A Passion for Fashion

I finally did it... I mean its been YEARS. I've been sketching out designs of clothing, shoes, pocket books, etc. for years starting in grade school. I've even began courses in college for Fashion Design but decided to change my major to something more general (like Business). Although I made that change years ago, I still have passion for fashion & designing. It is for that reason that I've decided to start designing and wearing some of my own clothes. For one, it's addicting. Once I start an outfit, I can't stop. After sewing up the first outfit this year, I noticed how much of a benefit it can be to know how to make your own clothes.

1. You can make your clothes custom fit to your body; hiding any imperfections you may see.
2. You'll be unique; I can guarantee that no one will be rocking your outfit-it's one of a kind.
3. You save money; I spent $5 on one yard of fabric and used it to make a dress for work, which would probably cost me between $20-$40 dollars retail.
4. If you're real good, you can turn this from a hobby to a career...You never know where it can take you.

I'm doing it because I enjoy it. Especially when it goes from a drawing, into reality and I can actually wear it. There's no feeling like seeing the end result of something you've spent your time and energy working on.

Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup

Fully Loaded Baked Potato Soup is my favorite soup from Chili's so you know I had to find some recipes and learn how to make it. Usually when I make it, the soup will last me a couple of days. I did not add chives this time but either way it turned out great. If you try it, let me know how it turned out.

Wooden Car Craft

This weekend me and my son Christian put together and painted some wooden cars I brought him for Christmas. It was fun and easy to do AND my son can play with them afterwards so that's a plus. It was a craft that I brought from Walmart for less than $15. It came with 3 sets of cars that you have to assemble yourself and don't worry its nothing hard or confusing; very easy to do. All we needed was the glue and it came with everything else (All wooden parts, paint, 2 brushes, stickers, & sand paper). I just love crafts, especially with my little man; we get to bond and be creative. 

Countdown to New Years 2014!!!

I've had some very good times and some very sad times in 2013. It's been a VERY hard year for me. I lost my mom this year and boy do I miss her.Life is such a delicate state, it can be taken away from you at any time. We only have one life to live so LIVE it in a way that makes YOU happy. Don't worry about the small stuff; Life is Too Short.

It's about to be a New Year full of new challenges, new goals and possibly a New You. I mean, why not reach those goals that you've set for yourself but never really accomplished? Why not become a better you? You'll turn out surprising yourself because you didn't know you actually had it in you!

How about this.... Challenge yourself. Write down some things that you would like to improve about yourself; like working out, losing weight, attending Sunday Morning services, going back to school, saving money, etc. Now that you've written them down, you know what goals you are working towards so you have a better understanding of what needs to be done to attain those goals. Check them off as you go to see your progress; believe it or not, it will make you feel good.

Designed by JLV

Today is my first day wearing one of the pieces of clothing I've designed to work. Me and my co-worker have been talking about designing our own clothes at the beginning of this year. We set out a goal to wear our own designs by the end of this year, and today we did and boy does it feel great. I mean, I've already created some clothing this year but today is the first time I've actually wore it... (Most of the clothing I've made is more-so business attire for work/church and since its the end of the year we're able to dress down till next year... so you know I'm going to take full advantage of that BUT I will definitely be rocking them first thing next year). You know what, I think I'll wear one of those designs to watch night service this year at church. That'll be a great way to bring in the New Year. Either way, I'm excited about it.... Can't wait to see how I progress this upcoming New Year!!!

Chessy Chicken Casserole

Here is another great recipe I tried this weekend. It was delicious and took no time to cook. I was going to try and experiment by adding a vegetable of my choice (like broccoli or peas) but I wanted to taste the recipe without first, but that's another way to change it up a bit. It serves 8-10 people. Check it out... Let me know what you think.

Barbie got SWAG

    

      Let's talk Barbie....I am so intrigued by the evolution of Barbie. Growing up me and my sister played for hours on hours with our babies. My mother even allowed us to use our entire basement as our "Barbie World". We had everything you could think of; from McDonald s, a grocery store, dentist office, community pool, and much more. She really hooked us up with Barbie everything... BEST MOM EVER. We had all kinds of Barbies; African American, Caucasian, men and women. 

     Now Barbie is on a whole new level. Most of the Barbies found below are very unique in their own way; they all have their own facial features, skin color, hair types, nationalities, etc.
Fashion wise-Barbie is on it; very stylish clothing and accessories! Some of the Barbies below look more realistic than others (so don't forget while looking at the pictures because I had to double check some to make sure it was a Barbie as described). Closer to the bottom I have posted some celebrity Barbies as well (Janet Jackson, J-Lo, Destiny Child, Rihanna, Beyonce, Tyra Banks, TLC, Halle Berry, Christina Aguilera, Cher, and more. Check them out and tell me what you think.