Creative Sol SiStar

Where's Waldo?

2010-06-11T03:00:00.004-05:00

Looking for me? Find me here: http://theunlikelyfashionista.blogspot.com/

*hugs*

ReBOOT

2010-04-23T20:03:00.000-05:00

So if anyone still comes around here, I'm sure you've noticed that I haven't been spending much time updating this. I sat and thought about this dilemma and what would cause it. I came to this conclusion. I have had the idea that when I'm in the spotlight, its hard to try to pretend everything is really lollipops and roses when I really want to cuss (curse, i.e. swear) at the top of my lungs. So I thought about it, and wondered where I got the idea that everything had to be grand in order to post. I guess its from the way I've seen media and blogs presented before business owners, and the things that I've been taught in school. So I decided to make some changes and just be ME. That way I can voice my true feelings, show the true creative path that I'm on, and how interesting it is. In the meantime, hopefully you won't be bored to pieces and I won't be too bored to write in this thing! I will try to use un-profane language though...LOL.

I would try to take this leap back into blogging during Mercury Retrograde. Perfect timing! :)

Right now, I'm in the process of turning my 2 bedroom apt that houses four (me and three kiddos) into a studio. What fun!!! I would show a picture of it, but even I am not feeling that open yet. Give me at least another day or two. I swear I've been spring cleaning for no less than 2 months or so...and with as much crap as I've thrown out (oodles and goo gobs of stuff), to the untrained eye it still looks like a squat for winos. I have this weekend ALL TO MYSELF though, which is rare these days...and I plan to knock a huge dent in it. Wish me luck please!

And if you have any neat suggestions for storing beads and art supplies, I'm all ears (or uh eyes)!

2010-04-21T17:29:00.000-05:00

As some of you may have noticed, I have been on sort of a hiatus...trying to figure out which direction my creativity needs to take, business aspects of that, and so on.

Anywhoo, I have decided to enroll in school for my Master's Degree in fashion design. There is a contest going right now where I have a chance to win $2000 for school. If you would, please go here and VOTE FOR ME!

I know it's a pain in the butt to have to register, but I would REALLY appreciated it!

http://www.couturious.com/c/Coral-Desire/22549?ref=fbk

Many hugs, and happy creating!

My Mentors

2009-08-26T17:08:00.006-05:00

These are the people that I want to be like when I grow up as a beader. Thanks so much to you for sharing your gifts with the world!

Patrizia Tager

Dustin Wedekind

Allison Eastman Britt

Cielo Design

Heyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy. IT'S FASHION WEEK!!!

2009-08-12T01:43:00.005-05:00

Inviting you out to the first ever Little Rock Fashion Week! Can you say, excited?!

For more info, click here: http://www.littlerockfashionweek.com/

Been snowed under getting ready to vend for this event on Saturday. Come out if you are close and can make it. I'd love to see you. I'll even be giving away a few items.

Check back. I have some new stuff, and may have a sneak preview!

Toodles, hugs, kisses, peace, love, happiness, hair grease or mousse, etc.

(Yes, I'm sleepy and I get really goofy then!)

Oh, and if you are attending the VIP Launch Party tomorrow night, then see you there!

*Hugs*

Christmas in July

2009-07-07T15:19:00.003-05:00

It's CHRISTMAS IN JULY for members of the AREtsy crew! Receive a free gift with each purchase from Urban Amulets until July 19th.

Congrats to the winner of the FB giveaway!

2009-07-01T04:05:00.003-05:00

I had a dilemma earlier in the week. At first, in order to secure a username on Facebook, a fan page had to have more than 25 fans. That was the requirement on the weekend that Facebook had posted to their question and answer page. So, with 17 fans on Saturday night, I began promoting the site and trying to boost the fan number. So imagine my surprise when I finally had 26 fans, yets was still unable to select my username (instead of that long string of stuff that people had to type to get to my page...virtually impossible without a link).

So, I began asking my friends on my personal page to help me by signing up and getting others they knew to sign up as fans. My intuition told me that the number of fans required had been increased. Sure enough, come Monday morning, the number of fans required on the question and answer page had jumped to 100.

Thanks to the GREAT group of friends that I have on Facebook, I was able to secure the username today. And not only that the fan number is still growing. Thank you to all who participated and made it happen. Thanks to you, my jewelry fan page on Facebook has a real address: www.facebook.com/urbanamulets. *hugs*

I was so greatful that I did a random drawing from the 101 fans that helped me secure the username. The winner gets to choose an item of her choice from my current collection. I'll come back and let you know what she selected.

Me on the local news! Rebirth of Juneteenth celebration.

2009-06-21T01:17:00.004-05:00

First of all, HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! to all of the fathers and wonderful men in your lives.

A video of me on the local news at the "Rebirth of Juneteenth celebration".
I was quoted in the article, and the video is to the right of the page...

