Pink CZ Heart Pendant 

Valentine's Day shopping is simple at Charming Chick. We have all of our most popular Valentine's Day Gifts is one easy location. All of the items featured on the blog today are for women but if you are looking for gifts for the man in your life,we do have a fantastic selection of men's gifts available as well. Be sure to shop early so you receive your Valentine's gifts in plenty of time. Also, if you are interested in saving money, follow us on Twitter @Charming_Chick to find out about our best sales and find out about Twitter-only coupon codes (psssst: we have one of those going on right now for free saver shipping, so hop over to our twitter page and check it out).

This gorgeous Floating Sterling Silver Heart Pendant is a perfect Valentine's Day gift for any lady on your list. Your girlfriend, fiancee, wife, daughter, or mother would be delighted to receive this versatile heart pendant. This pendant is one of our most popular heart necklaces and  the floating heart is also a hot trend right now in jewelry fashion. It's different than a traditional pendant that uses a bail; instead the chain is threaded right through the middle of the pendant -- the heart floats effortlessly along the chain.

Another great Valentine's Day gift is this  Sterling Silver Monogram Heart Necklace. It is finely crafted and personalized just for your sweet Valentine. It's absolutely stunning and will quickly become a well worn favorite piece of jewelry. Each time your lovely lady puts this necklace on she will be reminded of your generosity and love.

This sterling silver Be Mine Valentine Charm is a fantastic Valentine's Day gift for any one on your list. It makes the perfect gift for an establish loving relationship, a new relationship or even a sweet way to let the girl of your dreams know that you'd love it if she would be yours. This heart charm is crafted of genuine .925 sterling silver.

The last Valentine's Day gift item that we are featuring today is this vibrant enameled heart charm. This Stacked Hearts Valentine's Day Charm is plain silver colored on one side and has red, pink and white enamel on the front. The design has three hearts stacked, with wavy edges. Measures about 0.75 of an inch tall including bail. It also features a link so that you can easily attach it to any necklace, bracelet, anklet, earrings, etc.

Reg. Price $139.99 ~ On Sale NOW for only $99
 Hurry, this offer ends on 01/31/2012!

If you are ready to get a jump start on your Valentine's Day shopping at Charming Chick can save you money! We have several items that make perfect Valentine's Day gifts BUT the sale prices on all of the items featured on the blog today end this Tuesday January 31st. Also be sure to follow us on twitter @Charming_Chick to get twitter-only coupon codes. We have one going through February 5th, 2012 for F*R*E*E Saver Shipping, so hop on over there, follow us and get the code.

While looking for Valentine's Day gifts you'll really want to consider this fab deal! Our Sterling Silver Monogram necklace - pictured above - is one of our most popular items. The price has been drastically reduced and the offer ends January 31st. It is crafted of genuine sterling silver and can be personalized just for your Valentine! Available in 3 necklace lengths and two monogram sizes. Small monogram measures 0.75 inches tall and a little over 1 inch wide (width does vary a bit depending on the letters). The large monogram measures 1.75 inches tall and 1.75 inches wide (width does vary a bit depending on the letters).

Regular Price 18.99 ~ On Sale NOW for only $16.99
Hurry, this offer ends on 01/31/2012

These handsome cuff links would make an ideal Valentine's Day gifts for any special man in your life. They are classic, elegant and very stylish. The monogram on the front is a nice personalized touch which every gentleman can appreciate. Each cuff link measures 3/4 of an inch in diameter. May be engraved with three block initials at no additional cost.  Please allow one week for personalization.

Regular Price $23.99 ~ On Sale NOW for only $16.99
Hurry, this offer ends on 01/31/2012

The last item we are featuring on the blog today is this adorable Swarovski Crystal Personalized Girl's bracelet. If you have a little girl on your Valentine's Day list, she will be delighted to receive this darling bracelet. Each Swarovski crystal is faceted to catch the light just right and the silver-plated flower charm can be engraved with her initial. This is an item she will absolutely love to wear. The bracelet measures 5.75 inches in length.

Be sure to visit our website to view more of our most popular Valentine's Day gifts!

