Dwayne Coleman - Zion

change.

i have everything and nothing to say at the same time! i came to a place that usually arrives after an epiphany or a good "talking to", but this actually came to mind randomly a little while ago. the only one to determine your fate is you. if you don't like the way you have gained weight over the holidays (that aren't even here yet), lose it. if you are beating yourself up about liking someone you shouldn't, either stop liking them or talk to them about it (they may actually like you back). if you are physically tired all the time, go to bed, eat your fruits and veggies, and get a daily workout in. if you want money, work. anything you want to do, you can. everything takes an initial making up of your mind and the will to do, but after that part, just start. if you fail, you have the basis for not continuing, but if you never start you'll always wonder, and that is so much worse! the root of all of these thoughts not backed by actions are fear, which is my biggest nemesis. as i go on this journey to defeat it once and for all, i'll leave you with this word that i have come back to time and time again:

25 "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Matthew 6:25, 34

Untitled

I have written this post in my head so many times over the last few weeks, but nothing felt noteworthy enough. I think it is because it is such a vulnerable position from which to come. Transparency is not my strong suit, though I feel like my life has been broadcasted because of the accessibility of social media these days. Where do I begin...hmm. Very often I feel like I do not offer much to the world, that I am not different enough, not good enough in one particular thing or another and that I will just fade to the background as simply a memory for one. My reality battles my destiny in my mind on almost a daily basis. Knowing that God says otherwise for my life and sees me with different eyes, I am crazy enough to somewhat believe that He will get His glory and His purposes will be fulfilled. Now, does that mean that my name will flash across a television screen or my face will be in the latest fashion magazine, or even that I will be recognized for my impact on the world after death...absolutely not, which therein lies the struggle. Something inside me wants to be recognized and remembered throughout this lifetime and into my death. How hard is it to do that, though? It is not like you can readily have conversations with the people that changed the world so let me encourage you to be that person; step your "cookies" up and grind towards the top. When you get there don't forget the feeling you felt, reach out to the next generation "YOU" and be a help...

That moment when you feel like your life is so minute in the grand scheme of things and it doesn't really matter what you do, remember that His plan is good and promises your success. Hang onto hope, you'll get there, and don't forget to let your hair down, spend time alone, and laugh once a day...Dr.'s orders ;)

Getting to Know Me

As of recently, I have been shown my purpose in life. I am learning to surrender to a Power higher than my own, a voice wiser than mine, and a Being far greater. There are several road bumps that have come up that I have learned to address and move on without stressing or worrying about them. I have cooked, cleaned, traveled, shopped, exercised, socialized, and meditated to come to a place of inner peace. But what I find rest in is the fact that Someone mightier than I is in control of my life and knows exactly where I am at all times and even where I am headed. Not only where I am headed, but that it is 'good.'

I am sought after, favored, adored. I have been beautifully crafted and artistically handmade. I look in the mirror and do not see what my Maker sees, and until now, have not appreciated my reflection. But every once in a while I remember that I am one-of-a-kind and Someone else knows it! With that said, I like what I see. It makes me, me! So let this be an encouragement to you...take a second look :)

2Faced

Bom Dia Lindas,

Sending greetings from the beautiful country of Brasil, here with a few things on my mind: 1. Dressing more professionally (adult-like), 2. JEANS.

When I arrived back into the states a few days ago I decided that I wanted to upgrade my wardrobe to be more fitting to the professional individual that I am. Thus, naturally, I went thrifting out in Costa Mesa (e.g., Crossroads) to discover a whole new world of professionalism that I had been missing. One thing that I learned in changing my closet so frequently is to be you inside the 'new look' you are going for. Even though I have decided on button-ups, skirts, and blazers instead of jeans, shorts, and maxi dresses, I have maintained the flavor and spunk indicative of my creative mind, i.e. colorful crop pants, sheer-animal print tops, etc.

Shifting gears, I am pleased to announce my upcoming shoot, JEAN, which plays around with the idea of jean patterns and a splash of sunshine. Stay tuned for pictures to follow!

