Sprinkles and Booze

Cut me open for your Thanksgiving meal.

| Life

 Christina Ricci as “Wednesday Addams” in Addams Family Values.

If you were in the states yesterday or have lots of friends that live in the states, you are well aware that yesterday was Thanksgiving. It is a day where you eat way too much food, you’re grateful for your blessings, have awkward family conversations, and drown out most of the day with booze.

One of the best ways to take a moment and appreciate what you have in your life is by writing a gratitude list. I have sat down and compiled all of the things I am thankful for this Thanksgiving season.

Here are the top 20 things I am thankful for:

20. Mick Jagger’s hot pants

19. That my pants still fit.

18. Adult beverages!

17. My iPhone.

16. Two termin’ Barack Obama.

15.  The end of the Twilight series.

14. Ewoks!

13. Everything that I own that is covered in glitter!

12. My nail artist.

11. Boobs.

10. Instagram for my inner hipster.

9. Harvey Dent.

8. The end of 2012 and the possible zombie apocalypse.

7. Cupcakes!

6. Makeup.

5. Mike Falzone and his words of wisdom.

4. Curly hair products!

3. My future husband Childish Gambino.

2. This!

1. YOU!

Thank you for being  a part of my adventures and all of your amazing support! I look forward to taking over the internet, blogosphere, and the world.

Up, up, and away,

Latanya Rene

Envy killed the Elephant : Part II

| Life, Self Lovin'

Photo by LiLou 

When I think of jealousy, I tend to think of evil queens and witches in fairytales. That evil queen would have never poisoned Snow White unless she wasn’t completely jealous. I now bring you the follow up on my rant about jealousy in which I began last week. I feel like a lot of folks hold on to things that are completely out of their control (and sometimes within their control). I hope these tips in which I use are helpful. There is nothing more troublesome than letting negative fester.

We are trained to be competitive. To always have the best, biggest, and greatest. Because this is something we are taught very early on, it’s hard not to compare ourselves to others. The reality is everyone has flaws. How many times have you hung out with someone you thought ‘had it all’ and realized that person has a lot of hidden struggles themselves? Most of these ‘perfect’ people have perfected the concept of hiding their flaws. Instead of worrying about what you don’t have, worry more about your positive traits. What do you bring to the table? What skills do you have? How awesome is your collection of comic books or fashion magazines? Once you bring the attention back to the positive, your confidence typically will grow. That positive energy will assist with manifesting other great things that you’re longing for. You’re sure to get fantastic results.

You can’t have jealous feelings without the assistance of someone else. With that said, a lot of angry jealous energy comes from a lack of making yourself happy. That might sound completely nuts but when you think about it, if you’re looking for attention from someone else it’s possible you can fill that ‘need’ on your own. Take a look at yourself for a moment. What is  making you feel as if you need that other person to make you ‘happy’? It could be as easy as doing an activity that makes your happy. Always look at your true intentions and what will really make you giddy like cray-cray happy.

Do the complete opposite of what a jealous person would do. When you feel jealousy taking over, don’t assume, give the silent treatment, slash tires, throw things, angry text, drop obscure and sarcastic hints, Facebook/Twitter stalk, send horrible things to their house, throw out their belongings, or give them things baked with poison. Try what a trusting sane person would do instead. If you’re upset because your friend is hanging out with someone else, recommend a good place to eat or a great movie that just came out. If someone else gets the job that you want, be nice instead of being sneaky. Congratulate the person and offer to help them be successful. Only good things can come from this! The more good you put into the universe the more good will come to you. Obviously, you have to mean what you’re saying so stop being a jerk. Envy is an ugly beast…no one wants to be an ugly beast.

Photo by Evie L. Wray 

Recognize the bitch that is paranoia. Jealousy causes you to react to a fantasy scenario that’s all in your mind. Stick to the positive fantasies, those tend to have better outfits and a way better outcome. The bad things you’re making up in your head may never come to play. If they do, shit happens! You’re a tough cookie and you can handle it. You should develop a great support system of friends and family. This support team of awesomeness will have your back and help you move on to be a better person.

Don’t lose sight of your feelings. Always, always, always listen to your gut but if you start feeling jealous, your emotions are telling you something is happening. Something that you’re simply just not okay with and that’s fine. Figure out what the real issue is behind these feelings and most of the time you’ll realize what needs to be corrected to make you feel better. Ultimately, jealousy is a fear-based behavior. What you can end up doing is creating a situation where bad things could happen. You think negative, you bring negative. It is science and it’s also ironic.  

Working to never be an ugly beast,

Latanya Rene

 

Inspiration is naturally in our DNA.

| Goals, Goals, and more Goals, Life, Self Lovin'

Photo by Femke

Being that I am a creative person and have worked in many creative fields, I have always found inspiration to be a moody beast. A lot of people seem to believe it always shows up when you don’t need it but, when you do need a few kisses from the inspiration fairy, she runs away screaming.

