the bright side

recently, I have felt like my life has been one small trial after the next. in small trials, I don't feel like I can really complain because I know how much worse things could be and how blessed I am. but there comes a point where I have to stop and ask God what he is doing. I know that He is here and real because not much of me makes sense without Him. but I don't know why I have felt so alone in my trials. if He is here and He is good, why the pain in the midst of prayer? why the struggle in the midst of faith? I got to a place of frustration with God, which He is more than big enough to handle, and I just wanted to understand. not for it to get better or for a magic solution, just for an answer from Him. He always answers us in ways we don't expect, but he does answer.

I finally sat down and did something this morning that I actually haven't done in a while: I opened up the bible and read. if you want to hear from God, why not go to the direct source of His words? and it was wonderful. here is what I read:

" Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters. ² One person’s faith allows them to eat anything, but another, whose faith is weak, eats only vegetables. ³ The one who eats everything must not treat with contempt the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted them. ⁴ Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall. And they will stand, for the Lord is able to make them stand. " Romans 14:1-4

I was so humbled and grateful and delighted to see how the Lord defends us, even when our faith is weak. and even in our weakness, He is "able to make us stand." that is amazing. that is the God I serve. He does allow trials, but trials are edifying and we are actually supposed to be grateful for them. (Romans 5: 3-5) I'm far from there, but I understand it. in the same way that I am grateful for my mom taking away a lighter that I was having so much fun playing with, the Lord has taken and with held what will only harm me in the future. I'm too small to see the harm it will bring. we all are. He is good.

another thing that helped me greatly was a sermon by Joyce Meyers and I HIGHLY recommend this to any and everyone. so many gems in this I can't even name them all. but one thing I will say is that how we feel and what we believe ARE two different things. so it really helps to stop and get back to what we believe. and for me, that is that the Lord is always with me and works all things together for my good (Romans 8:28... so much goodness in Romans!)

today was almost 70 degrees in the middle of december and just days ago there was snow and ice on the ground. also, I feel like I got clarity from the Lord. I'd say this is as bright a side as any.

sweater: anthropologie
shirt: gap
jeans: urban outfitters
dr martens: nordstrom rack
brahmin bag: dillards

I like ta layer

happy November 19th!

I know, it's more than halfway through, but I'm riding it out as long as I can. the day I say goodbye to fall of 2013 will come too soon.

life has been pretty relentless with business lately. I can't complain, I feel like it's a good sign when there are a lot of things to accomplish. add a few more hours to the day, and I'd be set. sorry for the delay on posting - not sure if the absence was felt but I sure did miss blogging! so I guess that means I should keep this thing going. thanks for all the love and good vibes you all have been sending, you have no idea how much it has meant to me! at every single little thing, I die with giddiness.

it's getting quite cold here in the great state of oklahoma and I not mad about it. layering is one of my favorite things to do with my style. I was even layering in the warmer months on days I could get away with it (70 is far game, man.) gettin all 90's and tying outerwear around the waist was one of my favorite layering tricks for days when it was clearly just not fall yet. no matter how hard I willed it upon us. this h&m flannel I borrowed from the men's section has been so good to me. kinda like this one. it even has pockets (which was the total deal MAKER.)

it got colder, so I was able to layer this j. crew cardigan over this thrifted denim shirt. the free people  tee was the perfect base for layerin'

this was a very chilly day, so I did a little low-key layering. this is actually a dress under a sweater.

jacket - f21, sweater - f21, dress - ae, boots - she inside, necklace - f21

here's a few ways I layer on the reg(ular)

you can get so stinkin creative when it comes to fashion. layering is a way to show the artistic flare in your style. yup, layering is an art. I would love to hear about and see the ways you love to layer!

if we are style twins, check out my pinterest! I have been a complete addict since I (recently) got it. :)

so... what's ankara..?

a little background on me, I am a first generation American which means both of my parents were born in a far away land. specifically, Nigeria. I feel like I can identify with a lot of my mixed race friends, because my siblings and I grew up with two cultures. at a younger age, this was something I resented. it was so hard for me in primary and secondary school, and the majority of my peers were black. you're probably wondering "uhhh so are you.. soo.. what's the problem there?" I think they expected me to look, act, and think like them, and that was far from the case. I struggled to find people I really identified with because I was nothing like the people who looked like me. I actually didn't realize this was the root of all my internal struggles until college (culture is super important, people!)

anyway, I am now a college graduate! (CONFETTI) I studied psychology ...maybe that's another reason I was able to arrive at my AH-HA moment..  I am now in grad school wanting to be an art therapist. I hope to incorporate an understanding of culture in my practice, because I believe it's thuper duper important to know where you come from if you want to find out where you're going.

ok, end sidebar, now about ankara.

gah, it's so fun and colorful. it's typically made out of cotton and has a waxy finish sometimes. it was originally made in Europe by the Dutch for Indonesian textiles. the material mistakenly gained more popularity and interest in west Africa (where I'm from) than Indonesia and now is a major symbol of africaaa. I love it.

there are many other types of traditional fabric, but ankara is one that is used informally for everyday wear. this is why I thought it would make sense to incorporate it into my blog's name. I'm here to talk about ways we can be inspired to style, make art, music, and be creative every day. i'm very influenced by my culture, as my love and curiosity for it has only grown. I hope that little history lesson wasn't too boring;)

recently (I think around '10) there was a huge emergence of ankara on the runway. I was SO excited to see this embrace of something I've always known and grown up with. it's like how we see oaxacan dresses, peasant dresses, kimonos, ect. I hope to see ankara embraced internationally a whole lot more in the future. it's a beautiful thing to get to witness at my age. I know a decade ago, it would not have been so much as thought about in this country because of our history with America. on a much happier note, here are a few stunning photos of current ways I've seen ankara in the mainstream!

 

seriously. just, wow. so mad at myself for not embracing this friggin amazing culture sooner. I mean, I was swooning just going through all these. I guess it's all a part of personal growth - learning to embrace the path you came from and not only that, but being able to say you wouldn't have it any other way.

 

here's how some celeb beauties have been styling ankara:

as if I didn't already think gwen was the epitome of badassness.. she starting a whole line of clothes made with ankara!  an L.A.M.B. collection - czech it out!

 

 

 

 

queen B and solange wear it. WELL.

 

 

and so many more!

 

 

 

ok ok I'll stop. I have a slight obsession:)

I encourage you to do a little digging on your culture, whether you feel like you're bursting with culture or not. more than likely, you'll be amazed at what you find.

 

to be shared

hello world! I come to you as an excited, and slightly scared, creative human being. recently I have read, seen, and heard so much about the gift of creativity. it is meant to be shared with the world. this stirred up some conviction in me because for years, I let fear keep me from doing this. from sharing myself with all of you. I won't let that happen anymore. this will be the first of many posts where I share with you my art, thoughts, style, and life. it is meant to be shared. and that's what I can now wait to do. I hope to inspire you to keep creating and growing your gifts as well.

personal style is of the things I'd love to share, starting today! this is just a short post as a bit of a preview into what this blog will be like. I hope you enjoy it!

 shirt: free people , jeans: forever21 , watch: michael kors

excited about this, hope you are too!

XO

sarah



PS if you love this photography, check out melissa green photography. she's incredibly talented.