Vintage Fabulous: GAMMA RAYS!

What ya'll know about this?

Cause Obsession

Okay, so I am officially OBSESSED with finding a fantastic one bedroom apartment or condo in a chic walkable neighborhood (Brentwood or Santa Monica, please) with hardwood floors and, pretty please, french doors. Oh, in a charming building.

In my price range!

And, as what usually happens when one is hit with the moving fancy, dreams of sugarplum decorating dance in my head. The Saturdays spent in Barnes and Nobles flipping through magazine after magazine, coffee table book after

coffee table book; Sunday 'Vintage Day' at Melrose Trading Post; countless evenings surfing the web...Obsession can be exhausting!

I've settled on my theme: Vintage Glamour! A few fun ideas:

1st Picture: Carries New Digs, SATC-The Movie

Betsey Johnson's Pink Apartment. Fun!

Ivanka Trump (one of my Sheroes) fab digs.

Carries Closet. Bravo!

Victory Ford's Fantastic Apartment (images: bandelle.com)

And in honor of my obsession, I would be remiss if I were to forget to remind you all of the joys of donating. I know tax season is reminding everyone of how nice it is to have a few extra deductions. Well, not only to you get a deduction receipt when you donate furniture, non-profit organizations like Salvation Army and Goodwill will come and scoop the items from you free of charge! Then vintage bargain hunters like me can remix it into somthing new! Fabulous.

There are many non-profit organizations that accept furniture, clothing items and automobiles, but to give you a headstart:

Goodwill, Salvation Army, Habitat for Humanity ReStores

ACTION!!! This Ain’t no Dress Rehearsal

When was the last time you paid money to watch the rehearsal of a Broadway production or a your favorite artist's concert? Never, right? Or not unless it came along with tickets to the main event, VIP style ( I know how ya’ll roll.) No matter how fabulous a performer is, the rehearsal doesn't compete with the show. It’s a test run – they’re testing everything: Lights, make-up, moves. I remember onetime at a fashion show rehearsal a 6 foot tall glamazon screams "these shoes make my bunions hurt!" Ain’t nothing fabulous about that. Come showtime, she was one of the fiercest girls struttin’, bunions and all. That’s one of the many fun things about show business - you get to try it out before you show it off. But nothing beats the magic of ‘ACTION!’ So I ask you, why are so many of us ladies walking around the stage of life like this is a dress rehearsal? Honey, we’re rolling! ACTION!

*
SO many of us fabulous sisters live like we’re on some type of waitlist, like we need some special invitations to our lives, to being 100% our fabulous selves. Meanwhile we got Sex and the City perma-play in our DVD players drinking wine and eating popcorn, trying to live vicariously through fictional characters! You know how it goes: ‘I wish I could be fierce like Samantha.’ ‘Carries so stylish, when they give me a raise, I’m going to get stylish too!’ ‘Life will start when I meet my Mr. Big.’ Honeychild, let me let you in on a secret. THEY are not going to give you anything. People give you want you want after you take it and they realize it wasn’t theirs to begin with. And become Ms. Big, then the men who approach you have to step their game up.
*
It’s time for us all to call ACTION on our lives. Dress rehearsal is ova! Give yourself 100% permission to live boldly. Start writing that book, or take that class, or get that degree, go get that sassy haircut, change that job, start that business, lose that weight! DO IT TODAY! Because you know what living vicariously through other people as your life passes you by turns you into?A BITTER BITCH. That shit is spiritual cancer! Save yourself!
*
Alas, I am here to help. Ever the bookwork, I have extracted a wonderful exercise from my current favorite book selection: The Smart Cookies Guide to Making More Dough. It’s called the CREATING YOUR PERFECT DAY exercise:

Imagine your perfect day. In a perfect world where you have everything that you want, what does your perfect day look like. Be truthful no matter how crazy it sounds (My perfect day included helicoptering to a spa, so go all out) Ask Yourself the following questions, write down the answers:

1) What time do you wake up? How do you feel as you greet the day?
2) Where are you(at home)? What does it look like?
3) Who is with you?
4) What kind of work are you doing? With whom?
5) As you had to face the day, how do you look? What are you wearing?
6) When and where do you work? How do you get there?
7) When you are done with work, how do you spend your free time?
8) What is your evening like? What are you eating and drinking?
9) When you go to bed that night, how are you feeling after spending a day doing exactly what you love?
10) What are you most grateful for and what are you most looking forward to as you drift to sleep?

This is what you want your life to be! Meditate on what you write down, and then get to work on getting it done! There is NO TIME other than the present.

