If you get her a necklace or earrings instead, please make sure they are not packaged in a box that could resemble a diamond ring box.

Guys, these are things you must think about especially if you have been dating the love of your life for 4 wonderful years, but aren’t ready to make that big leap into marriage. Odds are, she’s ready and is just waiting for you to pull out that little ring box. And when you do, you bet it better have a diamond on the inside and a “Will you marry me” coming out of your mouth!

(Otherwise, you will spend days making up for the disappointment she will feel when she sees a pair of earrings instead.)

Not, I’m not here to just tell you guys that if you planned to get jewelry you are doomed to fail… nah, I would never do that Here are some options for jewelry on Valentine’s Day.

1. Put it in a box that isn’t small and ring-box-shaped.

2. Get her a necklace or bracelet to avoid the look of a proposal.

Check out eBillme’s list of Valentine’s Day gift ideas or their list of gift ideas for HER.  (Ladies, for those of you getting ready to forward this post in an email to your boyfriend with “hint, hint, hint” in the subject line, check out the Valentine’s Day gifts for HIM too.) In fact, they have a really great contest running right now. Up for grabs is $600 worth of jewelry, a diamond necklace for her and a Citizen watch for him. Check it the Who’s Your Valentine contest, you might win big!

eBillme's Valentine's Contest Prizes

If you want to stay away from jewelry altogether to avoid the Valentine’s Day from Hades, check out the gorgeous bags at Handbag Heaven. (I particularly love the pink one shown below).

Ribbon Shoulder Tote from Handbag Heaven

Men, if you want to go above and beyond the call of duty this V-Day check out this striking red clutch from The Butler Bag’s new Boutoure Line. The Butler Bag is an amazing bag (I have 2 and love them so very much). Jen Groover created the Butler Bag which has a built in organization system for your purse. I promise, it works!! (The red clutch pictured below is $800, it’s a perfect splurge, but she does offer less expensive bags around $65 and up.)

So get out there and find the perfect Valentine’s Day gift for your love and come back and let us know what you chose!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Allure Clutch Butler Bag

Allure Clutch - Inside View

The fact that V-Day is my favorite holiday has absolutely nothing to do with romantic dates or even boys for that matter! Whether I’m dating someone or single, it doesn’t matter, Valentine’s Day has always been and will always be my favorite holiday for a few simple reasons:

1. Everything is PINK and RED on Valentine’s Day!

2. I have an excuse to be decked out in PINK and looking all Girly!!

3. There are Flowers EVERYWHERE!

4. People are genuinely happy. (No matter how much they “say” they hate Valentine’s Day).

If you happen to be one of those people who hates Valentine’s Day (you probably call it S.A.D. Day – Singles Awareness Day) do me and yourself a favor this year…Love it instead! I promise, it’s a whole lot more fun if you decide to enjoy it. Go out and buy the little kiddie Valentine’s Day cards that you stick a sucker or pack of lifesavers to – write a little something on each one, and give them out to all your friends! I promise, promise, promise you will have so much fun! You’re friends will laugh and then tell you how sweet it was to think of them (especially the single ones!)

But I really love this holiday because it’s a time to tell those who you love how you feel about them! It’s the one day that it’s “ok” to be all nice and frilly to your friends, male or female. If you’re the type person who has trouble telling people how you feel about them, this is the one day you can do that without being embarrassed. So go ahead, tell someone you LOVE them, LIKE them, ENJOY being around them, or just VALUE their friendship – if no other day, then on February 14, 2010!

Have no fear, this won’t be the only Valentine’s Day post you see from me! So go ahead, leave me a comment and tell me what you’d like to see here regarding my fave – V-day! I’ll even tell you about the brutal Valentine’s Day date I had in college (It turned out ok though).

So what are your views of Valentine’s Day? Do you have plans? Tell me!

Also, if you’re looking for unique Valentine’s Day gift ideas check out eBillme’s Valentine’s Day and then head over to Handbag Heaven for all your handbag purchases! (Men, a pink or red handbag is a great Valentine’s Day Gift Idea, by the way!)

My friends at Handbag Heaven did a nice interview post and asked me some awesome Fashion Savvy questions! Find out how I answered! Click the link below.

