It’s a week old, but still worth a viewing. Very heartfelt, honest and brave. NYS Senator Diane Savino speaks up about the marriage equality vote in NY State:
LizzLoves…Whitney Houston October 24, 2009
Stills from the video, a sparkle in her eye
“If ya feel good, if ya feel good, put one hand in tha’ air….oh oh ohhhhh”
Yup, that’s right, I said it. I still love Whitney. Pobrecita went through some rough times, but I think she is finally going to make her comeback. She had tried a few times, but faltered. I guess she just wasn’t strong enough. I think this time she’s really gotten her life back on track, though.
Her newest single off the new album, “Million Dollars” has got me dancin’ with one hand in the air. I got it playing on repeat as I write this. Go ‘head Whitney! I was a little worried when her first single, “I Turn to You” came out. It had great lyrics, but her voice wasn’t quite there. I’m sure it was hard for her, knowing that everyone would dissect her first one out the box, so you gotta give it to her for her courage. But this new single makes me smile and think of Whitney in the ’90s. Oh and props to Alicia Keys who produced this new hot song. (go youtube it, sorry embedding the video was a no-no in this case)
Congrats on your lovely re-entry into the spotlight, mama. Jersey girls never give up…we got fight in us 
LizzLoves…Hip-Hop Education October 12, 2009
Once again, I gotta give it up to my girl Black Artemis (aka Sofia Quintero). Of course, she’s my ‘mana, so maybe you can call me biased, but Sofia is a brilliant writer, artist, activist and business woman.
I’m particularly loving her latest endeavor as an educator. Sofia and her equally talented friends/artists have released a book–Conscious Women Rock the Page: Using Hip-Hop Fiction to Incite Social Change– that uses hip-hop in educational curriculum for young women. There are so many reasons to love this, whether it be for its creativity or its goal of reaching young minds by any means necessary, but my favorite part of this text is that it taps into the roots of hip-hop and why the genre came to be in the first place.
Back in the day, hip-hop was truly the voice of the streets. Artists spoke up for the disenfranchised or they vented their frustrations with the injustices that surrounded them. They tried to speak to the people to educate them and give them hope. While some artists are still doing this, a majority of rappers are more focused on dissing each other or flossing their material gains or sexual prowess to REALLY speak to people. Maybe it’s just a trend and it will pass, but I miss those days.
So props and respect to Sofia and the crew who put their lovely heads together to come up with this idea. I can’t wait to add this book to my shelf…and share it with hermanitas and sistas looking to learn…
Read more about the book by clicking here.
LizzLoves…franklybaby August 29, 2009
I have "one love" for this!
A few months ago, a friend I used to work with, Kwana Lamar-Reinoso, decided to launch her own business. Her website, franklybaby.com, is like a virtual specialty boutique for baby clothing and gifts. When I first visited the site, I instantly fell in love with the Bob Marley onesie (my baby nephew is a fan, so he will be getting one soon!). As I clicked through the rest of the site, I found that franklybaby had tons of unique and beautiful items: colorful, cuddly, and classy. Like Kwana says, “There are a lot of children’s boutiques out there but frankly baby offers a very edited selection of unique quality products that you can’t find everywhere else. The hand-knit animals are one of a kind!”
Kwana is loving her her job, especially working for herself. While franklybaby just launched recently, this site has been about 2 years in the making. “It all started when I spotted a tiny Bob Marley onesie in the window of a small children’s boutique. With over 12 years of sales experience I thought I’d put my expertise to good use and start a business of my own. After tons of reading, research and trade shows, frankly baby was born. “
Your hard work definitely paid off. Congrats, girl, the site and products are awesome! Many wishes for continued success.
Readers: Catch the last few days of this month’s sale! As an added bonus, Kwana has shared the coupon code for the sale: just type in DEARSUMMER for 20% off all orders for the month of August!
LizzLoves…Bargains! August 24, 2009
I was recently perusing some Glamour magazines that had started to pile up in my living room and came across a quote from Lilliana Vasquez of the style website, cheapchicas.com. I hadn’t heard of the site, so I immediately jumped online to check it out. Cheapchicas is fun, accessible, and full of my favorite kind of style info: BARGAINS! I love that she gives tips by store, by category of item (accessory, jewelry, clothing, etc.), and even shares info about how to find coupons. It’s also supercool that she spreads the love by featuring links to other noteworthy style websites!
I’m just not that girl that will blow a paycheck on a bag or pair of shoes, so I love that I can see eye-to-eye with this chica fabulosa, Lilliana. Thanks, girl, I’m a new fan!
LizzLoves…Angela Bassett August 16, 2009
50 is the new 40...:)
Happy Birthday to a woman who STAYS bad! Today Angela Bassett turns 50! Go ‘head mama! Hope I look this good at your age!
LizzLoves…Hilary speaking up August 12, 2009
Have y’all seen the video of Hilary Clinton putting a young man in his place when asked what her husband Bill thought of the World Bank? My jaw dropped. I appreciated it..but, what do you think…did she go too far? Watch the video below and weigh in.
LizzLoves…friends following dreams August 3, 2009
While there are many famous women to look to for inspiration, I’m blessed to be surrounded by them in my everyday as well.
One of those women is my hermana, Marian. She is intelligent, beautiful; a free spirit with a huge heart. She has many talents and passions; she is an artist who writes, takes amazing pictures, and loves to paint.
However, a little over a year ago, she realized that something was missing. She devised a plan to work toward her true calling: holistic medicine and healing. She set a date for when she would throw herself into it full time, and that seemed like enough…at first. It soon became a yearning she couldn’t ignore, so she searched for a way to make steps in the right direction. She soon found a 8-month intensive course that would result in a certification as a Holistic Health Counselor. So instead of putting it off until the timing was “perfect,” Marian kept at her 9-to-5, and took on this program on the side. She gave up her weekends, studied hard and blossomed into a sage and nuturing advisor.
This weekend she celebrated her completion of the program. I am so proud of her and her personal growth. I think she is an example to women everywhere that when there is a will, there is a way. Marian got out of her own way, and threw herself into her dream. She reminded me that your path doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be purposeful and passionate. Congrats, hermana!
Check out how dope she is here: http://www.marianisel.com
LizzLoves…Latin Laundry! July 30, 2009
Back in 2004, I wrote about a t-shirt & apparel company called Havana on the Hudson. Their clever Latin-inspired tees are the brainchild of two very cool Latino dudes from NJ. I became buddies with one of them, Juan Carlos, and he sent me an arsenal of dope shirts. Their line has since expanded and changed their name to Latin Laundry. As you can see, the line either pokes fun at or pays homage to Latin culture: its dichos, gente and even food! Here are two I own, but to see more, go check out: http://latinlaundry.com Plus ladies, the cuts for our bodies are pretty flattering
LizzLoves…sistas on covers! July 28, 2009
Zoe Saldana
Jada Pinkett-Smith
You gotta love seeing this ladies on covers of mainstream mags! They both look radiant, healthy and happy. Now all we need next is women of a variety of body types
*ps: that SHAPE issue features my girl Teresa (aka T) from Women’s World of Boxing! Go pick it up and check how dope she looks!
