The Sistah Cafe

Thank You Whitney Houston

2012-02-12T06:31:00.000-08:00

Words cannot express the emotions that I feel with the loss of our sistah, the beautiful songbird, Whitney Houston. Who was she to me you might ask. After all she is just another celebrity. She is not related to me. right? Well let me explain it to you like this. When someone's meaningful songs and words touch you at any point in your life, that person becomes family by proxy. See Whitney got me through high school. My senior prom hair style was based on her hair in "The Greatest Love of All" video. She was there with me through my first love AND my first heartbreak. She partied with me through the 90's as I came of age. She never let me down when she sang the National Anthem. She IS family. She IS our sister. She is an integral part of Music History, selling more than her share of records and winning a lion's share of rewards and recognitions. Never mind that she had personal and family issues. Who doesn't?! I just want to take a moment today to remember and recognize that angel, Whitney Houston. A legend who understood what her life purpose was and who used it to shine her radiant light upon us through song. She will be missed.

Thank you Whitney Houston

This was my favorite song.

I felt the same way when Michael Jackson died. Check out my tribute to the King of Pop...

Excerpts of My Life...Soundtrack by Michael Jackson ~ A Tribute to the King

Thanks for reading.

Peace.

Bloggers, Brands & Brunch ~ Fro Fashion Week Spring 2012

2012-02-07T19:26:00.000-08:00

As a Lead Press Supporter for Fro Fashion Week I was invited to attend Bloggers, Brands & Brunch. This elegantly planned luncheon for preregistered bloggers & guests was sponsored by Design Essentials. Beauty, Hair and Culture Blogger, Afrobella was the keynote speaker. She gave us a very candid and straight forward presentation, where she shared many useful tips on how to become a successful blogger and build your brand.

I jotted down a few of her key suggestions:

*Your logo or name is NOT your brand... YOU are your brand!
*Find your lane and stay in it!
*Be HAPPY for the success of your fellow bloggers!
*Don't allow yourself to be bought and sold.
*Don't allow fear to paralyze you into inaction.
*Dream BIG and Dream FIERCE!

Located in the penthouse of the beautiful Melia Hotel, Atlanta, was the perfect backdrop for a perfect luncheon.

A Who's Who of the Natural Hair Community was in the house.

Actress Kim Coles, Felicia Leatherwood, Master Barber Williams (SofNfree) & Afrobella

Design Essentials had a one on one with Afrobella. There was Q & A during the discussion.

Meet the Fro Fashion Week Spring 2012 Lead Press supporters, along with Ms. Tarin Boone.

It was nice to have an established and well respected blogger like Afrobella as Keynote Speaker. A great time was had by all and we learned so much.

Click here to see the rest of the pictures ~~> Bloggers, Brands and Brunch
Thanks for reading

Peace :-)

I Love Me & I Have the Right to Remain Curly!

2012-02-05T20:19:00.000-08:00

I escorted my daughter to a wonderful event last week appropriately named "I Love Me and I Have the Right to Remain Curly!". This was a fantastic celebration of natural hair and ALL things girly. Held at Atlanta's own Dazzling Diva Day Spa and organized by Julia Davis of TruChatOnline.com this gathering was the frilly, pink, sparkly, answer to most little girls dreams. A Fro Fashion Week sanctioned event, "I Love Me..." made children it's main focus. Natural hair product maker JessiCurl not only sponsored the event, but the Owner/Ceo Jessica McGuinty was in the house to encourage the young ladies in attendance to love themselves just the way they are. The SistahChick and Our Natural Kids are proud to have sponsored one of the giveaways ($25 TJ Maxx Gift) Card.

Upon arrival each girl was escorted to a room with tables filled with cupcakes by Chanelle's Heavenly Treasures

Each cupcake was topped with original art from
Author/Illustrator Ayanna Davis

Julia Davis of TruChatOnline.com and Spa owner Angela Robins did a great job of making the girls feel comfortable and explaining to them what they could expect.

Drawings for giveaways happened through out the evening.

My LittleChick and the winner of the prize that was donated by
The SistahChick and Our Natural Kids

The girls were really delighted to hear Jessica McGuinty speak. She was able to relate to them on a personal level by sharing some stories from her youth where people teased her because of her thick curly hair. She also talked about how her curly hair led her to start her company JessiCurl.

Salon Infinity owner, Trina Pierre showed them how their Barbies can have curly hair too!

Motivational speaker Daree Allen spoke to them about her new book, "Whats Wrong With Me" and taught them how to journal as a means of self expression.

Several girls volunteered to read from "12 Months With Ayanna's Kids" by Author Ayanna Davis

Each girl left with a gift bag full of goodies, but they also left feeling empowered and good about who they are. Now that is priceless!!

Click here to see the rest of the pictures ~~~> "I Love Me..."

