iPad Giveaway On RefinedHype.com

You know you want one of these bad boys! Check out RefinedHype.com to enter. Contest ends on Sunday!

Fly Boot Alert!

I've been checking the weather at least five times a day for the past week. Why you ask? Because I'm ready to start wearing my damn boots! That's why! Lol. It's late September and we've still been in the 90's down here in Atlanta. It sucks.

BUT it looks like we'll finally be cooling down a bit next week. And by this time next week I'll have these fly ass boots I ordered from Target. Don't laugh! I'm looking cute for the low low therefore I win, lol. But I just had to post these boots on here. They really are super cute. They're Dolce Vita for Target and they have a feminine, military boot look to them. AND they're only $34.99.

The Tree Of Life Event (Atlanta)

ATLiens, still in need of something to do tonight? If so, I would definitely suggest you check out The Tree of Life event taking place later today at the Spring 4th Center at 9 p.m. The event will feature performances from Stanza, The DollDaze, and more. And for all you moocher's out there free food and wine will be on deck.

Lush Life: Sean Falyon And Playboy Tre's Red Cup Party Promo

To build some hype for their Red Cup Party that will be taking place during Atlanta's A3C Hip Hop Festival, Sean Falyon and Playboy Tre have released a video of them (just Falyon really) getting their Red Cup on. It also serves as a warning for those who like getting their Red Cup on maybe a little too much. We all know what that usually leads to...Check out the video below!



If you'll be in The A for A3C be sure to check out the Red Cup Party on October 7 at Lenny's Bar. Details are below.

Carol's Daughter/TheDDiaries.com Anniversary Giveaway

Carol's Daughter's Almond Cookie scent is easily one of my all time favorite fragrances. The scent rivals that of the $60 and up fragrances you might find at Macy's and other department stores. The Almond Cookie scent is available in an eau de toilette, shea souffle, body butter, cleansing gel, and more.

To celebrate the two year anniversary of TheDDiaries.com I will be giving away three 4 oz. jars of Almond Cookie shea souffle. To enter all you have to do is e-mail me at Danielle@TheDDiaries.com with what you would like to see more of on this site. Winners will be contacted this Friday, September 17. Good luck!

Urban Outfitters Shoegasm

I have kind of a love/hate relationship with Urban Outfitters. I hate that the clothing they sell isn't really catered to anyone bigger than a size 10 but I absolutely LOOOOOVE the shoes they sell on their site. And for some reason I always find these fabulous shoes on their Website and not at any Urban Outfitters store. Their bags are pretty pimpin' too, but browsing the site today I didn't really see anything that struck my interest. I did see a handful of shoes that I'm really feeling and just had to share on here :-)

Jeffrey Campbell Lace-Up Boot, $198


UO Suede Pump, $48


Cooperative Suede Gumsole Boot, $68

FootzyRolls/TheDDiaries.com Anniversary Giveaway

Later this month I'm proud to say that TheDDiaries.com will be celebrating its two year anniversary :-) It's an accomplishment that I'm actually quite proud of. As a thank you to everyone who has supported my blog I'll be posting various giveaways this month. The first giveaway is courtesy of FootzyRolls. One winner will have the opportunity to choose a pair of Footzyrolls from FootzyRolls.com.

FootzyRolls are convenient and chic roll-up shoes that you can take anywhere. Perfect for those nights out when you're three hours in to partying and your heels just aren't cutting it. FootzyRolls also come in a number of cute colors and patterns.

To enter all you have to do is share your "Heels Horror Story" in the comments section. And I'm sure we all have at least one "Heels Horror Story" to tell. Whether it be an embarrassing tumble that took place thanks to your four-inch stilettos or breaking your heel at an important dinner meeting I'm sure we all have a story to tell. Aside from posting your "Heels Horror Story" please be sure to include a Facebook link, Twitter link, e-mail, or some way I can get in contact with you if you win. Thanks and good luck!

A winner will be chosen Friday evening.

Get Your "Eat Pray Love" On With These 12 Steps

Following the "Eat Pray Love" book/movie phenomenon I'm sure a ton of women out there are plotting ways to quit their job and travel the world in search of love, enlightenment, adventure, and more. It's actually been a goal of mine to travel the world for awhile since I was a little kid really. I'm hoping by the time I'm 30 I'll have a nice little global adventure planned :-)

If you're a little more eager than I am to get your "Eat Pray Love" on then check out these 12 steps from Barbara Singer the author of "Living Without Reservations". Singer, who has lived in both the Caribbean and Italy, provides tips on how to both prepare and make the most of your "Eat Pray Love" experience.

1. Get Ready Mentally. Your attitude is far more important than the check book balance. Focus 100% on creating the lifestyle that you want. Be acutely aware of how you are spending your time and money...Quit all organizations, commitments. Create a totally different home environment -turn off the TV, turn on your favourite music, open the windows, eat your meals outside and de-clutter. Change up your daily routine and spend time walking or biking alone in nature. Plan your strategy.

2. Liquidate your home. Rent it to someone else or sell it. The goal is to travel light. You will be renting a room from someone else somewhere in the world (perhaps even several times a year in different locations), so all your possessions need to fit into a bedroom.

