Just Elizabeth Ashe
Fashion Trends

Meet Tammy Jo! – Sustainable Done Right.

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About a year ago as I was doing my normal stroll through a local green event, I came across a booth that really caught my eye and intrigued me so much I had to stop and see what it was all about. I love to shop, and I don't get a chance to do it as much as I would like.  However, when I do. I love little boutiques and independent designers doing their thing!

Shopping independent gives you the ability to have unique and all around catchy clothing that gives someone something to look at. So when I approached the booth I was shocked to see beautiful clothes of all different colors, shapes, sizes, and prints.  Than came the person a bubbly, humble, beautiful soul Tammy Jo! Who answered all my questions, and my husbands also, and made me feel like a star as I fiddled through her clothes.

I could not help but to buy one thing,  I think I got about four things that day, two dresses and and I think two tops!

Amazing!

When Tammy Jo, explained to me that her clothes were sustainable, I was thrilled! I'll have to admit, it can be hard to find designer cothes that are sustainable, affordable and Done Right!

Tammy Jo is where it is at, and if you love prints, if you love comfort, yeah her clothes are comfortable! Many of the dresses stretch and if she does not have your size send her and email and she can work out the measurements for you.

Yeah that's real!

Tammy is the sort of person who even met me on a busy afternoon, around my time frame to help me out with a dress I wanted to buy. Yes Tammy Jo Fashion is all about customer service, and I am glad to say her company  is just making its mark but its going places.  Yes, Tammy jo is is a force to be reckoned with, in  which she is now expanding her sports line, and yes it has staying Power!

So, I decided to catch up with my  Girl and ask her a couple of questions to let you in on it:

 

Tell Me What Is Tammy Jo Fashions?

Tammy Jo is a collection of Woman's wear clothing (and some men's) made from sustainable materials. Everything you see in the Tammy Jo collection is made from re-purposed fabrics and or vintage materials. Everything is designed to not look like or resemble “used” clothing, marrying fashion design with sustainable creativity. “It's sustainable done right”. Nothing is mass manufactured or assembled by more than 2 human hands.

 

When did your love for fashion come about?

 

As soon as I saw another woman wearing a dress , I was very young.

 

How long has the actual TammyJo fashions been around?

 

For a little over 3 years

 

 

Where is Tammy Jo Fashions Located currently?

 

Winter Park FL

 

 

Who or what would you say are your fashion inspirations?

 

Vintage Prints, patterns and Colors

 

What would you consider is your niche market, and why?

 

Right now it's the World Wide Web … its endless selling online … for now. … but my goal is for a brick n mortar building … nothing beats human interaction and I truly love being able to see these wonderful women and young ladies try on my dresses and feel good in them.

 

Who Can wear Tammy jO?

 

Everyone and anyone. I've sold my designs to 13 year olds and to 60 year olds.

 

Tell me what would you consider as your signature trademark look?

 

It has to be my camisole tank “FLO” … she was my first “Eureka” moment and she is so versatile … she can be worn as casual as you like or as dressy as you like … from just letting her flow or combining with a blazer or belted.

 

 

What are your hopes and aspirations for TammyJo Fashions?

 

The very big picture is having a large warehouse with rows of sewing machines, cutting and sorting tables, design room, ect. We'd love to create a stable “sustainable” company that can provide well paying jobs in USA and bring back an era of quality “made in the USA” goods.

 

 

So far what has been the biggest moment for your company so far?

 

It has to be the feature on Brink Magazine

 

Where can anyone looking to purchase your designs go?

 

etsy.com/tammyjofashion

 

One last thing, why would you consider yourself a natural chick?

 

I'm as natural as they come … Pennsylvania Dutch fed booty.

I work hard to take care of myself and eat right. I'm always in tune with my body and life in things around me.

 

Wanna Know More Tammy Check her out at TammyJo or visit her Facebook Page!

 

 

 

 

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Homeschooling

Black and Homeschooling: I’m Doing It!

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homenew 066Well the summer is over and school is back in session all over the country at least. As you know in my house hold this year I have decided to home school all of my four boys. This was not something that I did not decide to do right off the back. even though before I even had kids I always had the thought in my mind. That I would eventually home school the children that I would have.

