Alia Michele’s Blog

Before my crazy obsession with teal and orange, there was white and gold. I still have a great love for these two colors, and since it's my golden year, why not do a post dedicated to one of my favs...GOLD! The items above are things I absolutely adore and here's why....

—In Sex and the City, Samantha wore a pair of gold fish skeleton earrings, and these Elizabeth Cole earrings are all I could find that comes close. I think they are probably just as fabulous though. My earlobe calls! 

—I have searched for a gold swimsuit for the longest while, and nothing has really got my undivided attention. I've also been looking for a cool white swimsuit...and this one mixes both my colors quite well!! White ruffles with gold studs?? Who could ask for more??!!

—The two finger ring is one of the things on my wishlist for this year. I'm definitely getting one with my initials, but I also love the simple ones like the ring by Zoe Chicco. 

—I really don't know who craves a gold sequin blazer or gold sequin skirt more than me. Anyone???? Thought so....I just want to sparkle...hehe! 

—La Mer watches were shown to me some time last year and I have been eyeing them ever since. I love this watch because it mixes the watch with gold chains...so it can be worn by itself, or I can pile on my bangles and it would fit just riiigggghhhhttttt in! 

—The Georgina Goodman sandals are sold out probably everywhere! UGH! All I can say is I love them and wished they could have joined my shoe family! Sigh!

Links (Clockwise from Left): Elizabeth Cole Earrings; Vix Swimsuit; Zoe Chicco Ring; La Mer Watch; Georgina Goodman Sandals; Torn by Ronny Kobo Blazer; Plastic Island Skirt; Heist Jewellry Knuckle Ring.

I remember once in college as I was about to present one of my projects, my classmate said (as a joke of course) "it's probably a butterfly or flower". Most people would probably be upset by such a comment, I guess because it would mean that they're somewhat...hmmmm.... predictable? But I was okay with it because surprise, surprise, my classmate was right. We all know I have a serious obsession with butterflies...for years that's all I drew or painted.  With that said, I have been looking for the perfect butterfly ring for a very, very, long time...and I have seen so many, but nothing tickles my fancy to the point where I will take out the credit card to make the purchase. So I continue on my  endless search. Today I found these and I do like them, however, I'm still kinda on the fence. The silver Redspot Sawtoot is 250 bucks...ya! Gorgeous but is it really worth that price? I might as well get my AMO 3 finger ring, which I have been dreaming about since the beginning of this year. The Juicey Couture ring is really pretty but it's about 1" wide and I'm not sure if I want something that small. Then the butterfly ring by free people is pretty neat, I'm just not sure if I want that size. The delicacy of it may be pretty on my finger though...who knows. Hmmmm... am I being picky? 

The good thing is while on my search, I stumbled on a Juicey Couture butterfly charm bracelet which I absolutely adore. It's begging to be on my wrist...and it's gold?? Ding ding ding...I think it's a winner! And if you are a Sex and the City fan like myself...you would remember that gorgeous necklace Carrie wore throughout one of the seasons and I have been on a search for something similar ever since. And today while I searched for the perfect ring, I found this beautiful Kenneth Jay Lane necklace!!!!! If I weren't banned from shopping till Spring...I would totally get it...sigh! It's even on sale...what's a girl to do!?!?! Enjoy!!

So, I was reading The Pussbackfoot Blog (one of the blogs I love), and Aiesha did 28 days of love for the month of February. I thought it was such a wonderful idea and it was such a delight to read each post. Her last blog post for the month was a list of the 28 Jamaican gems she loves...and of course it inspired me to create a list for myself. Only difference is I had to make a list of 29 things, as I feel like that number is on my side this year. So here goes...the 29 things that I've  missed every single day of my life, since I moved here.

