It's Been A Looooonnnng Time

I've been super busy because my dreams are coming true! She's Got You Stoned is up and running. I started the online business a little over a month ago and so far so good. When you visit the site you will find all handmade jewelry that has a mixture of natural and glam. CHeck me out!

Sex. Drugs. Miami.

Went on a quick trip to the beach with the girlies. Miami Beach, that is. Had a blast thanks to birthday cake in the sand, free drinks at the bar, bikinis by the pool and shaking my ass with some real Rick Ross fans. Cant wait to do it again.

The title of this post was inspired by a girlie name Dani Goods. She blogs at http://theridiculist.wordpress.com/ and shows love to everyone.

Am I Ready Yet?

One year is about to roll past and I have done absolutely nothing with my jewelry. Failed photo shoots, no webpage, no business cards… no business. But I think I’m ready. If only I could think of a name…

The Pink Elephant – Nope. Google it and see why.

The Stoned Elephant – Maybe. Googled it and it’s a bar in Texas.

Stoned Love – A song by the Supremes

Love Stones – Sounds like a description for a man’s testies.

Help!

Creativity comes from within. If not, you can always steal someone else’s design.

“I saw the angel in the marble and carved until I set him free.”
-Michelangelo

Here’s my rendition of Jeffrey Campbell’s Tick. I saw these shoes almost a year ago while walking from Union Square to Times Square with DMB. Immediately I was in love. These shoes were unlike anything I’ve seen before. They were a mixture of Goth with the hardware of the metal thumbtacks but still stylish with the genuine leather wedge-bootie style and could be paired with any outfit to add some edge. And because they are so appealing JC was able to tack on a price of $200!

You know me so you know I wasn’t going to pay that. Being the google freak I am I seen that a couple people did a DIY version. My DIY Tick shoe is made with Dolce Vita rope wedge from Targé, 3 packs of silver thumbtacks from Staples, and crazy glue. Check ‘em out!

Can't wait to wear them out with some destroyed jeans and baggy white tee! I'll keep you posted.

My Hair A.D.D.iction

I have some sort of A.D.D. when it comes to hair. I was just talking to my friends today about having done everything to my hair, with the exception of a Soul Glo Jheri Curl, which is definitely not on my To Do List. So, I was watching The Family Crews and saw this stylist named Kiyah Wright and instead of looking out the hair she was doing, I immediately fell in love with her hair. Being that I'm nearly bald, I'm now inspired by people who have similar hairstyles and she does, but better. Let's start by looking at her amazing color. I have abox of color in the house after seeing this I'm afraid to do it because it'll be no match. And with my luck I'll end up looking like Sean Cameron. Then look at the cut. Now I've had something similar in length when I was a on the creamy crack but never while natural. This would take a while to grow because I'd have to get my sides and back cut and leave the top on then cross my fingers for it to have a nice curl pattern. First step: Go "balls to the wall" and color. Stay Tuned

History in the Making

So proud to be from Brooklyn

But this traffic is going to kill my nerves.

Bloglovin’

I know, I know. I’m so inconsistent. But what had happened was… See, when I think about blogging about me I end up on other people’s blogs and admire what they’re talking about. Here’s what I’ve been reading: http://www.allthingsfab101.com/ This girl is a true fashionista. I started following her on YouTube where she makes vids about, of course, fashion. She shops at place I like and shows how she puts them together. Aldo, H&M, the fancy shops for regular girls. Most importantly, she like Nicki Minaj and she’s a Virgo, just like me! http://dippedingood.blogspot.com/ J. Jones aka Lola is actually my classmate from elementary school. Even when we had to wear our dull navy blue uniform I could see her style trying to escape. So naturally she talks about fashion but you can also read into her deeper thoughts though her poetry or rap or spoken word. I’m not sure what she classifies it as. You can also catch the cutest pictures of her son, Chase. http://thatgoodgoodblog.blogspot.com/ Hot. Sexy. Men. I’m not talking about the regular image of a sexy man, muscles, baby oil, you know. I’m talking about well dressed, tailored, and fashionable. Imagine Tyson dressed like a scholar. Getting the picture? Oh yeah, she also puts of music videos of songs that I’ve loved that really don’t get any play on television. http://dmb-insidemyhead.blogspot.com/ And this is not just because I’m always featured on here. Ok, maybe that has a little to do with it. But I genuinely like this girl. DMB is my travel buddy, my ride or die, and I’m headed to brunch with her today. As a matter of fact, I should be getting ready. Anyway, check her out as she talks about her natural hair journey. As I do love these blogs I’ve mention make your you don’t stray away! Love Ya Cee

7 Hours of …

As I’m writing this I’m on a flight to Italy. Italy guys! How exciting that must be for a girl from Brooklyn who’s never been further than about 10 states and a couple of Caribbean islands on the average cruise ship. I’m too excited. I’ve been excited since the day I booked it back in October. But come on, 7 ½ hours on a plane. I’m going to need physical therapy for the restless leg syndrome I’m developing.

