Crown of Beauty Magazine [Review]

Good morning Friday!!

I am so excited to have a day off with endless opportunities ahead of me...I am not going to lie though, I think of my pre-6 a.m. morning drives to work as one of the most serene times of my day. It is just wonderful to wake up and start my day off so beautifully and peacefully.

Speaking of peace and serenity, I wanted to introduce you all to a new online Christian magazine, Crown of Beauty. Last Friday Livy, the founder, published their first issue on beauty and fashion. She contacted me to write a little bit about it and I could not be more excited to share with you my thoughts.

The Warrior Queen movement is a non-religious, non-partisan movement. I preach love and self-worth and grace and people. I believe in people. You may have heard me say that love is my religion. I truly believe in the beauty of love between people. The "how" we were created bit might be a little fuzzy to me - I will never know and only have what I believe - but I do believe in something and I don't believe that we should ever close ourselves off to an idea because the religion or belief structure may be different than mine.

When Livy contacted me, I gushed to my best friend - an active Christian - how excited I was to share this Christian magazine with my readers. Like me, Livy wants women and girls to believe in their true beauty and in their self-worth. She uses the word of God to show girls this.

The very first issue of Crown of Beauty is full of important ideals and ways to be media literate. The articles cover topics like modesty, fashion, being a role model and struggling with self-worth. These words and stories shared are beautiful and I believe that anyone can identify with these stories. Even if you are not religious or are unsure about religion, read it and feel the beauty of the words and the support of these sisters. The issue is only $4.99, and you'll receive the bonus fashion guide!

We are all on the same planet, we may choose to take different paths, but we are all facing a new day each day, why not start those days with positivity, love and self-worth?

Have a wonderful weekend!



Check out one of our featured Warrior Queens:

Meaningful Ink

I have a confession...an obsession that I cannot stop thinking about...I am counting down the days until I can get my next tattoo. [Unless someone buys me one, it's going to be at least a year, but still].

I love thinking that no one, besides me, is ever going to have the same map on their body. They will never have the same moles, scars and wrinkles. I am completely, one hundred percent me. But I still like to decorate my skin to celebrate the thoughts that are in my head. The process is beautiful and a work of art prior to the evidence of the art.

It all starts with an idea.

October 2010, WQ Symbol

For years we drew some sort of WQ with a heart symbol on our wrist to remind ourselves of our strength and self-love. After 2 years, I decided it was time to give myself this permanent reminder.

August 21, 2011

When I was 16, my cousin passed away. He had had cancer from age 2 to 6 and had been cancer-free for two years when he passed. Shortly after, a friend drew the above ambigram, and I held onto it until my brother's 18th birthday. We each got tattoos dedicated to him, our life inspiration.

August 21, 2011

 I still wanted to incorporate an actual sun into my tattoo, and decided to get one behind my ear. I would have liked it to be a little higher because of its size, but I love it.

February 2012

In 2011, my best friend [my "wife"] told me she wanted us to get matching diamond tattoos. I told her only if we did so on some weird body part...like our big toes. A year later, she took me to get these - a symbol of our friendship and our strength.

September 2012

The infinity tattoo with my fiance was the only tattoo I ever got without thinking for months on it. I've known since I was 18, that I wanted to get a tattoo for him in some way, but this was his idea and I love it. Even before I was engaged, I knew that he was there, committed to me.


My next few tattoos will be super fun / meaningful ones as well.

I'm planning on getting "time and change" on my left thigh - a testament of my time at The Ohio State University, and the everlasting friendships. "Time and Change will surely show, how firm thy friendship O-HI-O."

I also want an intricate back piece [much after I'm married]. The angel veins of the heart absolutely astound me. In the bigger strings I plan on including symbols of the people who have changed my life - my family, friends, future children, etc Around the tattoo it will say "If I were to pluck on your heart strings, would you strum on mine?"

Behind my neck I want to get an infinity sign with the word strength spelled in it. The loops will incorporate a heart and a peace sign "peace, love, strength, forever." I've been wanting the peace sign and heart since I was 17.

I plan on someday getting tattoos for my future children as well :) and lately I've been really thinking about getting a chest piece. I'm not sure why, I used to think they were very limiting, but they have really grown on me. I love the beauty in some of them, like Christina Perri's. Basically, I want a bunch of "small" tattoos all over, not necessarily a sleeve or full body piece.  Who knows what else! It is just so exciting to plan this art work.

