"The Priceless Pact"

 An amazing children's book has just been released that teaches children how to deal with bullies!

The Priceless Pact is the emotional story of a young girl who is tormented by bullies. While Michelle, doesn't own the most fashionable clothes or quite understand how to tame her curly hair, her outlook changes when a new student, Elyse, enters her class. Elyse, with her unique style of dress and unmistakable self-confidence, offers a nonviolent approach to handling the bullies. By making a pact with Elyse, to think more highly of herself, Michelle gains confidence and a new friend.

This book was written by my dear friend, Ericka English!  Find the book on Amazon! 

Bras Needed-- Soma Bra Drive in South Florida

For the third year in a row, Soma Intimates is collecting new or gently used bras to help victims of domestic violence.

Bring a new or gently worn bra to Soma Intimates to help women in need. Nationwide--the store has collected nearly 400,000 bras to date and donated them to shelters throughout the country. 

The bras will be accepted at all Soma locations until February 14th. Bras are the number one item that is needed, but they are rarely donated.

If you live in South Florida-- Bring your Bras to the Soma Stores here:

The Galleria Mall in Fort Lauderdale

&

The Falls Shopping Center in Miami

Support Public Schools—Get Dinner and a Movie

State budget crisis has left many public schools scrambling to make ends meet—prompting cuts to a broad range of programs. On the chopping block, dozens of Journalism programs across South Florida.

My dear friend and co-worker—Local 10 Reporter Christina Vazquez developed her passion for journalism at G. Holmes Braddock High School.  Due to financial issues, the school was forced to close many media classes.

In an effort to get journalism back at her alma mater- Christina has partnered with Focus on Tomorrow to raise money.

Join Christina this Wednesday, September 12^th at Paragon Theater in Coconut Grove for Dinner and a Movie.  Starting at 6:30, you can enjoy a light dinner while watching the new movie, The Words! The event will only cost you $35

Click here to purchase tickets!  

Get Stoned at Saturday Night Alive

Every Saturday Night in June and August, Fort Lauderdale Beach comes ALIVE with tons of great food, live entertainment and great shopping with local craft vendors!   The FREE event will showcase the best of South Florida with a line up that includes more than 20 acts including Billy Bones, Taiko Dumers, and the Bahamian Junkanoo Revue.

The master mind behind the event is local crafter Leasa Brown Brinker of Get Stone Designs. She sells her blinged out items-- hats, flip flops and sunglasses! Everything is made with Genuine Swarovski Crystal!

  For more information about the event contact Leasa here!

.

 

Handmade Movement in South Florida

My "Handmade Movement" story just aired on Local 10 News WPLG-ABC in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale. In the story, I talk about the marriage between "do-it-yourself" crafters and the punk culture.

Here's a snippet from my online article.

“South Florida crafters and artisans are cashing in on their skills by selling what they make by hand. Once a month, promoters with the Indie Craft Bazaar host a craft show in Broward County. Last month, the event was held at Revolution Live, a concert venue in downtown Fort Lauderdale. Instead of needlepoint samplers, there are ceramic skulls, hand-stitched iPad covers and binders made out of duct tape.”

To read or watch the story just click here! 

Melted Crayon Art

So, this is an amazing idea I found on Pinterest a few weeks ago! It’s one of the most interesting and simplest crafts I’ve seen. A beautiful work of art can be created in less than 15 minutes, for less than $10!

 

Get a box of 64 crayons and take all the blacks and browns out.  Use another box of crayons and double up all the bright colors! Then, using a hot glue gun, glue the crayons to the top of a canvas.  Then, turn your blow dryer up to hot and blow on the crayons.

Within seconds, the wax will begin to melt and you will have a beautiful and creative piece of art!

 

 Special thanks to Meg Duerksen who shared this great idea on her blog at megduerksen.typepad.com.

Crafting at the Mall

 

 

Look what I found at a South Florida Mall—a crafty display! Hundreds of bright colored pieces of paper glued together to form a tree. 

