Hello Passionista-
My moods this February has been super chill. My focus has been self -discovery and working on my passions and purpose in life. Fresh flowers and dream catchers have been my inspiration lately. As a kid I was fascinated with dream catcher, but somewhere down the road lost interest. Now that I am seeking meaning behind my purpose dream catchers keep popping up in my journey (…maybe it time to do a Dream Catcher DIY).
Hello Passionista,
2018 was a good year! So much happened. So much to be proud of. So much to be grateful for. So much meaning to life. I’ve completed yet another chapter of my journey, and so have you.
2018 I actually did some traveling. I walked the wall of the Old City in Jerusalem. I prayer at the western wall. I walked the Via Dolorosa. It’s still surreal to me. That’s something I never in a million years thought I’d do in my lifetime. It wasn’t even something that I planned, it just happened and I’m forever grateful for the opportunity. I also went to Paris…. FRANCE!!!! Although it was only for a short period of time, I saw Paris. I stood in front of The Eiffel Tower!
BEYCHELLA happened this year. I stayed up until 2am just to watch Queen B slay the stage for BEYCHELLA. The first BLACK FEMALE headline for COACHELLA (ain’t that a 🤬).
My girls and I survived a road trip to Washington DC for a music festival, in my brand new ride. I can’t believe it’s almost been a year since I bought my 1st car on my own.
I continued to improve my blogging skills and event planning skills to grow my business. I booked several successful events; gender revealing, baby showers, parties, and weddings. I pray for more increase in 2019.
I turned 27 years old, I’ve had to reflect on a lot things in my life that I need to work on. I’ve accepted a lot of things and I’ve made a vow to myself to change certain things. I’ve made a promise to never compromise who I am for someone else and keep my dreams alive by never giving up no matter what obstacles I may face. I’m a one women show!
I want to continue providing creative content 3x a week. My goal is to be better prepared and plan out materials. I strive to have each month’s content planned out at least 2 weeks before the month begins.
I want to work with brands for brand ambassadors or sponsorship opportunities. My goals is to stay consistent and market my content through my social media channels to attract brands lookin for ambassadors or paid sponsorship programs. If I can work with at least 3 brands in 2019 that will help me take my brand to the next level.
I want to monetize my blog and brand. My goal is to make $1k per quarter as a additional stream of income for sponsorships, events, custom decor and gift, as well as starting a shop on my blog. I tried using Etsy before but I was just to complicated for me. I strongly thinking about upgrading my WordPress plan.
Hello Passionista
Kayla Heard is a new friend I’m getting to know. She and I are both full of amazing ideas, I hope we get to work together soon. In the meantime, I have asked her to be a guest blogger because she a true Passionista. I met Kayla this year through a mutual friend. We have been really connecting our creativity and drive to expand our brands as businesswomen. I think she has a really inspiring story and meaning behind her brand Experience Elegance that can motivate others.
For Kayla, event planning started as a hobby that blossomed into her passion. Friends and family always left Kayla in a frazzle when they arrived late or waited until the last minute to plan their events and celebrations. She then took it upon herself to relief her anxiety and began to take matters into her own hands. A customer service guru and bubbly attitude has taken her far in the industry as she continues to build a good reputation amongst her peers and fellow colleague. Well known for her down to earth personality and go-getter attitude, she strives to bring each client an over the top event, leaving them with nothing less than a personalized elegant experience. Kayla dedicates her spare time on growing her company and brand.
As a fellow Passionista, my biggest passion is me, Elegance. As a brand ambassador for myself, I spend time learning the new trends in my industry. Being a hospitality guru, I like to look into all aspects of the industry however events are my niche. As an entrepreneur, I’ve been in the industry for over 5 years and I’m loving it more and more by the day. The trends, the people, and the creativity involved in the hospitality industry are exciting. Detail, logistics, and the overall planning of things get me going.
Now I know I introduced Elegance in the beginning but there’s a method to my madness. My company is Experience Elegance Event Planning where we plan events and specialize in logistics. Experience Elegance is my baby. I birthed her at age 21 and she’s been my sole focus since. I’m passionate about curating events that go by flawlessly even when everything could be going wrong. I pride myself on breaking the myth that 90% of events always start late and when I say I pride myself I think about my brand as a whole. The flow, look, and creativity that are displayed in my services reflect not only my company, but my brand. My passion stems from me making sure my company thrives even when I don’t feel like it. Passion goes pass the financial satisfaction you’re trying to attain. As we know entrepreneurship gets tricky from time to time, but it has molded me into the so much of the woman I am today and I wouldn’t trade it for the work.
