This fab duo, she Aluna Francis of Vocals, he George Reid handles production. I was shocked when I found out they met on the internet and have only been working together for about 2 years. Natural chemistry I guess and they make good music together. Her voice is soft and sweet but its got that little raspy thing too.




Love their brand new vid for "Your Drums, Your Love", they just had their friends over and shot it. No offense to my friends (none taken they said), but not sure I could pull that off. I just thought I'd also add that the white t-shirt dress and necklace she's wearing is so perfect. Clean and minimal- love it, you don't always need bells and whistles, right? The second track is from last year and I'm enjoying it as well. Check out AlunaGeorge.

Really excited to watch this on PBS. I have heard so much about this project and have added to my must list. Did you know:
"More girls have been killed in the last fifty years, precisely because they were girls, than men were killed in all the wars of the twentieth century". 
That should concern us all as women (and men, after all these are human rights issues and not just women's issues), the grave injustices women continue to suffer. Sometimes it starts by educating ourselves and then we can be better equipped to answer what next. 

Hearing, reading or watching the struggles of women the world over and how they have fought to overcome them, will make you grateful for the opportunities you have and believe in the strength of a single person and the even bigger strength when we all decide to work together. Definitely an important and more than anything else, an inspirational piece that I hope most of you (and myself) get to check out.

America Ferrara & Gabrielle Union who joined the movement and help promote the cause.

More on Half The Sky movement here.
Watch trailer below:

In 2008, 6 million Americans didn't vote because they missed a registration deadline or didn't know how to register. In 2012, National Voter Registration wanted to make sure no one was left out.  National Voter Registration day was yesterday but it's not too late to visit their site for additional info and to REGISTER. Remember voting is possible with or without t-shirt.

a Rafflecopter giveaway  


If I could only buy one thing from your shop right now, which would you recommend?
At the moment my favorite pieces are my new collar necklaces.  They are some of my most recent designs, and they have been quite the statement pieces.  Every time I wear either of the necklaces out I get compliments all day long. 

What was first piece you ever made/sold?
The first piece I ever made to sell on Etsy was a necklace made from hemp cord, a vintage feather charm and a turquoise stone.  I was so elated when I sold it, and my first customer was awesome and really loved it.  That first customer also became one of my repeat customers. 

What are your plans for the future?
I'll be receiving my Associates degree soon, so i'm in the process of applying to several art/design school in New York City.  I plan on studying jewelry/accessories design and illustration design.  I also plan on expanding VRD jewelry a lot! I plan on getting my own web page for VRD soon, participating in some jewelry/craft shows, creating some look books, and of corse pumping out new jewelry designs! There are a ton of new items coming soon!


Do you have a workspace? If so, can you share what it looks like? 
My work space is also my bedroom!  Its mostly a workspace, with a random bed in the corner, but I don't sleep much, so I don't need much space for that.  I just recently installed pegboard on my main wall, so my tools are all organized now, which has been a big help.
 

Her workspace. Don't mess with a lady and her hardware.

Now some fun fill in the blanks:

I can't get through the day without ......Pandora.com!  It keeps me going throughout the day

I'm currently reading......."The Creative Habit" by Twyla Tharp. It was recommended to me by my painting teacher. It's full of really great tips and inspiration for creative folks

My favorite song is ........This one is tough because my favorite song changes every week. This week I've had Azealia Banks' "212" on repeat.  

I'm lusting after ......The amazing new clothes in this September's issue of Vogue. There are so many talented new designers emerging right now, its really inspiring! 

My dream vacation would be ...... I've always dreamed of going to Italy to appreciate the amazing art, food & history! 

Any local (Tampa) brunch recommendations: I love indian food! My sister just recently took me out for brunch at an indian cafe called Udipi.  It was all vegetarian, and the food was amazing, as was the atmosphere. They also had really good prices (I'm very cheap with food, so this was important.) 

Hi guys, so I guess Summer is truly, officially and completely over. I've been preparing for this for a while now and I'm ready. Sweaters and boots are coming out. Although I must have missed the memo cos I noticed the boots came out last week. And I don't mean just the booties, but rather full on boots, even spotted some thigh high boots. I might hold back on those for a minute.

ALSO, It's been a long minute since we had one, but check back in tomorrow from 8AM, there's going to be a very cool GIVEAWAY.

Lucy Liu, happy she's got a new show. The most unique standout dress on the carpet IMHO.

When I first saw these images, I thought, where is this shop/designer? I need to know. Sorry to disappoint but they are actually in the fabric game and not design business. They are called Vlisco and have apparently been the number one producer and supplier of West and Central African fabrics for eons. Their campaigns are chock-ful of inspired outfits and you can see more here. Now you know what to do with that yard or two. (Can you tell I can't sew, it seems you may need more than 2 yards to sew much of anything, someone educate me...thanks).

She's got some great energy this one. Bluesy and raw. Comes off very authentic, no tricks or games, just doing her music. She also seems to really love her hats, very few pics of her without it. Check out ZZ Ward.

Recently found out about this chick (Nabiha). She's got some cool music too, but I have to admit, I was drawn to her YUMMY hair. Oh sigh.

UPDATED: See RESULTS BELOW
So, lately I've been wondering about the shopping habits of others, be it my friends, family, co-workers and even you guys. Curiosity as you may recall, killed the cat (why do we even say that?)   Anyhoo, I'd love for you guys to chime in below. Trying to get a general unscientific idea about the damage we're causing. Apparently a lot of women feel so guilty about overspending on bags, shoes etc, that when they make purchases they have to sneak them into their houses so that their partners don't find out. Have I done that sort of thing? No comment. Poor sneaky sneaky women. Today I'm trying to find out just how much money we've been spending on one of our fav things.  BAGS. Be honest and true, its anon anyways.


Thanks for CLICKING: here are the results.



So there were a few hiccups but its all good. It's my first time hosting a poll on the blog and the first 20plus entries were unfortunately not included in this as I had to switch platforms. Those responses followed a similar pattern as above. Can't wait to find out what the picture looks like when we do SHOES.

on Etsy

“I realized that I had to keep doing it, because there’s a constant barrage of imagery of misery, despair and hopelessness, and more than any of those things — helplessness, the idea that Africans need to be saved,” he said. “There are attempts out there to reverse this and tell empowering, hopeful stories about Africa. This is neither of those. This is an attempt at changing representation of Africa just by sharing things that are casual, that are a general stream of daily life.”
                                                                                                                                                 Peter DiCampo, Photographer

Wanted this lamp bad. New addition, its on my list.

After finally dragging ourselves away from there, had to stop by Baked in Brooklyn. One of my fav stops for cupcakes, especially their carrot and red velvet. Too bad for me they were out of carrot, so I tried pistachio instead. Not bad at all. I've mentioned here before how dairy products make me break out. Well, I'm in the I don't care place right now. Can't seem to stop eating cake and ice-cream, my poor face is having to pay for my mouth.

FYI: If you're loving her hair, like I do, she's got a , you should check out.

Best part of the day though, was bumping into Rue Ru. She reads the blog and I was so pleased (and shy, and nervous, its a funny thing being recognized). Rue Ru, if you're reading, I hope 2 things...First, that I spelled your name right. (found out there's no 'e') Second..where did you get those glasses? She was super sweet, had only the nicest things to say...really made my day. Did I also mention that she's super pretty and quite the fab chic herself. Anyways, it was a positive day, positive people, positive energy. A good way to kill a Sunday.