Photo-A-Day Challenge| July 2017

Hey hey!

Want another way to document your summer? Come join Ms Naturally Random, myself and others on Instagram while using and following the hashtag

#CRPhotoADay

We are 10 days in on our photo challenge but there is plenty of time to join us.

Want to follow us on The Gram?:

@MsNaturallyRandom

@Creatively_Coiled

Hope to see you and how you spend your Summer!

Motivation Monday| Social Media

We know social media drives a lot of lives; whether it be yours or people you know. Lot of us take time out of our day to stroll down timelines on Facebook, view the visual art that is Instagram, catch up on what is happening now on Twitter, watch reality on Snapchat or whatever other sites you have access to. 

In a small attempt to keep a positive flow of energy going, I use some of these outlets to post quotes from empowering, motivation and memorable people. 

I'm not a big fan of constantly posting on social media however, thanks to Snapchat and [the shady but cool feature that is] Insta-Snap (or whatever it is called) I post there:

Insta handle - creatively_coiled

What are your favorite types of post on social media?

Ancestry| Tracking Our Lineage

A few years ago, my sister and I talked about tracking our family tree and lineage. While the thought was awesome, it was difficult knowing where to start. With the bit of research we were able to do then, we found a few names and following names, tracked our lineage back to Nigeria. But other than that, we found limited information on our family (ie: names, US location, etc.)

2017 lit a fire under my sister again to start researching; looking at county census and speaking with our parents and grandmother to obtain and confirm information. My sister really hit gold with finding family signatures and tracking children she was able to trace our family back to the early 1800's... Which is more than what we recovered previously.

While confirming names with relatives, we also decided to take an ancestry.com DNA analysis: This requires a saliva sample that is sent off for analysis to identify the region(s) your ancestry is strongest in. 

Well, we received the results in April and discovered that we [of course] are of African decent (87%):

• 45% - Ivory Coast/Ghana
• 21% - Cameroon/Congo
• 8% - Nigeria

We also discovered that of the information reported so far, our family has not ventured too far from the East Coast of the US (NC, VA, DC, MD, VA, NY). This helped us confirm some family members by location to confirm that what my sister previously uncovered were the right records. 

So we know that our lineage is strong in West Africa which means that we were on the right track a few years ago when looking but gives much more than what we were able to find. 

Things to know about DNA analysis: 

• The results may vary from test to test - We used Ancestry DNA however, if we were to take another from a different service it is possible that the result will be different
• Siblings can carry different numbers - Siblings carry a difference percentage of DNA from both parents so your siblings results will of course be different from yours. We only sent in one sample may do it again to compare the results.

Are you tracking your family tree or thought about it? Have you submitted a DNA analysis to any sites? 

Let me know!

#MotivationalMonday

Happy Monday!

From what I hear, Monday is not a favorite day of the week for most people; it kicks off the start of yet another work week and reminds us that the weekend has once again left us. AND I GET IT! Mondays are seen as the uninvited visitor at your house.

I however, like to try the view it more from a "cup half full" standpoint; It is the start of another work week which means...WE'VE MADE IT THROUGH ANOTHER WEEK... Which gets us through a month...and through a year!

No, I know some people are side-eyeing me like "girl, save that noise" but hear me out:

Mondays is a chance to reset and conquer or attempt to conquer another week.

With that being said, I want to share a mantra that I recently found while scrolling on Pinterest via www.curvyyoga.com ...

It has easily become one of my favorites because I'm all for spreading positive energy around to any and everyone who may need it. 

What is one of your favorite quotes that help to exude positive energy?

Pick 6| Spring 2016

SUMMER SUM-MER SUM-MER TIME!
Long time see! We'll as we welcome humid eastcoast weather I want to share the items that I enjoyed this Spring with my...

Hair| Elasta QP Mango Butter Cream
A product that I abandoned for a while and decided to revisit  to help clear out my vanity area. I love the smell and I love the fact that it is overall a light product where minimal amount is needed. I prefer to use this product when my hair is a bit older (ie: not immediately after wash day as I'm not a fan of a really tight twist out). 

Fashion| Shades...Frames...Sunnies

I've always had a lov for glasses and I have really been wearing frames. I'm not faithful to aparticular brand, I simply enjoy whatever suits my fancy. Most are gifted by hubby but I've purchased from Target, Beauty Supply stores and even Dollar Tree (yes!)







Beauty| Bath and Body Works Japanese Cherry Blossom lotion
In another attempt of reducing the arsenal, I've started digging into my lotion collection. Moisturized skin is a must, so since winter I have made it my business to do a nightly routine of moisturizing my feet, elbow and ankles before bed. I love the smell of this lotion and have noticed a true improvement in my problem spots (either attributed to the shea butter in the lotion OR to the fact that I'm really concentrating on these areas). 







Skin| me bath! Sugar Sherbet
[Don't judge] I purchased this item after watching a product review and let me say...I love it! Now, it is pricey in my opinion (running around $12.00) but it is worth it; this product emulsifies AND lathers...lathers! I'm really enjoying it and will more than like use this as a "luxury" buy in the future.




