Memoirs of a Fashion Blogger: Meet Tammy

Ladies and gentlemen, do I have a treat for you today!  Since I am such a fan of fashion and how style is interpreted by other fashion bloggers, I wanted to start up a new segment on the blog called "Memoirs of a Fashion Blogger."  My goal is to interview fashion bloggers to get a glimpse of the fashion world from their points of view.  When I first gave energy to the idea, blogger Tammy of A Fendi Bag and a Bad Attitude was the first person that came to mind. She is one of the first fashion bloggers I followed when I started blogging and I've loved getting to know her through these internet streets.  She has great style, impeccable taste in shoes and definitely has an attitude of the city.  And if that didn't reel me in, the LL Cool J's "Around the Way Girl" references in her blog's name totally won me over.  So ladies and gents, I present to you Fashion Blogger Tammy of A Fendi Bag and a Bad Attitude.

D: So Tammy, tell me about your blog.
T: My blog is my personal diary. I use my environment (New York) as a reflection for my blog. I get inspired from these NYC streets to blog about fashion (new trends, street style, and art), music and my love for the city. My blog is me.... My love for shoes, fashion & New York.

D: How do you define your style? Do you have a signature look?
T: I don’t think I have a signature look. I do notice that whenever I’m out & about, at different events or even sometimes doing my “street-style” photo-shoots, that I am usually in the color black. Some may say that wearing black is all me BUT don’t get it twisted... I am NOT afraid of color.

My look changes daily to what I like and feel comfortable in. One day I could be my in comfortable Camo outfit, a pair of heels with red lips and another time I could be over the top... Overly accessorized, color blocking... just adding and mixing with the newest trends that I see daily on the street of New York. So you can say that I define my style as versatile... bad ass.... chic, lol

D: Where do you look for style inspiration?
T: I get all of my style inspiration from New York. This is the BEST place to see everything and just be inspired from the different people and looks that I see.

D: Who are your style icons?
T: ALWAYS and FOREVER... June Ambrose. I also cannot forget Angela Simmons, Rihanna and Olivia Palermo & I cannot forget about my Style Bloggers.

D: Who are some other fashion bloggers you admire?
T:  Monroe Steele, Monica Rose (stylist), Claire of The Fashion Bomb Daily, and Style Pantry.

D: What items do you feel are wardrobe "must-haves?"
T: I feel that every female should have at least (3) black dresses in their closet (it’s so necessary), a pair of red and Black pumps, Skinny leg jeans/ boyfriend jeans and a few graphic tees.
D: I think I have all of these covered.  Maybe I need to add another black dress or two to the mix though!

D: What are your favorite places to shop?
T: I love boutiques (on-line as well), vintage stores... walking around in SoHo, H&M and Topshop.

D: What [trends] are you looking forward to wearing in the Spring?
T: Believe it or not I am looking forward to mixing prints, tribal prints and the bold colors... I can’t wait!

D: If your style had a theme song, what would it be?
T: Haha...  good question... I have a few but one that will fit me would be Dipset- “I’m Ready.” This song just says “I’m ready and always on point.”
D: I just love you for that answer, Tammy!  I love me some Dipset! *humming Jimmy's verse as I type*

D: Do you have any styling tips or advice you would like to give someone who's working on developing her personal style?
T: Be YOURSELF. Be comfortable. Set your own trends, don’t be afraid to explore with colors and different prints and ALWAYS dress like you’re going to meet your worst enemy.

If you are not yet informed about Miss Tammy's whereabouts in these internet streets, please get familiar!

