You've found your true love and now you are ready to propose. Since this will no doubt be one of the most important moments in both of your lives, you'll want to make your proposal, sweet, memorable and unforgettable! How can you do that? What's the first step? How can you ensure that she will think your proposal is as special as you want it to be? On the Charming Chick blog today, we have some tips to share with you that can answer those questions and have you feeling confident that your proposal will be one in a million.

Tips

1. Make sure you have found the right person!

Marrying the right person has a huge impact on your overall happiness. Just because you love someone doesn't automatically make them the perfect life-mate, so you'll want to make sure you spend some time discussing some very important questions such as finances, children, parenting, religion, goals, dreams and much more. This is the person who is going to see you through every season of life -- for the rest of your life and if you disagree on some of the really important issues, it can cause a lot of conflict and perhaps even resentment, so choose wisely.

2. Talk to Her Daddy (or Grandfather)

It may seem old fashioned but you can still score major points with your future in-laws if you ask your soon to be  father-in-law for his daughter's hand in marriage. Of course, the decision is ultimately up to her but seeking her father's approval can mean a lot to the entire family, especially if your girlfriend has a very close relationship with her father. It's very hard for some dads to see their little girl grow up but knowing that she will be committed to a respectful man who will love and protect her will make him feel much better.

3. Pick out a Nice Ring

Nice doesn't always have to mean expensive, it means doing your homework about how to buy a diamond (and/or colored gemstones), paying attention to what she likes in the way of jewelry and sneakily finding out her ring size. Pay attention to what kind of jewelry she wears; does she prefer white or yellow metals? Does she have any allergies to certain metal types? Does she like big, eye-catching creations or a simple and understated look? Just paying attention to what she points out and talks about is huge. Talking to one of her girlfriends can be an excellent way to know exactly what she has been wishing for.

4. Be Creative and Make it Meaningful 

Your proposal doesn't have to include elaborate fireworks or a private island -- unless you want it to. It just has to be romantic and meaningful. Just a word of advice; even though you may be the biggest Dallas Mavericks fan and your dream is to have your proposal in lights on the big screen, doesn't mean she shares the same desire. Doing a fun scavenger hunt, a hike to one of your favorite spots, dinner at your favorite restaurant (or one she's been dying to go to), etc. can be wonderful. If you really know what she loves and adores, it should be fairly simple to think of something she will remember forever!

5. Practice, Practice, Practice

Oh sure you may feel a little silly spilling out all of the reasons you love your girlfriend and why you want her to make you the happiest man in the world to your own mirrored reflection BUT you will feel much more confident writing out what you want to say and then practice saying it. Some men like to just play it by ear and express their love from the heart at the moment they propose. I think this is a wonderfully romantic idea and can be very effective but at least taking some time to consider what you want to say can help so when nerves overtake you, you can hopefully remember your list. If you don't want to sound rehearsed don't worry about the practice but writing them down can be very helpful.

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You've heard of Pinterest, right? If not, it's one of the hottest, fastest growing sites on the web. It is a virtual pin board that you can use to organize all the things you love. You can post and pin your favorite recipes, DIY projects and ideas, fashions, jewelry, wedding ideas, words you love and so much more to your inspiration boards! It helps you to organize the things you love and to share them with your friends and family. It's so much fun and a really useful tool as well. We used to have to search through magazines to clip out favorite items and create inspiration boards

We have so many stylish charms. Choose a few favorites
to create a gorgeous and meaningful charm necklace.

At Charming Chick, we have now installed a "Pin It" button. You'll find this on all of our products which makes it so easy to share and organize all of your favorite items. You can create a Wish List board and pin all of the things you love that catch your eye. If you are a bride to be, we have a fantastic selection of wedding items that you can pin to you wedding inspiration boards; cake toppers, wedding favors, bridesmaid and groomsmen's  gifts, garters, ring bearer pillows, flower girl baskets, unity candles and so much more!!!

Wedding Love Letter Ceremony. See a something you'd like to
incorporate into your ceremony? Pin it so you can consider it later. 

Pinterest is also great because you can browse other people's boards, repin items, comment, like and get inspired. You can follow people from all over the world and their inspiration boards. If you choose folks that have the same interests as you, you are sure to find many interesting items.

Love Cats? Create Cat Board on Pinterest!

Anyone who is familiar with social media knows that there is certain etiquette should be followed. The Pinterest is no different. First of all it is invite only, only so you must either be invited by another member or you can request an invite. It is important to be nice to the other members and respect everyone, be sure to give credit where credit is due and report questionable content.

Have fun creating your virtual inspiration boards!

Have you seen the new products at Charming Chick. We are constantly adding fabulous and fashionable items to our website. Today we are going to be introducing you to some exciting products on the blog. Sit back, enjoy and don't forget that if you are following us on Twitter @Charming_Chick we have a FREE Saver Shipping Twitter-Only coupon code going on now, so hop on over there and take advantage before it expires on February 5th, 2012. Since Valentine's Day is just around the corner these new products make ideal gifts for the holiday.

