Pick 4...

This week's Pick 4, four random things that make me smile, are from our family vacation. We just got back from beautiful Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. We rented a lovely home with my sister in law and her family, my mother in law, and friends DJ, Traci, and their son Grant.



Reading a good book and watching the kids play in the ocean.

Walking for miles along the beach. It was a great way to get in some exercise and people watch.

When I vacation at the beach, I try to find local bead shops. The bead shops by the beach seem to have a better selection. Here are some of the beads I got from High Tide Beads. Wood, bone, czech glass, copper, and African wedding beads.

An awesome animal print hair clip. I found this when we went outlet shopping. Cost me about $2 after all of the discounts. The biggest steal I got was an ivory A-line skirt from BCBG. Regular price was $66. After all of the discounts taken off, I got it for $7!

Cherish the Day...

If you really know me, you know I love Sade. So you can imagine how happy I was when I heard on my car radio that she is coming to Greensboro, NC to perform on September 10th! I've seen her in concert twice back in the day. She was fab then, I heard she is even more fab now. Sade is timeless. I love the above look. Big, simple hoops with lots of necklaces! My kind of girl.
Stay tuned for my Sade hoops. They will be plain and simple, no beads. Classic. I will have medium sized, large, and jumbo. They will come in copper and silver.

Cherish the Day is my favorite Sade song. I hope you all are cherishing your day. Even in this heat. North Carolina feels like Jamaica yall.

Pick 4...

Four random things that make me smile.

A bowl of bing cherries.

Its the presentation! Beautiful. Dessert served to my mom when we celebrated her birthday this past May.

Fresh pink flowers. Floral bouquet given to me for Mother's Day from my 4 year old nephew.

Beautiful art. I just love this. A statue of a lady and swan taken at Nemacolin Resort and Spa.

Are you Single...

One single earring. That's all you need. New in the boutique Feathers, chains, coral, and turquoise. Perfection. Have a great weekend yall. Stay fab.

Infinite Possiblities...

My fingers can not bend, crimp, hammer, or cut fast enough for all of the ideas I have for Sydney Austin Designs.



Got these pewter beads way back yonder. Just took awhile to figure out what to do with them. Tribal looking. Perks up a simple copper hoop.

Wood beads on a strip of leather. Love these.

Ladies, you need these in your life! Earrings do not have to match. Have some fun. The chain earring is very long, shoulder duster. The hoop is simple, very lightweight. Who cares if someone says, "You know you have 2 different earrings on...right?" Just say, "Yup" and keep it moving!

Oh yeah, I'm on tumblr. Still can't get the hang of it, cause I'm an html idiot. Need a HTML for dummies book. Check me out here

Pick 4...

I am really trying to stay committed and blog regularly! Each week I will post a blog titled "Pick 4." It will be randomly selected moments, events, things, etc. that make me smile. Here is the first post.





View from the top of the Shenandoah Mountains before my mom and I started our morning hike while on vacation last week.

Martinis with 3 of my girlfriends on the patio of Bleu Restaurant in Winston Salem. Having girl talk. Mine was strawberry lemonade martini.

Having a delicious meal with friends. I rarely order steak, but my girlfriend Kim persuaded me to try it. Peppered steak, collard greens (under the steak), and oven baked mac-n-cheese. The beef was very tender, took half of it home.

Big Basketball Wives inspired hoops that I wore to Bleu. Sold a pair the next day on my etsy site to a high school classmate, Carmen! They have personality!

Summer Coral...

I love wearing coral in the summer. I recently stumbled upon some gorgeous coral branches. My favorite are the black coral branches. They are so light and airy. The black earrings have a lot of movement. Great to wear for Girls Night Out. All of the earrings are perfect to wear with a maxi dress. For purchase and more pics, check out my etsy shop here.

Afternoon Tea...

This past Saturday my daughter and I enjoyed an afternoon tea at the Secret Tearoom located on State Street in Greensboro,NC. Everything from the tea sandwiches to the scones were yummy. It was a wonderful place to have mother/daughter time. We can't wait to take my parents to the Secret Tearoom the next time to come to visit.













Devonshire cream and strawberry sauce for our English scones.

Daughter enjoying her tea.

Gorgeous tea cup.

Another pretty tea cup filled with apricot tea.

Girls Night Out...

Photo taken with camera phone of Prince on stage.

Purple Leather Earrings I wore to concert. Made by me.

