WE HAVE A WINNER! 
With a whopping 99 contestants entered in our “Jingle Belle Jewelry” contest, the competition was fierce! 
I’m just happy that I used a random number generator to help us decide…
and the winner is…

It’s hard to make people who have never experienced an eating disorder understand that these types of mental illnesses have little to do with eating. Sure, food and appearance are emphasized, but they aren’t the core of the problem.
So many folks (including some of my family members) simply assume that if those with eating disorders just “got a handle” on their eating habits all would be fine and dandy. But that’s not how it works.
For example, I do not withhold nourishment from my body anymore. I do not starve myself. Yet I can never totally allow myself to feel 100% …read more

Under the auspices of “turning lemons into lemonade”, I have decided to give some thought about why I should be thankful (yes, that’s right) that I had (have) an eating disorder.
In no particular order, I’ve come up with the following five reasons to give thanks.  Please know that I’m not suggesting that eating disorders are somehow “okay”, but when you have one in your history, you either have to embrace your past and learn from it or… well… you know the rest.
Five Reasons I’m Thankful I Had/Have an Eating Disorder:
1.  My ED has made me more aware of the way …read more

Are you craving a holiday gift for yourself but don’t have the energy, desire or finances to splurge? Want your wife, girlfriend, mother, sister or best friend to feel like the beautiful, amazing woman she is but have limited funds to purchase the perfect gift?
Then Breaking the Mirror’s
“Jingle Belle Jewelry”
contest is for you!
Talented Lambchop Bijoux artisan Erika Shoemaker is once again offering Breaking the Mirror readers the opportunity to win some jingling, jangling handcrafted jewelry.
Erika deeply understands what it’s like to battle an eating disorder. In fact, she’s slowly and steadily recovering herself. (Her insightful, moving chronicles can be …read more

Thanks to everyone who submitted entries for our Fab DVD giveaway, a copy of disFIGURED, a movie about real issues women face every day.
With over 100 comments, the contest was definitely exciting!  I know I enjoyed reading everyone’s feelings on where they stood body image wise from 1-10.  (We’re pretty hard on ourselves; maybe we can figure out a way to work on that together?)
Now, without further ado, I’d like to announce the individual who will be receiving a copy of disFIGURED in the mail straight from Breaking the Mirror headquarters (aka, my house):
 ~ LINDA! ~
who wrote that she was
“About …read more

An astute (and honest) reader was disgusted by my last post in which I offered Breaking the Mirror readers 25% off and free domestic shipping and handling from Lambchop Bijoux during the month of August.
The commenter felt it was tacky of me to promote fashion on an eating disorders blog, which I suppose it could be.  However, all proceeds from Lambchop Bijoux sales will help the jewelry designer, Ms. Shoemaker, pay for inpatient treatment to once and for all get a handle on her anorexia.
Just wanted to clear this up in case anyone else was baffled by the connection between …read more

Okay, so in the northern hemisphere it’s baking and wonderful and no one’s thinking about the holidays, but we all know they will come sooner rather than later.  So why not start shopping now?
As regular readers know, Lambchop Bijoux is offering an August special for Breaking the Mirror patrons.
Just mention this blog when you order and receive 25% off your order plus FREE domestic shipping and handling!
FYI — I purchased some jewelry for a friend last month and she was thrilled with the rose quartz earrings designed by Ms. Shoemaker.  They arrived in such a delightful package that my gal pal was …read more

August is already looking to be an exciting month here at Breaking the Mirror! 
Not only will we have ONE contest, but we’ll have at least TWO!
The first contest will be another jewelry giveaway from Lambchop Bijoux!  Remember the last one?  Whew!  I’m still overwhelmed by how many commenters stopped by!
The second will be a DVD giveaway for the new movie disFIGURED.  The subject of this indie film is eating disorders, and I’m getting two advance copies — one for me, and one for a lucky someone!  (Could it be YOU?)
Of course, let us not forget that August is also when …read more

With almost 300 entries, our Breaking the Mirror “Let Freedom ‘Bling’” contest generated so much interest, it made me incredibly excited for last night at midnight to finally come!
And now, we have a winner!
Thanks to the help of a random number generator (I never could have picked who was most deserving… never!), the winner of Ms. Shoemaker’s gorgeous, lovingly handcrafted earrings is:
 ~ Susanne Troop ! ~
Suzanne wrote in her entry:  “I would give these to my sister…she loves different earrings!”
Hmmm… wonder if they’ll make it to her sister once she receives them?  *grins*
In any case, congratulations to Suzanne and thanks …read more

Like other mental illnesses, eating disorders are expensive to treat.  Many insurance carriers won’t touch them, which means those without deep pockets may find themselves without options.
A good example of someone who is taking matters into her own hands is Erika, the artisan who has donated one of her jewelry pieces (a gorgeous pair of drop earrings, shown at right) for our “Let Freedom ‘Bling’” contest. 
Erika has a line of earrings, brooches and necklaces that she sells at Lambchop Bijoux.  She’s generously agreed to give a 25% off discount plus free S&H (nationally) on all her pieces if you mention …read more