Insta-Pics (The Week & Weekend)

The Princess Diaries ;-)

1. Taylor's Spa/Sleepover B-day party

2. Another Princess Appearance at the Miss MD Pageant 

(Taylor was chosen by Miss Baltimore, her mentor/pageant coach, to be one of her Princesses)

1. Taylor receiving her Princess Crown

(with Miss MD Outstanding Teen, Miss Historic MD, Miss Baltimore, Miss Cumberland & Miss MD)

2. Miss Baltimore & Her Princesses

3. Silly Faces ;-)

4. Taylor & Mommy, who is rocking her Love, Cortnie clutch :-)

1. Taylor at The Miss MD Pageant

(she is one of  Miss Baltimore's Princesses)

2. Taylor & Harlynn

(my good friends daughter; they came with us on Friday Night)

1. Me with my "Team Viki" Pin (Miss Baltimore)

2. Taylor and her other friends/Princesses 

3. Taylor and a Princess friend 

The Outfits

1. Worn last Sunday (Father's Day) to the Miss MD opening Festivities

2. Outfit worn to work/class (thrifted top, 2nd Avenue)

3. Worn to the Miss MD Pageant Preliminaries on Weds. night

Lounging around the house Sunday

(thrifted top, 2nd Avenue)

Worn Monday...*side note: I'm taking this outfit with me to FL for sure!!*

The Beginning of Summer...

Hey there!!! How was your weekend??? Mine was rather busy, but what's new right?? LOL! I spent most of Friday working and preparing for my my little sisters Princess Party that we hosted at the house. She had all of her friends/Princesses over as a celebratory event. They will be going to Orlando, FL to compete the week of July 4th and needless to say, they are super excited!!! 

Saturday, the fiance' and I spent the Day in Delaware shopping---market, thrifting, and the mall. I must say my babe know me very well because I found some amazing items at this outdoor/indoor flea market called, Spence's Bizzare. I always love to find unique treasures and vintage pieces at flea markets and thrift shops. When I got to the mall, I was more on a mission to find certain items (i.e. maxi dress, skinny jeans, running shoes, and a LBD). I was successful, and then some!!! LOL I found what is easily the most comfortable dress I own, which has to be my favorite purchase. I actually wore it today during my Ladies Brunch. It's SUPER colorful and the fit is perfect! (pics below)

Today, my girls and I met at Rusty Scupper in downtown Baltimore. I planned the gathering because it's been awhile since I've been around all of my girls at once. I promised myself that before the wedding, I would plan events here and there just so we can all hang out continue to build on our great relationships. I have such a diverse and interesting group of friends and when we all get together, its thee best time! I am truly blessed and thankful :-)

Enjoy the pics and I hope you all have a GREAT Monday! Make sure you check back tomorrow for a special guest feature!! If you have natural hair or are thinking of going natural, you will LOVE what's coming!!!

Be blessed! 

*****

Friday Night

*lil Sis & her fellow princesses....& she and her Director*

*****

Saturday

*dressing room goodies*

Floral/Pleated Dress: American Rag (Macy's)

*shoe craze!*

Both Men's Shoes: Aldo

Purple & Neon Sneakers: Reebok

(my new running/workout shoe)

Rings: Spence's Bizarre (Dover, Delaware) 

*****

Sunday

Me & My Lovely Ladies at Sunday Brunch

Maxi: Macy's

Earrings: Thrifed (2nd Avenue)

Clutch: Love, Cortnie

Bracelet: Bakers

Ring: Bakers

Gone too soon...(the weekend)

Happy Sunday everyone! Is it me or did this weekend fly by?? I feel like it was just Friday afternoon. Anywho, I am glad that I had time to relax and really not do much. Well ok, I did do things BUT nothing work related and no 'events' I had to attend. 