Are you newly engaged? Just started wedding planning? Looking for wedding vendors in the Dallas area that you can trust?

You only get one wedding - and there are no do-overs - so you'll want to make sure you choose the right pros to capture all of the special moments and to ensure things run smoothly on your big day! Wedding planning involves pulling together an enormous amount of well thought out details -- and trusting that the logistics of those details to professionals who have your best interest at heart. At Charming Chick we know and understand this, which is why we have decided to make your decision easier by featuring 3 local Dallas vendors who you can rely on. We are confident that they will make every effort to make your day extra special!

2nd Generation Video Productions -- Dallas  -- http://www.2gvp.com/

Your wedding day will pass by in the blink of an eye. You will be filled with so much love, joy and excitement but it may be difficult to remember the details and you'll long to relive those moments once again. Hiring a highly skilled videographer will ensure that each loving glance, tender touch and unique moment will be documented forever. This  means that  you can share and enjoy your wedding day over and over with friends and family -- as well as your future children grandchildren, and  great-grandchildren.

(Photo courtesy 2nd Generation Video)

2nd Generation Video Productions is a family owned and operated video production company. They are recognized as one of the best in their field and have been selected Best of the Knot for the past 2 years. They were also awarded a Creative Excellence Award from their professional association. 2nd Generation is able to ensure the highest quality videos because they use only HD Cameras and can produce videos on either DVD or BluRay. They also use wireless mics to provide their clients with clear audio of the vows, readings, toasts and everything in between. Before hiring a videographer be sure to read Questions to Answer Before Selecting a Videographer and Choosing Your Video on 2nd Generation's blog. You'll also want to follow them on Facebook for up-to-date information.

Another fantastic option that 2nd Generation offers their clients is the ability for friends and family to give the gift of a professionally produced top-notch wedding video. They have made it very easy by providing an online Video Bridal Registry. They provide a shopping cart and secure payment site where couples can register -- then friends and family can purchase gift cards towards the cost of the wedding video. They also provide flexible payment options to fit just about any wedding budget.

(Photo courtesy 2nd Generation Video)

"This business is a labor of love for our family.  We treat every couple as if they were our own children and strive to deliver a product that will become a treasured piece of family history.  We feel our work speaks for itself: feel free to view our samples at www.2gvp.com"

Event Elements -- Dallas --  http://eventelements.com/blog/

When you are wedding planning it is especially smart to consider hiring a wedding planner. Your wedding is all about you and your husband-to-be. You'll want to celebrate and enjoy each other, your family and friends without having to worry if each and every detail is playing out just the way you planned. These wonderful professionals can certainly be a sanity saver but you really want to hire someone who you connect with, someone who really "gets" your vision and is especially attentive to details -- and your budget. An event planner can be involved just the day (or weekend) of, to ensure that things run smoothly and on time -- or they can be with you every step of the way as you plan and design the perfect day.

We recommend that you contact Event Elements for your wedding planning needs. Kristyn Hall, owner of Event Elements  is professionally trained by The Dallas Wedding Planner Program. She provides very personal service and excellent attention to details. She is creative, innovative and works to make your big day especially unique and personal. She also has accounting and budget management experience, which means she can help you plan the wedding of your dreams and help you stay on track with your budget.

Event Elements also won the 2011 Brides Choice Award from WeddingWire, so they are now in the top 5 percent of Wedding Pros nationwide. Whether you just need someone for the days leading up to your big day or a full-planner who can walk your through the entire process, Event Elements will design a package specifically to meet your needs. Follow them on Facebook and visit their blog for more information and to see gorgeous photos from weddings they have helped plan.

Rhonda Robbins Photography -- Dallas -- http://rhondarobbins.typepad.com/   

Selecting a great photographer will mean so much to you. After your" big" day has come and gone, you will pour over the pages of your wedding album time and time again to relive all of the love and joy you felt on your most wonderful day. With each click of their lens, a skilled photographer can capture all the warm  feelings, sweet moments and blissful fun that will occur on your wedding day and document it for a lifetime.

