I know you're looking at the title of this post and thinking "What the heck?" but that phrase came from the same person who said she was taken over by the spirit Nebuchadnezzar Hakeem Olajuwon on New Year's Eve.  If you have NO idea what I'm taking about, you can see that post here.

Moving on.

My body is mad at me because it doesn't understand what's going on.  I have joined the gym and started my workout grind, and I am soooo sore you guys!!  But my body is going to have to deal with it because, I can't stop 'cuz I won't stop (Diddy voice).  Does anyone have any good workout tips?  Does anybody workout? lol

Wearing: H&M cropped jacket and lace sheer blouse,  Gap stirrup jeans, Dolce Vita suede boots

I've been eating healthier too!  I'm proud of myself with the little salad I made the other day (yes I took a picture of it).

And I'm still going out in the streets even though it's Narnia outside.  I'm literally waiting for the Snow Queen to arrive at any moment!!

As I mentioned before, I'm in celebration of Black History Month, and I'm going to be adding some "did you knows" and whatnot to share on the blog!  Today: Sesame Street!

source

"More than 40 years ago, the Carnegie Institute was asked to figure out how television could be used to help inner-city preschool children read. Jim Henson and the Children's Television Workshop created a show with talking Muppets who taught children their ABCs and 123s. 'Sesame Street' mirrored a more inclusive world, including kids jumping double dutch, rapping and speaking Spanish. A 1996 survey showed that 95% of American preschoolers have watched 'Sesame Street' by the time they are three years old – a block in the 'hood where all children breathe air that's sweet. Now little black girls and their parents can be especially happy to tune into the program after the popularity of the 'I Love My Hair' song that debuted on an October 4 episode of the show. The show's YouTube clip of a little brown Muppet girl singing about the beauty of her hair went viral and encouraged black girls and women to take another look at the way we view our hair. "

If you haven't seen the "I Love my Hair" video, view it here.

Sidenote: I would have loved to have gotten the gig to record that song when I was little LOL!

Happy Saturday!

-Kris

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Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY!!

The past few weeks have been harsh, weather wise.  Mother Nature is really giving it to the Northeast this winter, and it's starting to get on my nerves!!!  The schools are closed practically every other day, but I still have to face this weather and go to work!  Not fair lol!  We got a big snow storm last week, and we're supposed to get another storm tomorrow.  NOT feeling it.

On a good note, it is February, which means two things: It's one month closer to Spring, and it's Black History Month!!  I have always loved BHM, since I was little, and I always participated in school programs, community service projects, etc.  Now that I'm graduated, I don't know what to do with myself.  There are always great shows, plays, and events in celebration... I'll just have to find something fulfilling.  I will also be tweeting a BHM Fact on the daily.  You can check me out here.  It's not just Black History, but America's History!

Wearing: Sasha's thrifted hat, personal jewelry, H&M oversized turtleneck, 7 for All Mankind Wide Leg Jeans

I also have some great news!  I joined the gym!!  This may not be the great news you were expecting, but I'm pretty excited about it!  I worked out yesterday for the first time in awhile, and I started feeling sore on the drive home haha!

Cocoa

I also went out this past weekend (that's two weekends in a row, watch out now)!  This time it was for my bff Leilani's bday.  She, my other bff Sasha, and I went to a Hibachi/Sushi Restaurant for dinner.  

That's Edison, he targeted me all night SMH

Clearly the best picture ever!  This is Edison shooting Sake in the birthday girl's mouth.  She signaled him to stop, but he kept going LOL!  That guy in the pic is Brenden who we met because he was like 2 ft away from us the whole night (and dropping in on our grown & sexy convos throughout the evening).  He seemed cool...

I forgot to capture the plate BEFORE I went in... Clearly... But it was DELICIOUS!

After dinner, we went to the same club (as mentioned in my last post), but THANKFULLY those old guys weren't there (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, reference here).  Lei didn't want to go out, but we made her (as usual), and was glad we did, because we all had a fantastic time!

Have a great week!

-Kris

P.S. Don't forget to enter my Giveaway!!!

Black History Month Fact: Nathaniel Alexander as the first to patent the folding chair.  His invention was designed to be used in schools, churches, and at large social gatherings.

As some of you know, I am a big reader.  I'm always reading a book, sometimes 2-3 at a time.  I love reading about people, especially bios and autobiographies.  But of course I can't deny occasionally dipping into fiction books like The Twilight Saga or the Gossip Girl series I was obsessed with back in my hs days.  But enough about me.  This post is about you!


