Jazzi Girlz

Please take a sec to vote for....

2009-05-29T12:07:00.004-04:00

The most awesome family and child photographer out there!

Jen of the Family Room is Jazzi Girlz prime photographer for all of our photo shoots. I have been tickled pink and giddy with glee whenever I get the finished photo shoot pictures from her! I have screamed in her ear many times from excitement! She captures stunning, clear and detailed photos of my work. She's professional and so patient with kids. I appreciate her beyond measure so I ask all of you to take a second or ten, to follow this link and vote for Jennifer as Detroit's best family photgrapher ! She has to win!

http://bit.ly/u16Rf

Take a look at a few of these pics. To see more head to Jazzigirlz.com, portfolio section so you can see why she's the best!

Introducing JG's Newest Model Kymora!

2009-05-22T21:25:00.001-04:00

Up until now Nyla has been Jazzi Girlz chief and only model. She has been my number one inspiration to design and sew but she's growing by leaps and bounds! I wanted to add another fresh face and have another lil spunky diva to bring life to the Jazzi Girlz brand!

Here is the awesomely cute lil Kymora, pronounced Kee-more-ah. She is 4 years old and the daughter of my childhood friend. We had our first photo shoot recently and she did AWESOME! She's a natural! Her poses and expressions had us all laughing! She is a pint sized diva and a mini firecracker! Enjoy the wonderful photos taken by Metro Detroit's BEST photographer Jen of the Family Room in Warren, MI.

She has a natural talent for bringing out the best in children and specializes in child photography! Check her out and mention Jazzi Girlz sent ya!

To see more photos of Kymora, Jazzi Girlz designs and Jennifer's exceptional photography please visit Jazzigirlz.com and look at the portfolio!

Lovely time at the concert!

2009-05-22T11:48:00.000-04:00

I just LOVE me some Eric Roberson! Anthony David as well! Everytime they come to Detroit I must see them perform! And for those of you who are not up on Eric or Anthony please take a listen to some of their music.

http://www.ericrobersonmusic.com/flash/flashsite.html

and

http://www.anthonydavidmusic.com/music.aspx

Anyhow there was a nice concert at the Charles Wright Museum May 17th featuring Eric, Anthony and a lady named Angela Davis. I figured I'd reward myself and enjoy the concert after all the hard work I put into the fashion show. The concert was great and I have a few pics to share!

Eric Roberson & I

Anthony David & I

Sexy guitar player Curt Chambers!

And me of course!

Jazzi Girlz Open House & Design Showcase!

2009-05-12T15:11:00.001-04:00

Workin MY HEINY OFF!

2009-04-23T18:51:00.000-04:00

Whew! Sewin, sewin, sewin!

There are loose threads in my sheets, on my pjs, pins all over the house (ouch), and fabric everywhere!

Not getting much sleep either. A lot of folks don't realize I work full-time as well as run Jazzi Girlz. So although I get off at 5pm, I start my next shift at 10pm usually after Nyla has gone to bed and I do a little preparation for the next day. I sew typically on the weekends and from 10pm to maybe 2am.

Anyhow, I'm getting a lot done! It feels great to have a chance to sew what IIIII want to sew. Not that I don't enjoy sewin for people and making there vison come to life, it's just that I have tons of patterns, sketches, jotted notes and ideas of my own that haven't been made because of my hectic schedule! Lord I wish sometimes I didn't have to work fuu-time. But I love my job, and health insurance. So for now just call me Jamaican, since I have a few J-O-B-s!

Easter 2009!

2009-04-13T19:32:00.000-04:00

I've been so busy preparing for my upcoming show that I didn't think I'd have time to make Nyla's dress. So I relied on good ole Ebay for a quick fix. I bid and won this dress which turned out to be a big hit! So many folks asked me did I make it that I'm thinking of recreating it in other color combos!

I pressed and flipped her hair, and of course being the lil diva she is thought she was too gorgeous for words! LOL!

Scaled down store bought Easter basket. What a ripoff!

Then there was an Easter egg hunt at my brother's girlfriends house and Nyla won!

SAVE THE DATE!!!

2009-04-10T19:10:00.000-04:00

I am BEYOND EXCITED!!!

