The summer wouldn’t be complete without a visit to a local art studio in Wilmington especially on the first Friday of the month. If you haven’t had a chance to check out the Art Loop then you are really missing out.
This month Cherné Altovise added a twist to her stop by having Katarina Lawrence, a Mixed Media and Henna Artist on site who was creating some beautiful and unique body art.
This was actually my second time visiting the Cherné Altovise studio and if you remember this post from March you saw a few of the many talented artists in attendance. This month, there was only one very talented artist, and as you can tell by the following pictures, he really captured the attention of the visitors.
It was a nice evening which brought several people into the studio to not only see the live art show, but to also view the various art pieces hanging on the walls, or to purchase accessories, listen to the music from a DJ or simply to network and connect with others.
If you don’t live in Delaware, have you attended a local Art Loop in your home town, city or state? However, if you do live in Delaware make sure you check out the Art Loop on the first Friday of the month.
As most of you know, I teach Basic Blogging and Social Media Savvy Workshops for The Money School of Delaware. These workshops are usually held at the Bear Library, close to home in Middletown.
However, last week I taught a workshop at the New Castle Library in Old New Castle which is a beautiful, quaint little town about 30 minutes from my home.
The class was very interactive and I was glad that all of these “future Delaware bloggers” came out on such a beautiful day. Because it was such a beautiful Saturday, after the workshop, Beverly Powers, an attendee, author and friend of mine decided to have lunch, stroll through the town and then take a walk through Battery Park.
We decided to have lunch at Jessop’s Tavern a small Colonial Style restaurant where I ordered a delicious salad topped with shrimp and Beverly ordered the same but with salmon.
The salads were both large enough to satisfy our hunger as well as filling enough to justify the walk down to Battery Park.
We stopped along to way to take pictures as I had never been to Old New Castle during the day and after living in Delaware for over 30 years it was fun being a tourist in my own state.
Old New Castle is a beautiful place so the next time I visit, I will ask hubby if he would care to join me.
As a matter of fact, starting in July there will be free summer concerts in Battery Park on Wednesdays, so we will definitely come back for one of them.
It was a bit windy once we got to Battery Park but there were a lot of people out and about either walking, having a family picnic, reading, or just relaxing on a park bench enjoying the beautiful sunshine. We took the opportunity to take more pictures and to broadcast few Facebook Livestream videos.
As we returned to our vehicles we peeked into the windows of several stores that were closed due to the lateness of the day.
We picked up a tourist brochure which were available outside of the Mayor’s office and read about the Historic New Castle Heritage Trail with tours on Wednesday through Sunday. These audio self-guided tours are also available online at newcastlehistory.org
It was fun being a tourist in my state of Delaware and I will definitely make plans to come back when the shoppes are open.
How about you, have you ever been a tourist in your own town?
The Fire Hall was filled with tables of more than 95 business owners ranging from AHDTV Network to Uncle Mike’s Ice Cream and Water Ice. As a new member of the Middletown Area Chamber of Commerce I was there representing ABlake Enterprises, Social Media Management & Consulting and was able to share a table with my partners, Mike, Trisha and Ari Fox of Splash DesignWorks.
It was a beautifully bright day which drew a huge crowd of more than 1000 attendees, young and old alike including some very adorable young entrepreneurs who were sharing the table with their parents.
Balloons, Banners, Chair Massages, and Giveaways added to the excitement of this fun and festive family event. I have lived in Middletown for over 23 years and had never attended an Expo which is now in it’s 8th year, I will however, never miss another one!
The 2016 MACCDE Spring Expo was not only a great place to network and connect with local businesses in the area, it was also a great venue to see old friends and meet new ones.
Sipping on freshly made lemonade from Bahama Breeze and noshing on a pasta and shrimp dish from Pat’s Select was the highlight of my day. However, for the winners of the many door prizes ranging from a Flat Screen TV to a month of FREE food, I’m sure it was probably an even better one for them.
The little ones who stood quietly by their parent’s side were also treated to food and fun. Goodies including slices of pizza, sweet treats of personalized cookies, cupcakes, and water ice. Giveaways and chatskis such as glow in the dark pacifier necklaces, Frisbees and free passes to the Dover Skating Center also delighted them.
And for the bigger kids adults who also stood quietly in line they too were treated to sweet treats – samples of wines from Kreston Wine & Liquors and Crow Farm & Vineyard.
Obviously, there were too many businesses to name them all in this post, but here are the names and slides of just a few. The full list can be obtained from the Chamber of Commerce’s website.
I had a great time taking pictures, recording a Periscope and collecting business cards. I can’t wait to attend next year’s 9th Annual MACCDE Spring Expo!
Hello friends, I hope all is well is your world. Today’s OOTD is entitled “2 Tone Tuesday” and it’s obvious as to why. However, not only are my shoes 2-tone but check out the necklace, albeit it’s not exactly a 2-tone necklace, there are two different necklaces.
This is something that I had never done before but had seen so many other fashionistas doing it, so I said, ‘hey, what the heck”, this is my version, so what do you think?
The Peplum top and geometric skirt are both from JC Penney and I love pairing them together, I also have the Peplum top in green which you may remember when I wore it with this skirt last season.
Did you have a nice weekend? Mine went by quickly, but I finally got the pool opened which took longer than expected. Our neighbor’s tree fell into it during a June storm and it wasn’t removed until July 11th!