Check her out on:
Instagram- “Drakes_Right_Hand”
Twitter- @FendiBag_BadAtt
Facebook- A Fendi Bag and A Bad Attitude
Meet-up- NYC Fashion Bloggers (Co- Organizer)
Examiner.com


*And if you are a fashion blogger and would like to be featured in my "Memoirs of a Fashion Blogger" segment, be sure to email me at missdre910(at)(gmail)(dot)(com)  =)*

MANICure Monday: Superstar Sparkle

Happy Monday, ladies! I hope everyone's week is off to a beautiful start!  I'm starting my Monday morning off with another Manicure Monday link-up. This week, I decided to abandon my bright colors and my beloved pink hues to try something different.  I recently grabbed up this Pure Ice Nail Polish in Superstar (as I did not have a white nail polish in my stash) so decided I would give it some play this week.

While I didn't want to wear just an all-white mani, and I didn't want to resort to doing a colored accent nail, I decided to add glitter to my mani with O.P.I. Spark de Triomphe (from the Serena Williams Collection).

And for an accent, I left the ring fingers white.  I guess that would make it like a reverse-accent situation!

So what are your manicures looking like this week ladies?  Did you play it safe with familiar colors and acrylics or did you go bold this week?  Perhaps you decided to skip the polish altogether.  Either way, I would love to hear all about the details in the comments. Let me know!  

Check out past MANICure Monday posts if you haven't already:

Delusions of Pink Grandeur

For My Sweethearts

Featuring Essie in Playdate

Hulk Smash + Sparkle

...With a Chance of Rain

Letting It Shine!

If you guys saw my last "life" update, you know that I was experiencing a bit of frustration.  My friends were disappearing, I was confused about what I wanted to do in life, and I was feeling so unaccomplished.  But as always, with a wing an a prayer (and some kind words from one of my fellow bloggers ;-) I slowly began to bounce back.  Getting myself out of the dumps about things meant understanding that everyone has setbacks.  I myself was no stranger to unfulfilled plans and goals.  But this is something that happens to any and everyone struggling to make a fabulous life for themselves.

Instead of dwelling on the things I have yet to accomplish, I started looking at the things I have committed to and completed.  I also commended myself for actually creating a plan for myself and trying my hardest to find ways to make a better life for me and my family.  I am also a good friend, daughter, sister, wife, mother, student, employee, and mentor.  That in and of itself deserves a pat on the back.

Looking at the positives is something I should already be accustomed to, as my training in Solution-Focused Therapy suggests that positive self talk gets us back to our "happy place."  However, advice we learn and know are not always easy to apply to our own lives.  But when the light-bulb finally came on, I started re-evaluating my life and all the wonderful things about it.

I also started enjoying my own company.  I had lunch by myself, got spa treatment by myself, and enjoyed a couple of quiet afternoons alone with some smooth neo-soul music.  This helped me to see that I was spending too much time beating myself up, as opposed to nurturing myself and taking care of me-spiritually, physically, and emotionally.  Now I'm back at it with working out and taking time to do a few self-care check-ins as often as I can.

Most importantly, I have come to realize that I have to let this ambition, passion, and driven spirit within me shine more.  When I see other people accomplishing goals that I have yet to attain, I have a tendency to shrink like a flower, as if I am measuring my success by someone else's.  I have to stop worrying about what others think about my progress and focus more on progressing in general.  I can either allow negative comments from so-called friends and family members to knock me down, or allow them to see the "in it to win it" spirit within that has helped me to progress this far. 

The words from one of my favorite songs "Shine" by Laura Izibor illustrates my emotions almost exactly.  I decided not to let my life go to waste trying to measure up to people's expectations or to live life on autopilot, letting all the "good times" happen to other people.  It's time that I let the light inside of me shine, not for others, but for me!

from the archives 

May 2011

Tuesday's Tunes: Volume 6

Happy Tuesday, guys and dolls!  How are you all doing today?  I hope your week started off on a positive note and you're all in good spirits!  As it usually goes, I would like to thank you guys for stopping by here today and checking out the tunes I've been grooving to so far.  I appreciate each and every one of you and hope that you hear at least one song you like or can reminisce to or vibe with while listening along today. 

