Rub-a-Dub-Dub!

Lame title, I know, but here's the 2nd part of my adventures at the TN Natural Hair & Wellness Expo!

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of bath and body products, even more so if they are all natural. The expo was packed to the brim with ladies proving that we can "cook" in the bathroom, too!

First up is Andrea of The Bubble Bistro! I heard many great things about her before I could even find her shop nestled inconspicuously in Midtown. I was ecstatic to see she was on the list of vendors for the event. She's always a pleasure to talk to & her work in unbelievable. She carries products for men & women including bath bombs, body oils and shampoo bars. If you live in Memphis, you've definitely heard the buzz of her products by now. I couldn't resist leaving without a few goodies for my stash!

I snatched up 2 soaps, a scrub & a body butter!! SCORE!

Peeking my curiosity was table featuring Divine Clementines's Dope Soap on a Rope. How could you not love these adorable little soaps! The line is made of four scents: Lavender Goats Milk, Teatree Goats Milk Oatmeal Cookie, Peppermint Goats Milk and Coconut Ylang Ylang. The creator of this line is based out of Atlanta with roots here in Memphis. With true Southern charm, she juggled her line of customers while giving me the back story of how she got started. I scooped up a couple of her heart-shaped soaps for the road & let her get back to business. Her table was selling out fast!

Another Atlanta-based line getting quite a bit of attention at the expo was Miss She Body Cocktails! No doubt that we ladies need a cocktail here & there and here's one you can enjoy without feeling bad. Of course, I was digging for info on how the line of bath teas, body washes, salt scrubs and signature Beurre Mousse came about. Turns out the founder, Shelia Driver, has a background in the Legal field. This former Legal eagle has definitely found her niche here in the world of bath and body products.

Looking back at my goodie bag that I amassed at the show, I'm surprised that I didn't go broke at the expo. I have enough products to last me until the end of the year. The best thing is that everything has a long enough shelf life (when kept out of water) to sustain until I can get around to it. Definitely, a great investment if you keep the schedule I do and love to pamper yourself every once in a while.

I felt this was totally appropriate!

See you later!

It's not easy being GREEN!

Same stuff; different day except for my newest jewelry acquisition. Thanks to my super talented & creative friend, I am in love with my one-of-a-kind gingko leaf drop earrings. Inspired by PeaceImages' Leaf earrings, I gave my buddy a super cheap pair of drops & she delivered these beauties! Few know of my love for gingko leaves and how elated I was to actually spot a few trees downtown. Now I have my own pieces of sunshine to wear about town!

And just for the hell of it...

Dabbling in a bit of everything!

I've been trying my hand at some DIY projects that I've spotted online. So far, all have been a success. One was so much of a success that I've been spending my free time making them for others. That being, none other than...zipper headbands! Random, I know! I'm not really sure where I saw them originally but I couldn't resist taking a stab at it. This now officially makes me a dorky, headband-wearing, crazy cat lady! I'm not too proud of the title but I look pretty good wearing it (the headband & title). And for shits & giggles, I decided to post photographic proof in the form of the ever popular car photoshoot. Luckily, I snapped this earlier in the day before my hair grew to epic proportions & started swallowing the headband whole. I thought you'd also appreciate that I was abiding by the law & wearing my seatbelt! Click it or Ticket, people! Not sure if you can tell but I'm wearing my newest Mac Plushglass in Oversexed...LOVE THIS COLOR!

I'm sure you want me to offer something of substance but I'm all whooped so I have nothing to really offer. EXCEPT for a great article that my co-worker/friend & reader of my blog posted to Facebook. Maybe it's just the current mood that I'm in but I wanted to scream "Hallelujah!" & high five anyone walking past my desk as I was reading the article! I confess that I have a difficult time conveying my feelings. I use way too many words & fly off into random stories that pop to mind as I relive the emotions. This particular article got about 97% of how I'd describe myself without confusing you with my high definition styled stories. Hopefully, you'll find a part of the article that resonates with you!

the initiated woman

Congratulations! If you stand on your tip toes, you can see the weekend!
Make the most of the rest of your week!

Your friendly neighborhood h4xx0r!!

Before you get alarmed & think I'm pushing illegal substances, "h4xx0r" is just a way of saying hacker! And by hacker, I really am friendly & just doing a few D.I.Y projects. If you know me then you know there are few accessories that I've come face-to-face with that I didn't like. Bad for me because I've run out of places to store my collection. I thought a no-buy would buy me time to solving this problem. NOPE! It's just turned me into a D.I.Y fool! In just a few projects I've saved myself about...brace yourself...$400!!! What can I say, I have expensive taste!

After church, I jumped in the Blue Bullet and headed over to Joann Fabrics to see what I could get into for the afternoon. So here's what I've been up to:

Hack #1 - Rope necklace

I first saw this D.I.Y done by Maegan of ...love Maegan a few months ago. At the time, I was too lazy to look for the supplies so, essentially, it was just another bookmark saved for no reason. I rediscovered her blog last month & decided I was going to go through with it this time. One minute, two curtain ties, one spool of ribbon & $8, I had a new necklace! It was so easy & cheap that I can see this being my staple necklace for the fall. (Sales alert: The curtain ties run $4.99 but are 40% off right now making them $2.99!)

Hack #2 - Feather Headband

This was an impromptu purchase while I was at the fabric store. It was inspired by a picture of Laura Izibor that I saw online earlier. (SN: F*ck Yeah Curls Curls Curls is an awesome site for curly inspiration. If you aren't a curly, this site will push you over the edge!) Headbands like this can range from a few dollars at Forever 21 to $$$ for designer ones. I was able to make this one for $5!! Not too shabby & it will surely distract from any bad hair day!

Hack #3 - Makeup Organizer

Over the past year or so, I've gotten into makeup. It's never been anything major just a few lipglosses, eyeshadow pans, and mascaras. Some kind of way, my small collection has expanded to a couple of highly disorganized makeup bags. I just couldn't take it any more so I made the step to fix that. I stole an idea from Sephora to organize my brushes, lip & eye liners and random other tools. The jars & sand cost me just $5. Yay for me!

I D.I.Myself!

Last week, I was goofing off on the interwebz & catching up on Bloglovin' when I ran across an interesting D.I.Y by Leslie of FASHION du jour. Funny that I'd worn a skirt that was perfect for it just that day. Plus, I was attending a friend's engagement dinner this past weekend & it seemed like the perfect controlled setting to try it out. Check out some (unedited) pics I took after the dinner:

If you're interested in seeing how it's done, check out FASHION du jour's video here. My skirt/shirt was the AA interlock a-line skirt & was perfect for this. I added a tank underneath because I didn't want to flash anyone at dinner! Plus, it's hotter than monkey balls here and I hate feeling like I'm sweating through my clothes. Gotta keep it classy at all times!