I will leave you with one last thing, "Be Great Today and Everyday."
Sincerely,

The KQ

New Addition before Brasil

It finally hit me that 'Suits' make me look more distinguished, thus, my closet will be experiencing some extreme renovations quite soon. Here's to Day 1 #suit&tie

 

 

Oh the Joy of the Thrift

Recently I was asked how I got into thrifting and where a beginner would start, so I did some asking around and "friending" on Facebook to get a full list of shops out here in California. The joy of moving from one big city to another is discovering new stores! I used to shop clearance racks at stores such as Target and JCPenney, but since my move I have found myself on the racks of Forever and H&M...Target has been hit or miss out here. But once you start getting familiar with the entire clearance section in a place, it is time to move on.

Therefore, I went thrifting for the first time a year ago in Newport and found the absolute best place to shop: Crossroads! On this trip I also went to Buffalo Exchange and Plato's Closet of which I was not very much impressed. But since then, from that day to this, I have discovered another couple of gems, i.e. Eco Thrift and the Disabled Veterans Salvation Army in San Bernardino. I typically pick Goodwill over Salvation Army, but this one was very clean and organized with some cultural pieces in the mix for some added spice.

So there you have it, the art of thrifting takes time to develop (and is based on your patience level and your preference)...My top 3 out here on the "left coast" are: 1. Crossroads in Newport, 2. Disabled Veterans Salvation Army in San B, 3. Goodwill in Redlands

P.S. Sidewalk sales are also fun finds and utilizing young designers and stylists on social media networks have also uncovered interesting pieces; one-of-a-kind, for sure! Feel free to share your experiences :)

Brazil Amazon River Project 2013 - Home

Contribute to a grand cause and tell a friend, please and thanks! Brazil Amazon River Project 2013 - Home

"Break Every Chain" Tasha Cobbs, First Baptist Church of Glenarden

What's in YOUR Closet

So as my shape begins to change right alongside my years, I've done some research on what exactly "dressing my age" actually looks like...Doing a little internet search revealed that I am a 'pear-shaped' body type and pear-shaped bodies work best with empire and/or high waist items. I am pretty familiar with the terms, but wanted a visual, so I found a couple visual aids :)

 
Additionally, some wise fashion person, ahem...Nina Garcia, suggests that every girl (regardless of body type) have an A-line dress, LBD, and LWD in her repertoire. I've added those too for your visual pleasure. Looks like I need to hit the stores like now! Let's be the people that bring positive attention to ourselves by dressing age appropriate with clothes that fit our body type and bright personality...

What is in your closet?!

It's.Official.

My first official photoshoot! Utilize Pink Sunflower for all your fashion needs!

 

 

Thank You for Your favor Lord! Living my dreams :)

Proverbs 31 Woman

Epilogue: The Wife of Noble Character

^10 [b]A wife of noble character who can find?
    She is worth far more than rubies.
¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
    and lacks nothing of value.
¹² She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
¹³ She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
¹⁵ She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.
¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.
¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
    and her lamp does not go out at night.
¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
    and grasps the spindle with her fingers.
²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
    and extends her hands to the needy.
²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
    for all of them are clothed in scarlet.
²² She makes coverings for her bed;
    she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
    where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
    and supplies the merchants with sashes.
²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
    she can laugh at the days to come.
²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
    and faithful instruction is on her tongue.
²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
    and does not eat the bread of idleness.
²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
    her husband also, and he praises her:
²⁹ “Many women do noble things,
    but you surpass them all.”
³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
    but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.
³¹ Honor her for all that her hands have done,
    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Style Work

I Give You Spring...Upon Request

Birthday Bashin'

Greetings from the sunny state of California! Love and treats, my friends...so happy to be back on this side of the blog :)

I decided that this year's birthday celebration would involve my artistry in the world of fashion styling (it's been so long), so I hired an aspiring photographer, very dear to my heart, to collaborate with me on this long awaited project! I have several shots and dozens of memories, but I'll leave you with one.

So proud to be back on the horse; it felt good! I was a little rusty, but it goes to show that anything you put your mind to will come to pass with a little elbow grease! #ENJOY

So, I know I've been neglecting the page...I will do better. I have really lost passion for clothes the last few days and am looking to revamp my style, yet again! Not quite sure what the Lord will inspire, but I hope to bring some freshness to you all really soon.

