Simple Sunday & Weekend Recap

Can't believe another weekend has flown by! I hope you all had a great one.

One of the highlights of my weekend was being able to judge my 1st pageant. My little sis was asked to help out at the Elkton (MD) Fall Fest this Saturday. The director of the event also asked if I was interested in judging. Of course I accepted with great pleasure! I had such a wonderful time and the contestants all did so well. I truly feel the girls who won deserved it. Both winners were poised and were genuinely nice girls.

*The outfit I wore Saturday*

I also attended church today and enjoyed family dinner afterwards. For the most part, I was relaxed while dressing this weekend. With the weather changing, I am still in the midst of changing my wardrobe from summer to fall. This afternoon, I threw on some comfy pants and a cute top, both from Target. Most, if not all of my jewelry is thrifted. 

*I can see a little bit of my work out paying off in these pics...YAY!!!*

All in all, the weekend was pretty good. As I type I'm watching the Ravens game, hoping they come back and win this game against the Patriots. My boo is next to me yelling at the screen and telling me what they're doing wrong. As if I don't know, LOL! 

Have a good night and I wish you a productive and blessed Monday. TTYS! 

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Today, I'm linking up with:

 

FBF: Chic & Simple

Let's here it for another Friday!! What a week this has been. It's been productive, but I am so exhausted. I've been working out and getting back to my workout routine so my body is still trying to adjust. I've also been studying a lot so that's a factor as well. Oh and I must tell you; the most random thing happen to me. I was eating dinner the other night and all of a sudden, I felt something weird. I broke my tooth!!! Yep, broke a tooth. SMH, how random. The only good thing is you can't really see it but I know it's there!...or half there, LOL! Anyway, pray for me y'all; I have to get oral surgery and I absolutely HATE the dentist!

Now onto today's post. This FBF is all about chic and poised fashionistas. The first look I recreated is from the lovely Jillian of Nusopisticate. I've been a follower of her blog for a while and I always love her use of patterns, color and accessories. In the look below, I like how she mixed patterns so perfectly. So, when I did my version I used a print for the bottom, but kept the top basic. It's still a great use of print, but the denim top adds a casual feel to it. I decided to pick up the color in the skirt by adding a color block heel.

The next look is the forever fashionable, Kim Kardashian. While I am not a huge fan of the boots she's been wearing lately, I do LOVE a good sweater dress. And black and white is such a classic, simple color combo that is always in style. I recreated the black and white dress because I can see myself wearing a look similar to this. I love the flats with the sweater dress; it's unexpected but still chic. The knee boots are sexy and very "night on the town". I have worn knee boots before and I must say they are SO comfortable. More comfortable to me than heels.

So, what look do YOU like better? Can you see yourself wearing either look this season? Let me know. Have a great day and talk to ya soon!

P.S. I will announce the winner of my giveaway this afternoon via Twitter (@wnicjames) & my Facebook page.

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Blogger Inspired by nicjames featuring amrita singh

Black & White - Kim K. Inspired by nicjames featuring sweater dresses

Nic's Picks in DC

Hello friends!!! 

I am super excited to share this post! This weekend, I was a vendor at Dewdrop's Swap & Shop. The event was an intimate get together full of bloggers, shoppers, swappers, and beautiful people! I had the pleasure of meeting some great people but most importantly, I was able to showcase my vintage goodies! While it was my first time as a vendor, I felt totally comfortable and in my element. My little sister Taylor and my boo came with me and were the greatest helpers! Taylor manned the table as I spoke with customers, and Darrius snapped pics throughout the event. 

When I got there, I first met Kyrstin form Be Loud Be You. I felt like I'd already known her because I've been a huge fan of her blog for a while now. I also saw my blogger sis Nae (whom I forgot to snap a pic with), Waverly, and Emily (click on their names to see their blogs). Below are some more pics, as well as a quick video of the vintage items I had for sale! The remaining items will be for sale by the end of the week, via my Facebook page! 

During the fashion show, the bloggers/models rocked items from my rack. I was so honored that they decided to wear my items. I think they all looked GREAT and made each look their own! They worked the  items so well that the blazer, (gold) necklace, AND the tiger jacket sold immediately following the show. Krystin wore my greenish/blue blazer and one of the fabulous bloggers form Spicy Candy DC wore my vintage pink dress. The other items from my collection were the shrug and gold necklace (3rd photo) and tiger jacket (last photo). 

Afterwards, these lovely ladies came over to purchase some runway items. I cannot wait to see how they style their newly purchased goodies! Journalist/blogger, and my new thrifting buddy, Kirstin from This is my so-called life is in the blazer, blogger Nakia from Vouge & Vintage is rocking the tiger jacket, and swapper Amanda is wearing her new red & black blazer. I LOVE those smiles ladies :-)

Here are some more event shots!

The rooftop is where the swapping went down. Check out the tables full of GREAT items!

All in all, the event was a huge success and I really enjoyed the experience! I would like to thank Dewdrop once again for the opportunity, and thanks to those who purchased items form me. As I said before, I WILL be selling the remainder of the items on Facebook so I will keep you updated. Be blessed and have a great evening! 

J-Lo & Jumpsuits

Welcome to Facebook Friday and welcome to the weekend!!

