What I'm listening to..

Been so busy lately. Trying to wrap 09 and come up with a game plan for next year.Luckily, I am happy to have found some great music to help get me throught these last hectic weeks of the year.

One of my favorites, Res has released a free, that's right FREE album on her site. Its a solid project that I really have been enjoying. Download it. She has another project in the works with Nicole from Nina Sky and also the Idle Worship project with Talib Kweli. Love her.

Sade has a new single., Soldier of Love. The album is in stores in Febuary. Check her sites for details.

Finally, Ms. Badu is releasing New Amerykah PT 2 in February, as well. No details on her site yet, but i know she's having listening now.

Orla Kieley

Mix equal parts retro and organic and you'll get Orla Kiely. UK designer of home and fashion.

Gotta Have-Frida Kahlo Wooden Letter Box

Looking for a perfect gift for your favorite artsy friend? Then check this out:
Frida Kahlo Wooden Letter Box from Estudiomartita's Etsy shop. Why? Because everyone loves Frida, everyone has jewelry and this box is amazing. Plus, you'll be supporting the handmade movement by supporting this talented etsy artists.

Through December, I'll be featuring items that I think make great gifts for Christmas, Kwanzaa and the holidays in general. I'll try to highlight independent business owners, handmade items, gifts that give back or items deemed generally awesome for other reasons.

Kia doesn't do cold, but she does do prints.

Now that is finally 'winter' here in Atlanta (brrr), I thought I'd spend a little time daydreaming about spring again. Kia does not do cold well. Although I do quite enjoy my big boots, thar's about the only thing I like about this time of year. Forward to Mara Hoffman's spring collection. I love this collection (!) and her use of prints that are very sophisticated urban, and also relaxed. There were so many version of African-inspired prints on the runway during fashion week, and I think Mara Hoffman's presented this trend very well. Here's looking to a fun, print-inspired spring. Stay warm 'til then.

images: http://www.jonesfife.com/

Gotta Have- Brown Butter Beauty

Through December, I'm going to feature items that I think make great gifts for Christmas, Kwanzaa and the holidays in general. I'll try to highlight independent business owners, handmade items, gifts that give back or items deemed generally awesome for other reasons.

Here's my first pick. Brown Butter Beauty. Why? Every lady(or man) wants healthy products for their body and hair that smell good and items that aren't made with a lot of complicated ingredients. Enter Brown Butter Beauty, a full line of well-packaged, tantalizing good products. Buy from her Etsy shop or check out her website.

What I'm Thankful for

So, I'm a bit late on this, but I spent Thanksgiving loving on my boys instead of blogging-no regrets.. But here is what I am thankful for:

Two beautiful, silly, healthy boys.
Talent and brains.
A loving, supportive family.
A way too make ends meet.
New business on the horizon.

My big 'new' project-details to come.
A husband that I love.

Supportive, quirky friends.


PS Malcolm thinks you are supposed to squint when having your picture taken.

Urban Interiors -So Fresh and so clean

I spent a lot of time at home over Thanksgiving. I had a great time, but felt like I was surrounded by --stuff. So it was so refreshing today to find several interiors that are modern and uncluttered. This is my goal for the new year. To create clean, beautiful white space.


My favorite thing about the room above is although it is white, the room looks comfy and approachable and I love the bright pillows!




I love the fact that the patterned tile floor is the focal point of this bathroom and I love the sink.


The wide plank floors here are lovely. And this table is so simple and great for a sunroom. These photos were found on http://emmas.blogg.se/ --beautiful danish style!

Gotta Have: L'Aviva Home

Beautiful home textiles and objects from la viva home.

Kreative Blogger Award

Little Ol' Me has been awarded the Kreativ Blogger award! When I started this blog I didn't think I would be blog addict but I am! It is a great outlet and a lot of fun!

Here are the rules to follow:
1. Thank the person who nominated you for the award.2. Copy the logo and place it on your blog.3. Link to the person who nominated you for the award.4. Name 7 things about yourself that people may not know.5. Nominate 7 Kreativ Bloggers.6. Post links to the 7 blogs you nominate.7. Leave a comment on each

* I've never met Myisha, but she is my virtual sis! Thanks! I admire your business sense, work and just dig ya!

