Beyonce

Beyonce Knowles leads Soul Train Nominations

According to the news, R&B Celebrity Beyonce Knowles has received three Soul Train Music Award nominations, for Best Female Album, Best Female Single for 'Irreplaceable' and the Michael Jackson Award for Best Music Video, while Mary J Blige has two nominations, Best Female R'n'B Soul Single and Best Female R'n'B Soul Album. On the male nominations side we have celebrities like John Legend (Best Male Album and Best Male Single) Chris Brown (Best Male Single and Best Male Album), Ne-Yo and Yung Joc. The winners will be announced at the 21st Anniversary Soul Train Music Awards which will take place on March 10 at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

Check out the Soul Train Music Awards nominations list:

Best R'n'B/Soul Single, Female

Beyoncé, 'Irreplaceable'
Mary J. Blige, 'Take Me As I Am'
Keyshia Cole, 'Love'
LeToya, 'Torn'

Best R'n'B/Soul Single, Male

Avant, '4 Minutes'
Chris Brown, 'Yo (Excuse Me Miss)'
John Legend, 'Save Room'
Ne-Yo, 'Sexy Love'

Best R'n'B/Soul Single, Group, Band or Duo

Gnarls Barkley, 'Crazy'
The Isley Brothers feat. Ronald Isley, 'Just Came Here to Chill'
Jagged Edge, 'Good Luck Charm'
The Pussycat Dolls feat. Avant, 'Stickwitu'

Best R'n'B/Soul Album, Female

Beyoncé, 'B'Day'
Mary J. Blige, 'The Breakthrough'
India.Arie, 'Testimony: Vol. 1, Life 'n' Relationship'
Monica, 'The Makings of Me'

Best R'n'B/Soul Album, Male

Chris Brown, 'Chris Brown'
Jamie Foxx, 'Unpredictable'
John Legend, 'Once Again'
Robin Thicke, 'The Evolution of Robin Thicke'

Best R'n'B/Soul Album, Group, Band or Duo

Danity Kane, 'Danity Kane'
Gnarls Barkley, 'St. Elsewhere'
The Isley Brothers feat. Ronald Isley, Baby Makin' Music
'Jagged Edge, Jagged Edge'

Best R'n'B, Soul or Rap New Artist

Lupe Fiasco
Ne-Yo
Rick Ross
Yung Joc

Michael Jackson Award for Best R'n'B, Soul or Rap Video

Beyoncé, 'Irreplaceable'
Busta Rhymes feat. Will.i.am and Kelis, 'I Love My Chick'
Jay-Z, 'Show Me What You Got'
Jim Jones, 'We Fly High'

Best R'n'B, Soul or Rap Dance Cut

Dem Franchize Boyz fest. Lil Peanut and Charlay, 'Lean Wit It, Rock Wit It'
Sean Paul, 'Give It Up to Me'
Webstar and Young B feat. the Voice of Harlem, 'Chicken Noodle Soup'
Yung Joc, 'It's Goin' Down'

Best Gospel Album

The Caravans, 'Paved the Way'
Kirk Franklin, 'Sounds from the Storm'
Bishop G.E. Patterson and Congregation, 'Singing the Old Time Way Volume II'
Youth for Christ, 'The Struggle Is Over

kareena kapoor

Could you do this?

{Photos by Christa Taylor}

Could you rock the same little black dress for 100 days in a row? Sure it's a staple in any wardrobe, but one hundred days?

This girl can. And she is.

Elaini has no idea who I am, but her blog caught my eye when her plight was retweeted. She's doing it to raise money for an orphanage in India (which as some of you know is near and dear to my heart.) And she's posting a picture every single day of her ensemble.

Her creativity and imagination blow my mind. She puts some darn cute outfits together. Please check her out and donate money or accessories if you feel so inclined.

For real, how cute is she?!

In other news, this week was crazy. Like really. Family craziness, which is the scariest kind. I'll spare you the deets, but suffice it to say I completely forgot to pick the winner of the Her Southern Charm giveaway. Random.org picked Miss Baily Jones....Congrats girl! After looking at her blog, I'm totally in love with her laid back vibe. Can we be friends in real life?! ;) Email me and we'll get started on that necklace of yours!