A little background history on this event is that years ago it was a family/community affair. Then, a local radio station took it over and began throwing concerts in conjunction with the holiday. However, that was the grunt of the celebration when they began leading it. No remembrance, no education of the youth and adults alike (because many of all ages still don't know what the holiday is about, and just booty-shaking and thug music. The crowd was a younger crowd, teenagers, because no one else wanted to risk their lives to attend those type of events especially not with their young minds there getting crazy off the music talking about killing people and abusing women. It got to where it was the largest concert of the year in the area, supposedly for Juneteenth, with no affiliation to Juneteenth and its meaning other than that being the name of the concert.

Two young male college students put the event on blast by making a documentary at one of the concerts asking event goers what it was they were celebrating. Most did not even know what Juneteenth was other than a day where you can attend the largest booty-shaking, drug promoting concert of the year. Community activists saw the videos and were apalled. I think many knew it was bad and planned to do something, but the documentary brought it to their immediate attention that something had to be done NOW! So they got with the radio station, and made them change the name of their concert, and organized a new event in the spirit of the first Juneteenth events that used to be held years before the radio station got involved.

Many came out, but the crowd wasn't very large simply because there is still some confusion on what the event is and means. Many still thought it was the same event hosted by the radio station in the last few years. Of course, the radio station did not do very much to clear the confusion in promoting it...

This was my very first experience as a vendor for my jewelry. I did well, and made quite a few wonderful contacts that I look forward to working with in the future.

2009-06-15T10:33:00.004-05:00

And the winner of the Relaxation / Focus contest is........................................................(drumroll please)

MARTHA / MUDDY!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations!!!

Unfortunately, there could only be one winner. I'd like to give a great big thank you to everyone else who participated. Be sure to stay tuned. You never know what I might giveaway next.

Mark Your Calendars! EAOC Summer Madness Treasure Hunt!

2009-06-13T16:11:00.004-05:00

Etsy's Artists of Color street team is sponsoring an outstanding summer promotion! The Summer Madness Treasure Hunt will take place in the Etsy Promotions forum beginning June 18 and ending June 21. Each day the treasure hunt will begin at 12 noon and run until 12 midnight, EDT. There will be lots of wonderful prizes to give away so you don't want to miss out. The rules are simple. Peruse through participating shops and find special letters that have been hidden in listings. The letters will be one of the listing photos. Take those letters and form a phrase pertaining to summer. The phrase will change each day. Simple right? You will have a chance to visit the shops of very talented artists and maybe find a new favorite. No purchase is necessary but if you happen to come across that one item that you just can't resist by all means BUY IT! :-)

Are you ready for Summer Madness?

IT WORKS! and Korto Momolu

2009-06-12T18:32:00.006-05:00

I believe the comments function is fixed. I logged out and was able to send a test comment. So please, drop me a line if the mood hits ya!

Now, back to our regularly scheduled program. More shouts out to Arkansas Artists!

Check out Arkansas Fashion Designer Korto Momolu! She's fantastic and very inspirational. I had the privilege of attending Massage Therapy school with her husband, who is also great in his own right. Shouts out if you're reading this...I'll be back to finish one of these days! But that is another longo storio for another time...LOL.

Be sure to turn the music off at the end of the page before you watch the videos or you might end up dizzy!

The music used in the background of Korto's collection was done by the artist playing the statue below. Very talented.

Under Construction

2009-06-12T13:16:00.002-05:00

I was just made aware that my comments function isn't working. Apparently this new cute layout is just that only, cute...LOL, because it is not working properly.

Sorry to all who may have tried to leave me a word. Come back soon and it should be fixed.

Bless!

Yart Sale! And even More Giveaways!

2009-06-11T14:01:00.005-05:00

Be sure to check out the items I have on sale for the Etsy annual Yart sale! (Yart is a mix between a yard and an art sale). Click on the section on my etsy page (urbanamulets.etsy.com) labeled "Yart" to get some very nice discounts. Hurry, sale ends on the 14th!

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I feel like Hustle Man off of the old tv show "Martin"...LOL. But I just cannot resist good giveaways. I also like to share...so here's the latest.

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FINALLY! MAC just released the info on the friends and family sale from June 16th to 18th, online ONLY. 25% off all products on maccosmetics.com. Discount code is SUMO. See Belle Du jour's Blog for more info. Thanks Belle for posting!

Also, As a bonus, Bobbi Brown is also having a friends and family sale online. Code is SUMMER1 at check out for 25% off. June 8th to the 11th. (Hurry, today's the last day!)

And even win a pair of Current/Elliot designer jeans from I Heart Heels' blog. Thanks hon!

I swear, people are giving away everything but the kitchen sink these days...enjoy the niceness while it lasts! (click the pic)

Enjoy!

New Design Piece In the Works

2009-06-11T02:46:00.005-05:00

So here's what I've been up to. It's a really intricate design that is taking far longer than I expected, but I'm really pleased with the results. Here's a sneak peak...

