How To Complement Any Outfit with Your Jewelry

There is always an occasion or event to attend and we need to decide the outfit to wear. The occasion could be a party, wedding, burial, graduation or casual outing.

Picking out your outfit for an occasion depends on factors like the time, place, people involved, your wardrobe, mood and jewelry. All these put together would determine your final look.

Picking one of the factors earlier mentioned -your jewelry.

How do you get the best out of your jewelry? How do you choose the right necklace, earrings, bracelets or rings to complement the occasion and your wardrobe?

Here we go!

Day Occasion

For a day occasion like a wedding, you can go for western look. This is simple and less stressful in getting ready. For the jewelries, you can pick timeless pieces like pearls or any other gemstone beads in matching colours. There are different types of gemstones which you can wear to reflect your personality and complement your outfit. Here, the jewelries are made specifically for you as it is in the case of handmade jewelry.

You can also go for gold, silver jewelries alone or mixed with beads to reflect your personality.

If you opt for traditional look, then you have to match your scarves (gele) with either your shoes or bag or both with the outfit.

You can never go wrong with corals, swarovski crystals, chinese crystals… These beaded jewelries help to bring out the outfit making it very colourful and attractive but at the same time complementary to the whole look.

Go easy with the rings though two rings on each hand at most should be fine. However, for those who love to adorn all their fingers with rings should feel free to do so…that is your personality reflecting in your jewelry. For me, less is more.

Night Occasion

If you are wearing an outfit with sequins and sparkles, then minimize the jewelries you are wearing. I mean, wear less jewelry. You can pick a piece  or two of jewelry to use for that outfit- say a long earrings, a bracelet or ring. Do not wear all these jewelries at the same time since the outfit is already ‘loud’.

Picking a western or traditional outfit is fine as this depends on the occasion. A party or club would definitely go with the western look (like a dress, trousers and matching tops, shorts, jeans). You can wear a nice long skirt and matching top to a house party. Yes, you can still wear a bou bou( Nigerian traditional free-flowing gown).

Remember comfort is key, as it would not be proper struggling with your gele and wrapper (traditional outfit from Nigeria). Neither would it be safe to wear so many jewelries as this would put you in danger or being robbed except you are in a very secured environment. 

Therefore, you must choose  and act wisely.

Whatever you decide, jewelries are meant to complement your outfit and reflect your personality. While you are deciding, remember to pick what reflects YOU-makes you comfortable, elegant and beautiful.

Have fun and be you!

Thanks

"The pearl is the queen of gems, and the gems of queens"-Unknown

                                                     Linda Aliogo

Wives: Loneliness vs Friendship in Marriage

We have been hearing about this in social and marriage events. We have also agreed and acknowledged it as being true and also render that same advice to would-be-wives.

Well you may wonder what I am talking about.

I am talking about friends and having friends after marriage. I am talking about loneliness and isolation in marriage.

We all have heard about this - “Now you are a married woman, just mind your home, take it easy on friends”

We listen to this advice and do reduce our social activities and cut down the number of friends we actually have. We may even go further to cut them off completely believing now we are married, we no longer have anything in common especially with the unmarried ones.

For the few ones we may likely keep, we may not be as open as we used to be. We keep our problems to ourselves simply because of the fear of telling it to the “wrong ears”.

Here, we no longer have close friends but just acquaintances.

What am I driving at?

This is it. Do you realize there are a lot of lonely, isolated wives out there yearning for somebody they can talk to honestly and openly without having the fear of being misinterpreted, misunderstood or betrayed?

There are a lot of wives that have been tagged to be ‘proud’ but they are only trying to keep to themselves because of the ‘advice’ given to them. They are called ‘snobs’ because they do not really have friends! Friends that are true; they can socialize and talk honestly with.

I know you may say “ the world has changed, you can’t trust anyone but yourself” 

“The world has become evil and the heart of man is wicked”

Yes, I totally agree with you. But do these reasons help to solve the problems of isolation and loneliness in marriage encountered by wives?  You may argue that once you have kids, you would be busy hence  you won’t have time for friends.

But do you know that is not true! The truth is when you eventually have kids (or no kids) , you must have challenges, when you have challenges, you seek for help!

And who do you look up to? Your answer is most likely  to be God, family and… did I hear you say friends?

Our husbands can be our friends but they cannot be our only friends. They cannot fill that void a friend would. We still need our female companionship. There may be some people we admire and like to be friends with but the question is

Are they ready to be friends with you?  Do they have the same ‘advice’ (ringing alarm at the back of their heads) as you?

What is my point, my message?

Well, this is it again. There are a lot of wives out there who are going through a lot of emotional issues but nobody knows! Nobody knows because there is no one to talk to!  There may be deeper issues these wives are suffering alone and there is no one to share them with.

