A Diva State of Mind

Thank you all for entering A Diva State of Mind’s first giveaway!!! All entries were assigned a number and chosen at random using random.org.  Based on the random generator, the winner is Kellie Wilson!

Congratulations Kellie! Please check your email today for ticket vouchers from adivastateofmind {at} gmail.com.   The vouchers are good through October 12th. If for some reason you are no longer able to attend, please let me know as soon as possible and another winner will be chosen.   Thank you all again for entering the giveaway.

Peep toe booties are great shoes for fashionistas while transitioning between cooler and warmer months.  It doesn’t hurt that they look great with everything too; skirts, dresses and skinny jeans. So, while searching to find the perfect pair for myself, I came across a GORGEOUS pair of peep toe booties from Sam Edelman.

Ever since I found my fabulous over the knee boots from Sam Edelman last year, I have been in love with the brand. The shoes are AMAZING!  The SAHAR peep toe booties are no exception.  These boots have a suede upper with a size zip on one side and revealing elastic bands on the other.

I am in love with the lace and NEED them in my life!!! Retail for $250; available at Zappos, Endless, Amazon and Piperlime.

Pink Jams! presents Pink Rocks The Runway, an annual breast cancer awareness fashion event that combines couture fashion and live rock music with an important early detection message. The show is headlined by celebrity designer Christian Siriano. In addition, the evening celebrates and features breast cancer survivors under 40 with a pink couture gown fashion show.

“I am proud to collaborate with Pink Jams! to raise breast cancer awareness for young women in the DC area. Pink Rocks the Runway will be fun and fantastic.  I am excited to come home and bring the New York fashion scene with me,” said Siriano.

At the conclusion of the event, Pink Jams! will provide a special grant to the Capital Breast Care Center in support of their important work. The Capital Breast Care Center (CBCC), chosen as the 2011 community grant recipient, works to provide women in the Washington, DC area with mammograms and health screenings regardless of their ability to pay. Currently, the CBCC is diagnosing breast cancer at two times the national rate.

Pink Rocks The Runway is a fashion event hosted by and in support of Pink Jams! Working to promote breast cancer awareness to men and women under the age of 40, Pink Jams! works to eradicate the misconception that awareness, self-exam, and mammograms should begin at 40.

• Date:  Friday, October 21, 2011
• Location: International Trade Center – Atrium (1300 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC)
• Time: 6:00pm –Invitation only reception; 7:00pm –VIP and General Receptions begin; 8:00pm – Runway show begins
• Purchase Tickets

I can’t wait to attend this event. I know it’s going to be fabulous! To learn more about Pink Jams! click HERE. Tickets are selling out fast. Purchase yours today!

Fall is officially here! And while we begin shopping for fall attire, including leather and suede boots, it’s also time to purchase a pair of rain boots. It has rained a lot over the past month in the DMV and surrounding areas, so now would be a great time to purchase boots.

No one wants to ruin a fabulous pair of shoes in the rain or walk around with wet, cold feet. So to help those that don’t currently own a pair, I compiled a small selection of boots below. All boots listed are under $70. I highly recommend not splurging on a pair of rain boots; you won’t wear them as often as your favorite pair of heels.  When it comes to these boots, we’re looking for function and stylish without breaking the bank.

More Kamik…

Best places to find reasonably priced rain boots: DSW, Endless, Target, Old Navy, Kohls and Macy’s.

Happy Shopping!

The Martin Luther King Jr. memorial celebration will take place in DC on Sunday, October 16^th. In honor of the celebration, A Diva State of Mind has teamed up with the Broadway play, THE MOUNTAINTOP, to give away a pair of tickets to see the new play in New York City!

Taking place on April 3, 1968, THE MOUNTAINTOP is a gripping reimagining of events the night before the assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. After delivering one of his most memorable speeches, an exhausted Dr. King (Samuel L. Jackson) retires to his room at the Lorraine Motel while a storm rages outside. When a mysterious stranger (Angela Bassett) arrives with some surprising news, King is forced to confront his destiny and his legacy to his people.

