Happy Memorial Day ....

In recent years... I have decided to pay homage to my great uncle and grandfather, by hanging their flags. It is an amazing privilege and honor to possess them. 
I beam with pride as I think of their courage and unselfishness.
The young lady you see sippin on a pina colada is my 93 year young grandmother. 

Those two fellas would be her brother and husband.We thank you Big  Lex and Grandpa Ernest for everything ...we truly miss you both!

thank you .... Enjoy your holiday everyone

Delish Item...

My new delish item is seafood soup... with loads of cayenne pepper. I am trying to slim down... and along with yoga, walking and a stricter diet... cayenne helps in getting the blood flowing. As a matter of fact, cayenne is said to be the greatest blood circulation stimulant known. This all aids in carrying waste out of the body, and I love simple ways to detox the system.

Funny... here I am trying to loose weight and all my life I was so insecure about being the smallest person I knew. 

No seriously!

A long time ago...when I carried my son... I weighted 119 pounds in the 9th month. I completed my 20's weighing about 115 pounds. I would beg my physician to prescribe me birth control pills so I could gain weight, and bless his heart he would tell me flat out NO...

Oh... how I wanted full hips ... and thick thighs! Oh.. how I prayed. 

I think the most hilarious part of this is... When I stopped eating red meat a little over 8 years ago, and then all white/dairy/processed foods.... I began to notice gradual weight gain....0_o

Hello Good Morning...

Today is really off to a great start. I did my power walk this morning... and it was... comforting. You know those moments where you are being told what the next step is... a small confident voice that says ... Don't worry, or look back... you are on the right track...

Getting out before the sun... and feeling that cool, moist fresh air was wonderful. As the early birds chirped I thought of all the wonderful... beautiful things I want to do in this life. I reconfirmed my dedication to myself and to the ones I love. All this unbelievable grace is given to us ... every moment of every day! Wow... ours for the taking. How could you waste time on anything negative? Why would you want to stain your mind with nonsense. 

That is precisely why I constructed those frame, to remind myself daily of the simple things in life. The things that mean the most.. the things you can't live without. Although a last summers project... today they will be dusted off and placed lovingly on my bare walls.

Question Of The Week...

Excluding family and love ones.... What simple pleasure brings you the most joy?

Abuse is never cool....

Some of you guys may not know... but I left an old frenemy behind in 09. Yes... We had an on going love hate relationship, and he damn near tried to kill me!! I'm not joking you guys... It was one of the hardest things I ever had to do in my life, and still till this very moment there are times that I miss his presence in my life. I found out that he had all types of aliases... trying to make me believe he was my support and comfort. Well, I made it out just in the niche of time. He pretty much consumed me... I was a shadow of my prior self. I didn't have control any longer of my own emotions and feeling. I depended on him to make me feel good... but the opposite was true! He made me feel ugly and pathetic....

I'm o.k. guys... It's finally over! Six months ago I set myself free of Nicotine/Cigarettes/Cancer sticks... Whatever you wanna call em....

Thank God I left that abusive relationship :P

If any of my QSJ Family decide to stop by ... please make yourself comfortable ... kick back and talk for awhile. 

Flea Market...

This weekend I got a chance to go to my local flea market. It's literally around the corner from me. The plan was to pick up some fabric, but there weren't any of the vendors with the material I wanted out there, and I didn't spot anything along the lines of what I was looking for. Maybe the limited amount of vendors had something to do with those dark skies you see...

While watching the shove and push session... I realized that a better option would be to order my fabric online... I don't know what I was thinking!!! I knew I would be placing orders for my projects.. but I thought I might be able to find some odds and ends...

Well.. that just didn't happen.

So... I snatched up a couple of inexpensive items and headed to the one of the many food stands for some grub to take home. I purchased the deep fried chicken with sweet cabbage and salsa. My mom stood on line forever for the fish and chips. That's her by the way with the black top and white plastic bag. I have a weakness for that chicken and plantain chips.... ;(

I do plan on jumping on the train and going to a couple more flea markets soon. Brooklyn has some great ones! Especially if your looking for unique one of a kind items.

The Making of ...

So guys...I finally have a Singer sewing machine... and yep...

I'm tickled pink and purple about it! So... Dashielle (the cat) and I, decided it was time to do some experimenting. I have been holding on to some old material, and of course this 
was the perfect opportunity to do some ...creating.

Dashielle however, decided that he wanted to be involved in the process, and although I'm sure he had the greatest of intentions... I could have done without his help...smh

After some disciplinary action....

We were back on track, and I even managed to make three headbands and earring sets that I will be rockin this summer! The project gave me some great ideas. Stay tuned, There will be some very interesting things coming soon.

Here is one of those sets.... Still working on the other earring.

Can you say... T E D I O U S!

Here's to a job well done Dashielle. How cute are you...

Beauty Within...

I am beginning to fall in love with photography... the beauty that lies in a shot. Beauty that is not always noticed when taking the picture ... but only after while pondering on the simplicity and elegance of it all... Although still life, it comes alive and speaks to you... to a part of you ... that's hard to identify. I imagine this is the spirit speaking... claiming its existence loud and clear.

"Reframe every thought, word and deed from the perspective of the person you've always dreamed you'd be, as if your life was already as you've dreamed it would be. Die to yesterday's illusions and be reborn to the truth of your vision...."

"The Key to Accessing the Power Within"

Question Of The Week.....

If you had a hand in the making of yourself/life... which would you choose?

1# High intellect and an amazing face and body?

2# Lots of wealth with average intellect, and charm?

Come play.... Leave comments.... Let's discuss...

Object of Obsession

image via: betterhouseandgarden

I love upholstered things... and headboards are at the top of the list. I decided that I would rather spend a couple hundred dollars on ANYTHING but a headboard so.... I'm going DIY. I will be posting pictures of the process in the near future. If any of you are interested in having one of your own, you can do like I did and google DIY tutorials, or you may prefer purchasing your headboard. I personally enjoy the torture.

Well.. I'm off to figure this thing out.....Wish me luck!

Baby Steps...

"All of the greatest accomplishments are made by paying close attention to the minor details"

Welcome to the birth of Loft Insignia. I have been awaiting the arrival for a while now... so I am tickled pink and purple about it!

As you know all types of thoughts surface upon embarking on something new, and these are precisely the times when we must push the negative ones aside and focus on the vision. When I took that picture above on the beach last summer, my thoughts were on learning to take baby steps. I tend to want instance gratification, and often forget that the best outcome will be through paying attention to the small detail. I must accept all aspects of who I am and embrace whatever change is needed.

So this brings us to Loft Insignia... This place is just that.. baby steps... embracing change... paying attention to detail... looking for the best outcome...

Great things are yet to come.... This should be verrrrrrrryyy interesting!