Thanks for reading,

Peace

Chocolate Chat Atlanta - III

2012-02-01T21:32:00.000-08:00

Chocolate Chat Atlanta

I will never have enough good things to say about the Chocolate Chat events that are happening in Atlanta. I am true supporter! Ericka Tinsley aka SwarthyDaisy & Event Planner Dianna Hicks of Luxe Events both have a knack for bringing together great mixes of individuals to keep us educated, enlightened and entertained. In this age of recession, foreclosures, overspending & debt, finances was the perfect topic of discussion for this installment of Chocolate Chat.

There were financial professionals in the house.

Wells Fargo representatives Kia Thomas & Jemond White

As well as successful business bloggers, authors, etc.

Charmaine Author/Radio Personality
www.relationshippartyradio.com

Andrea Amir
www.SmartMoneyChicks.com

Corey Moore
Owner ~ Fortune Financial Group, LLC

We were treated to mellow music from an up and coming artist

Chuck Benjamin

There were gourmet chefs there to feed us.

And specialty vendors...

It was all this...and so much more!!

I will continue to cover Chocolate Chat Atlanta Events as long as they have them!

Click here to see to see the rest of the pictures Chocolate Chat Atlanta III

Thanks for reading.

Peace

Henna: Lush vs Jamila

2012-01-22T19:57:00.000-08:00

It is well past time for me to henna again. If I am on my game I should be doing it every 6 - 8 weeks. I started using henna about a year ago when I was looking for a natural way to color my hair. The coloring became secondary when I saw how much it enhanced my hair in other ways. My hair appeared to be shinier. The treatment seemed to make it appear darker but tinted in the light and it also appeared to be thicker. The deep conditioning like effects that I got from the henna far outweighed my desire for colored hair and is now part of my regimen. The very 1st time I used henna from Lush called Caca Rouge. Here is the video from that application:

The last time I did a treatment I tried it a different way. I used Jamila Henna and a recipe from a fellow blogger @NaturalByL of Natural Review By L The recipe called for Henna, Coconut Milk, Apple Cider Vinegar and Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Jamila Henna

Jamila Henna Box

Coconut Milk

Apple Cider Vinegar

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

It was a simple blend and this is the consistency of what it looked like blended together.

I applied it the same way for both methods. I used EO Chamomile & Lemon w/Honey conditioner to rinse it all out after 4 hours.

Overall, I think both techniques for the treatment are effective and beneficial for my hair. There were no dramatic changes in the color for either method. The ingredients for the Jamila Henna method were more economical and easier to obtain. I have to go to the mall or order the Lush on line and it is pricey.
Do you henna? If so, whats your method?

Thanks for reading.

Peace :-)

Chocolate Chat Atlanta

2012-01-21T16:10:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to announce that The SistahChick & Our Natural Kids will be one of the sponsors for Chocolate Chat Atlanta!! Chocolate Chat Atlanta is a face to face social networking mixer. It is the brainchild of Ericka Tinsley aka SwarthyDaisy. Since its inception in June 2011 it continues to grow into a major Atlanta happening.
On January 29th, 2012, SwarthyDaisy along with planner Dianna Hicks of Luxe Events Atlanta are preparing for the third installment of this wonderful event and we are so excited to be a part of it.

This time the focus will be on Finances! There will be professional speakers and specialty vendors from all over Atlanta and as stated in Chocolate Chat Atlanta's beautiful program guide, "... it promises to be Atlanta's most entertaining, informative and fun way to blend the community and business professionals together!"

Check out footage from ~ The SistahChick attends Chocolate Chat Atlanta II

Click here to see pics from The SistahChick attends Chocolate Chat II
Chocolate Chat II

For more information on Chocolate Chat Atlanta
https://www.facebook.com/ChocolateChatAtlanta

Thanks for reading!
Peace

Sistah Spotlight! ~ ChiChi Sophistication

2012-01-20T16:50:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to tell you about this wonderful spirit that I am honored to have run into along my natural hair journey. Her name is Keianna aka KeeKee aka ChiChi Sophistication. I met KeeKee on the Our Natural Kids website. From the moment she entered our online space she has been nothing but positive. KeeKee is a stylist who specializes in natural hair and braiding for children. The DMV area is where she spreads her love for her people and her craft. She says on her blog that she "...plants the seeds of self-love and acceptance while providing the hair with proper care..." I couldn't agree more. We just love her over at Our Natural Kids, so much so that she was named Social Information Contributor for the site! She brings us a wealth of information. Her positive energy is astounding. Her willingness to encourage & motivate speaks volumes about who she is as a person.

In addition to helping Our Natural Kids to promote natural hair health style and maintenance for kids here are a few other places that KeeKee lends her time to:

ChiChi Sophistication (blog)
Natural Hair Care for Children (Facebook, along with ONK Contributor, Jamesha Bazemore)
KeeKeeAllNatural (YouTube)
Chi Chi Sophistication (Facebook)
@KeekeeAlNatural (Twitter)
...and more!!