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Request Line by Zhane'- This used to be my jam back in the day! I remember turning up my mom's living room radio (or what you would now call a boom box) whenever this song came on. It always played during the midday jams on Saturdays, the day mama went to make groceries and left me at home to babysit my younger siblings and get the house cleaned up.  My friend D would come over, we would delegate chores to my siblings, and we would turn the radio up super loud and clean to the beat lol. Those were the days!  It also reminds me of those middle school days when I used to call the radio station and request songs just so I could dub them on a tape!  I know I wasn't the only one who did that!  Either way, I loved every single Zhane' put out, but this one was my favorite.  Does anyone know where these ladies are nowadays?

On The Radio by Nelly Furtado- Listening to Nelly Furtado this morning brought back memories of 2001. This was a pivotal point in my life, as I was learning many lessons in self-love. Ironically enough, lyrics in Nelly's song declare that she had decided to stay true to herself-- something I was learning to do at that same time.  While she was clearly talking about her switch to mainstream, her message spoke to my high school self perfectly.  I didn't have to fit in with others. It was okay if I was a nerd, or loved to read & write ALL THE TIME, or didn't have a million name-brand pieces in my wardrobe. I decided back in 2001 to stay true to myself no matter what.  I lost a few friends, but looking back at everything, I realized they weren't my friends to begin with.  If any young ladies and gentlemen are reading this, always remember to love yourself first.  If you have to change any aspect of who you are to fit in with others, chances are you don't need to be around them in the first place.  Never dim your light to satisfy others.  People who don't want to see you doing your best don't have your best interest at heart anyways!  Listen to the song :)

Good Good Love by Rapsody- Hearing Rapsody, or any of the very talented artists from the JAMLA roster always make me feel proud to rep North Carolina.  This track, which is probably my favorite from the album, talks about the perils of that tricky love thang we call break-up to make-up. In the chorus BJ the Chicago Kid sings "For him she packed all her Louie, all her Fendi, all her Prada, but somehow she left her heart." Many if not all of us can relate to not being able to walk away from the one we love so easy. If you like what you hear, be sure to purchase her project The Idea of Beautiful from iTunes here. You will not be disappointed!

Bonita Applebum by A Tribe Called Quest- Now this one right here is a guilty pleasure for me. When I hear the lyrics, "Do I love you... Do I lust for you... Am I sinner 'cuz I do the two?" I get all kinds of hype waiting for the beat to drop.  Q-tip is pretty much begging Ms. Bonita Applebum to "put him on" with his witty lyrics and even compares her to a hip-hop song!  Bonita Applebum just has such a laid-back feel to it, I could listen to it over and over.  Are you a fan of this track?  Were you a fan of A Tribe Called Quest back in the day?

I Do Love You by GQ- Now this song right here!  Man, they don't make music like this anymore!  Of course this song isn't from my day or time or whatever, but I fell in love with it after hearing it on the movie Baby Boy years ago.   I played it for my mom a few times and she asked me, "What do you know about GQ, girl?" lol.  I know it's good soulful music, with a smooth feel, and lyrics that make you want to fall in love over and over again.  Are you feeling this one as much as I am?

What are you listening to today? 

Tell me in the comments!

MANICure Monday: Delusions of Pink Grandeur

Hey ladies!  I hope you've all had a very blessed Inauguration Day as well as an inspiring Martin Luther King Jr Day!  I've totally enjoyed my day.  I've done a lot of planning, cleaning, re-evaluating, and working on these dreams of mine.  In the middle of all of that, I realized that on this very day, ten years ago, I officially started dating my husband.  Yep, I've been with my J for ten whole years!  So since I'm in a sweet, lovey-dovey mood, I decided to revert to what I know best- a pretty pink mani.  My nails are all dressed up in love again, y'all!

For this week's mani, I used Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Cream Pink, Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Neon Pink and NYC Nail Polish in Starry Silver Glitter.

Do you like?

