Jewelry RockStar

Lauryn Hill Concert Part Deux

2011-03-24T10:21:00.009-04:00

I enjoyed the show in Miami so much that I decided to blow the whole concert budget on Lauryn Hill. My husband and I went to see her again on Wednesday, although we had just been on Saturday. Let me just say that was a great decision. However, my feet might disagree. Here's the skinny:

We arrived at 9pm, but there were some early hardcore fans already piled in a room to get early general admission entry. They rushed to the front of the stage, and we filed into the room. We were only about 5 rows deep. Pretty great I would say. At the Miami show it was all jumbo tron viewing. This show was up close and personal.
We stood around getting drinks and what have you until 10pm. Her DJ comes out and pumps up the crowd with Reggae (of which I am not a big fan), old school hip-hop, and some new stuff (not a fan of that either). The crowd was hyped for about an hour, and then all of the sudden we realized that she still hadn't shown up. The DJ was still spinning hits, but nobody really moved after 11:00pm. We all just waited with upside smiles and scrunched up brows. One lady who had heard me say I saw her in Miami a few days prior accosted me about the late arrival as though I was part of her crew. I didn't know what to say, but "we only waited about an extra 30 mins in Miami. My husband still maintains that is was an hour and a half in Miami, but that's just not how I remember it. I facebooked when she came out at both shows, so let the record show, blah, blah, blah.
Around 11:30 she came out smiling, happy, fashion-enviable (yes, her outfit was right this time), and acting as though she had no idea that I had just stood on 6 inch heels for 2.5 hours waiting on her. I was a little grumpy (but it wasn't all Lauryn's fault). The woman next to me was super-grumpy.
I'm going off-road a little here, but I must explain why I was grumpy. I mentioned the standing in 6 inch heels for 2.5 hours part, but the physical pain associated with standing in my new Jessica Simpson 6 inch heels goes beyond explanation. I looked cute, but it was not cute at all. Plus, there was this annoying couple in front of me for like a two hours dancing. One of them kept backing up her squishy body against me and I was pissed and grossed out. I ~~wanted to swing on these inconsiderate jerks~~ explained that she was violating my personal space several times and finally in the middle of the show, they just pushed forward and got out of my way. I literally shouted "hallelujah." So with my hurting feet, and the squishy body and cig and weed smoke these two brought with them, I was a little ~~pissy~~ perturbed.
Lauryn was happy and electric. She looked out in the crowd and I could see that she noticed me and Ms. Super grumpy that was next to me, so I was little embarrassed to look like a stick in the mud. I quickly got in the spirit of things. Ms. Super Grumpy next to me left. I wasn't going anywhere because I knew what was in store for me, a great show.
This Tampa crowd was way different than the Miami crowd. They paid about the same ticket price to see Lauryn all by herself, as the other crew paid for a huge line up. They quickly forgave the lateness and partied all night long.
The show itself was exactly the same, so I take that back about a formula for her show and a stage manager needing to step in. She has a formula, she has just chosen to push people to the point of total piss-offivity (by being late) and then start off with a song no one knows. I think that is counter-intuitive, but hey that's just me.
The show was even more awesome and she was very engaged with the audience. She showed no fear only the desire to rock the mic. She did it over and over again! Perfect pitch, new notes, new rhymes, new arrangements. She was giving it all to us.
She did some of the band reprimanding antics, but not too much. I also noticed, I guess because I was closer, that the band seems to get pumped by her directives. They actually looked excited and they played better, but they were already incredible. It appeared that she has all the music and vocals planned out in her head, and she really encourages her band to play it out the exact way she sees it.
Anyway, we all loved the show and many many people were hobbling out of there smiling from ear-to-ear. Men and women, were complaining about their feet. All told we stood about 4 hours. Get your ticket if she comes to your town. You won't regret it!

Jazz in The Gardens - Lauryn Hill

2011-03-20T10:04:00.009-04:00

I know I said I wouldn't be posting here anymore, but I had to get this out. My Jewelryrockstar.com site is under construction, so I am using this one. I'll post it there once I do the big reveal.

Last night I saw Lauryn Hill. Not on the internet, not on the television, but in real life. I've been wanting to see her for so long, and I finally got the chance. I went with the full expectation that she was going to be spectacular and she truly was. However, many in the crowd in Miami Gardens, FL probably wouldn't agree. Let me break it down for you.

1) Lauryn Hill was the headliner or the last act after a long line up. There was Al Jarreau & Lalah Hathaway, both of whom I missed because I was late. The crowd claimed that Al Jarreau was drunk and that he wasn't any good. I don't believe it because this particular crowd didn't seem to have discriminating taste when it came to music. Bobby Brown, Ralph & Johnny were there too. They were the epitome of a washed up group, but the crowd loved them. Their voices were beat down, and they were boring. I felt like something was wrong with me because these people were going nuts for this crap. It was like the way people run to buy Sunny D instead of real orange juice. Next came Charlie Wilson. Charlie Wilson is about 58 years old and he is the consummate professional. Great voice, engaged the crowd, danced and was sticking the moves, he was great. I've seen him before with the Gap band, so I expected no less than what I got.

2) Charlie went off at 10:45pm with his hit "There Goes My Baby." He was scheduled to go off at around 10:00, but he has a bunch of music, plus he played new music too. Lauryn was scheduled to go on at 10:30pm, somehow some the crowd began to get negative about Lauryn while Charlie was still on. They blamed her for him going over. They said she was the reason. I didn't get it. They got more show, but started complaining immediately.

3) Around 11:45 Lauryn Hill hits the stage, so technically she was only about 30 mins late because there is usually about a 30 min lull between sets. Let me just say the liquor shut down at 10:30, so you know...happy drunks were getting sober and turning into cranky people looking for another drink.

4) She came out to a crowd that was about 80% full because 20% left before she came on. I wasn't prepared to wait 2 hours, but 30 mins didn't seem unreasonable. The crowd seemed to be caught up in the "we're mad at Lauryn" wave that's been going around the internet. It's probably big in Miami too because Wyclef and Pras have done a great job trashing her when she wanted to be producer on a new album they were working on. Miami is full of first, second, and third generation West Indians, so they might choose Wyclef over Lauryn, but I'm just guessing. Although, I thought the whole beef between them seemed like a sexist move on the parts of Clef, Pras & Jerry Wonder, who thought they should be the only ones to produce despite the fact that Lauryn has produced artists like Aretha & Mary J.

5) She came out with a fly jacket on, a dope skirt on, a sick pair of earrings, a cool hat, a nice tee-shirt and a stylish scarf. They all worked on their own, but not together. When dressing you must decide whether you will be fly, dope, cool, sick, stylish or nice-looking, but they shouldn't all be done together. Tameka Raymond used to dress Lauryn, and I think she should go back to relying on a stylist.

6) Next she stated that she would do old songs and tracks, and immediately went into something none of us had heard before. Another 10% of the crowd bolted toward the exits, which was great for me because I moved up closer.

7) Then came all the hits and the artistry. However, they came to us in new arrangements. They didn't sound like the radio versions, which I thought was AWESOME!!!! She gave us some ridiculous music. The new arrangements were sick. She lost another 20% of the crowd by presenting herself as the artist that she is now, and not the one she was back in 1998. As an artist I totally understood the evolution, and the need not to repeat the same things over and over. It's not expression if you just do it and do it again the same way. It's more like production and being a technician.

8) My husband said that she asked them not to leave, I didn't hear that. I just know that she was presenting her new masterpieces, and that she is definitely ready to give us new music.

9) Internet reports always talk about how she verbally berates or at best over-instructs her band. She did that last night a lot. It felt like she was a bit obsessive or insecure. The best artists are that way. The key is to hide the behind the scenes perfectionist that creates the work, so that you don't alarm your audience or come off as a rigid tyrant. We got a little rigid tyrant vibe from her. Plus, she didn't do the "this is my band, aren't they wonderful" piece that we usually see from vocalists.

10) Overall, I got the sense that Lauryn is afraid of us. She seemed afraid to truly connect with the audience. She tried a bit at the end, but not really. She might be out of practice with performing live, but it seemed like fear to me. It seemed like she was afraid we wouldn't appreciate her, and many in the crowd didn't. It's funny how our energy creates situations we claim we don't want. Concerning the show itself, she could also benefit from a professional stage manager who will make her adhere to a formula that works for the everyday audience. We love her and she will continue to draw crowds even if they just want to say "yes, I saw her and she wasn't all that" like many from the crowd last night.

She's actually in Miami tonight at Grand Central. I really would love to go see her again, but I need to get back home. I still might throw caution to the wind and go. That's how refreshing it was to see a real artist do her thing.

Update: Just found out that Lauryn will be in the Tampa Bay area in just three short days, and I will be there again!!! Yippee!

My New Baby is Here!!!!

2009-10-17T08:43:00.005-04:00

Well, not my human baby. He's still in the womb. He's scheduled to come out Thursday. Of course, I'll keep you posted on that. I'll even be blogging all about him on someone else's blog. More to come later.

My new baby is my new Jewelry Rockstar Website. I have integrated my shop and my blog together, and I want you to visit me over there. I am sure you might have noticed that My jewelry is not on my etsy page anymore over there=>>>>>>>>>>>>> There are posters there now. I gave the etsy shop to that poster designer, and he's made more sales than me so far.

Remember I told you I had two surprises. One was Loves Gumbo, and this is the other one.

Guess what? You're over there too. I mean if you've commented over here or if I've made you one of my fav links here you are over there too. I exported all my posts with comments over to the new site. This one may get deleted in a few months because I don't need it anymore. It's over on my new site.

Anyway, I can't tell you it was easy. I've been working on it since July. I've had to learn wordpress, plus the new template. Luckily I had a great template designer who gave me lots of technical support via email and skpe.

Anyway, check me out at JEWELRYROCKSTAR.COM. I'll be over there from now on. I've changed the address on the button, so if you used it get a new one.

No offense to Blogger or Etsy, they worked fine when they did. Here's a goodbye song

Imagine!

2009-10-09T13:02:00.002-04:00

Today is John Lennon's Birtday! He imagined a world of love and peace. We are still walking towards it, and I don't know how far we have to go until we reach our destination. I do know that the longer we walk more and more people join the path. Hopefully the path to peace will be crowded with those rushing to that end.

One person leading that march is President Barack Obama! He has spent many years promoting a peaceful mindset, and as President he has not changed. Politics and criticism have not deterred him from promoting peace in the world. Today he won a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to change how America thinks about the world and how the world thinks about America.

Thanks to John Lennon for a beautiful song that keeps up imagining a peaceful environment, and thanks to President Obama for working tirelessly to bring peace to our world.

Naomi Sims Paved the Way for Me

2009-09-28T08:39:00.006-04:00

About a year before I was born Naomi Sims appeared on the cover of Ladies Home Journal, and then two months after I was born she appeared on the cover of Life Magazine. Those two magazines were not high fashion magazines like British Vogue or Harper's Bazaar , which allowed black model Donyale Luna to grace its pages for the sake of being chic.

These magazines were the kind that were weaved into the fabric of America. They were found often in everyday homes on everyday coffee tables. Her being on the cover of both of these magazines enabled me to be considered a lady. Not a black woman or black female, but a lady. That's not a title that black women enjoyed in America before women like Naomi Sims paved the way for us. I am sure black babies, black ministers, black fathers, and black brothers considered us ladies, but to mainstream America we were black women not ladies.

Naomi Sims worked extremely hard to become a model. When agencies wouldn't sign her, she went to Photographers. One of them photographed her in the New York Times Fashion Insert, and she used that shoot to parlay her career into much bigger gigs. She helped to make the Wilhelmina Agency a success by acting as her own agent and sending Wilhelmina Cooper the commission. She sent around her photo to Advertising Agencies herself, so that the Wilhelmina Agency didn't have to shoulder any expenses or any work for its commission.

She worked very hard after her modeling career as an author and business woman. You probably have all heard of her wig line. Although I hadn't really stopped to think about it, I now realize that Naomi Sims has been a role model since before I was born. I am thankful to her for that. I wish I had written this tribute before she left us, in hopes that she might have seen it. However, I am a little late she transitioned on August 3rd of this year.

It's not too late however, for me to think of her and the work she has left behind while I am doing my own work. Thank you Naomi Sims.

What Would a Virgo Say?

2009-09-17T16:51:00.003-04:00

Okay Virgos It's your time! Let's play the Game, What would a Virgo Say? If you don't remember how the game works. I use the same questions every month for each astrological sign. The answers are what I think that Sun sign would say based on who I think they are. I'm pretty good at this, but feel free to dispute or agree at will.

Here we go:

What would a Virgo say...

1) What Should I wear?

I don't know yet, but I am sure it must be neat, clean, the right length, the right size, the right color, and it must send the message that I've got myself together.

2) How much will I get paid?

I figure if I am working very hard I'll get paid for it. The focus has to be on getting the work done, right!

3) What did she mean by that?

Oh my! She must know about my imperfections. That is the only reason she would say something like that. She knows I am not quite right. But hey, she's not right either. Look at how messy she is, her shoes are all wrong, that man of her's needs a shave.

4) Is he looking at me?

I wonder how I look? Is my hair in place? Are these pants too short? He might want to rethink looking at me, does he think he measures up? Hmph! His pants are too short.

5) How will it get done?

I must think it through first. That's the most important thing. Have a plan. Yes, I shouldn't even do it without a good plan. Then it will be just right.

Do they need me?

They might need me, but I am not ready to do what needs to be done. I need to have a plan. Maybe I might be busy that day. I might need to do something for me that day. I can't promise things without making sure I'm okay first. If I find that I'm okay, and if I find that I feel like it, and if I have a great plan for helping them, then I can do it. Then it will be just right and then I'll work very very hard at helping them.

Beyonce is A Class Act!

2009-09-14T06:53:00.008-04:00

I haven't gone on and on about Beyonce on this blog lately, but she earned it last night. First, she was nominated for about 9 (I think) Video Music Awards (VMAs) last night. She won about 3 (I think). One of the awards she was nominated for was Best Female Performer. She didn't win it, Taylor Swift won. Now, personally I think Beyonce should have won because she's such a professional that I think she should be rewarded for walking. However, Taylor Swift won. Taylor Swift is a little talentless, and she will probably be a flash in the pan in the entertainment industry, but last night was her moment in the sun. It was her time to shine! She won an VMA, and she is mostly a Country singer. It was a big deal to her and her fans I am sure.

