Blogging, Still...

(O.k. I did have this post scheduled to appear around 8 something but decided to just go ahead and put it up here now)

Well, by the time most of y'all get around to reading this I'll probably be sitting in traffic somewhere on my way to Dallas with my guy, his parents, his brother, his brother's girlfriend, and their daughter. We were gonna stay here and just deal with Gustav, but when we learned we wouldn't have to contribute financially to the trip, we were all over it. I'm all about an unexpected vacation. So for the next however many days I'll be in Dallas pretty much just kickin' it. Doing whatever it is you do when you've made an impromptu trip to avoid a hurricane.

And let's just hope I've got something to come back to. At least my sewing machine and all my labored over, handmade garments. Oh, and of course my computer. I think things will be cool here, though.


Today I'm participating in a meme specially created by T. Allen-Mercado, owner and ingenious writer over at Tea and Honey Bread. Because she wanted to, and more importantly, because she can, this admittedly bossy blogger came up with the idea of Shutter Click & Chat Sundays,

which goes as follows (for all y'all who aren't up to clicking the link to read the rules):

one pic, as few or as many words as you wish, and a link for me to check it out.

And because she's the boss and gets to choose the subject matter, this weeks topic is : Your favorite pair of shoes.

Now for my part:

My comfy lil slip on flats. $3.49, new at goodwill :-D When I first laid eyes on 'em, they had to be mine. Aside from being adorable, it's a rarity to find size 10s at these thrift stores around here.

And just cause they're black and white striped doesn't mean I'm bashful about pairing them with just about anything. I've been sporting more color these days (which must be inspired by my run in with colorful garments around the time of my trip to Atlanta), and I absolutely love working these shoes into a lot (most of) my colorful ensembles. They make me so happy.


Speaking of T. Allen-Mercado and things that makes me happy, I recently ordered a ring that I've been coveting for a very long time from her shop prettyinpeace.etsy.com.




The Garden Queen Ring:

Also, check the pretty lil green one she sent as a gift along with it. Now the shoes make me happy, but these make me very, very happy. :-)


"They" say bees are hard to see these days...(and I've gotta admit that I haven't seen one in what seems like forever. I saw a grasshopper last week and got all excited. That's another insect that it seems like I haven't seen in years. What's up with the bugs, man??)


Well, now I've got me one to wear around and remember what it was to avoid 'em like the plague to keep from being stung, lol! Oh, but they're so necessary. So very much so.


In other excitement, I was given a blog award by Jewelry Rockstar. It's my first ever, and today I'd intended to handle the business that's associated with such an award. However, given the fact that I'm doing some last minute butt hauling, I'll handle that business next week. Thanks again Rockstar. I'm flattered. :-)

Alright people. That's it for today. Hopefully my computer will still be functional upon my return in a few days so I can reach out to y'all later this week. (Oh, but I will have computer access while out there, so just know that if you catch me on anyone's blog between now and Wednesday, I'm evacuated and am not commenting from inside the madness ;-)

peace

Mellow

Something to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. :-) Well I guess it depends on if you've got something to relate it to, but it's a good song nonetheless.

Man. It's such a shame India Arie doesn't get the play in the "mainstream" that she deserves. I mean this is the woman who made such feel good songs as Video. And this. And this. And this. And this. As well as this one, which gives me chills every time I listen to it.

"there ain't no substitute for the truth. either it is or it isn't. the truth, it needs no proof. either it is or it isn't. and you know the truth by the way it feels..."

Indeed. Her music...the sound, the techniques, the lyrics... is pure brilliance.


Moving along.

Despite being totally out of it on Monday and Tuesday, yesterday I managed to pull myself together and turn out a new dress. I was in a mood to use more of that brown and white striped, stretchy fabric.

(Size medium-large)

I guess it's alright. Reminds me of pajamas. The intention was to do the bottom of the dress like the hem of the sleeves..with the 3 colors and the brown and white striped band at the end. Since I ran out of orange material (which is really just a thrift store t-shirt cut up for its fabric..which is also what the blue and green are as well), it ended up just getting turned under and hemmed.

I've got enough of the fabric left to make one more something. We'll see.


Additionally, I put a whoooole bunch of stuff on clearance yesterday in my fly tie shop. It was fun while it lasted, but I'm over it, so please buy it all and make me happier. Thanks. :-) Got some new things in the works....

****Warning...potential boredom ahead. Recipes and such****


In the comment section of my last post, some people were interested in getting the recipes for the falafel and cake that I made last week. Being one who starts with an actual recipe but never sticks to it and ends up doing my own thing along the way and not remembering exactly what I did, I'm gonna list the ingredients and process that was used.

