ART BREAK: Collage Series

The Mama Story

exittheapple presents "story" - episode 3: mama from pierre bennu on Vimeo.

We all have a story to tell as captured by Pierre Bennu. Pierre has produced a series of stories that he has filmed showcasing a variety of individuals sharing, "that one" unbelievable moment. Memorable stories that stay with you for a lifetime, and are totally unforgettable. We all have at least one. Enjoy.

Examine the labels you apply to yourself. 

Every label is a boundary or limit you will not let yourself cross. 

–Dwayne Dyer

A Taste For Greens

Today I had a taste for greens, turnip greens. Slightly bitter in taste but very tender and delicious. I simply sautéed them in olive oil with a little fresh chopped garlic, and a little chopped white onion. In the spirit of my grandmother, I accompanied the turnips with some bastard bread. Bastard bread is nothing more than cornmeal and water, mixed together and fried in oil. The batter is the consistency of cornbread batter. Some people use bacon fat to fry but I used canola oil. Why the name bastard bread, I do not know, its just one of those things I have come to accept, no questions asked. However, now I do feel the need to do some research and find out the history of this name. After finishing the turnips I realized that I had okra in the house. I love okra. I sautéed the okra whole in olive oil with caramelized red onions. Simple, and again delicious. How to bring some light sweetness to the end, Angel Food Cake with strawberries. Yes.

School Lunch

Lunches are big at the house, especially for my daughter. Her lunches have become famous at her school. There has even been students trying to place orders for a sandwich. Too funny. There are now sandwich competitions. Friends are now trying to out-sandwich each other. Whatever works to get the good eats flowing. Lunch this day was chicken salad on a five grain bread, fruit and bottled water. Pretty delicious fun.

Shrimp Fritters

Shrimp Fritters, perfect as an appetizer or combine with a nice salad of assorted greens for a lovely meal. I was so excited to try these and very pleased with the results. I used a tempura batter combined with scallions, bell pepper, red onion and shrimp of course. Crispy and light, flavorful and just right. Another favorite. Love.

Chocolate Wasted {Birthday: It's All About The Yum}

Is there ever a bad time for chocolate, especially in the middle of the day. I'm not a huge chocolate connoisseur but every now and then, I need just a little bit. This was so delicious and it was shared, that made it even more special. The day continues to get even better. Sweet things are good things.

Fish and Grits {Birthday Brunch}

What a wonderful way to get the day started. Fish and Grits. So delicious and the fish was cooked to perfection along with a nice side of cheese grits. Thank you.

Soul Sista {Happy Birthday: The Reflection}

What better way to say Happy Birthday to me. I too, am a Soul Sista. Making my way, bearing it all, and giving up the fear with prayer, style, humour, and the doing. What is "the doing?" The doing is: doing it in spite of or doing it because I love it. Walking in the spirit and the knowledge of who I am; a Soul Sista, in every sense of that meaning. Sensuous and intelligent; faithful and true; consulting with the creator. Discovering all that is meant to be, and never forgetting that I too, am a Soul Sista. This is a very beautiful video and Bilal is outstanding. The images are simply gorgeous. A black and white classic masterpiece. Beautiful lines with a conscientious attention to details. A lovely characteristic to possess. Totally breathtaking. Love it. Check it.

The Ways of Learning

After a While by Veronica A. Shoffstall

After a while you learn
The subtle difference between
Holding a hand and chaining a soul
And you learn that love doesn’t mean leaning
And company doesn’t always mean security.

And you begin to learn
That kisses aren’t contracts
And presents aren’t promises
And you begin to accept your defeats
With your head up and your eyes ahead
With the grace of a woman
Not the grief of a child

And you learn
To build all your roads on today
Because tomorrow’s ground is
Too uncertain for plans
And futures have a way
Of falling down in mid flight

After a while you learn
That even sunshine burns if you get too much
So you plant your own garden
And decorate your own soul
Instead of waiting
For someone to bring you flowers

And you learn
That you really can endure
That you are really strong
And you really do have worth
And you learn and you learn
With every good bye you learn.

Share by Tanekeya Word

Each step we take is another chance to be better, to be stronger, to do more and to learn what is truly meant for us. What is intended for you, is not what is intended for me and vice versa. When we know better, that's when we can do better. Life is for living, learning from our mistakes, and sharing the wisdom. At the end of the day and before the end of our life, hopefully, we will have stood for something. Go make some magic.

Deconstructed Tacos

Out of the box tacos. Deconstruction style. Black beans, grilled corn, salsa, tortilla chips, green leaf lettuce, and sour cream. Absolutely delicious. Light fare with a lot of flavor. Mix it how you like it. Appetizers or entrée. Choose your version. We love it.

Will Smith's Take on The Ingredients of Success

A really great montage of Will Smith interview's, with candid conversations on life, what it takes to be successful, work ethics, and creating the best you. Will is sharing inspirational nuggets left and right. There is something that each and every one of us can take from these conversations, to improve upon our own conditions. Wisdom is everywhere. If we approach life with our ears, mind and heart open to the goodness of life, we can only win. Our winning is a necessary example for the next person. Check  his words below. Take some share some.

A Little Sugar In My Bowl

Blueberry pie with vanilla ice cream. A summertime taste of the sun, and little bit is all you need. So much yum. Cast iron baking is also wonderful, it gives your dish that rustic feel, and it's the perfect presentation in itself.

WHAT'S ON TAP NOW: Meditation

Meditation with Anusara Yogi, Bridget Woods Kramer. A great video to practice meditation. I really love this as I practice slowing down and creating space within myself for healing, wisdom and the voice of God. Click below for the video.