Today's post is all about jumpsuits. I have ALWAYS been a lover of one piece items and the one celebrity who wears one pieces well is Jennifer Lopez. Below are a few of my favorite jumpsuit looks worn by the curvy celeb. My creations are a tad different because I wanted to do one dressy/chic look and one structured/masculine look. Which is YOUR fave Jennifer look and what's YOUR favorite look I created? Are you a fan of jumpsuits? Let me know...

Blue & Gold by nicjames featuring phase eight

Jumpsuit by nicjames featuring fendi handbags

One more thing; just because the weather is changing doesn't mean you can't pair an embellished cardigan or trendy leather jacket over your favorite summer jumpsuit. It's the perfect way to save money, and a great way to revamp a certain outfit.

Enjoy your weekend and I hope to see all my DMV friends at the Shop & Swap tomorrow afternoon (see info below). Take care!

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So Much to Celebrate

Hey there!! Happy Wednesday :-)

Recently, I saw that I'd reached 50,000 page views on my blog. WHOOP WHOP!!! I am so excited and greatful to all of my followers, new and old, as well as those who browse my page every now and then. It's such a sense of personal fulfillment when I see my peers really appreciate and enjoy my posts; it makes being a blogger worth while! I am becoming a better blogger as time goes on, and I thank you all for hanging in there and taking this journey with me. 

If you follow me on Facebook, you may remember me mentioning a giveaway of some sorts once I reached 50,000 views. Well, I am a woman of my word so here goes!...

As you may know, I am participating in the Dewdrop Swap & Shop event next Saturday as a plus size vendor (get tix, HERE). So in keeping with the swap theme, my giveaway consists of some of my favorite jewelry pieces from my closet. I also added my mothers Michael Kors handbag. She takes very good care of anything she purchases so the bag is as good as new! Now until 21st, you can enter below to win the following items:

Here are the rules for the giveaway:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck and please remember to leave your name AND email address below. Be blessed!

Storage & Such

So, let's talk! Am I the only one who has TONS of jewelry/accessories?!?! I'm having a hard time figuring out where and how to store all of my precious gems...LOL! I have a big jewelry chest where I store earrings, necklaces, watches, and more. I also have vintage ashtrays, goblets and other storage items displayed on my bookshelf's but it's just not enough!

(a few pics of my current jewelry storage)

As you all know, I am getting married soon and I am cringing at the idea of finding out where to put my jewelry once I move in with my soon to be hubby. Here is a current picture of how I store my jewelry at his place. I thrifted the items to store my jewelry and my babe liked it so much, I ended up getting him an ashtray for his watches, LOL! Anywho, I turned to Pinterest to ease my storage woes. I found a bunch of inspiration photos that I'd like to share. 

The 1st picture is ideal, if I decided to designate a a few drawers for jewelry only. I love the fact that most of the necklaces and earrings are protected by the lining. I also like the watch tray; very cute! 

The 2nd, 3rd & 4th pics are great as well. The fact that the jewelry is exposed and at arms reach is GREAT! The set ups are both very functional and remind me of a store display. I especially have a ton of necklaces so being able to see them all without untangling them is ideal. 

This last photo is my favorite. I LOVE the different bowls, the easy access to the jewelry and the way that everything looks very organized. I'd LOVE to do this on my bookshelf in my (current) room, or even the dresser in my fiance's room. I'm not sure how he would like my jewels all over the dresser but...LOL. We shall see. This is why I feel I need my own dressing room/office. I'm trying to convince him that the extra bedroom in his place should be used for that purpose. He hasn't given in yet but I've got a few more months to work on him so we shall see ;-) I hope to incorporate one or some of these ideas soon but I definitely plan to once I move. 

Which picture do you like the best? What are you currently using to store your percious jewls? Let me know; I'd LOVE to get some feedback! Take care and ttys!!

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Coming up next is my 50,000 blog view giveaway! Be sure to check back and see what YOU could win!!

Thrifty Monday

Welcome to a new week friends!!!

I hope you've all had a GREAT weekend. Mine was pretty good. I spent the majority of it with my family, then spend a few hours with my babe thrifting on Saturday. We stopped by to see a few friends, grabbed a bite and were in the house relaxing by 9:30, LOL! Sunday, we went to church and as usual, the message was uplifting and relateable. 

I decided to wear two of my favorite thrifted pieces. My maroon, Coldwater Creek dress ($2.50) was purchased on a thrifting trip in Laurel, MD one weekend. I LOVE the slits in the dress, as well as the fit. It hugs my body just right! The leopard jacket (which is very lightweight) is form 2nd Avenue in Columbia. As you already know, I am a sucker for anything animal print ;-) I added my thrifted necklace and glasses (99 cents) to complete the look. 

My next look is from last weekend. My fiance' and I were asked by our good friends to host their wedding reception. With pleasure, we accepted and I immediately was on a hunt for a lavender/purple dress, per her request. I could not find anything lavender but I remembered I had a purple dress hanging in my closet. I purchased this dress form 2nd Avenue months ago for $3.50 and have been wanting to wear it for quite sometime now. The shoes were $14.99 from Marshalls and the earrings are my moms. Perfect look, huh?

Dress: Thrifted

Shoes: Marshalls

Earrings: Borrowed (Mommy)

Clutch: F21

As always, thanks for reading and I will speak with you soon. My next post is all about my 50,000 view giveaway so STAY TUNED!!! Be blessed! 

PS Don't forget to get your tickets for the upcoming Swap & Shop Event. Plus size clothing  (14-24) will be on sale at the event...hope to see YOU there!!!

(click photo for tickets)