Over the years, I made it a personal goal to always have little inspiration nuggets throughout my daily life. Every now and again, I have giant bursts of inspirational days and sometimes even weeks. This past weekend is my most recent example.

Friday started a little rough honestly but ended with some great conversations with the lovely Femke. Femke and I met last month but our friendship blossomed rapidly. We began speaking via the interwebs before going to the Blogcademy . From what I recall, our first conversation was basically “Hey! I am excited! Are you excited?” followed up by “I’m nervous!” to “OMG! I’m excited.” . We had the pre-awesome workshop jitters that’s for sure.

When Femke and I started speaking, I had a bunch of blog ideas and a lot of hope in my heart. She was a little more proactive than I was and had a blog up and running. And a brilliant one at that! This girl can make magic with a camera and I instantly was bitch slapped by the inspiration fairy. Since we began speaking, we have been bouncing ideas back and forth off of one another, to the point where I am rather sure I either need to move to Europe or she needs to get her bum to the U.S. of A.

Friday, we decided that we want to help keep each other on track with our personal goals, while collaborating with one another since we work so smashingly together. I’ve been overwhelmed with ideas since this conversation and keep coming across more radiant and vibrant inspirational events. From conversations to empowering events, this weekend can definitely go in my personal record books.

Photo by Femke

From time to time, I am asked what keeps me so inspired. Last night before I went to bed, I really thought about this. It was hard for me to break away from thinking about zombies since I had just watched The Walking Dead. But once I got brains off the brain, I made a list of things I do to keep myself inspired.

Here are a few things that might help you get punched in the face by the inspiration fairy:

♥ Pinterest! I personally feel that Pinterest came about for this reason. To inspire. I could easily spend hours on this site, but cut it down drastically. I try to go on when I am looking for extra inspiration, ideas, or have some down time. There are tons of great tidbits of inspiring DIY projects, photos, and quotes. Get your pin on!

♥ Read about something you typically would never want to. Yeah, I know that sounds strange but honestly, I find inspiration in the most random topics. The other day I was reading about soccer in the UK. Typically, I wouldn’t give a damn about any sport to be honest but reading the article triggered about 3 ideas I want to use for future projects. Also, gave me a chance to look at some hot photos of soccer players. It was a win/win.

♥Always do something out of your norm. One day while driving to work, take a different route. Just make sure to leave early enough in case you get lost. Which brings on another great tip…

♥ Get lost! Spend time getting lost and going on adventures. Most of my favorite places are ones I have discovered while walking about. When I want to escape or get inspired, I go to these places. They are like my little secret hideaways.

♥ Take photos. Most people have a phone with a built in camera. Take photos of things (daily if you can) that tickle your fancy. Something you want to remember and hold on to. Something you can look at and get inspired from. I am getting back into the habit of carrying around my actual camera with me. I would definitely encourage that you do the same, but can understand how it can be a pain. If this is something that you realize does work to help you get inspired, I would recommend getting a small pocket point and shoot camera.

♥ Take a cheap mini holiday. Go somewhere, even if it’s just for the weekend. With great sites like Groupon and Living Social, you can be on the look out for any good deals that come up. It’s a great way to recharge and get inspired.

♥ Listen to some new music. Spotify, Last.FM, and Pandora has a ton of great stations. It’s a great way to discover new music and build a new inspirational soundtrack to your life.

♥ Call up a friend! Call up that friend you know would always tell you that you have something in your teeth. You know that friend. Everyone has one. It’s one of the greatest ways to get motivated and move forward with your own personal goals. We are here to love and help one another.

♥ Get dolled up for no reason. Well, there is a reason to get inspired. I always feel MOST inspired when I know I look my best. Go get your nails done, your beard trimmed, or your face dolled up. If you look your best, you tend to feel your best. This is a sure way to get the inspirational juices flowing.

I could literally go on for days about my tricks for inspiration. I hope this short list was a bit helpful for when your inspiration fairy is PMSing.

How do you handle your inspiration blocks? What’s your inspiration fairy’s name? Mine is Musie.

Musie and I are going for a walk,
Latanya Rene

Have I gone mad?

| Goals, Goals, and more Goals, Life, Self Lovin'

 

Ever since I was a little girl, I dreamt big. Most children around me wanted to grow up and be a doctor or a teacher. I aimed high and told my mom I was going to grow up to be Michael Jackson. Apparently I was a very logical and awesome child.

From a VERY early age, I would put on fake concerts for my family. I would lip sync for my life to the King of Pop, Paula Abdul, Prince, Diana Ross, and the Cure. Obviously, I was rather into all types of music and styles which in my opinion made me a kick ass child. One day, my mom hinted at the fact that my performances were lacking in the wardrobe department. My sister was a 80s club kid, so I destroyed her entire closet throwing on anything fun and ‘star’ worthy. The ‘costumes’ made it official, I knew I was suppose to grow up and be a star!