I am drawing attention to this because we wives don’t even talk about it! We pretend all is perfect and happy with us, which is not true!

However, if we can genuinely extend a hand of friendship to one of us ( a wife like you too!), be patient to grow and nurture such relationship, I think we would have touched a life in a positive way. We would be having a fulfilling friendship enriching each other’s lives through such friendship.

Also for wives who have been extended a friendship request, please access and then oblige as deem fit because you never succeed until you try!

We should also pray about it. To have a good marriage and be a true friend to a fellow wife like you. We don’t need so many friends but just a few who would support and touch our lives and marriage positively. Just as we pray for a good husband, let’s also pray for good friends and let’s be one.

Let’s support ourselves for once!

Let me know what you think. Also share this with wives out there.

“I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you”- John 14:18

“It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of some one unloved…”- Mother Teresa of Calcutta

                                                           Linda Aliogo

Back To School List

The holiday must have been fun!  The kids have been at home eating, drinking and visiting friends and family. For those who travelled, I hope it is been fun too. Getting to see and visit interesting places.

Well, the school is resuming soon and we need to prepare on going back. This means preparing our lists of things required to commence the new term. Our back to school lists.

 Do you have your lists? Well if not, you can check out mine.

Let’s begin with;

Nursery

• A very good food flask that keeps food hot
• A very good drinking bottle that keeps drink cold
• A bag to pack the essentials (diapers, change clothes, baby wipes, napkins and cutleries)
• A transparent file or folder for books and homework
• Basic stationaries ( erasers, pencils, sharpeners , crayons, colour pencils and a stationery bag to pack all these)

 Now to,

Primary

• A  food flask
• A drinking bottle
• Stationary bag
• Stationaries- pencils, pens, colour pencils, crayons, sharpeners, erasers, ruler, mathematical set (depending on the class), poster colours, painting brush for art class
• School bag
• Socks 
• School shoes
• Sports wears
• Trainers

Finally,

Secondary/High School

• Calculator
• Mathematical set
• Stationary bag
• School bag
• Sports bag
• Stationeries
• Art materials- stapler and pins, markers, glitters, highlighters, water and poster colours, drawing pens and pencils, glue, etc
• Trainers and soccer booths
• Swim wears
• Shoe polish

The school uniform would need to be dry-cleaned at least once every term to maintain its quality and colour. These include the ties, blazers, trouser and shirts. The school bags, sports bags need to be washed and dried if still new and usable The school shoes which include the soccer boots and trainers also need to be washed and polished if required in preparation for the coming term or session.

For boarders or those living in the hostels, different types of cereals, foods and drinks are needed.  Snacks should also be added as well as bottled water.

Also required by boarders are personal grooming materials like toothbrush (at least 3), tooth paste, body cream, hair cream, bath soaps (some antiseptic ones), disinfectant, toilet rolls and other toiletries. 

maintain the hair, a barbing set is needed during visits to the barbing salon. Hair brushes and combs are also required. Other hair accessories like hair bands in acceptable colours in school should be added to the list for the girls. Hair shampoo and conditioner

Sleep wears, like pyjamas (both for boys and girls), towels, bed sheets, bath slippers, under wears and few outing clothes  and shoes shouldn’t be left out in the list.

And yes, some money to be deposited into the school accounts for other things as time goes on.

I believe I have been able to compile a comprehensive list that would work for both parents and  students.

Please let me know if this is helpful.

“Education cost money, but then so does ignorance”- Claus Moser

                                       Linda Aliogo

Praying For Our Children

God has giving us the opportunity to talk to Him. That opportunity is through prayers and this is unlimited! Thank God!  Prayer is communication with God. Prayer is when we lift our hearts to God to talk to HIM. It is that time we open up and tell HIM everything and anything... sometimes not with words but with our hearts. 

With the challenges in families today, it is really very important we commit our families especially our children into God’s hand. This is because there is no wrong time or place to talk to HIM- HE is Omnipotent, Omniscient and Omnipresent! 

 What is committed to HIM is secured, protected, preserved…HE perfects. I am not a pastor, I just write based on my personal experiences and conviction.

Just like us, our children are constantly exposed to all kinds of vices- drugs, alcohol, sex and other forms of addictions  and pressure. This is why we need to protect them and educate them.

One very powerful and effective way of protecting them is through prayers. Praying for our children is a sure way of telling God to help us as parents. We parents are like custodians to these children who are gifts from God.Therefore, its our responsibility to take care of them in every aspect of their lives especially leading them to God.

Praying for their safety, guidance and protection from physical and spiritual attacks help them to become who God has destined them to be! Praying helps you to meet and achieve those goals and dreams in our children’s lives ordinarily would have been impossible to achieve on our own.

