Memorial Day 2011

Penshoppe New Endorser: Chuck Bass

OMG! I thought this is just for fun but yeah Chuck Bass is the new endorser of Penshoppe. The Filipino clothing line and one of my favorite clothing line. I love their jeans :) ♥

One of the stars of the American hit TV series "Gossip Girl" is set to endorse a Filipino clothing line.
Ed Westwick, who plays the devilish yet charming Chuck Bass on the TV show, was tapped as the newest endorser for brand apparel Penshoppe.
Penshoppe confirmed the news in a statement, saying the Britain-born Westwick will headline the brand’s 2011-2012 campaign in the Philippines.
“(Westwick) will represent Penshoppe’s new and revitalized image,” brand director Alex Mendoza said. “His presence and charisma will definitely wake the Philippines to the fact that what is originally Philippine made can also be worn proudly by a worldwide icon as well as people around the world.”
Mendoza said Westwick's personality will go together with the brand's attempt to reach the international market.
“We believe it is time to appoint someone on an international scale… Someone like Ed fits the mindset and is admired by our market.”
Westwick is set to fly to Manila on the first week of June to start the shoot for the line.

Source: abs-cbn news

 Have a great day everyone! ♥

Quick head sketches

The other day a friend of mine called and said that he needed a couple of line head sketches for a comp layout. Below are the preliminary pencil sketch and the final drawing done with marker pens.

So long. Farewell. Auf Wiedersehen. Goodbye.

Most of you may know that The Oprah Winfrey Show came to an end yesterday. Some of you may think I'm the lamest person for this, but I was tearing up in the beginning. Oprah has been a part of my life for a long time, and I've learned many things from her.

I mean I listen to Oprah and Friends on SiriusXM Radio, my mom has a sweatshirt from going to one of her shows, almost all of The Oprah Magazines, DVDs, and so on, so when I heard that the 25th season would be her last, I was devastated.

I was somewhat relieved that she would have the Oprah Winfrey Network, but one of my goals was to be featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show. Ha. That's a bust. Dream killed.

But I'm not mad at her for leaving. She has every right to, I suppose. I do love hearing "Live your best life" or when she's quoting Dr. Maya Angelou's phrase "When you know better, you do better". I don't agree with everything she's said, but there are so many sayings, phrases, and insights that I've learned from her. She's shown me so many things, people, good, and bad...you get the picture.

Some of my favorite quotes from yesterday's monologue are...

"Don't wait for someone else to complete you. 'Jerry Maguire' was just a movie."

"Nobody but you is responsible for your life. You are responsible for your life. What is your life? What is all life? What is every flower, every rock, every tree? Energy. And you're responsible for the energy you create for yourself, and you're responsible for the energy that you bring to others."

I liked when she said that everyone has a platform.

"Mine is a stage in a studio. Yours is wherever you are, with your own reach."

I also LOVED how she gave God the glory for her success.

"People ask me how I made it? I say a great staff...and JESUS! Nothing but the hand of God made this possible for me, and when I say God, I mean the Alpha & the Omega. The one and only G-O-D"

"We have hooted and hollered together, had our a-ha moments, we ugly-cried together and we did our gratitude journals. So I thank you all for your support and your trust in me. I thank you for sharing this yellow brick road of blessings. ...I thank you for being as much of a sweet inspiration for me as I've tried to be for you. I won't say goodbye. I'll just say, until we meet again. To God be the glory."

At that moment, when she turned away, (again, you're gonna think I'm lame) I was straight up bawling. Oh my days. And I do not cry, so that was really something. Shoot.

If you don't care for Oprah, you can just ignore this post. Aha sorry for saying that near the end, but anyway, I emailed her today. It would be beyond awesome if I got something back from her, but I know my email is one among millions.

That's all I really wanted to say. A quick reflection and 'thank you' to Miss Oprah Winfrey.

Photo citation: oprah.com

She's Got That Good Good: Cynthia E.

I was perusing one of my favorite blogs the other week, Natural Belle, when I came across today’s stylish individual. She is originally from Cameroon, West Africa and runs a fantastic blog called “Addicted 2 Etsy” in her spare time. Not only does she have a great sense of style, but she also has some of the most GORGEOUS hair I have ever seen! Without further ado, here is..

Cynthia E. from New York City

How old are you?

I'm 29

What do you do for a living?

I'm an attorney by day, wife and blogger by night.

What 3 words would you use to describe your style?

Make it work (thanks Tim Gunn)

Where are your favorite places to shop?

Zara, H&M, No-name NYC street stores, Brooklyn Flea, ASOS, Etsy of course (mostly for accessories).