Well, Mr. Asshole, Kanye West decides to pull another one of his baby capers in the name of defending Beyonce's entitlement to the award. He comes out of nowhere, grabs the mic from the teenage girl (yes Taylor Swift is a teen) and tells her that Beyonce made the best video ever. ...so sick of his baby-ass, whiny-ass, mentally-unstable ass, egotistical-ass antics!. It was just disgusting! Really, I haven't covered how bad it was because there are just no words for such assholism.

MTV Shows

Fast forward-- two hours later, Beyonce wins Video of the Year Award. This is the award that she said she really wanted and the Universe happily obliged. Instead of taking the time to say her thank yous and such, she called Taylor Swift back to the stage to allow her to finish the speech that Mr. Jerk-off ruined. Beyonce showed that she was a class act, not a selfish Diva. She remembered her days as a youth at the VMAs, and how excited she was. She honored the young lady by forfeiting her top spot moment. Beyonce has many, many awards and will be around for many many more years. It was extremely gracious of her to allow Taylor the opportunity to bask in stardom at the VMAs.
Bravo Bey!!!!!

In other VMA news, Janet Jackson did a beautiful tribute to her brother. They edited out her dance routine in the Scream Video and she did it live. It was beautiful. I love that song it's one of my favorite MJ songs. Madonna, did a speech about MJ, that turned out to be a little too much about her (but hey she's a Leo--that happens sometimes). Nonetheless, it was beautiful and appropriate. She looked great too!

Beyonce's performance was AWESOME!!!!! She really engaged the crowd and she just really put on a great show. The crowd was rockin'. Jay-z and Alicia Keys did a nice job on their song about NYC. It made want to scrap my plans for Florida and go to New York.

Lady GaGa thought she was being original, but really she was doing Madonna twenty-five years ago. Yawn. Serena Williams came out to introduce someone after her time being caught "in the moment". I won't judge her outburst after the one I had at the tire shop last weekend. Glad no cameras caught me:). It was really bad.

The rest of the show was a sleeper. I didn't know who half the nominees or performers were, so I basically TIVO'd through the whole show. I would like to thank the person who came up with Digital Video Recording Technology, and TIVO for coming out with it first.

Oh yeah, and all those Twitterites who thought the VMAs would do such a better job giving Michael Jackson a tribute were wrong. Besides his sister, Madonna, and a clip to promote the new movie, they didn't do jack. BET's Tribute was much better, even with the three-day limitation.

Rhodochrosite, I'll admit I need it!

2009-09-12T04:58:00.006-04:00

Last year this time was such a hopeful time for me. I was happy to see 2008 on it's way out because financially it had taken it's toll on me. Obama was close to getting into office. I was campaigning door-to-door with my children. Somehow I thought we were all going to singing Kum- ba -yah with lyrics switched out to something Like "Yes we Can Lord, Yes we can.." All was going to be divine in 2009. Well in a lot of ways 2009 hasn't disappointed. Obama did make it in! I went to D.C. on that very cold day to witness his swearing in on the Jumbotron. I've found out that I am expecting a new bouncing baby boy! Business is starting to pick up again, although I am still fighting hard to make things like they were or better than they were. I am very happy with my husband and children. We are really close and experiencing good times together since we have moved everything (school and work) at home. Even our bickering is fewer and farther between and shorter in duration. Yes, 2009 is in fact divine.

Except, yes I guess there's always an except. Except, I am feeling increasingly heartbroken over the hatred, paranoia, intolerance, and lack of compassion I am seeing around. I've been out there on twitter, facebook, and comcast messageboards (which is the absolute worst) and it ain't pretty. I am seeing a bunch of ugly, ugly, ugly on the T.V. too. It's been exhausting. Why? Because I get involved. I've started a website called Love's Gumbo, but somedays all I do is get myself entangled in hate. I'll admit it. I am not going to lie. I see inane comments being made somewhere and I suit up with my armor and go to war! My husband watches me typing furiously (because being at war nowadays is all by internet chatter right?), and he tries to stop me. "Why do you go to comcast?" he asks. "Who are you getting now?" "Oh my baby's gonna get them now?" These are the remarks I get from him, until... Someone pisses him off at one of his frequent pit stops. Then he's off and running, but that's another story.

I read inspirational words everyday. I meditate many days too. I have even started the day off singing hymns, but somehow I keep getting pulled into this bull. Really, I run to it. Obama gives an educational speech, I'm on twitter kicking anybody's ass who has something bad to say about it. That jerk from S.C. embarrasses his wife by saying his mistress is his soulmate, I go on a rant. The other jerk from S.C. disrespects the President, I go to war for two days on twitter.

It's draining me, and I am doing it to myself. I cannot respond to every birther, hater, shouter, anti-healthcarian, righter, neo-con, small-minded racist, bigot. I've got to calm down. I've got to find my peace again. I've been out here using these social media networks to act a damn fool, and today I am going to stop it!

I am using Rhodochrosite to assist me in this endeavor. It's a crystal that promotes tolerance, healing, compassion, self-love, friendship, kindness, and comfort. It also helps people to quiet their feelings of paranoia and irrational fears (which might be something my combatants need). Although I am not going to focus on them, I am going to focus on me. Whenever I look at them I get myself all in a tizzy. I need to grab my Rhodochrosite, look at God and goodness, and find my peace once again.

What I Will Miss about Atlanta

2009-09-07T00:06:00.003-04:00

I went to House in the Park today. It's a Labor Day Event that has been happening in Atlanta for about 4 years. House music is played in the park, and lover's of House music dance under a pavilion and where ever they stand for about 8 hours. This was my first year attending. While I was there I saw people that I know from all over the city. I saw my children's Sunday School teacher, my bloggy buddy Renee at cutiebootycakes , I saw parents and teachers from my children's day care center years ago, I saw new babies that I have been anticipating since in their mother's wombs, I saw ex co-workers, people I knew once upon a time, fellow vendors, in-laws, I mean I just felt so much love from all the people I knew. It was a love fest.

For me Atlanta used to be a big party like this all the time. I am not sure if I've changed or if the city has changed, but it hasn't been like this in years. Underneath the smog, traffic, horrible customer service, allergies, bougie snobs, scammers, crime, racists, ignorance, and deliberate indifference, there it was. LOVE!!!! What a vibe.

I am still leaving. I am determined to live in a beach city. I need it for my peace of mind. However, I will definitely miss times like these in Atlanta, even if it's been forever since I've had a time like this.

Check it out on whrrl:

Happy Earth Day MJ!

2009-08-29T12:17:00.006-04:00

I'd promised I would do a Michael Jackson tribute post, and frankly I needed the two months to get myself in the right mental space to make it happen.

Today is the day that Michael Jackson came to Earth 51 years ago. He chose Joe and Katherine Jackson to be his parents on this Earth. He knew they could help him achieve that which he was on Earth to do. Although Joe Jackson irks me to no end, I do see his huge role in helping Michael fulfill his purpose on this Earth. A parent so narcissistic, egotistical, demanding, focused, and unwavering in his quest to make his children who he wanted them to be, can actually be very instrumental in pushing a child to live out his or her purpose. Even if it is through bitter tears, extreme loneliness, and a poor self-image.

My husband educated me about this image drawn by Mj, who knew?

Michael certainly lived out his purpose. I saw an interview where he said he was on "Earth to make people happy," and that he feels that most when he's on stage. He was about 22 years old when he made that statement, however I think he knew his reason for being on Earth much sooner than 22 years old. Michael lived his purpose in many ways not just on stage. He gave his money, his time, his heart and soul to make others happy. He gave so much money to others that he has a Guinness Book World Record for being the most giving pop star. He also has gained a host of other Guinness Book World Records.

A few that I can name are "First Entertainer to be paid 100 million in a year," "Most Grammys in One Year," "Most attended concert," and "Most Successful Music Video." These are only a few that I can name, but there are more.

MJ's purpose can be felt every time you here a song of his. In my opinion he wasn't an R&B singer, he wasn't a Pop Singer, nor was he a Disco Singer, he was a Soul Singer. He sang from his soul. It didn't matter the genre of music he sang, it was always from the soul. He danced from his soul too. It was like every time he decided to entertain us, he remembered his purpose on this Earth and tapped into his soul to achieve it.

He has had so many hits, it would be an incredible task to list them all. I'm sure I'd miss many of them I will tell you that my favorite is Leave Me Alone

Let's remember Michael Today, and thank him for honoring his Earth's purpose by living out our own purpose from our souls. If you don't know your purpose, honor Michael by finding out your purpose on Earth and doing it to the best of your ability! At the end of the day that's what we are here to do, and I have to say that despite anything and everything else, he lived his purpose.

What Would A Leo Say?

2009-08-23T20:58:00.005-04:00

Well I've been doing the Astrology highlights for a year now. I've talked about the characteristics of each astrological sign, so now I have to come up with something new to keep you interested. My new astrology series will be called "What would a ___________say?" The Questions will always be the same, but the answers will be according to what I think a specific astrological sign would say.

I am going to do my own astrological sign today, I am a Leo. I am a little late. My birthday was August 18th. I didn't really mention it on the day because I kinda felt like a teenager who missed the prom because of being knocked up. I turned 40, but couldn't do any partying, drinking and cutting the general fool because I am pregnant, my back hurts, and I am tired and grumpy. I guess I'll handle all the drankin' reveling on my 41st birthday.

Here we go:

What would a Leo say...

1) What Should I wear?

Something that is flashy. A girl's has to keep up her image.

2) How much will I get paid?

If it's not comparable to my worth, they can forget about it!

3) What did she mean by that?

Here we go again another hater? Why they always hatin' on me. Everyone knows it's all about me.

4) Is he looking at me?

Of course he is, aren't they always.

5) How will it get done?

I'll do it! If you want something done right best to do it yourself... Hold on, hold on, I'll show you how to do it

Do they need me?

Okay, well I'm willing to do whatever is needed? No need to ask, I could tell you needed me when I came to see you.

Flip Burger with CutieBootyCakes and the crew!

2009-08-14T17:38:00.010-04:00

Renee invited me out to Flip Burger Boutique this afternoon, and it was really great! I got to see some bloggers I've met before like Little Brown Jen and Talibah at The Mama Spot and We Parent. I also met two new bloggers She Geeks and Secret Agent Mama, she'ss a homeschooling mom like me. The food was a nice addition to good company. I splurged on a Pistachio and white truffle milkshake and it was glorious. The pictures tell the story. Check out our lunch on whrrl:

Surprise Surprise!

2009-08-12T05:44:00.006-04:00

I mentioned that I had two surprises for you a couple of posts back. Well, number one is ready! As many of you may know I am a Jewelry Designer (hence the name, Jewelry Rockstar). I consider my sense of design a gift, and I design as often as I can. I am very proud of what I contribute to the world in terms of jewelry. You may also know that my husband and I own and run an Advertising Agency, which has been slow for the past year. However, it is now getting busy, so woo-hoo. Thirdly, you may know that I am also a homeschooling mom of two, and I am really proud of what I have accomplished in my girls lives and education. Okay, so if you are counting, that makes three jobs right? Well...

You may not know about my mission and purpose in life, so I'll tell you. My purpose is to make the lives of women much more easy, much more fun, much more powerful, and much much better. I am meant to bring beauty into the lives of other women. That's my purpose and I know it. I feel my passion and purpose burn when I make a beautiful pair of earrings and a woman beams at me. I know I am on the right track when I make a beautiful soap or scrub for someone and they send me an email telling me how glorious the experience was for them. I solidify my purpose in many many things that I do.

My mission for the past 5 years has been to encourage and empower women who want to find a loving lasting relationship, and those who want to be happy in the relationship they have. I have written a book about it, but because I am so into controlling my own intellectual property it has not been published it. I am one day going to self-publish that book or maybe another because I came up with a new idea. I've decided to share my writings and sister circle curriculum with other women online. I've started a new online magazine/news/talk site that surrounds women and love! It's for all of us who want to be in and stay in love! I am so excited about it. The site is the same name as my book Love's Gumbo. I want you to go over tell me what you think, and if you feel so inclined join the movement! As part of the launch I am sponsoring a giveaway with Jewelry from me the Jewelry Rockstar. If you'd like a chance to win go check it out, there are about 7 chances to win. If you want to contribute, please contact me. I would love to hear your stories, troubles, videos, and feedback.

One more thing, I've been visiting blogs with my new login www.lovesgumbo.com, just so you know, it's me. Also, this new site won't stop me from blogging as the Jewelry Rockstar. I will still be here, and I would love to see you there and here.

Okay, Me and Tavis Smiley are Cool Again.

2009-08-09T18:06:00.008-04:00

During the Barack Obama campaign Tavis Smiley made a bunch of comments about Obama that started to get me super heated. He basically was pissed because Obama didn't come to the State of the Black Union, and I personally agreed with Obama's decision not attend. Hillary Clinton attended, but she was down in the polls and she needed any support she could get from African Americans. Obama offered to send Michelle and it seemed that Tavis felt personally affronted by that gesture. Anyhow, Tavis began a talk campaign against Obama for the next few months, and it seriously began to look like hateration. Sooo, I've ~~been really pissed~~ been kinda mad at Tavis every since.

Well yesterday I decided to bury the hatchet. Not that Tavis cares because he doesn't know I exist. What made me surrender and wave the white flag? The America I am Exhibit. Renee Ross over at Cutie booty Cakes Invited me and my hubby out on a bloggers outing to the exhibit. The exhibit is funded by Wal-mart, and it is designed to show the impact African Americans have made on America. The design of the exhibit is interesting and beautiful. It was filled with etched images of significant African Americans, stage attire from Black entertainers, mini-films on our culture, and beautiful historical documents. I read a page of Malcom X's diary. I saw shackles and chains that enslaved Africans wore, and I saw a pint-sized guitar that Prince played.

It was an amazing exhibit, and I teared up a couple of times just witnessing all that monumental history in one building. So far The America I am Exhibit has hit Philadelphia, and it will be in Atlanta until September 6, 2009. From there I don't know where it will go, but if it gets close to your town make a point to see it.

Tavis Smiley brought us this exhibit and I am thankful to him for that. I am also thankful to Renee for inviting me. This event was awesome and it will forever impact my life.

I'm Not Out Of the Game

2009-07-28T14:56:00.002-04:00

I'm mostly just hot, tired and grumpy. I realize I've only blogged about twice in July. I've been doing other things like fussing folks out on FB, comcast's forum and twitter (told you I'm grumpy). Over what you might ask? I dunno Obama's citizenship, Gates' arrest, and Obama's subsequent comments, whether conversate is a word or not., whether you need to divorce to be a happy woman. Stupid stuff. These are real subjects I have voiced my opinion on. Just finding someone else to be crabby with besides my family.