Children who are challenged academically, or are just plain stubborn should be taking up in prayers. You may have tried all you believe could work but still failed, then I suggest you just raise them to God in prayers. Call upon HIM anytime of the day and HE would always be there for you. Angry or sickly children should be committed to God’s hands because “HE healeth all disease”.

Speaking positively, declaring prophetic utterances (even if you are not a prophet or pastor), anointing them and involving them in spiritual matters like reading the Bible, church attendance, catechism classes and choir practice  are essential for them. This way, they get to know the importance and the power of prayers.

Personally, I have experienced the power of prayers, so I urge everyone who believes in God to raise their families especially their children to God through prayers. Whatever, the challenges they may face, do not hesitate to tell God about it. And do not give up! There is nothing impossible with HIM. HE handles all situations and nothing is too big for HIM!

Thanks.

“Draw nigh to God, and HE would draw nigh to you”- James 4:8

I have found the greatest power in the world is the power of prayers”- Cecil B. DeMille

  

                                             

                                            Linda Aliogo

The World of Handmade Jewelry

Handmade jewelries are jewelries designed and created exclusively with hands and manual tools. Every part of the jewelry is created by hand. This is why handmade jewelries are not mass-produced, unique and one-of-a-kind.

There are different types of hand-made jewelries. In other words, hand-made jewelries are categorized. There are bead weaving, bead stringing, wire works and more .

Bead Weaving 

Bead weaving involves the use of beads to weave different types of designs into necklaces, earrings, rings and bracelets. This category of handmade jewelry involves a lot of seed beads, needles, beading threads, strings and patience! 

A lot of patience as you may have to repeat the same process for hours using needles which may involve re-threading. This can be repeated several times during the creation of a design for a necklace, earrings or bracelet.

Different types of weaving are used here namely peyote, spiral, brick, ladder, square…

Bead Stringing

This is very common and simple to do. From children to the elderly can actually participate in this category. It is usually fun and relaxing.

However, this is not just all about beautiful beads and stringing! It involves more complex designs that need experience and technicality. It involves illusion or bridal designs, multi-strand ranging from 2-8 strands or more. Beads of different sizes, shapes and designs are used in stringing to create beautiful pieces.

Basically, this involves thread of  different thickness (gauges) and uses. The thicker the thread (usually called Tigertail) the less flexible  the design while the thinner the thread the more flexible the design turns out to be.

Here, the creativity and designs are endless. It could be very simple as well as very complex depending on the design and look you want to achieve.

Wire Works

Wire works involves the use of jewelries wires to create lovely jewelries. This could incorporate the use of beads or the only the use of wires.

Wire works in handmade jewelry can be simple as well as complex. This involves the beginner stage up to the very advanced stage. Some manual tools are used to create designs in wire works. The wires used in the jewelry come in different gauges (16g-30g) very thin to very thick wires with different diameters. This gives the jewelry created different designs and shapes.

Another type of wire work is Chainmalle. This involves the use of wire to produce jump rings. These jump rings are linked in different ways to create very lovely designs of jewelry.

Crocheting is another type of wire works where very thin wires are crocheted to create lovely pieces. Here, beads can be added to the crocheting to give beautiful designs.

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The crocheting is done with crocheting pins that also come in different gauges. These different gauges of crocheting pins give different looks and designs. This is quite simple to achieve,( if you are comfortable with crocheting) and takes less time too.

With these categories, it’s clear that there are diversity in the world of handmade jewelry. Handmade jewelries are unique and stunning depending on taste and personality. This is due to the fact they are exclusive. So do not be afraid to explore and try out the different designs  in the world of handmade jewelries.

Tell someone about this blog.

Thanks.

"Love of beauty is taste. The creation of beauty is art"- Ralph Wardo Emerson 

Linda Aliogo

I MAY HAVE…

When you are faced with life challenges and battles, when you are overwhelmed and depressed, always remember this..

I may have been hurt

But I do get healed by Him

I may have been bitter

But I do get sweetened by Him

I may have been angered

But I do get comforted by Him

I may have been tempted

But I do get delivered by Him

I may have been attacked

But I do get defended by Him

I may have faced battles

But I do get victories through Him

I may have been treated cruelly

But I do get kindness from Him

I may have been forgotten

But I do get remembered by Him

I may have been hated

But I do get love from Him

I may have been punished

But I do get rewarded by Him

I may have been concealed

But I do get revealed by Him

I may have been empty

But I do get filled by Him

I may have been cursed

But I do get blessed by Him

I may have been condemned

But I do get praised by Him

I may not have answers to everything

But I do get answered by Him

Please share to encourage someone today

“We are troubled on every side, yet not depressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted but not forsaken, cast down but not destroyed”- 2^nd Cor. 4:8-9

“Many of the great achievements of the world were accomplished by tired and discouraged men who kept on working”- Unknown

                             

                                                Linda  Aliogo