Image: Good Enough Mother Blog

A little over a year ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Rene Syler.  You’ll likely remember her name from her stint as one of the lead anchors on CBS’ The Early Show.  She and I hit it off almost immediately and have been joined at the virtual hip; she’s stuck with me now!

Rene has a fabulous blog, Good Enough Mother, where she chronicles her  journey to her Second Act and her adventures as a loving mom; she is hilarious. She was kind enough to share MY story on her blog today and I hope you’ll take a pass.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

Alice + Olivia Maxi Skirt

*waves*

Don’t be mad. Soooo much going on but hey!….I’m here today.

Speaking of being busy, I’ve really spent a lot of time assessing my warm weather wardrobe since, well, Spring 2012 arrived in the midst of Winter 2012.  I’m almost afraid to change out the closets because Daddy TBS SWEARS we’re going to get another cold snap within the next few weeks.

When I DO get around to replacing my sweaters for tank tops, I’m paring my wardrobe down to a few essentials:

• Colored jeans
• White tanks/tees and other layering pieces
• Maxi dresses
• Maxi skirts

Since I’m so tall, maxi skirts are very flattering for my physique; so I’ve begun to collect them like a first-class Hoarder. Yep. And I’m not ashamed.  I fell in love with the Alice + Olivia pleated maxi above. The color is…get this…Vibrant Violet. I love it. What I do NOT love is the price. I found a similar style by A+O that runs nearly $500. Yeah. No. Plus, they’ve no plus sizes.

I’ve been scouring the internet because I thought that I could have my seamstress, Marian, whip up one for me if I had the right fabric and BINGO!

If she says that she can work with this fabric, I think we will do an ‘inspired by’ piece. Can’t you see it? White tank, gobs of  long gold chains, the skirt and a neutral flat sandal. What I do love most is that it will certainly cost a fraction of the A+O skirt. I’ll sacrifice the pleats…who needs them?

What are the staples in YOUR Spring/Summer 2012 wardrobe?

On the heels of my successful series of dessert events, Sugar Coma Festivals and Tours, I am hosting my first international dessert experience in Paris and London this fall! From October 10-16, 2012, we will visit bakeries, patisseries and delightful sweet shops across the pond. *spins around and around* I could not be more excited if I tried. In fact, I think that my keeping a paper bag handy over the coming months would be my best move; hyperventilation is certain.

If you’re a sweet tooth and enjoy culinary tours, this trip is for you.  Of the 25 available travel spots, we’re nearly halfway to capacity.

Over the coming months, I look forward to sharing my trip preparation (all I know is “Oui, oui.”….Rosetta Stone, anyone?), products and fashion that will make for a seamless experience and my site visit to London and Paris this spring to map out our routes. *grabs paper bag*

Won’t you join us?  Here are the details!

What is YOUR favorite sweet treat?

To say that I’m an addict is surely putting it mildly. Any opportunity that I can find to curate my very own wish lists of clothing, shoes, recipes, inspirational musings and home decor is purely golden.  In fact, a couple of months ago, the Atlanta FOX affiliate invited me to come on their morning show, “Good Day Atlanta”, to discuss my take on Pinterest and to share one of the projects that I’ve created from the site. Here are my boards.

Here’s the clip (don’t mention how long my hair has gotten since you last saw me, huh?) and I’ve also included some “pinning” tips here! After all, if you ain’t pinning, you ain’t winning!

Are you on Pinterest?  What’s your handle? What are YOU pinning these days?

Blogger Shameeka Ayers on DIY Websites: MyFoxATLANTA.com

Where shall I start?

Maybe with “Happy New Year!”? Ha. I hope y’all are enjoying what 2012 has to offer and are living your dreams. Though it’s in the rearview mirror, 2011 was wonderful and I learned a lot that positioned me for a great 2012. I’ve not been writing as much because I, honestly, have been overwhelmed.

The good news is that I have figured a way to blog more regularly and juggle the balance of my responsibilities to The Broke Socialite brand.

Coming this year are:

*MORE Sugar Coma Festivals and Sugar Coma Brides!
*In October 2012, we’ll embark upon our first global tour with Sugar Coma Europe. Put your pennies aside as an announcement with the particulars are forthcoming. We’ll taste our way through Paris, France and London, England. The group will be limited to 25!
*My novella, Instantly! How Quickly I Realized I Hate My Job is approaching production and I’ll hit the road with a book tour in the Spring of 2012. This one has been a long time coming and I’m REALLY excited about it.
*Annnnnndddddd…..lavish! The lifestyle bloggers’ conference that I launched in 2010 will return on August 24-26, 2012 and will be held at W Atlanta Buckhead. And trust me, it’s NOT your mama’s conference!

So…there you have it. I know this update was quick but I’m back in earnest. I can’t wait to catch up with you all!

I do admit that I’ve the rainbow coalition of flats: black, brown, pony hair, pointed toes, round toes, Tory Burch Revas, Target Mossimos.

And speaking of Tar-zhay, while everyone are waiting and anticipating the arrival of the Missoni line, I am reveling in my recent coup below.  Everyone needs a great neutral flat that can be worn with jeans or a skirt.  Can you believe these are only $15? I actually believe they look more expensive.  I went to a Shea Moisture natural hair workshop last week and one of the presenters was wearing a pair; I had to have them.