Please go check her out in whatever venue you like. You will be glad that you did.

Thanks for reading.

Peace :-)

DIY ~ Tween Bedroom Make Over

2012-01-15T23:00:00.000-08:00

This is a a pic of my precious daughter when she was 3 years old in the personal space that I created for her in an effort to get her out of our bed. As you can see, at that time she loved her dolly's and she loved her room.

Pink and green Disney colors along with the whimsical flowery border made her small room bright but cozy.
Defined areas were created so as not to waste any space.

My daughter, aka The LittleChick is now 9 years old. Children in this age group are socially referred to as "Tweens" A Tween as defined by www.thefreedictionary.com is "...a child between middle childhood and adolescence, usually between 8 and 12 years old..." She is definitely not into the same things that she used to be into, but she is still my little girl. We decided that it was time to update her space to something a bit more age and personality appropriate.

We started by letting The LittleChick pick her paint color. She chose a stunning shade of purple. We decided to accent that purple with hot pink and black. 3 bold colors for her vibrant and bold personality. Perfect!

Because we are a DIY family, we called my brother in law to come over and paint the room, while hubby and I got busy clearing out the room and painting her bed and other accessories black.

I found this beautiful hot pink & white, reversible, zebra print comforter set. It really pops against the purple backdrop and the now black bed.

My daughter loves to draw and paint, so we got her a sleek black writing table.

Since her room is small she needed a nice spacious dresser to store all of her things in.

We had some of her own art framed in black and hung them in her room.

Doesn't everyone need a spare set of butterfly wings?

Overall, it took us 1 day, some elbow grease and about $250 to complete this makeover. The LittleChick is pleased with the transformation and so were her friends. If they could just stay little...

Thanks for reading :-)

On The Home Front: Christmas Appliance Disaster!

2012-01-08T18:31:00.000-08:00

I had a fantastic holiday and I hope you did too. The hustle and bustle of Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year is something that I look forward to every year. We usually have a house full during the entire 2 weeks of celebrations, which is why this WAS NOT the perfect time for our refrigerator AND our washing machine to go on the fritz! We lost our fridge due to compressor issues that the repairman said would be $700 to fix. With a house full of kids and 5 days left till Christmas Dinner we had to think fast. Craig's List to the rescue! After a thorough search of Craig's List, we were fortunate to find a young lady that was desperate to get rid of a nearly new (a year old) and barely used Whirlpool Black 25 cu ft side by side refrigerator w/ice maker and water dispenser. Once we saw it, we offered $375.00 and she accepted.

Once we got that squared away our washing machine's transmission decided to put on a show to the tune of $300 in repair. Keep in mind please that is Christmas time!! We'd had this washer & dryer set for a long time and just weren't willing to put any money into it. Once again we went to Craig's List. Seems as though a lot of you are going for those new fangled front loaders and are in a big hurry to get rid of your top loaders. Again we found a great couple with a baby on the way, a cool dog and new front loaders who were eager to get rid of a set that included a Kenmore Heavy Duty Super Capacity Plus Washer and Dryer for $200.00. The set was a few years old yes, but in great shape and newer than the set we had.

All in all I think we got some fantastic deals and came out ahead. Of course you have to be careful with ANY purchases that you are making online and use common sense. Things that you buy on Craig's List are NEVER guaranteed. Lucky for us we ended up meeting 2 really great families during our hunt!

Stay tuned for more "On The Home Front..." posts that will deal more personal aspects of my day to day life as a working mother and wife!

Thanks for Reading!

Happy New Year & Fro Fashion Week Spring 2012 Update!!

2012-01-05T21:18:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Thank you so much for your continued support of The Sistah Cafe, Our Natural Kids, and The SistahChick & Our Natural Kids (fb)
2011 was a GREAT year and I am looking forward to seeing what 2012 will bring!

I reported to you back in October that I was selected as a Lead Press Supporter for Fro Fashion Week Spring 2012 and I wanted to bring you an update! Fro Fashion Week is a bi annual, week long conference in Atlanta that celebrates the beauty of the natural woman in all areas including fashion, business, society and more! It is a fantastic event and the brainchild of Ms. Tarin Boone. It will take place February 1 - 5, 2012 and I am so excited to be a part of it!!

The event is drawing near and the LIVE Kick off begins this Friday, January 6th at Coposhi Boutique in Buckhead from 7p - 10p! I will be there and promise to bring back 1st hand coverage!

For more information on Fro Fashion Week - Spring 2012 (Tickets, Accomodations & More)
Please Click Here

It doesn't stop there! TruChatOnline.com, JessiCurl & Dazzling Diva Day Spa are presenting an event that is geared just for our little girls!! I Love Me And I Have A Right to Remain Curly! This is a Fro Fashion Week - Spring 2012 sanctioned event and my LittleChick and I will be in attendance! The event will take place on Thursday, February 2, 2012 at the Dazzling Diva Day Spa (A Spa for Little Girls!). This is a free event but you must register to participate and from what I hear, tickets are going fast!