Rhonda Robbins, of Rhonda Robbins Photography will capture all of your most special moments. She not only does an amazing job as a wedding photographer, she also does gorgeous engagement sessions, family photo shoots and more. She  is a true professional who listens to your needs. You will be delighted with the results!

Contact Rhonda today to learn more about her photo packages. Also, be sure to follow her blog and look for her on Facebook. She has some amazing photos on both, so take some time to look around.

Have Fun Planning Your Dallas Wedding!!!!!!

Hopefully you were one of the lucky people to receive a fine quality piece of Charming Chick sterling silver jewelry over the holiday. If you were - or you already own, love and enjoy this gorgeous metal - we have some tips on how to keep it looking it's best. There are just a few things you need to know about silver before we talk about how to care for it.

Sterling Silver consists of 92.5% silver and 7.5% of another metal, which is usually copper or some other alloy. You can tell if a piece of jewelry is Sterling silver because it is commonly stamped with -- 925 or sterling. Silver is much more abundant than gold and platinum, so the price of the piece is largely determined by the craftsmanship and labor involved in its creation.

As some of you may know, over time sterling silver reacts with the sulfur or hydrogen sulfide in the air and the metal can become tarnished. Tarnish (which appears as black patches) occurs when the compound silver sulfide if formed. It is important to note that silver can react poorly when it comes in contact with other things like; rubber gloves, cleaning products, chlorinated water, perfumes, hairsprays, etc.

How to Reduce Tarnishing:

To reduce tarnishing, we recommend keeping your sterling silver jewelry in an air-tight protective bag made of tarnish proof cloth or a plastic zip lock bag made of Mylar or polyethylene. Charming Chick stores and ships our jewelry in small zip-lock style bags for this reason. You can continue to store your jewelry in this bag if you wish, or purchase another larger bag for storing your sterling silver collection. If you properly store your sterling silver charms, bracelets, necklaces, anklets, rings, brooches, etc., they will require minimal cleaning to keep that beautiful shine. We also recommend storing it away from other articles that might rub against it and causes scratches. Sometimes wood finishes can contain chemicals that are not good for sterling silver, so avoid storing on wood surfaces.

Flower Girl

Aside from seeing the bride for the first time,  many wedding guests look forward to seeing the adorable flower girl and ring bearer make their way down the aisle. What exactly are the duties of the flower girl? Is there anything you can do to ensure that she is able to perform her duties? What are some gifts that a flower girl might enjoy? We will be answering these questions  for you on the Charming Chick Blog today.

What is a flower girl?

Flower girls were first used in weddings as a symbol of fertility. They are typically a young female family member or friend of the family who is between the ages of 3-8 years old. If you have several darling little girls to choose from it may be hard to select just one but there aren't any rules that state you can't have more than one.

What are flower girl duties?

The flower girl attends the bridal shower, the rehearsal dinner and of course walks down the aisle in front of the bride spreading flower petals or carrying a bouquet, kissing ball or wreath of flowers. Oh and .of course looking adorable and possibly adding a little comic relief.

What can you do to avoid wedding day jitters?

If the flower girl is too young, she may get too nervous, shy or be too young to understand what she needs to do. Choosing a flower girl who is a little older can definitely help thwart the jitters. Regardless of age, it is very helpful to have the flower girl's parents up at the front either. It will help her want to walk down the aisle if she see the face of oune of her parents waiting for her at the other end. Also, having more that one flower girl provides added confidence and security.

Flower Girl Gifts

Click on the images below to learn more about each gift item....

Delta Delta Delta ~ ΔΔΔ

• Open Motto: "Let us steadfastly love one another."
  Mascot: Dolphin
  Jewel: Pearl
  Colors: Silver, Gold, Cerulean Blue
  Flower: Pansy

The women's fraternity Delta Delta Delta is also known as Tri Delta. It was founded in November 1888 by Sarah Ida Shaw, Eleanor Dorcas Pond,  Florence Isabelle Stewart and Isabel Morgan Breed At Boston University. During this time in history women were just starting to slowly enter the world of higher education. Many of these young women came to rely on others like them who were paving the way for a whole new generation of women. This was a time when public opinion was that women didn't need higher education because there were very few women in the workplace at this time; in fact women weren't even allowed to vote.