I am announcing my first GIVEAWAY!!!
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Remember the post I did about the gift exchange with my bffs here?  And remember how I was raving about the book "101 Things I Learned in Fashion School?"  This book has 101 great tips for all the fashion heads out there, whether you want to be designers, or just want a better understanding of the technical side of fashion!

Well ladies and gents, I am giving away a copy of this book to one of my lucky readers!  Not just a copy, but a signed and personalized copy from both authors to the winner of this fabulous book!!

And books never go out of style!! :D

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TO QUALIFY:
You MUST be following me through Google Friend Connect (the follow button on the righthand side of my blog with the mini icon pics of my current lovely readers) and optionally Bloglovin.'

For those of you who are not able to follow through google, subscribe to my rss feed (also on the righthand side and in your search bar) and "like" this post (I know you all are facebook junkies lol) to spread the word!

HOW TO ENTER:
Leave a comment on this post only with your name and e-mail address, and briefly tell me what it is you love most about fashion!!
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The winner will be chosen based on their response.
**Giveaway will close on 02.20.11**
Winner will be announced 02.28.11


Thank you to everyone who has been supporting my blog by following, reading my posts, commenting, and spreading the word!  I've only had this blog a few days shy of 3 months, and I am already impressed by the amount of friendly and creative people that I have interacted with!  I truly love blogging, and it's great to be able to build a community of likeminded, driven individuals like you all.  I get so excited to read your comments, and check out your blogs as well!  Thank you!!

Enter away! <3
Good luck!!!!!


-Kris

"The more that you read, the more things you will know.  The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."   -Dr. Seuss

-----GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED------

Good morning!!!

How was everyone's weekend?  I usually don't have off Saturday evenings, so I took it to my advantage!  I went for a nice sushi dinner with my bff Sasha, then met up with a group of girlfriends to a bar/club to dance, chat, and be cute.  It was pretty fun, and there was an "eclectic" group of individuals that ranged from newly turned 21 years olds, to these two particularly older gentlemen in suits.  And by older I mean 65+.  Of course my girlfriends and I thought this was HILARIOUS and a few of them started showing the older man some attention by dancing with him!!  He legitimately looked like the old guy in the black suit that dances in the Six Flags commercials.  I was just praying he didn't have a heart attack from all of the excitement haha!

We ended up bar hopping,  eating a couple slices of pizza, sampling some gelato, and eventually going home. 

It's not too often that I do this, so I let myself have a little fun this time around :)

Thanks to everyone who gave me a shoutout and let me know they saw me in the February issue of Essence Magazine!  I felt so much love!!  You guys are great!!

I'm headed to work, then meeting up with Sasha this evening to FINALLY go see Black Swan.  Did you guys see it?  What did you think?  I've heard so many mixed reviews about the movie, but I'm a HUGE fan of Natalie Portman (ever since Anywhere But Here).  Hopefully I'll enjoy it!  I mean, the woman won a Golden Globe for it!

Wearing: Burnt orange fuzzy cardigan, Vintage Hat, Vintage Gap Belt, ASOS jeggings, Suede Dolce Vita boots

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday, and have a positive start to the week!

Best,

Kris

I've always heard that DIY or "Do it Yourself" projects are a fun way to be creative, to reinvent, and to push your imagination to produce something fantastic that you're ultimately proud to show off!!

Not in this case.

After moving back home from college (this past August), there were some things that NEEDED to GO, and needed to be "re-vamped."  I cleaned out my drawers, threw away useless junk etc...

Then there's the big dilapidated tv stand...

Hott mess right?  It had shelves too, but I dno what happened to those, so there's a ton of books, dvd's, and VHS's thrown inside there... No bueno.  I also had this GINORMOUS tv (that I actually really loved, but was time to let go) that someone willingly took off my hands.  It was to be replaced by my plasma tv from my college apt that had been sitting in a guest room on the floor, lonely and unwatched.  SO I decided to find an inexpensive book shelf I could buy and customize (the DIY part), and could serve as a bookshelf/tv stand.  Good idea right???  WRONG.

This is what the tv stand was supposed to look like:

My plan was to spray paint all of the shelves before assembling it.

My friend Lei even came over to help create my vision!

Looks good right??  I thought so too!

Once the paint dried my dad helped me assemble it.  And here is where the FAIL part comes in very quickly....  As SOON as we start putting it together the paint starts chipping all over the place!  It turned out to be a lost cause.  It's still a little painful to talk about it, so I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves.  