I grew up with a family in my local congregation who was a family of 8, 2 parents and 6 kids and she homeschooled all her kids. I always admired how well behaved the kids were, and how they were able to travel and go out in the ministry as much as needed too . Yeah, even as a little girl I noticed these things. I guess you can say I had a natural knack for motherhood, from a far off.

Now today as an adult woman with 4 kids of my own, I'm glad that I made the choice to home school my boys. Even in the short amount time that they have been home with me, I have already experienced the joy of seeing two of my children grasp knowledge that might have been hard for them in a classroom setting. The only reason this is, is because my oldest has a really hard time leaning in a setting with too many distractions. He has sensory processing disorder, and just the light being too bright can throw him off a bit.

We have been studying about chemistry using the real science for kids curriculum, so far we have made a womery so the boys can see the process of a worm life and how they dig tunnels. I know a womery, but truth of the matter is, I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty and when you have boys these are the things they like to do.

For the past two week we also have spent time studying, about Asia geography, the people and have been using the mixture of a Charlotte Mason educational philosophy. By incorporating a lot living books into our study's. For example on the study on Asia, we learned about Asia through maps, cooking a Asian meal, and but more so by reading real books on the topic for the child. We had the chance this week to read “Ping” the book about an Asian duck and  “A Look At China”. For my oldest son he read Ancient China.

I'm one for natural learning for my kids and hope that it will give my kids appreciation for learning, and nature. While at the same time instilling good moral values. My whole goal is to find a good balance between academics and natural learning.

 

homenew 064

Not to say that the whole two weeks have been great, I am already learning that I going to have to tweak a couple of things this coming week, to make the work flow go a little smoother. The first day I was exhausted not because of the kids, but mentally because I was putting to much stress on myself internally.

The days that followed were a lot easier and I'm excited about this new week coming up, because they will be starting their music lessons and going on weekly P.E. groups and Field trips with a local co-op.

Being able to see my kids learn and not feel the stress that a school system places on them to learn at their pace and their way. Is something that is truly great to experience!

Wanna know more about Homeschooling while Black you can read:

Why I decided to  Home school My Kids.

News One: Blacks choosing homeschooling

Hslda.org

Black Homeschoolers.com

 

Teach Your Child to Read Online

Beauty Secrets of the Bible – A Review

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Have you ever wanted to know how women and men back in ancient times kept themselves beautiful.  Many women back than did not have to use the fancy product that we know use, instead they used natural and organic material right out their environment to smell good and look beautiful. That is why in Beauty Secrets of the Bible – The Ancient Arts of Beauty and Fragrance will help you to discover what is right at your disposal also.

In this book, author Ginger Garrett introduces women to the beauty and health secrets of our ancient sisters. While few people would think of the Bible as a book of diet or health, much less beauty, Garrett shows us otherwise. She claims that ancient women had a similar desire as modern women do to be as attractive as they can. She exposes facts about the health and beauty industry that we've become increasingly concerned about: that the products we slather on our skin on a daily basis are not only unregulated, but are often toxic and unsafe.

 

As an alternative, she offers recommendations and tips for beauty treatments that are straight out of the pages of the Bible. They're so simple that they'll seem almost too good to be true. For example, using one drop of honey on damp skin instead of expensive moisturizers. Interestingly, this one tip is recommended by a hot Hollywood makeup artist!

 

The book does a good job of using modern scientific evidence to prove the efficacy of these simple treatments. As an example, vinegar was a staple of ancient times. We now know that vinegar helps the body keep a stable blood sugar and slows the absorption of carbs. Another example is flax, which featured heavily in the diets of ancient women. Flax acts as an anti-inflammatory, which has the effect of slowing aging.

The first chapter of the book helps the reader to reevaluate her current ideas around beauty by using scripture and meditation. This part of the book may not interest you if you're not religious, but it might just get you thinking about our modern cultural ideals around beauty.

Chapter Two gets to the heart of why so many women have weight issues, and what to do about it. Chapter Three points to the dangers of modern cosmetic ingredients and Chapters Four thru Seven offers you safer, natural alternatives and recipes for totally safe yet spa worthy beauty regimens.

To top if off, she offers instructions on how to host a “Bible Secrets of the Bible party”.

If you love to make your own beauty treatments, you'll love this book, you can find it at Beauty Secrets of the Bible!