*Things you may not know about me: I love going to the beach; I hate being cold;I spent last night cleaning poop out a high chair; My first love was my Black 83 Toyota Supra; I am very grossed out by gum smacking and seeing gum in general; I have a birthday coming up soon; I love Margaritas.

*My nominations are:
http://briannamccarthy.blogspot.com/
Look at her art and you'll know why.

http://createtressphotography.blogspot.com/
She's cute. She's vegan. She's fly. She's talented.

http://greenhousequeen.blogspot.com/
Luckily in addition to her blog, I call her all the time for herbal remedies.

http://www.thinkandgrowchick.com/
This young sis has much success in her future.

http://mitzimoments.blogspot.com/
A successful sis who makes me proud to be a Rattler.

http://lifechef.blogspot.com/
She can cook her a** off and she's nice!

http://lotusofwadiarts.blogspot.com/
She exudes creativity

I LOVE My Hair

One of my favorite bloggers, Andrea from Fly Girl blog, has opened a new online store celebrating our fabulous hair! Check out her site http://www.ilovemyhair.com/ and her beautiful art.

Queen Michelle

First Lady Michelle Obama does December Glamour. I love her. Swoon, swoon.

What's been up?

Sometimes the timing of things in life is so funny. I spent the end of the summer gearing up for the fall and winter seasons to promote my urban paper and kianicole websites-making updates to the sites, getting in 'promo' mode, coming up with new products-- and then something happened. I got an opportunity-something I have been wanting for years- something I have been planning for but something that timing wise, was unexpected. And because of this, I have had to let a lot of my 'plans' go.

Through September I kept up a facade of productivity, but by October, even that was dwindling.

I haven't been able to stay on my A game, or even my B game.

Why? Well, first of all I have been mentally exhausted. Worse than I can ever remember, barring a pregnancy. My usually crazy multi-tasking brain has been spinning like a broken computer. I haven't been able to process new information and my brain has been zapped. I haven't been full of new ideas or crativity. My immuse sytem has been run down. I haven't really felt like talking to many of my friends, just really kind of felt hibernating. People close to me have asked if I was depressed. Naw, not depressed just kind of in an energy reserve mode.

Second, the time I have had has been devoted to this new project.

So, hopefully soon this crazy period will end. I'm anxious to get my focus back and prepare for 2010. I'm hopeful that really good things are close on the horizon and I'm confident that hopefully, when I emerge from my little hole, I'll be energized and ready to go again with a big, new project to announce. I hope y'all that haven't heard from me for a while will understand and meet me for brunch or lunch or something like that. Until then, peace and love.

Kia

PS Ever had your plans change suddenly and unexpectedly? How did you cope? Leave a comment.

Boxing Kitty

Y'all know I LOVE african prints especially in a contemporary cut. That said,
I'm happy to have found Boxing Kitty (via clutch mag). Her clothes are completely
cute and be sure to check out designer Maya Lake's bio.

Think and Grow Vintage

By virtue of the blogger community, I have met some pretty fabulous women. I want to introduce you to one: Ms. Courtney from Think and Grow Chick. She just opend an Etsy store selling vintage clothing and you should totally support her: Why you may ask?

• She's an ambitious Howard U student!
• She has an awesome blog. (Umm...make sure you check out the interview she did with me...)
• She's found some wonderful pieces for resell in her shop.
• She's a complete cutie and totally rockin' these clothes (see photo)

I hope to do an extended interview with her soon, but for now, check out her shop.

Kelly Rowland

Kelly Rowland graces the covers of OK Magazine and shows how she flips her style from casual to glamourous.

pics from http://www.theybf.com/

Vivienne Westwood Bags

Dear Online Friend: Well this is awkward, but I need to ask a favor.

I found these really cute Vivienne Westwood bags online. See below.

Unfortunately, $400 handbags have never been part of my fashion budget, pre-recession or other wise...
but you see, I really need one of these bags. So, could you find it in your heart to purchase one for me, please. Hey, I am including my favorite three. So, please pick the one you think best suits me and it can kind of like be a surprise! I love surprises. Thanks, you're the best.

Love,

Kia

See the Vivieenne Westwood website

Winter Skin Care Finds

That time of year again. Dry Skin. Ughh. When the weather started changing a few weeks ago here in Atlanta, I immediately had to step up my skin care regiment. Here are my favorites so far for fall.