Pregnancy is going well. Lately I've been losing weight instead of gaining. My doctor won't mind, she gave me a side eye about my weight last visit. I'm drinking green shakes and going to the pool several times per week. Baby is kicking, but overall I can tell he's gonna be very laid back. When I mentioned something about him kicking because he was hungry my eight year old said in astonishment "Oh he's alive in there." It was really hilarious.

I do have two surprises for you though. I can't reveal just yet. My husband and I are working on them. They'll be ready soon.

Oh yeah, I've started my countdown to 40 years old. I have about 20 days to go.

Sorry I don't have anything enlightening to report. I wanted you to know that I'm still here.

Cancers Ladies Really Feel It!

2009-07-21T09:06:00.008-04:00

It's the end of the Cancer season, and it's time for my tribute. I have Cancers all around me, so I know them pretty well. My dad is a Cancer, my step-dad is a Cancer, my two sisters are Cancers, my father-in-law is a Cancer. I have a bunch of Cancers around me, and they are fun.

Because Cancers love, love, love emotions, they are the funniest people I know. I find myself laughing at something a Cancer said to me (in all seriousness I might add) years and years later. They have a perspective on life that evokes hilarity. I mean they really crack me up. On the flip side of that, they also have a side of them that evokes anger, especially the ones born in July. July Cancers can be true crabs, in that they like to stir up sh*t. They take pleasure in getting a bunch of drama created among others, and stepping back to see emotional reactions fly. Once in awhile I fall victim to this kind of drama mostly at the hands of my oldest sister, one of my best friends. I call her the "sh*t stirrer" because she gets crabby (when she's not making me laugh), and starts carrying stories back and forth, telling small lies, and causing all kinds of drama. In the end, I usually laugh at her and myself for allowing myself to be tricked into some mess once again.

Cancers love things to stay the same. Status quo all the way for them. They like to cook and eat the same things, stay in the same place, keep the same friends, and work the same job. They are loyal to whatever they start, and it takes a lot to pry them away from it. They also collect wonderful little things, and find it very difficult to let them go.

Because Cancers love emotions so much they are very creative. They are also extremely intuitive and deep. If you are looking for the answer to a interpersonal situation, a Cancer can help you see the light. Their emotional leanings can also cause them to become, so sad that it resembles clinical depression. The only thing that makes their sadness different from clinical depression, is that another emotion like anger or extreme happiness or some other drama scene can lift them from their sadness instantaneously. They move on to the next emotion as though they were never ever sad. On to the next emotional adventure.

I have an extremely deep bloggy friend Tameka, over at Tea and Honey Bread. She is one of the most gifted writers I've met. I Just love her writing and her point of view. Please go over and check her out, you will not be disappointed. Happy Birthday Tameka!

Here are some famous Cancers.

Carly Simon is a very gifted songwriter. I am sure her ability to feel emotions stronger than the rest of us made her such a successful writer.

Michelle Kwan is an accomplished Ice Skater.

Lil' Kim, Lil' Kim, Lil' Kim...

Cyndi Lauper a famous singer. She came on the scene about the same time as Madonna.

Jessica Simpson, actress, singer and songwriter. She has been photographed on more than one occasion crying or arguing with a boyfriend.

Help us mourn, Smoky Quartz

2009-07-09T17:53:00.006-04:00

Someone said to me the other day that" America is in mourning" and it really resonated with my soul. We are mourning. Of course the biggest and most devastating loss for many Americans and much of the world right now is the loss of Michael Jackson. However, we were in mourning before he transitioned. No, I don't mean Farrah Fawcett or Ed McMahon, although they were terrible losses for America as well. I don't even mean the most recent death of Steve McNair, the football player who was caught dead in the middle of an affair with a 20 -year old. Although personally, I am mourning the loss of a father for those children, and the loss of the 20-year old's life. I wish her youth had not stood in the way of her realizing that he was probably the type of man that would just move on to the next chick, and that he wasn't worth her life.

Although all of those are great losses, we have been in mourning for about a year I think, if not longer. We are at war. We have lost jobs. We have lost homes. We have lost retirement funds. For some who have been struck by natural disasters, we have lost stability. When we look at the music, media, and movies in America, it seems we have lost our dignity.
We haven't lost our souls, our spirits, and our divinity.

We can regain everything we've lost and more. First, we have to properly mourn. We need to acknowledge that we are mourning, feel the pain, and then release what's been lost. Smoky quartz is a stone that can help us do that. That's what Ancient Romans believed. Even if you aren't mourning, you are coming into contact with people who are on a daily basis. Smoky Quartz can help to absorb the negative emotions they are giving off.

One more thing that smoky quarts does that is good for me too. It helps with back pain, which as nearly 40 year old preggo woman I am experiencing a lot of. It's a good thing I have an adjustable smoky quarts ring ~~if it wasn't adjustable, me fatty fingers wouldn't be able to wear it until sometime after the end of October, hehehe.~~

If you believe in the spiritual properties of crystals, go out and pick up some smoky quartz. I think we could all use some.

BET, The Black Community's Whipping Boy

2009-06-29T10:32:00.010-04:00

I watched the BET awards last night and I tweeted at the same time. Overall I think it was a great show considering the confines of a BET show. By confines I mean the usual bull jive that happens on BET all year long that usually keeps me and my children from tuning in. I don't expect the BET Awards to step up to being a show that shows the best and brightest in the African American community. That's not what they do, so I don't expect it. I watch to see a glimpse of something interesting or good here and there and then I use TIVO to mute out or pause the rest.

Last night it seems viewers came in droves with huge expectations because of the death of Michael Jackson. I too came with expectations, and mine were fulfilled. New Edition kicked it off with a Jackson 5 tribute. Ne-yo did a smashing job on two MJ song's.

Jamie Fox did a dance tribute and delivered poignant commentary on Michael's work. Beyonce sang Ava Maria & in the Arms of Angels, which was beautiful and sad. Several artists spoke about their memories of Michael Jackson and his impact on their lives. For a total or 3 days at best, BET did a incredible job altering that big machine into a MJ BET tribute while continuing on with the show. I think Michael Jackson deserves and has earned a 4-hour special dedicated to only him. The kind of special that takes months to put together, not just three days. I know he will get it, and I believe BET or TV-One will be the ones to do it.

Many tweeters and Facebookers are not in agreement with my assessment of last night's show because they have been blowing up saying just the opposite of what I am saying. I think that's because they are insane. Insanity is doing the same thing (tuning in to BET) and expecting a different outcome (a show filled with dignity and purpose through and through). They also expected a bigger tribute to Michael, although there was only a three-day turnaround. That's naivete on the part of viewers. I produce photo shoots and television commercial shoots, and I can tell you that with three days notice it's hard to change the direction of those drastically. I can just image a huge awards show. So many camps to contact and coordinate with, so many egos to deal with, so many costume changes, set changes, etc. Sorry viewers, but to expect more is just folly.

Having said all of that, I will now give you blow by blow of the whole show. New Edition's tribute was great, and it was what I expected. Funny part was Johnny Gill holding a guitar.

Maxwell was wonderful just the way I expected. The tweets for his part were hilarious. Women were swooning by tweet, ooohing, and awwwing.

Ne-Yo has finally gained my respect because he really sang Michael's songs last night with such grace and clarity.

I almost went into a full on ugly cry when Jamie Fox talked about Michael's career and his purpose. I started up and sucked it back in, so I wouldn't scare my children. Still have to get that out at some point.

I was shocked to see Joe Jackson there. I thought it was hilarious when Don Cornelius said Al Sharpton would "fight a brick." I also thought it was hilarious when Eddie Levert went into his story about being on the set of Michael's Black and White video, and cursed like and old Uncle would.

We TIVO'd through that Lil' Wayne and Drake tom foolery, so I can't really comment because I didn't really see it. It was inappropriate for the night in much the same way Snoop Dog's show was on the anniversary of the March on Washington, a year or two ago. Some fools you can't stop no matter what you do.

Aaron Hall, of Guy has lost his voice. I don't know what happened there. Keith Sweat was whiny as usual. I don't know why I ever liked him.., ahhh youth. Tevin Campbell looks like he has had a hard life, but is now trying to get it together. I could still see the hardness though.

Umm Keri Hilson is boring, but I prefer her to Rihanna. As a matter of fact up until last night I thought her songs were Rihanna's songs. That's probably not good for Rihanna.

Mary Mary and the Queen were excellent. My kids went nuts.

Soulja Boy Tell'em boo!!! What Ice Tee said...yeah. (Grown folks only)

Jay-z's new song became likeable to me last night. I guess it was the live performance.

Here is Alicia Keys doing her best impersonation of "I am not a homewrecker, I am a humanitarian."

Keyshia Cole looked the same as always, Monica looked polished and on top of the world. Frankie & Neffe are getting a show...sigh. I'll be watching...sigh. Tiny & Toya have a new show...sigh. I watched a sneak peek last night... won't be watching anymore. Tiny is too disgusting to watch. She looks like an old drunk, and the exaggerated facial expressions she makes when she says her "life is great." Signals a life that is horribly wrong. I study facial expressions and lying (favorite past time of mine).

Janet Jackson looked beautiful and very sad at the same time. She even looked and sounded a little resentful toward us, the public. I can't say that I can blame her because CNN and others have been very cruel towards Michael over that last few days. A side note here, I will be doing an M. Jackson tribute, but I am taking time to get things right within myself. This was a huge loss for me.

All the Gemini's, All the Gemini's... Put your Hands up

2009-06-24T13:49:00.005-04:00

The Gemini season is over and I have to show them love. Geminis are known for being two-faced. I don't mean this in a the back-stabbing way, although they may look like back-stabbers because of their twin personalities. What I mean by two-faced is that they have two sides of their personalities. They can be sweet, charming, amicable ladies one minute, and crafty sarcastic, unpleasant individuals the next. One thing that is consistent with Geminis is creativity and mental strength. These women are extremely gifted at creating revolutionary ideas. When you see something super creative out in the atmosphere, that has has not been seen or heard around, you'll usually find a Gemini as the creator.

These women are fun to be around until they aren't. However, just as quickly as you've decided that they aren't your type of person, they will switch back their other side and will endear themselves to you.

Here are some famous.

Josephine baker displayed the creativity that most Geminis do. She danced topless and very gracefully while being very provocative. During her time, that was cutting edge and very creative.

Ms. Jolie shows the two-sided nature of her personality publicily. On the one hand she is a husband-stealing, blood-carrying, brother-kissing, vixen, and then she's a ambassador to the world who adopts children from all over. She brings creativity to her roles, well at least those that I've seen. I stopped watching her many years ago on purpose.

Marilyn Monroe was also very creative. She carved out that role for herself as a dizzy blonde sex symbol. She changed her hair color orchestrated all her press and those images we see of her today. She was actually a shrewd business woman despite the persona she presented of herself.

Here we have a phone-throwing, face slapping high fashion model who always seems to be welcomed again and again to the runway and fashion world. I suspect it's because she puts on the charm, and those around her forget about her tantrum-like behavior until she pulls another caper.

Nikki Giovanni is also a creative poet and writer. She shows her twin personality by looking like a thug one minute and a scholar the next. Lately she's been looking more like a thug than a scholar

I Did Something for Myself Without Knowing It

2009-06-08T12:26:00.005-04:00

As much as I loved Hilary Clinton, I became an early adopter for Barack Obama as President. Honestly, I chose him initially because I thought he was an excellent candidate to be a positive role model for young black males. I had seen other black presidential candidates before, such as Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. However, I wasn't really that geeked about supporting them because deep in my heart I knew they were mostly for African American issues, and who can run a country like that. Yes, I am aware that most White Presidents have run the country with white concerns at the front of their brains, but that's a whole other debate that I won't get into. Let's just say, that I want a President that is fair and just, and Barack Obama is turning out to be that way, despite the criticism he gets from Americans who don't want that kind of thing.

Back to what I did for myself. I took my daughters out in the heat door-to-door in the fall registering new voters,reminding voters to vote early, plus informing convicts of their voting rights. I responded regularly on message boards and youtube videos to all unnecessary bull from whites, blacks, and others about Barack Obama and his wife. I posted on myspace and emailed important information to friends about the election and Obama. When folks got scary and weary I kept them going. I even worked the polls in an all white Republican Georgia precinct on election day.

I worked as tirelessly as any one woman could to get Obama into office. The main reason was because I saw Obama as a great husband, father, student, citizen, politician, opponent, teacher, leader, man, and American. I wanted young black males to have the gift of a successful black role model reaching the highest heights in America. I wanted little black boys not yet born to live in a world where they took having a well-qualified African American president for granted. I wanted them to say "I want to be President" and feel no barriers in the way. I got what I wanted!

The one thing I didn't know is that I was working on end for my own little BOY!

I am having a baby boy! He will receive in its fullness the dream I had for other little boys when I thought I would have no more children. It's incredible how you can work to give to others, but when it's all done you receive huge blessing yourself.

Her Nightgown in Your Bedroom

2009-06-05T07:54:00.003-04:00

"...If you come home and you find another woman's nightgown in your bedroom, you gonna have the blues... believe it or not, even the President has the blues. " ~ Koko Taylor

On June 3rd, 2009 the great Blues singer, Koko Taylor transitioned. She was 80 years old. Today I am doing a tribute to her, although I wish I had done it before she left us. Koko was born as a sharecropper in Memphis. She left Memphis for Chicago with what she says was "35 cents and a box of Ritz crackers." She and her husband struggled doing manual labor during the day while she sang in nightclubs at night. She got her big break with Chess Records and recorded Wang Dang Doodle with Lil' Walter, the hot shot harmonica playing side kick of Muddy Waters. If you haven't seen the movie Cadillac Records, rent it to find out more about Lil' Walter and Muddy Waters ~~don't let Beyonce hateration keep you from learning about history~~.

Koko Taylor continued her career for forties plus years and even performed this year at the Kennedy Center. She received numerous Blues awards and influenced many artists such as Bonnie Rait and Janis Joplin. As an artist she was influenced by great blues singers like Ma Rainey and Bessie Smith. If you are not familiar with either of these ladies, please click the links for a treat.

Koko Taylor will be missed. She toured often with B.B. King, and was spectacular. That's why they called her the "Queen of Blues." Before she gained that title Dinah Washington had it and Bessie Smith has been called it too, however Bessie goes best by the "Empress of Blues." I think I would call Koko Taylor the "Queen of Today's Blues." Her music was the epitome of what you think of when you hear blues today, but it wasn't necessarily the blues of the 1920's, 1930's and 1940's.

