jewelry

Aside from Christmas, this is probably one of my favorite times of the year. With Valentine's Day just around the corner, and Mardi Gras in full swing, it gives me a chance to wear some of my favorite jewelry, plus it also is a great excuse to shop for more. If you aren't from the deep South as I was as a child, then chances are you may not know about the glitz and glamor that goes along with the carnival season. It isn't just the parades; it's the balls which generally have a theme each year. Sometimes the attire is formal, and other times its costume, based on the theme for the year. Regardless of what the theme, I always love not only wearing some of my best jewelry, but also seeing what kind of jewelry some of the others have on.

This year, we'll be attending two carnival balls, one of which is formal, and the other is costume. I have the perfect pieces of jewelry to wear to the formal ball, but the jewelry for the costume was eluding me. Since we are on the coast, this year they decided to have a theme revolving around the water. I still haven't decided for sure what costume I'm going to choose, but when I saw Natural Shells that I found for a great price at Stella Superstore whose online store can be found by visiting www.stellasuperstore.com/ I couldn't help but order it. The shells in the jewelry are definitely something that we find around here on the coast, plus I have a sweater that the colors in the jewelry will look great with, so it's not something that I'll only wear once and stuff it in the jewelry box.

If you've never had the opportunity to visit the coast for Mardi Gras, then I would definitely recommend it. It's an experience that you'll either love or hate, but I have not found many people in my lifetime that didn't enjoy it. The beads are the jewelry that everyone hopes to catch during the parades. I've often wondered why some of the other parts of the United States have never picked up on this time of festivities, but part of me also loves that it's something that remains special to the South.

Even though I am excited about Mardi Gras, I'm also looking forward to the surprise dinner that I have planned for my husband for Valentine's Day. I've ordered a new dress and will put on some of my favorite jewelry, and we'll have dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. I can't wait. This is a month of celebrations!