BY NYLMEDIA : Thursday, February 16, 2012
Fashion Week is one of the most exciting times of the year. Yes, the fashion shows are great to watch, but for me, I get endless inspiration sitting at Lincoln Center and watching fashion lovers' personal style walking by!
BY SANDY LEONG : Saturday, December 31, 2011
It's that time of year again, New Year's Eve. Time to make those lofty resolutions, like: I will not raise my voice to my kids or my husband unless the apartment is on fire, I will not buy something just because it's on sale, I will be more patient and kind to everyone and I will work out more, improve my tennis serve, and lose those last five pounds if it kills me.
BY NYLMEDIA : Tuesday, December 20, 2011
'tis the season for surprises!
The winner of the Sandy Leong Giveaway, receiving the Petite Dewdrop Necklace from the Origin Collection, is......
BY SANDY LEONG : Monday, December 19, 2011
I love flying non-stop! However sometimes you just can't get from here to there without stopping somewhere. I pride myself in my packing abilities, after all I've been a flight attendant for 25 years. Just the essentials, rolled, tucked and travel sized. But when our luggage didn't make our flight I realized how little you really need and even I am guilty of overpacking!
BY SANDY LEONG : Tuesday, December 13, 2011
I’m always very sentimental about the holidays. My fondest memories are waking up my brother on Christmas morning so we could sneak a look at our stockings before my parents woke up. The warm fuzzy feelings also come to me when I look at my Sweet Charity Bangle that I made for The Boys and Girls Aid in Portland, Oregon.
BY SANDY LEONG : Monday, December 12, 2011
I just had a whirlwind weekend celebrating our dear family friends’ son’s Bar Mitzvah. We attended the Friday night service, followed by dinner, the Saturday morning service, followed by lunch and the party to end all parties, Saturday night.
At the photo booth Saturday night!
BY SANDY LEONG : Friday, December 09, 2011
This time of year provides plenty of opportunity for anxiety provoking feelings. The office party, too much family "together" time, overcrowded shopping centers, and traveling just to name a few. The one situation that never causes me anxiety is what to bring to the host/hostess when attending a holiday party when the typical wine, cookies or candies just aren't original enough for you. Sometimes one size doesn't fit all, but my favorite hostess gift to give and receive is a Diptyque candle, and it fits me perfectly, in any fragrance, but especially holiday scented ones, like Epinette and Perdione. Anything that makes my apartment smell more like Christmas. And it comes beautifully packaged so all you have to do is put a ribbon around the box with a nametag (so your grateful hostess will know who it came from.)
BY SANDY LEONG : Friday, December 02, 2011
On my recent trip to Boca Raton, Florida my husband and I went to a wine store called Total Wine & More. And boy did they! It is like a Costco for wine and spirits. Rows and rows of wines by region, whole aisles of vodkas, domestic and imported, champagnes, beers, oh my. It was like being a kid in a candy I never thought I would have so much fun in a liquor store.
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Pro mis Q ous wine!
BY SANDY LEONG : Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Christmas is just around the corner and I can’t wait. I love going to the Farmers Market at Union Square and getting my Christmas tree the first Friday or Saturday in December. Hauling out the ornaments and decorations and smelling that fresh pine-y smell every time I walk into my apartment. It really is the most wonderful time of the year.
Christmas 2006
BY NYLMEDIA : Monday, November 28, 2011
Sometimes less is more but sometimes, more is more, and having this as an option when dressing is ideal, especially around the holidays!
BY SANDY LEONG : Sunday, November 20, 2011
What are you smiling about? I finally finished making two ring guards for my friend Garry who was the inspiration behind my Commitment rings. He wanted two high polished rings to wear on either side of his white gold band with a champagne diamond baguette. I have to say, it looks fabulous and he couldn’t be happier. What is making me smile though is how happy Garry is.
BY SANDY LEONG : Thursday, November 17, 2011
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My Small Origin ring as seen on Jullian Michaels. I'm using that shape to create a fish scaled look for new earring, necklaces and a bracelet. I’m often asked where I get my inspiration. Here’s where one source of my inspiration comes from.
BY SANDY LEONG : Saturday, November 12, 2011
I have a confession to make. I love Target. Everything about it: the wide aisles, the vast array of make-up from Maybelline to Boots, the fashion forward accessories, greeting cards from Papayrus and the guest designers that bring high fashion to the masses. Botkier, Alexander McQueen, Zac Posen and John Paul Gautier have all designed a limited edition line for Target, with great success. I admit, the quality wasn’t always there but it was guiltless haute shopping on a budget.
BY SANDY LEONG : Tuesday, September 06, 2011
For the record, I was never really afraid of Hurricane Irene. In fact, up until the Amagansett Fire Department delivered our evacuation notice, I was willing to to "ride her out". But when my calm, cool and collected husband was checking out hotels in Riverhead (about an hour inland)that was when I began to panic. Our friends have a house in East Hampton, further inland with a back up generator and graciously offered to let us stay with them (including our babysitter, and two dogs) during the hurricane.
So now comes the real dilemma. If Irene really did wipe out our beach and beach front rental, what do you take with you?
