Cirrcus Bag

L.A.M.B. Crepe Shoes

Also: L.A.M.B. Women's Crepe Bootie,Black Leather,7.5 M US

Treasure your Memories

On the Today Show they had a great segment on Steals and Deals. I figured I would share it with you all. Hopefully the above Photo book will be of interest too you, it is a great way to treasure your memories, whether it is art from your children, or pictures from trips, parties etc... There are other Deals on the Today Show website.
Follow the link: RitzPix

Inspiration that comes from Above

When hosting a small party jazz it up with simple inexpensive ideas. Easy transformations to your party area can make such a difference. Your guests will marvel at your creations and feel special. Lets look at the Inspiration that comes from Above the table.

 Hanging Flowers

 I LOVE these "Pom-Poms" (I call them flowers) hanging from the ceiling. All you need is  tissue paper, scissors, tape and string. How simple is that?  Martha Stewart Weddings has a great  How to instructions to make these Flowers.

Putting your own touch on these flowers is very easy. Make your flowers different sizes and colors. When you hang them up you can hang them at different heights. Another cool idea is if you want to be daring and not use a solid color create your own PRINT or find paper with a print to your liking or words.

Also you can change up the look of the flower by cutting the petals into different shapes, they can be rounded, sharp,or wavy .

Painting a without Paint?

Fabric allows you to color the room without a mess or any paint! You can create blocks of color in a room to brighten or darken a room to your liking. This picture is from Bakati. the colorful fabric shown here creates the boundaries of the room, brings life to the space and may also be concealing eye sores.

Southern Living picture to the right is of a backyard makeover it is a good depiction of the drastic changes a little fabric can do for the better.

So if you are thinking about incorporating this into your party here are a couple of tips. Choose a fabric color and texture that suits your needs and the type of party you are shooting for. If you party is outside you can place polls in the ground and extend string from each poll and simply drape your fabric over it. It can be a long sheet or multiple sheets spread out as depicted in this photo.

TIP: PLASTIC! If you really want to be thrifty go the the party store and purchase rolls of plastic table clothes. It can serve the same purpose as fabric.

Light up the sky

 Jordan Ferney shows a easy way to light your party up. It appears that in this picture they are using string light bulbs and placed them carefully in the trees. This can be achieved by using stringed lights as well. Touch lights can be just as effective and can be placed in any location. You don't want harsh lighting so these types of lighting set the mood for your gathering. If you are able to find string light bulbs change the color of the light as a little surprise to your guests.

Happy party planning to you all :)

Question of the Week

What is your favorite BLOG?

Rant

Fly Natural that's Naturally Fly is really coming together. I'm so excited because in the beginning I wast quite sure how I was going to be able to put ALL my LOVES in one place where people would be able to appreciate it. But look what was created Inspiration from all angles! The logos, makeover, new additions have come along nicely and just think the Lookbook launches NEXT WEEK! Very excited about that. Hope you guys like it. I have found it very difficult to remember the different styles I wanted to show. Seems that when you under pressure you cant remember anything. Lately two strand twist Bantu knots have been my favorite go to style.  So thankfully this has helped me to remember all the other styles that I use to do all the time. DON'T FORGET to share your styles! This will make OUR Lookbook grow with varying styles that all can benefit from.

 Are you guys ready for my length check? Technically it is next Monday  BUT I need to move it. Yes move it because that weekend I will be involved in construction and there is no way I'm going through all that work to sweat it out. So I will straighten my hair on February 5th.  Wow feels like it took so long, but at the same time has come so FAST! YE-HA! Still a little nervous to see the progress.

COLOR COLOR COLOR! I will not be getting color next week with my length check. Now I know what I want BUT I must find a stylist that can take EXCELLENT care of natural hair and can COLOR like nobody's business but not damage my hair.

PARTY! I'm in a serious party mode. Unfortunately I have not taken pictures of the little get together I have had of late. SO I PROMISE from now on to take pictures of the little things I do so that I can continue to inspire each one of you. I have many little and big events coming up from now till May STAY TUNED!

Thanks for listening (reading),

LOOKBOOK!

Question of the Week

What color would you color your hair?

RICH BROWN COLOR

 

My brain is STILL on COLOR. I have always had a love for RICH brown hair. So I HAVE DECIDED....DEEP RICH BROWN HAIR it is with varying shades of brown, cooper and blondish...honeyish... color. Now my job is to research the safest coloring technique and a stylist who will give me the best results possible.

PARTY INSPIRATION!!!!

 I discovered this cute table setting. Simple, bold and chic. You never know you may see me try this at the next party or Soiree :) yievents

Want to create this effect? Take 3 rectangle tables place them side by side. Find a BOLD table cloth that drapes down to the floor. Get a roll of plastic table cloth, or get the table cloths that hang like linen and drape your table with it. The key is for the table cloth to drape to the floor this makes it more elegant.