Connect with Kayla
Website | Email: Kayla@experienceelegancenow.com | @ceoofelegance
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Hello Passionista-
Brandi Thompson is a dear sweetheart I had the pleasure of meeting during my days attending The “Unsinkable” Albany State University. She has a joyful spirit that makes you smile every time you are in her presence even if you’re not in the mood for smiles and laughs. I had a change to watch her grow from a freshman to the AMAZING women is she today. I look forward to more of her greatness as she walks in her passion.
Living in a world filled with famous sayings, its hard not to start a blog without one… For the longest, my favorite was: “not all who wander are lost”. Little did I know, I was living my “best life” on a lie. For 22 years, I wandered. Truthfully, I was lost. Dangerously, I was so lost I didn’t even realize I needed to be found. Honestly, all who wander are lost.
How lost, is lost?
From the age of 11, the taste of liquor satisfied my curiosity for the “good life” I would see on VH1 and MTV. It was like the stock market – high risk, high reward – The higher the shelf, the better the taste. For 11 years, I struggled with blacked out drunken nights, near death intoxication, and a loose sense of moral direction.
From the age of 13, I chose to jump in and out of relationships with guys just to appease my insecurities. Being touched cured my need to be loved. A title soothed my longing for identity no matter where it came from. For 9 years, I indulged in a series of soul ties with many men (and 1 woman if I’m being honest) whose inner connection gave me “peace”.
From the age of 18, my wandering led me away from the nest of home to a new land to roam – ready to be conquered. With no sense of identity, purpose, and security, my aimless journey led me into the arms of an emotionally abusive man. I convinced myself that ‘leaving was easy’ and ‘my damage has to be worth something’. For 3 years, I endured an emotionally debilitating relationship built off a false perception of mental fortitude all to say I was “loved”.
For 22 years, I wandered and filled my heart with the joys of the world, adding layers of darkness to my heart, building a life on sinking sand. My wandering grew dark, cold, depressing… the person I displayed was never an accurate depiction of the dying person I was on the inside. I was beginning to understand why suicide seemed to be the answer 9 years ago. Being at war with my reality and convictions created a battle of inner conflict that I began to question my own purpose for being here.… After 22 years of wandering, all of the questions I had, the “good life” I was longing for, the “peace” is desperately needed, and the “love” I was searching for all could be found in one place…. The answer to it all was Jesus.
“There is nothing I desire that can’t be found in you. You’re everything that I’ve ever needed… Just give me Jesus!”
The new passion I found to live the life God has called me to live has redefined my life. His plans have surpassed my expectations of the life I thought I was supposed to have. His will has created a new perspective of what really matters in the world.
What good is my business if my family isn’t truly saved?
What good is owning a home & nice car if salvation hasn’t reached all four corners of the Earth?
What good is my life, or anyone else’s, without Jesus?
In Him, you will find your identity – the knowledge to recognize you’re a child of the most high.
In Him, you will find your purpose – the reason He created you to be here.
In Him, you will find your stability – the foundation to stand firm on your purpose.
Inwardly, there has always been a love to help people with a problem and to have a great time with amazing people. No wonder event planning and designing party décor became my career aspiration. As I continue to give my life’s plan to God, He continues to open my eyes of how HE wants me to solve problems by having a great time with HIS amazing people for the Kingdom. There is so much peace in his plan! You may be thinking, “well what about my dreams?”
Be passionate about your business. Be dedicated to your education. Be invested in the present life you are walking in. Embrace the development taking place in each season you are in. Seek correction and direction from the wise ones who surround you. Develop your talent, master your craft, and perfect your gift. Do all of this while posturing your heart to desire the One. In Him, you, your plans, your goals, and your business will have identity, purpose, and stability!
What good are our passions without a true Passion for Christ?
All who wander are lost… but I pray you wander into arms of Jesus.
Shirt can be found at www.dopeanalogy.com
Hello Passionista…
VOTE TODAY! YOU’RE VOTE MATTER! YOUR VOICE CAN BE AND WILL BE HEARD!
November has been pretty amazing so far. There is so much to look forward to between now and the end of the month. If you follow my social media accounts, I have been posting my daily recaps of the #selfcarenovember challenge. This challenge has really been going well for me. It is helping me slow down and be more mindful.
Day 1: No Complaining for a day
I thought no complaining for a day would be hard, but what it lead to was me not talking much that day. It was different but not so bad. I listened to music and podcasts most of the day and I felt much more energetic.
Day 2: Do something kind for someone else
It was a long work week for me. Honestly, I don’t know why. It just seemed like the week dragged out. Friday on my way to working, I thought I’d get Krispy Kreme donuts for the office. Sweet treats always make me feel better and nothing is better than a warm donut about an hour after lunch. And I know if I had a long week, so did my coworkers.