1. Plantain tarts from Suzie's Bakery

2. Watching the sunset from Irish Town

3. Baking in the sun with an ice cold Pepsi (they never have coke..ugh) at the pool

4. Fish and Festival

5. Friends that are only 5 minutes drive away

6. Sand in my toes

7. Breeze blowing through the windows of my parent's home (I honestly wake up sometimes, stand in front of a window, and embrace it all)

8. Fried Breadfruit and Dumplings...yummmmm.

9. The smell after the rain falls

10. Indian cuisine from Jewel of India

11. Sorrel

12. Celebrating every family members birthday

13. Patties from Sugar and Spice...top that off with a monster cupcake, plain danish and a bear claw.

14. Driving to the beach with the windows down and music pumping

15. Listening to Jamaicans converse

16. Pan chicken from Wally's (the only street meat I'd actually eat)

17. Spending time with my nephew in the summertime

18. Cows chilling on the side of the street (I have a weird love for cows)

19. Christmas ham

20. Dancing in the car to the latest dancehall with my sister, like no one is watching

21. Live music at Suzie's or Red Bones

22. Listening to waves from the ocean crash into rocks

23. Art fairs (I love supporting other Jamaican artists)

24. Walking barefoot in the driveway

25. Butterflies flying freely around our garden

26. Being in the passenger seat of a car, looking through the window at my beautiful surroundings

27. A weekend away at a quaint villa on any coast

28. My family

P.S. Can I tell you... there is no greater feeling than hearing the pilot say "flight attendants prepare for landing" as I sit anxiously looking down at my beautiful island...and then I arrive, and immediately become complete!

I don't know when I started to like socks. Hmmmmm....actually....I do know when. It was when I went to London in 2004 , and the british girls had on these ultra cool socks with their open toe heels,  and I thought the style was just so awesome. So one day I asked one of my friends to take me to a place to get cool socks. We went to a little shopping area in London, and right there before my eyes was a store dedicated to just socks. Ahhhh...heaven!  I purchased these really cool lacy socks, and I held onto them for soooooo long. They got holes in them and everything...which I am sure my mother wouldn't approve of...but I just couldn't let them go. Read the rest of this article »

Usually Wednesdays are dedicated to teal and orange, but when I saw these..my focus went elsewhere. I apologize but, I am really loving these body harnesses. They're just so creative, and can add that extra oomph to any simple outfit. I would really love one, but there aren't any below 300 bucks...sigh. Either way, they're lovely to look at. I love the amazing detail on the Deco Decadence ...from embroidery to beading. And, I've had a recent obsession with rope for some reason, so the Cape of Chains just calls my name. It's really funky and so different...I just  have to have it, or figure out how to make something this awesome for myself. Enjoy!

*If you feel the need to buy one for me check out Shrimpton Couture...I love love love this vintage store!

"To get the full value of joy, you must have someone to divide it with" —Mark Twain

I don't think I have ever understood the meaning of true love. I do however know what true love could be when I see it amongst the people who surround me. I see it when my father comes home every evening, and kisses the beautiful woman who has been a part of his life for 37 years. I see it amongst my friends who are so elated about expecting a lovely baby; when my adopted big sister tears up, while she tells me how much she misses her husband who's working abroad; and when my married college buddies laugh endlessly at the same jokes. I saw it when my uncle gently held my aunt's hand as they walked up a steep hill, when my best friend's fiance calmed her stress filled day, and when my cousin married the man of her dreams. I remember so clearly when he came up to make his speech, and called her his wife for the first time.

The reason I decided to write this post is because sadly, my cousin's husband passed away last night. Even though I didn't really know him as much as I do my cousin, when I got the call, my heart broke to pieces. I may not know what love is, but because I see it, I can only imagine what it's like to lose that one person you felt you were made to be with on this planet. So today, I send my love to my cousin...the love to give her strength to get her through this difficult time. I send her love to show her that even though she had him for a such a short period of time, she got to experience a true love that not many get to. I send her love to let her know that he has become one of the many angels that help protect us each day and I send her love because she is my family. I also send my love to his family...I know how hard it is to lose someone that's loved by so many.