Click here for more info http://truchatonline.eventbrite.com/

Stay tuned to The Sistah Cafe, Our Natural Kids, The SistahChick & Our Natural Kids (fb) for more on Fro Fashion Week Spring 2012 and many more Atlanta based, natural hair related events in 2012!!

Thanks for reading
Peace

Curly Curl Cream & The Great Detangler

2011-11-14T14:31:00.001-08:00

I have always been a big fan of Taliah Waajid's Products. Her Black Earth Products line were some of the 1st Natural hair specific products that I ever tried and I've been using them for a few years. They have recently added a line Curly, Waves & Naturals. I was fortunate enough to be able to obtain a few of the products at a hairshow for a good hairshow price :-) I am happy to report that I have been using the Curly Curl Cream & The Great Detangler for about 6 months and I am LOVING the results.
(Mineral Oil is listed in the ingredients of The Great Detangler)

As stated in a previous post...

<<< I look for products that will assist my hair in retaining moisture, while remaining soft and touchable. I also like it to smell good...When MY hair gets moisture it spirals and shines. If I can find a product that can make this last for a week, then I feel like its a good product. I believe that my hair is thin type 4a/4b. It enjoys a thick, creamy, leave in conditioner.>>>

I will also add that I am perfectly happy with my hair and its texture, my goal is never to change that, however, I am ok with enhancing what I already have.

The Great Detangler & The Curly Curl Cream meet all of MY requirements, leaving my hair shiny, moisturized and soft to the touch. I can get this to last for a week with daily refreshing.

I use both of these products as a leave in (yes I mix in a little of The Great Detangler in with my Curly Curl Cream) and apply it to wet hair and let air dry for a wash n go. Along with producing great results, these products are also economical and easily obtainable since you can get them at Walgreens, Target, Etc.

Taliah Waajid's Curly Curl Cream, The Great Detangler &
Curl Sealer (haven't tried the Curl Sealer yet!)

Have you tried these products? I'd love to know what you think about them!

Fro Fashion Week ~ Spring 2012 ~ Lead Press Supporter

2011-10-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

It's official!! Yours Truly has been selected by Naturally Me! Media, LLC (Parent company of Fro Fashion Week) as one the Lead Press Supporters for the Spring Event!! I am so excited to have been chosen! After attending my very first Fro Fashion Week event in the Fall (2011) I am elated to now be a part of it all! This is a MAJOR Atlanta event! Being a Lead Press Supporter will allow me to bring YOU updates as well as up close and personal footage of the weeks activities. I will be onsite and I cant wait to bring it all to you! So please stay tuned for the latest and most up to date information regarding Fro Fashion Week ~ Spring 2012 from The SistahChick's point of view here at The Sistah Cafe!! Thank you Ms. Tarin Boone for creating such an upscale, wonderful and necessary event! Get Your Tickets Today!

Kim Coles & The SistahChick
Fro Fashion Week Fall 2011
Penthouse Party

Natural Beauty
Fro Fashion Week Fall 2011
Penthouse Party

Gorgeous MC
Fro Fashion Week Fall 2011
Fashion Show

Fashion Show
Fro Fashion Week Fall 2011

Check out my footage of the Fro Fashion Show! (Fall 2011)

For More Pics...

Fro Fashion Week - (Fall 2011) Pt 1 ~ Penthouse Party

Fro Fashion Week - (Fall 2011) Pt 2 ~ Fashion Show

Stay tuned for more!!

Natural Skin Care

2011-10-18T19:53:00.000-07:00

As I continue my Natural hair journey it has become more and more apparent to me that personal care and wellness products for skin, hair and body are ALL essential. How can I focus on the health of JUST my hair and not the rest of my body? I love hearing about places like Oasis Health Vitamin & Herb Shoppe in downtown Decatur. They have informed me that they will be hosting a trunk show/in store demonstration on October 22nd from 5:00p to 7:30p. They will be teaching about herbs that are good for hair growth & health. The featured product line will be Dirty Beauty, a natural skincare line. There will also be food, drinks and giveaways!! If you are in the Metro Atlanta area come on out and learn something at this FREE event.
(rsvp info on the flyer)

Thank you so much to Cera, Co Owner of Oasis Health, Inc for sharing this information

International Shea Butter Convention ~ Atlanta

2011-10-11T06:03:00.000-07:00

The 9th Annual International Shea Butter Convention will take place on October 13th - 15th, 2011 at the Georgia International Convention Center here in Atlanta, GA.

