Fro Fashion Week Fall 2012

I wanted my last post of 2012 to be about something that I know, love and am glad to be a part of....  Fro Fashion Week - Atlanta.  Fro Fashion Week is an Atlanta based event that is the brain child of Ms. Tarin Boone.  It is a bi annual week long celebration of natural black beauty.  Since its inception, founder Tarin Boone has taken special care to showcase not only the beauty of African American women, but also to promote black business and networking along with fashion and entertainment.  I have been attending Fro Fashion Week since Fall 2011 and I am honored to have been selected as a Lead Press Supporter for the last  2 installments of this event (Spring 2012 & Fall 2012).  PLUS I just found out recently that I have been selected as Lead Press Supporter again for Fro Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2013!!  Being a Lead Press Supporter gives me front row and backstage access to ALL of the components of the event.  Please enjoy just a few of the many moments that were captured during the Fall 2012 show!!

Fro Fashion Week plays host to MANY beauty professionals and products lines and brings you the best workshops available:

The Blogger's Brunch is one of the many highlights of Fro Fashion Week.  It brings together subject matter experts and bloggers who interested in growing their personal brand into a money maker.  Fall 2012 brought us the guru behind MattieOlogie.com Mattie James.  We learned so much.  A key piece that stood out to me was her definition of how to use your VOICE as it relates to blogging/branding.

V ~ Verify if this is really what you want to be doing!  You need to love this to be successful at it.
O ~ Offer yourself on a silver platter to your audience!  give them your best & they will respond!
I ~ Invent yourself!  Your blog may start out being one thing and end up being another. (It's ok!)
C ~ Challenge yourself
E - Expect to Win!!

We were all very inspired!

After a long and exciting day of activities, seminars and Bloggers Brunch, its time to let our natural hair down at the Fro Fashion Week Penthouse party!!  The Penthouse at the Melia hotel has the entire Atlanta City Skyline as its backdrop.  The view is amazing at night!!

Last but certainly not least there is the fiercest fashion show out there and the grande finale of this culmination of fashion and natural beauty.

Fro Fashion Week Founder Tarin Boone (right)

I hope that you enjoyed the recap.  for more on Fro Fashion Week, please check out http://frofashionweek.com/  

To see more pics:

Penthouse Party!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.414170541972211.118626.170493373006597&type=3

Bloggers Brunch!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.412952262094039.118251.170493373006597&type=3

Workshops

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.411450592244206.117887.170493373006597&type=3

Fashion Show:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.436450499744215.123159.170493373006597&type=3

To see more of what you have been missing check out my previous Fro Fashion Week Blog Post!

Previous Fro Fashion Week ReCaps

I hope that you have had a joyous 2012 and wish you a prosperous 2013.  Thank you so much for showing your support by reading my blog this year.  Please come back often!

Peace!

I Heart Handbags!

I don't know exactly what my fashion style is.  I just buy what I like.  I consider myself to be a funky 40+ chick and I think my style is fun.  I'll let the more established fashion bloggers tell you whats in and whats out.  I'll just show you what I like, and I hope you like it too!

Two years ago I went on a mission to replace all of my handbags with designer bags.  I did it by color, first replacing my black bags with real leather bags.  Then I moved to the browns, reds and miscellaneous.  Why?  I don't know.  A friend of mine got me a Coach bag as a gift and I've been hooked ever since.  My other bags simply paled in comparison.  Now I am obsessed with recreating my collection with designer or designer looking alternatives and I must say... I'm having a ball!  Here are a few of my favorite finds so far!

Coach Zoe
(Gun Metal)

Coach Soho
(Chestnut Brown)

Coach Pleated Soho
(Black)

I simply adore all of these bags and the 3 colors match pretty much everything I have.  I got them all at a Coach Outlet so they were all heavily discounted.  The leather is soft and amazing.  These are not enormous bags, which I like.  I feel that they can all be carried during any season.

Michael Kors Tote
(Cheetah/Canvas)

I love a little animal print in the summers and this MK Canvas bag is light weight and perfect for warmer months.  TJ Maxx is where I found this lovely tote.

Jessica Simpson Satchel
(Navajo)

Nothing like a little faux fur to spice up your winter.  This bag is fun.. and it holds a lot! Another gem that was found at TJ Maxx.

Well I am off to hunt for more bags!  

Thanks for reading

I Love Me Naturally ~ Fall 2012

I Love Me, Naturally is an empowerment event for girls presented by TruChatOnline.com.  Sanctioned as part of Fro Fashion Week Fall 2012 this event focused on our young divas.  I am a HUGE fan of natural hair related events that I can attend with my daughter.  "I Love Me..." does not disappoint.  As a matter of fact, I am not sure who had more fun, me or my child!!    It was set up as a really fun pajama party and we had a ball!

Julia of TruChatOnline.com telling us about all of the fun things she has planned for us!

Motivational speaker and encourager @GeechieGurltm had some great icebreaker activities for us to participate in.  She talked to the girls about birthing ideas and carrying them through to fruition in a fun way.

Fro Fashion Week creator, Tarin Boone spoke on the importance of celebrating our little divas as part of the excitement, glitz & glamour of Fro Fashion Week.

We did arts and crafts.  All was geared towards African American girls.  There was a diverse set of crafting materials available.

As one of the sponsors of this event, my LittleChick and I got to pick the winner of the RunwayWalk,  We chose this little cutie and presented her with a gift bag full of goodies on behalf of Our Natural Kids!

Jess McGuinty, CEO of JessiCurl, is always a hit with the kids.  Not only did her company sponsor giveaways for this event but she also spoke on the troubles that she had as a young girl because of her thick, curly red hair.

She made sure that everyone had temporary tattoos of the JessiCurl logo.  here they are showing them off!