You need to check out my Instagram page to see how it went from being a slimy green mess to gorgeous crystal clear, use the hashtag #poolmaintenance to view the sequence.
Unfortunately, the pressure washer didn’t work so I couldn’t clean around it. I just purchased it last year from Home Depot soyou know I will be contacting them for service or a replacement!
My son and I went to the New Castle County’s Dancing in the Park event on Saturday evening and it was packed with families, fun and lots of food trucks. I took a few videos and some pics so check out my Facebook page to see some of the dancing and food vendors.
Hubby had an okay weekend, it was the first one after his chemo treatment. He is sensitive to cold and was a bit tired on Friday with muscle aches, but overall he is doing well. I am extremely proud of him and how he is dealing with his health.
My youngest and I took over the yard work chores, mowing the lawn and trimming hedges, which made me realize just how much I am not going to miss it! #Roadtrip to Retirement
Did you do anything fun this weekend?
I do hope that you enjoy the rest of your day and stay blessed…oh by the way don’t forget to check out the latest posts on Blogging With Blake
Last evening hubby and I attended “An Evening with Walter Mosley” at the Chase Center on the Riverfront, a program presented by New Castle County Reads. Mr. Mosley, was there to discuss his latest book “The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey”.
The event began with a welcome from Sophia Hanson, General Manager and then an introduction by Tom Gordon, County Executive. Mr. Mosley started out by reading what can best be described as the last days of both his father and that of his mother ravaged by dementia. This reading invokeda range of emotions from the audience as evidenced by the many “ooh’s, aahs’ and laughter that could be heard throughout the auditorium.
Prior to attending this free event, I can honestly admit that I had never read any of Mr. Mosley’s books. I am, however, familiar with his Easy Rawlins’ mystery series as well as had seen the movie adaptation of “Devil in the Blue Dress” starring Denzel Washington.
A brief question and answer session followed, but many in the audience simply took to the microphone to thank Mr. Mosley for his love and gift of writing. Mr. Mosley’s sense of humor, expansive knowledge of history and ease of storytelling was acknowledged with a standing ovation.
Hundreds later stood in a long line to have a copy or copies of their books signed. I for one will be heading to the local library to check out one of Mr. Mosley’s more than 40 published books which is the ultimate goal of the New Castle County Reads Programs.
Last week I had the opportunity to not only attend a Girl’s Night Out sponsored by The Money School of Delaware, but to also present a segment on frugal fashion tips. This 1st Annual FREE event was held in celebration of the 10th Anniversary of From Purses to Portfolios, the Money School’s signature event.
Girl’s Night Outthe brainchild of Program Director, Shaquilla Holmes was held at the Claymont Community Center where 14 vendors including Nails by Cyn, Alvina Designs, and Pure Pleasure showcased their products and services. Food was provided by Shoprite and the wine was donated by Quadia Muhammad.
The program kicked off with a welcome and overview by Ronni Cohen, DFLI Executive Director as well as an introduction of the new Money Clubs Director Chrisi Lockwood. Dana Thurston, member of “Penney’s 2 Dollars Money Club” spoke about their club’s events and activities which was then followed by the “Guess the Pennies” and “What’s in Your Purse” games.
Ken Briscoe, Director of Communications and Cultural Affairs for the City of Wilmington provided information about the Budget Friendly Activities being held this summer in the city. My segment “Savvy Shopping for the Frugal Fashionista” and “Guess the Cost” game was sponsored by The Great Stuff Savvy Resale Shop in Wilmington.
Ronni and I – Girl’s Night Out
The evening ended with Door Prizes and networking. It was a wonderful event and I wish to thank Shaquilla and the entire DFLI staff for all of their hard work and efforts in putting together this wonderful and successful event!
Enjoy the rest of your day and I’ll see you tomorrow!
Friday night I attended “High Heels in High Places” which was presented by NABFEME, the National Association of Black Female Executives in Music & Entertainment, Inc. This FREE event was held at the Nemours Building in Wilmington and was sponsored by Sisterent.com.
Johnnie Walker, President and CEO of NABFEME kicked off the evening with a brief description and stated the the mission of NABFEME, which “was created to be a vehicle of support that would increase the awareness and raise the profile of minority women in entertainment.”
Demia Avery, owner of Avery Sisters Entertainment was the MC and sat on the dais with 10 empowered women representing industries and positions that included: Sales and Hospitality; Entrepreneurship; Authors; Music and Concert Promotion; Fashion; Life Empowerment Coach; Entertainment Attorney; and Recording Artists.
Friend and owner of Mejah Books, Emylyn DeGannes was one of the panelist, and you may remember her from a previous feature on my blog (click here).
This 3-hour interactive event was a “power surge” from ladies-in-the-know to help others grow. The audience participation was lively with great questions and observations as well as few light hearted comments from a man in attendance.
“Don’t Try It – Just Do It” was one of the well received catch phrases, “Mentors Are Angels in Disguise”; “Live Out Your Passion and You’ll Never Work” and “Stand and Be Still – With God Nothing is Impossible” were the major themes throughout the night and struck a cord with many of the attendees.
The evening ended with networking, exchanging of cards and group photos. It was a great event and I would like to thank Avery Sister Entertainment for bringing NABFEME to Wilmington and look forward to other empowering events in Delaware.
