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Bohemian Soul...crocheted pieces
I had the pleasure of interviewing Brooklyn stylist Deitra Wiche of Bohemian Soul. Bohemian Soul is a vintage-inspired line that is well-known for its crocheted pieces. She specializes in one-of-a-kind hand crochet accessories with a funky, retro edge. Her passion for color and texture are used in her vintage-inspired designs. With all the fabulousness Bohemian Soul entails, it was only right that I feature her designs right here on Spotlight On Style!
How did you get into fashion design? I started out designing hair accessories for natural hair. People really liked them, so I started selling them at the salon I worked at. Did you have to train or apprentice with another designer? If so, how was that? I'm a self-taught accessory designer with tips and support from family and friends inspired by the many crocheted artists in Brooklyn.
What inspired you to get into fashion design? I'm inspired by the 60's and 70's Fashion era. What inspires your designs? I love to experiment with funky, bold colors and textures. What skills would one need to become a fashion designer? Everyone is a designer! Just have fun with your creativity! What advice would you give to a young woman who wants to become a fashion designer? Check around for sewing classes and schools. Gain expierence by working in your favorite retail clothing or accessory store. Check out www.adornmag.com a daily sewing and craft magazine.
VIEW PRODUCT SLIDE SHOW
Craving one-of-a-kind pieces that will add an extra oomph to your wardrobe? Looking for clothing and jewelry collections that are guaranteed to make you stand out above the crowd? Then, stop by and shop with Bohemian Soul and Funky Twisted Soul every Saturday at The Designers Market.
What: The Designer's Market
When: Every Saturday from 11am-7pm
Where: Smith St between President and Union in Brooklyn, NY
Like what you see? Check out more information on the designer behind Bohemian Soul here
Rahil's Health & Beauty Tips: Summer Salads
BIO:
My name is Rahil Abdullah-Lewis. I am a health conscious, 27 year old stay at home mom, who also enjoys indulging in beauty products-on a budget! In another life I was a registered nurse, I was in love with the idea of helping others and learning about ways to keep myself healthy, however, I was never able to find my niche in Western medicine. I love working out, finding healthy foods and lifestyles that work with me, trying out make-up, cooking and photography.
Summer is the perfect time for a yummy salad. I believe there are 3 reasons why: your body craves extra water due to the extreme heat and humidity, the best fruits and vegetables are in season, and they come in fantastic colors! This summer I was introduced to 2 great salads, Spinach Walnut and Mandarin Chicken Surprise! Besides the great taste, the other thing I love about these salads is that they share some similar ingredients and I can find all of them at my favorite grocery store, Trader Joes, so shopping is simple. I tried them both and fell in love, so give your tastebuds a treat and enjoy the recipes below!!!!
Spinach Walnut Salad
6 oz. Baby Spinach
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onions
1/2 cup walnuts-lightly toasted
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
Dressing: Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette
In a bowl combine baby spinach, red onion, walnuts and cranberries. Toss lightly with 2-3 TBSP raspberry vinaigrette. Sprinkle blue cheese on top and serve immediately. Serves: 4
Mandarin Chicken Salad
2 cups green leaf lettuce
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup mandarin orange slices
1/4 cup chopped walnuts 1/2 cup grilled or breaded chicken
Dressing: Sesame Soy Ginger Vinaigrette
In a bowl combine green leaf lettuce, dried cranberries, mandarin oranges and walnuts. Toss lightly with 1-2 TBSP sesame soy ginger vinaigrette. Top with chicken and enjoy! Serves: 2
Denise, I Love Your Jacket!
I've seen every Cosby Show episode about ten times each. I've always been a fan of Denise Huxtable's bohemian style and this happens to be one of my favorite outfits from the show. Whenever I see this episode I always think how much I would love to have a jacket like this blue one. I love the details and the fit, but I could do without the matching pants.
Blissliving Home
You often hear a lot about what happens between the sheets. But it's pretty rare that you hear anything about the sheets themselves.