Rockstar Vacay Ramblings

2009-05-22T11:30:00.003-04:00

Photo Credit: Craig Brimm, kissmyblackads.blogspot.com

I'm on vacation in Florida right now. Vacations are like being drunk in that they allow your mind to go places it won't go when you are all wrapped up in the stress of life. So now that I am ~~drunk-like~~ on vacation I have many ramblings that I'd like to share.

Why oh Why is that old fart of an angry man, Dick Cheney out running his mouth? When we needed to hear from him, he was missing in action or out somewhere shooting his friend. I just don't understand why he keeps going on news shows and holding press conferences and crap. Somebody tell him to sit down and shut up!
Am I in the middle of a baby boom? When I go into the doctors office it's hard to find a seat in the waiting room. Everywhere I look someone is waddling around with a round belly, and in 2009 there have been a large amount of bloggers who are either expecting a baby or have just delivered one. I'm not lying, here they are:

Why does the child the age above the new baby feel like they have to start acting a little ~~annoying~~ strange?
Why won't people in Atlanta stop emailing and calling me about stuff I don't care about? Don't they know I am on vacation and their little concerns are not mine right now. My only concerns are making sure beach towels are clean and having the right chairs to take out to the beach.
Why was a dolphin swimming too close to my daughter? We thought it was a shark at first and totally freaked out as he glided by. Hmph!
Why do I keep forgetting I'm pregnant when I walk by a mirror, and think that I'm getting entirely too big.
I think the economy is getting better. Do you?
It's raining here in Florida and I have to catch the beach between clouds and showers, but guess what I am still relaxing.
The people are so much nicer here in Florida than in Atlanta that's why I am moving here as soon as I can. Now what I've got to do is get my nice game up, I've been in Atlanta for 18 years ~~so I might be part of the problem~~ .
I am so glad my mom is here with me because she is reading books with my daughter that I am totally not interested in. It's funny to see her laughing at an eight year old's book.
I finally got an iphone, and I miss my Trio.
I got such a great deal on summer camp for my children that in way I want to rush back, so they can get started. Mind you it doesn't start until the June 1st.
I guess that's it, for now.
Oh yeah, trying out wordpress for our office website and it's a real pain in the arse.

Taurus Accolades!

2009-05-18T12:11:00.004-04:00

We have just a few more days left in the Taurus season, so today is my tribute day to them. Taurus ladies like the best of everything. They know quality and aim to have it. These ladies will drive a standout car, have a trendy designer bag, and will have high-quality attire. They will be the ladies in the room that are well-styled and impeccably coiffed. Despite having the best of things, they always seem to have money. They are great savers and investors in themselves ~~bunk anybody else~~ .

Taurus ladies are great at what they choose to do, but it's the choosing that's the hard part. They take a long time making up their minds about decisions. They quietly and peacefully decide what they'll do about this or that, and when they make up their minds they cannot be driven from it. No matter if the decision process yields a good decision or a bad decision, these women refuse to be moved from their original post even if it means destruction to themselves and others around them.

Their persistence and determination can be their formula for success, if they have made the right choice. They will stand by their man and treat him warmly and lovingly. However, if he doesn't recognize that she demands the best he may run into a rough situation. He may not realize that he's in a jam immediately because she is so loving and loyal, but once she decides she's done, there's no way back for him.

Have a few Taurus friends, and I just love them. I often find myself getting pulled into their decision making processes, although I know that they aren't going to take my advice at all. I get frustrated by this and realize that they are best for shopping, lunching and laughing. I am too much of a bossy Leo to give advice while knowing that I am totally not being taken seriously. Happy Taurus season to my bloggy friend Jennifer over at The Stumbly Diva.

Here are my Taurus celebrity Beauties.

This is Mick Jagger's first wife Bianca. She is a socialite.

Of course, Ms. Damita Jo needs no introduction.

Here is the impeccable Audrey Hepburn.

...and this is the model who said "we don't wake up for less than $10,000 per day."

Wanna Win A $100 Banana Republic Gift Card?

2009-05-13T11:47:00.006-04:00

I do, I wanna win, but I don't think I can enter. You see my husband is hosting a $100 Banana Republic Giveaway Over at his blog, Kiss My Black Ads. It is in connection with a Digital album that Banana Republic is launching, you get one free with a purchase. The Rules of the Giveaway are:

1) Write a comment about what you would like to see on the Kiss My Black Ads (KMBA) blog site. = 1 entry
2) Write a post on your blog about the contest. = 2 entries
3) Follow KMBA. = 1 entry.

I am posting about the giveaway, but I don't think I can win the giftcard because that would be ~~Bushism~~ cronyism, nepotism, wifeyism, etc. Hey, but there is nothing in the rule book that says my readers can't bum rush his site and win the giftcard, hehehe. So rush over and get that giftcard for the Jewelry Rockstar team!

In other news, in the spirit of being well branded, I've decided to change the name of my etsy store to Jewelry Rockstar. The only thing is, I have to move my inventory from my old site to my new site and that is back breaking work, (you know the kind of 2009 back breaking we do on the computer). So in the coming weeks, look for more creative photography, and a new shop with my name, Jewelry Rockstar!

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T12:22:00.005-04:00

On Children

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let our bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

Kahlil Gibran

The Masks

2009-05-08T05:17:00.008-04:00

I've been facilitating a group for the last five weeks that focuses on women discovering themselves, so that they can be better people and better partners within relationships. We've been exploring what we are on this earth to do. We've looked at our likes and dislikes. Most importantly we've looked at the roles we play or masks we wear as a result of the expectations of others. We are looking at them, so we can take them off and become more congruent in our lives. A part of the affirmation we say every week is:

"I know me, I like me...I show my true self to the world because I am alright."

To show your true self to the world is a really a life long struggle. First, you've got to know you then, you've got to trust you, then you've got to like you, then you've got to trust that other people will like you. Every time you change yourself, you've got to start this process all over again, so that you can live a congruent life.

Blogging is sorta a mask and a revealing of one's self all at once. What I mean is you start writing about yourself, your beliefs, your causes, your rants, and many times we use the keyboard as a mask to show the very best of ourselves. However, the more we type on our own blogs, and comment on others, our true self is revealed. As bloggers we feel elated to know we have followers and commenters because they serve as confirmation that we can trust that people like us.

This past evening I was invited to a Mom's Night Out by Renee Ross over at cutiebootycakes. We went to a Belly Dancing class at Nazeem Allayl Belly Dance Studio , and then for drinks ~~sadly, I was the little piggy who had none~~ and dinner. All the women who were there were bloggers, some Renee knew in real life, some she knew through the blog world. Some I had heard of, and visited, some I met for the first time. I didn't know who would be there. I heard Mom's Night Out I quickly arranged things, so that I could get out of the house. At a moment's notice I was out of the house and making my way down to Mom's Night Out. It wasn't until after I had returned home that I began to think that maybe I should have worn a mask. I was my regular loud and boisterous self. Talking it up here and there. Giving my opinion on everything and anything. I had a blast and the ladies were very friendly and welcoming. There really was no need for me to play a role or to wear a mask, it just kind of hit me later that my blog persona may be different than the real life me, and as a result I should have hidden. I realize something though, Renee's real life personality is very much like her blog personality, so I'm guessing that mine is too. I couldn't hide if I had really wanted to. I know me , I like me...I show my true self to the world because I am alright.

Here's the distrustful clown mask, I've worn this one before. My lack of trust of people has caused me to act a fool a time or two ~~hundred~~.

This an old European Mask. This look is the ole' "nothing bothers me mask," when underneath there is an eruption waiting to come out.

This one is the "geez, I'm sorry" mask. When really there isn't an ounce of remorse underneath the mask.

Here's the "I'm angry all the time" mask, when it's more like "I'm really hurting under here."

La Grande Katherine

2009-04-30T13:48:00.004-04:00

In honor of National Dance week I am highlighting one of the dance world's greats Katherine Dunham. She is known as the "Matriarch of Black Dance." Her dance career thrived during the 40's, 50's, and 60's. Her study of Dance and Anthropology in places like Haiti, Jamaica and Martinique gave birth to a sub-major in Anthropology called "Dance Anthropology." From this study she became known for the Dunham technique which was a dance style that mixed African drum beats with ballet and modern dance. During her career Ms. Dunham made many breakthrough performances, and wowed crowds from Chicago to Europe. She was also an Author. You may enjoy her book Kaiso! It is part autobiographical, part anthropological, and part historical. Ms. Dunham lived a long life. She transitioned in 2006 at the age of 96.

Here is a sample of her beautiful dance artistry in the movie Stormy Weather with Lena Horne.

Mirrors All Around Us

2009-04-28T15:23:00.003-04:00

I am a firm believer that what I see around me is what I've built. When I see my children being sweet to each other by preparing each others meals, getting each other extra blankets, and sharing their clothes with each other I feel very proud as a parent and I think all kinds of positive thoughts about the parenting skills of myself and my hubby. However, when those same children start bickering with each other, I feel horrible because it reminds of what they have seen their parents do around the house. Like a smart wife, I've tried to find a reason that it's all my husband's fault, but in reality I always have to come back to me being a part of the equation as well...sigh.

I am what I have built around me. I speak into existence what I see, I consciously write what I see, and I sometimes unconsciously think what I see around me. It all comes to fruition as a reflection of me.

For the most part I have a very good life. Yes, I've been pinching my pennies, getting bill extensions, and cutting out what I thought were essentials, just like a lot of us are today. All of that is a reflection of me overspending and under-saving. However, I am well-provided for, and that is a reflection of my reliance on God.

Yesterday, I went to visit a girlfriend I hadn't seen in a while. We were brainstorming about how we could work together, since she is recently self-employed. I didn't think we could, but by the end of the visit we came up with an idea that we thought could work. She said something to me that made my day. She said "I love you, and I'm glad I have you in my life, I admire you, and all that you do." Hearing those words made me realize that I've been putting in good work in my life. I realized that I am making good things happen in my life, and that I am bringing and keeping good people in my life.

Sometimes, I reach out to people who are supposed to be close to me, and I don't get the response that I am looking for. I am now accepting, that those people may not be a reflection of me anymore, and I am becoming more and more okay with that everyday.

Now my dusty floors and dresser piled high with clothes are also a reflections of me, so I obviously still have work to do.

Look around your life at the people, the things, the love ~~the hate~~ , and see what you've built.

Aries Love. Step Aside Diva Coming Through!

2009-04-21T10:36:00.008-04:00

The Aries season ended yesterday, and I almost forgot to post their tribute. ~~I must want my ass whipped~~ These women are adventurous, pushy, smart, self-confident, open, and fun to be around. I love Aries! I have two important Aries in my life, my grandmother, who has transitioned, and my youngest daughter. They make life a real adventure. Aries have truly loving spirits, but they also have a vein of selfishness that runs through them. Some of the adult Aries I know are unreliable, jealous, and untruthful, and in my opinion it's mainly because of their guiding statement, "I AM." Each astrological sign has a guiding statement, but I am most reminded of how powerful the statements are when I see Aries act out.

They will doing anything for us all to remember their statement "I AM." To me that means that we all better recognize who they are or suffer the wrath. I had been called to daycare or school every year for my little Aries because she would have an "I Am." tantrum. Whenever I would ask her what caused such a episode, it would always be an explanation like "they wouldn't listen and they believed Ashley over me." No matter how I reasoned, yelled, cried, lamented, my little Aries would never ever relent. If those around her didn't recognize her, she was gonna do what needed to be done to get acknowledged. I learned that the best thing to do was to give her her due because she really is an incredible human being.

If you want a great and beautiful ride, get an Aries in your life. They will never disappoint, and you will never fail to recognize their spectacular presence. If you need a break from all their over the top antics, just politely let them know that you don't want to be bothered with their showiness at the moment, and they will tone it down until the next opportunity.

I have a bloggy friend who is between an Aries and Taurus ( a glorious combination). To hear all the wonderful adventures in her life go to A Place of Comfort to check her out. She displays all the brilliance of an Aries. Happy Birthday Barbara!

Here is my little precious Aries baby.

Here are some famous Aries. When I went to gather images of these folks I had to laugh because most of them have had some kind of public tantrum or quiet squabble because they haven't been properly affirmed.

Okay it's time to let the cat out...

2009-04-16T18:55:00.003-04:00

of the bag. I am having baby number three. Yes, That's right. I'm 39 years old and my 40th birthday will be a blend between a shower and a birthday party. I am having a baby! I must admit some of you already knew about it. I've been slinking around facebook, and blog comments sections, leaking information. Today I am making it official. I saw my little offspring swimming around in my belly, and then I knew it was truly happening. Up until this moment I've been teeter tottering between denial and acceptance. I truly thought I was finish with the baby stuff, but I must take the blame because I didn't take any action to make myself done. Now I will get to smell the sweet breath of newborn once again. I'll also have sore nipples since I haven't nursed in 7 years. I'll be getting my waddle on, my hair will grow think and long, and then feel like it's falling out once baby comes. I'm already eating a lot, which is weird because I don't remember being this hungry during pregnancy ever. Right now I am not experiencing much discomfort besides feeling bloating and constipation (I know TMI). I can also feel the baby move in my belly, but no one else can feel it yet. I am somewhere between 12 - 14 weeks. I get an ultrasound next to determine the exact date, plus to check for "advanced maternal age" stuff. Yes, that's what she told me today. I am considered "advanced maternal age." Nobody cares that I can do the stanky leg, I'm considered an advance old hag having a baby, LOL!!! It's all good I am 31 in real age years, ha!

Since I have two girls of course everyone is giving me the ole' "you're gonna have a boy" jive. I don't know what I'm gonna have, but I will be happy either way. I see the benefits in having a boy and I see the benefits in having a girl. We'll just wait and see. I'll let you know next month what they say.

Meanwhile, here's some pics of me with the first two babies. Oh man! I just thought of something...does that mean my shoe size is going to go up yet another 1/2 size.

Jewelry Rockstar's Do's & Don'ts

2009-04-12T11:17:00.009-04:00

I saw a show on fashion do's and don'ts. I thought to myself, "self, you should do some do's and don'ts, since you have nothing else to post about." I am not doing mine on fashion because I think fashion is personal, and we should all be allowed to make our own decisions about what we wear. Not to say I don't often raise my eyebrows at what I see on the backs of folks, but I do feel that if folks want to look silly it's their right.