I’m with the homie DMB who’s so far gone right now. Hopefully she’s dreaming about all the pizza, wine and hot Italians we’ll meet (hopefully Prince isn’t reading this, btw I miss him already). I'm hoping for the Julia Roberts experience.

Anyway, updates coming frequently. Tune in. And I’m planning on bringing everyone back Fendi bags. Don’t mind the “Made in China” tags (inny).

BC Time!

It’s been a while. Blame it on my hair. It’s not behaving itself so I had to put it on a time out therefore I had nothing to write about. I could have written about the foolishness I see on a daily basis, but I spared you. You’re welcome.

Anyway, I’m here now and I have some news. My hair is growing beautifully! I haven’t straightened it out to know but I can tell.

This strand is from the front of my scalp and is about the length of a newly sharpened pencil.

(this picture was taken at work so i had to utilize my simple resources)

There is just one exception. There’s a spot dead center that is not budging. I noticed it back in September after I took out my birthday weave and now it’s December and there’s hardly any growth. It is no longer than an inch and constantly irritates me. I’ve done everything from massaging it with coconut oil to moisturizing it with shea butter, and even clarifying it with tea tree. Nothing is working (fast enough). But I have the ultimate solution.

BIG CHOP!!!

Yes, I'm going to start all over again and I'm going to do it right. You all know how I started with regular products and weave caps. This time my hair is going to be treated like royalty. I'm joining MopTop's Challenge to keep me focused. Plus I get to look like Chrisette!

Jack of All Trades

I’ve done it all. Well, at least attempted it all. At some point of my life I’ve been a hairdresser, a party planner, a bag designer, a photographer, a poet, and a knitter. The list can go on if I were to name the things I’ve only tried once but never maintained. This time around I think I’ve found something.

Before I reveal what that something is I just want to put it out there that everyone should be testing out their capabilities. You never know where your talents can take you until you try. And if it falls through, that gives more reason to test out your next talent. Besides, it’s a good method to unwind after the stressful days we all endure.

OK, the wait is over. As of September 2010, I am a… jewelry designer.

I came up with this particular hustle after realizing that I was spending way too much money on accessories and other costume jewelry. In a previous post you can see that I had to reorganize my whole closet just because of my surplus of jewelry. Then I began to examine how the pieces I owned were made. I said to myself, “I could do that!” A short trip to Michael’s pioneered my addiction to creating my pieces. And two months later, I have about 30 pieces.
Here’s a sneak peek...


St. Tropez

LoveLockDown

Chain Reaction

Put Some Clothes On

So many times you walk into your closet and see absolutely nothing. I mean, you see clothes but create excuses as to why you can't wear any of them leaving you with nothing. A problem among most of us doesn't have to get the best of us. And don't feel alone because many of us share this issue, hence the mass production of those "Nothin To Wear" t-shirts.

Well, Eureka! Solution found. I was reading looking at pictures in an old newspaper today and saw a world wide trend that’s so simple but high on the fashionista charts.

Whenever you’re in a crunch, take out your favorite blazer and pashmina scarf. Viola! You can pair this with jeans, slacks, cargos, and even a skirt if you’re feeling girly. You don’t even have to worry about a top since the blazer can close and the pashmina falls over. Keep it simple with a white tee. Try it yourself and watch the stress of picking clothes leave your mind and closet.

Don't forget to accessorize!

***Find theses styles below at Old Navy and Urban Outfitters***

Frugal Extravagance

I started thrifting about a year ago when I just happened to be walking in the neighborhood of my job. I passed by a store that always had things on the sidewalk that I thought would look perfect in my dream house. Very vintage chairs and sets of plates that were just very unique and cute. I happened to go in one day simply to look at the furniture but was quickly intrigued by the clothes and accessories too.

This past weekend I did some research on thrift stores in my area since I cant frequent that other place for often anymore. I found Beacon’s Closet and at the same time I found heaven on earth, just at a cheaper price.

I found this jacket on a rack that I wasn't even supposed to touch. But it was an obvious choice. That day I walked out of the house with a leopard blouse and a cropped faux fur vest. Put those together and you have this jacket. I had to purchase it. Plus it was Free People for only $35 which is usually upwards of $200!

I tried these leopard platform shoes on by Carlos Santana. They were really cute and obviously I was having a moment with animal print. Ultimately, I had to say enough and decided against them. I also had a pair of Steve Madden black and red patent pumps for $10 (on the left).