3. Get Rid of Your Car. Stop your car lease or car payments sell it then buy something under $5,000 and put the minimum insurance required by your state. You will cut 2 bills with this one move. Most of the time, your car will just sit, unused while you are out of the country.

4. Stop all re-occurring monthly charges. If you don’t spend it, you won’t have to earn it. Stop all services like cable TV, lawn care, pool care, cleaning service, car detailing, beauty treatments, all memberships, and classes.

5. Forget about Security and Responsibilities. Security doesn’t exist. It is a big lie. All kinds of unexpected events can change our lives in second- like a heart attack, car accident, getting fired, or divorced. Live today joyfully rather than spending time, energy and money on days that may never come.

6. Get Healthy. Since you will be living and travelling abroad, you need to be in good shape. Get off all medications and get in your correct weight category. Look toward alternative medicine if need be. Buy catastrophic health insurance with a big deductible and shop around for the best price. The healthy you are, the cheaper your monthly rate.

7. Get Mobile. Get a laptop and learn to get all the information about your finances and other important things on line. Stop every piece of paper mail and learn how to get what you need from anywhere in the world. Get a Post Office box at Mailboxes Ect. And have them forward you the mail every so often.

8. Living Without a 9-5 Job. Focus on the gift of exchange.You may not have money, but you have something much more valuable, time and talent. Practice thinking of ways to get what you need without using money. Always give more than you receive in cash value. Do your best and think win/win. I trade you this X and you give my Y.

9. Work on the Road. Work when it’s right, then make it last as long as you can. That’s my motto. You work in season in the states and then travel wherever you want until it is time to work again. If you have skills you can freelance your self online anywhere. If you don’t, you can still find good paying tipping jobs at restaurants and resorts at during high season for a few months in destination towns (e.g., Aspen or Key West). Then you can fly to Italy or the Carribean, rent a room for a month at a time, and go on from there.

10. Make Your Plans and Study Now. You may simply want to move to someplace new and get set up for the first time. You can do that. If you have a particular country in mind, apply for a visa before you quit your job and travel...Tons of resources at your fingertips. Work for a resort company. Work for the National Park system (Campworkers.com), find unique opportunities at Caretakergazette.com or work on boat and be paid crew (Crewfinder.com or 7knots.com), or be a live in nanny or teacher and travel with an International family (nanny services).

11. Making a Living on the Road. You don’t have to plan out the rest of your life. Break it down into little chunks. Rent a room for a month at time or plan to stay in an area for a season. If you decide to go touring you can keep costs low by staying in hostels (no longer just for youths!). There are also organizations that offer assistance to travelers, pensiones, and home stays like serva.org. Americans can even travel and work in places like American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and other places without any additional papers.

12. Be Helpful And Be Useful. - Visit without mooching - If you are lucky and have friends and family in places you want to visit, go see them, and be useful. Offer you talents. Offer your time. Work freely and wholeheartedly.

The Atlanta Stargazing Tour Finale

This week the Atlanta Stargazing Tour will conclude with a show featuring Killer Mike, Aleon Craft, Young Lyxx, and more. It's all going down at the Clermont Lounge in Midtown on Thursday, September 9 a 9 p.m. It will definitely be a crazy show with what will probably be a huge crowd so be sure to get there early! Peep the flyer below for more info.

Express Launches Its First Ever Women's Fragrance

Retailer Express has reached a new milestone with the release of their first ever women's fragrance, Love Express. Love Express is described as being glamorous, iconic, playful, and sexy. The fragrance will consist of a combination of a number of scents including sandalwood, white iris, blackberry, pineapple, and more.

"In a year of so many milestones, including the celebration of our 30th anniversary, it is only fitting that we introduce our first women’s fragrance and that it be so aptly named Love Express," said Michael Weiss, President & Chief Executive Officer of Express, in a statement.

Love Express is available at Express.com and Express stores nationwide for $44.90 for a 1.7 oz. bottle and $59.90 for a 3.4 oz. bottle.

Also, if you plan on being in New York City on September 10 for Fashion's Night Out be sure to check out the "Love Express" event at Express SoHo.

Guests at "Love Express" will indulge in complimentary manicures, sip on "Love Express" beverages, snack on ice cream cones and brownie pops, take in tunes from guest DJ and supermodel Jessica Stam, and even receive free tarot card readings. And to encourage attendee's to get their shop on Express will be offering $30 off a purchase of $90 or more.

MadeMe 2010 Fall/Winter Video Lookbook

I love, love this video lookbook from New York City based brand MadeMe. Personally, I thought the lookbook was very reminiscent of the late 80's/early 90's era. It was a combination of the clothes, the styling, and the music.

My only "issue," if you even want to call it that, with MadeMe is I feel like some of their looks are a little hard to pull off. For instance, I really don't know of too many ladies that could pull off wearing a cut-off sweatshirt in the dead of winter. Aside from that little quirk I really like the brand. It's creative, it's fun and I'm a huge fan of their jackets. I mean it doesn't really get much hotter than their leather motorcycle jacket with roses. That thing is cleannn!

Check out some of MadeMe's newest looks in the video lookbook featured below. The video features some fly modeling from Nina Sky, Maluca Mala, and more. Pictures from the fall/winter lookbook can be found on MadeMe's blog.

MADEME F/W 2010 from Reid van Renesse on Vimeo.