Anyway on to my Random Do's and Don'ts

--Do Enjoy your Easter Sunday, if you celebrate!
--Don't beat yourself up if you couldn't afford, Easter candy, Easter outfits, or Easter Vacay! (the picture above is me on Easter Beach Vacay last year)

--Do post pictures of your loved ones on Facebook with clear labels, so that your old skeleton boyfriends/girlfriends will be clear that they are African American History, European History, Gay History or Latino History.
--Don't have more pictures of yourself with the chick everyone thinks you are playing footsie, than you and your wife.
--Don't put your family in a picture folder on facebook labeled Misc, like they are a side annoyance
~~as you can see I am taking a few things a little personal about someone specifically in my Facebook family~~

--Do plan a yard sale, ebay sale or craigslist sale to make some money on excess stuff you have hanging around the house.
--Don't use that money to buy more excessive junk. Instead take the family to dinner, pay a bill, or use it to invest in a small business to bring you more money.

--Do tell me WTH twitter is about.
--Don't tell me to try it because I have for months now, and I am still extremely bored and confused by the whole experience.

-- Do, If you are laid off or if your business is slow enjoy this time with your kids. This might be the Summer that you get to do all kinds of cool things with them because you can't afford Summer camp!
--Don't yell at your kids because they want the same old stuff you have loaded them down with when things were more prosperous. Instead, explain to them that economically things have changed and teach them how to live within the family's means.

--Do remember that money is not your source, God is.
--Don't fall apart every time you can't go out and buy a sushi or shrimp dinner.

--Do eat some avocado, olive oil, flax seed, and almonds to flatten your stomach.
--Don't fill up on orange chips, blue "juice," and green cereal and expect you are gonna keep you girlish figure.

--Do look in the mirror and say "I love you."
--Don't go to the mirror with an angry face fussin' yourself out over flab, acne, and split ends.

--Do be careful what you say on facebook because it shows up on pages everywhere.
--Don't fly off like I did responding to something all willy nilly without completely knowing what's going on...hehehe.

--Do visit your myspace account once in awhile.
--Don't forget you were once addicted to it too.

Thanks to Tameka's comment I am adding this one.

--Do be careful who you accept as a friend on facebook because it's hard to figure out how to delete them.
--Don't keep it to yourself if you know how to delete friends on FB. I need to get rid of a few crazies...

Spring is Here!

2009-04-07T11:25:00.007-04:00

I know technically Spring has been here since March, but for me Spring is not here until Easter Week. It's going to reach a whopping 48 degrees in Atlanta today, but the Azaleas, tulips, and dogwoods are out! It feels light and airy, and polleny too. I know we are used to seeing Spring colors displayed in shoes, dresses, and hats. I've decided to display Spring colors in stones.

Spring is here! Enjoy!

These are both tourmaline. This stone is associated with objectivity, happiness, compassion, and serenity. We can never have too much tourmaline.

Aquamarine is a beautiful Spring shade of blue. This stone is said to aid in giving a quick intellectual response. If there are any folks out there who have to defend a dissertation or thesis this is the stone to wear.

This is Fluorite, very unusual isn't it? It is said to aid in meditation, so if your thoughts chatter on when you are supposed to be clearing your mind try to focus on some of this beautiful Fluorite.

These are all Mohave Turquoise. Did you know Turquoise came in such beautiful colors? I've posted earlier about turquoise being a stone used to ward off evil spirits. Well, it's also good to help you communicate honestly and clearly. It is a master healer stone, which makes perfect sense since honest communication can lead to healing.

Not since Princess Di....

2009-04-02T20:15:00.006-04:00

has the world seen such gracious royalty. Michelle Obama has walked into her role as American Royalty with ease and grace. She makes individuals from all walks of life feel appreciated and special. She offers hugs to Queens and to little girls in Washington D.C. Michelle is a well-educated woman, who has had a remarkable career up until this point, but she hasn't used her position to gain more power and respect for herself. Instead she has made a concerted effort to touch as many people as possible while in this role of First Lady.

Princess Diana used her role as princess to touch many people too, and her kindness and warmth left a powerful legacy that hasn't been touched since she left us. Until now that is. Michelle gives small designers a big chance, and she give everyday women the opportunity the to feel like the first lady by going to J. Crew's catalog or the Black and White Store to purchase the same outfit she's worn. I love her. I admire her. I am rooting for her. Not just because she's well-educated, smart, regal, and impeccably well-dressed, but because she is who we need right now. She represents the humanity that the world is longing for. She is going to usher in a new day of love and compassion. Thanks Michelle Obama!

25 years ago...Today

2009-04-01T09:04:00.007-04:00

I was 14 years old and I saw on the news that Marvin Gaye had been shot, by his own father no less. It was a sad sad day. His father received five years probation. Marvin had suffered many years of abuse at the hands of his father when he was young. His past haunted him, and as a result he couldn't overcome a severe cocaine habit and paranoia before his death. His Birthday is tomorrow.

The torture he sometimes felt showed up in his music. You can hear it in his version of The Beatles Yesterday. Of course, his wisdom, creativity, sexuality, and humanity showed up too. Just listen to this one and this one This is why we loved him so. I have Marvin Gaye days, where all I can do is listen to his music. My absolute favorite is Come Get to This.

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far, or Does it?

2009-03-28T09:23:00.011-04:00

What's it like to choose to go into a profession, in which your parent has excelled? When making a decision like that do you do it because it's in your genes? Do you do it because it was a huge part of your environment growing up? Do you do it because you think you are a shoe in, so it's kinda a lazy choice? I don't know why, and on this one I won't guess why?

For whatever reason these women have chosen to walk the path their parents blazed, and some have found success. Others you might not know at all. Either way you have to admire their bravery. I am afraid to try the same recipes my mother has mastered.

This is Angelica Huston, she is daughter to John Huston, plus her grandfather was an actor as well. She was in an on and off relationship with Jack Nickolson for about 15 or 16 years. He has since been involved on and off with a younger skinner version of Ms. Huston.

This is Quincy Jones' daughter Rashida Jones. She has recently started a budding career. She has played a role on The Office, and other parts here and there.

Ms. Drew Barrymore has found much success in the entertainment industry. She comes from a long line of actors and actresses, but in my opinion she is the most successful of them all ~~well maybe not, but I'm not old enough to know the success of the others.~~ Her father is John Drew Barrymore Jr.

This is Shari Belafonte. Her father is Harry. She kicked around a bunch in the 80's, and recently I saw her in a commercial (as a background person), and that sparked the reason for this post. Seeing her got me to thinking about Hollywood Royalty, and how they end up where they end up.

This is Rae Dawn Chong, her father is Chong of the Cheech and Chong movie series & comedic duo. She played in one of those campy hip-hop movies of the eighties, and that's the only notable thing I can think of. Feel free to fill me in on any of these folks.

Blythe Danner is the mother of Gwyneth Paltrow. They both have names that sound like European fairies, hehehe.

This is the daughter of Diana Ross and Berry Gordy. When she was born, she was supposed to a white man's baby. Diana Ross married a white man because she told him she was pregnant, then out pops this beautiful brown baby.

Keeping House

2009-03-23T06:44:00.005-04:00

In an effort to be cool like Denene I sauntered over to 5 Minutes for Mom Ultimate Blog Party and added my name to a linky list without reading all the words ~~as with all parties it was a bunch of mayhem and I didn't focus on what I was supposed to be doing~~ . Apparently, I was supposed to post a button to announce my participation, which I should have realized. However, I didn't get it until I got a ~~snarky~~ comment from one of the other mom bloggers. Sooo.... Whooo Hooo. It's a party over here too! I'm part of the Ultimate Blog Party for moms. So, have a drink for me, I can't have one right now. No weed please, it's not that type of party, have some deviled eggs, and go over and join in on all the fun. Here's their button:

In other news my dear blog friend Tameka gave me a special award a while back. It wasn't just an award it was like a whole tribute post, and I have been over here crying every since. I've been trying to figure out who I should give this award too now. I really want to give it back to Tameka, but that would be way too clique-ish and you all would then begin to hate both of us for hogging all the awards.

The winner is FlyTie. She really keeps the Blogosphere a beautiful place with her beautiful designs, insights, and musical selections. FlyTie, thanks for the sunshine you bring to this electronic world! Enjoy this award.

Pisces Applause and nods!

2009-03-16T15:37:00.009-04:00

Pisces are the great believers. They have a strong belief in what's good, what's hopeful, and what's best. They are the kind of people who will help anyone, but they don't usually show the same fervor when it comes to helping themselves. They are intuitive and imaginative. They are a water sign, so they can come up with the most creative things on Earth, and then just flow on to the next thing without giving it a second thought.

My mother is a classic Pisces! She is creative, caring, hopeful, and extremely hard to peg. The water in her personality keeps her flowing this way and that. If she ever gets stuck in one place, she just makes up her mind and flows on to the next thing. Her flowing nature keeps her on a lifelong adventure, that others would find sometimes unsettling. At a moment's notice she is ready to travel, cater a fabulous dinner, nurse the elderly, give a severe tongue lashing, or say the most positive words of encouragement that would nurture generations.

Her ability to dream and to believe have allowed her children the opportunity to imagine themselves as limitless creatures in this universe! If you have had the pleasure of having a Pisces parent, you probably have had lobster dinners as a babe, and may have had the lights turned off a time or two. You may have had huge dreams set before you with the invitation to partake. You may have dreamed of what it would have been like to have the sound security that would come from a earthy parent like a Virgo. At the end of the day, my Pisces mother exposed me to a life that I would never ever trade for anyone's. Here is a presentation that my husband made for her about 6 years ago.

Here are some famous Pisces!

You can see the water all up and through in Queen Latifah. She is dressed as a beauty queen day, and a motorcycle thug the next... let's not forget about this great shot, which I love!

She's also very creative, in that she's a rapper, actress, singer, and business woman.

Of course, the water is evident with Liz Taylor too, just look at how many men she's married. She also has that spirit of lending to anyone in need. She once picked up Stephanie Mills off the side of the road, after she was beaten and kicked out the car by her husband Jeffrey Daniels, formerly of Shalimar.

Ms. Badu is another flowing Pisces. She's very creative, and you can never be sure what she will be bringing to us. Her three children by three fathers also signal her on to the next thing mentality.

I miss Lauryn Hill

2009-03-13T17:09:00.005-04:00

I have days when I'm good and I can accept that Lauryn Hill has dropped out of the music business, to protest, or to raise her offspring or because she just isn't interested, or because she can't be in it on her terms. Most days I am fine, and I can respect her decisions. Other days I am sad and have a deep longing for her gifts to grace our ears and hearts once more. I had a day last year where I was really angry because Jazmine Sullivan put a song similar to the Lauryn Hill sound. I couldn't be mad at Jazmine, she is a star in her own right, but I was just mad.

Today is one of those days when I wish Lauryn Hill was still performing or least still producing. Her gift is very special. She is meant to lead people to Spirit. She is that first step some see before moving on the the next step, and then the next. Her words provide that first glimpse of wisdom for those who may be walking in darkness and don't know it. Now of course, there are others who have and will continue to come behind and alongside her in this role, but her space can never be filled because it was created especially for her wisdom, insight, and purpose.

Here are some images of that fly girl.

It's that time of Year

2009-03-11T17:53:00.006-04:00

Wedding planning is in the air. Brides are all abuzz right about now preparing for summer weddings. They are tasting appetizers, fitting wedding gowns, picking brides maid dresses, and are so excited about their big day! In the spirit of wedding planning going on all over the place, although I don't know anyone in particular planning right now, I am posting wedding images.

This wedding took place in the 40's, see how small the party was.

Nowadays it's unheard of to have a few people in the wedding party. Every cousin, frienemy, & ex-lover is invited to be apart of the wedding party.

Here is an Indian wedding. I went to one once, it was the longest prettiest thing I've ever seen. We ate in the middle of the first ceremony in the daytime. I didn't attend the second ceremony in the evening. Oh and the invitations to that wedding were beautifully handmade, I still have it because it is so unique.

Here is my brother's wedding from last year. It was in Jamaica and unfortunately I didn't make it. However, I edited the video footage from the wedding into this video

What You Plant Will Grow

2009-03-06T09:51:00.006-05:00

Fertility is something we all want. Many times we associate it merely with bearing children, but fertility is much greater than that. Fertility is seeing what you plan for, hope for, believe in, and work for come to fruition. Fertility is seeing prosperity all around you, and experiencing continued growth.

Today I wish President Obama, you, and me fertility. I want the things we plant to come up in full bloom. I want us to feed the earth with our crops. Here are my symbols of fertility to you.

This symbol is from New Guinea.

This is an ancient African symbol of Fertility.

This is a Viking Fertility Symbol.

Slavic Fertility.

More symbols of growth & prosperity!

Fertility Doll.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway below. I want you to have a piece of my jewelry!

March Giveaway! Winner is Ms. Bar B.

2009-03-01T22:07:00.004-05:00

It's time for a Giveaway. If you like my jewelry, but haven't had the spare change or opportunity to buy any, here's your chance to win anything in my store you want. Here are the rules:

1) Just leave a comment with your contact information.
2) We will draw on March 15th.
3) Be Prosperous!

The Roaring 20's & Art Deco

2009-02-23T17:00:00.007-05:00

My mind has been referring back to the 20's a lot lately. The time before the Great Depression. It was a glitzy and decadent time. The clothes, the architecture, the jewelry, the everything. The people were singing, dancing, and whooping it up. They had a channel called HGTV, that showcased the home decadence. The lush granite countertops, the well-designed landscaped backyard spaces, the travertine ~~oh I forgot that's passe~~, brazilian tiger wood floors. There were also huge hummers, then the mid-size hummers, then the baby hummers.

There was this song in the twenties people used to sing. It went something like"... bling, bling, every time I come to your city, bling bling, pinky ring costs around fifty bling bling." That song represented the mentality that permeated every aspect of life back then. Bling, bling was ringing from the churches, from the boardrooms, from the televisions, from the car lots, from the banks, from Wall Street, from Front Street it rang through the streets. Big businesses and CEO's gobbled up smaller businesses with the government turning a blind eye to anti-trust laws. Invest, invest, invest, the stock market is where it's at, if you don't have a part of it you are straight trifling. Don't forget to buy that second property, you can afford it. The rate is variable, you can refi, by the time it's due. Better yet, get the interest-only, why pay down the mortgage, when values are sky-rocketing. There will be bonuses aplenty, even for the incompetent!