Day 3: Buy yourself a gift (something you really like)
As I was in Big Lots I came across some nice smelling candles. I love candles, But I only buy bath and body works candles. I thought to myself, I can buy other brands of candles. If you like the scent get it. So I bought it. Big Lots is dangerous. I spend more money there, than I do in Target. That’s bad! Not really tho, cause Bigs Lots as great discount stuff for everything.
Day 4: Pamper Yourself
Sunday was a great day for pampering myself. I woke up early and started cleaning up my place. I was even in the mood to rearrange some of my furniture for comfort. Once I was done cleaning, I took a hot bath, relax and listening to ” Don’t settle for safe” by Sarah Jakes Roberts.
Day 5: Write a letter to someone
I decide to write my letter to a decaesd loved one. It felt good to release some of those inner thoughts in a open letter.
Are you taking the challenge with me? How’s it going? Let’s dialogue!
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Happy November!
I can’t believe it is already November… 2018 is almost over!
So, many of y’all know I have been really into self care and trying to focus on taking better care of my mental, physical and emotional health. As the year is coming to an end, I have been really working towards accomplishing my goals, finding myself (who I am as an adult?) and not stressing over things I can’t control. I’ve come to realize that self care is the best care. Sometimes you have to step outside yourself and evaluate the things and people in your life? I have decided to make November a #selfcare month.
I realize that I am growing everyday. I’m not a teenager anymore. I’m not a college student anymore. I’m young still, but I’m an adult. A real adult! This year has been a eye opener that I need to focus more on me and cater to my needs a little bit more than I have been. But that come with saying “no” and removing myself from thing that are unhealthy and not meaningful to me. I thought it would be easy but it’s honestly been hard. So here is my start to treating Khadijah better for Khadijah.
Take this journey with me for #selfcarenovember! All month I will be sharing my self care tips, jewels, and quotes on my social media outlets. I will also be blogging my experience, thoughts, feelings and emotions along this journey. I really want to create a open forum to release my inner complications and connect with people who may be going through or feeling the same as me. So, let’s connect!
Save the Self Care November 30- day challenge photo below and take the challenge with me. Be sure to share on social media using #selfcarenovember. You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter… I’ll be use to share and repost.
SN: I just realized next month is December …. that means BLOGMAS and blogs everyday… Lord help me! I do plan to participant this year. Blogmas is a whole lot, though. Planning blogs, prepping blogs, writing and editing blogs, just a lot. Pray for me.
Hello Passionista!
One of my favorite YouTuber’s Raven Elysee inspired this DIY project after watching her Decorating My House DIY projects + New Furniture vlog. I have been re- decorating my apartment with more things of my style. I want every room and every decoration to reflect who I am as a person. I consider myself to be very creative, I love creating things. So a lot of my home decor will be D.I.Y projects. For instances, the Hexagon Shaped Shelves … click here to see blog.
For this project you’ll need:
I purchased an 8 pack of the 10 x 10 canvas, I had a vision of doing tiled art on one large wall in my living room space. My new color scheme for my living room space is Blue + Pink, so I used those colors. And it add a third color I used a fresh tone nude.
I started by laying out my canvas on a table.
Staring with the darkest color first, I dropped dots of paint randomly all over t
he canvas.
With a paper towel, I swiped the paint from left to right. Making streaks, sort of.
Before starting a new color, I used my hair dryer to dry the paint.
First I applied blue, then pink, then the nude paint .
Lastly, I took the metal flakes and just tore off a few small pieces and placed them on top of the wet paint at random.
Here is the Finished Product
My living has double doors that lead out to the balcony. I decided to tile 4 of the canvas paints on each side of the double doors. As you walk into the front door the back wall and double doors are what you see. I think my abstract art looking good in this spot, even though I visioned something different. I want to add some greenery or plants to this view. Maybe a tall faux plant in each corner under the paintings.
Hello Passionista!!!!
I’ve been on a quest to re-decorate my space. Someone once told me, “everything in your home is a representation of you”. So I want all the pieces of me to be reflected in my space. I don’t have many visitors, but I should enjoy my space. Hey, I’m the one paying the rent right?
I recently added this handing shelf and decor on the wall of my kitchen island. Greenery is really becoming my thing. I want to create a zen and peaceful ambience in my kitchen space.