Though that's about to change, thanks to Blissliving Home's new line of bed linens.
The locally based collection includes duvets, shams, sheets, and quilts featuring oversize graphics, botanical silhouettes, and geometric patterns.
You'll be tempted to run home for a nooner with the Amanda duvet and sham set, decked in a leaf and branch print in soothing brown and green or purple on cream. Anis, a crisp black and white flower design punctuated with pink and green birds, will inspire your animal instincts. Or go totally crazy under Mallory, a silky smooth sateen decorated in pinstripes alternating with abstract blossoms in aqua or cobalt.
Add some of the mix-and-match pillows and cozy throws to create a totally inviting boudoir.
Thank heavens the walls can't talk. Available online at blisslivinghome.com .
Fall Trend Talk: Spectator Shoes?
The weekend's almost here...can't you taste it!?!
Anyway spectator pumps and booties (menswear inspired oxford shoes with a heel), have come from the 1920's and landed smack on the runways of the Fall 2007 Ready to Wear Shows:
Reyes, Betsey Johnson, & Zac Posen
Tons of stores are offering high and low priced options for the fall:
Top Row: Bally 'Glania' Pump, $595, www.nordstrom.com; Lumiana Epic, $150, zappos.com
Patent-leather-and-suede pump, Charles David, $345, www.charlesdavid.com for stores.Middle Row: Eva High Heel Lace Up Platform Booties, $635, www.gucci.com; Spectator Platform Oxford, $59, www.spiegel.com; Ruffled pump, Miu Miu, $525, 888-977-1900.
Bottom Row: Lace-up perforated pump, Bebe, $159, www.bebe.com for stores; Spectator bootie, $79, www.victoriassecret.com; Flannel-and-patent-leather bootie, Stuart Weitzman, $299, www.neimanmarcus.com.
They seem sorta cute, but I'm not too sure how I feel about them. Looking at the pickings (and prices!), I'm wondering if they'll look as good on as they do on the runway...or be worth the bling.
Ask Afrobella: Makeup for Dummies, Part Deux
I know, I know. I'm way behind on my Ask Afrobellas. I'm gonna try to be better. Ready? Here goes.
In response to my first Makeup for Dummies post, berrybrowne asks: 'bella - i wear liner, mascara, cream blush and lip gloss EVERY DAY! but that's all:-( i feel so sad and boring and i just turned 30, so i need to be fabulous. would you consider doing a makeup for dummies advanced version? still as simple, wonderful and affordable as the stuff on this post, but including eyeshadow and bronzer?
Hey berrybrowne! I'm knocking on 30's door, so I know how you feel. All of a sudden it's, whatever happened to my twenties? But you know what? I refuse to feel any less than fabulous as I get older. Now more than ever, I feel the need to take care of myself with diet, exercise, and fabulous at-home beauty indulgences. I'm taking care of my skin, hair, and teeth more ardently than before. And when it comes to makeup and beauty products, I won't let myself settle for cheap n' crappy quality anymore. Unfortunately, I'm not yet at baller status. That just means I need to look harder for the best beauty finds. So let me break down my latest and greatest finds for all of my bellas on a budget!
Eye shadow can be the most fun and the most daunting part of makeup application. It is where the artistry emerges, and it's easy to look at a photo and mumble to yourself, "I can't possibly recreate that." I'm here to tell you that you can. When I recently got my makeup done at Macy's, the artist blended turquoise with chocolate brown on my lids. I wish I had a photo, because it was just STUNNING. When I asked him how he got so good, he just said "Blend, blend, blend; practice, practice, practice." Taking the time to experiment with colors and brushes goes a long way.