Our Natural Kids is honored to be invited to take part by participating in The Shea Works Initiative ~ A Math & Science Literacy Project on October 15th from 2p - 4p. (registration begins at 1:30p!)

The Shea Works Initiative is for children in grades 5 - 8 AND Free w/their parents.

If you are in Atlanta please support this event! You DO NOT have to be a member of Our Natural Kids to participate! Just come on out and learn with us!!

There will be a Shea Market, Natural Hair Show and Cultural Celebration directly AFTERwards (about 30 min after) which is also FREE!

If you are in Atlanta please support this event! You DO NOT have to be a member of Our Natural Kids to participate! Just come on out and learn with us!!

For More Information:

The 2011 9th Annual International Shea Butter Convention

White Chili Recipe

2011-10-03T19:15:00.000-07:00

I am trying to ease up on the red meats and I thought that this would be an interesting twist on regular chili. It turned out great and the family loved it. Feel free to swap out whatever you want. Recipes are meant to be customized AND shared.

White Chili
Ingredients

2.5lbs of Chicken Breast (chunked/cubed)
1 lb Turkey Smoked Sausage
3/4 -1 cup Yellow or Orange Bell Pepper (chopped)
3/4 -1 cup yellow onion (chopped)
1 1/2 chopped garlic clove
1/4 cup canola oil
3 tbs flour
1 can of great northern beans
1 cup of sliced portobella mushrooms
Sweet Corn
1 can chicken broth
1/4 c. half/half
Spices: Ms. Dash, Cumin, Oregano, Salt Pepper, red pepper

(I season my chicken with the spices, then marinate a little before starting)

In a large skillet heat oil.
Throw in the onion, bell pepper & garlic and cook for a few minutes.
Sprinkle in the flour and coat the veggies.
Throw in the chicken over that and coat with the floured veggies.
Cover and let cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When the chicken is mostly done, transfer to a Dutch oven. Pour everything in, including the scrapings from the skillet.
Slice the turkey smoked sausage & portobellas and cook them a little in the same skillet and toss that in along with the corn. add chicken broth as needed and let it all simmer (15 min). Check your seasonings & add more if you want (i went heavy on the cumin cause i like it).

Cook it till you are sure your chicken is cooked thoroughly, add the beans last along with the half/half. Cook for a few more minutes. Serves many. Garnish with cilantro, green onion, jack cheese, sour cream...or whatever you want. Its a very hearty meal.

Hope you like it! If you try it, please come back and tell me about!

Thanks for reading.

Container Garden Update!

2011-10-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

Back in May my daughter and I decided to try our hand at a little gardening. Container Gardening that it is. At that time I blogged that, I thought it would be a fun summer project for her and that it would serve a purpose. Boy was I right to the nth power!! Not only do I feel that we have both grown as human beings because of the experience, but we also were able to produce our own edible crops. My daughter was NOT a veggie eater prior to this, but we found that if she grows them... she WILL eat them! All summer we enjoyed dozens of delicious cucumbers, fresh basil, fresh onion, beautiful red bell peppers, cilantro and even a couple of watermelons. It was fun, fun, fun and we are now preparing to grow various lettuces for the fall. Here are a few pics of our endeavors, hope you enjoy :-)

Cilantro, Basil & Parsley

Basil

Harvested Basil

Cucumber Harvest

She is eating veggies!!

Sliced Cucs

We ended up w/30+

One Tiny Melon

Cuc on the vine

Orange in the middle?? Super Sweet & Good

Watermelon

Red Bell Pepper

Harvested Melon

Size does not matter, her smile does :-)

Thanks for reading!!

1st Annual Leadership Enrichment Conference ~ ATL

2011-09-15T20:03:00.000-07:00

The SistahChick & Our Natural Kids are pleased to be supporters of the 1st Annual Leadership Enrichment Conference hosted by our friends over at AfroPuffs and Ponytails. AfroPuffs & PonyTails, Inc. is an organization that works to inspire and empower African American/Black preteen & teen girls. The conference will be held in Atlanta, October 1 & 2, 2011 and it is an event that you do not want to miss!! The first day will be filled with speakers who are educators, motivators and entrepreneurs that are already successfully reaching our young ladies. The 2nd day will be about business with vendors & marketers with products and information to share and more. This will be a GREAT networking event for people who are interested in finding out how to do more to motivate and uplift our greatest commodity... our girls.

Show your support!

Purchase a program ad for YOUR business or organization today!

Become a Vendor!

Register Online to attend!!

Click the link to learn more!
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e4swjxpj1a529433&llr=l4nyjfhab

afropuffsandponytails

Thanks for reading!

Blogalicious ATL!