For only $11 (plus tax) I put together this zen piece of wall decor. You don’t have to break the bank to decorate your space. Some things are better when designed by you. Don’t be afraid to DIY some of your decor desire to save money and create special decor pieces that are meaningful to your space. For example, the Hexagon spaced shelves I made out of popsicle sticks and featured on a previous blog…. click here
Simple zen is the inspiration for this piece of decor, along with my complete plans for my kitchen space. It’s all still a work in progress, as I add new pieces … I will share.
Send me pictures and share you favorite home decor in the comments…
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Hello Passionista
Day to day life activities can take a toll on you. But treating yourself every now and then and be just the cure you need to feel good inside and out. No matter how small or how big, treat yourself!
I’m a workaholic and busy body. It’s not a bad thing- I actually enjoy it. But I’ve had to learn how to treat myself to keep my spirits high on a day to day basis. On a weekly basis I try to treat myself to my favorite meal on Friday’s, which is hot wings with lemon pepper sprinkle and blue cheese on the side with cold vegetables. It’s nothing major but it makes me feel good and often times just what I need to wrap up a busy week.
Recently, I decided I wanted a new sofa for my apartment. I’d had my old sofa for about 2 years and it just was comfortable to me anymore. So after a month or 3 of budgeting more and saving I purchased a new sofa.
Purchased from American Freight Furniture
It’s soft and comfortable. Although, I don’t like the pillows I love the sofa. Don’t worry- I’ve already order new pillows on Amazon.
What have you treated yourself to lately?comment below.
Hello Passionistas!
During my trip to Israel, I was privileged with the opportunity to tour “The Old City” of Jerusalem. There are no words to describe this experience. There was so much history, pride and culture in the atmosphere. I was amazed to see how multiple groups of people lived (and still live) together in PEACE.
The day started with meeting tour guide at the hotel and traveling from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which is like an hour drive.
We started the tour at the “Tower of David” which is the highest point for The Old City. From the top of the tower you can lookout to the entire city. Being at the top of this tower was so quiet and peaceful. We spent almost an hour at the top enjoying the sunlight, as the tour guide told several of the most interesting stories that took place in this tower over the years.
The tour was very interactive and the guide allowed us to make decisions of how we wanted to spend the day. So after the Tower of David, we walked the walls of the Old City from one side to the other. Our next stop was to visit King David’s tomb and the Room of the Last Supper.
The tomb of King David sits in a room that is divided, women enter on one side and men enter on the other due to religious reasons. This is a main attraction in The Old City, people come to pray at the tomb of David.
The Room of the Last Supper is was not what I expected. I expected it to be fully furnished with the a long table and painting on the walls, with dark dem lighting. But it was actually a bright empty room, only decorated with the details in the walls and the first trend of stained glass art.
Our next stop was to the main street of the city, which is historically known as the market. Here, we were able to see a masonic version of the map of The Old City. Over the years, artist have sought out to preserve the history od the old city with creating other masonic pieces to showcase how things changed year after year.
Finally, after almost 5 hours of walking we stopped for lunch. The lunch was amazingly flavorful. Herb and Lemon seasoned Salmon with Rice and cucumber and tomato salad on the side with pita bread and of course I had to have a coke.
After lunch, we traveled to the Western Wall. There is an amazing story behind the Western Wall and why its such a main attraction. The Western Wall is a support wall of Mount Moriah. People go to the Western Wall to pray and reflect. There is a tradition that you write a prayer on a little slip of paper and put it in the cracks of the wall. When the wall is full, the notes are pulled from the wall (but never read) and buried.
We decided that our last stop of the day would be the Via Dolorosa, known to be the place Jesus was crucified. This stop must have been the most emotional moment of the whole day. The feeling was so powerful and inside I felt all types of emotions.
When you first walk inside, there is a rock. This is the rock where Jesus body was laid after he was brung down from the cross. People come here to kneel and pray. Also it is popular for tourist to place items of value on the rock for good blessings things like wedding rings, prayer cloths, wallets, pictures or any other items of special value.
Inside the Via Dolorosa is the tomb Jesus was placed in for 3 days. I don’t want to get too biblical, but the bible states that Jesus was buried outside of the Old City. So, how can the tomb now be inside the Via Dolorosa, which is inside The Old City. After the burial and rising of Jesus, The Old City continued to grow. It grew to the point of the Via Dolorosa was build and the tomb was preserved inside. Many people (of all religions) enter this church to pray, fellowship and worship everyday.
If you ever have the opportunity, I recommend that everyone visit The Old City at least once in your lifetime. This is a place where all people, no matter your religion or nationality, are welcomed in peace and exist TOGETHER in peace.
Stay tuned for my next blog of my day in PARIS !!!!!!
Be Passionate! TTYL !
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