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    D.I.Y Ankara Printed Maxi Jacket/ Duster

    Helloo and welcome back to Nichelle B. Blog! Today I wanted to show you a D.I.Y jacket/duster I recently finished. I’m still not sure what exactly to call it so I say its a duster, jacket, thingy. lol It was about 80 degrees outside when I was trying to shoot in this coat and I was burning up, so that’s why I’m in a tank top dress and sandals. If it wasn’t lined then I’m sure it would be a little lighter, but this jacket is fully lined, has pockets, a belt, and a collar. The lapels are apart of the jacket, so that made it pretty easy to sew. In the future I see myself making a real jacket/coat that is lined and has hardware like zippers, buttons, details etc.. Maybe for my birthday, Idk.. I do l think I cut this jacket a little tiny bit too big.. but I’m ok with it. Do you like the printed duster? Would you like to order a jacket for yourself? Leave a comment or email me! Happy Monday!

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    Vegan Lasagna

    Hey Everyone! If you follow me on Instagram you see that I’ve been posting meals I cook. Adopting a plant based lifestyle has definitely been a journey and I am learning new things all the time. From cooking to recipes to foods this lifestyle opened up a new world for me. I was so inspired in the beginning, that is why I started posting food in the first place, soon it started to inspire others because people I know were asking me questions about how to take the plant based route. If you want to know what exactly I eat and don’t eat or need a few tips and resources to help kick start your journey you can click here. I have a few posts that may be helpful so type “plant based” in the search bar of my blog to pull of all of the posts.

    *Ladies especially, be sure to check out my post on going plant based, down there!

    I recently made vegan lasagna for the first time and it was GREAT! I will probably add meatless meat next time, however like I said it is GREAT without it. It is unfortunate I don’t have a picture of what it looked like when it was done, (cooking and taking pics and cleaning as you go is alot lol) but I did get a pic of when I was making it. Here is the link to recipe I followed for the ricotta cheese, which was AMAZING!  https://www.fooduzzi.com/2017/04/vegan-cashew-ricotta/

    Here is how to make the lasagna:

    1. Start boiling your lasagna noodles and preheat your oven to 350F.
    2. Sautee the zucchini, shredded carrots, mushrooms, and spinach with a little olive oil,  garlic, onions, and peppers for about 5 minutes. Just long enough to wilt the spinach a little and to soften the other veggies a bit.
    3. Keep in mind your cashews have to soak for at least 2 hours to make the ricotta cheese. So you can make it ahead or if your cashews are soaked and ready go, make your ricotta now.
    4. By then your noodles should be done.
    5. Start with a layer of sauce (I used organic tomato basil) at the bottom of the pan, then noodles, then spread the ricotta cheese on, add your veggies, and a little more sauce. Repeat this starting with the noodles until you have about 3 layers, then sprinkle some nutritional yeast on top!
    6. Cover with foil, Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Boom. Vegan Lasagna.

    A couple people wanted the details on this so I hope this was helpful! Even if you give this to meat eaters I’m almost sure they will still like it. I love it vegan lasagna is simple and full of flavor! Who says vegan can’t have comfort food?

    If you try this meal drop a line in the comments and let me know how it turns out!

    Thanks for stopping by!

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    Fall 2017 Trend Report

    It’s starting to feel like fall outside! I’m currently trying to make myself a couple of fall pieces and figure out exactly what I’m going to be wearing this winter and fall.. lol Fashion week has definitely been giving me all types of inspiration. I wish I could cover every fashion show and all the things that caught my interest but between celebs, street style, and the fashion designers, I wouldn’t know where to begin. I know one day I’m going to get invited to the shows and I can’t wait to just be in the building near all the inspiration that fuels my creativity and this blog. So on to the Fall Trend Report. Here are a few things I think are going to be big this fall. Check www.pantone.com if you want to see the fall 2017 color palate.

    PLAID– Thanks Laquan Smith. His show was all about adult uniforms. lol These sexy plaid wrap skirts and oversized cardigans read urban, educated, and chic. The fact that the show was set up like a school gym added to the vibe even more. I adore Laquan Smiths aesthetic.  The summer and spring were all about gingham but this fall is back to plaids, camo print, leopard print, and faux fur…

    SMALL PURSES– As seen by like every designer.. I noticed handbags were getting alot smaller. I’m torn on it. Bigger bags are easier to throw all of your belongings in but I find that small bags keep you from having so much junk in the first place. lol The designs are getting more and more clever to make these tiny bags pop with attitude and style.