Falafel:

dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans) soaked overnight. or used canned ones.
garlic
cumin
salt (not too much!)
onion
garlic
parsley
water
turmeric (optional)

Blend/process the chickpeas with a little water just to get it moving; add garlic, onion and blend until smooth; pour into a bowl and add cumin, salt. and turmeric; you can taste it a little just to make sure you haven't added to much salt; for me too much salt ruins it every time; if there is too much salt, blend more chickpeas and add it to the mixture; add parsley and stir; the mixture shouldn't be too watery; drop by the spoonfuls into hot cooking oil and fry until golden brown; you can also bake it, which I've done from time to time. admittedly it tastes much better fried; but since we know too much fried food isn't such a good thing, you might only want to make this every once in a while ;-).

For the vegan chocolate cake, I'll just point you to this link:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Vegan-Chocolate-Cake/Detail.aspx.

Of course I made a cake and not cupcakes. I also used whole wheat flour instead of regular, divided the oil amount up and used half oil and half applesauce, added cinnamon, added ginger, used less cocoa, and used organic sugar. It ended up being much lighter in color and having a gingery taste. mmmmmmm. I also made a simple chocolate glaze to pour over it.


Sorry for the unconventional way that the "recipes" are listed, but that's just how my mind works. It's sorta like sewing. I'll start out with an idea for a dress, for instance, but by the time it's done, it's something totally different. Hey, that's just how it goes.

Have a lovely day!

peace.

Crooked Feet, Schooling, and a 3 Layered Cake

As if you needed or wanted to know anymore details about me, I decided to do another meme + photo today. Taken from the blog of cutie booty cakes, it goes a little something like this:


“Tell us/me/the world 10 interesting/random/quirky/normal/silly things about yourself … things you’re looking forward to, things about you personally, whatever you want.”


here goes...

1. I had a severe case of pigeon toes as a child. I eventually grew out of it.

(this one's kinda long)
2. Although I went to school for and have a bachelors degree in apparel design and merchandising (and minors in business and visual arts...gotta mention that. I didn't take all those classes for nothing, lol!) English/literature/history is my thing. I used to look back and say that I never should have went to school for the former, especially since I sometimes feel like it wasn't worth it (see here), but I'm over it now and appreciate the experience. In fall 2006 I went back to school for English and history, with a focus on black/African history. Right now I'm doing it part time...sometimes less than that, have a 4.0, and am being heavily courted for grad school. However, I don't know about that. (Although undergrad English is becoming a bore *yawn.*)

**Edited to say I do love clothing design/construction, but it just might not have been necessary to go to school for it. Especially since I wasn't looking to get a job in the fashion industry.

3. My blog is mostly about my craft, but most of the blogs I lurk on deal with social issues, history, culture, health, personal views, etc.


4. Speaking of school and tests, I'd much rather write a lengthy paper than take some ol' bland, test. Papers allow for elaboration, creative thought, and for the person to interject there perceptions into whatever topic is being discussed.

5. More on school. Although I went to college and go part time these days, my approach to and thoughts about the institution aren't the traditional ones. Yeah, it's cool...college, degrees, and all that, but I'm about the interactions and ways in which I can gain something from someone else's views. As far as a lot of what's taught, I definitely believe that you've gotta research things for yourself and not take all that's said as the matter of fact truth. Cause man, some of that stuff that's being put out there...*shakes head* (And I guess this is more so the case with literature and history, but I'm sure it's relevant with most of the subjects. )

6. If/when I sleep with clothes on and get hot during the night, I strip in my sleep. (Is that too much info?? lol!)

7. Nearly everything I read about scorpios is true about me. (Like much of this, for example. Not all of it, but a lot.) It's amazing. So many of the described characteristics are things that I could never have put into words. when reading some of the stuff I'm like, "That is so true!!"

8. My mama got jumped by some girls when she was pregnant with me (age 16/17) and beat 'em down, lol! and I'm ok, I think.

9. My first name came from a little girl who got hit by a school bus and my middle name came from the middle name of my mom's high school best friend who died in a car wreck last year :-( .

Read about that here:
http://media.www.thegramblinite.com/media/storage/paper926/news/2007/09/13/Front/she-Was.Always.There-2966235.shtml

ok one more....hmmmmmmmmmmmm.

