Today’s giveaway features two California jewelry artists.
Textured Drop Necklace By Feisty Elle
Every time I wear this piece by Leslie Yang, I get compliments. I’ve actually had people stop me in the street to ask where I got it. It’s made of bamboo, so it’s surprisingly lightweight. I don’t even notice I have it on, and I love how effortlessly it elevates an outfit.
Can You Hear Me Now Brooch by Mama’s Little Babies
Mama’s Little Baby brooches are so witty. This guy is my favorite, but I also feel affectionate toward the artichoke and Gunther, the World Famous Lion Tamer.
Cute, right? I know!
To enter, please leave a piece of advice for your younger self. And don’t forget to check back this week for more contests.
Fine print: Please only leave one comment, because it’s the nice thing to do, and also because multiple entries will be disqualified. I’ll use random.org to select the winner, and I’ll announce who won at the top of this post and in a separate post next Wednesday.
Mighty Girl 
Dear younger self, you will lose so much time being obsessed with perfection. Let it go.
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Dear Younger Self – You will not die a virgin. He will not be “the one”. Stop chasing.
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Everything doesn’t have to be perfect…let go!
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Forget grad school, get a job before the market tanks.
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Date the tuba player, not the trumpet player.
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Dear Jessica,
It is ok to be happy. And don’t forget to hug your mom a lot – she’ll be gone sooner than you know.
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dear 14 year old self trapped in a teeny little single-minded town: those different and totally weird feelings you have about girls? it’s normal, and it’s called being gay. unfortunately you won’t realize that this ‘condition’ actually has a name and that you are not alone until several years later. now aren’t you glad you listened to your intuition and didn’t go out with that creepy religious guy mom was pushing on you??? YOU’RE WELCOME.
ps. make Tim Gunn your god now, and it will save you a lot of frustration later.
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…sometimes you have to do what is right for you even when everyone else thinks it is wrong…they don’t have to live your life…you can’t make decisions based on their comfort…
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Dear Younger Self – Be kind to yourself, treat your body well and study yoga so you’ll be flexible and have a beautiful swan-
like neck in which to display the beautiful necklace from Feisty Elle that you will win from Margaret
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I know you’re busy and all, but college comes with a gym membership. You’ll land a sweet boy either way. (No, not that one. No spoilers, Younger Self.) But don’t wait until you can actually see yourself getting old with someone to start working on making sure you see old age.
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As subtext, I am a obsess-about-order kind of person. Before going off to college and graduate school, before living with strangers, before embarking on real life and responsibility, I’d give myself the following advice…
Embrace chaos. It’s the natural order of things, and it can be fun.
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Advice to younger self: Listen more. Talk less.
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Finish college!
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Self,
Don’t go to the bar The Library. It will save you a world of hurt and a lot of money in therapy. Also, eat more doughnuts while you have the metabolism.
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Dear Young Andrea: You don’t have to wait for anybody’s permission to do the things you want to do. Get out there and make stuff.
Love, Me
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My Very Dear Lizzie,
Two things. First, there’s not supposed to be anything relativistic about how your boyfriend treats you – if YOU think he’s being selfish and hurtful, he IS being selfish and hurtful. There is no jury on this – your opinion is the only one that counts.
Second, the thing you do to celebrate, where you buy a cake for no reason and ask the baker to write something great on it in icing? That’s the greatest. Keep doing that. You’ll lose interest in sheet cake soon enough, and celebrating small things is a great habit to get into.
Love,
Liz
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Spend more time with your friends. Spend less time with him.
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That 6’5″ former Nazi sympathizer? Yeah, how about not starting to date him in the first place, smartie pants?
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Dear Younger Self: Be nicer to your body- you don’t want to go through this past year and you can avoid it!
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Hey, younger self! You’ve got great instincts and you’re a wonderful judge of character. Go easier on yourself and keep following your heart.
(wow…I wonder if this is good advice for 10 years from now, as well?)
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Love that necklace!
Dear self,
Although you may be flattered with the full-ride scholarship you got from the podunk college in the middle of a turkey farm, apply to more schools and please finish!!