Friday, the fiance' and I headed to the movies to see Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man and we really enjoyed the movie. The entire cast did an excellent job! If you have not seen it, I would definitely recommend it. I also took the family to my favorite thrifting spot (2nd Avenue) and my parents had a ball. My dad went back today for their 1/2 off sale and got even more items (3 blazers, 2 pair of jeans, and 2 shirts).  My little sister bought (with her money) a book, a cute belt, skirt, pair of brand new Children's Place shorts, and the prettiest white dress I've ever seen!  My mom is more of an online shopper, her patience when it comes to sifting through items is limited. However, she found some GREAT vintage shoes and a LV bag. She has found her niche when it comes to thrifting; accessories and shoes. Speaking of shoes and accessories, I found 3 pair of shoes (2 vintage), a Lane Bryant skirt, pair of sunglasses (seen in pics below), and a top. As I said before, all pics coming soon :-) 

Side-note: If you follow me on Instagram/Facebook, you'll notice that I have a new hairstyle, which by the way I absolutely LOVE! A little hesitant at first, I was unsure how the style would look on me. But, I took the plunge and tried it out anyway. I am glad I stepped out and tried something differnent because I really do like it :-) 

Saturday, Darrius and I were on babysitting duty while my parents went to see Act Like a Lady. The three of us (me, lill sis and D) played a heated game of UNO, and shared lots of good laughs and goofy moments. I also enjoyed church this morning with the fiance' and our friends Matt and Jess (and their adorable daughter). We went to Bridgeway Community Church (see, HERE) and as usual, the pastor was on point. He finished up his series on Love today and spoke on the Fruit of Love. Very powerful and right on time, as most of his messages are. Aftrerwards, we all went to the Tomato Palace for brunch, and then Darrius and I enjoyed Rita's on the way home. 

The last thing that I MUST tell you all is that this morning, I got an email notification that plus-size model Anansa Sims is now following me on Twitter! I followed her last night and this morning, bam! She followed back!  Yes, I was excited beyond belief but who wouldn't be??? She is really someone I look up to when it comes to being a plus size/curvy woman. She is lovely, and such a lady and watching her show (with her mother Beverly Johnson) on OWN has made me like her even more. I am so honored to have her follow lil 'ol me :-)

So, enjoy the pics and I hope you all have a great Monday tomorrow. Be blessed...and be a blessing to someone ;-)

{ carreid my love, cortnie Ray bag today }

I Love Weekends Like This...

Happy Sunday to you all. Hope your weekend was a great one! While busy, I did enjoy mine. I must share with you some good news before I get into my weekend happenings. To my surprised, when I turned on my phone after church I received an email that I was featured on The Looks for Less website. I submitted my outfit awhile ago and kinda forgot I did it so it was such a joy to see that I was indeed featured! See the link, HERE, or click on the picture. Also, a huge shout out to Cortnie over at, StyleLust pages for her beautiful bag. It's definitely one of my faves from her collection. Check out her other clutches, HERE.

Now onto the what I was up to this weekend. I attended the Style Tour, featuring Stacy London, at the Montgomery Mall here in MD. My mother and sister joined me and it was such a fun experience. While we weren't able to meet Stacy, I did take a few pics of her. She is really tiny in person...and she died her hair like a dark brown and I could barley recognize her. LOL. However, she looked well put together and seemed very warm and kind as she talked to her fans. I also LOVED her shoes...wish I would've taken a pic of those, LOL! 

After we took pictures, my mom and I made our appointments for our mini-makeover and 1-on-1 style consultation. The mini-makeover was great and rather educational, due to the fact that I don't wear much make-up to begin with, lol. I LOVED my eyes, which I took a picture of below. The Sephora make-up artist and I really hit it off and she was such a sweetheart. She gave me some great tips! Then, once I finished my mom and I went for our consultations. They style-for-hire stylist was great! I told her a few things about myself in about a minute or less and she came back with clothes that fit my sense of style to almost perfectly! She suggested certain colors for my skin tone, as well as styles for me to wear to work and then for casual. Also, they gave my mom and I a print out as far as certain items to purchase with the prices, and store locations included! I have the print out and plan on keeping it for my future shopping trips. 