• Wednesday Q & A: Charissa Cowart

And then, because I’m such a FAN of Black Friday shopping I started a Black Friday series for their readers. The first is about how to use your handbag to work for you on Black Friday. Check it out!

• Top 3 Ways To Use Your Handbag on Black Friday

If you have a Fashion blog and want a guest post from me just send me an email and let me know! charissacowart [at] gmail [dot] com.

Now to announce the winners…

*Our Twitter winner is @Red5050 aka Kelley Walker! Congrats Kelley!

*Our Fashion Trend Spotting winner is Amanda!

Amanda said “I love the Bermuda Satchel (http://www.handbagheaven.com/bermuda-plaid-satchel.html). I picture it with my dark jeans, white dress shirt, black patent pointy-toed pumps and my tan short trench coat. Oh, and my bright red lipstick, of course.“

Congrats Amanda you won the Bermuda Satchel from Handbag Heaven!

I chose Amanda as the winner because the outfit she chose was simple but classy. I agree, the Bermuda Plaid Satchel will look Awesome with her dark jeans, white dress shirt, and black patent pumps! And LOVE that you didn’t leave out the red lipstick!

Amanda, when you get your bag, show off in that trend you spotted and be sure to shoot a pic for me to post here on the blog! (Same for you Kelley! We would love to see you with your new Handbag Heaven bag and see what you choose to wear it with.)

Congrats to both of you ladies!

Huge thanks to Handbag Heaven for the two bags in this giveaway! Be sure to get your next bag from Handbag Heaven, they have great prices and Fabulous bags!!

**They also wrote up an awesome Q&A post about me and Fashion Trend Spotting! Be sure to check that out – here!

BOTH CONTESTS ARE NOW CLOSED! THANK YOU SO MUCH TO EVERYONE WHO ENTERED! WINNERS WILL BE ANNOUNCED WEDNESDAY MORNING (NOV. 4TH)! CHECK BACK TO SEE IF YOU WON!

I am SO excited that I can hardly stand it! Today we kick off an amazing giveaway here on Fashion Trend Spotting. First I want to say a huge thanks to the wonderful people at Handbag Heaven. They wrote up a really cool post about me in their blog from a Q&A session I had with them, be sure to check it out, just click here. I also want to thank them for offering two handbags for this giveaway. That’s right… TWO! There will be two winners! But they are also two different ways to enter. So let’s get right to it:

How To Enter:

1. It’s so easy to enter. Follow me (@CharissaCowart) AND Handbag Heaven (@HandbagHeaven) on Twitter AND RT this tweet: RT @CharissaCowart Follow and RT to win a @HandbagHeaven handbag!! Details here http://bit.ly/3QXzfl (Note: If you don’t have a Twitter account, it is definitely worth your while to create one, Twitter ROCKS.) One winner will be chosen at random. (**Hint: The more you tweet about it, the better chance you have of winning. Each tweet or RT about the contest = 1 entry.)

Deadline for the Twitter entry is Sunday @ 10pm Eastern – Winner will be sent a DM from me (@CharissaCowart) then announced on Twitter. >>>THIS PORTION OF THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED – THE SECOND PORTION IS STILL OPEN AND ACCEPTING ENTRIES! THANKS TO ALL WHO ENTERED THE TWITTER CONTEST.

2. This is the more detailed & creative way to enter, BUT if you win, you receive the handbag of your choice from Handbag Heaven. You must go to their website (www.handbagheaven.com) and pick your favorite bag. then leave a comment here on the blog with a link to the bag you chose and tell me what outfit you either own or have trend spotted that would go perfect with that bag. I will choose the entry that has the best Fashion Trend Spotting Skills as the winner.

Deadline for the Trend Spotting Comment entry is Sunday (Nov. 1) @ 7pm Eastern. Winner will be emailed and announced on the blog on Monday (Nov.2).

Good Luck to everyone! If you have questions Tweet me or send me an email – charissa cowart at gmail dot com.

• Don’t forget to check out the Q&A series I did with Handbag Heaven check it out right here. http://www.handbagheaven.com/blog/charissa-cowart/1116/