Ok, so I snuck on last picture in. But, I had to- this one is my favorite! Blessings and luck to you, Elaini. I truly hope you reach your goal and will be praying for you along the way! xo

Chase’s Nursery – diy pAINTED iKEA Rug

It’s been so long since I’ve posted anything about Chase’s nursery design.  I have had so little time to post anything but have been doing so much to it.  The nursery is basically complete with the exception of a few pieces of art.  I’ll do a big reveal once I have all of the artwork up, but for now I thought I would share my rug project with you. 

First off let me get 2 disclaimers out of the way…

#1 – DO NOT ATTEMPT PAINTING A RUG AT 8 and 3/4 MONTHS PREGNANT LIKE I DID.  I THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MUCH EASIER TO DO AS NON-PREGO PERSON.

#2 – THIS PROJECT REQUIRES MUCH PATIENCE.  IF YOU DO NOT HAVE PATIENCE THEN DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS PROJECT.

Okay, so back to the rug story.  The rug I originally wanted was this dhurrie rug from West Elm.

It is a beauty but after we moved to our new home I realized it was slightly out of our budget.  I started thinking about the awesome painted Ikea rugs that I had seen around the blog world lately. 

[Cape 27 Blog]

[Classically Modern Nest]

[Diddle Dumpling]

I thought I could do something at least in the same colors and make it have the same feel as the West Elm rug.  So off to Ikea I went. 

Once I got home with the flat-woven $40 ERSLEV rug, I laid it out on the floor and measured it to determine how big my pattern should be.

I also talked to one of my friends, a faux painter, and asked her what material I should use to make the stencil.  She gave me a great tip.  She said to use clear contact paper, like the kind you line your shelf with.  It was 5 bucks a roll at Wal-Mart.  Fortunately for me, it worked out that the contact paper could be placed exactly 4 times across. [Please excuse the mess on the left side of the picture.]

Once I determined the size that my stencil should be I made my stencil pattern out of an extra large sheet of graph paper.  Then I traced it onto my contact paper and cut it out.

Once I had my patterns cut, I peeled the backing off of the contact paper and stuck it on the rug.  This is where I about lost it.  The contact paper was pretty flimsy and kept wanting to curl up on itself.  Couple that along with bending down with an oversized tummy and you have one worn out pregnant lady.  When it was finally down and straight I gained my composure back and continued on. 

With my sponge roller and latex paint I painted a light coat over each of the openings in my stencil.  I wanted the color to be somewhat transparent so I didn’t do a heavy coat at all.  The paint did end up being quite darker than I had originally planned so I ended up using a second coat of a lighter orange.

I don’t have a picture of the next step, but once my paint dried I peeled up my contact paper and moved it over to the next two sections.  It went down much easier the second time around.  The contact paper seemed more stiff.

After two more coats of paint on the 3rd and 4th rows I was done.  It took a little longer than I had expected it to take, but I was so happy with the end result that I didn’t mind the time it had taken.

It is absolutely perfect in Chase’s nursery and really helps complete the space.  I can’t wait until I get pictures of the whole room to show you.

If any of you end up tackling this DIY rug project I’d love to hear about it. Please send me pics too! 

LiveJournal Tags: DIY Painted Ikea Rug,Chase's Nursery,Dhurrie rug,West Elm,Erslev Rug

Just FYI

Because blogger was wonky for a couple days (and still is for me!), I'm extending my $50 gift certificate giveaway to Her Southern Charm  for two more days. Good luck!

Go here to enter!

More Confessions

So, besides being a straw junkie, I'm also a chapstick junkie. Turns out this isn't really as rare a disorder as straw hoarding is, {as so many girls out there suffer from this affliction} but it is a disorder nonetheless.

It all started innocently enough. I was catching up on my favorite Brown Girl's blog and came across this post of a wonderful and new chapstick that I had yet to try. As soon as I saw it at my local Tarjay, I snatched it up. Southern Hubby rolled his eyes as he always does and commented that I'm a marketer's dream. Slap some chapstick into a ball, package it in a weird egg looking thing, and I'm sold. {{And I was. I love it! Get you some, for reals.}}

This lead us to search for all the chapstick I had in the downstairs part of our house. I knew where where I kept my treasures- in the junk drawer, in the pocket of my aprons, in my bedside table, and one in my desk. This is what we found.