This is the cutest sweetheart table  from All Wedding. I really like the Mr. and Mrs. cut outs. They are simple and easy to make.I think its a great idea and can be used for any occasion. Instead of making place cards you can make cut outs like these for your guests to find their names with ease.

This table idea is very cute from Sunset.
You simply find a table cloth that reflects or allows light to glow easy and string some lights under the table. The important part is to ensure that your lights are a good distance from your table cloth, for safety.

Instead of stringed lights your could use touch lights. They are sold at your local dollar store and should literally be $1.00. You can stick them to the bottom of the table and they will reflect the light for a good amount of time.










This photo came from Catering Works. I love how simple the table setting is, the napkins and center pieces really pop.  Your eyes go straight to the color.














Flower Arrangements - this picture is from Bakati


You can intensify the color of the flowers by placing then under water. Some flowers may float to the top so you may want to hot glue them to the side of the glass vase

This picture is from Soiree 2010 I used the above idea with fake flowers from the craft store. Everyone thought they were real. Imerging them in water really brings them to life and makes the colors POP!

My Hair Must Haves

Hair Accessories by Forever 21
Blow Dryers & Irons by Gold'n Hot

1. Spray bottle - Rewetting hair
2. Wide Tooth comb - Detangling wet hair
3. Leave in - Kinky Curly Knot Today
4. Moisturizer - Curls Creme Brulee
5. Conditioner - Giovanni Smooth as Silk, Aussie Moist, Burts Bees
6. Silk pillow case - Protecting your hair at night
7. Oils - Olive Oil, Jojoba Oil
8. Butters- Shea Butter
9. Bonnet dryer - Applies less heat then a blow dryer
10. Deep conditioner - Aussie 3 minute deeeper conditioner
11. Protein Conditioner - Aphogee ApHogee Intensive Two Minute Keratin Reconstructor
12. Head Band -Great for pulling your hair back or creating a cute style
13. Styling Aid - Kinky Curly Curling Custard

Bantu Knot Updo

Products Used: Shea Butter, Olive Oil, Creme Brulee,  Eco Styler Olive Oil Styling Gel

 1. Start with clean damp hair. Gel you hair in the back up in a twist. Twist should be going from neck up to the crown of your head.

 2. Take all loose hair and place into medium size Bantu Knots.

 3. Place a small amount of gel on your back edges to ensure your hair drys smoothly.

 4. Place a scarf tightly on your hair the knot should be in the front and NOT in the back.

 4. Once hair is dry, remove scarf and unravel Bantu knots.

 5. Remember to apply Shea Butter to your fingers to avoid frizz. When breaking up the Bantu knot place your index finder in the middle and work your way down to add fullness to your style.

 6. Place Gel on front edges

7. Tie scarf to secure edges. When you tie the knot to secure the scarf ensure that it is where your part is, this way it will not make an indent on a smooth area.





8. Once gel dries remove scarf, fluff hair as desired.

Unused Products - Hair Styling

Continue to use the product - Hair styling

 In the previous Unused Product segment we talked about Solutions to this problem. One was continue using the product for hair styling. Last week I had a great example of this. You may remember my review on the above product Shea Moisture Curl and Hold Smoothie, I was thoroughly disappointed by this product. No Moisture, no hold, no definition on my wash and go, bantu knot and 2 strand twist bantu knot. My hair was dry dry dry. So last week I decided to give it a go again BUT with a different style, Twist out! Now you all know my Twist outs NEVER EVER EVER EVER come out right, so much so that I refuse to show you pictures of the results. Well can you believe it that this product works on this style for me!

As you can see my hair is DEFINED, BLACK, SHINY and Moisturized :)

From trying this product again and finally have success I have learned some additional things about using products that didn't work before for styling. I believe that the essential reason my hair retained moisture, shape, shine and body this time is because I applied a generous amount of Shea Butter and Olive Oil. Usually I apply a little amount like I usually do for other styles, but I believe for this product and for my hair it needed a stronger base of oil and butter before the smoothie was applied. Then I applied the smoothie and twisted my hair up. It was amazing to see the result since my twist outs never come out good. So the verdict for this Smoothie for a twist out is definitely thumbs up :D

Question of the Week

What's the next party you would like to plan?

As you know I'm always planning something. Right now amongst other things I'm focused on a Family Fun Night that is going Around the World (ATW). The venue will be set up like a Market Place, each family or group of friends that has requested to participate will decorate their booth (table) and show case the culture, activities, food and language of the country they have selected. My country is Japan. I'm currently working on a Inspiration Board to showcase, coming soon :).

Twist Updo

 Products Used: Olive Oil, Shea Butter, Bobby Pins

How to twist:  Divide a small section of hair into two, and cross hair so they twist together like a rope. Apply extra Shea butter or olive oil to the ends.

When I started I made a part in the front. Then I twisted all of my hair in medium small twists. I took all the hair on the left side of the part and twisted it back and bobby pinned it in place. Repeat on the right side. Any remaining hair is pinned in the large twists. Use a head band to add a little extra something to this style.