Jazzi Girlz is having it's very first Open House and Design Showcase May 16, 2009!

It will be held at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Southfield, MI. Saturday, May 16, 2009from 11am-4pm

My designs and Summer 2009 line will be featured and on display to order and purchase for the little princess diva in your life! There will be activities and crafts for girls to do, light refreshments and a mini-fashion show! I will also have prizes, give-aways and drawings for free merchandise. You don’t want to miss it! Please come out and support my endeavors to be the premier designer in the Detroit metro area for unique clothing and accessories for little girls infants to sz 8-10!
More details coming soon!
To know more please email me at tanayaparker1977@hotmail.com

The lil Praise Dancer who could....

2009-04-06T20:50:00.000-04:00

My lil Nyla made me so proud yesterday! She's a praise dancer at church and dances every 1st Sunday. She's the youngest of the bunch! Here are a few shots of her dancing. She made a few mistakes and had me laughing but she keeps up with the big girls!

And here's my sister who was leading the Praise team in song. she's going to shoot me for this picture, but she was up there getting ready to laugh at my baby!

Happy Customer!

2009-04-06T15:02:00.000-04:00

I love to see kids faces when they receive my pillows! They are a big hit! One of my most recent customers came to pick up her pillow orders and her daughter Amani loved hers! Of course I had to grab my camera!

I love having pictures of kids posing with or in my creations! If you have a picture of your child with anything from Jazzi Girlz, I'd love to post it!

Jazzi Girlz event coming soon!

2009-03-22T14:36:00.000-04:00

I'm taking a leap of faith and lots of initiative to increase my business and get more customers. I have decided to host Jazzi Girlz very first Open House and Design Showcase in May!

It's all still in the planning stages in my mind but I want to have a nice event with my designs, hair accessories and other products on display to purchase and sell.
I'm currently working on my summer collection. There will be pretty, colorful halter dresses, super full twirl skirts with embellished tank tops and my ever so popular Jazzi Pants made of breathable cool cotton. Oh how I love lil girls in skirts and dresses!

To get ready for this, I'm taking April and half of May off to get ready for it.

I may even do a fashion show if I can get enough sewn! Stay tuned.......

2009 Summer line...in the works!

2009-03-20T14:41:00.000-04:00

I'm very excited about working on designs for the summer! As a designer, I'm sad to say I'm always behind the seasons and not ahead the way the fashion world works. I don't get to my Christmas, Valentines, Halloween etc. until 3 wks before the holiday and seasonal clothing is done in the middle, not before the season starts with me. I work full-time so it's hard to get everything done the way I want.

I am putting my foot done on my procrastination and making an effort to get on track. For me that means ignoring Spring this year. I really won't do many Spring designs so that I can focus all my attention on Summer, and after July I'll go right into Fall. I plan on taking the whole month of April off (no custom orders) to get as much done as possible.

I plan on using lots of color, bright and unique prints and unexpected color combos. Cute summer halter dresses, twirl skirts, embellished tank tops and jean capris are just a few things on my list! You'll see lots of ruching, lace, unique trims put to creative use as well! I have soooo many ideas and deigns that have been floating around in my head! Many of the outfits will be one-of-a-kind, not to be duplicated. Also in an effort to make good use of the fruits of my addiction (FABRIC) I will be using up fabric I have had on hand for 2 yrs or more. I will giving sneak peeks very soon! STAY TUNED!!!!

Easter's Coming! Get your pillows!

2009-03-20T11:13:00.005-04:00

With Easter right around the corner I think it's a great time to do a special. FOr one week only I'm offering my Keepsake name pillows for $30! People tend to get Easter baskets with lots of tooth decaying candy in it for kids. Last year I made my own for Nyla and ended up spending waaaaayy more than if I just bought one! I filled it with coloring books, puzzles, toys, educational items and healthier snacks, very little candy. Excuse the rough pic. My baby had just woke up a few minutes before the pic. lol

I'm offering an alternative to the same ol same ol! Get your orders in from 3/20 to 3/27 only. I ship around the world as well. Shipping charges apply.

Email me at tanayaparker1977@hotmail.com!

Wish I could afford to hire Michael Phelps....