If you are looking for a heavier moisturizer, Carols Daughter Shea Souffle. can't be beat. The smell is phenomenal, and it has a whipped texture, so it doesn't go on as heavy as typical shea butter.

I've been experiencing dry skin on my face-especially my t-zone, so I tried a heavier night cream. My pick was MAC's Studio Moisture Cream. Within a few days my skin felt much better and less flaky. If I'm not putting on makeup right away, I'll also put on bit in the mornings.

On beauty

Beauty comes in all colors, shapes sizes, hair textures and such. But the thing that is important is the person inside. This is a picture of my paternal grandmother. She's a beauty, no doubt. But what I remember most about her is trips to the beach and the frequent days during the summers we spent together. This woman could fish with the best of them and cook way better than most. She gave us a lot of love. She didn't dote, but she did care a lot for all her grandkids and children. She was a very modern woman although primarily a home maker. That's beauty. Thanks grandma. Love you and miss you!

Hayden-Harnett

Brooklyn-based Hayden Harnett offers stylish pieces with a 20's Art Deco sensibility, peppered with a little African rhythm. If you want to see the whole collection, take a look at their site: http://hayden-harnett.com

Have you ever heard of Blythe?

I've fallen in love with the Blythe dolls. Blythe was released in 1972, and only produced for a year. Since then, there have been several reissues and the doll has been manufactured again, mostly for adult collectors. There is a Blythe underground of artists that create clothing, accessories and customize the dolls. There's actually a Blythe convention this week in Atlanta. I love the brown Blythe dolls pictured above from http://www.flickr.com/photos/blythephotos/. You can also find more on http://www.thisisblythe.com/ and the Black Blythe is Beautiful flickr group here. http://www.flickr.com/groups/25507591@N00/pool/

Kehinde Wiley

I've been an admirer of Kehinde Wiley's work for awhile. His paintings of young black men, mostly from Brooklyn and South Central are amazing. The Columbus Museum of Art, in their2007 exhibition of his portraits concludes. "Kehinde Wiley has gained recent acclaim for his heroic portraits which address the image and status of young African-American men in contemporary culture." His work blends historic art styles with contemporary influences and patterns and motifs borrowed from Africa, Arabic and Renaissance art. You can see more of his portraits at http://www.kehindewiley.com/

Gotta Have It- Cute clutches from Urbanknit

My friend Jasi was carrying the cutest clutch in African fabric yesterday, so today I had to look for similar said . This is what I came up with. These are made by Urbanknit and are available on Etsy.

Gotta Have It- Archive Jewelry

I am going through a pendant phase-more details on that later-so I love these little black and white ones from www.archivejewelry.com/

Pretty Girls

From the cover of Teen Vogue. Models Chanel Iman and Jourdan. Read parts of their interview on Clutch.

Urban Paper Girl Brianna McCarthy

I've beginning to meet (virtually) some of the most wonderful women through this blog. I saw Artist Brianna McCarthy's blog a few weeks and was instantly smitten with her beautiful style.

Two line bio:
25 year old, people watching, wisdom seeking West Indian who paints, draws and makes girls.

How long have you been drawing and painting?:
Privalely, for as long as I can remember. Publicly, for about 2 years.

What inpires you?:
Life, people with strong, real characters, humour, honesty, beauty and a bit of drama. The good kind though!



You've done interviews on other blogs and are a blogger yourself. How long have you been blogging, how does blogging inspire your or your work.
I've only been blogging consistently for several months. I started the blog over a year ago though. Blogging creates an audience and has influenced me in that I now find myself more able to show my work to others. It's not something I was used to doing. Blogging, once you get into what suits you, is fantastic. It's an unbelievable way to network and meet people.
In ten years you will be: Older and Wiser. Those are the only two things I can almost guarantee!
Your Sites or where we can find your work?:
I blog here: http://briannamccarthy.blogspot.com/ and my online portfolio is here: http://briannamccarthy.carbonmade.com/

All Black Everything

from Clutch

I've had hit or miss success at H&M. Sorry that's the truth, but can't wait to see the new Jimmy Choo/H&M collaboration. All the preview images I've seen have been pretty on point. Will hit the store soon to check out for myself. The little star bag is my favorite 'cause I love stars...