So what are your manicures looking like this week ladies?  Did you play it safe with familiar colors and acrylics or did you go bold this week?  Perhaps you decided to skip the polish altogether.  Either way, I would love to hear all about the details in the comments. Let me know! 

CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT LAST WEEK'S MANI!

Life, Lately: Missing Summer

While I enjoy the warmth of family gatherings and quiet nights by the fireplace in the Winter, I must say that I am missing my fair weather friend, the Summer.  I miss lunchtime dates in the park with hubby, taking trips downtown just to soak in the culture, and most importantly, absorbing the world's greatest wonder that is the beach.

I miss walking down the boardwalk with the babies in tow, lapping up ice cream cones, doughnuts, and steaming hot funnel cakes--all the sugary confections a girl could ask for! I miss the fluid crowds of excited children and exasperated parents that filled the arcade, running a muck with tickets and prizes in hand. I miss my children begging incessantly for crisp singles in exchange for overflowing hand fulls of tokens.

I miss peering up at the cotton-candy colored skies while lying on smooth sand.  I miss making sand castles and scribbling love letters in the sand's cool surface.  I miss the waters rushing the shore and tickling my toes.

Summer, I'm totally not trying to rush things. I just wanted to let you know I miss you very much and I am impatiently awaiting your return. And when you return, I promise I won't take our time together for granted.

MANICure Monday: For My Sweethearts

Happy Monday, ladies! How you doin?  I hope all is well with you guys! As usual, or at least more often than not, I'm sharing this week's manicure with you today.  And let me tell you, what started off as an innocent nude mani, winded up being a festive nude mani with hearts and glitter (of course I can't stay away from that glitter).  When browsing around the internet this weekend, I came across this cute manicure from Nail Nerd and I just had to try it.  All it took was a little effort, a steady hand, and a lot of love! 

For this mani, I used Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Poppy, Wet N Wild Megalast Nail Color in Private View,  and Sinful Colors Nail Polish in Pinky Glitter.

Do you like?

So what are your manicures looking like this week ladies?  Did you play it safe with familiar colors and acrylics or did you go bold this week?  Perhaps you decided to skip the polish altogether.  Either way, I would love to hear all about the details in the comments. Let me know! 

Look of the Day: Navy Blazer + Red Skirt

Hey ladies and gents!  Though I'm no fashionista per se', I thought it would be fun to start sharing more looks on the blog.  I enjoyed doing so during the Big Fat Summer Challenge hosted by Jasifer Lions Club, so I figured, why not? While I'm still trying to figure out the basics of my camera and am in need of hubby or someone to take shots of me in natural light, I decided to share these pics anyway.  It's surprisingly warm for a January afternoon and I am loving the way this outfit came together so I decided to post!  I hope you like!

Remember the Ralph Lauren blazer I purchased from the Goodwill in my November Thrift Haul post for $3? The one with the tags still on it?  Well ladies and gents, this is her!  

I can't quite recall where I got the scarf from, but I know it was free! Wearing it makes me feel like I'm serving up some stewardess chic style though, no lie.

I got this striped top from Wet Seal and got the skirt from Forever 21.  

And these cute red pumps came from amiclubwear.com

How do you style a navy blazer?

My Vision Board + Goals for 2013

One of the main things we all do when the new year kicks in is set resolutions and goals for ourselves. Many of us are able to stick to a few of them, while others of us-- not so much.  And because of the latter, I'm not big on making new year's resolutions in the traditional sense.  

I realized with failed attempt after failed attempt to achieve my annual resolutions that perhaps I was going about the whole process wrong.  I wanted to set goals for myself, but I was growing tired of setting myself up for failure each time.  And that's when it hit me:  If I broke each of my goals down into small measurable tasks that could be completed monthly, weekly, or even daily, I could finally start achieving some goals and be on my way to my dream life sooner than imagined! Taking part in Happy Black Woman's 31 Days to Reset Your Life Program in the past and just recently in KimberlyLuxe's Life Reset have aided me in doing just that-- setting goals and crossing off accomplishments at a comfortable pace. And with the help of these two programs I was able to embark on a new journey of self-improvement with a renewed sense of confidence.