These earrings are a gorgeous new product. The Antiqued Bronze Heart Hoop earrings are stunning and stylish. Their light weight design makes them easy and comfortable to wear. Bronze adds an eye-catching element to this classic design. Great as a Valentine's Day gift or for any other time of the year.

This Valentine's Day Swarovski Crystal Sterling Silver Heart Bracelet is so beautiful and dainty. The whimsical sterling silver heart charm dangles sweetly from the hand-beaded bracelet. This bracelet features 8mm pink and red Swarovski crystal beads, silver beads, and a sterling silver heart charm. Measures 7 inches long.

Another new product here at Charming Chick is this stunning Sterling Silver Floating Heart Pendant. Heart necklaces and the floating heart style 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.

This is one of our sweetest new products. Our Sterling Silver Love Daughter Multi-Charm necklace makes a loving statement to your darling daughter. Multi-charm pendants are very popular trend right now and this one is especially beautiful with the contrast of the two-toned finish. The sterling silver is 14k gold plated.

The last new product that we are featuring today is for the 2012 Graduate in your family. This charm is crafted of genuine sterling silver and may be attached to a bracelet, anklet, chain, or earrings. The charm measures 17mm.

We hope you enjoy these new items and don't forget to take advantage of our super low prices on our Clearance Items as well.

Charming Chick is announcing our biggest sale of the year -- our End of Year Clearance. We have dozens of deeply discounted items to choose from and some items are priced as low as $.99 so it's is definitely worth checking out. We want to clear out these clearance items to make room for new ones. Quantities are limited so you'll want to take advantage of these prices before they are gone. Today we are featuring just a few of the items we have on clearance. Be sure to check out our entire selection.

This stunning, hand-crafted crystal bracelet features only the finest Swarovski Crystal beads, genuine sterling silver spacer beads and toggle. The attached elephant charm is also crafted of of genuine sterling silver. Each bracelet measures about 7.25 inches and comes in a gift box free of charge, which makes it the perfect gift for someone special. You are sure to admire the beauty and superb quality of this gorgeous bracelet for years to come. Regularly priced at $24.99 - it is now ONLY $8.99 (at the time of this posting). Only a few left so order now. Ships in just 24 hours.

This personalized tote bag is perfect for any girl-on-the-go! It is ideal for toting books, workout clothes, overnight toiletries, teacher's school supplies, and much more. The tote bag is made of 100% cotton natural canvas with pink accents, and pink embroidery and a single slash pocket lies between the colored handles. The tote bag measures 18.5 inches wide by 13 inches tall and 8 inches wide. Handle measures 12 inches from the top of the bag. May be embroidered with a three letter scripted monogram or block initials at no additional charge. This tote was regularly priced at $26.99 but it is clearance priced to $16.99 (at the time of this posting).

Do you know a girl turning 16 this year? This is a beautiful Sweet 16 sterling silver charm makes an ideal gift. It is crafted of genuine .925 sterling silver. It measures about one inch wide and 5/8 of an inch tall. This Sweet 16 charm is the perfect size for any necklace, bracelet, earrings, anklet, etc. and includes one sterling silver link with this charm so that you can easily attach it to any custom jewelry item you choose.  This item was regularly priced at $7.99 band is clearance priced to $2.99 (at the time of this posting).

We have many wonderful clearance items to choose from so take a look at our selection today to take advantage of these amazing prices.

Thanksgiving Day is a time for families and friends to get together and enjoy each other's company. Many families have special traditions which make this holiday even more meaningful. Maybe you have some that have been passed down through your family as well. If not, you can always make this the first year to start one or two -- or you can add a new Thanksgiving tradition to the ones you and your family already enjoy.

On the Charming Chick blog today we will share some Thanksgiving Day traditions, which we hope will inspire you. 

* Start a Tablecloth of Thanks ~ Purchase a lightly colored tablecloth. It can have leaves or other festive fall decorations on it and each year have everyone at the table write what they are most thankful for that year. Make sure they sign and date it and as the years march by, it is nice and very special to look back and read all the messages.

* Start a Tree or Turkey of Thanks ~ Starting on November 1st have each member of your family write something they are thankful for. Continue doing this until it is Thanksgiving Day. You can just draw a turkey or a tree and then add paper feathers or leaves to them. Save it for the next year and see all the wonderful blessings that you and your family have received.

* Break the Wishbone ~ Save the wishbone out of the turkey and let two people grab an end, make a wish and pull. It is said that the person who has the largest piece of bone in their hand, will have their wish granted! It's never worked for me but it's always great to brag about winning anyway!

*FOOD ~ Speaking of turkey, food is the main event for this holiday. A traditional spread usually includes a turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, deviled eggs, olives, pickles, pies and so much more! It's also a great time to give to others. Inviting friends and family over who may be struggling - or have nowhere to go - is always a generous idea. Also, giving to organizations who provide food baskets or dinner to those in need is a great way to help others and give thanks for all the blessings you have as well.

