SHOCK: RIP Teena Marie...

OMG, I was not expecting to hear ANYTHING like this on the day after Christmas. I've been a fan of Teena Marie since Square Biz. My little brother saw her live at Essence Fest in New Orleans a few years back and to hear him talk about her set, Teena must have really shut the house down. I was mad jealous that I wasn't there in the Superdome to witness it. I vowed to see her live after my brother's report, but now, sadly, I'll never get the chance. This news is so unbelievably sudden. Prayers go out to her family...




Born Marie Christine Brockert, Teena Marie rose to prominence in the late 70s and 80s, striking a musical and personal partnership with funk legend Rick James. She released 13 studio albums, six of which went platinum on the US R&B chart. Two of her albums went platinum, and six altogether were gold. Marie's biggest hit came in 1984 with her single 'Lovergirl,' which peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Pretty Things to Eat

Have a Merry Christmas Everyone!

What Katie Ate is one of the prettiest food blog I have seen, not only do I lust over the food, I also want to stick those photos all over all walls!

{gorgeous photos from What Katie Ate}

a summery table setting to warm up the holidays

I love this custom table setting with eight white platters, large organic bowls in mustard, and small organic bowls in pale green. Each bowl has a different summer image in the bottom: either a grasshopper, moth, butterfly, shell or flower. All together the set creates a summery atmosphere, even in the cold of winter.

Dream Present

Meet my dream present this Christmas... Isn't she pretty?

Celebrity Clothing Lines Show No Sign of Stopping.

My feelings about celebrities doing clothing lines has been pretty well documented on this blog. And the documentation shows that I hardly ever approve. And from everything I've been reading, it doesn't look like this train is stopping anytime soon:

Celebrity clothing and accessory lines have proliferated in recent years. Lauren Conrad has her Kohl's line. The Olsens sell a line at J.C. Penney. Nicole Richie is in jewelry, accessories, and apparel. Lindsay Lohan, despite her legal troubles, is diversifying into handbags for spring. Sarah Jessica Parker says she takes her role at Halston very seriously. Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony just announced a deal with Kohl's. Alexa Chung did a collection for J.Crew's brand Madewell. Miley Cyrus has her Wal-Mart line; Selena Gomez has her "Dream Out Loud" line for K-Mart. Madonna is killing it with her Macy's tween line, which is planned to be only the first of her many apparel licenses under an agreement with Iconix. And while you may believe the Kardashians are already a Beverly Hills cottage industry of licensing, a full Kardashian "lifestyle" line, including everything from swimwear to denim, is planned for 2011.

See what I mean? Continue reading this over at Jezebel.

Aretha Franklin Speaks Out to JET Magazine [VIDEO]

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Soft Colours

via Design*Sponge

Hip Candy, Hip Trip Advisor Recognized by Hacking Travel (Yay!)

Hip Candy and Hip Trip Advisor (the "travel arm" of my family of blogs) has been included on a list of "Top 100 Travel Bloggers that Hotels and Airlines Should Fly Out First Class" over at Hacking Travel! Woo-hoo! If I had a list of "Top 10 of the Coolest Things to Happen This Year" I have to say, this right here would be pretty high up on that list.

{Vintage Friday}: Nadinoo S/S

{Nadinoo}

This Jumpsuit Trend Has Real Staying Power...

Yves Saint Laurent
I'm telling you, this jumpsuit trend is holding stronger than I ever thought it would. I remember not liking this look at all when it first emerged, but it slowly started to grow on me, and now I can really appreciate the whole vibe of it.

For Spring, the question on designers’ minds was: What would Yves Saint Laurent do? Everyone from Marc Jacobs to Gucci’s Frida Giannini took pages straight from the late great’s playbook, showing seventies-inspired designs. There was no lack of jumpsuits on the runways, but in contrast to recent seasons, these were more Studio 54 dance floor than airplane hangar or mechanics’ garage.
CLICK HERE to continue reading and to see a slideshow.

Delicate Frost

{by sssseahorse}

Spotted Out: Patti Labelle Volunteering at a NYC Food Bank...

