Years ago I traveled to Portugal and Spain, a part of the world I’ve always felt drawn to thanks to my Puerto Rican roots. One of my stops was the Portuguese coastal town of Porto, and some of my favorite memories include a home-cooked meal of seafood caught earlier that day, ancient houses stacked endlessly on top of each along the hillside, and the azulejos —hand-painted blue and white tiles— decorating the facade of every building.

I have fully embraced annual mantras, finding them so much less guilt-inducing than resolutions. Last year’s is still a favorite—“Have More Fun”—and felt relevant after the difficult November and December I’d just had. Those words helped me have an overall better 2023.

And even though I’m more practiced at taking spontaneous breaks for shenanigans, the thing I just can’t quit doing is over-scheduling my days. I give myself too many things to accomplish, treating my to-do list like a pie-in-the-sky wishlist instead of achievable task list. I beat myself up if I don’t finish everything; when hiccups or unexpected delays come up I get huffy and bent out of shape. It’s not pretty.

In reflecting on this past year my new mantra for 2024 became obvious: Do Less. I need to cram less into my calendar in order to give myself the time and flexibility to concentrate on the good things.

It can be really hard knowing how things will fit when you shop online. Jewelry is especially tough because too frequently (I’m guilty of this, too 🙋🏻‍♀️) there aren’t pictures showing a real person wearing it for reference. Taking these sorts of photos and getting them online can be hard for a one-person business like this one but I'm slowly chipping away at it, starting with necklaces.

Until all those photos go up I wanted to share a guide to help you visualize how a necklace will fit. These pictures should help give you a rough idea of what it would look like when you put it on.

I’m obsessed with celestial anything-and-everything. I feel a natural pull towards watching the stars and catching the moon whenever she’s out, in the same way that I’m hypnotized by waves at the beach or a crackling fire.

When I was younger, my love of the moon and stars overlapped perfectly with my interest in Roman and Greek mythology, and when you mixed in my love of stories with female heroes, it’s little surprise that I was obsessed with the TV show “Sailor Moon.”

After sooo much anticipation, spring is finally here and I can’t get enough! I’m basking in the sunshine, dusting off my dresses, and trying to get some color on these blindingly pale legs of mine.

One consequence of warmer weather is that my rings have started fitting tighter than they did a few months ago.

Did you know that things like temperature and what you’ve eaten that day can affect how rings will fit? And if you’re adding to your collection, knowing this can help you shop for the right size.

I love brass with its deep golden color and its hefty, solid weight. If you prefer wearing gold tones to silver ones (🙋🏻‍♀️), brass lets you indulge in fun, statement-making jewelry without mortgaging your house (unless you’re Elizabeth Taylor, of course).

But every metal has its dark side — sterling silver tarnishes crazy fast, high karat golds get more red in tone in a way I don’t love, and wearing brass can leave a “green shadow” on your skin.

I just got back from a trip that felt like a jeweler’s pilgrimage, a visit to the annual Tucson Gem Show for stone hunting.

This show is actually made up of hundreds (and I do mean hundreds) of smaller shows happening all over Tucson starting at the end of January, and lots of jewelers will do a majority of their stone shopping for the entire year there. Gem and mineral vendors from all over the world bring their entire supplies of stones, and it can be the one of the few chances a jeweler has to find really unique and rare treasures.

There’s a special sort of excitement around getting new jewelry, the kind that makes you want to wear it non-stop, or maybe even plan your next few outfits around it (that’s not just me, right?). And now that this new, wonderful thing is in your life, there’s an extra sense of wanting to taking care of it.

Though I talk a lot about cleaning your jewelry once it’s dirty, there are also some things you can do in the meantime to keep it looking fresh out of the box.