Sincerely Silver's Coordinates Bracelets

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Fun fact! We have a week until Christmas. Yes, I’m just as surprised as you are. Yes, I am also scrambling to get last-minute gifts because even though I’ve been alive for twenty-two Christmases and should know better by now, I haven’t bought anything. But it’s not because I’m lazy! 

I’m quite the perfectionist, and I take great pride in getting the best gifts for my family and friends. This results in paralyzing fear that my gifts won’t be cool or unique enough for the people I love. Isn’t that silly? But I’ll never learn. 

I’m the type of person who likes to get meaningful gifts that are special to me and that person’s relationship. I mean, who doesn’t? I just take it a little overboard. I love homemade gifts that I can put my entire soul into (or at least most of my soul since I’m usually in a rush).

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So, if you’re like me, you’re probably freaking out a bit right now. But never fear! I have an amazingly special gift idea for you that won’t drive you absolutely insane. Enter, Sincerely Silver’s Coordinates Jewelry! 

Every relationship has a special place, be it where you and your significant other met, where you and your best friend took a special trip, or just somewhere you and your siblings like to escape to. When Sincerely Silver asked what I wanted on the coordinates bracelet they were nice enough to send me, I asked for the place my dad and I like to venture to every Sunday to clear our heads. Every time I wear my bracelet, I’m reminded of the smell of motorcycle gas and the heart-to-hearts my dad and I share while staring at the most beautiful waterfront views.  

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Sincerely Silver has so many different styles of bracelets, necklaces, and rings to choose from. They even have a necklace shaped like the state of California. You’re bound to find the perfect gift for that last person on your list, and you don’t even have to buy a machine and learn how to engrave jewelry the night before Christmas. Not that I’ve ever considered that in a pinch… 

And regardless of the memory attached to the piece, Sincerely Silver’s jewelry is absolutely stunning. My coordinates bracelet fits right in with my little stack of silver bracelets, and always puts a smile on my face. 

Plus, as a Christmas present from me, you can use the code SINCERELY15 for 15% off your order!

Let me know which coordinates you’re getting in the comments!

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Choking Hazard

I wore a choker to my fashion history class yesterday, where we learned about different types of body mutilation for adornment. One was that some women in other countries stretch their necks with several gold rings. It looked absolutely terrifying, but in a way, I was inspired by it. I wondered what a bunch of chokers would look like. Today, I tested my theory.

Yesterday, I wore my black and white choker since my shoes were white. This time, I decided to add my plain black one on top. By the way, these are both still coming from the drawstrings of my pants, 

so the strings still fall down my back, but it looks cool. At first, I kind of spread them out, leaving one under my chin and the other by my collarbone. Then, I moved them together. I can’t really figure out which I like better. One of my friends said I looked injured in the first, but clunk him.

Overall though, I thought this looked really cool and I would totally go with this look again. Maybe as I get more, I’ll try wearing three chokers! I’m so happy that chokers are back in. The nineties are back and I’m so excited.

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I scratched between my chokers right before I took this photo oops

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Silver(?) Is a Girl's Best Friend

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My mom bought some Pura Vida Bracelets for herself. Clockwise from left: Black Studded. Track Bead w/ Silver Bitty Star Black. Silver Track Bead Black.

When I post on The Clunkster, I always make it a point to mention what jewelry I'm wearing. For me, a look is never complete unless I'm wearing a fair amount of jewelry. It can really make or break the outfit. 

I've always loved jewelry in general! It may be because my mom loves jewelry. Growing up, I watched her ask my dad for some type of jewelry for every holiday. I would usually accompany my dad to the jewelry store and I would just be in awe of all the sparkle and diamonds. My family bought me "little kid" jewelry, and as I got older, I branched out into more legitimate brands, I guess I should call them. 

I usually wear the same jewelry every day. Legally Blonde is my favorite movie of all time, and for Christmas one year my parents got me the bracelet Elle wears in the movie. I had it engraved "Kristen" on one side of the heart charm and "Love, Mommy and Daddy" on the other. If you've seen Legally Blonde you understand that the bracelet represents confidence and inner beauty. I really relate to Elle, so having the bracelet with me every day gives me the confidence to be myself even when things aren't going so well.

Alex and Ani bracelets are also really cute. I don't wear them as often as I should! I have seven, and they all mean something to me. I did get a pink string one with a rose gold heart that I wear every day. My mom has the same one in red! She also wears it every day because neither of us can figure out how to take it off. Some of the money from the purchase went to AIDS research! 