Please keep in mind that this hoard did not include:

• in my car,
• in my craft room upstairs,
• in the media room,
• in my camera bag
• or in my purse.

Methinks I need some help.

PS. Don't forget to enter my Her Southern Charm giveaway to win a $50 gift certificate!! It ends May 16th!

Am I Ready?

How do you know when you're ready to have a baby?

No, seriously. I'm really asking you.

Cause I'm at my wits end. With the passing of my 31st birthday on May 1st, I'm realizing that I'm not getting any younger. The motherhood years are passing me by- quickly. {Where did last year go?!}

I know it's in for Hollywood stars to have babies in their mid-forties, but I'm a bit scared of doing that.
I know it's in to put off motherhood, but what if I wait too long?
I know I can always adopt (and would seriously think about it), but what if I want a little Southern Hubby running around?

With all these thoughts running around in my head, I still can't put off that nagging feeling that I'm not ready to let go of this life yet. I'm not ready to share my life with someone else besides my husband. I'm not ready to give up sleep. I'm not ready to rearrange my entire life. I'm not ready. And that thought overrides all the oohs and ahhs I give at baby showers, and the little soft feeling I get in the middle of my stomach when I see a mother coddling her newborn.

For now.

So, now I ask you- When did you know you were ready?

Touch of Charm & We’re In

Jessica from San Diego contacted me a few weeks ago about using my Touch of Charm internet-based design service.  I always love creating these designs for people.  Jessica and her hubby are moving into a new home and wanted an update for their living room.  She had purchased a sectional sofa, but other than that she was starting with a clean slate.  Oh, the possibilities!  Jessica’s style request was to create a room that is comfy, yet modern and stylish.  She didn’t have any constraints on color and said that she pretty much liked everything.  So here is what I came up with for Jessica and her husband.

This beautiful Asian-inspired pillow was my inspiration for the entire room.  Everything else blossomed from there.

***If you are interested in finding out more information about Touch of Charm or my long distance design services email me at charmhomedesign (at) gmail (dot) com.

----------------------------

We’re In!

It’s hard to believe that two weeks ago from today we moved out of our teensy condo and into our new home.  It was an extremely stressful day for me(moving at 8 months pregnant was a very daunting task).  Thank goodness for my sweet hubby and amazing mom and brother.  They were my saving grace.  Especially since I spent about 2 hours in a total emotional breakdown.  Somehow we managed to get out of the condo, into the new home and we are actually out of boxes for the most part. 

For the last two weeks I have been consumed with “nesting” and trying to get the place in order for our soon to be little bundle of joy (who may be coming sooner than we planned according to the doc).  We have a long way to go with the house but it does look somewhat like a home instead of a storage unit at the moment.  I promise that I will post pictures as soon as I have a chance to take them.  I took really great before pictures, but it’s hard finding the time to take progress pictures. 

Chase’s nursery is almost complete.  Today I’m heading to Ikea to pick up a new dresser because the beautiful vintage piece that I bought never got painted.  I’ve found a better home for it in our new dining room though.  Chase’s room will be the first totally completed room and will probably be the first one I post on the blog so stay tuned. 

Thanks to all of you for hanging in there and continuing to comment on my blog during my long breaks in posting.  I appreciate every single comment and word of encouragement, even if I can’t comment back to you.  It’s pretty hard to find the time to pick up the computer and blog these days.  I have so much to blog about yet so little time to actually blog. 

xoxo, Cristi

LiveJournal Tags: Chase's Nursery,Ikea,Touch of Charm

I'm back. And with a HSC giveaway!

Raleigh Raised Border Necklace

"The unfortunate thing about working for yourself is that you have the worst boss in the world."  - David Eddings

This quote make me chuckle. Tis very true. If you are a new reader to my blog, you may not know that I run a small jewelry business named Her Southern Charm. I love what I do, and it gives me a outlet for creativity, but working for yourself is not always easy.