Yes, it was a great time! The masseuses came to the house, expensive coffee was consumed all day long, and washed down at night with designer liquor and wine. Parents swiped their cards so much, children began to think the cards were the source of the money and not the parents hard work. What a time they had in the roaring 20's, until 1929 when things just seemed to slide down hill.

What did you say? HGTV wasn't around in the 20's, I must have my years mixed up. Oh yeah, I guess I do. There is such a parallel between the previous 10-15 years and the roaring 20's that I often get confused about what time we are living in.

One thing, the roaring 20's produced some of the most beautiful treasures in America. The Art of that time is referred to as Art Deco. Hopefully, our modern time of lavishness will have a name too, oh it already does they call it the "Bling Bling period." Buckle up and hold on because ~~President Roosevelt~~ President Obama is gonna fix this mess for us. Until it all gets sorted out, enjoy this Art Deco beauty.

Shoulda, Coulda, Did & Why?

2009-02-20T02:12:00.007-05:00

Well since it's the Academy Award season I thought I would give my opinion on African American nominees & winners over the years. You may not care what I think, but I'm giving it to you anyway. Feel free to lay your opinion on me, I would love to know what you think.

1) Hattie McDaniel won the very first Oscar among African Americans. She won it for Gone With The Wind. Her role was "Mammy." I am proud of her for this accomplishment, although many have grumbled under their breath about her winning for playing a Mammy. One person said to me, suppose someone won today for playing a video ~~hoe~~ girl, wouldn't you be mad. My response was if a large percent of African American women had jobs as video girls in real life it wouldn't be an inaccurate representation. The fact is, at the time that Ms. McDaniel played that role their were many African American women, including my grandmothers working in the homes of White women. I can appreciate that Blacks pushed for a higher depiction of us, but I can also appreciate her role and award.

2) That brings me to the Oscar for It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp. Three Six Mafia Won, and I am not in the camp of being mad at them. Bash me if you need to, but I sang that song a lot when it was out. I felt like it was hard for me a pimp of the system. Plus, I also felt a little empathy for a real Pimp's situation. I had no idea that a prostitute would leave if the Pimp didn't have cadillac, rent, and gas money. Hey, I learned something about his struggles ~~I am fully aware of how wrong I sound, but yet I persist~~ .

3) Quincy Jones is quite the man in the Academy Award arena. He has been nominated in three categories and he hasn't done bit of acting. He was nominated for Best Picture Producer of The Color Purple, He was nominated for Best Original Song the movies were, For the Love of Ivy, a movie I've recommended here. Other films were The Eyes of Love, The Color Purple. The third category was for Best Score The Color Purple,The Wiz, and In Cold Blood. Needless to say, I think he should have won at least one of those, but hey we know how Hollywood is.

4) I also still feel like Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne should have both won for Best Leading Man & Woman in What's Love Got to Do With It. They were cheated and that's all I'll say about that.

5) Halle Berry won the Best Actress for an African American Women ~~and I've often asked myself why~~ . Dorothy Dandridge, Diana Ross, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson, & Whoopi Goldberg were nominees in this category too. No disrespect to Halle, but each one of these women did a better job in their roles than Halle. However, I really appreciated the homage Halle paid to her predecessors. IMO they each have done a comparable if not a better Job than Meryl Streep in many of her roles, for which she has won the Oscar.

6) Denzel is a great actor and I am happy that he has won two Oscars, he deserves them because he has taken great care in choosing his roles. Could you imagine where Rap music would be if rappers chose their songs to release in the same manner in which Denzel has made his choices.

7) Some of my other favorite nominees and winners are Sidney Portier, Spike Lee, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Queen Latifah, Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy, James Earl Jones, Will Smith (he was robbed for Ali), & Don Cheadle.

Looking at this list of great nominees and winners, only shows we have come a long, long way and I really appreciate the progress. Good luck to Viola Davis & Taraji P. Henson. I"ll be watching on Sunday, at least until their part goes off.

BTW- I didn't forget Jennifer Hudson, I just feel like she didn't do too much more than what Jennifer Holliday did when she won the Tony. However, considering she followed the role that Jennifer Holliday laid out for her to the letter, she was a little ungracious and forgot to give a proper thank you to her predecessor. I think she said something like "oh yeah thanks Jennifer Holliday" after the music hard rushed her off. Not to mention the many interviews before and after, where she continued in her path... I'm just saying. Here's the original role.

Dame Shirley Bassey: The Voice of James Bond Films

2009-02-16T10:37:00.004-05:00

Born in Wales to Nigerian & English parents, Shirley Bassey (pronounced like the fish bass, not base) is the only singer who can claim to have sung three James Bond Soundtrack songs. It just so happens that the songs that she sung, Goldfinger, Diamonds are Forever, and Moonraker, are the most famous from the film series and her voice is the voice when you think of James Bond Movies.

Dame Bassey is still recording and performing today. She is such an accomplished artist and has won many awards. In 1999, the British Royal Family made her a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DME), which is actually a modern day Knight a title higher than Elton John's Title of Sir (CBE).

If you haven't gotten to know her music, consider grabbing a few tracks. When you are having an especially regal moment, she can provide your background music. How about having a dinner party, and putting her on to signal to guest how they should behave. I am really feeling her her song The Living Tree.

Here she is singing those famous James Bond songs.

Aquarius Women Love

2009-02-13T00:49:00.002-05:00

Aquarius women are people that I like a lot. I like them because they are no nonsense and ambitious. You will always catch them doing their thing and never feeling too concerned about anyone else doing their thing. They work in their corner and that's what some are annoyed by when it comes to Aquarius. Whereas signs like mine, Leo, and other signs like Aries, Cancer, Libra for example have a sense of drama and extra emotions about them, Aquarius women are almost stoic or aloof. They don't have time for anything other than working on being stand-outs, being industrious, and being independent. I like that about them. I am enough drama, so why would I want another thespian in my scenes.

Here are my Famous Aquarius Women.

This is Geena Davis. I fell in love with her when she played a female president. It was nice to see someone in the Oval office who was using her mind. It was a nice escape from the reality of who was in the Oval office.

Brandy, of course is one of those ambitious Aquarius ladies. She had her own sitcom, and then when the spin-off "The Parkers" came about, she got some of their money too. Not to mention, her music and hair weave endorsements (hey, sometimes you have to get your money where you can).

Jennifer Aniston is one of those no nonsense chicks. She moved on from the Brad and Angie drama, without looking like she had shed a real tear. She seemed to take the attitude "hey, if he likes it, I love it, keep changing those diapers sweetie."

Of course, Oprah is the most ambitious level-headed Aquarius women I can think of. Through things like court cases, rag-reports, movie flops, book scandals, she keeps her cool and just keeps it all moving. Keeps it moving while she goes to the bank cracking up, that is.

Here is Angela Davis an independent Aquarius who could have gotten by being arm candy, but she decided to fight the good fight for human rights.

Charoite: Fear Not

2009-02-11T22:26:00.005-05:00

Charoite is a crystal found only in Siberia, Russia. It is beautiful in purple and black. The spiritual property of this stone is that it provides courage. Although we have a new fearless President and we've started a new hopeful year, there are many who are still wrought with fear. Stars are getting assaulted, politicians cling to their antiquated ways, employees are very very worried about keeping their raggedy jobs, we're all afraid to ask why the gas was $3.00 more per gallon 5 months ago because we think our asking we'll make it rise again.

Well Chariote is here to give us all courage. God gave us Chariote to remind us to let fear go. Now is the time to walk in courage. Change is okay, don't fear it because it is the only constant in the world. Loss is okay, it clears your space and allows you to start again. No need to fear it. Pain is okay, it reminds you that you are alive and it signals that something needs to be nurtured.

Remember Divine Love has not given us the spirit of fear, now is the time to grab some Charoite and run courageously on.

We love You!

2009-02-06T09:48:00.006-05:00

Many of you may have heard about the Etta James rant about Beyonce and President Obama. I want to take a moment to tell Etta that we love you! I have mentioned Etta James on this blog before as a matter fact I've linked to her biography. I want her to know that when I heard Beyonce sing the song Etta has become famous for, I wondered why Etta wasn't asked to sing it. I want her to know that I appreciate her career, and that I knew about her and loved her before Beyonce portrayed her in Cadillac Records. I also want her to know that Beyonce singing her song, portraying her and taking pictures with her, only elevates Etta as an artist. Etta, you are 71 years old. Please don't disgrace yourself by being angry at a twenty something year old woman who sang a song you have sang for years. Your life, your music, the adoration for you is bigger than one song.

Please excuse the Obamas and Beyonce for making a historic moment with a song you have made your own. They could have and probably should have found a way to include you. They may have thought that by using the song, it was in some way paying tribute to you. Remember, the Obamas are young people. To them Beyonce is still very hip and cool and part of the soundtrack of their lives. It doesn't discredit you because they wanted a hip, cool and current singer for their first dance. We and they still love you. Now is the acceptable time for you to love you too. Now is the acceptable time for you to marvel at your accomplishments, admire those who have chosen to mimic you, and school those who don't know you. You must see that what you have given Beyonce and others is like the "family cookie recipe." You may have created it, but now it's time to pass it on. Some may taste it and immediately say, it's not quite like Grandma's. That yearning for what you offer will cause others to come to you and ask for that special ingredient. You then offer further instruction and demonstration, but it is more important for the recipe to live on than it is for you criticize and bash the baker.

On another note, Aretha we know that you are the Queen of Soul. no one can ever take that from you. Not the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul, Mary J. Blige, not a beautiful Queen like, Tina Turner, not Queen Elizabeth, not Queen Latifah, nobody. Know who you are. Stop wearing stuff like this. Be our Queen of Soul because there can never be anybody else in that role. We love you! Faye Dunaway, same thing we love you. It's okay if Hillary Duff plays your role of Bonnie from Bonnie & Clyde. We implore you to know who you are and love who you are. If anyone over 60 years who isn't sure how to grow older gracefully please ask Tina Turner, Suzanne Somers, Lena Horne, Ruby Dee, Cheryl Tiegs, these are all women have been known as sex symbols.

When the time came for them to move into another role, they did so with dignity and as a result are still considered sex symbols and gracious older women.

I've got my eye on you!

2009-02-04T14:40:00.005-05:00

I've been reading and sharing with lots of bloggers since I've started this journey around December of 2007 (August 2008 in a serious way). I just wanted to pause and let some special bloggers know how I feel about them.

Tameka, You are very talented and you follow your heart! The Universe will always reward your best efforts! Ms. Bar B. You Astound me! Berkeley girl, Berkeley!!!!! You keep a loving motherly watch over Miss J., plus you care enough to get a Bachelor's that requires a Thesis. Girl you are incredible! You truly astound me! Ms. Behaving, you are doing a fabulous job with every one of you children! You are allowing them to walk their own path, but you care enough to stay close by. Girl you are doing a fabulous Job! Denene, The love you show is transforming and all- encompassing. The motherly love you show your children and your stepson is what we need more of in this world. There are many women who are called to blend a family, but won't step up with love. You have stepped up with love and courage and I appreciate the love you have given. Sha-boogie You are ready for all the universe has to offer you! Keep your open heart and spirit you have and all the goodness in the world will flow into your life. Dori, now is the time to soak up life and enjoy what the universe has for you. The storm is over, calm has come. You've made it through now celebrate! Renee, you are so wonderful and you share your light with us all. God couldn't have made a better you! Flytie keep exploring, growing and expressing. Your unique expression is blessing us all. You bring light into the world by being exactly who you are.

I have many more bloggers whom I love just as much as the girls above, my acknowledgement of them doesn't negate my feelings toward you. These women have bubbled up to the top of my consciousness, but I see what you are doing and love, love, love you too!

Who's That Tat?

2009-01-29T13:04:00.009-05:00

It's time for a little guess who's body part, uh well art as it were. I personally am not interested in tattoos, but I respect that others love them and wear them as an expression of their individuality. Ready to play, here we go!

In ATL she caught a case, and the media tried to say she had a habit she couldn't manage and she's throwing her life away. A certain rapper got her a license right in the middle of dating a certain short sleezy acting rapper. That Rapper chick still thinks she was the one, because she didn't get the memo that if a man gets married on you he really thinks nothing of you

These two got cute wedding ring tats that everyone speculated about because they wouldn't show their real rings until they were good and ready.

This is a matching tattoo to match his Young Love's Tattoo.

This is the Young Love I spoke of, although I think she's a little older than him.

We watched this woman transform from a thug-like rapstress to a pretty, feminine, fashion designer and actress.

This woman invites you to look through the window of her love and life through her music.

She parlayed a mediocre pop career ~~I am aware they sold albums and stuff, but it was still mediocre at best~~ into a rich sports wife persona.

She falls into the "I don't really have any talent, but I am famous because of my parents" category.

Some one needs to tell dude that he's into his 40's now, it's time to grow up and make adult music. Just saying...

These were probably done while she was high on crack.

Her inability to choose Obama over McCain brought Roseanne Barr out of hiding to straight tell her a$$ off about pretending to care about the world, but not knowing which candidate would be best for the world and her very own adopted daughter. Oh yeah and she's a husband thief too.

Answers:
Faith Evans
Jay-z & Beyonce
Chris Brown
Rihanna
Eve
Mary J. Blige
Victoria Beckham
Kelly Osburne
Jamie Foxx
Amy Winehouse
Angelina Jolie

My Evolution

2009-01-28T11:54:00.009-05:00

In everything I do I am constantly trying to evolve. I try to evolve spiritually, intellectually, and physically. I believe that I will evolve and evolve and evolve until one day I'll transition away from here and find out what's on the other side. In my design work I strive to evolve as well. I originally started with fashion design over twenty years ago. I put down sewing and fashion design about 12 years ago. I never thought of it before, but I guess it was because I began my serious studies in behavioral and research design. I got heavy into Statistics and Human Behavior, and believe or not there is a good deal of design that goes into that.

Well, after several years of Research Design, I started Jewelry Design, and Bath and Body Product development (I know I don't talk much about my Bath and Body Products here, but gift and sell them too.) I later I joined my husband and started assisting him with Advertising Design. However, as you know I've not put down Jewelry Design and don't plan too. Really Jewelry Design caught my interest many years before I began. I went on a College tour at The Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC back in 1988, when they mentioned their Jewelry Design Program, I began to feel disloyal toward Fashion Design. Eventually, my college life took me to one year of Fashion Design, then a BA in Psychology and a MS in Professional Counseling, and an almost MS in Educational Research. Through it all I came back to Jewelry Design, and I don't see myself ever leaving.