2011-08-24T19:22:00.000-07:00

I attended a wonderful Blogalicious Meetup event hosted by Lamar & Ronnie Tyler of BlackAndMarriedWithKids. It was held at the Hudson Grille in midtown Atlanta. A precursor or teaser even for the major Blogalicious Weekend event that is being held this year in Washington D.C., it was the place to be if you are a blogger who is passionate about what you blog about and you like to mingle. There was a panel of successful bloggers there to share their stories and to answer questions. We were able to see part of a Be Blogalicious documentary. There were giveaways, information, good food & drink and much, much more. It was a packed house full of fascinating people.

The panel included: Stacey of Justice Fergie; Danica Kombol of Be Everywhere, and Bren Herrera of Flanboyant Eats. Lamar Tyler was the MC along with his lovely wife, Ronnie. We learned about choosing a niche, determining your passion, when is the right time to call in a professional, promoting your brand, the importance of Networking and the list goes on.

Ronnie Tyler & The SistahChick

@SwarthyDaisy

This was an interesting, informative and very well put together mixer. I really enjoyed myself and I learned so much. I see a Blogalicious Weekend event in my future!!! In the meantime, for more information on Blogalicious Weekend and how to register check out their website! http://beblogalicious.com/

Thanks for reading :-)

Atlanta Natural Hair Events ~ Summer/Fall 2011

2011-08-11T19:25:00.000-07:00

Atlanta is always a buzz with the BEST of Hair Shows & Natural Hair events and this Summer/Fall will be no different!! Which one will you attend??

Bronner Bros Intl Hair Show

August 20 - 23, 2011

Georgia World Congress Center

http://www.bronnerbros.com/

Black August Weekend/Happily Natural Day

August 26 - 28 2011

Omenala Griot Museum

http://happilynaturalday.com/

World Natural Hair & Beauty Show

September 10 - 11, 2011

Georgia Int'l Convention Center

http://www.naturalhair.org/

Fro Fashion Week

September 17 - 25, 2011

Hotel Melia

http://frofashionweek.com/

International Shea Butter Convention

October 13 - 15

Georgia Int'l Convention Center

http://www.sheainstitute.com/

Money Saving Tips for Product Junkies

2011-07-22T20:07:00.000-07:00

Hey all of you product junkies out there!! Admitting that you have the problem is the 1st step. right? lol Well welcome to the family we're here for you. Whether you are trying organic OR non organic products it can get pricey trying to find what products work for you. If you are like me and just love trying new things it can become even more of an expense... but it doesn't have to be. One thing is for sure, if i try a product and I end up liking it, I WILL buy more!! That being said...

Here are some tried & true tips to help you SAVE MONEY!!

"Over The Counter" ~ These are products that you can get in any stores beauty section. When I first went natural, Garnier Fructis & Infusium, Motions were my favs. I don't use them anymore but I am just saying don't knock what you can get at Walmart or the grocery store. Some of those OTC products are great! I have heard people swear by the Herbal Essence line. Be careful though if you want to stick to organic products. Just because it looks and sounds organic, doesn't mean that it is. (Read your ingredients)

Product Swaps ~ This is where you meet with fellow natural sistahs to swap products. generally the way it works is you get to swap product for product, so ex: if you bring 8 items you leave with 8 items It is assumed that the persons swapping will only bring new or gently used items. if you have some kind of phobia this wont be for you :-) But this is a GOOD way to mingle, try new things and also to see what else is out there and what others are using. And its free!!

Mostly New & Some Gently used products obtained at a Product Swap

TJ Maxx ~ I really should include Ross & Marshall as well. These stores often get shipments on several costly product lines. I have gotten these product lines there: GioVanni & EO. I heard that the Say Yes To.. line & some Carols Daughter has been seen there as well. They are DEEPLY discounted! (1 Liter of Giovanni Deep Moisture Shampoo $12.99!!) They get different items every week, so what you find there will vary and they also wont have the exact same thing at a different store. I love the hunt!

Buy in Bulk ~ Sometimes buying in larger quantities means paying less per oz. Do the math. You could end up saving lots of money this way. If you know you like it, buy the larger quantity.

Lola's Green Hair ~ I met this really cool chick via Twitter (@LolasGreenHair) she has a very cool website by the same name. Here you can post & sell your new & gently used items and you can also BUY new or gently used items. The membership is my favorite price... FREE! The product prices are awesome! Check it out for yourself!

Hair Shows ~ If you are fortunate enough to live in an area where there are Hair Shows do yourself a favor and check it out. There are always LOTS of vendors selling some of your favorite products for the low low. For instance I got a $20+ jar of Jane Carter Nourish & Shine for $5.00 at last years World Natural Hair Show ~ Atlanta. There will also hopefully be vendors from smaller & little known product lines to sell you GREAT products for a good price. Word of warning, SOME hair shows are costly to get into. If you are going in for product be aware of the cost and your bottomline.