Although there were already three women's organizations on the Boston University campus Sarah Ida Shaw wanted to start a women's fraternity that was different from the others. It is noted on Tri Delta's Official Website  that she said to her friend Eleanor Dorcas Pond:

"Let us found a society that shall be kind alike to all and think more of a girl's inner self and character than of her personal appearance."

So the two enthusiastic friends set out to create the organization they both envisioned. They got to work writing the constitution, rituals and designing an emblem. From the very beginning these two friends pour their heart and soul into the sorority. They set a strong foundation before the official founding took place. Delta Delta Delta was also the first organization to be founded without the help of a men's fraternity. Tri Delta was not a weak struggling sorority -- instead their numbers grew and quickly surpassed a new chapter of Gamma Phi Beta. They were a strong tightly knit group of devoted sisters.

Today Delta Delta Delta has 180 Chapters (in the US and Canada) and since it's founding in 1888, it has welcomed 235,000 members into the Tri Delta Sisterhood.

As noted on the Tri Delta website their purpose is:

"THE PURPOSE OF DELTA DELTA DELTA shall be to establish a perpetual bond of friendship among its members, to develop a stronger and more womanly character, to broaden the moral and intellectual life, and to assist its members in every possible way.

IT SHALL ALSO BE THE PURPOSE OF DELTA DELTA DELTA to promote and develop mutually beneficial relationships between the Fraternity and the colleges and universities where the Fraternity has established chapters, to develop qualities of unselfish leadership among its members, and to encourage them to assume, with integrity and devotion to moral and democratic principles, the highest responsibilities of college women." 

The Tri Deltas also do all they can to help their members and to give improve their community. They volunteer their time and talents to many causes and their national philanthropy is Children's Cancer Research and they partner with St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

(photo via www.biography.com)

Happy Birthday Princess Kate!!! Catherine, The Duchess of Cambridge is turning 30 and we think that she is a true Charming Chick. She is beautiful, sweet and is quickly becoming a style icon.  Reports say that she has decided to forgo a lavish and loud birthday party and instead has opted for a quiet celebration. One of the things we long about the Duchess is how conservative she and her husband Prince William are -- so much so that they decided not to have servants. How very common. We love it! She has also been spotted grocery shopping among the common folks and has bought clothing off the rack. The best thing about Kate is that she seems to be a really down to Earth royal.

At Charming Chick we carry many items that any frugally minded, fashionable princess would love. Today we will feature some of our most popular princess items in honor of Kate's  30th birthday.

What does every princess need? Princess cut earrings of course! These gorgeous princess cut CZ earrings are set in beautiful .925 sterling silver. They are perfect for everyday wear and look just as stunning with formal evening wear -- and a tiara! If your princess is having a birthday these would make an excellent gift.

This is a necklace fit for royalty but at a price anyone can afford. It is set in stunning sterling silver and features an exquisite five-point crown with dazzling CZs. Another notable feature is the toggle clasp. It adds a unique element to this already special piece.  The crown measures 3/4" and the necklace is 18" long which is a great complement to almost any neckline. This piece usually ships in about 3-5 days so you'll want to give yourself plenty of time before ordering.

If you buy the necklace above you will definitely want to add these gorgeous matching earrings to complete the look. Treat yourself or someone you love. This set is completely versatile and looks just as great with a pair of jeans as it does with an evening gown. As with the necklace, these earrings are set in precious sterling silver and when the light hits the CZs the sparkle is sure to catch everyone's eye. They look like a million bucks but are very affordable.

(via www.fg-a.com)

Did you get engaged over the holiday? Have you started to plan your wedding day? Have you also begun to think about your wedding budget and now realize how expensive things can be? It's true, making your wedding day perfect does cost a lot of money - money well spent - but still it's a lot.  We have great news for you though. Now through January 31st Charming Chick is having a fantastic sale and we have included many of our beautiful wedding items. So now is the time to start planning. Even if your wedding day is a year away, it's best to start getting things little by little so it's not such a financial strain so close to your big day. Take your time to look through all of our reasonably price wedding accessories. Even at their regular prices they can work well with your wedding budget -- but that fact that many items are on sale make those prices so much sweeter.