Some fabulous books to motivate the hell out of you:

The Smart Cookies Guide to Making More Dough; Talent is Never Enough, John C. Maxwell; Piece of Cake, Cupcake Brown; Woman’s Worth, Marianne Williamson; Why Man Love Bitches (for you girls who are letting a man hold you back and need a verbal slap in the face) and Fabulosity, Kimora Lee Simmons.




'Til next time, Be FABULOUS!

xoxo,
Netta

Cause Fabulous Manifesto - Saving the World 10% at a Time

Lovely ladies! After a brief sabbatical (uh, 2 months give or take) I'm back and more Fabulous than ever! But since I've taken a bit of a break from posting, I've decided to start anew with a brief description of what the heck it is I'm trying to do with this blog! (For me as much as for you...)

Some of you may be thinking what is a CAUSE FABULOUS? And 'Saving the World 10% at a time,’ what’s that about? Well it is really 2 fold-

Part 1) Fabulous - It's a Self Love thing

I think that one of the saddest things in the world is when a woman denies her own strength. Somehow, many centuries ago the men got together and duped the woman into thinking that they were smarter, tougher, and more capable of making decisions, and should do so. That's awefully silly, isn't it? Provide and Protect, and let us handle the rest.

I'm not a ball-buster ladies. Quite the contrary, I love, love, love men. They are strong, beautiful, and capable. And, when they work up to there full capabilities (of providing and protecting) it is the sexiest thing in the world.

But when did it begin that for a man's light to shine a women's had to dim? I see that time and time again, woman dimming for men, until we are operating at half-light. Like we're scared to use our extra-strength batteries cause we might blind some weak man or weak woman (which is worse! We need to embrace the weak ones immediately! They’re the ones acting silly and confusing the men on how A WOMAN is to be treated!)

The saddest thing of all is we do it to ourselves! We begin crashing into each other trying to see in the dark, listening out for the enemies drums to rescue us. In this case, the enemy is denial of our independence and therefore fabulousness!

Being Fabulous is about finding your own beat and marching to that sh*t like you got a University band playing behind you every-step of the way!

When we fall in love with ourselves we automatically become more generous because watching another weak soul slumming through life will break your heart so bad, that you will be doing a disservice to yourself not giving them a taste of the fabulous glory that is self-respect! Which brings me to…

Part 2) Cause
I am somebody who believes in giving at least 10% for the benefit of others and the support of something larger than oneself. Examples are: your church; a charity you love; taking a stressed out friend to dinner; or (one of my favorites), treating a sista' to a mani, pedi, and/or massage. Even dedicating 10% of your prayers’ to someone who’s going through a rough patch!

The point is that we save the world by helping each other, and when we replenish another’s energy they are free to do the same to someone else. The domino effect of love!

I personally believe that God does give back 10 fold; I am a witness to that time and time again in my own life.

"That's the reason we kind of exist. It's like our Job. To give to each other. And learn from each other. To capture moments of people." Angelina Jolie. Beautifully said!

So, if any of you were wondering, these were the building blocks of Cause Fabulous!

‘Til next time, Be FABULOUS!


Quote of the day - "I have an idea that the phrase 'weaker sex' was coined by some woman to disarm the man she was preparing to overhelm." Ogden Nash

You Go Girl! Michelle Obama and Hillary Clinton Speak at DNC

This ain't your grandmomma's politics... Or is it. For years, nay, decades we have been bombarded by men's politics in the highest office in our land. We've had some great ones, we've had (have) some not so great ones. But look out Joe, there's a new sheriff in town, and she's wearing a cocktail dress and three-inch heels. (Or is part of the 'Sisterhood of the Traveling Pantsuit!') Michelle Obama and Hillary Clintons speeches at the DNC proved that there is a reason why our nation is electrified for change. These two phenomenal woman gave speeches that called the cows home and hopefully will call you to action. Enjoy!

Femme Fabulous - Lolo Jones

Much to my chagrin, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games is coming to an end. Atleast I can get back to a 10:30pm bedtime instead of my Olympic-viewing induced insomnia. The stories, the dreams, the triumphs, the heartbreak, the hotties; The Olympics was a drug and I was addicted. I knew the names of all of the competitors, I craved Shaun Johnsons smile, I wondered if Michael Phelps would get his 8 golds, I watched Usain Bolt beat Michael Johnson 200m record (which I remember Johnson setting.) My heart smiled every time the underdog excelled (mens gymnastic), the jilted-veteran (61-year-old Ian Miller, equestrian) made good or the shiny ingénue surprised (Shelley-Anne Frasier).

All of a sudden sports I never paid two-hoots of attention to became the center of my evening! I cheered as athletes I never heard of became American Heroes. In a world where our relationship with our millionaire professional athletes is often love/hate, these men and woman seemed to represent something else, something larger. What was it? As I sat glued to the T.V. getting my 2am fix, I pondered that question. It was answered in the form of Lolo Jones.