Some of the items obtained from the World Natural Hair Show 2010

Some items obtained from the World Natural Hair Show 2011

"Meet Ups" ~ These are gatherings where people are merely meeting at various locations to talk Natural Hair. Again, if you are in an area where these meetings occur, go to them. There is most always a freebie or two involved. Most of the time the freebies are sample size, but i have been to some where they gave full size! The double benefit of attending meet ups is that you are gonna be hanging out with like minded people, meeting new people and its just fun! aaand usually they're FREE!!

Start a blog or YT ~ When i started my channel & blog my intent was not to get free products, i didn't even know that was a possibility. But as my memberships grow I am finding that more companies are willing to send us products to try. So i wouldn't say this should be a reason to get into it cause its a lot of work. but if you are already doing it... Its free products.

Please share how you save!! Hope this helps

Thanks for Reading,
Peace :-)

The Sistah Cafe & Our Natural Kids NEW Look!

2011-07-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

Greetings Family!

I appreciate you all so much for checking out my blog as well as my other online entities. We have made some changes recently and I wanted to share them with you, so consider this a relaunch!

With the help of our friends over at BosGraph Design we have made all of our sites more attractive & hopefully visible by updating them with professional logos, warm and inviting colors, and by removing all unnecessary links. As my relationship with the online Natural Hair community grows I wanted my sites to represent. I am hoping that these changes will help to invite more views, sponsorship & donations as we continue to share our knowledge & experiences with you.

Introducing...

Our Natural Kids ~ This site was launched back in February 2010. It was a result of the positive feedback that my daughter & I received after we posted a bunch of Natural Hair Styling & Maintenance vids on You Tube. This is a social networking site that allows its members to do everything from Uploading pics & vids to blogging to personalizing your own profile page, you name it. We have discussions boards as well as chat capability. There are interactive sub groups like MotherBloggers & The MarketPlace to help members connect!! We have volunteer contributors there to give you professional tips (Jamesha Bazemore) and to encourage you in a positive way (Keianna Johnson) We are now nearly 800 members strong with members in nearly every state and many countries worldwide!! People from all over the globe are coming together on Our Natural Kids to discuss hair care and maintenance for children with curly, multi textured, afrotype hair.

The Sistah Cafe ~ Its all in the name. This is where your girl, The SistahChick, hangs out! Here I share a little bit more about myself. Whether I am writing about my Natural hair, showing you pics of my family or our latest trips, bringing you updates from my Container Garden or just sharing recipes...Cafe's are warm & inviting places where you can relax, chill & be yourself. The Sistah Cafe is that plus more!!!

The SistahChick's Spot ~ This is my YouTube Channel. I became a YouTuber on 4/10/2009 with one goal only and that was to share my Natural Hair journey with the world! Since the beginning Natural Hair has been the main focus of this channel. However, as with life, there are many different facets to every journey. Here you can watch as My LittleChick and I show our hair regimens. Here you can also see a video diary of my Quit Smoking journey, product reviews, tutorials plus footage of various events that I have attended in Atlanta, yearly photoslide updates set to funky music and much much more!

The SistahChick & Our Natural Kids ~ We are on FaceBook!! Our FaceBook fanpage allows us to possibly come in contact with at least some of its 500 million users. Here we are able to quickly update you with whatever is going on in the African American online community. We provide links to pertinent news/info regarding natural hair products, videos, websites, etc. for kids and adults as well.

All of these entities are a direct result of my love for my race, my people & my culture. I truly enjoy sharing & fellowship with like minded individuals. Being online allows us to reach people that we wouldnt normally be able to come into contact with. I hope that my community appreciates the time, cost & work that my family & I have put into all of these projects. We will continue to share our positive light & energy with you and we hope that you will spread it on to others!

Thanks for reading.
Peace :-)

Chocolate Chat Atlanta

2011-06-27T20:57:00.000-07:00

I attended my very first and most definitely not last Chocolate Chat event this past Sunday and I had a fantastic time!! This event was hosted by Joined Forces of Atlanta. "Swarthy Daisy" was our MC. It was held at a trendy space in the Historic Edgewood area. When I imagine it in my mind, this is what conscious black Atlanta looks like. There were members of the Art Community in the house, (Musicians, Singers & Poets) The Health Community, (Doctors, Nutritionists, & refloxologists) and Vendors (Jewelry, Skin Care, Make Up, etc,). There were decadent desserts which included a chocolate fountain. Wine flowed as well. The energy was astoundingly positive and could be felt from the moment you entered. I just love meeting new people. Mingling. Learning. If you ever see events that involve any of the people or groups mentioned above, do yourself a favor and check them out, you wont be dissapponted. Hope you enjoy the pics. Peace.

You can check out the video for this event here Welcome to Chocolate Chat Atlanta

You can also check out more pics on our FaceBook Page

The SistahChick & Our Natural Kids

"Like" Us

Thanks for reading!

SummerTime Natural Hair Style for Kids!

