Apr

Shop with Swoozie’s this Saturday!

Looking for a fun boutique experience with fab finds at a variety of price points? Then let me tell you about Swoozie’s! This store is my go-to for baby, bridal and housewarming gifts, and it’s also my destination for stationery and hostess items with pizzazz (okay, and random pick-me-ups)! It’s the perfect spot to find distinctive gifts for colleagues, friends, family…and yourself! It reminds me of my favorite stores growing up: Surprises Inside at Cordova Mall and The Treasure Chest in my hometown. I can always find something special and well-made when I stop by The Summit store.

I’ve also used Swoozie’s in-house custom invitation service and my experience in designing invitations and personal stationery with their team was superb. AND they monogram! From stationery and party supplies to home goods and jewelry as well as unique gifts for social occasions, you just can’t go wrong.

This Saturday (May 3rd), Swoozie’s is hosting a housewarming party at their new location at The Summit, and YOU’RE INVITED! Pop in between 11 AM and 2 PM for door prizes, discounts, cocktails and of course – great shopping! The new Swoozie’s is located next to Bed Bath and Beyond.

Be sure to follow Same Chic Different Day on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@samechicdifferentday)? I’ll be sharing fab tips and items from Swoozie’s this evening!

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Apr

We’re giving away passes to JLB Bargain Bash!

***THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. Congrats to M. McGlamery for winning the VIP passes!***

It’s time for Bargain Carousel, Birmingham’s 1,000 family garage sale, benefiting the community projects offered by the Junior League of Birmingham! On April 26 and 27, you can shop the sale at the former JC Penney/Century Plaza Mall and find deals on everything from gently used clothing, appliances, furniture and home decor, electronics, art, sporting goods, heirlooms, antiques and baby items – all at terrific prices! Even better: your shopping will help women and children in the Birmingham area.

But that’s not all. Bargain Bash – the event’s preview cocktail party – kicks off tomorrow night and we’re giving away passes to one SCDD reader today! These VIP passes will allow you (and a friend!) to attend the Bargain Bash preview party with early entry at 6:00 PM on Thursday, April 24. Early entry means one extra hour of pre-sale shopping before general admission entry begins at 7:00 PM and “first dibs” on sale and over 150 live/silent auction items. The live auction will feature items including SEC Championship tickets and a New Orleans Saints Experience!

~~Want a chance WIN Bargain Bash VIP tickets?~~

Simply comment “It’s CHIC to be VIP!” on this post! The winner’s name will be drawn at 6:00 PM today. Please use a valid email address where you can be contacted if you win. The winner (and guest) may report to Will Call at Bargain Bash tomorrow evening for wristbands and auction bid cards. All decisions final.

***THIS GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED. Congrats to M. McGlamery for winning the VIP passes!***

If you don’t win, you may purchase VIP tickets ($40) or General Admission tickets ($30) to Bargain Bash by clicking HERE.

Tips to remember:

Arrive early for Bargain Bash (and for Bargain Carousel, if you plan to shop this weekend)! Lines will form.

Bring a bag or two (or even a cart!) to Bargain Bash and Bargain Carousel; you’re probably going to want to load up on deals.

During Bargain Bash, items will be sold at double the marked/listed sale price.

Bargain Bash parking is at the back of the mall; enter at the JC Penney entrance closest to Entry 4. Century Plaza is located at 7580 Crestwood Boulevard, Birmingham, AL 35210.

Pre-sale tickets for Bargain Carousel will be available Friday, April 25 from 3-7 PM; shoppers may purchase up to 4 tickets at $10 per ticket to the Saturday Sale.

Bargain Carousel 2014 will open its doors on Saturday, April 26 (8 AM-5 PM). Tickets from 8-10 AM are $10 per ticket and from 10 AM-5 PM they are $5 per ticket. It continues Sunday, April 27 (1-5 PM) with free admission and half price merchandise.

A special note for the Saturday sale: all tickets are numbered, and shoppers will enter Bargain Carousel in the order of their ticket number. For information about Bargain Carousel 2014, the most exciting spring shopping event in Birmingham, call 205-879-9861, visit www.bargaincarousel.net or “Like” Bargain Carousel on Facebook.

Happy shopping!

*Full disclosure: I am a member of The Junior League of Birmingham.

Image via The Junior League of Birmingham

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Apr

New Orleans Owes Me Nothing.

French Quarter Festival, New Orleans, April 2014.

This weekend was full of food, family and fun at the French Quarter Fest! Entry to the 31st annual festival, held in the heart of the French Quarter, was free! I packed in as much activity as I could – enjoying a scenic streetcar ride to the Vieux Carre, walking the streets and taking in the sights and sounds and sipping on a daiquiri! And we met a Mardi Gras Indian!

Tips for enjoying the Festival:

Take plenty of cash, as several vendors did not take cards. Wear comfortable shoes, since you’ll be doing plenty of walking on streets that are centuries-old. It’s not chic hobbling on cobblestones! Stay hydrated and take sunscreen; you don’t want to pass out or get sunburned! Above all, take an appetite for fun and be ready for an impromptu second line, as well as lines/crowds just about everywhere. But this is the Big Easy and no one is in a rush, so relax and laissez les bon temps rouler!

Here are some of my finds that you might enjoy:

Best Daiquiri: Tropical Colada/Daiquiri Chef
Best Oysters: Royal House (served chargrilled)
Best Breakfast: Anita’s Grill (try the liver and onions with hashbrowns!)
Best Shopping: The French Market, of course! I bought pralines at Southern Candymakers and some beaded slippers at Oriental Trading, one of the umpteen vendors in the open-air market. Skip the portapotty: Harrah’s has a super-clean ladies room, as does the Jackson Brewery! (You’re welcome!)