For me, eye shadow is a special-evening-out thing, or a weekend thing, simply because it takes me longer to figure out what's going to blend perfectly. It's like — what color do I use in the crease? How about the brow bone? And to make matters worse, I'm attracted to bright colors, so it's easy for me to wind up inadvertently looking like Mimi from the Drew Carey show. That's definitely happened to me in the past. Not so much anymore, since I discovered Vmerie's videos on YouTube! She's a stunningly beautiful afrobella who's also got a great blog that offers step-by-step instructions videos on how to create each individual look. She mainly uses MAC and NYX cosmetics (which retail for under $6 at drugstore.com), and she is all about incredible eye drama. Seriously, check out her cranberry delight makeup tutorial for some warm and sexy flair. Those with bolder aspirations will love green mystery. And I'm totally doing her summer glow look tomorrow.
I used to be of the opinion that eye shadow is just one of those cosmetics you need to spend a little more on. Drugstore colors used to be so bland and underpigmented, not made to really pop on darker skin tones. Not anymore, thanks to
L'Oreal HIP which costs $7 for a concentrated shadow duo, and Max Factor MAXeye shadows - a steal at $4.99. Recently I was lucky enough to try some outstanding shades of Cara Cosmetics eye shadow, and if you've got darker skin or special cosmetic needs, this could be the product line for you. The eye colors are lush, highly pigmented, and were originally made for surgery patients who needed to conceal discoloration. The small unicolors cost $15 a pop and come in a fab range of colors. Sevilla is a deep, rich purple, Thera is a great sheer silver for highlighting the brow bone or inner corner of your eye. Kenya is a lovely, deep burnt orange that really brings out the gold tones in my skin. The only issue with Cara is, their cosmetics can be hard to find in stores, and it's mostly sold through spas and salons. Click here for a list of available retailers.
I can't tell you how many Ask Afrobella e mails I've gotten about bronzer. It's become an increasingly popular makeup product, I think thanks to the influence of celebrities like JLo and Beyonce and Rhianna. It's all about the glow for summer, bellas! And I can help you get it.
A little bronzer on your cheeks, forehead and nose bridge creates a warm and subtle luminescence that's undeniably gorgeous. It can also help to detract from any ongoing skin issues - bronzer can help to make your face look even and flawless. But you gotta wear it right!
Your face needs to be clean and oil free, first of all. Bronzer isn't like powder, where you can just swoosh some on to cover up a blemish or reduce oil before you leave the house. Darker brown bellas should sweep a little bronzer on over the blush on the apples of their cheeks for a toned-down glow. A rose or coral blush looks amazing under my favorite bronzers. In case you haven't been to your neighborhood drugstore recently, you might not realize — Physician's Formula has the bronzer game on lock.
Their latest stash includes the Shimmer Strips, which can be used swooshed all together on your face for a pretty blushing bronze look, or individually as eye shadow. I adore a multi purpose product, and at $11.95, it's a good deal. My current fave is — of course — Miami Strip, which features shimmery shades ranging from baby pink to the color of cocoa powder. When I'm feeling super luminous, I sweep on the Baked Bronzer. My shade is Baked Tan, and it's a glittery gold that really brings out my yellow undertones. It can be used wet or dry, so when I want a dramatic eye look, I use a wet shadow brush and give my lids a little zing.
So I hear ya. "These sound great, but I don't want to shell out twelve bucks just yet." No worries! It's my anniversary, but you just might get the present. It's the Afrobella Physician's Formula bronzer giveaway!
I've got these ten amazing bronzers to give away. I've got the Magic Mosaic , the Powder Palette, the Mineral Wear Bronzing Veil, and the questionably titled Jungle Fever bronzer, among others. Want one? Sure you do!
The Great Hookup Debate
NeoBoogie.com Weekly Feature 08/20/07
"I can remember sitting with Damon at his apartment and he threw on that Camp Lo sample. We were trying to come up with some songs to submit to Lea (Lil' Flip's "Sunshine") but I had horrible writers block. I got home and had a really bad argument with my then, boyfriend. I remember saying to him "Can't you see how hard I'm trying to be your girl?"...I wrote the hook in about five minutes. Damon loved the finished product and when it came time to discuss what song I'd use as my own single, there was no denying that "Tryin' To Be Your Girl" would be it. At that point I got Clyde Carson of The Team to lace the track. He then took it to Bay Area DJ Big Von at KMEL and it has been in rotation ever since."