I have three necklaces that I kind of rotate. One is a silver dog-tag looking charm that says "And though she be but little, she is fierce." It's a quote from my favorite Shakespeare play, A Midsummer Night's Dream. My parents got it for my birthday without even knowing I loved the quote so much! My mom said she found it and thought it just pertained to me. They know me so well.

Another is a circular charm with lots of stars. The outside of the circle says "Live your own life. Follow your own star." When my aunt gave it to me on my birthday, she told me to pick a star and that would be mine. I chose a tiny one towards the middle since I like being in the center of everything.

The only gold necklace I wear has a tiny elephant on it. Its trunk is up for good luck! I love the necklace because it's so simple and because the length is adjustable. I'm on my school's cheer squad and every year the new members get Bigs, and my Big got this for me for Christmas! She's one of the sweetest girls ever. She graduated and I miss her so much. This necklace reminds me of her.

I really love rings too! I like the look of a ton of rings, but most of my rings are old and turn my fingers green. I need more! The one I wear every day is a silver peace sign ring that I got when I went to London. It's from a little shop in Camden Market. I was immediately drawn to it, but I didn't think it would fit me because it was so small. The owner of the shop made it bigger by placing it on a metal finger-looking thing and resizing it with a mallet. You can actually see the indents on the band! It gets caught on everything, but it's so beautiful and it keeps me balanced. I really need to buy more rings though. Pura Vida just came out with some beautiful rings that I should buy! 

I wear my Pura Vida bracelets almost every day. Since I became a representative for the brand, I've been trying to spread it as much as possible. Each bracelet is so unique. They go with almost all of my outfits. Remember, if you buy a bracelet from puravidabracelets.com, you can use my discount code, KristenBruck20, for 20% off your purchase! 

Really though, jewelry can totally transform an outfit. Certain looks just call for silver or gold pieces. Every now and then I'll wear a shirt or dress and just know that it needs a statement piece or a long necklace. The little black dress I posted about the other day almost always calls for this big, gold necklace that is very Cleopatra-esque. It just pulls it all together. When I bought my blue dress for my sorority's Initiation (which I also posted about the other day!), I knew I needed to get a long gold necklace as soon as I tried it on. I saw one with a delicate leaf while I was waiting on line at Forever 21 and just knew that that necklace would complete the outfit.

Maybe I'm a little too lusty for jewelry, but it can seriously make or break a look. Now I want to hit up every jewelry store and just look at everything. 

Pura Vida Bracelets

Today was a T-Shirt-And-Leggings Day for me (which is not a bad thing!) because I donated blood with my family! Though I thought I looked good, my outfit just wasn't something that I would post on here, not because I didn't like it, but because I didn't have a whole lot to say about it. 

So, I figured I'd take this opportunity to talk about Pura Vida Bracelets, which I've mentioned in my previous posts. I found out about Pura Vida a few years ago, and then I wrote an article about them in my school's newspaper. Now, I'm obsessed!

Pura Vida is a company based in La Jolla, California that sells beautiful bracelets as well as clothing, bathing suits, clutches, hair ties, and water bottles. Pura Vida is a Spanish saying used a lot in Costa Rica that translates to "Pure Life." The Pura Vida lifestyle is peaceful and free. 

Sure, Pura Vida makes some really cute items, but the best thing about Pura Vida is that it's a great cause. The founders of Pura Vida, Griffin Thall and Paul Goodman, met two men named Jorge and Joaquin on a trip to Costa Rica who made beautiful string bracelets, but they were living in poverty. Griffin and Paul took 400 of them back to San Diego, and the rest was history.

Every Pura Vida bracelet purchased helps provide full-time jobs for local artisans in Costa Rica, and certain bracelets donate proceeds to specific causes! So, not only do you look adorable, but you're putting food on a family's table, sending kids to college, and buying families new houses. 

Another cool thing about the bracelets is that no two are the same! Sure, all of the Beach Life bracelets have the same color scheme, but no two are exactly alike. 

Since I love Pura Vida so much, I became a Rep! Basically, I spread the good vibes of Pura Vida in the form of 20% DISCOUNTS! Use my code, KristenBruck20, at checkout. Even if you don't use my code, Pura Vida almost always has discounts and sales. And, like I mentioned before, it's all for a good cause!

If you have Pura Vida products or purchase them soon, show me your pictures in the comments! 

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