What is the one article of clothing that you could not live without?

Underwear. No seriously, it would honestly have to be my “had them for too long” super comfy PJ's.

Cynthia has such an effortless sense of style. I’m a sucker for vintage clothing so I definitely appreciate the vintage pieces that she incorporates into her looks. Her outfits have a lot of balance which I absolutely love. Thank you so much Cynthia, you’ve got that good good!

Make sure you check out Cynthia’s amazing blog by clicking (here).

Missoni Loves Havaianas

New collection of flip-flops Missoni loves Havaianas. Perfect for summer vibe, though summer is almost over here in our country, but for those who just getting started with their summer season, have fun! :)

P.S. Typhoon "Chedeng" is invading our country today... It's raining so hard. Sigh. I guess, I have to let go of summer... sigh. (-___-)

Have a great day everyone! ♥

follow me on twitter.com/ellenreviews

The Book of Questions: Question 1

Good news, readers! I've come up with something to do if I'm short on time and my blog looks a little dry...

I'm gonna select a question from The Book of Questions by Gregory Stock, Ph.D., write it up, give my answer, and ask for your answer. I select the not-too-personal questions, and hopefully questions that wouldn't offend anyone.

Now, remember, when I do this, I'm stating my opinion. As I always do. I'm also asking for your opinion on the featured question. I want to hear what you have to say.

So, here we go!

QUESTION 1:
For a person you loved deeply, would you be willing to move to a distant country knowing there would be little chance of seeing your friends or family again?

MY RESPONSE:
No, because I love all my family deeply as well as my friends. So, I don't think I would sacrifice all my friends and family just for one person. If the God was the one I would have to move for, I would probably struggle with it for while, but in the end, I might.

Now I wanna hear YOUR RESPONSE...or even comments/questions on my response.

Look forward to a bunch of these! Much love.

Aircraft paintings

A couple more paperback book covers featuring aircraft. I have always found airplanes very interesting since I was a boy building all kinds of flying models. Illustrating aircraft can be quite complex, especially military airplanes because of the squadron and other markings as well as the type of camouflage used. There are plenty of experts out there that will examine every little detail of your illustration. I have a extensive collection of aircraft books which I use as reference material when getting assignments like these.

Summertime Fine

With summer rapidly approaching, I think it is really time for me to kick my closet out of winter mode. I am such an odd shopper; I have this addiction to buying only sweaters and jackets. Of course this is fine during the cold months, but by the time the weather gets warm I never have anything to wear. Because of this, one of my friends and I are organizing a shopping trip to NY very soon so I can update my summer wardrobe. Here are a few things I am hoping to get and a couple of the looks I will be going for this season..

Most fashion lovers have style muses and Solange is definitely one of mine. This woman is a master of mixing patterns and I love the subtle yet effective manner in which she does so. I think she looks smashing. Both of the looks above are great for the summer.

Those of you who have been reading this blog for a while probably know that I am an absolute vintage fanatic. I even used to do thrift store haul posts where I would display all my vintage finds (you can view them by clicking here). Vintage dresses are one of my favorite things to buy from thrift stores; I absolutely love their unique fits and interesting designs (and you really can’t beat the low price either which is $7.oo at the store that I frequent the most).

Like I mentioned before, I have an odd addiction for buying coats. Fortunately, it does get a little chilly on some summer nights so my addiction doesn’t go to total waste. My idea of a good summer coat is something light and loose, like the 2 coats pictured above.

This is a trend that is catching like wildfire. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this concept, color blocking is the combination of different colors that complement each other in an outfit. There are some people that could color block an entire outfit from head-to-toe and look smashing, but I don’t think I could pull off such a look, personally. I am a fan of more subtle color blocking like in the outfit seen above.

These are nothing new, but I have yet to purchase one! Usually I just use my own scarves to make turbans. However, I feel these simple pull-on turbans will be a great purchase for me, especially when I’m in a rush and I just need something to throw on.

What will you be wearing this summer? Leave it in a comment!

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The 2011 Black Weblog Awards

I would like to take this time to officially announce that That GOOD GOOD Blog is, indeed, a finalist in 3 different categories of The Black Weblog Awards! The 3 categories are: Best Blog Design, Best Fashion or Beauty Blog, and Best Culture Blog. Thank you so, so, so much to all the people who nominated this blog. I really mean it. I haven’t even been blogging for a full year yet so I definitely was not expecting to be a finalist in 3 categories. Knowing that I have the support of my readers means everything to me.

Now comes the final leg of the competition that will determine whether this blog wins an award: the voting round!