Ms. Tracey Lee- singer, songwriter, producer, poet, and entrepreneur- is a native of Inglewood, California. Tracey Lee (born Tracey Williams) is the product of a Southern Baptist singing mother and a record-spinning disc jockey father that parted ways shortly after her birth. As a child of divorce, Ms. Lee spent many hours in solitude- escaping her loneliness- by reading hundreds of Harlequin Romance novels, watching soap operas, fantasizing, and writing poetry that has helped mold her into the talented storyteller that we know today as Ms. Tracey Lee. But her greatest escape was MUSIC. She would listen to greats such as: Marvin Gaye, Prince, Sade, Chaka Khan, and DeBarge- and could immediately identify with the passion these artists possessed for making meaningful music. As a songstress, with her sultry-seductive tone, Ms. Tracey Lee comes across the radio waves as a Summer Breeze. As a lyricist, her lyrics depict a maturity that comes from experiencing the perils of love lost, the pleasures of love gained, and the plight of the loveless. As a producer, Tracey Lee has a canny way of combining different genres of music and making it commercially friendly without losing any authenticity. Since setting out as a solo artist in 2005, Tracey Lee has been well received by many fans across the nation. Her long awaited debut album, Introducing Ms. Tracey Lee, is definitely what the world has been waiting for REAL music for real music lovers.
What are you waiting for. NeoBoogie is waiting for you. Sign up here and join our community of musicians and entrepreneurs. Also stay updated on what's happening in the NeoBoogie community here. - Amanda, NeoBoogie.com CEO & R&B Singer
A leak of this video has Curtis in a tizzy. According to MissInfo, she witnessed a certain enraged Gorilla Unit founder ranting about his video with Robin Thicke titled "Follow My Lead" being leaked through some croney's slip-up. He then smashed and crashed around for a moment before threatening to pack it up all together. Methinks Jimmy Iovine and some black ink will keep Curtis in his place but…who knows. ...50 probably realizes his blunder and doesn't want fans to think he's just doing the fair-haired soul-singer runaround. Oops. Here goes the leak again.
Common Resurrects "Feel Good" Rap
Today's Daily News article signifies a shift in the tide from gangsterism back to knit caps and love raps. Common is the pioneer of this movement and his Number One Billboard spot is a testament to that.
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Black People Don't Tip 2: But We DO Smile
This post comes from Gene of YBPguide. He was in Vegas recently and ate at the Hooters Casino that was the inspiration behind my Black People Don't Tip-post. Did he have the same experience? Let's get it!...
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Early last week this overwhelming craving for some buffalo wings came over me. And I mean STRONG. I wanted some of them boneless joints they have at pretty much every chain restaurant dipped in the hot sauce with some blue cheese dressing. But I knew I'd be headed to Vegas later in the week for the National Association of Black Journalists convention and that I should be a bit conservative about eating out until then.
By lunchtime Thursday, the craving hadn't subsided. And while I wanted some wings from Pizza Hut specifically, I felt like it would be wack of me to eat something in Vegas that I could eat back home in Phoenix. So I dragged my roommates – UNC alums Jason Lucas and Brandon Parker – with me to the infamous Hooters casino.
(Yes, we have Hooterses – or is it Hootersi? – in Phoenix, but we don't have a Hooters casino, man?!)
Now the last time I was in Vegas, was during Super Bowl XL (shot out to UNC alum Willie Parker) – the same weekend the Hooters casino opened. But I was with my moms. So I scrapped the idea of asking her to join me to go see Hooters debut their … well, … hooters. We just ate at those all you can eat buffets you eat at with your moms.
But this time, with my boys and my craving, there was nothing stopping me. So we took the Monorail southbound to the most sinful casino in Sin City.