2009-03-11T12:14:00.000-04:00

But I can't so I enrolled my daughter in the Goldfish Swim School! They specialize in teaching kids only to swim. I really want her to learn how before the summer. My parents have a pool, a since she loves being with Gramma and PawPaw every chance she gets I thought this is a great time to start!

I originally put her in a swimming class when she was 9 months and again at 18 months. But of course she didn't learn to swim. It was more of a mommy and me thing where the parent had to be in the water with the child. I got tired of singing "The Wheels on the Bus Go Round" so I said no more classes until she gets to an age where she can REALLY learn, (without me having to get in, lol).

She had her first class and she did great! I was so proud of her! She wasn't a bit scared...not like she was in the 1st photo photo. (she was screamin bloody murder with my dad in the pool)
Here's pictures from her first class with her teacher Meagan who is great by the way!

My child is HILARIOUS!!!

2009-03-05T13:48:00.001-05:00

God knew just what he was doing when he blessed me with a girl! Honestly if it wasn't for Nyla I wouldn't even have my business and I certainly would not have the interest in sewing. Children really bring some great things to your life! But they also bring some challenges. It's funny watching their little personalities develop.

Anyhow this child never ceases to amaze me with her "GROWNESS"! She wants to be a lady soooo bad! Examples.

A few weeks ago she asked me for a wig/weave. (she's very particular about her hair)
She asks to get her nails and toes done regularly. (I used to do nails so I oblige)
She loves to wear perfume and lipgloss
And when she was coming out of her diaper stage she sat on the potty like this

But the funniest example lately has to be this......

She got hold of my black and gold Enzo pumps and proceeded to sashay around the house. Funny thing is she can walk better in a pair of way too large 4.5 inch heels than some women can in a pair of house slippers!

She was workin it! Ashy little knees and all! LOL!

Rapunzel....Let her hair down!

2008-12-16T15:31:00.000-05:00

When I asked God for a girl I knew that there would be days ahead where I'd want to exchange her for a little peanut head boy who only needs a visit to the barber once a week and a daily quick brush.

But nooooo, I wanted sugar, spice and everything nice and so I must do hair every morning if I don't want my child looking a hot mess. The other day I decided to give Nyla a real old school wash, hard press and curl and even clipped her ends. This is what her hair looks like straight out of the tub after being washed. Very curly, wavy and a joy (sarcasm) to manage.

And this is what it looks like after lots of heat and PATIENCE!

A mother has a right to brag on her child so I will say my baby has gorgeous hair! It came out so pretty! But this little stinker was so happy about her hair that she took on a total different DIVATUDE once it was done! She thought she was super FINE! Her teacher said "Please don't do her her like that anymore"! According to her she was shaking it in everyone's face that day! LOL. And guess what? She sweated it out the next day so all my work was in vain anyway! I think I'm gonna have to start getting it braided. Too much work!

Dinner and a show for my little lady!

2008-11-25T15:18:00.001-05:00

Ahhhh Mother and daughter time. I love bonding with my little lady and going different places. Over the weeekend on Sunday, we did just that. My boss gave me tickets to the broadway show White Christmas at the beautiful Fox Theatre. I knew Nyla would love this so I planned our little date!

We had dinner at the Olive Garden, her and my favorite, first. We then went downtown. SHe was so excited! She kept asking "we're going to see a Christmas show"? "What kind of Christmas show"?

We ended up having a great time. She was cute and dressed up in her little dress and lovely black fur coat that she rarely wears. We took a few pictures. She especially loved the pretty dresses the ladies wore!

It's good to expose your children to all forms of the arts. Step outside the box and take your kids to museums, art galleries or the orchestra. There's more to life than Chuck E Cheese and the park. It expands their view of the world and keeps them open to trying and enjoying cultural and different things!

Enjoy the pics!

Happy Halloween!!!!!

2008-10-31T14:40:00.002-04:00

Folks go nuts over Halloween! I personally go nuts over the candy. Which I will TRY not to do this year!!! I swear this is the day that kicks off the season of winter weight gain. Every year I put on between 5-10 and that is NOT cool! I drop it again in the Spring but the ups and downs is a pain in the neck.