Because of a very busy 2010, my little business took a backseat to my personal life. I still had orders and I still had to work, but most of those orders were from repeat customers and by word of mouth. I didn't advertise. I didn't pass out business cards. I didn't participate in shows. In fact, I didn't do much at all except fill orders. :)

 'Bama Bee Necklace

But I feel the tide turning. I feel my creative juices begging to spill out. And I'm getting excited.

I've added a couple of new designs that I worked on in the past months but never had to time to add to my online store. And I have more on the way. In fact, these mornings I can't wait to wake up and rush upstairs to my craft room to get to working. :)

So, thank you so much for your patience as I waited for my life to settle down. :)

 Mama Susie Necklace

To celebrate my return, I'm giving away a $50 gift certificate to my shop. This should let you get whichever necklace you'd like!!

To enter:

• Entry 1: Visit my site and comment on which necklace you'd like if you win.
• Entry 2: Tweet about it and link back to this post! Add @hrsoutherncharm so I can see your tweet. :)
• Entry 3: Put it on your Facebook, linking back to this post and comment with the link.
• Entry 4: Blog about it, linking back to this post, and comment with the link to your blog.

That's four chances to win! Yay! Be sure to make one comment for each entry. Contest will end May 16th and I will announce a winner chosen by Random.Org.
 
Thanks so much everyone and good luck!

My Prayer Basket

For this type A kinda gal, it made my face squish each up each and every time I had to go searching for a pen or my Bible whenever I wanted to start my quiet time each morning. It made no sense that my books and materials were everywhere, but aside from stacking them on a kitchen counter or in the office, I didn't quite have a solution.

 After browsing some fun sites, I read about the prayer/quiet time basket. Ummm, why in the world did I not think about this? A pretty basket to put everything needed for that special time was a perfect solution.

What's in my quiet time basket?

• my bible
• my prayer journal
• pencils, pens and highlighters
• post-it notes
• devotional books

I keep this right in my living room because the basket I chose blends in with my decor. Simple, easy and perfectly organized- just grab your basket, find a quiet spot and start spending some time with God.

Win-win in my book. :)

Prayer Journal Winner

Yay! The winner for the prayer journal is

Comment #12: Allison from A is for Awkward.

Congrats! Email me and I'll pass on your info. Thanks for all the entries, gals!

xo, Jennifer

India.

After several months of praying and asking God for guidance, Southern Hubby and I have decided to forgo our yearly vacation and accompany our church on a mission trip to Karimnagar, India this October.

I'm terrified.

I've been to India before on one of SH's business trips. I was there a week; he was there a month. The experience changed me and I was never so homesick in my life. The country if full of a gorgeous culture and a generous people, but it's not America. I've seen firsthand the depravity and overwhelming poverty there.

Our five star hotel sat directly across from a posh country club. It also sat next to one of the biggest piles of garbage I've ever seen. Looking outside of my hotel room, I could see tents on top of the "landfill" and children playing and running barefoot.
 
Upon coming back, I often questioned why we are so abundantly blessed when the majority of others do not have access to food, clean water, education, adequate housing, etc. Why us? After many years of searching, God finally answered me- He wants us to share what He has so generously given us. Everything we have is not ours to keep.
 
Which is why we have to go. Even though I'm scared. Even though my stomach turns at the thought of the vaccines. Even though we need to raise $5000 to give to our missionary budget for flights, food, and hostel. We have to go. I have to give of myself to others that need it so much.
 
The picture above is of the 75+ fundraising letters we wrote and sent out. We don't plan on raising the full amount, so whatever is left over will come out of our 2011 vacation budget. Am I sad I don't get to spend a week on the beach sipping pina coladas and tanning? If I'm being honest, then yes. Very much so. But, even as scared as I am, I'm looking forward to connecting with the children in the orphanage we're working at. And I'm so fortunate to have the chance to leave a piece of my heart there- the very same one that God is still working on and changing.
 

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them." -Ephesians 2:10

PS. To those who are getting one of our letters, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your willingness to learn more about our mission and to help, either financially, with prayer, or both. I know we could not have done this without your love and support. xo

PPS. Dont forget to enter my prayer journal giveway. Winners announced next Monday!

Prayer Journal Giveaway!