We almost immediately noticed how regla (not, regular … but regla) the casino was. It was like they said, "You ain't here for the décor anyway, so why try?!" I swear that the rooms overlooking the pool looked like what a dirty, crappy frat house would look like if it was a hotel.
We walked past a bunch of pot-bellied men past their prime and only a handful of Hooters girls to the back of the casino towards the restaurant. The abundance of men working the card tables made me a bit nervous. Not that I was going to the restaurant to see the girls (I'm being honest), but if my "waitress' ended up being a dude, we was gon' have some problems.
Anyway we got to the restaurant and had to wait a little longer than I'm used to waiting. I was hungry and the waitresses (women, thank God) didn't seem to feel my sense of urgency – I had places to be. There were three photographers waiting at the door asking if we wanted to take a picture with a Hooters girl while we waited … which was HILARIOUS to me!! Nothing says I'm not used to beautiful women than a photo of you and a Hooters girl. Why not take a photo in front of sheet airbrushed with a Maserati and a champagne glass filled with diamonds?!
I passed. Plus my wife would have thrown it away anyway … and probably me with it.
So when we were seated, I IMMEDIATELY started thinking about Brandon's racist Hooter's experience and told my boys about it. We then started looking for our own conspiracy.
Almost immediately we noticed that NONE of the waitresses were smiling. It was as if we were in some small southeast Asian country and they were nervous about being sold to American tourists before their appearance on "To Catch A Predator." We also noticed that at least a third of the waitresses didn't have hooters large enough to work at a place known for them. The funniest part was seeing this not-so-busty woman with a tattoo on her breast. HILARIOUS! It was like a bald-headed woman rocking a headband.
Anyway ….
Our waitress, a pretty young blonde (probably just 18) named Mandy with too much makeup and a really poorly done weave was nice but not friendly – anybody who went to school in the South knows that friendly is very different from nice. She didn't smile, but she didn't frown either as she memorized our rather complicated orders. Afterwards, I asked if she was going to remember all of that. She replied,
"No, I'm just going to make it up."
I kinda deserved that. And she kinda laughed at the end to soften it … I think.
Anyway our service was above average (too bad our wings weren't). And our waitress never gave us reason to believe that she didn't want to serve us or had a problem with us being black. The fact that we all had on suits, ties and convention bags might have helped us.
While we were eating, the bartender by the pool walked in the restaurant in her string bikini, spray on tan and manmade hooters and shut the game DOWN! I mean even women turned around to look at her. Don't know if she was that bad, or just tighter than everybody else up in the place. She wasn't smiling either. But the rest of us were.
So we finished our very subpar meal (am I the only one who thinks Hooters wings aren't that great?!) and I stopped the black girl with the best weave as she walked by our table.
"Hey Raven! Can I ask you a question?"
Raven whips weave around
"How do you know my name," she asked while looking at her tag angrily frustrated that the 18-inch track didn't cover her badge.
I've recently begun boycotting dumb questions, so I just moved the conversation forward.
"Why aren't any of ya'll smiling," I asked somewhat demandingly, like I was OWED a smile.
The 19-year-old hit me with a string of complaints. She was tired. The job was getting old. She starts community college in the fall. Books are expensive. Vegas isn't what it used to be. And on and on and on.
I shoulda hopped on and complained about how they charged us $1 for ranch dip for our wings, but this was her moment, so I gave it to her … despite my lack of sensitivity for pretty girls complaining about how hard life is.
"So you gonna quit," I asked.
"No," she answered.
"You going to drop out of school?"
"No."
"You going to leave Vegas?"
"No."
This is what happens when you let pretty girls complain.
Even they realize that their problems aren't significant enough to change. I tried to drop some "keep your head up" type of line and let her go on her way.
We paid and left Mandy tips – mine was more than she probably expected (I think). And we headed for the door. When Mandy saw our receipts. She smiled.
Gene is a journalist based in Phoenix. Check him out at YBPguide.com.
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