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Florals, The Rolling Stones, and my 70s Funk
Apr 10th
My dad’s a huge 70s fanatic, always telling me stories of when he was young, and living the life of the kids we see in the movie My Girl. His favorite saying—“The 70s was the best time, today is nothing compared to the 70s… remember that.” As I plug my ears and walk away, I couldn’t picture the 70s being that fun. But lately, I’ve been stuck in the 70s, and with the H&M Garden collection releasing, and the new bold accessories at American Eagle Outfitters, looks like I’ll be stuck there all summer!
This isn’t a bad thing. It’s giving me the chance to be experimental and tap into a different fashion era. Over Spring Break, I found myself watching Soul Train every day, trying to locate a place where I can find a vintage bike, and saying words like psychedelic, groovy, and right on! I even bought leather vintage American Tourist boxed luggage. Don’t judge me, when I’m into something, I live it! This summer my friends better be ready, I’m preparing to bring the 70s to 2010.
The H&M Garden collection got me really excited after I saw fashion blogger, Karen Blanchard, (Wheredidyougetthat.blogspot.com) post pictures of herself in both red and ivory, chic dresses, trying to figure out which one to purchase. They both looked amazing to me, so I decided to inspect in the collection. I found awesome pieces, which I’ll be spending my hard earned cash on. Forever 21 also has a myriad of fun and affordable, floral dresses! This summer I’ll be riding the bike (that I’m going to find), with my iPod in my ears, listening to my massive play list of The Rolling Stones, Earth Wind & Fire, and Elton John, accessorized with my brown-tint aviator shades, in floral of course!
If you’re in the same 70s funk as me, or you’re just excited about summer (we all should be), here’s some fun summer suggestions:
Summer Playlist:
- Sympathy for the Devil- The Rolling Stones
- Love Rollercoaster- Ohio Players
- Brown Sugar- The Rolling Stones
- Hearts a Fire- Earth Wind and Fire
- ABC- The Jackson 5
- Play that Funky Music – Wild Cherry
- Bennie and the Jets- Elton John
- Me and Mrs. Jones – Billy Paul (My grandparents all time favorite!)
Funky Accessory:
AE Colorful bead Bracelet 12.50 (www.ae.com )
Fun Flirty Floral:
H&M Garden Collection 19.95 (http://www.hmthegardencollection.com/still-life-4/)
Peace and love everyone!
–Keiana Smith-McDowell
Lessons Learned: Continued
Apr 7th
Lauren Kreiser wrote an article for this spring’s “Then/Now” issue about the things she wished she had known as a freshman. Now that she is graduating, she imparts her wisdom on the rest of us.
You can read more of her advice here.
Lesson 6:
People say that volunteering is selfless act.
I think they are wrong.
There is nothing more rewarding then helping other people.
A lot of the moments I will cherish occurred while I was volunteering.
I’ll never forget the people of Ocean City, Mississippi, a small town that was obliterated by Hurricane Katrina. After a hard day of building homes, our volunteer group went to a local bar. We began talking to the locals and told them why we were in Mississippi. They thanked each one of us for our service to their community and bought us beers. We talked about the hurricane and how it changed their lives. They told us how we were making their home a better place. It was probably one of the most heart warming moments of my life.
When you give up your time to help someone else, your also helping yourself. You are making yourself a better person. And if you believe “what goes around, comes around,” then you are only enriching your Karma.
Lesson 25:
Buying your friend a drink at the bar will make your drink taste better.
More drinks, more happy
Lesson 75:
One of my favorite things to do is to commit random acts of kindness. When you are having a bad day, it somehow gets better when you do something nice for someone else.
If the meter next to yours is about to expire, throw a quarter in there. Not only did you save that kid $65, you have defeated parking services.
If the person in line behind you looks like they are going to die if they don’t checkout in the next 10 seconds, let them go in front of you.
You’d be surprised how good altruism feels.