I left the store with two items. The jacket and these pebble leather Calvin Klein pumps for $20 were one. They looked like the were wore once. I decided to go with something that is unlike anything I have in my closet and these will be great when the weather warms up.

Hair I Am

I started to love my iPhone 4 (a surprise if you’ve read my previous post). And because of it, I am taking more pictures. Almost daily I pose for myself to capture my beauty and of course my hairstyle. LOL. Pictures below.


This was a casual Monday. Started my week with a bigger twist-out than I'm used to.


You can't really see the hair, but the outfit was nice. Coral, black and silver. This was one way that I incorporated my Srping/Summer items into this frigid Fall.


Back to the hair. I retwisted my hair every night and finger combed it in the mornings. Nice.


I'm like an angel with the halo casted over my head. I have a center part to spice it up.


Pinned the sides and fluffed the front and back.


I obviously took out my twist out and didn't bother to finger comb. The sections are still visible which gives me the Sideshow Bob look (my uncle gave me that name).

This was the day of the Transcendence Natural Hair Show in Brooklyn. I was trying too hard and ended up with this. I didnt let my hair dry and later on that day my hair shrunk.

Harlem Knights

Yesterday officially made 4-weeks at my new job. I started working at the Harlem Children’s Zone as a Middle School Tutor. It’s definitely a shock coming from the Talented &Gifted school I’ve worked at for the last 4 years. I’ve become accustomed to students who were self sufficient and intelligent beyond their years. Now I’ve been put into a place that makes me believe the movie Precious still resounds in our modern days.

I have one student who can’t read or write, other students who can almost read, and then there are those who can read the words but have now idea what the words mean. My first thoughts were how I can make a quick but professional exit. I didn’t and still don’t believe I can make any change. Geoffrey Canada, the founder of Harlem Children’s Zone, has had his name broadcasted throughout the country as his program is supposed to make huge leaps in education amongst low income children. How can I live up to that?

Whatever my fate is at this new place, I can’t help but be upset with the fact that the level of education will not increase anytime soon amongst low income neighborhoods which so happen to house mostly Black people. I’ve been lucky enough to live within the status of the Middle Class. But what about the poverty stricken. What about their education? Not granting them an equal chance means that the cycle will only continue.

So I hope we aren’t surprised in a couple of years when there’s an inflation of Black boys in prison, Black mothers of only 15 years old, a decrease in graduation rates, an increase in government assistance and a slew of elderly people who have no support.

Anyway, wish me and my new children luck. I will try my hardest to make the change that Geoffrey Canada has established. I just might go bald and sleep deprived while doing it.

Step Aside Ms. Berry

Kerry Washington is the new Halle. Yeah, I said it. I haven't even though about it until today and I say it because I got my new Essence Magazine. She adorns the cover. Her face is plastered in more places recently and not just because she's easy on the eyes but because she's talented, personable, and involved in the issues of today.

My very first Kerry moment was a couples of years ago when I saw Lift. At the time she was one of the rare Black actresses that I thought was still beautiful even though she had short hair, chubby, high cheek bones and huge lips. It sounds like I'm describing myself and maybe that's why I fell in love with her. Recently, I saw a movie that wasn't really publicized, Life is Hot in Cracktown, where she played a transgender, crack addict. Next I plan to see Colored Girls. Because she's in it along with many other black Beauties.

You guys thought Halle did it in Monster's Ball. Hmmph, no sir. Check out Ms. Kerry, baby!

Buddha's My Buddy

“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the [only] one who gets burned.”
-Buddha

I get these quotes from my job. They are posted for two weeks in a place that is visible once you walk in the door so you’re kind of forced to contemplate the meaning and how it may correlate with a situation your life.

This one applies so strongly in the sense that people are so often angry with someone else but rarely expressing their anger appropriately. I don’t need to tell my story. I just wanted you to think about it.

Book Review: Invisible Life

E. Lynn Harris was an openly gay, African American author who died last year. While alive, he hit the New York Times Bestseller list 10 consecutive times! Most of novels illustrated the lives of Black men who were struggling with their sexuality, as I assume he was in his early life.

In my book group, we read Invisible Life, E. Lynn Harris’ first novel which he initially sold out of the trunk of his car before finding a publisher. The story surrounds law school student Raymond Tyler, who has a long term girlfriend yet finds himself suddenly aroused by fellow student, Kelvin. It seems like I’m giving too much of the story but the story is truly about Raymond’s struggle in allowing himself to accept his sexuality and cope with the judgment of his coworkers, community, and most importantly, family.

Reading this novel I often questioned whether or not society should put a definition to sexuality. The question of “Gay?” “Straight?” or “Bisexual?” usually haunts someone who simply enjoys the pleasure of anything other than society’s classification of “normal.” I became more understanding of this after hearing Raymond’s account.