{a look similar to one the stylist suggested for me}

To conclude everything, we looked for dresses for lil sis for her upcoming appearances and events. She was quite a handful while trying on different dresses. Miss Taylor is the ultimate mini fashionista; has an opinion about everything as far as the color, the bow, the cut and style of a dress...EVERYTHING! LOL...that girl is something else. I also went to the Washington Wizards game Saturday with the hubby. He and I had a blast! This was a late b-day gift to him, thanks to my cousin who has season tickets ;-) We enjoyed good food, good times most importantly enjoyed one another. Today, we went to church and ate and our favorite diner afterwards. I was craving one of their delicious waffles! LOL. The rest of the day, we pretty much chilled, meaning we watched movies and took a nap, lol. 

WHEW! Well I suppose that about sums up my weekend. Thanks, as always, for reading and be sure to check me out on Instagram (@msnicjames) and Facebook. XXOO & be blessed!

~Nic

Fancy Pants

Happy GOOD FRIDAY to you all! Today is such a beautiful day and I hope you all have sometime to enjoy it. My post today features a pair of my favorite pants. These thrifted, hot pink pants are so comfortable! The first time I wore them was (HERE). It's funny because when I purchased them, it took me forever to style them but now that its Springtime, I've got so many outfits planned around them. On this particular day, I started out wearing them with sandals and another Love, Cortnie clutch (see HERE) but when I went out later that evening, I threw my heels on with them to give it a more chic and "grown up" look, LOL. This is such a light and flowy outfit and I absolutely love it. I was also excited to wear my one of a kind cuff bracelet. It was my mothers and she decided to give it to me after I kept asking to borrow it ;-) Although it look heavy, its really light and goes with just about anything. However, when I wear it I like to keep the rest of my accessories simple so the stone in the middle stands out. 

Enjoy the pics and enjoy the day. Be blessed!

~Nic

Pants: Thrifted

Top: Macy's

Shoes: Lord & Taylor (Ellen Tracy)

Clutch: Love, Cortnie

Bracelet: Gifted 

InstaGREAT!!

Morning darlings!! I hope you all had a great Monday---happy Tuesday!!

As you all know, I am on Instagram (msnicjames) and I love making picture collages. The first is one from this weekend. I planned a surprise b-day party for my fiance' and he had a great time! Not only was he surprised, but he was so grateful that our friends came out to celebrate him :-) The theme was "Game Night" because Darrius, and all of our friends, LOVE to get together and play Taboo. My mom and I went to Party City and found decorations that reminded us of the casino/Atlantic City. My lil sis blew up some balloons, we got out fav snacks and food from Target....everything was just wonderful! I hate that I didn't take pictures but I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off so, LOL, i didn't eve remember to snap shots of the decor. I did however get to snap a pic of my him with his money hat and dollar chain on. LOL...he's  mess! 

This next set of pics are from yesterday. I wore my Love, Cortnie clutch, my thrifted pink pants (also seen HERE), my favorite South Moon Under sandals, and my thrifted ring. I was unable to take full body/outfit shots, but I still wanted to share parts of my look with you all.

Yesterday after work, the babe and I went to see Hunger Games and then to our favorite spot, the Tomato Palace. The movie was GREAT---I now want to read the book. Despite the killing of children, I enjoyed the fashion in the movie, as well as the action/suspense. It is definitely a must see for those who haven't gone yet. As far as dinner, I opted for the Meatballs and Palenta, and some Mango wings. OMG, they were divine!!! The meatballs are served with grits...amazin'! I allowed my fiance' to share them with me, just this once ;-) 

All in all, I had a pretty GREAT Monday. This week is going to be an eventful one for me. Tomorrow my mom, sister and I are headed to see Raven Symone in Sister Act, and Thursday, lil sis, the fiance' and I are going to DC to a few museums. Friday, it's all pageant business with mom and sis. We have to find her a few dresses and other items for her upcoming appearances and pageants. WHEW! Busy and eventful to say the least. But, I wouldn't have it any other way ;-) Be blessed , enjoy your day, and talk to you soon. XXOO!!!