Rest in peace Carlo...you will always be a part of our lives. Love always, Alia.

We all know I love birthdays like it's no one's business and my birthday is the day to celebrate total awesomeness. I count down to the day literally the day after the day itself...get it? Last year I said to someone that I was going to turn 29 on the 29th, and I personally thought that was bigger than my 30th birthday. Well, that friend told me that when your age is the same number as the day you were born, it is....drum roll please....your golden birthday!!!

Since I live in New York and I only wanted to be around the people I love most (and most of them live in Jamaica), I decided to have my bash at the greatest place on earth...home. And then I thought, maybe I should hire the planner of all planners, Aeisha...who owns the lovely company called pussbackfoot!! I had seen some of her awesome decorating skills on her website, and I have always wanted to work with her on any special occasion in my life.

When I sent her an email to let her know about my event, this was her reply: Since its your Golden birthday, I think you should dance the night away with lots and lots of Gold confetti falling from the air and under your feet While waiters walk around with gold-rimmed martini glasses filled with a signature chocolate cocktail! I swear...I jumped in my chair, then skipped around my office with glee...and tried so so so so hard to keep it all a secret from the people I knew would be there. The vivid description she gave me, made me dream of the day to come. Read the rest of this article »

On one of my new fav. blogs,  (hello lovely things) was tagged by another blog, to create a happy list. I thought it was really cool, and even though I didn't get tagged, I decided to create one, esp. since it would be a great thing to begin my birthday week! So here are 10 things that make me happy.

1. My parents—These two have always been the source of my happiness—I still curl up next to them in their bed like I'm not about to turn 29. But I am really grateful to have two parents who have always supported me when it came to following my dreams. I guess all they want is for me to be happy.

2. My siblings—I was blessed with an older sister and brother, and yea I got beat up, had to hand over the tv remote when they wanted to watch, or move to the back seat of the car when they were picked up, but my life would be empty without them. I really don't want to imagine what it would be like being an only child...cause these guys made my 29 years so enjoyable (despite the occasional disagreements).

3. Jamaica—We all know I left my heart there when I moved to New York....I just feel so happy and complete when I'm there...no word can really explain it. Read the rest of this article »

...to a really cool blog! When I first started blogging, I was 'bout it, 'bout it. I came home everyday, went straight to google reader, read what the 20+ blogs I followed wrote about, and clicked on that star to save the things I thought were awesome. Then after about 2 months, I got tired. It wasn't laziness...trust me. It was seeing 2,000 unread items in my box after taking 2 days of vacation, that made my brain feel overwhelmed.  So I cut my list of  blogs down to the ones that I felt I would honestly read everyday, and the ones that got my heart and creative mind pumping. We all know my awesome bandelle is on that list, as well as ruby press, kris's color stripes and a few others. But last year I added a pretty cool one to the list...a little blog called Johnnie Quest, created by my friend John-Matthew. Read the rest of this article »

Save the date!! On January 29th I will be celebrating my 29th birthday...which is apparently my golden birthday (I have also claimed 2010 my golden year)! Yay me!! So I put together a wishlist for this special day. Some of the things are way out there...like the Giuseppe Zanotti shoes which cost a whopping 1,500 smackaroos. Some things I really do need....yes...after 2 years of being a supporter of the iPhone, I am seriously considering a Blackberry. Some things are an investment for my home....like that lovely couch. And some things I want because I go through phases like the 4 seasons....I'm at the point where I want to change my duvet cover, yet again. Whatever the reason, I am sending this list out to the universe, and hopefully something will pop up in my lovely Brooklyn apartment, before the end of the month! Enjoy!

From left to right: Duvet Cover; Duvet Cover;  Blackberry Bold 2; Canyon Sleeper Sofa; Nesting Bowls; Blossom Ring; Strappy Suede Sandals; Strass Suede Caged Sandals; Quilts.