On the other hand, I did not enjoy how the story was told. The story was told the way a person in this situation would feel under pressure but they also wanted a happily ever after ending. The setting of this account was in New York City during the 1990s. Where was the derogatory slurs and violence that was directed towards homosexuals during this time? We all know it existed and this tale did not include any of it which made this book very whimsical in comparison to the situation, time, and place.

Eventually, I plan to read all thirteen of Harris’ novels. I have actually already read Just As I Am and Any Way The Wind Blows but was recently advised that it’s best to read his books in order.

Happy Reading!

No Wedding, No Womb

I was suppose to write this post about a month ago after a receiving an email from DMB. The email was a link from another blogger’s page urging fellow bloggers to touch on the subject of refraining from having children out of wedlock. When checking this email I immediately wanted to participate in the movement because I strongly believe in it. I was recently having a conversation about it and agreeing that this is the route I wish to take in the future rather than being apart of a statistic of unwed mothers, single or not.

For my own reasons, I refuse to have a child without having a supportive husband. I have no sob story to tell that supports my decision and I’m far from being a feminist with strong, obnoxious views. I have just seen too many young girls, which could have easily been me, have babies with vanishing baby fathers.

This subject of single, young mothers does not have any prejudices against any race. However, I am certain that my race leads by far. I believe it’s from a history that is so embedded in Black women that it is too late to expunge now. But, I do believe that the education of the No Wedding, No Womb movement can help women everywhere stop the epidemic in its tracks.

For more information visit: http://www.beyondblackwhite.com/nwnw/

Ain't No Stopping Me Now

“When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we don’t see the ones which open for us.”
-Alexander Graham Bell

We’ve all heard this quote many times before. Well, at least the first part. The second part rarely gets acknowledged. However, it’s this section that truly applies to the feelings and actions we have when the first section occurs.

I’m dealing with this very issue now on so many levels. Career wise, I’ve been working at a place for a couple of years and I’m more than ready to move on. Like most people, I complain and mope, but recently an opportunity has come for me to move on. With all the complaining I do, one would expect me to jump at it and never look back. But I’ve built my routine around this first place. I’ve come accustomed to working with these people who I spend most of my day with. On the other hand, if I don’t leave now I may as well set up living quarters at my workplace and live there forever. What is holding me back? The comfort of the known.

The same notion goes for those who won’t let go of the toxic people in their lives. If you know such a person will not add any positive energy to your well-being, but you can’t let go of them, it’s just your insecurity playing with your emotions. Unreliable boyfriends, dramatic friends, and family members who suck you dry just because their “family” all fit the criteria of who should be either cut off entirely or held at a distance. This is starting to sound like I’m going off on a tangent but it all relates. We hold on to people, things, relationship and jobs for so long thinking we may regret letting go.

That Mr. T. Kelly to you!

Trey Songz. I like him. And many of you out there do too. Nevertheless, there are the handfuls of critics who don’t like him due to his equivalent styles of his predecessors like R. Kelly, Aaron Hall and any other male crooner before his time. Personally I think that every artist that we love today is a replica of the artists that have had their time previously. Someone has to fill their spot, right.

But Tremaine Aldon Neverson has come a long way. He emerged as this rapper singer or singer rapper. Similar to Drake, Trey had a soulful voice but wanted to thug it out. Initially this personally disorder got him nowhere. So after being advised, he chose to serenade us with ballads instead of bars. 5 years later, Trey has missed the mark again. Before reading on, remember that this is my blog which means only my opinion is stated.

It’s not that he's completely lost but I'm noticing that something is missing in comparison to the last album. I know that the two can't be the same and some may even say, "Ni**as want my old shit, buy my old album!" Thanks Jay. But seriously Trey while you're giving us Passion, Pain, Pleasure we’re missing you being Ready.

On PPP Trey seems more robotic as if he's trying to fit into some mold of the pop world. On top of that I heard hints of The Dream, in “Red Lipstick” where Trey repeats choruses and lines over and over again. Then the ultimate happened, and I didn't even want to take it here, but he really did pull a couple of R. Kelly’s in “Alone.” Lastly, I didn’t notice as much sexiness as in the past. Trey didn’t come as hard as he did on “I Invented Sex” or “Neighbors Know My Name.” He only comes close with “Doorbell.”

Fortunately there was still some Trey evidence left. For instance, you can still imagine those crazy faces he makes just by listening to the way he sings the lyrics. There’s actually an ode to that, “Love Faces.”

To conclude, I believe that real fans will not enjoy Passion, Pain, Pleasure especially if you’re looking for something to continue your wet dreams of the last album Ready.


PS. He didn’t even say his coined phrase on this album, “YUP!” I want my money back.