Final Results:

Not even 5 minutes after I took this picture, my dad tried to move it over some and the whole thing slants, almost falling apart entirely.  I attempt to push it back upright and place my plasma tv on it, and it starts shaking like it's going to straight up demolish!! 

So basically I had to bring back my dilapidated tv stand to replace my new dilapidated bookshelf HAHA!  Hott mess!!!  I'm actually laughing out loud at this point, this project was such a disaster!!  As Lei told me yesterday, "Your vision truly stayed a vision."  Yup Lei, it surely did.

One of my cats Akbar thought it was a jungle gym, so I let him play around... Might as well be useful for something!!... I only paid 20 bucks for the bookshelf... I guess you get what you pay for!  It's still sitting in my room, but I plan to take it out on trash day lol.

On a positive note, yesterday was the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday!  I went with my mom and her Sorors for a Day of Service on the holiday to a nursing home to hang out, take pictures, and play games with the residents.  It was pretty cool, I like participating in community service projects at any capacity.  It keeps me grounded and humble.

Let us always remember Dr. King's life, legacy, and the numerous doors he has opened for all of us!  Thank you Dr. King!!!  I love all of his quotes, but here is one of my favs:

"An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."

DEEP.

I'm also currently reading a book that I recommend all of you fashionistas read.  I absolutely am loving it!! 

Her story is so inspiring!  She is a strong, powerful, and successful woman, and the book is filled with great advice!  She talks about life, love, and how she got to where she is now.  Here's an excerpt:

"It's not enough just to listen to your inner voice and ask yourself the hard questions about who you are and what you believe.  Eventually you need to get strategic about refining and communicating to others who you are and what you believe if you want to succeed."

Tell 'em Kelly!!

She's also extremely hilarious and witty, so don't think it's solely a self-help book that contain pages of quotable words.  You'll really enjoy it, I'm sure!!

Btw, I have some really fun posts coming up which require your participation!  I'm pretty excited about them, I hope you're willing to participate!! ;)

I hope all is well,

-Kris


P.S.  I smell a giveaway...... hehehe.

I had a really important conversation yesterday with a family friend/mentor that really woke me up.  She opened up my eyes to the fact that I'm going to have to work a lot harder than I am now to achieve the goals I have set for myself.  There are countless aspirations I hold, and as my elders always tell me, "You're in your early 20's.  This is the time to try out a whole bunch of careers.  You may not figure out right away what you want do, but you will for sure find out what you don't want to do."

In any career field, whether it lies in Corporate America or starting your own small business out of your home, there takes a certain amount of time, dedication, and a bit of luck to become successful in it.  However, the dichotomy between the two make us "creative money seekers" (that is, wanting to be able to make a decent living from our creative lifestyles) fall into the space in between the the two, leaving us confused.  Is there a way to achieve the benefits from both?  Can I hold a career in Corporate America without sacrificing my artistry?  What do you guys think?

At 22 years old I can say that I know I love music, and I love to write.  I will keep pursuing those fields because it is what I love to do.  I need to stay hungry, and keeping grinding to create and discover opportunities for myself, since I know I want to be doing it for the rest of my life.  As we all know, time waits for no one.  It is time for me to step it up!  Like my best friend told me yesterday, "You can't let life get in the way of living."

On a lighter note (lol), my best friends and I FINALLY did our Christmas Gift Exchange haha!

Sasha (the lady with locs) received a brass knuckle mug and a flask from Lei, and a velour sweatsuit (inside joke) and a Vicki's Secret gc from myself.  Lei received a booked called "6 Billion Others: Portraits of Humanity from Around the World" from Sash.  She also got some cute pilates outfits from moi so she can look cute when she teaches her classes (she's just weeks shy from her certification)!

We took some outfit pics during the gift exchange... Why not?  Sasha IS my photographer and all!

Wearing: Express cowl neck sweater dress (I got on the sale rack for $20!), F21 tights, Madden Girl boots

I think my collar bones are fighting to take the spotlight in that picture above lol...

Today is also the last day I'm rocking straight hair for awhile.  Time to go back to my nappy roots lol.  Especially since I'm starting to workout again :)

I received a beautiful scarf and two great books from Sash and Lei:

One of my favorite designers!

The one is called Faces of Africa, and it features portraits of the the many diverse cultural traditions of tribes and communities in different parts of Africa, while also showcasing aesthetics from hair to fashion.  I love it!  The other, "101 Things I Learned in Fashion School" is such a cool book.  The tips include a breakdown of fabrics, quotes from famous designers, and how-to's!  Ladies who aren't necessarily designers, but want to educate themselves more on the fashion world in general, a definite recommendation!