Nyla and I are going trick-or-treating today. She isn't going to be anything special by way of costume this year. I did'nt have an ounce of time to make her a costume. I did make a cute Halloween outfit that of course she probably won't be able to fit next year so that is what she will trick-or-treat in. It's cute and it's appropriate, and it may even get me more BIZNESS!!!!!! YES! I've already handed out several cards to admirers.

Look at this shot too.....I couldn't get the pic directly on the screen so follow the link.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/anulyra/2897531662/

Here are the pics taken by my wonderful photographer, Jen of The Family Room Photography. www.familyroomstudio.com. If you want quality, top-notch photos follow her link. She is located in Warren and specializes in children's portraits. Take a look at Jazzigirlz.com and follow the link to my portfolio. Jen took all of of my high-key, white background photos. SHe is AWESOME with that camera!

Here's Nyla from last year's Halloween. Of course she was Lil Red Riding Hood. Cute!

Pillows, Pillow, Pillows! Up to my ears in plush!!

2008-10-20T12:23:00.000-04:00

I'm a bad blogger I know. It's part of my ADD and general lack of organization! LOL.

I have been up to my EARS in pillows! Jazzi Girlz latest offering is our Identity Pillows! They are fun, cute, and colorful! Each one is handmade, unique and they are great keepsakes! I have been swamped with orders! Yes, the pillows are a lot of work with all the details, applique and patchwork, but I do love the fact that I'm creating something that children will love, cherish and keep (hopefully) forever! Meghan, the daughter of one of my clients is so in love with hers that she insists on bringing it in the car everywhere she goes! She clutches it dearly and THAT is part of why I do what I do. Sewing not only gives me a creative outlet, my clothing and other creations stand out and are as unique as the children I design for!

Take a look at some of the examples. Again, each one is uniquely individual and never duplicated. I use lots of decorative trims, buttons and ribbon to add the "Jazzi" factor to each one. And YES I do make them for boys even though I don't design clothing for boys.

I'm taking a limited number of orders for these pillows so that they can be done before Christmas. If you are interested in a custom order of your own please email me at Tanayaparker1977@hotmail.com. Each pillow is $35 ($5 extra for names over 7 letters). You have your choice of colors as well!

* I take out-of-state orders too, but an extra charge of $6.50 for shipping is added

My beloved sewing room! Getting organized!

2008-08-22T14:22:00.009-04:00

My haven, my sanitorium, my lab, my escape is my wonderful sewing room! I am a lucky girl for the amount of space I have for sewing. When I first took on sewing as a hobby and started (hoarding) acquiring more fabric, notions, machines, and other STUFF I realized I needed a dedicated space. In my old house I had 3 bedrooms and with just me and my daughter of course I had a a spare room. But the way that house was built, even that room was not enough. It had a non functioning short ceiling basement that could not be used for anything really. I shared my sewing room with 200+ pairs of shoes almost 100 purses and tons of hats. It was the accessory/sewing room plus nail room since I did nails also. Too much huh! I eventually had to move off season stuff to the garage. Even then I was luckier than most. Some folks have no choice but to use the kitchen or dining room. I still have some improvements to make to make it more fun and personal but I'm really pleased.

Here's the NEW room!!!

As you can see I have an L-shaped area for my sewing machines and thank God I can fit all 4 that I use. I have space underneath for my massive ribbon and pattern collection. Space underneath my cutting table for trims, elastics and buttons. I have lots of room for fabric even though it won't all fit on the shelf. I have lots in tubs. The organizer next to fabric is scraps, jewelry, bow-making supplies, and craft items. There is also lots of space near the computer for all of my sewing books, and binders.

All I can say is " THANK YOU JESUS"!!!!!!

HERE'S THE OLD ROOM!!!!

As you can see that I was cramped, and this was AFTER I moved half the shoes and purses out. My ribbon was a mess! I had to use only half of my adjustable cutting table and then there was no space to walk. There wasn't much space at all for my fabric or sewing books.

For the Birthday Girl!

2008-08-06T16:21:00.000-04:00

I just love creating special things and getting custom orders. Little Karli is turning one soon, so her mom commissioned me to create something pretty, pink and purple for her birthday party.