 

The store display is at Joe’s Jeans in the Aventura Mall. They just opened up a few weeks ago.  The crafty display is a copy of this artistic shot--you can see it’s actually a skull vomiting the vibrant paper.

Joe’s Jeans opened boutiques in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and now MIAMI!  They sell premium denim, shoes, and accessories! Big thumbs up to them for their artistic/crafty work!  Love it! 

Honey Shine after 10 Years!

 

Happiness, love, and good fortune, was at the heart of the themed 10th Annual “Hats Off” Luncheon held last week in Miami to benefit the Honey Shine Mentoring Program, founded by Tracy Wilson Mourning, wife of NBA Champion Alonzo Mourning.

For the past decade, Honey Shine has mentored hundreds of girls in the community, 15 of which have successfully graduated and gone on to higher education with funds raised through Hats Off. 

 My dear friend and Co-Worker Neki Mohan hosted the wonderful event!

 The Annual “Hats Off” Luncheon and membership program, by both individuals and corporations, continues to be one of the primary funding sources by which more than 180 girls enrolled in the Honey Shine Mentoring Program.Additional funding for Camp Honey Shine is still needed. $50 can sponsor a day of camp for one Honey Bugs or $250 for a week of camp. For additional programming information or to make a donation, visit www.HONEYSHINE.org.

South Florida Beach Wedding

This is why I love South Florida—the beautiful white sandy beaches.  Troy (my hubby) and I recently attended a beach wedding and it was absolutely unbelievable.

Wenise and Rohan were married at the Lauderdale-by-the-Sea Beach in Fort Lauderdale.

The Sand Unity Vase symbolizes the joining of two lives.  Pink sand for the bride and regular sand for the Groom.  It’s a popular alternative to the unity candle! Each person pours sand into a vessel to show the intertwining of their lives.

This simple ceremony site was perfect for the nuptials!  A few flowers and two pillars created an aisle for the bride to walk down.

Love you Wenise! :) 

It was a perfect day at the beach!  Do you have any suggestions for a destination wedding??

The “Art of Entertaining”

The Honey Shine Mentoring Program, led by Founder Tracy Wilson Mourning, hosted a social event themed “The Art of Entertaining” in Coral Gables this week.  The group’s mission is to encourage the balance of mind, body and soul in girls and women by providing nurturing experiences that enlighten their paths!

The party was hosted at the home of longtime member and philanthropist Cathy Blank.  

The day was filled with cocktails, do it yourself tips, and salsa dancing!

Special thanks to Mourning for her spirited efforts in the community!

To learn how to donate or volunteer with the group-- check out the website at http://www.honeyshine.org/http://www.honeyshine.org/ or email at info@honeyshine.org!

Tagua Nut Jewelry

It’s been called the “vegetable ivory”— the tagua nut!

Found in palm trees across South America, it can be fashioned into beautiful pieces of jewelry. Crafters spend hours carefully carving each nut to create the desired form.

This weekend, I meet jewelry designer Cindy Vega at the Wynwood Green Market! She is clearly an expert when it comes to sculpting the tagua. She told me that the nut is very hard, resembling an ivory—hence the nickname! 

I fell in love with her designs—and bought two pieces! 

You can see more of her work at her facebook page!

 Cindy Vega/ Jewelry Designer

 Tagua Nut Rings--I got a hot pink one!

 

Dried Bean Shells! Got the red ones!

Wynwood Green Market

It’s an “Organic Party”—complete with food, music and of course shopping. Welcome to “Sundays On The Green”—in Wynwood. A vacant lot is transformed into a mini festival of sorts- where eco-friendly vendors, food trucks and musicians set up shop.

The spot is right next to “The Armory”—on Northwest 23^rd Street in Miami.  My husband and I found the fair by accident this weekend—while driving through downtown.  We were both very impressed with the effort to create a family friendly environment—in an area that only seemed to have life during Wynwood’s Artwalk.

For more information head over to www.WynwoodGreen.org! The event is every last Sunday of the month—check it out!

Wynwood Green Market

Vintage Purse Heaven

Simple Skateboards-- Awesome Vendor

Tons of Shopping--fun fun fun!

Organic Farmer's Market