I started in about 2002 at Michaels. Here is what the beginning designs looked like. I mostly sold them to women at my office.

I used little cheap plastic beads, colored wire, and gold-plated earwires.

Eventually I moved to all Sterling Silver wire and earwire.

Repurposed beads, lampwork beads, mother of peal beads and other natural stones.

I am now into polymer clay, plastic, and seed bead designs. Soon I'll be moving into Precious Metal Clay and who knows where I'll go from there.

The thing about evolution is that it is a slow and steady process. Sometimes, I look at my work and feel like I should be so much further, but then I look back I see how far I've come and feel energized to keep keeping on.

Healing Love: Peridot

2009-01-26T14:00:00.005-05:00

Peridot is my birthstone. It is said to be a healing stone for love relationships. It's a green stone that's said to heal that little green monster that rears it's head in relationships. Jealousy and anger. Grrrl... Peridot increases confidence and self-assuredness. It is known as a friendly stone. It will also help us to visualize the epitome of our physical health and help us to see why we were put on this earth. January is an excellent time to pick some up since we think about our physical health and getting our lives together more in this month than in other months. However, I read you shouldn't use Peridot if you are confused or afraid, as it brings toxins to the surface.

I've asked my husband to buy me a Peridot the next time he gets me a wedding ring because I am done with Diamonds. I have nothing against Diamonds per se, it's the manner in which they are obtained that bothers me. If I had known at the time that people in Africa were losing their lives and limbs over Diamonds, I wouldn't have one now. I know, I know, I know they say there is a such thing as conflict-free diamond, but I don't buy it. Apparently, Oprah and Ludacris have something in common, despite their public snubbing and criticism of one another, it's Diamonds.

He wears a Diamond encrusted Africa Pendant (yes, I am aware of the irony)

and she wears the biggest pair of diamond studs, dangles,and hoops she can find. Not to worry though, I am sure they are both making sure they are wearing "conflict-free Diamonds."

(Stepping off the soap box, and getting back on the subject). Anyway, if you want to some healing in your love live, some more confidence or if you were born in August, give Peridot a try. It's a friendly stone!

Capricorn Women's Nod!

2009-01-23T17:19:00.003-05:00

The Capricorn season has been over for a few days, and I missed their tribute. Here is it is. Capricorn women are hard workers, savvy, and forever moving toward a higher goal. I worked a job where all the Execs were Capricorns, and they were annoying. They thought that people who stayed at the office until 9 pm were the only real workers (even if they futzed around all day and had no choice but to stay all night to get their work done). The word Capricorn signifies their capricious nature. From day to day, you never knew whether you were on their sh*t list or in their good graces. I can say that they were all very very ambitious and were great business people.

I am so happy Michelle Obama came along or else I wouldn't have any Capricorns that I truly like. In my research I also found out Mary J. Blige is a Capricorn too, so I think I need to get to know them better because I like MJB, a lot too. Here are the famous Capri women.

This is a fattened up pic of Kate Moss, yes I said fattened up!

Happy King Day!

2009-01-19T16:37:00.002-05:00

I am in D.C. today! I'm going to the inauguration in the morning. Tonight we are going to partying at my Godbrother's Inauguration Party!!!! We did it, and now it's time to celebrate.

Get Your Sh*t Together!

2009-01-17T00:27:00.000-05:00

I am exposed to so much talent and human potential! Especially living here in Atlanta, where folks migrate to re-create themselves. I get to see and hear, so many artists, musicians, entrepreneurs with super creative ideas. I love what I see! What I hate though is when I see potential lost because folks don't have their Sh*t together. I have a motto I share with a friend If you stay ready, ain't got to get ready.

Watch more My Video videos on AOL Video

You don't know how many times I've had talented individuals to wander into my office (you know in my other life as an Ad Agency Manager) asking for a job, a partnership, help with a computer, model representation, artist representation, services for a pittance, etc, etc. It's tiring because I love to help people. I can't stand it when people don't want to help themselves and pull me into some ~~crazy bull~~ unworkable situation. I've seen it all with very very creative folks. They over charge for ~~greasy, crinkled-up, dirty~~ artwork that isn't ready for selling. They may come in with a hand-drawn portfolio, looking for a job that is primarily creating digital art. It just goes on and on. Today, I am taking a stand and calling folks on the carpet. Stop the bull! Be professional! Know when you have contacted an individual too much with nonsense. Think people! Think!

I had one person who was a Jewelry Designer to write me every week to put her work in an ad. When I finally got the opportunity to get her Jewelry in an Ad that would be placed in Nationally and Internationally distributed publications, she insisted she accompany her Jewelry to NYC from ATL for the shoot. Uh, No! You have to recognize when you have an opportunity, and run with it! Stylist borrow items all the time. The owners don't follow the stuff across the country.

People! Put action to your ideas! Find out what you don't know! Make up your mind, and move forward! Don't blame others for your failure to plan, prepare, and execute! God will never ask others why you didn't do what YOU were supposed to. Spirit will only ask YOU! I know this is way off topic from my usual posts, but lately I've been having to let folks go who don't have their sh*t straight. Really, I don't even really pick them up because I cannot tolerate folks dragging their heals.

I am not asking anyone to be perfect. Not at all. I just want my people to recognize that natural given talent doesn't end there. It works if you work it!

Here's my advice to talented artists and entrepreneurs;

1) Get your Rest.
2) Put the Weed down!
3) Ask God which direction you should take, each day.
4) Meditate.
5) Work, work, work, & work.
6) Follow-up & follow through.
7) Have some kind of organization system, even if it's disorganized.
8) Read, Read, Read! Don't let the saying be true that "if you want to hide something from SOME folks, put it in a book"

I love you all, and I want all of the ideas God has given us to come to fruition. They don't have to be mega-million ideas, but they are meant to touch someone. Make it happen.

Disclaimer: If you have recently dealt with me and have wasted my time and energy, don't assume I'm talking about you. Don't assume I'm not talking about you either.

Vent over! Whew!

Fully Fabulous!

2009-01-16T03:15:00.005-05:00

In a world filled with stick boney, there are some who are not afraid to be full-figured, fit, and fantastic! I want to salute these beautiful women. I am always awe-struck when I see women who are confident, stylish, and dignified, when society tells them they have not right to be.

This is the daughter of Beverly Johnson, Anansa. She is a model in her own right and is represented by the Wilhelmina Modeling Agency.

This is Emme the first plus-size Supermodel.

One of my absolute favorites is Toccara! Here are images of her in the Vogue Italia July 2008, otherwise known as the twice printed sold out Black Vogue! I am still kicking myself that I didn't get my copy, although I've seen them on ebay for $59.00.

And of course, the Queen of looking full and fresh, is Queen Latifah. This lady always looks impeccable!

America's Next Top Model, has stepped into the world we live in and has finally chosen a plus size winner.

So the next time you want to feel sad about being a normal sized woman, remember these ladies! Go ahead, take a stroll, eat a donut, get some small free weights, don't forget the mac 'n cheese, and keep it full, fit, and unforgettable.

Well I tried, but God is a Hard Act to Follow

2009-01-14T21:46:00.005-05:00

Here are some of my first attempts at making jewelry that is inspired by nature...

I tried to capture the multi-colored designs I saw in Orchids. I'm obviously still working at it.

I tried to capture the texture I saw all around me.

I don't feel like I've even scratched the surface of what I saw at my trip to botanical gardens, but I am going to keep trying.

Abbey Lincoln

2009-01-10T23:05:00.002-05:00

When you think of a female jazz or Blues singer who sang for freedom and equality in the 60's era maybe Nina Simone or Odetta come to mind. When you think of unique female Jazz voices you may think of Billie Holiday or Sarah Vaughan. All of these women are well-known and extremely talented. Another woman equally as talented, but not nearly as well-known is Abbey Lincoln. She is a great Jazz singer who unlike the women mentioned above is still alive and working. She is still singing. Her latest album was released in 2007.

Abbey is probably most known for her work with Max Roach, a famous Jazz drummer. She and Max were married for about 6 years, but during their time together they made lots of memorable music. Abbey & Max were close friends with Maya Angelou at one time. They all spent time in Africa in the 60's. Abbey also did some acting in the movie For the Love of Ivy . I caught that movie a few months back, and it was a classic. Really a great movie. Abbey's music has been Political Jazz. If you are looking for something a little different in Jazz, I invite you to explore the music of Abbey Lincoln.

Inspired From Nature

2009-01-06T21:46:00.005-05:00

I haven't begun to create anything yet, but I have gained a huge amount of inspiration from nature lately. I went to Atlanta Botanical Gardens with the family a few weeks ago and my husband took some awesome pictures in the orchid garden. I fell in love with all the orchids I saw, and got so many ideas for my jewelry. My mind was overflowing with new ideas. The colors were so vibrant and the the natural patterns were amazing.

I realized that just as I thought I was running short on ideas, nature was there to give me all I needed. I am seeing that in every aspect of my life. God has already provided all that I need to thrive, see.

My Favs

2009-01-04T21:31:00.006-05:00

A part of being a Jewelry Rockstar is keeping abreast of the latest jewelry fashions and jewelry designers. I have two favorites designers that I am truly in love with right now. One is Aakofii and the other is Lisa Wu Hartwell.

Here are my favorites from Aakofi. I love her work because if is chunky, clean, and very bold. Here pieces are very creative.

I love Lisa Wu Hartwell designs too, and not because she is one of
The Real Housewives of Atlanta. What I love about her work is that it is made like costume jewelry, but it is actually fine jewelry. I usually find fine jewelry pretty boring, but hers looks like something you would really like to wear for the style of it. It's not something you wear to make a statement about the price. Here are my favorites from her Wu Girls Collection.

I also have other random jewelry designs that I've found on etsy. There is a vehicle on etsy called the Treasury where it's possible to show your favorites, but the darn thing is super hard to access. Here are my jewelry favorites on etsy. They are not all by one designer. They are individual pieces from several designers. Enjoy!

It's All Good!

2009-01-02T18:06:00.009-05:00

This is the time of year when we stand in front of the mirrors and bash ourselves. We curse our hips, our bellies, our chins, our shins, and every little part of us that may have grown a little bit more sideways. We vow to work it off, love ourselves, take more time to exercise, eat better, and we have hopes for a bikini strut in June. However, by February the gyms are empty again and we all get back to the task of being Fat Americans. This year I refuse! I am going to celebrate every inch of me even if it isn't 150 lbs anymore. I am not going to let Oprah's quest to be the size of the Olsen twins get me down. I have learned a few things about eating and moving over the years and they have kept me in a size 10. I am not an extremist, but I try to be somewhat consistent. I fall off and on and off and on, but in the end I think I am better for my effort. I may not be the size 6 my mind won't let me abandon, but hey It's all good!

Say it with me, it's all good! Even if you don't think it is, say it is! Admire you and soon you will be a better you. If you beat yourself up, you will just grow more and more sideways! Think about it, we can all agree that if we verbally abuse a child s/he will grow up feeling bad about herself or himself. However, we don't think verbally and mentally abusing ourselves will have any effect. We stay ready to beat ourselves to hell over a cookie. Here are some before and after pictures of ladies about 15-20 years ago and now. Take what you want from it.

Oprah can say what she wants about how big she is now, but I am happy she took those fake eyes out of her head!

She definitely looks better now!

Lisa Lisa looks a little different, but she's still smiling. It's all good!

If things go too haywire, always know that you can get one of those surgeries that Patti Austin got, and Poom-Pow! Look Hot like this!

Jayne Kennedy look like she's enjoying not being on every young boys wall. There is something to be said for just enjoying being a mother, instead of obsessing about your past Playboy Status. Yes, maybe she would have benefited from a little walking, but I am not in her shoes they might hurt.

Jody is still making it do what it do! Good for her.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-01T01:04:00.002-05:00

I made my greens and black -eyed peas to keep up tradition. I went to watch night online (didn't actually get to church in person). Happy New Year to All! All will be Divine in 2009!

Hematite: Let your Calm Circulate

2008-12-30T12:52:00.006-05:00

Hematite is a mineral that is beautiful to look at because of its iridescence and gunmetal glow , but it also known for its medicinal properties. It is closely associated with healing anything related to blood. That includes heart disease, hemophilia, menstrual cramps ( yes ladies, menstrual cramps), nose bleeds, anemia and other related blood problems. Native Americans even believed this mineral was good for dental problems and pimples (who knew).

It is also believed to be good for drawing stress out of your body, and calming mental energy. Hematite is also said to be good for relieving anger and neutralizing negativity. If you have had any stressful moments during this holiday season surrounding family, in-laws, long lines at Target, running out of money for gifts, burning the turkey ham, veggie turkey, or turkey, returning a horrid gift, or any other holiday stress, I suggest wearing a little hematite. It should return you to your normal peaceful state ~~or least to your pre-holiday state~~. This is a stone that both men and women enjoy, so buy it as a gift or get some for yourself.

Here are some hematite pieces I've made recently. I sold a great bracelet before I had the opportunity to snap a photo, you'll have to take my word for it:)

Local Atlanta Flavor...

2008-12-28T21:50:00.000-05:00

Well for me the show season is about over until March. I need to rest. I have spent many nights in the pasts 8 months out on the "club scene" selling my jewelry. This is new for me because I traditionally work festivals & craft shows. The down side is that I am way past clubbin', so I realized on Friday night that I have to stop selling at night life shows for a awhile. I think it was around 1:45 am that I asked myself what exactly made me think I could handle one more night out until 3 am selling jewelry. I am literally still a little dizzy ~~not entirely from the shows I got a little drunk at my own Christmas Eve party~~ and I am not totally recovered.

The upside to selling at the nightlife shows is that I get to experience local live music, spoken word, art, comedy, and emceeing. Here is an overview of what I've seen this year.

My favorite group in Atlanta right now is Gritz and Jelly Butter. They are a fairly young band, but they have already opened for Dwele, and I feel convinced that once their album comes out they will be a smash hit. If you catch one of their live shows, you won't be disappointed. They run through covers from Kanye West to Marvin Gaye, plus they have great original songs as well. Check them out here!

My favorite male vocalist right now is Kelsy Davis. He is a keyboardist and vocalist with a soulful, funky, gritty, country sound. Really good Stuff!

My favorite Atlanta Poet is Queen Sheba. Her work is truthful and eloquent and is comprised of beautiful thoughtful stories. She has albums and can be seen live and in person at many spoken word slams in Atlanta.

Julie Dexter is also a great vocalist, whom I love. She hasn't always been in Atlanta, she is from England and has many well known albums.