10. Well, I've been in a relationship for 5 yrs. Although I'm not against "shackin' up" (that phrase always makes me laugh) we've never lived together, cause I've never lived with anyone since coming here for college in 2001 and I'm not sure I'm quite ready for it yet. Also, if/when we get married, I don't even want a wedding. *gasp*!!! ha ha! The idea just doesn't excite me. Now, a trip to some cool, cultured, beautiful place I've never been? That'll Work. But definitely no disrespect to anyone who had a wedding. I enjoy going to them. :-D

me and him yesterday

So, I mentioned in my last post that Saturday was his 29th b-day and that i was gonna make a cake. Well I did. It was completely from scratch, vegan, all that good stuff. Tasted great. Additionally, I prepared falafel and tahini, both from scratch. I even made the whole wheat pita bread that it was to be eaten on from scratch. Normally I buy bread, but I forgot to pick some up and didn't feel like going to the store. I like doing stuff from scratch. That's how my mama did it and her mama before her and her mama before her and so on and so forth. Plus doing it that way lets me know exactly what's in it.

Made it to his place, walked into the living room, and what do I see?? Four pizza boxes on the table. Everybody full, laid out on furniture. 2 of his brothers, his nephew, and parents were there watching the Saints game. I knew they were gonna be over, but I didn't know they were gonna bring pizza. Neither did he know (they were there when he got home from work that night.) Neither did they know I was cooking. So we just put the food away to be eaten later. Everybody loved the cake, which is saying a lot for people who look at anything vegan with a suspicious eye, lol!

When everyone left, we ended up flipping between the Food Network, MTV, and VH1 Soul and having various discussions about food/cooking, music, egotism, media, and society. We also caught part of Purple Rain on some channel, which inspired another discussion about Prince. It was a pretty laid back and thought provoking evening.

Have a wondrous day.

peace

*Focus*

You know what? Sometimes I'm not so sure what to do with myself.

Sewing helps cause I can channel some of my mental chaoticism/feelings into fabric. And sorta distract myself from myself at times.

Speaking of sewing stuff, three new pieces..

said and done scrap skirt
$48

sunny side gathered skirt
$34

Unfinished scrap skirt. I especially love how the sun is coming through the blinds giving me a facial tattoo. Post about my love of the sun found here.



View of the side and back with my hand covering the unfinished zipper.

I never mentioned it here, but since I'm on garments made from scraps, last month I made this lil number from some fabric pieces that really had no other purpose...

stella mini dress
$32

I ended up twisting my hair yesterday so it wouldn't be as tall in the pictures. That helps when I'm trying to crop the photos....a little. I think a shaved head might help even more.

So tomorrow my guy will turn 29. 29!! And to think the dude was 23 when we got together. My goodness. Anyway. I'm gonna make him a completely made from scratch cake for the bearthday. Something else I really love doing: cooking/baking. I just gotta do stuff with my hands, mayne.

Alright...off to make a "test cake" before the real thing.


Oh, before I go, I wanna say thanks for all the beautiful comments left on my last post
about a dress that I was only about 62.8% sure about at the time of completion. (Now I'm about 88.5 % sure.) Y'all are great. :-)


peace

"I Deeeciiided..."

Yes, yes. Really feelin' this song by Solange and absolutely love the video. At first I concluded that it would sound better with someone else singing it (perhaps with a thicker, raspier voice?), but then "I decided" that it's her song and she's doing her thing, so oh well. She gets major props from me for the video alone...throwback themes plus historical content....not the same ol' b.s.

So anyway, here I am. I didn't stay out of the foggy haze too long. By that evening I was back to *blah*. These past 5 days have been comprised of me lounging around the house, kickin' it at my guy's place watching food network (which I can't get enough of), eating watermelon, surfing the internet, and basically just doing nothing. And it felt so, so good. I like doing nothing. I really do.

But then again I guess at certain intervals I did do something, cause I've got a new dress.










My fellow sewing enthusiast and internet buddy sewl sista#1 sent me several yards of that brown and white striped fabric a couple months ago, and I just love it. So bold and stretchy. My initial plan for it was something different (and I may still be able to carry that plan out since there's still plenty left), but in my current creative state, "I decided" to do something a bit more spontaneous. This was just something I made up as I went along. It turned out pretty nicely I suppose.

Also, notice the rare full body shot. I'm trying something a bit different. We'll see how long that lasts, though, since it means I can no longer take pictures with a head scarf on or plaits all over my head. I'm certainly not motivated to get "fixed up" for a full body shot photo after being in there sewing for so long. And since I've gotta be the designer, the seamstress, the model, the photographer, and the everything else, and since I'm usually worn out looking in the face when taking pictures, y'all are the frequent recipients of pictures with my head cut off. Trust. It's what's best for everyone, ha ha! :-)

peace

*Emerges From Foggy Haze*

I don't think there is a word to describe how exhausted I've been over the past 3 days. I've been to Atlanta and back and since Sunday I've been attempting to recuperate, which has basically amounted to me lounging around the house in a state of existence between unconsciousness and a generic form of awareness.

