Beth Daigle

March 13, 2017

Blog Giveaway & Helen Thomas Andover St. Paddy’s Day Event

***UDPATE – THE HELEN THOMAS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED TO THURSDAY 3/16 FROM 6-9PM***

I am excited to run my first blog giveaway here at 3 Olives & a Twist. Together with Helen Thomas of Andover and local author, Ellen Alden, I have two great prizes to give away.

For Anyone

First, I have a trio of great Irish themed gifts.

♣ A cute pair of “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” message socks, designed by Heather Jacobs, are just the thing to wear when you’re ready to kick up and pucker up.

♣ This Lucky Shamrock wine glass, designed by Heather Jacobs, is sure to bring luck with every sip.

♣ Enjoy this copy of Yours Faithfully, Florence Burke by Andover author, Ellen Alden. While in her attic, Ellen discovered nineteen Civil War letters written by her great, great grandfather to his wife and children. That discovery set Ellen on the path to tell their compelling story.

To win this great bundle, subscribe for my blog (check box in comments section) or Like my 3 Olives & a Twist Facebook page. When you’ve done that, add a comment below saying Three’s a Charm!

For Local Friends

(or anyone who can attend Wednesday’s event)

Enter a chance to win this beautiful Lola Celtic Knot necklace, valued at $85. To win, subscribe for my blog or Like my 3Olives & a Twist Facebook page. Then add a comment below saying Lola!

Be sure to show up to the Helen Thomas on Wednesday night when winners will be chosen at 8pm. To win the Lola necklace, attendance is required.

So, what’s happening on Wednesday? Here are the details…

Date:               Wednesday, March 15^th
Time:               6:00-9:00pm
Where:            Helen Thomas, 90 Main St. #2, Andover, MA 01810
What:              Irish Specialty Items, book signing by Ellen Alden, Irish Music, Irish refreshments & blog giveaway!

Come join us in the spirit of the Irish and dress in your most festive lad and lass garb to add to the fun. Thank you for participating in my first blog giveaway!

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March 9, 2017

Fashion, Health & Beauty

Do What You Love – A Guest Post by Christina Cafua

I am happy to bring you this guest post from local fashion stylist, Christina Cafua.

I know Christina as a neighbor, mom and a striking woman. While her personal style has always been eye-catching, she only recently turned her passion for fashion into a career. In a “do what you love” moment of brilliance, Christina began working as a fashion stylist at dresscode in Andover. For every outfit she models and every pic she posts, Christina makes me want to step up my look.

Please enjoy this guest post from Christina in which she shares her journey and some great fashion options for spring.

Do What you Love – Becoming a Fashion Stylist

by Christina Cafua

For many years, I understood something…all women are beautiful. Taking care of myself is natural to me and I believe every woman can and should be well put together. As it often happens to a girl, I frequently hear, “my wardrobe is full, but I have nothing to wear.”

It became clear to me that I don’t just want to dress nicely myself, but I want to pass this knowledge on to make other women feel beautiful and amazing. It feels good to see joy in their eyes as a result of my work.

So, I turned down my office job and decided to begin working as a fashion stylist at dresscode boutique in Andover, MA. Dresscode is owned by Amy Finegold, who is such an incredible woman. I also enjoy volunteering at Uncommon Threads, a nonprofit boutique-style clothing program that empowers survivors of domestic violence and women in need through clothing.

I’ll be honest, making the decision to change my life wasn’t easy. But when you decide to do what you love, and what you find most interesting, nothing can stop you. Now, I plan my own time while boosting my clients’ image and bringing beauty into the world. At the end of each day, you need to feel fabulous. My goal is for my customers to have fun, but more importantly, to make them look and feel amazing. A lot of times, all you need is a small push to help you feel confident about trying something different. I offer the following services: assessment of individual style, wardrobe assessment and shopping support.

“Style is a way to say who you are without having to speak” – Rachel Zoe

Four Great Looks

Photos courtesy of Christina and dresscode

From palazzo pants to skinny jeans and cropped ankle skimmers, fun and funky patterns are all the rage this spring. Look for florals, island inspirations, stripes, polka dots and more.

Who says leather is just for chilly temps? The soft and supple material, available in a rainbow of colors, is a fabulous transition piece; Try camel, cream or light-pink over your favorite spring dress. picture taken @ dresscode Andover — Who says leather is just for chilly temps? The soft and supple material, available in a rainbow of colors, is a fabulous transition piece; Try camel, cream or light-pink over your favorite spring dress. Picture taken at dresscode Andover.

This season, unleash your fashion with the Oliveve bag. Perfect for day-to-night, this ladylike-meets-street chic piece complements nearly any look. Picture taken @ dresscode Andover — This season, unleash your fashion with the Oliveve bag. Perfect for day-to-night, this ladylike meets street chic piece complements nearly any look. Picture taken at dresscode Andover.

Palazzo jeans, striped shirt, floral bomber & skinny jeans. Picture taken @ dresscode Andover — Palazzo jeans, striped shirt, floral bomber & skinny jeans. Picture taken at dresscode Andover.

Thank you Christina! You do what you love and it shows in your enthusiasm and great work.

Be sure to reach out to Christina or stop in to dresscode to take your style to the next level.

Christina Cafua
978.771.0854
Fashion Stylist
dresscode, Andover MA
www.dresscodestyle.com
ccafua2000@yahoo.com

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March 6, 2017

Fashion, Health & Beauty

Peabody Essex Museum – Shoes: Pleasure and Pain

Pink velour booty at Peabody Essex Museum — Pretty in Pink 1: Everything about these make me want to put them on.