If your wedding day includes a ceremony on the beach, on a boat or you just want to have a nautical theme, this white satin garter will be an nice touch. Now through January 31st, 2012 it is on sale for ONLY $7.99. This is an absolute steal for a garter of this quality. It features a nautical bow and a gold star fish.  One size fits most.

Many brides like to give their bridesmaids a special gift that can be worn on the day of the wedding. This personalized pearl necklace and earring set makes an absolutely stunning gift!  This set will look perfect with any dress style and it is something your girls can cherish for years to come. You can be sure that they will always be reminded of you and your special day every time they put it on. This set is on sale  now through January 31st 2012 an at this low price won't put a huge dent in your budget. You can even pick one up for your mother and/or grandmothers to wear.

Top your cake off right with this beautiful cake topper. Even if you don't have to watch every penny of your wedding budget, you'll still appreciate the uniqueness that this photo cake topper has to offer --- and at an unbelievable price. Going on now through January 31, 2012 this cake topper is on sale for only $16.99! This topper is crafted of sturdy acrylic and makes a wonderful keepsake that you can enjoy for many years to come.

You'll definitely need  some champagne flutes to make a toast with and these elegant glasses are just perfect -- and on sale! The flutes are crafted of hand blown glass and will ensure that you will make your wedding day toast in style. The great sale price also means you can keep within your wedding budget.

You simply cannot pass up the deal on this gorgeous flower girl basket! At the time of this posting it is listed at only $9.99 -- very affordable! It's so affordable in fact that you could buy several to use to hold candy, favors or flowers to decorate on the tables at your reception. There are so many things you could do with these -- you just have to let your creativity soar!

These are just a few of the wedding items that we have on sale right now. Again, all you have to do is peruse our affordable wedding items to see the other things we have on sale. Shop Charming Chick and you'll be able to stick with your wedding budget while shopping for wedding decor, favors accessories and more

Happy Planning!!! 

Leather Goods

We are thrilled to introduce a new collection into our Charming Chick family -- Rowallan of Scotland!  These leather goods feature designs that are simple, yet elegant. The colors are vibrant and stunning. The organizational features mean you will have everything you need - right at your finger tips - as you navigate through your busy day. You'll also love the clean, classic stylish designs. Let's take a closer look at some of these gorgeous yet, practical leather accessories.

Rowallan of Scotland's Personalized Leather Jewelry Case is a fantastic way to store your jewelry or to safely take it with you. The soft micro-suede interior is gentle on your jewelry and won't scratch or damage your beautiful items. This jewelry case features two leather loops for chains and necklaces and eight padded ring forms and four open compartments for smaller items -- all of which are covered by a removable suede pad that ensures your items stay in place during transport.

Another of Rowallan of Scotland's leather goods are the Personalized Leather Business Card Cases -- a very stylish career accessory. It is available in six vibrant colors and has been expertly crafted to keep your business cards, credit cards, ID, etc. in perfect condition. The fine leather is stretched over a sturdy metal frame. It can be embossed with up to three letters and is perfect for women and men.

Rowallan of Scotland's Personalized Leather Clutch Wallet offers maximum storage is and sleek and beautiful design. These leather goods are available in three eye-catching colors and can be embossed with up to three letters. This mini purse is features two spacious compartments divided by a zippered pocket. There is also an open section that includes nine credit card slots, a window for picture ID and additional compartments ideal for checks or receipts.

With this Rowallan of Scotland Personalized Leather Passport Cover Wallet you can travel in style. Crafted of a full-grain leather exterior, this wallet features an interior passport pocket as well as slits that will securely hold your credit cards and travelers checks all in one organized location. This passport wallet is available in six beautiful colors and can be embossed with up to three block letters.

The last Rowallan of Scotland's leather goods that we will be featuring are the Personalized Leather Keychain Wallets.  This gorgeous wallet features a key ring so it can easily and conveniently attach to your keys. It also features three slots for credit cards, a clear window for your ID and a compartment to hold cash or receipts.