Accessories| Handmade crochet necklace
With a little one that is reaching for things and is in the "hand-to-mouth" phase, I limit the type of jewelry I wear. One of my favorite pieces is a crochet necklace that I made a while back; I can wash it regularly so if baby girl decides to put in her mouth...I don't feel as bad.

Random| Plantronics bluetooth headphones
Another plus item for mommies [in my opinion] is any bluetooth device. My eadphones work great for me when it is late at night and I want to watch Youtube, Hulu or Netflix from my phone while holding my little one; again, she is at the "hand-to-mouth" phase and grabs at EVERYTHING. No wires = no worries.



What were your Spring go-to items?

My World - NC Artist Sonyae

Hey Hey!

For #MusicMonday wanted to share with you all a lyricist who is Native to NC. Sonyae released her debut EP "Leave of Presence" on November 28th, 2014 for the masses.

 

Along with dropping her 1st project, "Leave of Presence", she has also released a video for "The Gift", which gives insight on the meaning of the album:

I have somewhat watched Sonyae grow as an artist/lyricist and had the pleasure of working with her on creating her cover art.

Learn more about Sonyae, check her out on bandcamp.com Sonyae - Leave of Presence. You can also find her on social media: 

@justsonyae (instagram and twitter) and like her fanpage on Facebook (justsonyae)

Preparing for Fall...Protective Styling

I love Fall because I enjoy layering: cardigans, scarves, cozies...I love it! Another thing I love about the Fall weather is that almost perfect for wearing my hair in twist outs or braid outs because it isn't as humid so I can retain length throughout the day without weighing my hair down with a lot of product(s). The reason I said the weather is "almost" perfect is because I have to remember that even though my hair looks fabulous during this time of year...It doesn't always feel fabulous. With my tresses rubbing against my scarves, and sweaters, and the dry air, I come home to some dry ends when its time to prep my hair for bed. 

This Fall I will be doing more protective styling to keep my hair moisturized as we enter into the colder months. over the past 5 years I've filled my repertoire with go to styles (some basic, some a bit more detailed). Protective styles help me keep my hands out of my hair so it has a chance to rest. I have learned that my hair LOVES to be left along BUT since I'm can't just put my hair in straight backs and slap a hat on (because I look weird with straight back corn rows and we aren't allowed to wear head gear to work) I have to be creative with my strands to still look presentable.

The game plan is to share my styles with you. I'll be posting pictures on Instagram, Twitter, and Tumblr.

Do you protective style? If so, what are your go to styles?

I'd love to see you styles (and possibly copy them *smiles*)

-Creatively Coiled 

My Work - REPOST (Painting)

So, while working on another blog post I mistakenly DELETED a old piece that I was uber proud of. At 1st I though "just let it go..." but no, I'm very proud of this painting as its the 1st one I've created for someone else:

"Buds"
18x24"
Acrylic on Canvas
NSH 2013



... That is all :)

-CreativelyCoiled

My Work - Painting

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! 

Positive energy and many blessing to everyone in 2014!!!

So, in the mist of decorating our bedroom, I had the itch to paint again. Previously "boo thang" and I had fabric panels at the head of the bed ( click here to view the fabric panel DIY) but after looking at them for the past few months I realized that I didn't really like how they turned out. I'm not completely getting rid of them but for now, they're off the wall. 

"Watch My Curves"

18x24"

Acyrlic on Canvas

NSH 2014

 

The inspiration for this piece was just freedom. I didn't have a particular design in mind but I knew what colors I wanted to use. From there, I began making strokes on the canvas until I saw "something". I must say I wasn't fond of it at first but the shading is what made me love it. Thus introducing our new piece(s) of art in the bedroom.

Hope you enjoyed!

- CreativelyCoiled.

My World

I ride through downtown Raleigh 5 days out of the week going to and from work and one day traffic was a little backed up so I took some of the side streets to get home. I went down South West Street and came across the Dillon Building. I had to get out of the car and snap a shot of this installation: 

This project began in September of 2012 by BEST (Beautifying Emerging Spaces Together) which is a group that "is transforming overlooked, vacant storefronts and spaces in downtown Raleigh..." into lovely works of art. The painting you see here is a train platform. 

#IHeartArt

Form more information on BEST and the their work  check out the links below: 

Raleigh Emerging Spaces

BEST on Facbook

A FabEllis Soiree

This past Saturday I had the pleasure of attending A FabEllis Soiree hosted by Ashley Ellis, also known as FabEllis. This event took place in Raleigh so I couldn't pass up a opportunity to attend this local event!

The event was held in downtown Raleigh at Cofre Consignment located at 224 Martin St. which i was super excited about because a new found love for me is thrifting and this would be my first time going to this shop. I was certainly pleased with the merchandise in the shop.

The soiree was excellent as it was packed with networking, shopping, fellowship, customize scented oil making, swag bags, and giveaways.

Check out both Ms FabEllis and Cofre Consignment at the links below: 

FabEllis 

Cofre Consignment

Hello There!

...And welcome. My World...My Works is a blog here to share all things creative: hair, jewelry, art , and life. I dabble in painting, graphic design, crochet, and hair. Being a natural I'm always looking for hairstyles to try and I want to start sharing some of my styles with you.