Patti Labelle served holiday meals to New Yorkers in need (and looked super cute doing it) at the Food Bank for New York City's Community Kitchen of West Harlem on December 15, 2010 in New York City.

Patti Labelle and Sherri Shepherd served holiday meals to New Yorkers in need at the Food Bank for New York City's Community Kitchen of West Harlem on December 15, 2010 in New York City.

Esperanza Spalding For the Jazz Enthusiast on Your Holiday List..

A perfect gift idea for the jazz lover on your list. Esperanza Spalding is a frequent performer at white house events and would make a perfect holiday gift or just snag a copy for yourself. Listen to the video then scroll down and click below to check her out...


Check out three of Esperanza Spalding's CD's over at Amazon.com below:
Chamber Music Society
Esperanza
Junjo

Sorry, But I DO NOT Approve of Angelina Jolie's Dress.

Attached gloves to the sleeve? WTH is that? And why? And is the dress velvet? I don't know who's on Jolie's glam squad (does she even use a glam squad?) but if she does, this (Versace? Really? Wow) dress should have been BATTED DOWN. With the swiftness. And like I've said before about Vanessa Bryant's too tight dress in the chi chi area, the answer to this weirded out dress that Angelina wore to the Berlin movie premiere of "The Tourist" should have been NO. Period. This dress is just not the look hon.

beachcombing collections from quercus design on etsy

I am obsessed with multiples of things, and collections (that’s why I keep making more and more ceramics), and was immediately drawn to this work by Quercus Design. The serenity of the found objects arranged in a grid is soothing to me, like applying order on a chaotic world.

The above images can be purchased from Quercus Design’s Etsy shop.

Jane Eyre

These are the two most beautiful photos I have seen in a long time!

{by Candice Lesage Austen}

Quiet Moments

{by RICOR}

Miu Miu

Lets start the week with something pretty & pink...

{image by bodhikun}

SWAG ALERT: Asymmetrical Fedora Hats...

I must admit, I've become a little obsessed with the asymmetrical fedora in the last few weeks. I currently own four fedora hats (see me in two of my hats here and here), so why the asymmetrical? I just think the swag level in the asymmetrical fedora is a little more intense. I can go for more intense swag some of the time ;)

On a recent trip to San Francisco, I spotted fashionable women traveling in these hats at the airport and shopping in them in the stores. It's a perfect fall hat silhouette IMO. I asked one girl at H&M as she was coming out of the dressing room where she got her hat from because I loved it. It was simple black with black ribbon belting, no bows, no feathers or anything. She told me that she had gotten her hat from Goorin Brothers right there in San Francisco. We were only there for a short time, so we didn't get to check them out (sad face) but that hasn't stopped me from searching for one high and low online since we returned home. The camel colored one pictured is from Jessica Simpson's hat collection. She also has them in black, charcoal and a wine color, I like Jessica's because the styling of her hats has the simplicity that I'm looking for. This look right here is what I don't want. Not trying to look like a female pimp. So the fit has to be right, which is why my only concern with looking for one online is not being able to try them on. Not really feeling being all excited to see the UPS man delivering my new hat only to find out that I don't like the fit. :-/ So department stores (Macy's J.C. Penney, Dillards) and shoe stores (Nine West, Bakers) are my next best bet I think. I'll keep you posted on what I find :) What are ya'll's thoughts on these hats? Do you like them? Would you wear them? I wanna know your style verdict.

Check out the Classic Black Fedora Hat(65% polyester 35% wool) at Amazon.com.

Christmas Ball

On Friday, I went to the Natural History Museum in London for the company Christmas party, and I only need to say one thing about the venue, wow!

{photo via Natalie Spencer}

In Case You Missed: Brandy/Ray J Family Business Episode 1

This episode aired on December 5, 2010, watch the full episode below if you missed it.

VH1 TV Shows | Music Videos | Celebrity Photos | News & Gossip

still life saturday with elephant ceramics

All photographs are from elephant ceramics.

wee t's: popular for the holidays

wee t’s being fired in the Big T kiln

all these are custom orders! fun!