I have no doubt seeing these two on stage will be phenomenal. If you’d love to win a pair of tickets to see these two on stage in NYC, just follow these simple rules:

1. Follow A Diva State of Mind @DivaStateMind and The MOUNTAINTOP @MountainTopPlay on Twitter

2. Retweet “I want to win @DivaStateMind & @MountainTopPlay giveaway http://t.co/ERQlaNRd”

3. Not on Twitter? Join A Diva State of Mind Facebook Page, The MOUNTAINTOP Facebook Page or Subscribe by Email

4. Make sure you leave a comment telling how you entered. Winner will be randomly selected from the comments section!

The giveaway will end Thursday, September 29th at 11:59 p.m. EST. The tickets are valid through the play preview period which ends October 12^th.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

On Wednesday, September 21, 2011 at 11:08 pm the State of Georgia executed Troy Davis. There wasn’t enough evidence to prove he was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, but they decided to kill him anyway. Unfortunately, this is not the first time and it won’t be the last time an innocent person (or someone who’s case is filled with too much doubt) will be convicted and murdered by the “justice” system in this country.

Like many of you I am outraged and deeply sadden by the final outcome. The justice system has failed us. When a case is filled with TOO MUCH DOUBT, how does one decide to execute a man anyway?!? The day before his execution, I prayed and cried for Troy Davis, his family and all of those who have been wrongfully convicted and executed for crimes they did not commit. I prayed that God would let him live. On Wednesday after hearing that he was executed, I found myself tearing up as I wrote this post. I’m not really sure why, but I guess I felt extremely sad for Davis’ family and for Davis himself. How does a man deal with the fact that he knows when he will take his last breath?

It is times like these that our faith is truly tested. I’ll admit, last night I wondered, “how could God allow something like this to happen?” But maybe Davis’ purpose for being in this situation was to bring light to how unjust our justice system is. Maybe his legacy was to start a movement and encourage us to stand up for what is right; stand up to a system that has continued to fail so many people. Something has to change!!!

As Americans we have a bad habit. We come together for a certain situation or cause and once an outcome has been reached, we all go our separate ways. How much do you want to bet by Friday, Troy Davis will no longer be a trending topic on twitter or be in the media? We are always so quick to move on. But I challenge all of us to let this be a wakeup call. Let this encourage us to, as a collective unit, find a voice and seek change in our justice system. That means we need to get out and vote for those who have our best interest in mind and learn and assist organizations like The Southern Center for Human Rights, an organization dedicated to enforcing the human rights of people in the criminal justice system. Make your presence known!

Many have argued that one of the many issues of this situations is not race, but I beg to differ. It’s no secret, the relationship between black men and the justice system has never been a positive one; the Troy Davis further sheds light on a system that has failed and wrongly prosecuted black men for decades because as many see it, “someone has to pay” and more often than not it has been more blacks than any other race. As a community, we need to protect each other, have a voice and seek change. We can’t wait to the final hour to speak on what is wrong. We must begin the dialogue early and often if we want to have an impact.

We, the citizens of these United States, need to come together and not let the fight for justice end with Troy Davis. He is the catalyst for the change we need to see in this country and I hope he has inspired all of us move and take action.

“Thank you and remember I am in a place where execution can only destroy your physical form but because of my faith in God, my family and all of you I have been spiritually free for some time and no matter what happens in the days, weeks to come, this Movement to end the death penalty, to seek true justice, to expose a system that fails to protect the innocent must be accelerated. There are so many more Troy Davis’. This fight to end the death penalty is not won or lost through me but through our strength to move forward and save every innocent person in captivity around the globe. We need to dismantle this unjust system city by city, state by state and country by country.

I can’t wait to stand with you, no matter if that is in physical or spiritual form, I will one day be announcing,

“I AM TROY DAVIS, and I AM FREE!”

Never Stop Fighting for Justice and We will Win!”

