My Card

In the first Bond movie that Sean Connery stared in, "Dr. No", Bond makes a date with Sylvia Trench, a woman he meets while playing Chemin de Fer, a variation of the card game, Baccarat. When Bond is called away, he asks Miss Trench what other games she plays and then suggests they meet the next afternoon "with dinner afterwords perhaps". She asks if she can let him know in the morning and he reaches in his inside pocket and hands her one of his cards, saying "My number's on the card".

These days, with iphones and email, there is something still to be said for having personal cards. These aren't the type of cards you use for business, these are strictly your personal cards with very little information on them that you can hand out to people you've just met, but want to see again. In the 1800 and early 1900's, these were called "Calling Cards" or "Visiting Cards". They were used to announce the arrival of someone, usually of high social order and were given to the servants to give to the man or woman of the house. They were also left if the homeowners weren't in to show that the caller had been there. A turned down corner meant that the card had been delivered by the owner by hand and not sent by a servant.

The cards themselves could be very decorative, some having embossed lettering and even coats of arms. Others were elegantly simple, with nothing more than the owners name and if it was a man, maybe the name of his club. These days, most people carry business cards, which are direct descendants of the calling card. Business cards are for just that. Business. These have a lot of personal information on them, such as business address, title and work phone number. Information you may not want everyone to have about you until you know them a little better. Instead of hunting for a scrap of paper or a napkin to write your number or email address on for someone, think of how much nicer it would look to be able to pull out one of your personal cards and hand it to them saying "My number's on the card". They are also nice to attach to a gift so the recipient can remember who the gift was from.

A personal card needn't be very expensive and should be plain and with very little information on it. You may want to just put your name and phone number on it or perhaps, just your name and email address if you worry about someone you don't know well having your number. A personal card can make a stylish and practical statement about you without saying a word. Very Bond Girl.

Wine and Champagne

Bond girls are use to eating and drinking the best. Sadly, this is usually because someone else is buying (unless like Tracy, the woman Bond married, you have a rich daddy). So, what's a Bond girl with less disposable income to do? The first thing to do is realize that good wine can be found at reasonable prices. First, you should understand what you are looking for. Are you going to serve it with food? Then you'll want to consider what you are having and choose a wine accordingly. As a rule, white goes with white and red goes with red, meaning that "light" colored foods such as fish and chicken are usually paired with a white wine while "darker" foods like beef need the stronger, robust flavor of a red wine. But as they say, rules were meant to be broken. Choose what tastes best to you. I am by no means an expert, but there are many people out there that are and it may be helpful to go to the bookstore or library and read up on wines so that you'll feel more confident about choosing a wine. What follows is just the tip of the iceberg.

White wine grapes include Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Blanc and Muscat, while some of the better known red grapes are Carbenet Savuignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel (Zinfandel can be a red or a white wine). There are many wonderful wines for under $10 a bottle, so don't let price scare you off. Ask some of your friends for their favorites and think about stopping into a wine shop to ask about a good wine in your price range. People who sell wine love to talk about it. For a real thrill, there is nothing like Champagne. The Champagne that Bond drinks, real Champagne as opposed to sparkling wine, only comes from the Champagne region of France. The French are very proud of their wine making, Champagne in particular and have set rules and regulations about everything from the planting of the grapes to the final corking. Only after it has met all these conditions can it be labeled as Champagne. Bond seems to prefer a good Bollinger and can be seen drinking it in more than 11 movies (so far!). If you're going to push the boat out and get the Bollinger, just be prepared for a bit of sticker shock but, from what I'm told, it is well worth it.

What Exactly Is A Bond Girl?

What is a Bond girl? She is a woman that is smart, independent and brave. She has class and style. Even Tiffany Case, who could be a little on the wild side had a certain style that she made work for her. Bond girls don't follow trends. They find out what works for them, but they aren't afraid to try new things, whether it's clothes, food and drink or men. If you are reading this, chances are you've seen Bond girls in movies and wonder if that lifestyle is attainable. It is ! While we may not all look exactly like Halle Berry, we can change our lifestyle, our mindset, our attitude. For instance, being brave doesn't mean you're not afraid to do something. On the contrary, you will be afraid to do many things. Bravery is being afraid and doing it anyway. I'm not talking about taking unnecessary risks, I mean speaking up for yourself. Asking for what you want, politely but firmly and making sure you get it. Think like a Bond girl and you become one, it really is that simple.

Even though you may see a Bond girl in the movies whispering "Oh, James" in Bond's ear, Bond girls do not rely on men. Holly Goodhead is a scientist and Mary Goodnight, like Bond, is in intelligence. Bond girls may enjoy a man's company, but she never allows herself to become dependent on them. If you notice in the movies, Bond girls are fabulous before Bond comes along and they will be fabulous long after he's moved on to his next mission. He doesn't make them Bond girls, they were amazing before they met him. That was part of the attraction of them to Bond. They don't wait for calls or blow up his phone with texts. A bond girl lives her life and if her Bond happens to come around, that's great, but if he doesn't, that's all right too. She has her own life and interests, another factor that makes her attractive.

Find what makes your heart race, whether it's work or a hobby and learn all you can about it. Being interested in something makes you interesting to others.

What Does Living Like A Bond Girl Mean To You?

What does living like a Bond Girl mean to you? We all have different goals, dreams and ideals. What might make me feel like a Bond Girl, might not seem that important to you. So the first thing you'll want to do is decide what it is that you want out of the Bond Girl life. Is it travel? Perhaps far away lands make your feel as though you are living the good life. Do you want to be surrounded by lovely things? For some, less is more. For others, 20 pairs of shoes is just the beginning. The important thing is for you to know what will make you happy and then come up with the game plan on how to get it. In the following posts, I'll be talking about a lot of different things and ways to make the Bond Girl life affordable. The ideas we come up with will help us live the richest life we can.

Hello !

Welcome to my new blog "How To Live Like A Bond Girl". According to last count, there are over 50 Bond Girls in the James Bond 007 series. What I want to do with this blog is help you live a little of the life of a Bond Girl, the best life you can while spending the least amount of money doing it. We are going to have to spend some money, but let's try to get as much as we can out of the money we do spend.

Bond Girls always look like they're living the good life. They seem to have it all; money, good looks, style, class. They're smart, savvy and live by their own rules. Who doesn't want that? I'm hoping this blog will help get you a little closer to having all that....or at least looking like you do. Sometimes, we have to "fake it until we make it" and that's O.K. The life span of a Bond Girl on the whole isn't always very long, so maybe just taking the good parts of their lifestyle and leaving the rest isn't such a bad idea.

Bond Girls represent glamor. I'm going to be offering suggestions on how to live like you have money when you may not have as much as you would like. We'll be talking about decorating, clothes, food and general lifestyle and if there's anything you'd like to talk about, please just let me know. I want to hear from you.

Because I'm just starting out, I'm not sure how often I'll be posting, so check back often.

I'm really looking forward to sharing ideas and ways to live the Bond Girl life with you.