From the series of ‘tours’ that I would put on for  my ever so sweet and patient family, I decided I needed to branch out my stardom by starting my own stationary design company at the age of 7. I would make handmade greeting cards and gift tags that I would sell to my aunts and uncles around the holidays. That’s right folks, I was a little entrepreneur and I didn’t even know it. This ‘company’ went on for year until I out grew it. I was’too cool’ in middle school to do such ‘childish’ things. Man, little did I know that in my 20s, all I would want to do is create things.

For years during my busy schedule of concerts for the masses and making adorable stationary, I also had a secret obsession with fashion magazines/catalogs. I guess it wasn’t secret, but it was definitely involved. I would spend hours looking at catalogs and magazines and cutting out all of my favorite looks and saving them. I would always say “When I grow up, i’m going to dress exactly like this!” I wish I saved some of those cut outs because I am sure some of those outfits were probably super 80s and fantastic.

Looking back at these memories, I realize that they shaped the person I am in a lot of ways but at the same time, I lost myself. Everyone loses themselves a little from years of fear and rejections. When you dream big, you’re often told you can’t do something or your dreams are unrealistic. After a while, you start to believe it to be true and attempt at the more ‘realistic’ goals. Who is to say what is realistic and what isn’t? If you feel it within yourself, your goal is your reality.

This blog/site has been one of my dreams for most of my adulthood and for the first time in my life, I have been put in a perfect storm to move forward with this goal. Don’t get me wrong, I should have started this venture ages ago. I have mentioned I misplaced that little girl that wanted to grow up and be Michael Jackson. All because of fear, being told it is silly, and loads of self doubt. Recently, something has flipped inside of me and I’ve gone completely mad. Mad in the best way possible.

Along with the venture of Sprinkles and Booze, I have a few other goals lined up that seem to be my calling. I’ve always wanted to be a performer/personality and will be taking major steps towards making this a reality. I will be vogue-ing all over the place and pursuing a career in full figure modeling. On top of continuing to branch out in the creative world that I’ve been a part of for years (design, photography, and other art craziness). It might seem like a whole lot but trust me, it all melts right into one another. Yes, it’s mad, and that’s what makes it lovely.

So far, I’ve had the most unrealistic, stunning, loving, support I have ever received in my whole life. I thank ALL of you for taking part in this journey with me. It’s going to be a brilliant and vibrant ride and I look forward to growing and hopefully helping others with my journey. Thank you for all of the support and stay tuned because there is a lot of fun (and more than likely awkward) times to come.

What did you want to be when you were a baby bunny? Are you living your dreams or are you lost?

Love you forever bunnies,

Latanya Rene

 

 

I just wanna have your style up in my life…

| Style-Nerdgasm

Photo by Aimee Han

I am a true nerd and I remember most things that happen in my life to the date. The first song I heard in 2012 was Gotye’s “Somebody that I used to know” featuring Kimbra. This song was basically everyone’s jam for months and hit so extremely close to home for most of us. A huge part of why I love this song is because, I completely fell in amour with the crazy insane awesome pipes of Kimbra. She transformed the song from completely emo to completely independent. This transition plays a huge part in what makes this song so powerful.

Instantly, I began to do a million searches on who this stunning girl was. Upon my research, I discovered the video for her single “Settle Down”. I felt that this New Zealand songbird was speaking directly to me. Not only from the power in her voice but her lyrics were dead on. I don’t know a girl in the world that hasn’t felt exactly the way Kimbra felt when she wrote these lyrics.  On top of being blown away by the music, I instantly fell in love with the styling and wardrobe in this video.

 

Once Kimbra’s album hit the states, her fashion sense quickly became as notable as her amazing talent. Give me a girly dress with loads of volume any day of the week! Everything this girl puts on is ACE! So much lace, and mirrors, and sequins. I can die in her closet a very happy girl.  It’s a serious gift to make a statement without being half naked in today’s pop culture.

 Photo by  Thom Kerr

Kimbra has managed to do something I have been trying to do for years. She has turned herself into a modern day princess. She manages to stick to her style whether its in a photoshoot, at a concert, or just walking about. Most of her looks are very graphic and can often include a tutu-esque skirt. I enjoy anything that has a passive amount of tulle and lots and lots of colors.

 Photo by Shaun Hartas

One would think “I would never have the budget to dress this fantastic!” but realistically, Kimbra has been known to rock a $20 vintage thrift find on more than one occasion. She is also a huge supporter of her local fashion designers such as Jaime Lee . I love a modest girl with kick-ass style!

 I leave you with some photos from the Kimbra Facebook Page  from some her live performances. The girl is not only a ball of walking talent but stylish as all hell! I’ve been reading reviews of her live performances all morning, and from the sounds of it she turns her concerts into giant dance parties. I would imagine it’s easier to bust a move in her fun party dresses instead of  tight, restrictive traditional ‘pop’ attire.  If you aren’t into her music (which I don’t know how you wouldn’t be), at least love her for her fierce, princess, superhero threads.

Are you in love with super girly dresses as much as I am? Do you constantly dream of being a superhero princess unicorn person like I do? If you answered yes to these questions, when do you want to go shopping?

Over and out,

Latanya Rene