~Troy Davis

Rest in peace Troy Davis…

Tyrese teamed up with his Baby Boy co-star Taraji P. Henson for his latest video “Stay.” This is the second single off his upcoming album Open Invitation due in stores November 1st.

Tyrese hasn’t been in the music game for five years. In anticipation of his new album, he shared the following with media outlets and fans:

Here’s my “OPEN INVITATION” to you. My everything was put into this album coming November 1st.  It was you who inspired me to get back in the studio and do it again.  As you’ve seen from my movies  -Tranformers DOTM- & -Fast Five- that have both now grossed over $ 1.7 Billion worldwide.   Also I can’t tell you how much it means to me that you all went out to support my now NY Times Best Selling Book “How To Get Out Of Your Own Way”  to many other great things over the last few years, the man above has been expanding my territories into many different amazing things. But rest assured, that my FIRST and ONLY LOVE is still MUSIC.  

I’ve read your letters, tweets, Facebook, MySpace and emails.  I’ve listened to your voice mails and more importantly, I’ve run into you in person and you’ve all wanted me to do it again… So come 11.1.11 my new album “OPEN INVITATION” will be launched globally for you to listen and feel my heart & soul that I put into the album.  On this album I wanted to give you an “Open Invitation” to the clubs and the bedroom.

The last time Tyrese released an album was in 2006.  My favorite of his is still his first album, Tyrese. You know you remember “Sweet Lady” and “Lately!!” Oh how I miss 90s music. Sigh…I’m interested to see what he’s going bring to R&B music in November.

What do you think of the new single? Am I the only one that thinks Tyrese and Taraji should date in real life?!

Inspired by the Crismon Rosella and an unorthodox foreign romance, designer Dana Ayanna Greaves will present her fall ARTAYA collection during an all night fashion presentation that features ornately-dressed mannequins, video projections, and live models. The “ARTAYA at Night” fashion presentation is in partnership with Shaw Library and the inaugural Art All Night: Nuit Blanche DC festival.

Brooke Kao, the wardrobe stylist, will tell the collection’s story through styling and pattern mixing.  The fashion presentation will take place at Shaw Library (1630 7th St NW Washington, DC 20001) The schedule of the event is as follows:

• Entire exhibition 7 p.m. - 3 a.m.
• Live Fashion Show 9 p.m.  - 11 p.m.
• Party 11 p.m.  - 3 a.m

Musiq Soulchild released a new video for his single “Yes” from his recent album MusiqInTheMagiq. The video pays homage to those battling breast cancer.

Musiq is the new ambassador for Susan G. Komen for the Cure Circle of Promise, a movement designed to further engage black women around the globe in the fight against breast cancer.  Musiq will raise awareness about breast cancer so that younger women know the importance of early detection and why it’s important to pay attention to their bodies.

LOVE IT!

Source

To kick off the fall shopping season, Shop It To Me is giving away a designer bag or pair of shoes to one lucky Shop It To Me member.

To enter the contest, follow these two steps:

1. Invite Friends to join Shop It To Me.  You will receive one entry for each friend who signs up.  Plus, yo’ll still earn gift cards ($10 for every 10 friends that join).

2. Tweet for an extra entry! Follow @ShopItToMe on Twitter and tweet this:

Want a chance to win<<insert designer name>>? Just follow @ShopItToMe and RT http://bit.ly/qaUaz9

*Designers include Marc Jacobs, Jimmy Choo, Rebecca Minkoff or Christian Louboutin

Shop It To Me is an effortless way to find sales on more than 700 brands.  Insteasd of taking the time to search your favorite sites for sales, Shop It To Me does the research for you! Notifications are sent to your inbox when retailers are having a sale.  As a shopper, you select the retailers you would like to receive sale notifications for and Shop It To Me send you updates daily.  To join, click HERE.

The contest ends 11:59pm ET on Friday, September 23rd.  For the more entries, Shop It To Me recommends inviting friends from your address book and spreading the word on Facebook!

US residents only. Must be 18+ to enter. Official Rules