BY SANDY LEONG : Tuesday, August 09, 2011
I admit the title is a bit misleading. I love playing tennis and have been playing pretty much all my life. My Dad was an avid tennis player and he was determined to make my brother and I love the sport as well. My first tennis racket was a sawed off badmitten racket and my first lesson was our the living room. (not a good idea) My second lesson was on the public tennis courts in Richmond, California, where you could get group instructions for the entire summer for the $2 membership fee. So despite my humble beginnings, I turned out to be a pretty good tennis player, playing number one singles in high school..jpg)
BY SANDY LEONG : Thursday, July 28, 2011
Never had spending $15 filled me with such anxiety.
What relatively minor purchase was causing me such angst? A visit to the nail salon, of course. I went to get my nails done and I was filled with insecurity when asked to pick a color. I stared blankly at the 100-plus shades of pinks, reds and corals, not to mention the trendier blacks, blues, greens and – gasp -- orange.
BY SANDY LEONG : Friday, July 01, 2011
I just got back from two weeks in Australia with my family. We had a wonderful time, climbing the Sydney Harbor Bridge, touring Sydney, diving the Great Barrier Reef, hiking around the outback in Central Australia and a quick trip to the wine country in Southern Australia. It's winter in Australia, high's around 63 ish and lows around 50.
BY SANDY LEONG : Tuesday, June 07, 2011
A recent trip to a resort town in Jordan confirmed this universal truth: All women want to look good in a swimsuit.
My husband and I just got back from a very quick trip to Aqaba, Jordon, a town that borders the Red Sea. It’s beautiful in an Old World way – family-owned souvenir shops, grocery kiosks, the souks and camels — yet thoroughly modern as demonstrated by our encounters with bikini-clad tourists, all-you-can-eat buffet breakfasts, Wi-Fi and infinity pools.
BY SANDY LEONG : Tuesday, June 07, 2011
It’s amazing what happens when you step away from your “regular” life for just a little while. When you come back, you wonder what you used to do regularly. I normally have a very good work ethic. I get up every morning at 6:30, wake the kids, walk the dogs, workout, and get busy designing jewelry. But lately, life has been a whirlwind. Holidays, traveling, trunk shows, etc have thrown a wrench into my structured existence and I like it. But now that I’m back for a whole week, I don’t remember what was normal. I just keep packing and unpacking, lugging suitcases to and from airports. I can’t remember the last time I cooked dinner for my family and my normal routine isn’t really working for me anymore. I’ve actually become a little unfocused and, gasp, lazy!
BY SANDY LEONG : Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Smiling is good for you. And it didn’t take a doctor, psychologist or neuroscientist to tell me that. There is actually scientific proof that flashing your pearly whites improves your health, self-confidence and well-being. The act of smiling releases endorphins, which are associated with falling in love and are key to long-term relationships. I heard Ron Gutman, the founder of HealthTap, say that smiling sets off a chemical reaction in your body similar to 20 chocolate candy bars!
You know what makes me smile? Shopping. Guilty as charged. My pulse races and the corners of my mouth start an instantaneous upturn whenever I walk into a mall, a grocery or book store, even a magazine shop at the airport. I can’t help myself. Now that I know smiling – and therefore shopping – is good for me, well, just think of the possibilities.
BY SANDY LEONG : Tuesday, June 07, 2011
I love Donna Karan. Her clothes are beautiful, accessible and wearable. She designs a bedding and bath line, shoes and handbags, fragrances and now Urban Zen, a complete lifestyle collection. But does she ever get bored of wearing Donna Karan clothing, sleeping in her Donna Karan bedding, living in her Donna Karan-designed apartment or showing off her Donna Karan-designed jewelry?
Unlike Donna Karan, with her massive staff, I’m a one-woman show; I design, draw, work on my inventory, monitor sales. I’m constantly on the lookout for new ideas, trends and inspiration. Sometimes it can take months for an idea to become an actual wearable piece of jewelry.
BY SANDY LEONG : Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Forget the 401k, gold is the new hedge against an unpredictable future. Interest rates are skyrocketing, home values depreciating. What is one to do? According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal many private investors are putting their money in gold. That’s about as technical and investment savvy as I get. What that article said to me was “buy jewelry”.
This is what I'm investing in. Bangles from the Halo Collection
BY SANDY LEONG : Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Sundance 2011: When it’s cold and slushy outside, my sense of fashion goes out the window. I want to be warm. Out come the trapper, scarf, mittens, the long down coat, and warm, waterproof boots to navigate the ankle deep puddles of water that accumulate at the cross walks. Okay, I did wear my Ferragamo white faux fur apres ski boots that was the topic of many a conversation starter, and although they were warm and for the most part waterproof, they were also somewhat of a fashion statement. But still, I’m always so amazed seeing women show up at the after parties with teeny, tiny mini dresses and pointy toed pumps. Where did they come from? How did they get there? Surely they were not walking on the same mean streets of Park City that I was. It’s really hard to show how your thrice weekly sessions with your personal trainer are paying off either. Everyone is bundled up in ski parkas, and sweaters, not very figure flattering.