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To my younger self: Treasure those moments with your parents because they will be gone too soon.
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Dear you,
It’s about to get more interesting, and your confidence will surprise you! Keep going!
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You count. And your feelings do matter.
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Hey you – yeah, you – the girl who doesn’t smile:
Show your teeth. You have a beautiful smile and no one notices your teeth are crooked but you.
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It’s okay to ask for help when you need it. It doesn’t show you’re broken, it shows you’re dedicated.
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advice to younger self: take more risks! you’ll have more fun.
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Stop worrying that every decision, whether minor or major, will determine your soul’s final destination.
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Young Charlie,
It’s okay just to be yourself. The people who don’t like the real you, aren’t your real friends.
Love,
me
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You WILL reach a time in your life where you won’t feel as though everyone has to like you. You’ll realize it’s just not the hassle and hard work to live up to their unrealistic expectations.
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Dear Younger ME,
You cannot OWN anything, you are just a great caretaker, and, nothing and no one can OWN you, but they can take care of you!
Love,
oh, you know who.
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Be more talkative, especially in front of strangers.
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Dear younger self,
You will never be as young and thin as you are right now; wear a bikini while you can, dummy!! Oh, and don’t date that one guy. He doesn’t deserve you.
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Dear younger me-
Star thinking about your future (you will have one). Those girls aren’t your frie ds and those boys don’t deserve you (or your body). Speak up in class. Do a semster abroad. Stop being so scared about what others think about you.
Love,
A happier, more confident (and older) you.
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Oh my god, some of these are heartbreaking. I love this idea; it’s worthy of an entire post. Uh huh, stealing this idea.
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Don’t fear rejection so darned much (advice that is still handy today:).
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Dear self: Relax. Enjoy the journey more.
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Dear me 18-22ish: Go for a walk, study more, and for Pete’s sake don’t drink so much. You’re too cute and life’s too short for you to spend so much time feeling nihilistic.
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You may think that your snotty friends are the only worthwhile people in the entire world. You are incorrect. You’re missing out on a lot of great relationships by ignoring everyone else.
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Dear Self,
PUT DOWN THE SNICKER’S BAR. For one thing, it’s going to make you cry when you try and get rid of it ten years later, still sitting on your butt. For another, there is WAAAAY better chocolate in your future.
Love,
me
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Dear Me,
Stop being so afraid to speak up in class. Sooner or later, you will find out that participation is key to learning, and no one will be able to get you to shut up. This is a good thing.
Love,
Me
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what wonderful pieces of art.
younger self, remember to PLAY, girl!
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Dear younger self,
Don’t worry so much. People really like you, and you are cooler than you think you are. In about 15 years, it won’t matter. You’ll have a great job, two kids and a wonderful husband. It really will work out OK. Actually, even better than you imagined.
Love yourself… others do.
xoxo,
me
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Hey younger self, do more sit ups and push ups. You can eat as much ice cream as you would like but you will love the increased muscle tone later. Thanks.
Your future ice cream loving older version.
If this posts twice, please delete one, my internet is doing odd turning off randomly for 3 seconds things.
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Dear Sarah at 17:
Don’t be afraid of going to college. It doesn’t matter that you’re young. You’re strong. You can handle it. Go to the big school.
Love,
Sarah at 27.
P.S. Double major in Spanish AND Nursing. Don’t be afraid of Science. Chemistry was only hard the first time because Mr. Sanders was a terrible teacher, not because you’re bad at science.
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Honey – stick to your guns, keep smiling, be kind, be honest and take the opportunity to travel every single time that you get chance to do so. Even the briefest journey is worthwhile.
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Thank you for going after the literature classes that sounded interesting, instead of the ones that seemed important. Also, you are thin and your stomach is remarkably flat.
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To me: Fake it till you make it! No one knows if you have no idea what you are doing!
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Just relax. Ditch school once. Do some fun, bad things.
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Dear 15 year old Self: Calm down, it gonna be alright. Be kind to yourself.
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