Here's an excerpt:

#19

Random Hypothesis

"Your shoes say who you are; your hair or hat says how you wish to be perceived."

Best,

Kris

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Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you believe it's 2011?  The end of a decade!  This year has gone by extremely fast.  I feel like I just walked across the graduation stage in May, and recently finished up my last semester of undergrad this past August!  Where has the time gone?  I do feel like this past year was a successful one.  Success doesn't necessarily have to mean a concrete gain or profit, but could be something accomplished from the things one experiences.  I've had a lot of learning experiences, some I'm still experiencing, from love, discovery, pain, pressure, loss, determination, hope...

I'm ready to take on the New Year in full force!  I have so many plans for myself!  I did make a few New Year's Resolutions, and it didn't take me too long, because they're more so career goals, goals that I will be working towards steadily.  For all those who think making New Year's Resolutions are pointless...  Hey, there is nothing wrong setting the bar, and working to reach it!!

This post is going to be LOADED with pics.  In fact, I'm going to have to do another post with the rest of the New Year's Eve pictures... I don't want to overload you all at once!

Remember how I mentioned last post that I caught a little cold?  Well that cold came back and turned into the flu! I got sick again last Monday, had a 101.2 fever and everything!  It was HORRIBLE, and I'm STILL recovering... I ended up missing my lovely friend Julian's b-day party! :(

And yes, that is Amanda Lepore

You'll be seeing more pics of him in the near future, although his profile is pretty fierce itself ;)  I headed over to NYC on New Year's Eve with one of my besties Lei:

 

Isn't she gorgeous?!!

We arrived in the city and stayed with my good friend Shawna (She's the one in the fierce sequined dress who also did my makeup)

I didn't get to see all of my college buddies, but it was great to see these ladies!!

Lei and I departed from them to meet up with the crew.  We were all headed to this party called "Ghetto Gothic" in which people dress up in gothic clothing and dance to Hip Hop music.  Yes.  You read that correctly. 

The man who took this picture was a talker.  He was telling us how we needed to go dancing wherever we were off to, and proceeded to tell us about he and his gf's plans... Although we never asked lol.  My hair was CLEARLY in it's beginning stages of frizz *sigh*

We met up with the crew and my friend Sarah immediately called a moment of silence for the unexpected death of Teena Marie.  5 seconds later we had a jam sesh solely playing her music! "I'm talkin' square biz to you baby (square square biz)!"

Bubu and Tiffany conversing about who knows what haha.  Boo Bubu had just caught a plane back to the states from France, and before that was in Madagascar for 6 months!  She was speaking French most of the evening lol... It was great to see them both!!

Ya'll know I had to do a shoot while I was out there, all taken by the other bestie Sasha.  She's so amazing, I'm so blessed to have a photographer/bestie!  Phobestie?  Bestographer?  Ok I'll stop.  But I will say that I was pretty impressed with how this shoot turned out, especially since she was taken over by the spirit of "Nebuchadnezzar Hakeem Olajuwon"(as she informed me that night)...... Yeah.... LOL.

wearing: Black F21 top, ASOS tulle skirt, Black Patent Leather Rachel Roy Platform Pumps, Personal jewelry

LF Fur Vest

HYPE this look on lookbook.nu!

We did a bit of party hopping, but the last party we stopped before "Ghetto Gothic" was over, and by showing up, we kind of rekindled it.  By that time, Lei and I were tired (this had to be around 2:30a.m.) and parted ways w the rest of the crew to head back.  I slept on Lei's shoulder on the subway ride to my friend's apartment.  It was our stop, and as I opened my eyes to stand up, this aggressive homeless man comes up to me and screams at me, calling me explicit names and telling me to get the ____ out of his way, etc.  I was so confused, I had literally just woken up lol.  I reached for the pole to find my balance and he draws his hand back in attempt to slap my hand, but I pulled it away just in time.  I proceed to walk off the subway, without reacting.  I don't know if I was more confused at his obscenity or for the fact that he had this white "cream of wheat" looking substance hanging off the side of his mouth smh... Only in New York.

He gets a blank stare.

*I learned from my friends that Ghetto Gothic was on and poppin, and the music was really good!  Unfortunately for them, the party got shut down about 45 minutes after they arrived lol.*

Overall, New Year's Eve was an "interesting experience." A lot of my plans fell through since I got sick.  Because of that, I wasn't able to get to NY earlier, but I had fun seeing some of my friends and hanging out for the time we did have together.  That's all I needed!  