When I was younger, my friends always talked about piercings and went and got them. I only ever wanted my nose pierced [which I did at 18, and then got the other side pierced at 22]. I've also had my tragus pierced but took it out after a couple of months. I currently don't have my nose piercings in, but I definitely miss having my left one [the one I got first]. Interestingly enough, I found out that my nostrils are different sizes drastically when I got my right side done!

Take a look at my opinion article I wrote for the Daily Sundial last year!

Happy Tuesday!

From Hot Mess to Organized Challenge

If you know me (or have read through my posts) you know that I'm not exactly the most organized person on the planet. In fact, my side of the bed looks like someone took a wrecking ball to my closet, and Iman's side is absolutely spotless. Granted, I do have the million pillows we have on my side, too. But I know. I know I am a mess.

 Since it extends beyond just having messy things and living areas, it is safe to say that I am a hot mess - but not for lack of trying to be organized. I am always, always trying to be organized. Lists are my best friends. Planners are like my cup of coffee in the morning - necessary, but still I manage to forget it.

 So, since I'm back blogging, I thought I'd do a little challenge for myself. Feel free to join in if you are also a hot mess or just want to look at the cool things I've found that I'm trying to use to keep me organized.

 This week, we are going to start with leading organized days. As in, not rushing out the door to be almost late to work.

Daniela posted this on my wall today! Thought I'd share!!

3 Steps towards Positive Thinking as a Way of Life
Written by Lauren Bailey - 7 CommentsCategories: self improvement

The phrase “positive thinking” has become somewhat of a buzzword in a lot of ways in our culture today. So many books and experts suggest “positive thinking” as a solution to low self esteem and confidence issues without ever really exploring what the phrase means.

Positive thinking involves much more than just deciding one day that you will change the way you think. Obviously, altering the way you think about yourself and the world around you is a difficult task. Oftentimes we fail to sit back and consider that the way in which we think about ourselves and the world very much shapes our world and our lives.

Negative thinking has a way of affecting every aspect of our lives without us even realizing it. So much of our happiness and our success rely on our ability to think positively and create positive situations. However, the trek to a positive attitude and positive self thought is no easy path. Follow these three steps in self improvement to gain the ability to think positively and create a new way of life.

Be Aware: Hear Yourself

Self awareness is an essential step in any form of self improvement. You have to be aware of yourself and the things around you before you can understand them and then learn to change and improve them. Before you can learn to alter your way of thinking you have to be aware of how you think in the first place. Take the time to monitor your thoughts and feeling carefully. Listen to yourself throughout the day. When doing this you may be surprised to find just how much thinking you do that you are not completely aware of throughout the day. Pay attention to those negative beliefs you hold that pop up without you realizing it, listen for negative thoughts, watch for negative actions (and reactions), and pay close attention to negative feelings that arise. All of these things are utterly important to be aware of. You should work hard to be conscience of the vocabulary you use throughout the day. Start by simply changing the words you use. Rather than saying “I have my job,” try rewording and rethinking things to say “I would love to find a new career”. While this may sound trite, merely changing the vocabulary you use is a great start to positive thinking.

Take Responsibility: It’s All about You

One of the most common forms of negative thinking involves placing blame on other things. Of course, we all do this. We point the finger at anything but ourselves at times. This is an easy path to take and a difficult habit to break. By placing the blame for something that is bad on someone else, you take the attention off of yourself. This, of course, is only a temporary fix. Even when we place the blame one someone else, that negative energy is still there. Turing the attention away from ourselves can never lead to a successful solution. After you have worked to become more self aware, you have to learn to take responsibility for your feelings, actions, and thoughts. By taking responsibility for your actions, thoughts, and emotions, they become something that you can control and change. Part of placing blame is believing you are powerless. Take responsibility for yourself and, in turn, gain control of yourself. Only after you admit fault and take responsibility for yourself and your thinking can you successfully alter the way you think and act.

Make the Commitment: Change Your Attitude

Each of these steps in self improvement is equally as important as the next. Without self awareness and acceptance, there is no hope for change. The final step in gaining a positive outlook and positive inner voice is committing to change. You must commit fully to positive self thought. Without total commitment very little progress can be made. This, of course, will inevitably take some time and dedication. With a history of negative thinking and blame, it can be very difficult to change our ways. Much of that thinking has become a natural response to our actions and our environment. For this reason, it is essential that you fully commit to creating a more positive inner voice for yourself. Create goals for new beliefs, new outlooks on certain things, and new distinctions for things. Make the commitment to creating a healthier self and a happier mind. By thinking positively and owning our thoughts we can learn to control our situation and master our bad moods.

http://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/3-steps-towards-positive-thinking-as-a-way-of-life/#more-7706