OM: That Baby!

This past week, I got to spend time with my cousin and her lovely little muffin baby, Addison. They live in NC so I rarely get to see them... and the thing about babies is that they grow up so fast! My fear is that one day I will be really old, she will be going into college and she won't know who I am! Yes, that is dramatic but these special moments with our family are ones to cherish!

Other things may change us, but we start and end with the family.  ~Anthony Brandt

OM is a weekly meet up that promotes living in the moment. Whether funny, sad, ridiculous, or banal, actively looking for and sharing these moments will promote balance in our lives. 

Makin' Earrings with Friends

So this past weekend, I got together with some friends to do what? Be crafty...That's right, make some jewelry (my dearest Petal and Pink would be so proud)... My friends (one of which is also my cousin) and I sometimes get together to do crafty things...

...once we puff painted t-shirts to wear to the Twilight premiere (awesome shirts... premiere? noted to selves not to see the 7pm showing with 30.1 million 10 year olds)...

...another time we decorated t-shirts and watched Girls Just Want to Have Fun; said T-shirts got us through a sobriety checkpoint on the way home...

Officer: What have you ladies been doing this evening? Me: Puff Painting T-shirts, Officer shines light in backseat where said shirts are drying. Officer: Go ahead ...

.... so needless to say we are pretty successfully crafty when we get together... Our goal this time? Earrings! I brought over what I had for findings and beads and we went to town. I am not usually a jewelry maker per se but I have dabbled in the past. Any way you slice it, we had a great time. (The menfolk played video games and tended to our pizzas).

We, of course, had to stop for a mini photo shoot which had some hilarious outtakes and some good shots as well. It's just nice to spend some time with friends being crafty and making each other laugh.

 

OUTTAKES

Every Sandal has a Story

I discovered this amazing sandal company through a good bloggin' friend of mine, Creative Stash, (thanks Kristen!) and am so glad that I did. What an amazing way to support other women in a country where they have not been afforded the same opportunities that I personally have received in the U.S. I couldn't tell the story in my own words as well as the ladies from Sseko Designs can... so here it is.

If you happen to find yourself in Kampala, Uganda, make your way to the Old Taxi Park. From there, grab a taxi van to Matuga. Jump off at the end of the line, and hop on a boda boda to the Cornerstone Leadership Academy. After a (bumpy) ride along a dirt road, you will find yourself in the company of some of the most intelligent and committed young women in Uganda. These women are graduates of the Cornerstone Leadership Academy and employees of Sseko Designs.

Sseko \say-ko\ Designs was created to help these bright young women continue their education. The Ugandan school system is designed with a nine month gap between secondary school and university. These nine months are intended to allow time for students to earn money for tuition before continuing on to university. However, in an impoverished and male dominated society, many of these young women struggle to find fair work during this time.

Sseko Designs hires recent secondary school graduates for this nine month period to live and work together, while earning money that will go directly towards their university education. These women will not make sandals forever. They will go on to be doctors, lawyers, politicians, writers and teachers that will bring change and unification to a country divided and ravished by a 22 year-long war.
Sseko Designs is a not-just-for-profit enterprise that recognizes the power of business and responsible consumerism to support sustainable economic development, which in turn affects a country's educational, justice, and health care systems. The goal of Sseko Designs is two-fold: provide university tuition for these promising young women through a sustainable monthly income, while also contributing to the overall economic development of Uganda.

Although consumerism makes many empty promises, responsible and proactive consumerism has the ability to change lives.Every sandal has a story. This story has only just begun, but with your help, it will be a story of hope, success and change.

Won't you join me in sharing this awesome way to help but also an awesome way to feel good about buying some new sandals? Just think about your sandals and their story... every time you wear them, you can feel good about it.

Shop Sseko Designs

http://www.ssekodesigns.com/host-a-party/

Fabric and Beads

So I have always loved the look of this necklaces with fabric beads or beads covered in fabric, however they are made. I did a little research online and found that there were quite a few tutorials for different kinds of variations on the beaded fabric jewelry. Here is my go at it using some left over fabric from a dress I am making, some beads from a necklace that met its demise in Boston and a couple other little notions hangin' around.

What do you think of my creation? Wanna try this for yourself? My favorite tutorials on the web are here, here and here.

Oh Dita, How Do I Love Thee

I heard it through the grapevine today that Dita Von Teese is set to design a line of lingerie for the every woman... she has announced that her lingerie will fit sizes XS to and E-cup because she thinks that every woman should deserve to feel sexay and confident in herself... hello gorgeous, I will be waiting for this line until I can have it for my very own!

Photo via Swindle Magazine

I absolutely adore Dita due to my love of the "pin up" genre and also because she is the burlesque beauty of my generation. Not a lot of people have that going for them... to boot? She is on our side! Her goal is for the every woman to feel good about themselves. I love her quote "Indulging in elegant lingerie isn’t about the seduction of another person, it’s about seducing yourself first and embracing womanhood and femininity.”

Let Me Help with Your Hair

I have been traveling a lot lately for work. This wears me down and more importantly, it makes me miss home. My home has the things I love; my man, my furbabies, my struggling herb garden... all the comforts that home brings. This past trip was grueling because I felt not only was it a waste of my time work wise but in turn felt like it was a waste of my time life wise. Nothing was accomplished and nothing was gained... and to boot President Obama flew in/out of Philly the day I departed, leaving that airport in a state of upheaval and me sitting in between two businessmen with Kindles for 4-5 hours... it was not fun.

I was home yesterday for my first full day back but I went to work, came home, watched my America's Next Top Model on the dvr and fell asleep on the couch... where I slept the entire night. It was only this morning, when manfriend asked me to help him do his hair, that I really felt so happy to be home. He has a new hairdo and he wanted me to help out to make it look handsome... whether he needed my help or not, he let me help with his hair.

Home is really where my heart is. 

Digital Print by A la mode

OM is a weekly meet up that promotes living in the moment. Whether funny, sad, ridiculous, or banal, actively looking for and sharing these moments will promote balance in our lives.

Hyper Color, Bring it Spring

Guh, I totally want to break out my Spring stuff already and make a splash with bright colors... I am currently really into bright coraly oranges and vibrant blue hues... I have a couple of different projects in the works right now (a dress with a bright floral pattern and a baby quilt with bright pinks and oranges) so I am definitely trying to work my Spring urges into my creative endeavors as well.

I have seen some awesome examples of "Hyper Color" on the runways for Spring too. See my droolworthy looks below. A girl can dream of things this amazing, yes?