Why I Created a Vision Board

During the 31 Day Reset over at Happy Black Woman in 2011, Rosetta prompted us to create vision boards.  This board would be instrumental in helping us focus on our goals through visualization.  By being able to "see" our goals daily, in the form of images and words displayed on our boards, we would have no other choice but to remain focused on them!  We were also using the law of attraction, attracting those things we focus on in the board, to ourselves. In essence, creating a vision board was like making a road-map to my dreams.  All I had to do to get started on the journey was to lay the groundwork by creating the board.  Little did I know that it would be so helpful! With proper planning, focus, and prayer I saw many of the things on my board manifest my life.  And because creating my first vision board had proven so successful, I decided to make one each year or after each life-change.

How I Created the Vision Board

My vision board is made up of two components:  I have a cork board decorated with visuals as well as notebooks with the visions glued and taped to them.  I took the time to make note of my goals first.  A few of them were:

• Spending quality, uninterrupted time with my husband and children daily
• Devoting 30-45 minutes daily to exercise
• Reading at least 100 books in 2013
• Networking with other bloggers and hosting my own blogger event
• Contributing to and coordinating at least 3 community outreach efforts in my hometown
• Saving a portion of my income monthly for home ownership

After I took note of my goals, I searched through several magazines looking for images and words that aligned with those goals.  This was, perhaps, the most time-consuming part of creating the vision board. When I felt I had more than enough images, I started placing them on my boards and books with pins and glue.

How I Plan to Use My Vision Board

The most exciting aspect of creating my vision board this year was knowing I will have accountability partners.  Last month, I (along with several other women) signed up for the 2013 Vision Board Challenge hosted by the Regal Realness website.  In joining, not only did we create vision boards, we will also be completing monthly tasks for the rest of the year to keep us focused on our vision.  Isn't that cool?  I've also planned to help a few of my family members and friends create boards so that we can cheer each other along in our efforts.

Have any of you created a vision board for the year?  

Tell me all about it in the comments!

MANICure Monday featuring Essie in Playdate

Hello ladies and Happy New Year to all of you! I hope your year is off to a promising start and that your nails are all well manicured and sparkly!  And even if they aren't, I hope you're feeling like a million bucks, nonetheless.  I don't know about you guys, but when I'm feeling out of sorts, a great mani-pedi (and an application of strikingly bold lipstick) always makes me feel better.  But truth be told, I've been neglecting my nails lately.  Before this weekend, I hadn't put much effort into my manicures since before Christmas.  I know that might not seem like a big deal to some, but I change my polish like I change my lip gloss! I guess with all of the work and stress of the holiday season, I had neglected giving myself that extra pampering.  So, after looking down at my barren nails the other day, I decided to give this little play-date situation a whirl.  Not a real play-date per se', but digging in my stash and pulling out my Essie Nail Polish in Playdate once again to get myself in a happier mood.

And you see that splash of glitter, don't you?  You know I can't seem to get away from sparkly accents for the life of  me, so I added NYC Long Wearing Nail Enamel in Starry Silver Glitter.  Not only is it chock full of pretty silver glitter, it has flecks of soft pink and cerulean blue sparkles in it too!  That's my kinda polish!  On my accent nails, I used about three coats of Starry Silver Glitter to get the desired level of sparkle.

Needless to say, the festive mani definitely lifted my spirits!  There's something about the soft purple PlayDate polish that has me all hyped about Spring way too soon lol.  

So what are your manicures looking like this week ladies?  Did you play it safe with familiar colors and acrylics or did you go bold this week?  Perhaps you decided to skip the polish altogether.  Either way, I would love to hear all about the details in the comments. Let me know!