Me and 3 girlfriends went to the Prince concert for our monthly "Girls Night Out." We had a blast! Excellent seats! Prince knows how to give an awesome performance. This is my 3rd time seeing Prince live in concert (Purple Rain Tour, Musicology 2004 Tour, and Welcome 2 America Tour). Although he is in his 50's, he still jams with his high heels. But... he did take them off for his last act and replaced them with some funky flats. His opening act was Chaka Khan. Amazing woman, she looked fab!

If Prince is coming to a city near you, you must get tickets. You will not be disappointed.

Trunk Show...

It's March Madness! If you aren't at the Colisuem tonight watching the ACC Tournament, the next best place to be is at the Honeybun Boutique! S.A.D. will have a trunk show at Honeybun tonight at 7pm until 10pm. Honeybun is located at 219 Summit Ave, Downtown Greensboro. Cocktails and finger food starts at 7pm. My latest favorite necklace shown above will be for sale tonight. It's Rock Star meets Audrey Hepburn. The freshwater pearls are big and bold! The black cross is very detailed!

I dislike mass produced so I strive to give you something the girl next door doesn't have!

Prom Night...

For the Naturalist...

It's not too soon for thinking about prom jewelry or bridal jewelry. These amethyst briolette gemstones are perfect for spring. Amazing Thai silver orchid pendant surrounded by lilac amethyst gems. The dangling earrings with sterling silver leverbacks are the perfect compliment.

Fit for Life...Zumba

Today was my first day attending a Zumba class. What is Zumba? It combines Latin and international music in dance routines featuring aerobic and fitness interval training done to a combination of fast and slow rhythms. The class was a lot of fun! The classes are held at a dance studio in Greensboro called Break-N-Out. It is a fast paced class that will have you sweating the entire hour. I wasn't Shakira, but I was able to keep up. I'm looking forward to the next class.

Handmade Valentine Gifts

Open publication - Free publishing

I am part of Etsy Artist of Color (EAOC) team and we have some very talented artisans. Group members are from all over the world. Our team leader, Shevon, developed the above catalog to showcase some of the wonderful handmade Valentine gifts you can purchase from EAOC. Take a look. One of my designs is on page 9. Enjoy!

Fit For Life...

A few of my fab girlfriends are dedicated to get "Fit for Life." We are spread out from NYC, Philly, Maryland, and NC. We check in via email weekly to share our progress and slip-ups. It's a slow process, but slow and steady wins the race.

I like to snack, so I'm looking for healthy snack choices. I learned about Dry Roasted Edamame from fellow blogger Shevon Gant. I found them ON SALE at the Fresh Market. They are so tasty. Heart healthy, high fiber, low sodium, and a kick of wasabi to spice things up.

Notecards...

My friend Cynthia has a gift basket business. She surprised me and sent me a gift basket last week filled with goodies. I was all smiles when I went thru my goodies and came across a beautiful set of blank notecards. On the front is an African American lady beading. How cute! I can not wait to send one of them to my clients. Please check out Cynthia's website http://www.littlegiftworks.com/

The Winter Graduate...

Holiday Gift Suggestion: So pleased with this necklace! The pendant is a geode agate slice and it is amazing! The rock crystal quartz gemstones are beautiful. A great chunky statement necklace. Matching earrings can be made upon request. It's a prefect winter graduation gift. My son just told me this necklace is "cool."

Your Mother...

Holiday Gift Suggestion: For your mom, godmother, or mom -n-law...

Gorgeous geode agate slice pendant surrounded by pretty faceted jasper gemstones. A sprinkle of turquoise makes the necklace pop. The earth tones are perfect for any outfit. All jewelry can be gift wrapped and sent directly to the recipient, upon request.

Strands...

Shopping for gemstones always makes me happy. Today I went to the GTS bead show here in Greensboro and I bought some gorgeous beads. My favorite are the black coral sticks. They are amazing! A black coral cuff is definitely in order. Stay tuned...

Show Your Support...

The Downtown Girl...

Holiday Gift Suggestion: Feather earrings. This is for the Downtown Girl. She is edgy and likes to be the one who sets the trends, not follows them. To her there are no rules for fashion. Earrings are super lightweight and so much fun to wear. A beautiful combination of army green and orange. One of a kind and a great find for under $25.

80's Madonna...

Holiday Gift Selection: For the 80's baby this "Papa Don't Preach" triple chain necklace with a big ole pink cross is for you! I love everything 80's Madonna. It looks great on. A great gift for under $40.

An armful of black rubber bracelets and lace gloves are optional!