Images via AEB and MCBarton

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Mar

Sojourns plans “Fashionably Fair” to benefit Rape Response

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and this Thursday, April 3rd, Sojourns, a fair trade store located in downtown Birmingham, is hosting a fundraising event for the Rape Response program of the Crisis Center. This event is a fashion show highlighting fair trade clothing and jewelry at the new Continental Bakery located downtown. All proceeds from admission and 10% of sales from shopping go to Rape Response.

What exactly is fair trade? According to Sojourns’ website, “fair trade is based on economic and social justice. The key goals of fair trade are to empower low-income, disadvantaged artisans, laborers and farmers around the globe, and to promote understanding between them and industrialized nations.Fair trade advocates for a fair and living wage to artists, artisans and producers and provides revenue to promote social and economic development for communities.”

As Sojourns’ philosophy notes, “The understanding that we hold in our hands the power to change a life, a mind, or a circumstance today – right now – is a powerful insight and motivator.” I hope you will join me in supporting this effort. Sexual violence is more prevalent than any one wants to believe, and that is way this event is so important. We must continue provide quality services to survivors and their loved ones, as well as work to bring this violence to an end.

Space is limited, so please try to purchase your tickets in advance by clicking HERE. VIP ticket holders can call Sojourns (323-5690) and request a reserved table (just provide the names of the other ticket holders who will be sitting with you. If you can’t make the show, the sales will continue at Sojourns’ this Friday and Saturday.

Continental Bakery Downtown is located at 19th Street North and 4th Avenue North. Sojourns is located at 2017 3rd Avenue North.

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Mar

“Blood, Sweat & Heels” star Demetria Lucas (and more!) to attend natural hair expo March 29

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Toss some sequins, darlings!

If you are a fan of Bravo’s Blood, Sweat and Heels, then you’re surely familiar with Ms. Lucas. The multi-talented blogger and author, known for her spot-on writing at A Belle in Brooklyn, no nonsense advice (you should be reading her Q&A on Ask.fm) and her fierce sense of style will be in Birmingham on Saturday, March 29. She will appear at the Third Annual Natural Hair and Health Expo at the BJCC, which will feature tips for style and well-being, natural hair consultations, vendors and live entertainment. For tickets, click HERE.

If I sound slightly starstruck fan, it’s because I am. Ms. Lucas has a way of sharing her wit and wisdom that totally empowers readers. (She will soon release her second book, Don’t Waste the Pretty, which we are also here for.) And I can’t wait to receive some tips on styling my curls!

The expo, which is the largest of its kind in Alabama, will also feature a “Curls and Conversations” panel discussion on the impact of natural hair, popular natural hair bloggers (from YouTube’s MahoganyCurls and NaturallyCurly.com), noted actor Lamman Rucker, Orange is the New Black star Tanya Wright and more! A press release party for the event will be held this Sunday at WorkPlay.

For more information, click HERE.

See you there!

Images via Visions Beauty

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Feb

And still, we rise!

THE VICTIMS OF RAPE HAVE MANY FACES.

Recent studies show that rape is still all
too prevalent. Somewhere in America, a woman is raped every 2 minutes. By the
age of 18, 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys will be victimized.

– Alabama Coalition Against Sexual Violence

Same Chic Different Day is rising, releasing and dancing today on behalf of One Billion Rising. We’re rising ALL DAY LONG to celebrate the indomitable spirit of rape and sexual assault survivors everywhere and to focus global attention on the widespread impunity that still exists. Join us.

Check out One Billion Rising by clicking HERE.

Need support locally? Please visit the Alabama Coalition Against Sexual Violence and Rape Response for access to information, referrals and other supporting resources.

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Feb

Celebrate decades of style with Macy’s this Saturday!

Join Macy’s Riverchase Galleria as they salute decades of dynamic black style this Saturday!

This event will feature a fashion presentation and a discussion panel on the cultural influence of black style, hosted by ABC 33/40’s Ebony Hall and including Miss Black US Ambassador Jazmine Scroggins, Montgomery fashion designer and consultant Perry Varner…and yours truly!

Join us at 2:00 PM this Saturday, February 15 at Macy’s/Riverchase Galleria in the Style & Co. Department!

But that’s not all: you have until February 28 to enter Macy’s fab giveaway: a Delta Vacations trip for 2 to New York City (with hotel accommodations, round trip flights and a $1000 shopping spree)! For more details, visit www.macys.com/celebrate.

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Oct

I love it when an outfit comes together! I decided to shop my closet for this year’s Magic City Classic festivities, and the Soiree presented the perfect opportunity to build a look around my vintage sequined pants, found at Etsy. Harem pants are having a moment this year, and when kept unfussy, are pretty fab! I paired mine with a simple cream peplum top from Forever 21, a gold snakeskin clutch from Target, rhinestone hoops from Private Gallery, bracelets from J. Crew and my favorite lucite and gold Manolo Blahniks.

Sleek, chic – and best of all – my legs stayed warm!

Image via Erica W. Prewitt

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Oct

Magic City Classic do’s (and please don’ts)

Be sure to check out SCDD’s own Alexis Barton on AL.com talking (and modeling) fashion graciously provided by Belk for this weekend’s Magic City Classic face-off between Alabama A&M and Alabama State Universities! Click HERE to read the article! Alexis’ hair was styled by Kiera Grey-Nelson and James A. Adams at Renovare Salon in Vestavia Hills. And that awesome vampy lippie you see is the Guerlain goody I mentioned in THIS post.

And for some tips on how NOT to be a Magic City Classic fashion disaster, click HERE!