Who is Lolo Jones you may ask. Well, a week ago I didn't know either. But I would soon find out as I watched the Womens 100 meter hurdles. The first thing that caught my attention was how beautiful the gold-medal favorite was and she was from the U.S.A. Turns out she was the World Champion from Des Moines, Iowa.

I watched the race and Lolo took off. She was doing marvelously until she hit the ninth hurdle. Losing momentum she ended up fourth. Its what Lolo did next that impressed me. She didn't huff off the field or dodge the media (which would have been well within her right after such a disappointment) She immediately took repeated interviews, maintaining the utmost poise and class, and not once giving any excuse to why she hit the hurdle. During her interview she congratulated her teammates who were passing by. Curious, I googled Lolo Jones and what I found touched my heart and answered my question.

Maybe the Olympics is so addictive because the trials and success of these men and woman represent that dream within ourselves that we hope to birth forth and into the world. Our private gold-medal finish that may have nothing to do with scoring or time clocks, but is the juice that keep us believing in ourselves and our lives. Hearing what the athletes have overcome remind us of the goal that we have yet to achieve and have considered abandoning. Well for all of you gold-medal dreamers please read the following article by Bryce Miller, Gannett News Service about how my Femme Fabulous, Lolo Jones overcame poverty and homelessness to become a role model and Olympian and be encouraged!

To see video of Lolo Jones click here or on any image.

By Bryce Miller, Gannett News Service
BEIJING — Every morning, when the kids showed up for the church summer camp at the Salvation Army building in Des Moines, Lolo Jones, her sister and brothers were already there.
Day after day, Jones bounced around the gymnasium as others walked in.

She owned boundless energy, an infectious smile, but also a guarded secret. The woman picked by some to win the gold medal in the 100-meter women's hurdles at the 2008 Summer Olympics lived in the basement.

"I remember we had to wake up earlier than when the kids started arriving, so they wouldn't tease us," she said. "Me and my brothers would get up and we'd be in the gym before the other kids got there.

"So it kind of looked like our parents were the first to drop us off at the camp."

These Olympics are positioned to be a global introduction for Jones, a 26-year-old graduate of Des Moines Roosevelt High School.

Oakley launched a campaign for its "Enduring" sunglasses line that features Jones, the Olympic Trials winner and reigning world champ in the 60-meter indoor hurdles.

The United States Olympic Committee will bring three women's track stars to a Thursday press conference with international media: Olympic gold medalist Sanya Richards, Olympic silver medalist and world champion Allyson Felix — and Jones.

A life that included homelessness now resonates with world-stage possibility.
"This is not like a Dream Team basketball person that has a multi-million dollar contract," said Kim Carson, another Roosevelt track star who helped Jones since junior high on and off the track and traveled to Beijing. "This is a kid who had nothing."

Growing up, Jones attended eight different schools in eight years as her single mother bounced between Texas and Iowa, often holding down two jobs to support her children. Jones' father, who spent time in the Air Force and jail, "wasn't really in the picture much," she said.

While in third grade, Jones estimated, the family ended up in the basement of the church.
All the moving and all the change eventually became too much for Jones, who decided against a move to Forest City, telling her mother, " 'Mom, I can't go to a city that doesn't have a track. I'm trying to pursue my dream.' "

The decision began a stretch where Jones lived with three families, including the family of Randy Essex, a former assistant managing editor of The Des Moines Register who now works at the Detroit Free Press.

Essex noticed at youth track events his son participated in that no one seemed to be in the stands cheering Jones, a blossoming star.

"It was a really family-oriented club," Essex said. "I asked (the club organizer) after practice why there were no parents or adults around Lolo."

That conversation eventually led to Jones moving in with Essex and his family for about 16 months, beginning in August 1998.

"When she moved in with us, it was obviously a difficult situation for her," Essex said. "We were almost strangers."

Essex watched, impressed, as Jones quietly focused on decision after decision. She worked at track. She worked at track. She worked at her job at the Iowa Bagel Bakery near 42nd Street and University in Des Moines.

"Just a hard-working, dependable kid," he said.

Jones also lived with Kim Walker, a Des Moines attorney, and his wife, Jean.
Walker watched proudly as Jones returned to Roosevelt recently to hand over new track shoes to her former high school and a $12,000 check to Renee Trout, a flood victim and single mother from Cedar Rapids.

"That's as good a role model as we can ask for, don't you think?" Walker said.
When high school ended, Jones landed a spot on the track team at Louisiana State University — a national powerhouse. At LSU, Jones understood the uniqueness of her situation for the first time.

Other LSU students packed up belongings to go home for the holidays.
"I was like, 'Wait, I don't have a bedroom to go (to) back home,' " Jones said.
LSU coach Dennis Shaver knew the family faced financial challenges, but "she never complained."

