Consistency is Key

Hey y'all is like 12:00 am and all that is on my mind is how can I be more consistent.
Have you ever just sat in your room and thought about how you can better yourself?
Well one topic I think I lack the most in is consistency.
This is one of the keys to success in my opinion. This is Terri speaking by the way ha!
In order for anything in life to work one must have some type of consistency. If there is no consistency in your life then nothing will go according to your plans. Now others, may disagree however I believe this to be so true.
Lets start with the definition of consistency.
"Agreement or harmony of parts or features to one another or a whole," thanks merriam-webster.com!
I decided to talk about this topic because it not only pertains to myself but to Divine Artistries as a group.

We must be consistent.
We must work together to better each other.
We must trust one another.

A former boss of mines told me how she rates every restaurant she dines at. She said if their food is good the first time that does not mean the next time will be the same. If their service and food is good that second, third, fourth, and fifth time then she gives them a thumbs up for their consistency in good service and food. Because of her that is how I now rate everyplace I go. Nail shops, restaurants, hair salons, etc. I rate them all on their consistency.

Everything in life is all about consistency...

Lets think about it this way ladies..
If you aren't consistent with taking care of your hair then it'll become damaged.
If you aren't consistent with studying then you will not get the grade you want.
If you aren't consistent while taking birth control then there is a possibility of becoming pregnant.
If you aren't consistent with being on time for work then your ass will get fired sooner or later.
If you aren't consistent within a relationship then it will never work.
Y'all get the point!

So to better myself as a person I vow to be more consistent in any and everything I do because I want others to be able to depend on me when in need (even though they say you can never depend on anybody). I will try to be one time for anything I have scheduled. Actually, I'll create little deadlines for myself because that has actually been helping me out a lot lately.

 I am calling 2016 not only my year but La'tura's year, Lacey's year, and Fantasia's year. This is Divine Artistries year. This is our year to become something far more greater than anything. I believe in us and I think that if we remain consistent then anything is possible.

(Yes, I had to highlight it because I am not playing. This is the TRUTH. They say speak it into existence and I shall claim it!)

Sorry for my semi emotional moment but....
Basically if you do not have consistency then nothing will turn out how you would want it to be.
So, if you are putting in time on a project make sure you are being consistent with everything you do because if you aren't then it could possibly be a waste of your time and lets be honest nobody likes their time to be wasted. I sure in the hell don't!

But how about you? Do you think you are being consistent enough in your life? Or rather, how do you think you can better yourself as a person?


On another note! Be on the lookout because there will be a new YouTube video from Divine Artistries featuring La'Tura showing her secret deep conditioner!
Thanks for your support, Terri

Local Artist Spotlight

Hi you guys!! It's La'Tura here this week with a feature on a local artist by the name of Deon Anthony. 

Deon Anthony is a hip hop recording artist from Bossier City, Louisiana. From the time Deon was young, music has always been his passion. He has always been in love with rhythm and the science behind music. At the age of 6, Deon's mother bought him the "My Way" album by Usher. He felt that Usher is one of the best singers of all time. Deon and Usher even share the same birth date, October 14th! Because of his musical influences such as Usher, Jamie Foxx, R. Kelly and Maxwell, Deon developed a love for singing and soul music first. He began writing music to challenge himself to write a better song than the artists he was listening to.

Although Deon's first love was soul music, he also would listen to a lot of hip hop music because of the influences of his father and his uncle. The first rapper who ever caught Deon's attention was T.I. and the second was Lil Wayne. Deon also appreciated the music of Jay-z, Notorious B.I.G, 2Pac, Nas, Mos Def , LL Cool J, and many others. Studying their music and careers, he believed that those artists are how we got the current artists such as Drake, J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Wale, Big Sean and so on.


Deon treated his music writing like a personal journal. He found it to be a really good way to express himself. Although Deon had been writing music for quite some time, he never shared this with anyone, until he learned some former basketball teammates were recording music. These teammates gave Deon an outlet to put his music writings to records. In the early stages of Deon's career he produced his own sounds. "That control of a sound is fascinating. You can make it sound however you want." he stated when asked about what it was like producing his own sounds for his songs. It was not until Deon moved to Lafayette, LA that he began working with other musicians. Deon began heavily recording music in Lafayette. Working on those musical projects lead him to meeting a talented producer Scot Reynolds in Austin, Texas. Soon after, Deon met gifted producer Darian May Beats as well as Amanda Martin of Hero Management Group. Deon is currently finishing his debut album "Sweet November" which will be released in April of 2016. Also be on the look out for his new single being dropped January 20, 2016!