*Excuse me if I ramble...*

My homies Attallah and Josiah were officially married on Friday. I had a great time, met lots of cool people, and didn't eat a single piece of wedding cake, which my skin thanks me for. (Although, it wasn't because I didn't want any cake or exhibited strong willpower. It's really that I was too busy dancing at the reception to take the time out to go get some. )

Considering that the bride was raised in Brooklyn, Brooklynites were deep at the wedding and various events. I always enjoy kickin' it with 'em, and if it wasn't so cold in the winter up there and there was a bit more space, Bed-Stuy would be my home. Everyone I've ever met from up that way has been absolutely fantastic. You can't beat being surrounded by good people. Plus I looove the area.

Now the struggle is to get back on track. Something about the east coast time zone throws me off every time. I'm not sure what it is, but all I wanna do is sleep when on that side of the country and when I get back into central time. Some with my guy, but then again he did most of the driving so I suppose he has a legitimate reason to be exhausted. I only drove while we were in the city.

So, some general highlights.....hmmmm aside from great people and good times, there's really not much to comment on. Oh! Except that we saw a dead horse on the side of I-20. Pretty sad/strange. :-(

Also, the most funny thing. I don't know how many of you know but I have an obsession with the photography of friend of mine who I met via the internet (and met for the first time in person last summer while in Brooklyn.) Well, imagine my elation when I actually spotted some people at the wedding who I recognized from her online albums! It was pretty neat and they were the coolest. So funny how the internet allows for such situations.

Something else...On Saturday night while kickin' it in the lobby of the hotel where the newlyweds stayed for a couple nights after the wedding, a group of us had a rare celebrity spotting of Ronnie Devoe from the group Bell Biv Devoe. For all of y'all who don't know, have forgotten, or are just plain unfamiliar, Bell Biv DeVoe was a popular R&B breakaway group from the group New Edition. They made such classic songs as Poison, (which was the jaaaaam at one point. And really still is, ha ha!) and When Will I See You Smile Again? So, somebody (in our group of about 15) spotted him just chillin' out on a sofa across the way from where we were and went over to confirm that that's who it was. Sure enough it was him, so she and a few others went over to take pics and whatnot. I just laid low, not wanting to be all groupie-ish. Then the dj who was spinning that night actually played Poison and just set it off in the lobby. It was great, but he might have been a bit shame, lol! Hopefully he felt flattered, even though that was all many many yrs. ago and he's likely over it. What can I say. Most of us there are children of the 70s/80s/90s and still have much love for music from those periods.

And actually, we had two celebrity spottings (or maybe "used to be celebrity" spottings?), because he was there with his wife Shamari Fears, one of the singers from the group Blaque who had such songs as 808 and Bring it All to Me. We surmised that it was her 10 yr. high school class reunion that they were there attending.


Beyond that, I didn't get as many pics of myself in my made from scraps garments as I could have, however I've got a few pics that I'll show from the wedding. It was one of the most beautiful, non traditional events I've been to. The bride and sisters in celebration (aka bridesmaids) wore traditional Panamanian garb in honor of the bride's heritage, and there were several African elements that went into it all.



A few clothing related pics:

Bride and Groom making their way up the path. You can't see the dress that well, but it was really cute.


The couple as they symbolically tied bloodlines.



The ladies in their Panamanian garments.



Bride and Groom. Check out that lovely dress worn during the reception.

Back of the dress + henna tattoo done for the occasion. Love love love it.

Me and super tall Attallah during the reception. At least you can see part of my outfit.

So yep. That's it. My sporadically made outfits went over well with everyone. I received several compliments, especially on the skirt, which is always nice. As far as those yellow shoes, I didn't think we'd make it once I realized that the wedding was outside and there were a lot of rocks gravel on the grounds. But I wore 'em anyway, walked gracefully, and didn't fall or stumble once, ha ha! I've always held my own in a pair of high heels. I just don't like wearing them that much. During the reception I ended up going to the car and changing into my flip flops, which I keep on stand by ;-) . Edited to add that the wedding was held at the Tupac Amaru Center for the Arts Stone Mountain, GA, in the garden. Nice spot, although the aged Tupac statue is a bit odd.

It's good to be home, but that means I've actually gotta start doing something. I'm not really feeling up to that at this point, but stay tuned...