When Jones graduated, she worked minimum-wage jobs to keep chasing an Olympic track dream — an experience she said was more difficult than being temporarily homeless.
"It was more hard for me to swallow my pride and take out garbage at a gym when I had an economics degree and Spanish minor," she said.

"I had people come up to me like, 'Didn't you graduate? What are you doing working at this gym?' I was like, 'I'm trying to do this track thing. If I get a 9-to-5 (job), I won't have flexibility to leave the country and go to these competitions."

When Jones missed a spot in Athens after falling during the 2004 Olympic Trials, Shaver became a salesman for Jones.

Shaver told the big-time track sponsors, "Her day will come if given the opportunity."
That day did come.

Jones remembers walking to school during brutal Iowa winters because the family didn't own a car. Now, she's sponsored by Oakley and Asics — and has the ability to focus on track full time.
"My life changed," Jones said. "I went from eating ramen noodles to steak, fish and chicken — what an athlete should be eating."

Sponsorships allowed her routine access to massages, chiropractors and the tools other elite athletes used to maintain peak condition.

"It just helped me get the things an athlete needs to be successful," Jones said of the sponsors. "A businessman needs a laptop. Athletes need massages and the right diet."
Jones talks freely about the struggles that led her to China, where she begins competition on Sunday in the opening day of the 100-meter hurdles.

"A lot of it is, she's not ashamed of it," Carson said. "Her mom's been honest with her. She understands the struggle of a single parent."

In the end, Jones continued to push, balked at chances to quit and traveled from a basement to the ultimate sports stage in Beijing.

"Lolo Jones is a great American story," Essex said. "You don't get that many anymore, with people who grew up poor and seize every opportunity. And she really did."

VIDE0

Product Shout-Out: Alaffia Sustainable Skincare

I am trying my very best to go green. Seriously. Slowly I have been replacing all my household products with green products, I wash my clothes in 100% Phosphate-free Certified Biodegradable laundry detergent. I'm in the market for a hybrid vehicle (and this is saying a lot ya'll, because I am a big-haired-big-eyed-bonified-Texas-SUV-girl. Just like I like my men, I like my cars oversized!) So, naturally, I have been searching for the perfect 100% organic, paraben-free, chemical-free face and hair-care products. And this search has not been cheap.

Alas, a solution: On a photoshoot for Jungle Gurl (off the chain re-designed one-of-a-kind vintage swimwear. Holla if ya hear me, my Jungle Gurl suit is my new obsession. I mean it's literally making me move to the beach, among others things, but that's a blog for another day) when another model was complaining about her eczema. One of the make-up artist suggested Palm Oil barsoap. Taking notes, as soon as the shoot was over I high-tailed it to Whole Foods looking for Palm Oil Soap. Bingo - Alaffia Shea Butter Face Soap with Goats Milk, Roobios and Vanilla Ylang, Ylang. Well that's an antioxidant power punch. $4.00! I'll take it. Because I had money to spare I went ahead and tried out their Roobios and Shea Face Cream.
*

Ya'll, I have never gotten so many compliments on my skin. And this coming from a girl who has had acne, eczema, and skin sensitivity issues that have left me covered head to toe in a reaction. And it smells super yummy! Their power ingredient is pure, unrefined, 100% natural Shea Butter which has 'been carefully handcrafted using centuries old techniques that maximize the moisturizing and protective properties.' Here's another tid bit: 'Shea Butter's unique fatty acid profile and high content of vitamins E and A contribute to its protective and hydrating properties.' Well heck,we could all use a little protection and hydration.

My new regimen:

1) Cleanser - Alaffia Shea Butter Face Soap

2) Toner - Apple Cider Vinegar (100% Organic Unfiltered. I use Braggs)

3) Moisterize - Alaffia moisterizer.

I am super impressed with their products and just bought their toner. I love the Organic Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar for night, but when you use it in the morning, you smell it on your face all day. Not really a good look.

And the best thing about Allafia is that it is Pure for a Purpose!

"The Alaffia/Agbanga Shea Butter Cooperative is an important part of the greater Sokode community in Togo, West Africa. We provide stable, fair incomes to over 80 families. The Cooperative also provides medical care and other assistance when needed. Our members are proud to be able to use their indigenous knowledge to feed and cloth their families. One of our goals is for the cooperative to be a model for other groups and individuals in Togo and other West African nations to follow. 10% of our sales go directly to fund community enhancement projects in Togo."

Well, community growth is what Cause Fabulous is all about!

So if your looking for a mild and magnificent natural cleanser, try them out. I wouldn't do you dirty, trust.

SMOOCHES! Netta