Once again, Happy New Year, and I'm so excited to journey 2011 with all of you!  Thank you to everyone reading my blog, and all of the lovely comments, it means so much to me guys!! 

Sincerely,

Kris

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Merry Christmas!!!

I know, Christmas has passed, but I'm still in the Christmas spirit ok!  So don't judge me!!  I felt all of the positivity exuding from all of the Christmas blog posts I'd read in the past day or so, and since I clearly didn't post on Christmas Day, I decided now was the time.  Think of this as a "belated" Christmas post :)

How was everyone's Christmas?  I had a lovely time hanging out with the family.  Besides the fact that every Christmas I get into a little argument with my uncle about Beyonce.  I fall for it every.single.year.  He only starts talking bad about her because he knows I'll immediately stand up for her (ya'll know I love me some Bey).  I'm not falling for it next year though, mark my words!

My family really surprised me this year for Christmas.  I asked for a couple things, a makeup bag and some silver cross earrings (which I fortunately received).  I ended up getting a lot more than I expected,  including my biggest surprise upon opening the Christmas gift from my Pop Pop!

I got a Nikon D3100!!  I was actually saving up to purchase this camera myself!  I had been fussin' all month, Oprah had given it away as one of her "favorite things" this year, and just a few days before Christmas I had checked out the camera in a store, to finalize my decision!  I was screaming and carrying on as soon as I started unwrapping the paper and noticed the word "Nikon" haha.  Apparently everyone knew, and also knew I was going to scream lol.  It was a total suprise!  I'm so very thankful!

Here are a few lovely items I received from my family:

Lovely cross earrings :)

This beautiful cashmere scarf that is leopard print on one side, and paisley on the other, with fur tassels on the end.  How unique!  I absolutely love it!

We switched it up this year as far as food, my Pop Pop wanted fried chicken (lol), so that's what we ate! Along with, biscuits, steak, mac & cheese, collard greens, sweet potatoes, crab cakes, scallops wrapped in bacon,... It was all delicious!  I took a plate home with a taste of everything (or two)!

My hair was larger than life that day... And my behind is lookin' pretty large too lol #gymmembershippending

My dog Cocoa with her festive scarf piece haha

My late Grandmother in her first communion with her parents :)

One of my cuzzos: Clarke

I'm headed to NYC for the second annual "New Years Eve Celebration with the Crew".  This time it's going to be bigger and better.  More friends, more fun!!  I'm heading over on the 30th (which is my friend's bday) to celebrate at his bday party.  Then NYE we're going to be eating hors d'oeuvres/drinking champagne/looking fabulous until we head out to party hop until the New Year!  

I'll be heavily documenting this trip, I can't wait to show you guys!  I even have a little something something I came up with to really capture the essence of my New Year's Eve of 2010!

I can't wait for the New Year to begin.  I feel like this is going to be a great year for me.  Now that I'm graduated from college, this is the time to dip and dabble into different fields, see what I want and do not want to do.  It's all about discovery and determination.  No better time than now, right?!  I'm going to make a list of goals (career and personal) that I want to achieve in 2011, and actually follow through with them!!

Are you making any New Year's Eve Resolutions?

Best,

Kris

*photography by: aphlyonthewallphotography.com and me!

I apologize for the lack of a post for almost a week (gasp).  I came down with a cold and am still getting over it :(  I always get sick during finals week, and I thought since I graduated this past summer, I wouldn't get sick this time of year because I obviously don't have any finals to take.... And I still ended up getting sick!  What is the sense in that?!

I honestly can't make sense of it haha!

Christmas is 5 days away, I look forward to going to Christmas mass and hanging out with the fam.  I didn't really ask for anything this year, although I may have dropped a few "hints" on things hehe.

I was feeling a little down in my last post, but I'm moving forward with positivity from this point on!  Your comments were so supportive, I truly appreciate each and every one of them!

wearing: H&M Cosby sweater, Vintage Faux Fur suede coat, Dolce Vita suede boots

What did you guys ask for Christmas this year?  Do you still ask for things?  What is your take on the Christmas holiday?  

Before I leave you, let me tell you a little story, I think a lot of you will be able to relate.  My mother was on the phone with her sister, in an "attempt" to gossip about sports.  Bad move.  She ended up referring the football player, Chad Ochocino as "Cinco de Mayo."  All I could do was shake my head.  I shared the same story as my facebook status, and one of my friends sent me this video.  Hilarious.  This is my mother!!

I'm not quite sure if I'll do another post before Christmas Day, so everyone have a lovely holiday!!  I will most certainly be back before the New Year!

Blessed,

Kris