Kelis, More Than A Singer

Kelis blasted the music scene with the popular 'Milkshake" song and bringing all the boys to the yard. Most artist tend to be multi-layerd with their creativity, and Kelis is no exception. In addition to music, she has a deep love of cooking. Her mom being of Puerto Rican and Chinese descent used many cooking styles and techniques that she brought to their home table. Plus, she even had a catering business, which Kelis helped out with. Cooking became very natural, and eventually grew into a love. This love for cooking resulted in Kelis studying at the French culinary school, Le Cordon Bleu and graduating with honors. If singing can bring all the boys to the yard, cooking will definitely bring them back for seconds.

"Acapella" is the title of this song, and it has a very, very nice beat and groove for dancing or exercising.  The video is very stylized with tribal influences, it's also graphically beautiful [I love that part] and it's really addictive. Check it for yourself. For more about Kelis, head here.

What's For Dinner

Cucumber and Melon Salad. Cucumbers and honeydew melon sliced with green onions, and a little black pepper. It's light, sweet and tangy from the green onions. Very tasty.

The White Pizza. The white pizza has spinach, white onions, mozzarella, portabella mushrooms, and goat cheese for that extra tang. Yes, I love all things tangy.

A simple salad, a slice of pizza; that's an easy yummy fast dinner. A family two thumbs up. No complaints this day.

Music Video WIth Graphic Creativity

Hi-Fi from bante on Vimeo.
It's always great to come across a video, that captures your attention and keeps you there. This promotional piece really stands out. Brought to my attention by brights moments it's visually impressive, with that retro feel, sound and shapes from the 60's. Very nice. Check it.

The Best Chicken Salad and A Tangy Sorbet

I really enjoy making Chicken Salad, it's a perfect summer meal, plus, it never last long in the house. You can have a green salad with it or make a sandwich with some multi-grain bread, whole wheat bread or whatever type of bread. Let's not forget crackers, love that combination too. It's so good. What better way to end this meal, than with some Meyer Lemon Sorbet, tangy and delicious. Lunch today was a win.

Quiet Beauty

Hotelrelais from bante on Vimeo.

A beautiful promotion for a luxury hotel brand, the quiet elegance speaks volumes. The director is allowing the rooms and the architecture to tell the story. The black and white shadows, geometric play, all of it courting us to come stay. Visually intriguing. Looks like a wonderful place to escape, especially if you desire and love old world established delights.

The Meaning of A Soul Mate

“A true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that’s holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you’ll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. A soul mates purpose is to shake you up, tear apart your ego a little bit, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light can get in, make you so desperate and out of control that you have to transform your life…” ~Elizabeth Gilbert

This gets a huge wow, mouth open, and momentarily speechless. This is very powerful, and I do believe that people show up in our lives to teach us valuable lessons on how to be the best human being possible. However, we have to be ready to receive the messages or we will continue to make the same mistakes over and over again. Perhaps it's not mistakes we are actually making but growing at our own individual pace. Just thoughts. This was shared by Karma Korrupt.

Black August

"Unity, Strength, Freedom, Truth and Justice," the central focus surrounding Black August. Now in it's thirteenth year the producers, Malcolm X Grassroots Movement continues with it's ongoing mission. The promotion of human rights while raising awareness of political prisoners who are unjustly incarcerated around the world. The work continues by many who sacrifice daily to bring about change. For the remainder of us, get knowledge, become aware, and put in some work. "Be the change you want to see." - Ghandi

Dawn Okoro

Bold in color, design and style. An artistic reflection of popular culture. Dawn Okoro is an amazing talent, showing us the now of living. Her present muse or subject matter is, the coming and goings of the black women. Multi-dimensional in her fashion laced portrayals, layered with various shapes, movements, and patterns that depict everyday life. Simply beautiful.

ART BREAK: Homemade Love

"Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two."

-St. Augustine [From the film, Captain Corelli's Mandolin]

What's Your Truth?

AbsolutelyLOVE This.... Do you know your truth, and are you living in it everyday? Our walk and talk guides us along the way, make sure you know YOUR directions.

MonaMade Design

A quick flyer to announce the selling of weekend dinners being sold for a fund-raising project. Selling dinners is a long standing tradition in many communities. I clearly remember my grandmother selling dinners for the church building fund, children's pageants, and many other things that need discretionary income.

ART BREAK: MonaMade Design and True

MonaMade Design

Poster art for a local reading group, PRIDE Book Club. The book club event coincided with a Blues exhibition at a downtown museum, The Ritz Theatre & LaVilla Museum. Blues was the ingredient that connected the two together for one night only. In addition, the monthly posters served as an announcement for the next book, the club was reading, and the location of the meeting.

Sweet Potato Goodness

A standard favorite at anytime, and just that kind of a day when you need to make a pie. No wine. No chaser. Just pie.

MonaMade Design

This client was ready for new business cards to promote the aesthetics and branding direction of Root Harmony. Root Harmony's main mission is ensure that every clients hair experience, brings on a sense of calmness, joy and a relaxed mood. Therefore, nature is the backdrop for establishing this tone.

Love Show

My favorite subject L.O.V.E. accompanied by a beautiful song, expressing the benefits of giving and receiving love. Opening your heart up to love and letting your "Love Show." How many times do we love halfway, selfishly, incompletely with drama and game. Acting out our deepest fears. To love is to first love ourselves, then and only then will it show.

Love Notes

Simple note cards found at the craft store for $1.00. Just think how much joy this card will deliver. Priceless.

MonaMade Design

An annual fund-raiser invitation for a local Theatre, branded "Happily Red." A minimalist design approach with amusing copy that was used to tickle and tease the guest.