I've posted other notables a few months back, and all of these are by no means all the great talent on the Live Show circuit in Atlanta, but these are some who have made an impression on me this year.

Whew Pooped!

2008-12-22T23:34:00.006-05:00

After making jewelry, selling jewelry, cleaning my house ~~yes I am cleaning~~ , cookie baking, Christmas Play watching, Christmas shopping, Christmas Eve party planning, Christmas Dinner menu planning, food shopping, sleeping, eating, and running behind my hubby and offspring, a girl is absolutely exhausted! Ha! The holiday isn't even here yet, and I'm worn out. Here's a Christmas Carol... I'll catch you in a few days.

Update: Just found out that Eartha Kitt just transitioned from this world.
Here is a post that I did about her a few months ago.

Walk on By...

2008-12-18T11:58:00.007-05:00

We played this game with eyes a while back. Today let's play it with shoes.

This woman is so important that she has a blog that hates her and one that loves her and that's all they do! That's it and that's all!

Using my friend Ro'Dah's expression this lady here always seems "one hamburger away from losing it."

This wild mane young lady has something I like, but she has yet to be fully actualized. Good thing she's young because good things are sure to come if she keeps on living.

This sweetie here is probably just realizing that her manager cannot take care of her the way he does his daughter, so as a result rumors are flying that she's about to dump him.

This lady used to be all the rage in the 90's, now we see all over red carpets everywhere with a bow-legged stance. However, we don't see her much on the silver screen.

Her lip gloss be poppin', and she needs to give me those shoes right now!

It took this lady about a decade, but she finally showed us she CAN sing more than just back up.

This lady is rumored to be growing the world's shortest baby not classified as a midget.

Here are the answers:

Beyonce
Kimora Lee Simmons
Teyana Taylor
Kelly Rowland
Nia Long
Lil' Mama
Letoya Luckett
Janet Jackson

100th Post!

2008-12-16T13:23:00.002-05:00

*Balloons, Confetti, Whistles Applause*

In celebration of my 100th post, I'm just going to relax and listen to some of my favorite soulful, sexy, singers of the opposite sex. Join me in celebration.

Teddy Pendergrass

Keite Young

Stevie Wonder

Bilal Oliver

Rahsaan Patterson

Sagittarius Sisters' Salute

2008-12-15T13:44:00.005-05:00

November 22nd - December 21st is the time of year that Sagittarius women celebrate their birthdays. As with all the other zodiac signs I am paying tribute to the Sagittarius Sisters. First let me say Happy Belated Birthday to my Mother-in-law, Sarah Brimm. She transitioned away from this life in 2007. Her birthday was this past Saturday, December 13th. We sang "The Birthday song" to her and wished her peace on the other side. She was a beautiful spirit inside and out.

As a matter of fact most Sagittarius women have sweet positive spirits. They are the external optimists, sometimes to a fault. They are free flowing and love a life filled with freedom. They are intellectual and open-minded. These women are honest and they tell it like it is. Most Sagittarius women I know walk around looking like money. They are always dressed fashionably and they light up the room when they come around. They are also orderly and neat. I have known Sags who fold socks, iron jeans (in 2008), and vacuum everyday.I have and have had (they fly free, so you can't always keep up with them) a few close Sagittarius friends. Most of these women send good energy into the world, so I love Sagittarius!

Here are some famous ones.

This is Janelle Monae she is a real spit fire Sag. She displays courage and freedom to perform and write songs from her heart.

My daughters love to sing this song.

Tyra has that overly optimist side to her that Sagittarius sometimes have. We see that when she tries cast a positive light on some things that are better left alone, like ~~like Miss J's fool ass~~ .

Kim Basinger

Lucy Liu, fire!

Although the media loves to poke fun at Katie and her husband, I love them and see value in they way they choose to live their lives.

Of course, Tina Turner exemplifies good energy, free-spirit, and looking like money!

What Difference A Day Makes

2008-12-12T21:00:00.006-05:00

I went to see Cadillac Records last weekend and I just loved the movie. I didn't know a lot about Muddy Waters, played by Jeffrey Wright, so it was nice to learn about him. Jeffrey Wright did an amazing job as usual, he's one of my favorite actors. Even Gabrielle Union did a pretty good job. Beyonce played Etta James , and she did a pretty outstanding job too.

Anyway, that movie was mostly about the Blues, so I thought I would highlight my favorite Blues singer, Dinah Washington. She died at the early age of 39 years old. I know just about everyone of her songs word for word. She started out in Gospel, and then moved into Blues and Jazz. She was a contemporary with Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald. Dinah sang a duet series with Brook Benton.

One of her most famous songs was What a Difference a Day Makes (and yes that is our 40th President introducing her back when he was an actor).

One of my favorite songs of her's is Fat Daddy . I discovered her music about 12 years ago, and I encourage you to check her out. It's really swinging!

I dig you, but I just don't have time...

2008-12-11T12:13:00.008-05:00

to sit and chit and sit and chit chat and smile.~ Aretha Franklin, Dr. FeelGood.

I'm getting Santa money for my babies, so I've haven't had time to visit and post in the bloggy world. Please accept my apology and these pictures to prove I've been working.

Update: These were sold!

Sold!

Sold!

Sold!

Sold!

The Holiday Hustle

2008-12-08T14:20:00.006-05:00

Sold!

Sold!

I'm over here grinding out new designs for this holiday season. So far, I have four more shows to do before Christmas. I've made a new Black and White series, which I feel very proud of. I snapped a few poor quality images before, I sent them over to the BET Actress, Kaira Akita. She played Diva in the Original Series "Somebodies." She is having a fashion exchange party, A Clothes Encounter , and took away a good portion of my inventory to sell. Tonight, I've got to get back on the grind to replace those items.

Here are some new lavender Polymer Clay earrings, I made two nights ago. They are huge, but pretty lightweight. I love these!

The Funktresses!

2008-12-05T10:42:00.005-05:00

As promised I am delivering a post about the women of funk music. Funk music is the music I remember around the house as a little girl in the 70's. ~~That's right I said the 70's you wanna make something of it?~~ It had heavy bass guitar sounds, organ bangs, lots of "owwws," "yowwws," "eewwws," "unhs," and "yes suhs." Of course, there were costumes and over the top antics from the performers, It was exciting. That music gave me a huge sense of pride about being young, beautiful and black. Most of the performers were men. Sly stone, Larry Graham, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, and James Brown were the usual suspects.

But when I saw the women of funk, I would just go crazy. They were sexy, strong and almost seemed taboo somehow. They gave black women of that day the permission to do and to be something other than sweet, conservative, lady-like, well-mannered, damsels that you often see depicted in the era of the early 60's.

I did a post earlier on Nona Hendryx, and I've made mention of Taka Boom, Chaka Khan's sister. They were funktresses. I think the most popular funk sisters of that day were The Brides of Funkenstein. They would usually be found right along side George Clinton, Parliament Funkadelic, and Bootsy Collins. However, they started out singing with Sly Stone.

Betty Mabry Davis, the ex-wife of Miles Davis (She came before Cicely Tyson married him), was a great Funktress. She was a fashion model and produced great funk music in the USA and in Europe. Some credit the genius of Bitches Brew from Miles Davis directly to her influence on him.

Another female funk group was Parlet. They were similar to Brides of Funkenstein, but less popular. They were a spin-off of parliament. They were very talented. There were many iterations of this group, this is the 1979 version, although they started in 1975.

Moscato & Dark Chocolate

2008-12-03T14:44:00.004-05:00

My husband and children awoke this morning to the shrieks of a crazed woman in the midst of an all out verbal brawl with a Bank of America customer service representative. Fighting to the death for the refund of $70.00, which for me is a week's worth of groceries. I didn't win that round, but after two more rounds I finally won. I got my $70.00 back. Now, although it's still light outside, I NEED some Moscato wine and dark chocolate to calm me down. I wish I could say I'm using meditation and yoga for my sanity today, but I can't. It's a huge glass of wine and bits of dark chocolate.

"Oh yes, you know her sister is..."

2008-12-01T08:50:00.010-05:00

A while back I did a post about Solange Knowles making a valiant attempt at stardom despite her sister, Beyonce's, super stardom. Off the top of our heads, Solange, Ashley Simpson (Jessica Simpson's Sis), Haylie Duff (Hillary Duff's sis), and maybe even Kelly Rowland (Beyonce's Play-play sis) come to mind when we think of struggling entertaining sisters of superstar celebrities.

Today I thought, I'd go a little further back into the struggle to celebrate sisters who have the courage and audacity to be viewed as living in the shadows of their siblings just to continue in the careers of their choosing, the entertainment business.

Taka Boom ~~sounds like Chaka, but not~~ is the sister of Chaka Khan. She performed with Chaka before Chaka joined Rufus and became a huge success. Taka has an amazing voice and was a brief member of The Brides of Funkenstein (note to self: must devote a post to the women of funk because I am probably getting blinks and stares at the Brides of Funkenstein reference). Taka also had a little success with Night Dancin'. ~~Oh geez, as hard as I try I don't remember this song~~ . It made it to the top 20 on the R&B Charts. Taka has written some songs for Chaka and still performs somewhere in the world today.

Next, is Latonya Blige. Of course, you have heard of her sister MJB, Mary J. Blige. Latonya co-wrote with Mary "I can Love you", and has recently decided to make a go of it herself. She is singing Gospel. According to reports the album was to come out is May 2008, but I haven't heard it except for one song on her myspace page provided above. Since, this is a celebration of the sisters I won't comment on the song.

I know who this looks like, but it's not her it's her sister.

Monica Cruz, is the sister to Penelope Cruz. She is a singer, actress and dancer. She was in a movie with DMX called, Last Hour. She has gotten some roles in Spain, and is still working on her career.

Finally, another brilliant sister of a famous performer is Carolyn Franklin , she was the sister of Aretha Franklin. She died in 1988. She wrote hits for Aretha such as "Ain't No Way" and "Angel." She was a true musical partner for Aretha and you'll frequently hear Aretha mention the role Carolyn played in her career. She was extremely gifted and talented.

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T13:43:00.001-05:00

I'm at the beach, triking in ocean, swimming in the pool, relaxing in the jacuzzi, detoxifying in the sauna, now I'm about to go eat with the family. Enjoy your day!

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Beverly Johnson

2008-11-25T15:06:00.005-05:00

Before Naomi Campbell bashed her first assistant, before Tyra Banks donned her first lace front, before Roshumba graced us with her natural, and before models like Veronica Webb, ~~Rihanna~~ , and Iman (yes, even Iman), we had Beverly Johnson. She was the first African American Supermodel to grace American Vogue Magazine. Her work paved the way for other African American models. She has appeared in many movies such as "Ashanti," "Meteor Man," "How to be a Player," and she has also been on many T.V. shows. As of late, she has served as a celebrity judge on "She's Got the Look."

After modeling, Beverly too went into business and became a big success. Beverly has a wig line, and you would be hard pressed to go into a beauty supply shop today without finding her modeling one of her creations on a wig tag, shelf display or poster.

Her stunning looks are admired worldwide, and her elegance is unsurpassed.

Aaaaah, They Phoned it in!

2008-11-24T12:43:00.006-05:00

I stumbled upon the American Music Awards last night, and it was really boooring. The only part I felt remotely entertained by was the Alicia Keys, Queen Latifah, Kathleen Battle performance.

I liked these earrings Alicia had on, I'm putting them on my list of styles to try.

Even Beyonce phoned it in, and she never does that.

She did her Singles Ladies routine ~~and I got up and tried to imitate it~~ , but not a bit more. I'm trying to get as good as this guy.

I think artists are kind whatever about the AMA's these days. One of the number one artist's was Taylor Swift and let me tell you, she is extremely untalented. She came out sat on a bench and sang a song in a lifeless manner. I was horrified and embarrassed for her.

Look at this "I'm the ish look on her face." I sure hope that look is about her look or her dress because it sure's hell shouldn't be about that singing.

I was also embarrassed for Rihanna. She did her normal "I can't sing and I can't dance, but isn't I wondermous rountine."

I think she might think she can sing, but then again I'll bet she knows she's not very good at all or else she would not need this eye-patch to try and trick us. It was crazy she's like a dressed up screeching model. Very boring, clothing can get you to a certain point, but then the curtain drops. When her fan based starts to have children, she is so screwed because they won't be able to take that screeching from their children and her to.

I'm sorry if I seem a little salty, but I wasted valuable hours I can't get back. This ish was ridiculous. Maybe I'm just getting too old for nonsense.

Celebrity Separated at Birth???

2008-11-21T10:24:00.006-05:00

This doesn't happen so much anymore, but it did occur the other day. It happens like this. I'm going about my merry way buying pizza, posting up at a craft show or Spoken word night waiting to sell my jewelry, waiting to get a table at a popular restaurant spot, visiting a cousin in another city, or some other ordinary day in the life of a jewelry rockstar. Someone from out of nowhere comes up and says "she looks like Jill Scott" or sometimes it's "hey Jilly from Philly" sometimes I even get obvious blushing from men who love Jill Scott, and feel like they have just met her. No it's not blushing from my own beauty, it's definitely from Jill's influence. I've been getting noticed by men since I was 13 years old, so I know the difference. I've been getting the "Aww shucks it's Jill Scott" bashfulness since I've made it to 160 lbs. and above on the scales. I mean from 2006 -2007, I heard it everyday and sometimes twice a day. Once I saw Yung Joc, the rapper on the streets and I said "look kids it's that rapper Yung Joc" and he said in return "look it's Jill Scott."

Whenever I start coming down a bit on my weight, which I have been lately, I don't hear the comparisons so much. However the other day I heard it. No disrespect to Jill, whom I love, love, love, but when I start to hear the "it's Jill Scott" jive I get a little concerned about my weight. Like I said I love Jill Scott and I really admire her, but I get a little annoyed when people say we look alike. I don't know if it's because she's bigger than me and I start to feel self-conscious about my weight or if it's that I just want my own identity. It certainly isn't because she isn't beautiful because she is, and she exudes a great energy.

I actually saw her in Atlanta this past summer, I waltzed right up to her, tapped her on the shoulder and said "I am sick of folks saying we look alike." She said, "You better tell them to stop." and laughed. Somehow I wasn't satisfied with her response. I Felt like I needed to deliver all the praise, compliments, and winks that belonged to her in a package to her. I guess I felt like if I could give those to her, I could go back to getting my own praise, compliments, and winks.

Here are some picks of me in 2006 - 2007 and some of Jill too! You tell me what you think, I promise not to get annoyed.