    WHAT IS THAT? VELVET! This is going to be a huge one. Expect to see all types of items coming out in the luxe material. Velvet is one of those tricky materials to me. It looks great, very luxe, but I’ve tried to sew with it and have failed miserably.. As for velvet clothing I totally see myself rocking a velvet blazer or bootie.

    METALLIC, SHINY, GLITTER– Another big trend this year. I’ve seen so many silver boots and shiny metallic shoes on the runway this season! I’ve also spotted shiny pumps paired with girly or frilly socks to give you a Dorothy from Wizard of Oz look.

    KITTEN HEELS, LOAFERS, PLATFORMS-Last year was all about slippers, slides and mules. This year were going back to the Classics. These are 3 type of shoes that really never go out of style. They just come back better..

    DECONSTRUCTED BUTTON UPS– Coming out in a major sexy way, deconstructed clothing is all about pattern mixing and clashing, overlayed textures and shapes, and an overall distressed, yet clean vibe. I’ve been seeing this for a while now but I think its definitely going to be a hit this fall and spring. Think about all those button ups that have an unexpected element of surprise.

    EMBROIDERED EVERYTHANG! From shoes to hats to clothing embroidered pieces are popping up all around and I love it. It really adds an upgrade to an otherwise basic item. Once it’s embroidered it seems like the item is one of a kind now.

     

     

    SIMPLE OR MINIMAL LAYERING– I mentioned a while back that fashion was moving towards a more relaxed and loose silhouette. I think layering compliments a relaxed attitude and outfit. It’s like yes I’m wearing a shirt, under a dress. over top of jeans, I do it because I’m cool. lol I personally am not one of those people who likes my clothes super tight. So I get along with the layering and loose, relaxed styles.

    SS16 NEW YORK STREET FASHION
     

    What trends will you be trying this fall?? Do you follow the trends at all? Let me know in the comments, I would love to hear from you!

     

     

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    Summer Camp 2017!!!

    Whew… Summer is finally over for me! This 9 weeks was a great experience, and although I spent most of my time working I enjoyed the work I was doing. In addition to teaching sewing and fashion design I was also teaching yoga on the weekends, so developing, creating, and learning my teaching style has been an experience in itself. It’s funny how you learn while teaching.. You go into the classroom and you cannot predict what these kids are going to say, do, or feel at any moment so every day is a new opportunity to see how creative your problem solving skills are.  The girls kept me on my toes and laughing all the time. If you checked my Instagram stories you got a glimpse of what we did on the daily.. lol

    So the theme of camp this year was to Go BIG. The “B.I.G” stood for Being in Gratitude. I thought this was  a beautiful concept to introduce to children and even to remind us adults about the importance of gratitude. I remember being in team training at the very beginning of summer and the leader said “we want to focus on building character muscles.” She went on to say that virtues (courage, respect, patience, loyalty, compassion etc.) are like muscles that must be used in order to grow. So in order to cultivate the virtues, particularly gratitude, you simply have to practice gratitude everyday. Contrary to the popular saying, gratitude is not an attitude, it is a practice. In the same way you would lift weights everyday to become stronger you have to practice the virtues daily, in order to build character. I could go on and on about this, being a yoga teacher conversations like this get me excited. So I may have been the only one who enjoyed training that day.. lol

    I tried to combine character building activities with our fashion activities. In addition to highlighting a different virtue every week, I also did things like have them say something they were grateful for at the beginning of each day, saying a positive compliment about someones work, or noticing when you or someone else does something kind. On the last day of camp I had them write a letter of gratitude to someone they were thankful for. I know that is kind of a cliche activity but, I told them people don’t hand write thank you letters anymore, we text or simply say thank you, which is fine but you can ALWAYS hand write a letter, note, or card to someone and thank them.

    At the end of the 2 weeks instead of a normal fashion show or presentation, we set the room up as an art gallery. Each camper had their own little area to display everything they created. This way is was more personal, and the girls felt so important having people come around in awe of their work, ask questions, take pictures, etc. I really just hope all the girls I’ve taught this summer, enjoyed the experience and learned something about sewing, fashion, or even themselves! Click the links to read the blog posts about Fashion Design.

    https://www.esfcamps.com/riverdale/passion-for-fashion/

    https://www.esfcamps.com/georgetownprep/specialty-major-camps-inventors-fashion-design/