let them try it, correct them, and let them make mistakes. They will gradually learn independence as you will gradually have less work to do caring for them.
Older children can help younger children — it’s good for them to learn responsibility, it helps the younger children learn from the older ones, and it takes some of the stress off you.
Read to them often. It’s a wonderful way to bond, to educate, to explore imaginary worlds.
Build forts with them. Play hide and seek. Shoot each other with Nerf dart guns. Have tea together. Squeeze lemons and make lemonade. Play, often, as play is the essence of childhood. Don’t try to force them to stop playing.
When your child asks for your attention, grant it.
Parents need alone time, though. Set certain traditions so that you’ll have time to work on your own, or have mommy and daddy time in the evening, when your child can do things on her own.
When your child is upset, put yourself in his shoes. Don’t just judge the behavior (yes, crying and screaming isn’t ideal), but the needs behind the behavior. Does he need a hug, or attention, or maybe he’s just tired?
Model the behavior you want your child to learn. Don’t yell at the child because he was screaming. Don’t get angry at a child for losing his temper. Don’t get mad at a kid who wants to play video games all the time if you’re always on your laptop. Be calm, smile, be kind, go outdoors and be active.
When a stressful time arises (and it will), learn to deal with it with a smile. Make a joke, turn it into a game, laugh … you’ll teach your child not to take things so seriously, and that life is to be enjoyed. Breathe, walk away if you’ve lost your temper, and come back when you can smile.
Remember that your child is a gift. She won’t be a child for long, and so your time with her is fleeting. Every moment you can spend with her is a miracle, and you should savor it. Enjoy it to the fullest, and be grateful for that moment.
Let your child share your interests. Bake cookies together. Sew together. Exercise together. Read together. Work on a website together. Write a blog together.
Know that when you screw up as a parent, everything will be fine. Forgive yourself. Apologize. Learn from that screw up. In other words, model the behavior you’d like your child to learn whenever he screws up.
Patiently teach your child the boundaries of behavior. There should be boundaries — what’s acceptable and what’s not. It’s not OK to do things that might harm yourself or others. We should treat each other with kindness and respect. Those aren’t things the child learns immediately, so have patience, but set the boundaries. Within those boundaries, allow lots of freedom.
Give your child some space. Parents too often overschedule their child’s life, with classes and sports and play dates and music and clubs and the like, but it’s a constant source of stress for both child and parent to keep this schedule going. Let the child go outside and play. Free time is necessary. You don’t always have to be by her side either — she needs alone time just as much as you do.
Exercise to cope with stress. A run in solitude is a lovely thing. Get a massage now and then.
It helps tremendously to be a parenting team — one parent can take over when the other gets stressed. When one parent starts to lose his temper, the other should be a calming force.
Mom and dad need a date night every week or so. Get a babysitter, or better yet, teach the older kids to babysit.
Sing and dance together.
Take every opportunity to teach kindness and love. It’s the best lesson.
Kiss your child goodnight. And give thanks for another amazing day with your beautiful, unique, crazy child.

‘You know the only people who are always sure about the proper way to raise children? Those who’ve never had any.’ ~Bill Cosby

Celeb Sighting: Selena Gomez

2012-05-30T14:13:00.006-05:00

Actress Selena Gomez has a new favorite accessory...Stella & Dot Rebel Pendant Necklace! http://bit.ly/KIq6PC

Of Selena's three looks from Memorial Day weekend, which one are you loving the most?

{Graduations, Wedding Showers and More}

2012-05-24T06:30:00.000-05:00

Here's a couple inspiration outfits for such events!

Mother's Day Brunch by canijusttellyou featuring stackable rings

Mother's Day Brunch by canijusttellyou featuring embroidery dresses

{Wednesday Inspiration}

2012-05-23T06:30:00.000-05:00