So many of you responded favorably to my prayer journal that I asked Jennifer at Walking with Him if she would like to sponser a giveaway. She was too sweet and agreed. A tool like this is something to share! So, we're giving away one prayer journal/guide/notebook to one lucky reader! Yay!

To enter simply tell us which color you want your prayer journal to be- grey or green. That's it!  I'll make this one easy. :) Also, if you don't have a blog, please leave your email address so I can contact you in case you win.

I'll pick a winner next Monday. Good luck and I truly hope this opens up a new chapter in your walk with Him. :)

Moving Day

[image - renest]

Hi Everyone, First of all let me say THANK YOU so much for all of your sweet comments about my baby bump.  It seems like it has doubled in size since I took that photo a little over 3 weeks ago.  I'll be sure to post another one soon. 

We've been getting ready for the move into our new house for what seems like months now.  It was actually only a month from the time we put in an offer to the time that we closed last Friday.  We've been running on total adrenaline ever since we closed though.  The removal of the wallpaper in the new den area has been the worst part of the whole experience, but it should all be over with today.  Our official move in date is this coming Friday.  We still have a ton to get done before that happens.  I wish I had some cute vintage suitecases to pack my things in like the picture above, but cardboard boxes seem to make things much easier.  I'll probably be MIA for a few more weeks until we get everything somewhat situated in the new place.  I'll be back with pictures of it as soon as possible.  Until then, please pray that I can keep my sanity before, during and after the move, and also keep this baby inside of me.  The last thing we need is an early arrival...for his sake and for ours. 

xoxo,

Cristi

My Prayer Journal

If you know me at all, you know I have a slight love affair with binders. They're pretty awesome. I think it stems back from my nerd-ness in college. I was obsessed with my class notes, often rewriting them if they weren't perfect. Yes, major geekiness, but I graduated Summa Cum Laude, so my anal retentiveness paid off.

Anyway, after purchasing this prayer tool for a friend's birthday, I decided that I wanted one. But I wasn't in love with the binder (I'm not a fan of displaying logos, hence my LV aversion) so I figured I could make my own. And I loved the results!

I simply ordered a small binder, some notebook paper that fit, section dividers, a daily planner and voila! A simple prayer journal that I could customize and fit my needs exactly! :) And bonus that the binder came with an attached little pocket for my pens and highligher! :)

I separated the notebook into four sections so far:

1. Daily Planner: Since I carry this around my house and to church functions, it seemed wise to put a planner inside. I gave my pretty 2011 planner to my younger (and much in need of organization) sister. 

2. Notes: I use this to take notes when I listen to mass or radio programs that I love to learn from. Most of the time, I just download them to my iPod and listen right after my quiet morning time. I mainly listen to the following...

• FamilyLife Today with Dennis Rainey (love this one!)
• Homemakers By Choice with Donna Otto
• The Village Church with Matt Chandler (while I love the majority of his messages, he can be a bit too much for me at times, just FYI

3. Thanks & Praise: I used this part of the notebook to worship, praise and give thanks to God for he    has done in my life. Sometimes I write out Bible verses that say it better than me. Other times I write out the song lyrics to wonderful songs that uplift him (My Sweet Lord by George Harrison is amazing and takes my breath away sometimes.) I often just write a list of gratitudes for that day. Even the smallest things show God you recognize His work in your life. ;)

4. Requests: Here is where I write down prayer requests that I have. I also use this place to write down the requests others have asked me to pray for. I once wrote down a request that was weighing heavily on my mind. The very next day, while listening to a particular sermon, God answered my request. It was amazing and so direct, I couldn't believe it. I'm hoping to be able to go back and see where He spoke to me regarding my petitions. Now, I have a record of them!

There are other tabs I'd like to use in the future. For example, a confessions one. Right now, I just confess while praying but I'd like to have the courage to actually write them down. It's such a private thing right now and I'm working up to putting it on paper.

I hope this inspires you to make one of your own and to spend some much needed time with God. I love, love this tool! It's such a wonderful aid that one can use to record their quiet time with God. It inspires me and motivates me to not rush through my prayer time. My life whizzes right by me when I don't slow down and I don't want to miss even one of His blessings.

If you don't feel like going through the trouble of making one, you can find them already made all over the Internet. Some good ones can be found here , here, here and here. Good luck! :)