HERE IS HOW TO VOTE

1.  Click on this link: http://blackweblogawards.com/2011vote/

2.  Enter your e-mail address

3.  Look for and click the button next to That GOOD GOOD Blog under

a.   The 1^st category (best blog design)

b.   The 4^th category (best culture blog)

c.   The 7^th category (best fashion or beauty blog)

4.  In all the other categories that you choose not to vote for, click “NO VOTE FOR THIS CATEGORY”

PLEASE NOTE:

-You must scroll to the bottom of the page in order to click the “next page” button. There are 5 pages in all and the “SUBMIT” button is found on the 5^th page.

-Only 1 vote is permitted per computer

-Voting lasts up until June 17, 2011

Thank you all so much again!

Much Love,

Dee

I'm so busy that I can't even keep up with myself!

Hello, readers. I am so terribly sorry that my blogging grind is wayyyy off. I've been out of town every month doing stuff. I have forgotten how busy my life actually is. I'm still in the midst of planning parties and trips, but I have not forgotten about my fellow bloggers, readers, or subscribers. I WILL have time for you all in the next couple of weeks.

But first...SHOUT OUT to my new followers! (the ones I didn't see the last time I logged in)

lil miss Sauniya' of I Am not Perfect..!.!.!

Shamil of shamil photography

Michelle Lee of pink.lemon.in.crystal

Ayo' Zariie o__O of Life Of The Young Setter

Jennifer Jane of Pastel nude

Amy of NEW YORK EVENINGS

BIG THANKS to each and every one of you!

To any of my followers: If I have failed to follow one of your blogs back, please let me know by commenting on this post.

Also, if you want a shout out or a feature on NIA SPEAKS, feel free to email me at nialangleyspeaks@gmail.com

Now, until next time, I'm gonna leave you with this pointless, but kind of funny video...



Enjoy your day, and much love!

No Copyright Infringement Intended

Paperback book covers

Recently I found a paperback book on the internet that I had painted the cover for in the early 1960's. When I received the book I got a surprise, the book was a double edition and had another cover that I had painted on the other side. The covers were painted using acrylics on illustration board.




A blowup section showing some of the detail in the illustration.


On this illustration I used myself as the model.


A blowup showing the detail in the painting. The glowing white and black spots were done using an airbrush. I only did about a dozen paperback covers as I was very busy with automotive assignments. I wish now that I had done more, they were a lot of fun to illustrate.

Ellen Reviews on Big21 Fashion Evolution

Hello people! How was your weekend? So happy that Ellen Reviews featured in Big21fashion. They have this on going competition; everyone can join and they have great cool prizes! For more info click here.

Visit their website: http://www.big21fashion.com/

Visit Ellen Reviews on their page.

Have a great day everyone! :)

Song of the Day: Can't Nobody - 2ne1

Yaay! for my favorite K-Pop group 2ne1 :) They have this advantage: they can speak and sing English plus I like their fashion! ♥





Today is May 21, 2011. Spend your day wisely. ;) (no, not the end of the world yet. )

Have a great weekend! ♥

A moody storyboard

A series of storyboard frames for TDK, not sure of the ad agency, it probably was done for Doner. I had a reputation for rendering moody scenes and whenever an art director wanted a certain mood, I would get the assignment.








Again, these frames were all 5 x 7" and rendered using markers on high quality layout paper and delivered over the internet. There may have been more frames, these are all that I found and they probably had the usual tight deadline.

Items You Should Keep Longer

In only a few weeks of summer left here in our country, Philippines (except to countries where the season begins in June), take a look at fashion basics you can put on for much longer.

The heat is still on and the sun bites so brightly. Geezz can you feel it? Don't forget your swimwear if you will go out of town. If you don't want to have a "booo!" summer. hahaha based on my previous post.

Investing for items that you can keep and use longer. 

 Striped blouse, Warehouse

Striped over-sized blouse, Topshop

 

Striped asymmetrical maxi dress, Warehouse

White button-down and shorts, GAP

 

 Cream Embroidered Bandeau Tunic, Topshop

 

 Multi Strappy Gypsy Smock Dress, Topshop

 

 Cherry Print Fifties Sundress, Topshop

 

 Black Multi Floral Print Strappy Dress, Topshop

 Rust t-strap sandals, Warehouse

 

Orange sandals, Kate Spade

Beaded sandals, Accessorize

 Wedge espadrilles, Michael Kors

 Orange wedges, Topshop

 Purple sunnies Marc Jacobs

 Orange sunnies, Salvatore Ferragamo

These investment pieces are totally worth summer wear (and keep) for a long time.

Have a great day everyone! :) ♥