* Play games ~ Board games, card games and video games are a great way to enjoy the company of your friends and family -- and to partake in a little friendly competition. Some families even organize a family flag football game to be played each year.

So what are some of your favorite Thanksgiving Day traditions? We would love for you to share some of them below in our comments section. We hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

Do you love a great deal? Would you like to receive coupon codes that you could use towards purchasing gifts, jewelry, totes, purses, wedding items, sorority jewelry and all the other wonderful items we have here at Charming Chick? Then we have great news for you! To be "in the know" you just need to do two simple things.

1. "Like" Charming Chick on Facebook

If you ""like" Charming Chick on Facebook you will hear about our newest products, receive Facebook only  discounts, and find out about all the great things going on at CharmingChick.com. If you live in the Forney, TX area you will also find out all about our in-store specials and promotions. All of our blog posts show up on Facebook as well. On our blog we work hard to provide tips, information, and facts related to fashion, jewelry, weddings, parenting and more. Would you like to see a post on a specific topic? GREAT! Comment on this post or give us a shout out on our Facebook wall and tell us what you'd like to see next.

2. Follow Charming Chick on Twitter

If you follow Charming Chick on Twitter you can take advantage of our Twitter only coupon codes. We also try to provide helpful tips, links to our blogs post and other relevant blogs, and tell you about discount and new products that we carry at CharmingChick.com.

THANK YOU!

We love our customers, fans and followers and really want to hear from you. We want to tell you about the best deals, share great offers and provide helpful fashion advice. Keep in mind, the more folks that join our pages, the more coupons we can offer so be sure and please be sure to share us with your friends !!! ♥

A major accomplishment, deserves a really fun celebration -- right? Of course it does, and that is why planning a super special event for your grad, is a fantastic idea! Graduation parties are usually attended by the graduates family and close friends. It can be as big as your budget and venue allows -- but most often a graduation party, tends to be a more intimate affair. This makes it easier for the graduate to enjoy themselves --  and to  greet and thank everyone in attendance. It is their celebration after all -- so you'll want to make sure they really enjoy themselves, and feel very special. So what can you do to ensure the graduation party you are planning goes well? Today, on the Charming Chick blog,  we have some tips to help you as you plan.

{Tip #1} Decide on a Budget

This will help keep you in check as you plan the graduation party. A great way to get started, is to make a list of all the things you want to have at the event - get pricing - then decide what you will include. It is always a great idea to consult with the guest of honor as well.  While you might be thinking of a more formal sit down dinner -- your grad might just want an informal BBQ.

{Tip #2} Send Out Invites

You'll want to send the invites out, at least two weeks in advance. This will help to ensure that your guests have plenty of time to RSVP -- and you'll have a good idea of about how many people to expect for the graduation party. If you are looking for a way to save money -- and be eco-friendly at the same time - you can choose to send your invitations through Evite.

{Tip#3} Decorations

The decor for the graduation party is generally graduation themed and pays tribute to the graduate.  You don't need to go overboard by putting together a huge shrine -- but a great idea is to have photos up and scattered throughout the party. Including photos from your grad's school days, events, sporting events, club activities, honors, etc. It is also fun to do a slide show presentation with power point or a movie maker, and you can add graduation songs to it. You can have personalized favors, candies, or even confetti.

You also might want to get or make a card holder box. Many guests will want to give your graduate a gift and most of the time it is a monetary one, which will help as the embark on the next phase of their life.

{Tip #4} The Food!

If you keep it simple (or have the graduation party catered) then you'll be able to enjoy the festivities as well. If you will be preparing and serving the food, you may want to enlist the help of family and friends. You can make grad's favorite food, have a BBQ, do a baked potato bar or Hawaiian HayStacks, sandwiches, pizza, anything really. Just make sure to keep the cold food cold and the warm foods warm.

As for dessert, you can do cake if you wish. Ice cream and cake are popular choices but you can do all sorts of things, shaved ice, candy bars, s'mores, root beer floats, milk shakes, etc.

Enjoy!!!

 Happy Mother's Day!!!!

It's Mom's Day -- so we thought it would be nice to feature some fun facts and quotes, on the Charming Chick  blog today.

Mother's Day Facts

Fact: Mother's Day was proclaimed an official holiday in the U.S. in 1914.

Fact: The white carnation is the official symbol of Mom's Day.

Fact: In Mexico and South America, Mother's Day is always observed on May 10th.

Fact: Flowers, jewelry and perfume are the most popular gift items for Mom.

Mother's Day Quotes (via Quote Garden)

"Being a full-time Mom is one of the highest salaried jobs...since the payment is pure love." ~ Mildred B. Vermont

"If you have a Mom, there is nowhere you are likely to go, where prayer has not already been." ~ Robert Brault 

"Mothers hold their children's hands for a short while, but their hearts forever." ~ Author Unknown 

" A Mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity, it dares all things, and crushes down remorselessly all that stand in its path.  ~Agatha Christie