~Nic

PS Don't forget to connect with me HERE on Facebook...I'd love to have you follow!!! :-)

Springtime Floral

Happy Hump Day!! This is a quick post of what I wore this weekend. I haven't been posting outfits in my last few entries but, I really wanted to share this one. I wore this to my little sisters fashion show (see post HERE). The F21 dress has been in my closet for a bit so I am VERY happy I finally got around to styling and wearing it. I don't know why it's been sitting there, as nice as its been outside...I absolutely love it and the fit is perfect. And it has pockets ;-)

When I was putting the outfit together in my mind, I felt that it was a bit all over the place. However, when I looked in the mirror it worked for me. I wanted to be comfortable so I opted for my Toms and matched it with my favorite Love, Cortnie clutch. My mom said it was too many patterns, and my sister and fiance' said it worked. LOL; I love having my family's input. In the end, I guess lil sis and my babe won ;-)

Enjoy & have a wonderful evening! Be blessed...XO!

~Nic

PS Don't forget to click HERE to see info on an amazing event coming up here in MD this weekend!

Dress: F21 Plus

Shoes: Toms (also seen, HERE)

Blazer: Nordstrom

Clutch: Love, Cortnie (purchase, HERE)

Love Always...{2.14.12}

I hope you all had a great Valentines Day! Whether single, engaged, married or dating, it's important to be loved and show loved....every day. My V-day was nice and simple. The boo and I had reservations at a Sushi spot near our house but even with the reservations, the place was jammed packed! So, we opted to go to the Chinese restaurant right down the way called, Red Pearl . The food was amazing! I had the Chicken and Cashew Platter with brown rice, and my favorite cocktail, Lemon Drop Martini. We shared the Crab Wontons as an appetizer, while he had the 5 Flavor Shrimp and brown rice. The meal was divine and I keep craving the meal. I took some left overs home and ate it for lunch the next day; I LOVE leftovers, LOL! I didn't take any food pics because we both agreed not to take our cell phones into the restaurant. We had the best conversation(s), and just really enjoyed our time with one another. I love him so much, and I can truly say our 1st Valentines Day as an engaged couple was a success!

As far as the outfit, I opted for my red blazer I thrifted last week, a black dress I've had forever, and my sparkly B.P. heels from Nordstrom. I topped it off with my Love, Cortnie clutch and Traci Lynn chunky necklace (gifted from my friend Bre). I love the look because it was comfortable, and simply sexy. The dress was a tad short with the heels but it was an appropriate length for the occasion ;-)

Be blessed & talk to you all soon! XO....

~Nic

Blazer: Thrifted (2nd Avenue)

Dress: Marshalls

Clutch: Love, Cortnie

Necklace: Traci Lynn

Shoes: B.P. (Nordstrom...also seen HERE & HERE)

Tights: Target (Spanxx)

Watch: Charming Charlie

The Blue Dress, the Purse, & the WINNER!!

Happy Valentines Day to you all! This day is super special to me because it's my first Valentines Day with my fiance', it's my Mommy's birthday, and my parents anniversary. WHEW! And, I recently found out that my blogger friend and handbag creator extraordinaire, Cortnie from, StyleLust Pages & Love, Cortnie has a birthday today as well. Special Happy Birthday to her as well :-*

Now onto my outfit....I was so happy that I got to wear my latest purchase yesterday; my brown, leather purse! It was perfect for my planned outfit. I've been wanting to wear this blazer/top for sooo long. I thrifted this months ago but never wore it. But as I have stated before, with this whole shopping my closet thing I'm doing, I get so excited when creating and putting together outfits. I really do have a lot of good stuff, lol.
I paired the purse with a cobalt blue dress which I LOVE (I have the same dress in Green), and brown tights...along with some comfy flats. Perfect for a day at the office ;-)

Lastly, I want to congratulate Lynn for winning my Valentines Day Giveaway!!! {see her page, HERE}  She is such a sweetheart and it is an honor to have her win my 1st giveaway of the new year :-) Another giveaway will be coming next month so no worries; more goodies in store ;-) Congrats again and enjoy!!! Be blessed everyone...

~Nic

Dress: Marshalls

Blazer/Top: Thrifted

Purse: Thrifted

Flats: Aldo

Tights: Target (Spanxx Brand)

Watch: Kenneth Cole

Bangles: Random

Necklace: ATL Museum Gift Shop

Congrats to you Lynn!!!

True Random Number Generator

Min: 1

Max: 7

Result: 5

~XXOO