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Melissa Venable

Rockin' a FabYOUlous life as an author, speaker, blogger, coach and consumer of way too much caffeine. Let me help you to ditch the drab and find your FAB--it's possible and it's FUN!

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“Say Cheese!” Or Better Yet, Don’t…

10 Tips to Help You Look Fab-YOU-lous in Your Holiday Photos

Little photographer making a picture of a baby with Santa Claus hat on a over white background

The holidays bring so many wonderful opportunities to create magical memories and of course you’ll want to capture those memories on film…or at least in your digital camera (does anyone actually use film anymore?) This is all well and good until you see an unflattering photo of yourself tagged on someone else’s Facebook page–am I right?

While it isn’t possible to take a perfect photo every time, therefore ensuring that you’ll never be tagged in a less than flattering Facebook post; there are some things that you can do to increase your odds of taking a good photo. Follow these simple tips to look FabYOUlous in your upcoming holiday photos.

 10 Simple Tips for Looking FabYOUlous in Your Holiday Photos

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Fab-YOU-lous Holiday Party Etiquette

Happy business group people in santa hat at Xmas corporate party.

Remember last year’s office holiday party and the account executive who got drunk and ended up making out with the college kid from the mail room?

(Please tell me that wasn’t you…)

Well, it’s that time of year again and while holiday office parties can be a wonderful time to loosen up a bit and interact with your co-workers in a more festive and social atmosphere; it can also be a bit tricky to navigate the balance between having fun and maintaining your professional reputation (not to mention dignity).

In order to ensure that you aren’t the one making a fool of yourself at this year’s office party, follow these simple etiquette guidelines for a FabYOUlously festive (but not career ending) holiday season. In fact, these tips might just help you to impress your higher-ups and make a positive impression upon the influential decision makers within your company.

Holiday Office Party Do’s and Don’ts

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Fab-YOU-lously Simple D.I.Y. Snowman Treat Jars

BIKE (2)Here at my house in Colorado, we have about four inches of snow on the ground (though the high country has much more) and the high temps are in the low 20’s.  I’ve got Taco Soup in the crock pot (it makes the whole house smell SO good), my men (my hubby and two teenage sons) are all busy watching football on the tube and our three cats are curled up in a pile sleeping. I live for moments like this because it means that I get to dig out my glue gun and enjoy some uninterrupted crafting time.

Now that Thanksgiving is over and we have snow on the ground, I am in the mood for a little holiday crafting, and what could be better than a cute craft project that doubles as a fun way to package up holiday treats? I especially love this project because it is SO simple that a child could make it (though I might swap out the hot glue gun for some regular craft glue if I were doing this project with a child) and is made up of supplies that are cheap and easy to find at most any store that sells craft supplies.

To make your own super simple and yet super FabYOUlous Doily Snowman Treat Jars, just follow these simple instructions…

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50 Fab-YOU-lous Things to be Thankful for

On Thanksgiving and EVERY Day

Give thanksThanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. I love the smell of the turkey, mashed potatoes and desserts wafting from the kitchen and the enjoyment of family as the men huddle around to watch football and the ladies make jokes about the men. Mostly though, I love the way Thanksgiving focuses our attention upon all of the incredible blessings that we have to be thankful for. Things that we should be grateful for every day but oftentimes take for granted.

I hope that this Thanksgiving day finds you delighting in the sights, sounds, smells and TASTES of the holiday and that your heart is full as you count your many blessings. If however; you’re struggling this holiday season and not quite feeling the thankfulness vibe, please take heart and take a look around. Even when things are difficult, there are still so many wonderful things for which to be thankful.

In order to help jump-start a gratitude groove, I’ve compiled a list of 50 things to be thankful for.

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Go from Frazzled to Fab-YOU-lous this Holiday Season

10 Tips for Beating Holiday Stress

Christmas holiday stress. Stressed woman shopping for gifts holding christmas presents wearing red santa hat looking angry and distressed with funny expression on black chalkboard background.

The holiday season is upon us and for many of us, that means that it is time to get BUSY. There is holiday baking, shopping, decorating, wrapping and crafting to do. Not to mention the normal chores that need to be done like laundry, grocery shopping and dusting. Throw in a few office parties, kid’s holiday programs and cookie exchanges and before you know it, the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas can turn into one big, tinsel-tangled ball of chaos and exhaustion.