Also, here's a great site that is hosting a giveaway. Check it out! (click on the pic)

And another:

As usual, feedback is always accepted. So feel free to drop me a line. Questions, comments, suggestions, advice. It's all welcome.

Love, light, peace, blessings,

Deandra

GIVEAWAY...Did you say giveaway? Yes!

2009-06-07T05:41:00.014-05:00

So I'm sitting here at 5:42 am, completely wired. I realize that I have lots of ideas, maybe too many. They are all roaring for attention, and so I'm frozen. It's like putting the brakes on and pushing the gas at the same time. I lack focus and concentration. I have a few things that I do to clear my head, and found myself wondering what others do.
SO WHAT DO YOU DO TO GET YOUR FOCUS BACK IN ORDER? Drop me a line and let me know.

Contest begins now and ends in one week...June 14th. Winner's name will be drawn at random, and posted by June 15th. Multiple chances to win may be obtained by entering at my other blogs (myspace and facebook - links found on the sides of the blog). You may freely enter once at each unique site.

Even more chances may be obtained by posting a link to the contest on your blog and leaving a message with the link in it. One extra entry per unique blog link will be given.

For example, you may enter once here, at myspace, and at facebook (for a total of three entries to begin with). Then, if you post about this giveaway on your blog and come back to ONE of my sites and let me know about it, then you receive ONE extra entry for a total of four entries. If you have another blog that you also post about the giveaway on, then you will receive ANOTHER extra entry for a total of five entries.

So what do you win? I thought you'd never ask! Winner receives this complete jewelry set pictured here, with matching necklace, earrings, and bracelet. Perfect for the summer.

Scarab Amulet Earrings

2009-06-03T18:13:00.001-05:00

Finished!

Don't sleep on Arkansas Artists

2009-06-02T09:43:00.001-05:00

If you can play a statue..come on now...that's talent!

GIVEAWAY!!!

2009-06-01T11:13:00.004-05:00

Aren't these combs beautiful? You can actually win one of these lovely's by going here and participating in the contest. If I don't win, I hope you do!

2009-05-31T23:56:00.000-05:00

Find me on Polyvore This is the cutest site...Thanks Farrielle! I'm hooked.

Scarab Choker

2009-05-29T08:42:00.007-05:00

So, it turns out that the mandala doesn't want to be a mandala yet (or at least not in the way I thought it would), nor does the silver and black wire necklace want to be a silver and black wire necklace. (see previous posts)

When I design, I just feel my way through and let the design tell me what it wants to be. Turns out that both pieces really wanted to be a scarab amulet. I think it was a beautiful marriage, and I love how they compromised. Matching earrings to come soon.

As usual, feedback is always accepted. So feel free to drop me a line. Questions, comments, suggestions, advice. It's all welcome.

Love, light, peace, blessings,
Deandra

Singing Son

2009-05-28T16:21:00.006-05:00

Art apparently runs in the family. This is my 9 year old singing, and pretty darn well considering he's very shy and definitely didn't get it from me or his father since we can't carry a tune in a bucket. Not bad, might even have to get him some singing lessons. He misses a few words though, but he is only nine...and we spend more time studying than taking in media programming...

Please note that he became a Chris Brown fan before the beat down with Rihanna, and we've discussed how that is so not cool. Unfortunately, that became one of his favorite singers before he knew he had women beating issues, and he really doesn't know any other songs other than his. I'm working on that...

In the Works...

2009-05-26T12:58:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I get started on one thing, right? And then that thing leads to another idea...which leads me to...well, what had happened was...

I temporarily stopped work on the other "in the works" piece (see previous blog), to get a feel for making mandalas. I love this, but it is more tedious than I thought. I made some progress though. Enough to feel like I got the idea out into my fingers and now go back to finish what I started on the other piece, but then I'll be back to the mandalas. I can't wait! Look out for them soon.

Here's my "learning curve" mandala.

As usual, feedback is always accepted. So feel free to drop me a line. Questions, comments, suggestions, advice. It's all welcome.

Love, light, peace, blessings,

Deandra

SNEAKA PEAKA

2009-05-25T14:49:00.004-05:00

Latest design...not quite ready for my etsy shop yet, but will be soon. I have to do some work to get the photos to show how pretty it is. It's mainly wire and wire wrapping. Whew, and a lot of work! But I love how it came out. It's a choker style necklace to keep it from hanging down too far.

Be the first to see it!

As usual, feedback is always accepted. So feel free to drop me a line. Questions, comments, suggestions, advice. It's all welcome.

Love, light, peace, blessings,

Deandra

First Sale! (Yemaya)

2009-05-24T18:39:00.003-05:00

Urban Amulets just had its first sales on the website! I'll have to take a picture of the dollar or something...

Now, back to trying to get my new designs and redesigns to talk to my thumbs and these beads so we can just all get along.

Feedback is always accepted, so feel free to drop me a line. Questions, comments, suggestions, advice. It's all welcome.

Love, light, peace, blessings,

Deandra