Chic Galleria » Leslie Chatman

Edgy Ashard Richley Handbags

Leslie Chatman — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 07:06:05 +0000

Handbag designer Ashley Burghardt takes style to a whole new level with her fabulous accessory line. Focused on chic, dynamic designs, Ashard Richley offers women fashion forward handbags with timeless characteristics aimed to make women feel stunning. Ashard Richley handbags transition well from day to evening and are designed to be carried for any occasion, casual to formal.

Ashley began her journey to accessory design after studying in Florence, Italy. After a successful career at Be&D and Coach, Ashley had a desire to create a line of handbags of her own. Ashard Richley, a combination of her name Ashley and her husbands name Richard, was launched in 2009 and can now be purchased in over 100 stores in the US, Canada, and Costa Rica.

Recently I sat down with Ashley Burghardt for a brief interview.

Q: Many designers choose to use their name for their company. How did your arrive at Ashard Richley?

A: My husband and I used to joke that we would name our kids Ashard and Richley. When we finally decided to launch the company, we were searching everywhere for a name. One day my husband called me and said “Ashard Richley…why not use Ashard Richley”.

Q: What was your inspiration for The Ruffle Collection?

A: I get inspiration from everywhere but for The Ruffle Collection, it was a dress I saw on television with ruffles on it. I thought ruffles would look great on a handbag! I played around with the placement of ruffles and finally decided in the designs we have now.

Q: Tell me about your passion as it relates to accessory design?

A: I wanted to create a line that offered high-fashion, designer features at affordable prices. Keeping the price points reasonable was really important to me.

Q: How has the public responded to your designs?

A: The response has been overwhelming and great. The Ruffle Collection is really popular. There is an Ashard Richley bag for every woman be it in The Ruffle Collection, The Stud Collection or one of our other collections. There is something for everyone.

Q: Tell me about your latest bag, Riley Clutch?

A: I love the clean lines of the design and the hardware we used on this bag. What makes Riley Clutch so great is that the two inside pockets overlap creating plenty of room to carry all your essentials.

Q: What’s next for Ashard Richley? What’s new for Spring?

A: For Spring there will be more color! I am also looking to design more handbags in leather and to expand the popular Ruffle Collection with more structured bags.

For more about Ashard Richley go to www.ashardrichley.com.

Leslie Chatman is a chic thirtysomething from Dallas with a passion for jewelry. Leslie is the owner and designer of LunaTeal Jewelry and authors the fine art of jewelry blog. Follow her on Twitter: @lunateal.

Hydrate Winter Skin

Leslie Chatman — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 07:15:29 +0000

Winter officially begins December 21^st however if your skin is like mine, it is already a bit dry. Dry, itchy winter skin is very pleasant. Scratching leads to greater irritation, continued cracking and possible infections. During the winter, skin requires extra protected to keep it soft, supple and moisturized.

Here are some tips I use to help me combat dry, itchy winter skin:

Take Warm Showers! Hot water feels wonderful but it make skin feel dry and can further irritate already dry skin.

Exfoliate! Slough off dead, dry skin that creates a barrier preventing moisturizers from penetrating. I prefer to use a homemade sugar scrub for body and a home administered micro-dermabrasion polishing cream for face. Just choose to exfoliate with the products best for you and your desired results.

Moisturize! Applying a moisturizer while your skin is sill moist is ideal. Be sure to use a moisturizer suited form your skin type and reapply as needed in problem areas or for extra dry skin.

Humidifiers! Heat in your homes during the winter months dries out the air. I have long heard that using a humidifier is excellent for your skin because they add moisture back into the air.

On a final note, keep your body hydrated! Drinking water helps you to flush out impurities and maintain fresh looking skin.

Photo credit © Martin Novak | Dreamstime.com

Coping with Holiday Stress

Leslie Chatman — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 05:39:01 +0000

What do the holidays mean to you? Joy? Fellowship with friends and family? Stress? For some people, the holidays are a time if stress, anxiety or even sadness. Often times these feelings are the result of thinking of loved ones passed, financial difficulties or regret.

There are ways to cope with holiday stress that allow you to acknowledge your feelings yet keeps you in the holiday spirit. Here are some tips that help to combat Holiday Blues:

1. Create a reasonable budget to keep from over spending.

2. Take a mental break from the holiday season by doing something you enjoy. Read a book or go for a walk to relax your mind and refocus.

3. Get crafty and make special holiday gifts. This is a great way to curb holiday spending while still letting others know that you are thinking of them.

4. Avoid spend the holidays alone. Seek solace with friends and family.

5. Relieve pressure to purchase a gift for everyone attending your holiday festivities by playing Secret Santa. Set a spending limit and ask everyone to write down 3 things they would like to have. Have everyone draw a name and play Secret Santa. Everyone is sure to leave the gathering with a gift they wanted.

6. Give back to the community. Volunteer to serve a holiday meal at a local shelter or to read holiday stories to kids.

Holiday Foot Relief

Leslie Chatman — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 07:04:16 +0000

Does your Holiday social calendar have you wondering how your feet will survive all those parties?

No lady wants to give up her sexy heels during the Holiday season but if you fear your feet can not survive dancing the night away in them, here are three ways to get relief.

1) For relief for the balls of your feet, insert a cushion pad. Cushion pads can be found in chic designs or in neutrals for a more discreet look.

2) For shoes that are slipping on your heels, insert heel grips to grab your heels and keep your shoes from flopping and rubbing you heels raw.

3) For whole foot relief, keep a pair of fold-able ballet flats with you at all times. As soon as your heels start to pinch, swap them out for a stylish flat. Ballet flats can be found in an array of colors from your local drug store to upscale department stores.

Kissable Soft Lips All Winter Long‏

Leslie Chatman — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 07:21:56 +0000

The health and appearance of your lips is just as important as the health and appearance of your skin. Dry, flaky lips are never good. Before you buy a lip scrub at your local drug store, think of making your own preservative and chemical free version at home. I use a simple & affordable lip scrub made from ingredients right in my kitchen.

1 teaspoon Olive Oil
1 teaspoon Granulated Table Sugar or Brown Sugar
1 small drop of Lemon or Peppermint Extract (optional)
Toothbrush (optional)
Warm Cloth or Paper Towel

Combine olive oil, sugar and extract until they are the consistency of sand. Add small pinches of additional sugar if necessary to achieve the right consistency. Liberally apply the scrub with a cotton swab. Use your fingers or a soft toothbrush to gently massage and remove dry skin. You may also rub your lips together. Let scrub stand for 1 minute then towel off with a warm cloth or paper towel. Apply lip balm immediately. Use scrub once weekly. Apply lip balm as needed between scrubs to keep lips soft.

A word of caution, never use a lip scrub on cracked, bleeding lips as this could exacerbate existing issues. Also, to avoid contaminating your scrub do not apply it with your fingers.

If you happen to make a little more than you need for one application, store the remaining scrub in an air tight container in the refrigerator for no more than one week.

This lip scrub can be used by both men & women for kissable soft lips all winter long…and all year ’round.