For more on this talented artist visit his website, https://www.presskit.to/deonanthony

Self-Confidence

                      Hello you guys!!! Ok so for this weeks post I'm going to talk about Self-confidence. It's something some people have/had problems with, such as myself, so I'm going to talk about it a bit. First things first what is self-confidence? Well self-confidence goes hand in hand with two main things: Self-efficacy and self-esteem.

               Self-efficacy in a few words reflects confidence and has the ability to control one's motivation and behavior. Oppose to self-esteem, it reflects a person's judgment of oneself. As in how you perceive yourself in your own eyes.

                     As for myself, I was not one to always have these traits as a child. I had low self-esteem for almost everything about myself. I didn't like my smile, my hair, or my weight. As years went by all my teeth came in and it closed my gap, I went to the beautician to manage my hair, and I started exercising more to lose the weight. It took me a few years to gain confidence in myself, learn who I am, and value me as a person.

I actually came a long way of being bullied, judged, and looked down upon. Bullied for being overweight and having acne. Still to this day I'm trying to get rid of my acne though. I started using Murad and I must say its working pretty well. So don't give up just yet. Also if you can't change something then embrace it and make it beautiful Good things come to those who wait. That's why I'm here to tell you there's a rainbow at the end of the tunnel if you believe and have confidence in yourself.

               You will have moments in life where you don't think you can do something, or wont believe in yourself to make the part in the play, or make the team captain of a certain sport. It's normal to have these feelings but you just have to believe no matter what and have that confidence that you're going to get that role or become the team captain. You can do anything you set your mind to.

Everyone has dreams and everyone wants to achieve those dreams and you can. Always be yourself don't ever let someone tell you other wise. You are who you are and that makes you unique and beautiful. Stay beautiful and embrace who you are.


                                                                                                                -Lacey

Terri's Caramel Cake

Hey y'all! So, we all know last Thursday was Thanksgiving and of course Terri was stuffing her face, so please forgive her for not posting! And, Happy (belated?) Thanksgiving to you all! I hope that you all enjoyed the holiday because I did!
But today is a new day so, Happy Monday :)

What I am going to be posting today is a delicious Caramel Cake. I made this cake on Thanksgiving Day while in Florida and everyone loved it. This cake can be made whenever you want because it is so damn good! So lets gets started!!!!

BUUUTTTT First off, HAPPY CAKE DAY FANTASIA! Terri loves you so much and prays God blesses you with many more years! 

*Gets self together*

Okay, now we can get this cake started.

Here is what you will need:

Cake:

1 Moist Supreme Yellow Cake

1 cup Buttermilk

3 Eggs

1/3 cup Oil

1 tsp Vanilla Abstract

1 tsp Rum Abstract

2 9inch/ 8inch round pans

Frosting:

2 cans PET Milk Evaporated milk

1 1/2 cup Brown Sugar

1 cup White Sugar

1 tbsp Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 Butter

The Cake:

Oil and flour (2) 9inch round pans for the cake.

Put Moist Supreme Yellow Cake mix in mixing bowl. 

Follow the regular directions on the back of the box but instead of 1 cup of water, put 1 cup of milk. 

Put 1 tsp of vanilla extract into the mixture 

Put 1 tsp of rum extract into the mixture

Mix all ingredients as you would a regular cake.

Put half of cake mixture into one 9inch round pan, and the rest into the other 9inch round pan.

Bake cake for about 25-30 minutes 

Check cake after 20 minutes by poking with toothpick, if clean its done if not leave in for 5 more minutes and continue to check after every 5 minutes.

While your cake is baking in the oven you can start on the frosting! This is my favorite part!!

Frosting:

In nice size pot add butter, brown sugar, white sugar, pet milk, and vanilla extract over medium heat until all melted.

