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 
Go give Granny a hug. Also, talk less and listen more.
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hey younger self,
Wow..you drink a lot. Those friends are for keeps.
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You are loved.
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You don’t always need the last word.
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Dear Younger Self:
Love doesn’t mean compatibility. Run now, before it’s too late. Oh, and don’t drop out of college; mom and dad are paying and you have a young, fresh mind. When you’re 45 and a single mom, that tuition bill will really hurt and school will be a lot harder with all of the other things occupying your middle-age brain.
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Dear younger self,
be patient, you’ll get there. if you really can’t wait, start doing yoga.
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You don’t need to get engaged in order to move out of your parents house in with him, its not some kind of magical band of grown-up-ness. University is not just for rich kids. There are loans you can get. Go find out about them. And finally, get your dual citizenship papers, go to Ireland and work for your Uncle Seamus.
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To my younger self- have more fun, school is important yes, but so are your friends. You’ll need them later.
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Dear younger self,
Go far from home … you can always come back.
Love,
K.
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Stay in school and do that one-year graduate program. Going back to school later is hard.
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Don’t be afraid of the body around that brain.
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Date more. Worry less.
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Dear Silly Girl,
Stop trying to be cooler, make everyone else happy, and for goodness sake, have more confidence in yourself!
Smooches!!!
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Relax … most of the things you are worrying about are not that big of a deal.
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Platitudinous advice for my younger self: People think you’re cute….believe them. The only thing standing in your way is you.
Also, please skip that overalls phase.
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He wasn’t for you, and you’ll be relieved about that later. I promise.
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dear younger self,
thank you for going to yoga.
xox
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Dear Young Me,
Accept that boy’s offer to dance at the 6th grade dance and don’t be embarrassed of what you friends might say. You don’t know this yet but that boy won’t be around long. A few months after the dance he will die in a crash. Accept that dance so you don’t have to carry the regret with you the rest of your life.
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Hey, younger self. Whassup girlfriend? About that thing. Well, when you think the big things will stop being big things just because you are married, you are wrong. Capital W wrong.
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Dear me my first year in college,
Never, ever, ever start smoking, and always, always, always dance, sing and be silly, especially with your best friends.
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Stop worrying about these little things that will mean nothing a week, a month and a year from now. It’s wasted energy.
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Dear Younger Me,
Engineering is fun and all, but you’ll like baking better. Get on that!
From,
Older Me
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learn to stop hating yourself. you can’t be perfect – no one can , but you’re far from horrible.
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To my 18 year old self, sneaking into bars:
Beware the drinks with the fancy names. It really isn’t cool to vomit in the stairwells and shower stalls of your dorm.
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Enjoy yourself. It’s okay to feel pretty and sexy. Ten (twenty?) years from now you will be wishing to have have the body and skin that you have now.
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don’t take things so personally, college-aged self. and let your hair grow longer.
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Dear Younger Self,
Don’t waste so much time. It’s okay to try new things and take chances, but get out when it’s not working – it’s not giving up.
4 years with BF #1
Another 2 years with BF #2
2 years with BF #2
6 doomed-from-the-begginging months with BF #3
2 more years with BF #2
5 years at a job that kills your soul
5 years of of misery in undergrad and then 5 years of not taking the last two classes you need to graduate.
Years upon years of wishing, hoping, dreaming, but doing NOTHING about it.
Plan a plan and go! Dream, Achieve, Live!
Life can be so much better than you think.
Me
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Think about what you are wearing. You are cute. Now act like it. Same goes for how smart you are.
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Dear Younger Self,
Finish your music degree. And, if you can’t see your way to do that, then at least get your masters degree in English. That whole “taking a year off thing”…. bad idea. Dump your boyfriend the FIRST time he cheats on you, too.
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Have more fun and stop worrying!
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If you fail something, don’t hide it from people who care about you.
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There is a time for sloth and a time for work; the latter will make you appreciate the former more.
Take chances, have fun, don’t make all decisions based on how insecure you feel, because everyone else is pretty much faking that ease and enthusiasm, too.
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Don’t have sex with someone who isn’t worthy of being the father of your children.
Being a hottie, is not a good enough standard for sex. Aim higher.
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Hi younger me,
Don’t be afraid to speak up!!
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Travel abroad right after college.
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Hey little lady…listen up!
Know this: All that glitters is not gold.
Put down that negative 30 SPF Sun Tan Oil. Now.
Pay more attention in that photography class. And the Spanish one too.
Listen to your Dad’s advice regarding that African safari. You will regret it if you don’t.
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College isn’t for everyone – do something more adventurous and don’t have any regrets. (And because student loans for three degrees you didn’t finish is pretty lame.)
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Dear teenage self: You are not dateless because you are ugly or nerdy or unwantable. You are dateless simply because you are not ready for it yet, and neither are those boys. A lot of them turn out to be losers, and if you had gone out with the ones who didn’t, it would have ended disastrously. But that one guy? Life turns him–and you–into a beautiful, grounded, honest, honorable person.
But you are not ultimately defined by your relationship status. God knows and loves you, and that is enough.
Love, mid-twenties self
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Don’t be lazy, stop looking for shortcuts. Patience, it is a quality you should work on – it pays back in spades!!!
Also – moisturizer!
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Dear Jennifluff,
Its better to fail than to never try because you are scared. That’s just dumb; you are smarter than that.
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Dear Early twenties self: You really should wear more sunscreen.
Love, Mid thirties self
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Dear younger self:
Two words: re. lax. Trust your gut, stop second guessing yourself so much. You’re funny when you allow yourself to be. Now go have fun.
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Dear 22ish,
Put down the credit cards.
Love,
31
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Dear Young me,
Don’t spend so much energy trying to find love. It will find you when your aren’t even expecting it.
Don’t do shots after midnight…that’s never wise.
You are smart and kind….act like it.
Wear sunscreen!!!!
love,
who you will become.
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I would tell my younger self that it’s okay to like things that not everyone likes. That’s what makes me me.
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Dear little Michelle,
Please remember to focus on the bigger picture, and stop worrying about the small stuff.
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younger self: quit making “I’ll never…” statements. They all come true in a few more years.
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Go give your Dad a kiss and tell him you love him.
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Hey Younger Self – Ignore the people that freak you out and just hang out with the people who value you. You’ll have a lot more fun and be less insecure. Plus, it will save you years of struggling to figure that out!
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you have your whole life to make friends. finish college.
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