In addition to the cocoa brown, there are also options in black, red and purple.  The reviews seem to trend toward the shoe being a tad snug but my regular size (the shoe box) works just fine.

Do you wear ballet flats? Which are YOUR favorite ones?

I know…I know…it’s been a while.  Honestly, I’ve been busier than a one-legged man in a butt-kicking contest.  I’ve REALLY missed blogging and am trying to figure how I can STILL maintain a presence; after all, the blog was my first love and it serves as a foundation for EVERYTHING that I’ve been able to accomplish including lavish!, Sugar Coma Events and meeting all of YOU!

As a solopreneur, juggling all of the ‘to-dos’ has become daunting but I beg your patience as I try to make sense of it all.  I’m thinking that I should do what I did in the beginning: start out with posting once or twice a week.  I’ve a lot of interesting and fun things going on in my life AND I run across a lot of cool resources that I know I need to blog/share. So let’s recalibrate and start there.  Heck, maybe someone might be inspired.

I had a great weekend and hope you did, too.  On Sunday (and as a part of Studio Wed Atlanta‘s Inspired Bride event), I launched Sugar Coma Brides..it’s a one-stop dessert festival for the planning bride.  A mini version was held at The Biltmore Ballrooms here in Atlanta.  Over 100 brides came by our suite to sample tastes from our sugar artisans.  The first full Sugar Coma Brides will be held in January 2012 and I can’t wait!

Our FABULOUS logo created by Springcart

Ever the perfectionist, I’ve been working on getting the full Sugar Coma Events site launched; it has truly been a chore but my copywriting efforts are coming along after a horrible case of Writers’ Block (do y’all ever get that?).  Until then, you may keep up with the goings on via Facebook.

On Friday, I popped by Atlantic Station to peruse some of the post-Fashion’s Night out pop-up shops and nearly lost my MIND!

Ever The Bauble Whore™, I could not pass up this lovely piece that I’ve been freaking STALKING online for months now.  It’s from Swell Caroline, an online accessories boutique that will take your breath away.  More enchanting than the jewelry itself? The lovely owner, Amy.  If Mr TBS had not been waiting for me in the car, I would be there chatting her up right now.  I love her eye and her vision.  What’s more to love? The price points….

The piece below is in the running to be one of my signature pieces. Less than $50! Can you believe it?

TBS looking Swell Caroline

What’d you do this weekend?

How Would You Accessorize?

This weekend, I’ll be enjoying an outdoor concert with the most delightful group of girlfriends, including bloggers My Brown Baby and True Southern Elegance.  We’ve been anticipating this outing for a couple of months now and we could not be more excited.  As I am addicted to most any  maxi dress that’s actually long enough (remember: I’m nearly 6 feet tall), I came across the dress above for $22 dollars.  Amazing, right? Yes. The regular price was nearly $100; so, of course, I was pleased with my coup. You would not believe the quality of the fabric…it’s substantial but flowy.

Because comfort is queen, I thought I might wear it to the Jill Scott concert.  Slightly fitted, it nearly grazes my ankles so I ostensibly could wear a heel but there could possibly be lots of walking…I think I should go for flat sandals(I’m too old for my feet to be uncomfortable. Word. ). I’m at a loss with how I should accessorize/texturize and am interested in your thoughts.

The bottom line is: this is what I’m wearing. LOL! I’m just at a loss on the layering this go ’round.

Baubles? Belt? Shoes?

What say you?

My muse, the REAL socialite who inspired my 'empire', Aida and I

…and that is all. Do y’all?  My DVR is a tad lighter and my 4 PM each weekday is empty without Aunt Oprah.  She’s promised us that she’s working on dynamic programming at OWN and I can’t wait to hear what’s up her sleeves (and how about that L’Wren Scott dress that she wore on the last show? *faints*).

While I was away, I hosted an Oprah Finale Viewing Party at Four Seasons Atlanta.  It was a Southern-styled fete complete with shrimp and grits, barbecue sliders, Oprah-tinis and decadent desserts on the menu.  I encouraged my guests to wear fabulous dresses, big hats and seersucker. ‘Twas much like a fashion show.  Some of my blogger colleagues shared their experiences:

Fashionado

Mr Goodwill Hunting

CNN (yes…THAT CNN)

I am so grateful to Four Season Atlanta’s Dan Normandin and MSquared PR‘s Marsha Middleton for helping me make this dream come true!  Thanks to LeahAndMark for these fabulous photos.

Last week, I was invited to an advance screening of the much anticipated movie, The Help, (surely you’ve heard of it…unless you’ve been under a boulder, that is) which was based on the novel with the same name.  I have been a fan of the author, Kathryn Stockett and the book since I read it.  I’ve told anyone who would listen that they should, despite there being the possibility of discomfort, give this piece of work a chance.

My friend, Jennifer Brett, of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution gave me an opportunity to share my thoughts as they related to the movie and the book. Here is my story.

Did you read the book? What were your thoughts?