To be continued…
Miss Jessie’s for women of all colors
Mar 26th
www.missjessies.com
www.missjessies.com
When I am looking at fashion magazines or on blog sites, I always look at the model, actress, or musician’s hair. I think hair is so important, especially when creating a specific look.
One look that is very popular in the urban sector is “going natural”.
Now, if you don’t understand what natural hair is, to African Americans it is your hair without a relaxer or other chemical processing (similar to straight hair without a perm.) Right now, with braids in, my relaxer has grown out and my hair is natural. Though, my natural hair is too thick and wavy too keep it that way for long. I have lots of respect for women who go for this look and pull it off with grace and class.
Women like Angie Stone, Jill Schott, Lauryn Hill and Erykah Badu have rocked natural looks from the Afro, to wild curls, to dread locks, and even the low fade. These looks show how rich my culture is and I love it! 
I wanted to talk about this trend both to share what is important to my people, and because of the new product I have been hearing LOTS about. It’s called Miss Jessie’s Original, and it helps women going for the natural or curly look. Celebrities from Alicia Keys, to Keri Hilson, and Joss Stone use Miss Jessie’s’ products. These products have also been featured in Allure Magazine, Nylon, Glamour, Ebony, and on the Trya Banks show. To me, the most exciting thing about Miss Jessie’s Original is it will soon be sold in TARGET!
I think EVERYONE should check out these products. You might find something you like!
–Keiana Smith- McDowell
Loans That Change Lives
Mar 2nd
kiva entrepreneurs
Kiva.org is changing the way people can help alleviate poverty around the world. Unlike other non-profit organizations, Kiva enables individuals to lend to an entrepreneur across the globe, and then have that entrepreneur pay them back once they are able to. If you want to lend to a butcher in Zimbabwe, you can lend to a butcher in Zimbabwe. If you want to l end to a cafe’ owner in Tanzania, you can lend to a cafe’ owner in Tanzania—the choice is yours. The system is powered by Microfinance through the Internet. Even the minimum donation of $25 can help someone start a new business. To date, Kiva has facilitated over $100 million in loans. Kiva is not only changing lives, but it is creating a global community to fight against poverty and create a more peaceful world.
To learn more information about Kiva or lend yourself, visit their website, www.Kiva.org
-Brittany Onello
What Everyone’s Talking About: the Apple iPad
Jan 28th
As everyone probably knows, Apple held a press conference yesterday to share their newest creation, the iPad, with everyone. Forget the State of the Union address, the Apple iPad has become a heavily talked-about topic in the past 24 hours. I haven’t had the time to do much research about it yet, but what I was expecting vs. what Apple released is a much different product. For a prototyping class, I did some research on the user-created prototypes for the Apple iPad and almost all of them assumed the iPad would run traditional operating system software (Snow Leopard). What Apple released however, seems to me like an enormous iPhone – running an application-based system. Although I was a bit disappointed when I first saw the application design, I have faith in Apple for making the choice they did. It will no doubt mean changes for companies everywhere, who will be racing to create their own apps for this device. I am excited to see it in person at the end of March!! (Image via Apple.com)
–Lindsay O’Hara
A New Year, A New You
Jan 28th
This is the time of year that new years resolutions hang over all our heads. Lets admit
it; everyone makes them, or at least thinks about them. January is always a time to reminisce on the past year, and make plans for the future. Most of these hopeful wishes fall along the lines of,
- LOSE WEIGHT (Over 66 percent of adult Americans are considered overweight or obese, so it is not surprising to find that weight loss is one of the most popular New Year’s resolutions.)
- Go to every single class this semester
- Get a job/internship/promotion
- Quit smoking
- Learn something new/Get involved
- Get organized
- Volunteer more
Every week I am going to challenge all readers to do something new and productive to help us jump start 2010. All of these things should help you feel better, look better, think better. And they are all within reach. This week:
- I challenge you to: Organize your closet.
- I challenge you to: Visit High Street Health and try one of their delicious smoothies!
–Meredith Fossett