Down to the wire…I finally snuck in a visit to this shoe exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum, just a week prior to its close on March 12^th. I am so glad I did. Shoes are my weakness. I love them in all shapes, sizes, heel heights and colors. It always amazes me how my shoe choice can transform how I see myself and feel in an outfit.

Not long ago, I attended and posted about the Killer Heels exhibit at the Currier Museum of Art in Manchester, NH. Whether Shoes: Pleasure and Pain at the Peabody Essex Museum was similar or different, didn’t matter – I wanted to see it.

Shoes: Pleasure and Pain

Pink Louboutin pumps at Peabody Essex Museum — Pretty in Pink 2 – Pink Louboutins – enough said.

So yesterday, I made my way to Salem, MA (I thought the venue was in Peabody – Oops!) and enjoyed an afternoon full of footwear. There were over 300 pairs of shoes to peruse. From vintage to contemporary, I loved every minute of this visual pleasure. And while the exhibit was named Pleasure and Pain, there was no pain for me.

A variety of artistic shoes and a shoe case at the Peabody Essex Museum — Elegant and unbelievable shoes and a shoe case dreams are made of.

When I saw a local realtor, whose face I’ve seen on countless FOR SALE signs, featured at this exhibit for her closet and collection, I tingled with excitement. Shoe heaven was closer than I thought.

Andover Realtor, Lillian Montalto and her closet full of nearly 3000 shoes!!! I'm in awe. — Andover Realtor, Lillian Montalto and her closet full of nearly 3000 shoes!!! I’m in awe.

If you want to see this display of greatness, be sure to find time between now and Sunday. I’m sorry I didn’t get the word out to you sooner, but better late than never and you still have time.

Black and white outfit with shoes on red backdrop, colorful heels, pink Manolo Blahniks and black and white Chanel. A quote from exhibit curator at the Peabody Essex Museum — Top: Bold color in shoes and clothes. Bottom: Manolo Blahnik and Chanel – Love!

Museum Passes

Also, if you go, be sure to check your local library for museum passes. I didn’t think to do this until my librarian extraordinaire sister, suggested it – Thank you Kiki. With my pass, I received an $8 discount on two adult tickets regularly priced at $20. Not bad! And children under 17 were admitted free of charge. Julia and Ally came along and got a good look at what it means to have a shoe obsession.

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March 2, 2017

Writing, The Blog, The Book

3 Olives & a Twist Turns 0ne!

Cocktail Conversations–A Lifestyle Blog

The Blog

One year ago yesterday, I launched this blog. I can’t believe how quickly the year has gone by and what a fun ride it has been.

3 Olives & a Twist started out as a place to build excitement for my book, Musing Mediterranean. Somewhere along the way, it took on a life of its own and afforded me the pleasure of posting about some fantastic subjects and experiences.

The Book

As far as the book goes, Musing Mediterranean is done. It is edited, proofed and currently being pitched to literary agents. Wish me luck in landing a good one!

Beth is currently working on her first book. — Musing Mediterranean is done!

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading the blog as much as I have enjoyed writing it. I am excited to see what year two brings. What I already know is that more collaborations are under way, with great people and great businesses.

Coming soon – my first blog giveaway. Stay tuned!

What About You?

I’d love your opinion. What do you want to hear about going forward and what can I do differently?

Tell me your suggestions. Would you like more product reviews? Should posts be shorter? Would you like to see more guest bloggers? Anyone in particular?

Talk to me and let me know what you think.

I’d like to continue to spread the word about 3 Olives & a Twist as well as share more stories about the great people, places, businesses and experiences in our area.

My goal is to reach more readers and I’d love your help. If you like a post, please share it. If there’s a topic I should write about please let me know. If you think the blog provides valuable information, please let your friends know about it and suggest they follow along by subscribing or liking my Facebook page.

As always, thank you so much for reading. Have a fabulous day and weekend!

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February 27, 2017

Television & Technology

I’m Obsessed with Gilmore Girls

I set out to do a bunch of things over February break, but it turns out the thing I did the most was binge watch Gilmore Girls.

Back in the day, 2000-2007, I was not much of a Gilmore Girls fan. It leaned a little goodie-goodie for my taste. And back then, I was in the throes of raising two little girls of my own so somehow this beloved, mother/daughter drama slipped by me.

Until November 2016 when a four-episode revival on Netflix debuted. Suddenly, being a Gilmore Girls fan was a thing all over again. My interest was piqued.

Gilmore Girls – The Original

Back in December, my girls and I made it our mission to watch all seven seasons. This took longer than expected as each season contained 22, hour-long episodes. Do they even make shows with that many episodes in a season anymore?

Anyway, we’re finally through it and I can officially say, I’m now a Gilmore Girls fan. Not just because I discovered that Milo Ventimiglia, my new favorite actor from the best show on television, This Is Us, played a pivotal role in the series (boy, does he look different now). But because it was hysterical to go back in time. Honestly, when I think about the early 2000s, it doesn’t seem like that long ago, but this show was so dated. Flip phones, bad fashion and every antiquated notion of small town living you could imagine – all of it had me hooked.

I also liked the show’s mom/daughter premise for obvious reasons. While I did my best to pay attention to the quirky plot, I found myself spending more time fixating on weird and random things. For example, the main character, Rory’s, never aging voice. She sounded like she was twelve for the entire seven seasons. Other things like actors sipping on empty coffee cups and objects moving from one scene to the next were fun to catch. Production was not at its finest in this series.

Regardless, it was fun to get caught up on this popular series and I loved that funny girl, Melissa McCarthy, played a major role and was more sweet than silly. I love seeing where major celebs got their start.