 

 

 

 

Health and Fitness

Go Green Get Fit Challenge- Week Two

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To follow up with  go green challenge I thought I post a little topic on five techniques that you could do right now to start losing weight. I'm no pro at working or no ultimate fitness trainer, but I do know a little bit about fitness and what it takes to stay in shape.

I decided to touch on this topic after talking to my sister today over the phone. Many of dilemmas that she is having with her weight is trying to figure out how to jump-start her fitness routine. Clearly my sister is not in shape, because she was tired  just doing the fitness test. On the insanity fitness program.

I thought that was funny:)

However, losing weight and getting in shape can be tiresome especially for those who have never worked out before in their life. It can really make you feel as if you are not cut out to do it, and push you to give up.  I told her to stick with it and use these little steps that will help her to reach her goals.

health and fitness

So if you are trying to lose weight here are a couple of the tips I shared with her today over the phone. These are things you can do to make weight loss easier and faster. In fact, a few lifestyle changes and new habits can make a huge difference. Here are five great fat burning habits to consider adding to your daily routine right now. In fact it can speed the process.

 

1. Eat often. It may sound strange but if you eat more frequently you can help your body burn fat and lose weight. The key is to make smart food choices. Additionally, you’ll want to take care to eat smaller meals.

Smaller meals can be anything from a piece of fruit, meal replacement shake, veggie smoothie, boiled eggs and the list goes on. These are considered meals, The point is to eat.

If you generally eat three larger meals each day, try eating 5-6 smaller meals. Make sure each meal has protein, a fruit or a vegetable. Nuts for example are a great snack. So too are apples and cheese. Choose whole grains, fruits and veggies. They fill you up quickly and keep your appetite at bay for hours. Some of my favorite nutrition bars are Kind!

2. Consume Protein . Protein helps balance your blood sugar. In fact protein is broken down slower in the body and keeps you full for and extended time. Instead of the spikes and plummets you experience with starchy carbohydrates and sugary snacks, you feel full and satisfied. You have an even level of energy for longer. And you don’t get hungry or experience cravings.

 

3. Drink water and green tea. Often thirst is mistaken for hunger. Drinking more fluid each day can help you feel full. Water and green tea can also help flush the toxins from your body. Many toxins affect metabolism, inflammation and the release of fat into your body. Additionally, green tea has fat burning properties. It actually stimulates your metabolism. Finally, green tea also has caffeine which suppresses appetite. All in all green tea is a fantastic fat burning habit to adopt.

 

4. Walk – a lot. Bodies in motion have faster metabolisms. The more you move the more you burn. Experts recommend walking ten thousand steps a day. That’s about five miles. If you can squeeze in a few ten minute walks throughout your day, you’re going to make that quota easily. You’ll likely also find you’re going to feel better too. If you can't get out to walk much you can buy the walking dvds and do them in your home. Or keep yourself moving throughout the day in your home. Trust every little steps adds up!

 

5. Lift weights. Muscle burns fat faster than other tissues. Additionally, a strength training workout can burn a lot of calories while you’re working out, and after. Add a few strength training workouts to your week or lift weights for twenty minutes before your cardio workout. You’ll burn fat faster.

 

As many fitness experts know. The best way to burn fat, lose weight and keep it off is to change your lifestyle. Adopt healthy habits. Get rid of the unhealthy ones. These five habits are a great start to losing the weight you want to lose. And keeping it off for good.

 

So what steps  are you taking to stay  in shape? I would love to hear your response.:)

 

 

Updated: 4C HAIR CARE REGIMEN – Part One

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Hello, my beautiful ones, I basically wanted to post and let you know that I have made a new video on my updated hair regimen.  As my hair gets longer, I have come to realization that I love trying new products.   Especially all natural products at that.

What I have discovered is that my hair type tends to love the same basic simple ingredients.Such as honey, aloe Vera,  natural oils, butters, cream and oil based shampoos.  When I use products that tend to have at least most or all of these ingredients my hair does really well.  So when I do decide to purchase products to try out on my hair, I always go for the ones that have these essentials right at the op of the list.

Part one of the video will explain in more detail for you.

 

Products listed include:

Giovanni Direct Leave In – Absolute Fave for a leave in,  I have yet to find a better one.

Griffin Remedy Shampoo.

Curl Junkies Deep Fix

Terresentials Product Line

Honey and Sage Deep Conditioner – Alikay Naturals

Oyin Handmade Hemp and Honey Conditioner

Jane Carter Nourish and Shine.