Keep over medium heat while stirring for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes turn temperature to medium high continuing to stir.

If mixture starts to bubble up just turn heat down a little and continue to stir.

After about an hour and 30 minutes the mixture should be a brown color, and thick to stir, if this happens earlier it is time to put the mixture on the cake! But let cool for like 3-4 minutes before putting directly on the cake.

I'm hoping you have taken your cake out to cool off. By doing this you must take your cakes out of the pans and set them on cooling racks.

To Frost the cake:

Put 1 of the 2 9inch cakes on a plate. Spread some caramel on the top of it. Then put the other 9inch cake on top of that and spread the remaining caramel on the entire cake til it is covered.

Depending on how to cook your caramel, it may come out smooth it may come out grainy. The first time I cooked it, it was smooth like caramel and very hard to work with, this time it came out grainy and it was easier to work with! But either way it's delicious!!!!

I'm telling y'all this is the best cake and the easiest cake to bring to a family gathering or event. It's so cheap to make yet so delicious. It'll have people asking you to bake them a cake. Have you feeling like Betty Crocker! The cake comes out so moist like it's homemade! I hope that these directions were clear enough for you to actually make this cake! If not just leave a comment or ask questions!!

 - Terri

 

Sources: Grandbaby-Cakes.com/iheartrecipes.com

Fall Fashion Trends for Less

Hello everyone, it's La'Tura here with some Fall Fashion! Fall has to be my absolute favorite season of the year. It is like the most perfect weather. It's not too cold nor is it too hot. (Well not down south in Louisiana.. haha) Fall colors consist of different deep/dark shades of green, orange, yellow, and red. The most common color everyone enjoys pulling out for this season is the deep reds and plums. As you may have seen so far, suede material has become very popular among all styles, definitely in those various deep red colors. In this post, I will show a daytime outfit that can be worn out on the town with your girls or at a family gathering and also a simple but yet sexy nighttime outfit for a lovely date with a significant other.  In both set of outfits,  I will show versatility of a suede bodycon dress. The plus about both of these outfits is that each and every item is all UNDER 100 dollars. Yes, you heard it right! Who doesn't love looking amazing for less!


Daytime outfit (first set):
-Hooded chunky cardigan, $20 (ROMWE.COM)
-Fringe leather cross-body bag, $20 (ZAFUL.COM)
-Leopard pointed toe flats, $26 (SHEIN.COM)
-Faux suede bodycon dress, $50 (HOUSEOFFRASER.CO.UK)

Nighttime outfit (second set):
-Necklace, $68 (NORDSTORM.COM)
-Clutch bag, $33 (ASOS.COM)
-Nude heels, $55 (HEELS.COM)
-Faux suede bodycon dress, $50 (HOUSEOFFRASER.CO.UK)

Thank you for staying tune for this week's post. Be on the lookout for more fashion ideas and trends from us as we slowly approach the winter season!

Lacey's Inspiration

For this weeks post I, Lacey, will be talking about the lovely Jadahdoll!

 Jadah is a 20 year old inspiration to young girls across the world. I just so happen to be one of those girls that are inspired by her. I have been following Jadah Since I was 17 years old, I am now 20. I have watched this beautiful young lady grow and change over time. 

I chose to talk about her in this post because she reminds me a lot like myself. She started as doing local modeling and posting them on instagram. From there on she has collaborated with many celebrities and gained a huge fan base. Jadah is a prime example of starting from the bottom and working your way to the top. She had a dream and pursued it and her dream came true even though she was battling thyroid disease. She manage to continue to do what she loves the most: modeling and playing video games. Jk,jk. She stands for basically being yourself and that is art in our eyes because we represent the beauty of art in all forms and Jadahdoll is ART. If I had the opportunity to meet her or do business with her it would be an honor and a pleasure. So I applaud to you. Jadahdoll, keep doing what you're doing; inspiring young women to follow their dreams and be themselves. Hopefully one day we, Divine Artistries, will inspire young girls like you do and be known worldwide.

Divine Artistries First Post

It's Terriana a.k.a. Terri! This is our first post! We are making some major moves! Check our introduction video out by clicking the video link below and please subscribe!!!
https://youtu.be/PL3a0n7K2oI