2011-06-12T00:38:00.000-07:00

Summertime is here and with it comes many fun activities. For kids with Natural Hair it's important to find a style that will work for YOUR child. Whether your child is active or not, it should be closely maintained in the summertime. In the South temps are above 90 nearly everyday in the Spring and Summer. My LittleChick has gorgeous super thick 4a/4b hair. Her hair is very dense and therefore it holds heat. It can be very uncomfortable for her if not styled correctly. Here are the things that we had to consider for her.

#1. A protective style
#2. A hairstyle that would fit under a bike helmet.
#3. A hairstyle that will fit under a swim cap
#4. A hairstyle that can be easily covered with a scarf for gardening
#5. A cute hairstyle.

What we came up with was good old fashioned "plaits". Plaits are big braided sections of hair, plain and simple. The style has been around forever. Just as i wore my hair like this as a child, so will my daughter. This style fits perfectly under a bike helmet without making her neck hot. Swimcap? No problem, because the hair is fairly flat and the ends of the braids can simply be tucked. Moisturizing and braiding prevents breakage and preserves the ends from drying out, so the style is protective. Plus its super cute!
After her hair has been washed and air dryed (in plaits) ...I resectioned it in 5 big pieces. I used Uncle Funky's Extra Butter to add moisture the hair and I applied Lil Better Butter directly to her scalp. I braided each section down to the ends. I also really like that this style can be redone or touched up fairly quickly in between washes. Who wants time consuming hair days during the summer? This is easy as 1, 2, 3!!

How will your kids wear their hair this summer and why?

Thanks for reading.

Peace :-)

Container Gardening

2011-05-30T11:20:00.000-07:00

YES! I am giving it a try. There is this real conscious sistah that I follow on twitter, @RaquelDog. She has been tweeting a lot lately about her garden, as well as sharing pics. She takes so much pride in what she does and her blooms are so beautiful. Everything happens for a reason... I was looking for something educational to do with my LittleChick for the summer. So I looked into it. With container gardening, we can do it right out on our sunny deck and who doesnt want to grow and eat their own food, right? So there you have it. I checked out a few websites first, then we hit up Home Depot on Saturday night and I got what I thought we needed.
Here is what we decided to grow:

Cilantro
Thyme
Basil

Oregano
Parsley
Chamomile
Onion
Green Bell Peppers
Cucumber
Chives

At first I was headed for the established plants, but then i thought what's the fun in that, so we hit up the seeds. Lucky for me we found some window kits, that had the containers, the seeds, and the dirt all together, so i got a few varieties of those. Then we swapped out the seeds that came with our own selections. I also got some bigger planters & moisture control soil for later when we move the seedlings.

My LittleChick was very excited about getting this going! She wanted to start immediately. Luckily, it was a bright & beautiful day on Sunday. We sat together, we read all of the directions, we planned out our seeds, labeled the containers, activated the dirt pellets (yeah i said dirt pellets, give me a break ok?!) and we sowed our seeds.

...As I watched her running her fingers through that fresh dirt, and smelling it, and laughing... And I watched her amazement at the tinyness of the seeds and listened to her inquiries about how will it grow and why? I knew that we were creating memories. I truly enjoyed our time together and I cant wait to see what will be produced. I will definately keep you posted!

Thanks for reading.
Peace :-)

Why I Write.

2011-05-26T18:44:00.000-07:00

I was recently tagged by @LolasGreenHair, a Twitter friend of mine. For those of you who dont know when you are tagged it usually involves a request for you and other "Taggees" to perform a task. Whether it be responding with a YouTube video or a blogpost etc. You have to do what they ask as well as tag others when you are finished. That being said, I have been asked to blog about, "Why I Write." An excerpt from Lola's post...
"...I had no earthly idea that I would gain so much from blogging! That said, I’m asking you (tag, you’re it!): NaturalbyL, TheSistahChick, HGKWW, OnyxxRose, and AisForAlex—Why do you write? Let us know in a post and tag 5 more bloggers. And while you’re at it, share 3 pearls of wisdom for other current or aspiring bloggers. "

hmmm? That's a good question. Why do I write? I dont necessarily consider myself to be a writer. I do like to talk. To me writing is like talking. I like to tell stories. I think I have a lot of interesting things to say. If you follow me on Twitter then know that this is true. Like me, my stories don't give everything, but just enough to entertain you. But its really just me talking.

3 pearls of wisdom...
*Always be true to yourself.
*Don't ever do it for the money
*Respond to your comments

Thank you @Lola'sGreenHair for tagging me :-) Ya'll please check her out http://www.lolasgreenhair.com/

and with that I tag @CurlHue @1984Lips4daze @willufight4life @KeeKeeAllNatural @AJCiti . (tag! you are it!) Ladies please tell us in a post, Why You Write? Please also tag 5 others and offer them 3 pearls of wisdom for other writers/bloggers :-)

Thanks for reading

Peace.