Recent Stories
A Place for Everyone
My husband Ray and I have been looking for ways to get involved in our community for quite some time now. It has not been an easy task. I am a full time student, Ray sometimes doesn't get home from work until after 8 in the evening, and we have two school-age children and not much money to pay a babysitter. Luckily we found St. Alexis Episcopal Church and have been able to get involved in family friendly things there. As far as community events go, we have not been able to attend due to timing, no babysitter, or other things, so when Ray heard about the community meeting last night at Sneaky Beans he got excited and attempted to get home from work in time. Ray has a degree in criminal justice, works in loss prevention, and has a lot of practice at taking down an armed shoplifter. There is no doubt he could be of use to a community concerned with defending themselves against crime and looking out for each other. Unfortunately, Ray did not make it home from work in time and couldn't attend the meeting, but even without attending there were just a few things that irked me a bit.
JFP Knows How to Party
On the shelf in my closet, between my Nine West velvet, lace-up wedges and my favorite pin-up style, Mary Jane stilletos, is an empty space. This is where an undiscovered pair of fabulous new shoes for the Best of Jackson party will go.
My Big Fat Problem
At 6 every morning I awake to the sound of the alarm. Most days I groggily get out of bed and go about the daily routine of getting my son to the bus stop on time. But some days, something happens to me when I'm under a lot of stress or not feeling like I'm at my best. On those mornings the first thought in my head after hearing the alarm is, "I'm not going to eat more than 300 calories today."
Tattoo Me
Jason Thomas, founder of Heart in Hand Tattoo and The Ink Spot Gallery, is a Jackson native who supports a variety of artistic endeavors. In addition to providing exceptional tattoo work, he operates an art gallery inside the tattoo shop to support local artists. Heart in Hand Tattoo, formerly The Ink Spot, is a unique tattoo shop centered on the idea that tattoos are a respected art form. You will find no flash on the walls at Heart in Hand. All the tattoo work is custom, meaning that each design is a unique work of art that is a collaboration of ideas between the artist and the client.
Strange Fashion
Sorry. I'm not wearing a cactus.
I tend to reside on the outer edges of fashion forwardness. I don't dress according to the norm I guess you should say, and the contents of my closet are anything but bland. With all the brightly colored shoes and clutches, the knee- high combat boots, t-shirts with racy comments, red and black vinyl pants, and a couple dresses cut down to my navel and requiring 'fashion tape' to keep everything under wraps, and all sorts of anything-but-conservative clothing in my closet, I can honestly say there are some things that are even a little too off the wall for me and will never be a part of my wardrobe.First on this list are Sarah Hood Living Rings, $800. These are little living plants such as cacti or vine-type plants in tiny terra cotta pots atop sterling silver rings. When I see fashion such as this I can't imagine it being used for anything but a conversation peice or something for fashion photography. I would imagine walking down a crowded street would be considered rude if you were wearing a cactus.Next are 'roach brooches'. These are actual living crawling roaches that are decorated with Swarovski crystals and connected to a thin chain that acts as a leash so that the roach can crawl around flashing its little crystals and not slither down your blouse. They were designed in Salt Lake City by designer Jared Gold and sell for $40 to a much higher price depending on how much bling the roach is wearing. They live for about four days with minimum care. I have lost jewelry but not ever due to its death.I have also seen dresses made of bubble wrap, Ramen noodle packaging, and coin purses made of Skoal packages. These have no appeal to me though I would consider silver or black duct tape as possible fabric for an outfit or two.I am definitely on Jackson's extreme end of fashion but wearing a 3 inch roach from Madagascar that actually hisses is where I draw the line.
Painfully Pretty
Beauty can be dangerous for a clumsy girl who is willing to sacrifice a few moments of comfort for beauty.
Save the 4 Letter Words for the Afterparty
A stylish and sophisticated image can be shattered with bad manners and a potty-mouth.
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Eat and Run
Lenny's Sub Shop in Fondren Now Has Wi-Fi
Unrealistic Proportions
Having a Betty Page body in a Kate Moss world
There is only one thing I hate shopping for:jeans. It seems that The Gap is the only place that caters to my body type. I have curves. I have a tiny waist with pin-up hips and I am only 5' 2". I really don't like having to pay $70 to $80 bucks for a pair of jeans either. It's the only thing besides shoes I will spend more money on.
My Father's Hands Have Style
Honoring my Dad's most impressionable quality for Father's Day
People say you can tell a lot about a person from looking into their eyes, but with my father it is his hands that reveal his history, his nature, his strength, and his elegance. I have always loved his hands. They are physically strong as well as strong in presence. The way he holds a pen to write a check or sign a work document with the cuff of the sleeve of his suit perfectly framing his lower palm as he sits at his desk at work is an image that is permanently etched in my mind. You can see hard work in their texture, knowledge in their expression, and class in the way they hold a martini.