Oh, and while I'm at it I'll send out good energy to all family and fans of Bernie Mac and Isaac Hayes, two great contributors who made their transitions over the weekend. May their spirits and energy live on.


peace

My True Colors...Or Maybe Not

In or to appreciate this post more, you might wanna check out a post I made in the etsy forums last night:

http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5745584


So, just like I thought would be the case, I decided that I didn't wanna wear the yellow dress that I originally made to wear to this wedding I'm going to. Typical me...changing my mind repeatedly. The plan was to get some more fabric and make 2 new dresses, one for the wedding and another for the rehearsal dinner. However, if you read that post that I linked to above, you'll know that I was unable to do so. (The trip itself has turned out to be pretty costly.) You'll also know that instead, I ended up working with what I already have (once again) to create something new. I was able to spare $4 to get three yards of blue fabric which helped facilitate the creation of two new pieces that I'm thoroughly pleased with. The rest is all scraps from my scrap fabric bin.

(And in case y'all didn't know, all this color is totally outta my element.)


For the wedding I'll now be wearing this:

"Scrap skirt" with a top I made for myself a couple months back....a top that I rarely wear due to its brightness, but I love it with this skirt.
(Note the glasses. You're rarely gonna see me in those in pictures or in person. I've still got a stigma about them stemming from childhood...even at 25 nearly 26 yrs. of age. It's sad, but true.)

Full length shot with the $8 yellow shoes. There are big silver buckles on the front that are most likely gonna be taken off. I'm known for altering clothes as well as shoes ;-)




For the wedding rehearsal and dinner it'll be this:



That pink and yellow strip in the middle did its own thing, so I just let it be and didn't worry about redoing it to make it straight.





I included some black top stitching on the dress so that it can be coordinated with black shoes and earrings....items that I already own.

(My guy is actually in the wedding, so I'll be going to the rehearsal events with him.)


And there ya have it. New items that cost nearly nothing to make. They were not what I originally had in mind, but I really do love these more than the designs I originally intended to do.

And to give you a better idea of just how un-colorful I normally dress, here's a look at what I'll likely be wearing when we all go out or something on Saturday night:







Yep. Olive green and brown...2 of my staple colors.

When I'd decided that I was gonna make those garments from scraps, my energy was so high, and as a result, it translated into those colorful pieces. If you're familiar with my sewfly shop, you'll know that I do have the streak for brightness within me. :-D


Oh, and I do still intend to wear the original yellow dress at some point while out there. I may wear it for the bridal party on Wednesday night.

Well, we'll be leaving early,early in the morning now, so this'll be my last post until next week. I'll see if I can get picks with the garments "in action" with the hair, jewelry, etc.

Until then, y'all be well.

peace!

Whatever it is...

Today I wanted to share some new creations, but since they're incomplete at this point, I figured that instead I'd share some facts about myself + a picture. (Inspired by a post on a blog that I really enjoy visiting.)


1. 5 of your favorite things
-fruit
-music
-laughter
-water
- hugs

2. 5 things you wanted to be when you grew up
-a cashier
-a painter
-a business owner
-a singer
-a teacher

3. 5 of the best compliments that you have ever received
-"i like that you can just be yourself."-my guy
-"i know you've got a good head on your shoulders." - daddy
-"i like your hair...looks really nice." -said to me by some guy in '03 right after i'd "gone natural" and cut my hair down to about 1/2 inch and still wasn't too comfortable with it being that short.
-"you got skills."~various people " :-D
-"look at those big, pretty eyes!!"- random lady when i was a child. meaningful because i was always teased in school about how *huge* my thick glasses made my eyes look.

4. 5 songs that you would pick as your theme songs.
just off the top...
-african sunset-zap mama (somebody's pics...zap mama's song)
-let it be-jill scott...(lyrics)
-happy face-destiny's child (an old favorite from high school) lyrics
(edited to add this clip. now if that doesn't get you pumped up, you must be dead!)
-stepping razor-peter tosh
-salt-lizz wright....(questionable) lyrics
(absolute musical phenomenon...only 28 yrs. old. wow.)

5. 5 people that inspire(d) you.
-ms. diana kimble (organic farmer, activist, and all around inrpirational person)
- peter tosh
-dr. john henrik clarke
-my daddy
-jamyla bennu

me circa 2006

It's so funny how doing these lists is such a challenge for me. There's just so much, and it's like my mind goes blank trying to think of answers But I think what's listed gives a pretty good representation.

*Hopefully* those garments will be done by Sunday so I can show y'all.

peace