Thank you to Julia of TruChatOnline.com, Tarin Boone of Fro FashionWeek, JessiCurl and GeechiGurlTM plus all of the attendees for showing us all such a wonderfully fun time!!

For more pics check out our FB Fan Page below

The SistahChick & Our Natural Kids

Beautiful Skies

I've been completely sky obsessed lately.  Seems like every time I step outside my door the sky is posed and ready for a photo shoot.  Here are a few of the lovely sky paintings that I have been able to capture.  Say Clouds...

emerging

Stormy

Cotton Candy Sunrise

Moody Blues

Crisp Clouds

Thanks for checking out this post!

Charleston, South Carolina - Home Away From Home

We had such a great time in Charleston!  It was my birthday and we decided to get away from Atlanta for the weekend by taking a road trip to Charleston, South Carolina.  It just so happens that one of my best friends lives there and they were happy to show us all they could of the town in 2.5 days!
We spent Friday evening walking the cobblestone streets of downtown while stopping here and there to enjoy some of the historic eateries.
We started at the Amen Street Fish & Raw Bar where we enjoyed fantastic drinks & the best seafood

We decided to stop by The Rooftop @ The Vendue Inn

We also stopped at Henry's for more rooftop fun!

What a night! We saw an open market that sold hand crafted items, like art, jewelry and soap. It ended with a late night walk down Charleston's Water Front Pier.

On Saturday we really enjoyed ourselves at Isle of Palms Beach.  

It was really cool to have lunch at Red's Ice House.  Even though the waitress treated us like aliens from outerspace, the food and the views were great!

 A few hours and a few tan lines later we headed over to Sullivan's Island for a little history lesson.

All in all I found Charleston to be a fantastic getaway.  Full of culture, good food and with a beach.  You cant beat it.  We will definitely return and next time we will stay longer because we know there is so much more to see!

My Bestie and Me :-)

Are any of my readers from Charleston?

Thanks for reading!

Sweet Georgia's Juke Joint ~ Atlanta

Do you believe in love at first sight?  I hope so that you can understand what I felt when I happened into Sweet Georgia's Juke Joint last night!  I immediately fell IN LOVE with this poppin spot located on the corner of Peachtree & Ellis St (Midtown).  When I think of a "Juke Joint" I think about The Color Purple and that raggedy place they built in the swamp that was packed EVERY weekend, because they had the best music and food.  It was the place to be!  When the doors popped open we were met with wonderful sounds & mashup stylings of the band Gritz & Jelly Butter.  As we waited and were seated, we listened to these guys cover many favs from R & B, hip hop, rock... you name it.  I heard a lil Ye, little OutKast, some Phil Collins, Jilly...the list goes on.  Atmosphere is everything in this open concept dinner club...
A beautiful 3d mural graced the entire wall on one side with a small stage to the North.

Flat screen tv's flashed throughout with the performances of many well  known hit makers from the past like Gladys Knight and the Pips, Diana Ross and The Supremes and the Jackson 5 to name a few.  The bar was behind us and packed with patrons ordering drinks such as one of the house specials, Cat Daddy Moonshine and snacking on those Juke Joint Wings.  This place was hustling and bustling, but not over crowded or rowdy.  ya know? Grown Folks.
The wait staff was impeccable in my opinion.  How hard it must be to deliver hot and delicious food while navigating through crowds who are dancing and grooving to a fabulous band.  Our server was friendly, courteous, knowledgeable about all of the dishes and very prompt with our every request.
I LOVE southern cuisine.  The menu had everything from Shrimp & Grits to Seared Duck.  I had the Catfish and Grits.

 If ya'll follow me on Twitter then you know I always have this ongoing back and forth with my friend @BeRealBlack4Me on the proper way grits should be prepared and eaten. (Mainly with or without sugar. I'll save that argument for another post!!) But when I tell you that I had an experience when these fabulous Parmesan Cheese Grits hit my tongue...mmmmYumm!  and served with coleslaw and sweet apple corn relish. As you can see it was a generous portion.  The catfish was piping hot with a nice perfectly seasoned flavor and a crunchy coating that melted in my mouth.
My friend had the Peach Glazed Alaskan Grilled Salmon served over Mashed Potatoes.  I snuck a bite and it was was to die for!

Ok what else... I dont know what else.  If you like great atmosphere, good food, excellent service, and fantastic music... go there.  I'll definitely be back.
http://www.sweetgeorgiasjukejoint.com/about.html

This is my first restaurant review!
Thanks for reading!

Natural Hair Meet Up at Urban Grind - Atlanta

You know what I miss?  I miss good old fashion natural hair meet ups where you can just get together and talk.  Call me old school, but I love it when we get back to basics...CANDID face to face discussions about natural hair.  I met up with some other Atlanta Naturals at Urban Grind, a trendy little coffee shop in Atlanta.  Hosted by my girl @SwarthyDaisy we really had a wonderful evening.  It was a small gathering.  We sipped caramel machiattos, munched on paninis and enjoyed the eclectic atmosphere of Urban Grind as we discussed natural hair and what it means for us individually.  We discussed whether the "natural hair movement" was a fad. We talked about texture acceptance and we shared best tips and practices with one another and much, much more.

Our Host
Ericka aka @SwarthyDaisy

Naturals from all over Metro Atlanta

 

Natural Beauty

Ericka also introduced her newest baby, "Fro-Fi Collective".  It's a group whose "...goal is to talk about technology and ways to make our online lives better." I am looking forward to watching this latest project develop.  For more pics from The Urban Grind Natural Hair Meetup....

Click Here  ~~> Urban Grind Natural Hair Meet Up Pics!!

     
Thanks for reading!