In other news, I want to take this time to s/o JC for doing big things in my life today. I had a rough Sunday night with one of my homeboys I am interested in and things ended weird and awkwardly so that there is really no way to salvage what we had...was there really anything there in the first place (who knows)? I spent a majority of my night yesterday just dogging the male species because of this incident, leaving me bitter and irrational. I am glad to say that though today was a hard day and my attention was totally averted, the good God Almighty showed me that all men are not dogs, even if they appear to be initially.

After receiving a nice surprise visit from an unexpected friend, totally throwing me off my new normal, I was knocked back in the opposite direction away from self-pity and towards positivity. Thank You Lord for even the smallest rays of sunshine that brighten up a dark night :)

Oh Joy!

Oh the joys and disappointments of life.

I want to start by saying how truly humbled and filled with joy I am by those that have encouraged me to keep writing: you are my heart!

Next, I want to unload some thoughts...every year for as long as I can remember, I have not had a Valentine. We used to get the cute little cut out cards with 'messaged hearts' to put in our Kleenex boxes in elementary school; candygrams in high school; singing grams in college, but I can honestly say I don't remember getting one from anyone special signifying my specialness in someone else's life. So this year, I asked my roommate to be my Valentine and we began to plan what we would do for the special day. Her flowers and candy came on Wednesday; my candied apple and chocolate covered fortune cookies came on V-Day, and we got all gussied up and went to lunch at a new place followed by froyo on Friday. Beyond our beautiful date I received various cards, candies, a cooked meal, fondue, 2 sets of flowers, several texts, and a very special phone call :) When my guy friend, that I secretly have a crush on, asked me how my holiday was, I could honestly answer that it was full of love and the absolute best one I had ever had! Those who wanted to be there, were there, and that made the difference.

The following day I ended up down in SD with my second love, mi hermana, and we went to Oceanside on the dock for dinner with a friend. Sunday continued in the same spirit: church (amazingly on time word), lunch at Phil's (best BBQ ever), shopping (spent less than $20), dinner back in LLU with good friends, and late night snacking. I woke up saying to myself, "Oh, what a night," though, it was really more like "What a weekend!" When I actually got out of bed, I had so much waiting for me: cleaning, organizing, and embarrassment as I relived and relayed the details of last night's events to my roommate. But, through it all I have learned to regret nothing, learn...and once learned, make a difference in someone else's 'aha' moment. Be blessed and productive today my loves!

Psychedelic

I've been asked recently, "So, what exactly do you do?" Fashion stylists or style consultants can contribute to jobs that dress clients from H to T with items already in their closets to setting the theme and choosing the clothes for a show to personal shopping and thrifting for special events. Thus, the pictures I post are simply "looks" to help inspire and spark ideas to create your own style. With that being said I must now say that I am uber excited about the neons I have had the privilege of peeping recently that will grace our atmosphere SS2013! All I can think of is P-s-Y-c-H-eDelic! Enjoy :)

Inspired to Write

First post in the new year...so, let me start by saying Feliz Ano Nuevo (Spanish lesson)!

So there are some cool things I want to share with you all, the first being that I have been put up to the test. I was asked to do some styling work that showcased shorts as the theme with a Parisian twist, identifying inspiration pieces online on Tuesday. Then yesterday, one of my followers on another site encouraged me to post about how to dress in "happening" business attire after age 40, which I had fun researching this morning. That lead to my brainstorming of age appropriate (and body type appropriate) posts that will be forthcoming. Leading me to my last creative moment today and momentus episode in my life, I drew my first dress sketch...very elementary, but I couldn't be more proud! We all have to start somewhere.

I am so thankful to have these opportunities hitting me left and right; it seems like everyday I am able to share my journey as a fashion stylist (blog idea, hmm?). I have recently started a kabqueen.blogspot.com fan page on Facebook, which has also been getting good, positive feedback. It's happening, it is really happening! I am the ultimate dreamer, so you can only imagine the joy I have gotten from these small treats of exposure :) And I did I mention I was asked to be featured in May Vora jewelry? God is good!

 
Yep, so that's my update I look forward to being able to do this more often as new ideas become available. Oh, and did I mention I was in Vegas this weekend, which totally spoke to my artistic/eclectic side...the product of that inspiration will be evident very soon. Looking to secure a photog real soon, but for now, I am resorting to my handy dandy Android (don't judge me). Adios!