Emmy Awards and Pigs and Goats

OK, how do I put both in one post? Tonite is the Emmy Awards, and as usual there are just so many beautiful gowns, hairstyles, jewelry on display by our favorite TV stars it will be hard to pick a 'winner'. I caught a glimpse of the walk down the red carpet, and can't wait for the actual show to start. I know who I want to win, Toni Collette has worn some great clothes and jewelry so I'll root for her. Of course, Edie Falco has had her hair up on her show, 'Nurse Jackie' and has had so many great earrings on that I am sure if we judged actresses by earrings, she'd win.

OK maybe I don't know who'll win but that is why we watch. One thing is sure, I'm going to try out the 'still picture' setting of our TV set so I can get a good look at the clothes and jewelry, I've got a date with the Today Show staff on Tuesday to prep for the "Emmy Award Look" segment that Jill Martin will host on Thursday.

Yes, we've got the look once again, robertachiarella.com will be providing as many great emmy award looks as we can and it'll be an absolute thrill to do this show again. I love the fact that in just a few days girls who really wouldn't even be able to buy any of these stars outfits will see how they can get the look of this fashion and glamour from regular stores, at normal prices. It's where you look- the fashion is out there and we've got plenty on our website.

For example, the Angie Earrings are enjoying their biggest sales of the year (though maybe the buy one, get one free sale helped a bit) because they are timeless and beautiful with so many of the outfits you already own. Keep your eyes peeled and see what your favorite stars are wearing, then come back and I'll show you what we've got!  If you can't wait till the next post, be sure to check out The Today Show on thursday.

Tonite we'll be eating salads while we watch the show, thanks to a food overload from the amazing Dutchess County Fair, one of the largest fairs in the east coast. Over 100,000 people show up to this 'salute to agriculture' which is funny when you think that you walk from the 'deep fried oreo' stand to the fried dough and funnel cake booth in between the diving dog contest and the goat milking jamboree (yes, I milked a goat, but my brother was too busy with his goat friend to take a picture of me doing it).

 There is something wonderfully relaxing about leaving Manhattan, travelling to Rhinebeck (where Chelsea Clintons wedding just took place) and seeing prize winning corn, the state's largest pumpkin and play some games to win little stuffed dolls. It is always a blast and we got home exhausted. I wouldn't want to be checking my cholesterol today, though.

They even have a 'hall of commerce' where things made in NY were all on display and for sale. There were cowboy boots, log homes, beautiful handmade shoes and linens, but no jewelry. I took home an application for a booth...

Can you imagine a week at the fair- how much fried dough and corn dogs you could eat? Of course, I certainly won't run into Brad and Angie at the fair, and it runs the same week as the Emmy Awards, so it might be a bit much, and I've never been one to live in a camper, which is where the fair exhibitors hang out (not that there's anything wrong with that!). Well, maybe I'll just think about it while I watch the Emmys. Ciao!

The August place to be!

In our family, that means SARATOGA! The race track is probably one of the prettiest in the country, and both women and men are expected to dress up for the races, so it's my kind of place.

The women even wear hats, not that you'd see me in one! Years ago it was only open for August, some of the richest people in the world had a mansion somewhere nearby in upstate New York so as to attend the Whitney stakes and get out of overheated Manhattan for the month.

Now, the track is open almost 2 months, and the town is lively and filled with restaurants and fun things to do. There are art galleries, and lots of little boutiques, and I even bought a pair of earrings! It's hard to even think about jewelry when the buy one, get one free has been doing so well- we even added 2 more weeks thanks to the great response. One person was stocking up and bought 6 items and got 6 free 'pony balls' for her hair (or perhaps her friends hair as well).

We saw real ponies at the track, or tracks as there is also a harness race track in Saratoga that now has (Yippee!) slot machines and gaming. For me, it's a family tradition to go to the harness race track and have dinner at the track-side restaurant. Unlike regular horse racing, harness racing is unpredictable and my betting strategy is to bet on the cutest horse!

Then, after dinner, it's off to play for a while and then go to the racetrack again the next day. At Saratoga, they walk the horses in a beautiful park and you can see them up close, then watch the jockey get on and go off to race. Sometimes, if the horse is really jumpy or nervous I figure they are in a hurry to get back to the stables so that's the horse who will win. I know, not much of a strategy, butit works once in a while.

Mom and Roberta at Lake George

So, if you are in the mood for a little get-away, check out this beautiful town, and the nearby attractions like Lake George. We've been coming here since we were kids, here's a picture to prove it!

The lake is beautiful, the water fresh and cold. Considering all the heat in New York, a break from the weather does wonders. Please don't think I've stopped shipping, after the fantastic response to all our new friends on the "O" list, the Oprah customers are enjoying their purchase, and there is still a (small) backlog for some colors.

People have really enjoyed the RC2 Brava Bib Necklace, and the Dolcetti necklace is an unbelievable hit, we've just received another shipment from the factory and these are already mostly spoken for. Necklaces are big this summer, so we added some more to the "get one free" part of the website. I keep looking at the Millifiore and the La Luna Necklaces and think, WOW these are good buys!

One of the fun things we do at

robertachiarella.com is play with the selection of free gifts, adding things daily or giving people a special treat, at either 'under $25' or as the free gift you can't go wrong. Our postage meter is on it's second ink cartridge, the packages are flying out the door, and it's 6:00 so time to go out to eat.

 There's a great mexican 'super trendy' restaurant called 'dos caminos' and my brother is waiting so I can't be late. Ciao!