Happy Friday
seattle
Friday Floral
“The earth laughs in flowers.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
Golden Hour
Portrait of a Lady
“If you look back in history of the women who are most memorable and most stylish, they were never the followers of fashion. They were the ones who were unique in their style, breakers of the rules. They were authentic, genuine, original. They were not following trends.” ~ Nina Garcia
With her perfect curls and effortless style Golden has always been able to make sequins and sparkle the must to every outfit. Golden is the owner and creative mind behind Paper Dazzle custom event stationary. If you have an event from wedding to graduation she’s a great source of creative energy to set your invitations apart. (She has done the invitations for my wedding and most recently my goddaughter’s quinceañera). A business owner, wife and mother of two wonderful boys it’s amazing how she does it all.
I wanted to do a photoshoot as a gift for my cousin Golden’s milestone birthday. Prepping for the day I looked for inspiration from photos by a few of my favorite photographers James Van Der Zee, Carl Van Vechten, and Seydou Keita. We found dresses in thrift stores but many options came from her very own stylish closet. She had dresses from the 60’s, African dresses it was almost overwhelming. We finally settled on a vintage lavender dress by Diane Freis and an African dress that was so beautiful against her skin almost capturing the sun.
What is your perfect day? My favorite day would involve rain, masala chai and a reason to wear something pretty/sparklier than the sparkly things I wear daily. I love Fridays because I like the anticipation of the weekend.
What is it that you do? I’m a graphic designer. My specialty is event stationery, particularly weddings, but I’ve been doing more digital corporate work recently. I’m also a mom, so I’m constantly feeding my children and teaching them how to be good humans.
Why did you choose this profession? It kind of chose me! One of my first memories of college was meeting with someone about my work-study job. I was slightly interested in psychology, but hadn’t even taken a class yet. The counselor asked me what I was interested in doing and I told her, “I’ve never had an office job. I want to try filing and stuff.” and she goes, “You don’t want an office job. You’re gonna have to deal with huge piles of paper like this…” and she points to this huge stack of files on her desk! Then she wrote down this lady’s number and told me to call her. It was for the Student Activities Director. As her office assistant, I did small office tasks, hung flyers around the campus, and fell into designing the monthly campus events calendar. I faked my way through the software and eventually took a class to make sure I was doing it right. After a few more classes, I decided to I major in Graphics and minor in Studio Art. My graphics classes were in the Technology building, but the moment I stepped in the art building, it just felt right.
What has motherhood taught you? Patience! I’m probably losing it over the years, though! I’m still practicing consistency. Now that I think about it, I realize that it could easily be the foundation of parental success! It applies to discipline, school work, scheduling, building trust. I think kids are most comfortable when you’re consistent. Consistency is what gets your voice nagging in their ears, even when you’re not physically there!
What do you like about you? I like that I’m such an individual. I never got trendy clothes when I was younger, so I convinced myself that I wasn’t into name brands lol. I’ve loved thrift shopping since middle school, and that means I get all the unique things. All the gems. Sometimes, I shop in the kids’ department (because I’m cheap) and I laugh and show a random kid when we’re wearing the same thing. I’m 40 and I still wear glitter almost every day. At the same time, I know how to use power tools and like the satisfaction of dirty work. I also like that when I explore things that I enjoy (like baking, styling hair and random crafts) they tend to turn out well.
In the current climate how to you find your calm? I don’t immerse myself in it. These are upsetting times, but hanging on every dumb word I hear only fuels my personal fire. And the way my sanity is set up… I don’t have room for that in my life. I know that everything happens for a reason and that God always works things out for the good. Our society is in a transition, and change is hard!
So growing up I never realized how great of an artistic vision you have, Who inspires you? I didn’t either! From 4th grade on, my classmates often told me that I was creative; I didn’t know what they were talking about! I’m inspired by other artists. Kehinde Wiley amazes me, and I see strength in Frida Kahlo. I’m just as inspired by local artists and random ones I find on Instagram because they are just out here feeding their passion and expressing themselves. Many of us don’t make the time or are brave enough to put our stuff out there. That keeps me in awe of art, in general.
Motherhood is… love
Art is… passion
Happiness is… love
Women are… love lol Second choice: Strength. We’re like the world’s glue
Love is… patient
Marriage is… 100/100, not 50/50
Being a black woman is… empowering
Beauty is… a glow
Coffee to me is… meh. It’s a treat (with a ton of cream and sugar), but I don’t need it.
In five years I plan to be… happy
Fashion to me is… stirring
Images of a weekend
In the MARKET for a party
The summer warmth made it so easy for a quick midnight stroll through Pike Place Market. Seeing Seattle this late at night was a first for my daughter, we decided to make an adventure of it.
Before our late night adventure we made our way downtown to a surprise birthday party for my cousin Golden. Not only was it her birthday weekend but also our cousin Chey was celebrating hers. It has become somewhat of a tradition in celebrating them together as they are a day apart. With my camera in hand I attempted to capture many moments and do an impromptu photoshoot.
Color of Summer
Happy Friday…
Happy Friday
Have a wonderful weekend. And happy first day of Summer.
Diary of a Weekend
“It’s not that we spend five days looking forward to just two. It’s that most people do what they enjoy most on those two days. Imagine living a life where everyday are your Saturdays and Sundays. Make everyday your weekend. Make everyday a play-day…”⠀James A. Murphy
Saturday I was able to sleep in. By sleep in I mean I woke up at 8 a.m. It is one of my favourite things to be the first one up on the weekend especially when the sun is out. I started my morning with freshly made coffee and two episodes of the Starz original series The Spanish Princess. It is third in a series based on books by Philipa Gregory. Once everyone slowing followed we made our way out the door for some thrift shopping and car show. Our first stop is usually Value Village. At first glance through those magical doors I found a framed poster of the Café DuMonde in New Orleans. It was a must buy for the kitchen. I was excited to find sterling silver flatware. I have been over the years starting to collect silver flatware finding similar pieces to what my great-grandmother had.
At the car show if felt so much like a neighborhood block party. Old school music played, families out enjoying the sun stopping for flavored shaved ice and the many classic car owners taking the time to talk to the many admirers. There were a few that of course caught our eye. One being this 1964 Chevy Impala with etchings on the mirror to the door handles to around the lights. It was jewelry for the car. There were quite a few Impalas, one that still in its pristine original paint. You can tell the amount of care that goes into everyone. The car show sparked enthusiasm in my not so little I fear we may be in trouble. This may have lead to a new hobby for mi Viejo and our daughter.
We are now into our new week with the last few days of school coming up this weekend was I hope a glimpse to what the summer weather will be. Sunday was perfect bar-b-que weather, Father’s Day where the dads (father and son) showed one another how they grill. My not so little and I took a walk around the neighborhood stumbling on an open house that we brought my mother-in-law and grandmother back to. It was a nice five bedroom home with a pretty decent sized yard. Making our way back to the in-law’s to feast everything was grilled to perfection. Shrimp wrapped in maple brown sugar bacon, honey bbq chicken, corn, potatoes and steak. Lastly, copper river salmon that melted in your mouth. I think we’re going to put this feast on repeat. Looking forward to the summer days ahead for they’re anything like this past weekend.
Happy Valentine’s Day
A Crisp Winter
“It is the life of the crystal, the architect of the flake, the fire of the frost, the soul of the sunbeam. This crisp winter air is full of it.”
~ John Burroughs
Othello Forty Eight 