I went to town and was so pleased with the result! I made matching panties, a korker headband, and a little wristband to match it all. Everyone at the party loved it and I was so proud!!!

Another year on Planet Earth! It's my BIRTHDAY!!

2008-08-01T17:02:00.002-04:00

I'm 31 and completely proud of it! Gettin better, wiser, (more good-lookin) with every year that passes by! Just 10 years ago I was excited about becoming the extremely "it's official, I'm grown" age of 21! It seems so far away now. I have made many mistakes and done many dumb things along the way but I'm glad for it all because I have matured so much and those experiences will come in handy if not for me for someone else.

Today I plan on going out with a good friend of mine to an outdoor concert at Chene Park. Keith Sweat and Joe are performing. Not too excited to see ole whiny, begging Keith but Joe?????? OMIGOD the man can singggggggggggg!!! I love, love, LOVE Joe! Saturday I plan on having a few friends over to celebrate. Nothing major, just kickin it. We may play some games too. My parties are always live when the games come out. Lots of competition!

Happy B-day to all my fellow Augustines!!!

Going home now to get gorgeous!

Gotta love the thrift stores!!!!

2008-07-30T15:55:00.003-04:00

I know some real hoity, toity, finnicky folks who wouldn't dare step foot in a thrift store. I've even been on my cell phone with friends and they ask "Where are you?" When I say Value Village or the Goodwill they say "What are you in THERE for?"

NEWSFLASH people!! Thrift stores are not full of street people down on their luck looking to clothe their whole family for $10. It's just like being in K-mart or at a garage sale! There are very nice things to be found at thrift stores! I love refurbishing or reconning clothes, jeans and wooden items so Value Village is my friend! I have found great fabric, and best of all vintage patterns!

LAst night I went in Value village cause I had a coupon that was set to expire July 31st. I struck gold! I got a big bag of fabric, nice fabric for $.90! I also bought very cute adult purple and grey plaid skirt I plan to cut up and make a skirt and hat for Ms. Nyla out of. And my best find was inspiration by way of these.....

I fell in LOVE! No pieces were missing either! I search for vintage patterns on Ebay every now and then. ANd they never cost 80 cents!!! I'm always looking for ideas and inspiration. Things to give my designs flair and set them apart. I really love certain elements of the clothes from the 60's and 70's. I probably won't even sew these patterns, but I may just borrow a sleeve or bodice from them. Just looking at them gave my brain a creative boost!

Here is another one of my great thrift finds. This wall mirror was an ugly matte burgundy color. It was $3! When I bought it I had noooo idea what I was going to do with it but I knew it was destined for greatness eventually! I painted it in a zebra style to match Nyla's room decor and it looks great!

The moral of this story???? No one is too good to shop at thrift stores! Even some celebritities do, they just call used stuff "vintage." There are some great things to be found! Stop in one soon, you may be suprised!

It's official! I'm a blogger now!

2008-07-24T12:55:00.000-04:00

Blogland…….I’m finally here!! Been resisting the blog bug for years!! Sure I read em, I have many favorites! But write them????

What will I talk about?? Who will care enough to read what I have to say???? This is what has kept me away.

Now I have a reason to blog and a reason to celebrate! Jazzi Girlz Apparel, my boutique clothing line is doing well and the future is getting brighter everyday! I’ve cut the excuses about being a single mom who works 40 hrs a week who doesn’t have enough time to sew, let alone other daily tasks. So in light of the new success, and direction of Jazzi Girlz a friend suggested a blog as a way to connect with customers, friends and strangers. It's also a personal release for me. I've always loved to write anyhow.

This blog will be about me, Tanaya the designer, and things having to do with my life and my precious daughter Nyla who is my number one model. Expect to see an occasional recipe, tutorial or sewing tip! Most importantly you’ll see my new designs as they come to life!

My aim is to post maybe 2 or 3 times a week! Enjoy and come back!

Coming Soon!

2008-07-13T11:22:00.000-04:00

Jazzi Girlz is handmade unique clothing and accessories for little divas. Our website is under construction, and our etsy store will soon be filled with trend-setting outfits with a boutique, designer flair. Stay tuned for one-of-a-kind ensembles that attract attention!