Fan Love Interviews - Cherisse Rivera

If you are a "liker" of my fan page on Facebook then you know that I have a section called Fan Love where I post pictures of people wearing their Nelesc Designs duds. Well, I decided to take it a step further on my blog and not only post a picture but also give my clients a chance to tell the world who they are and promote their business and/or other endeavors. I also share my blog posts with my personal and fan page friends so more people, besides my blog followers, will be in on how great my fans are. 

Cherisse Rivera was the first person to take me up on my offer and here she is rockin' the Billie Holiday puff sleeve jacket I made for her. She was a pleasure to work with and I am so proud to be featuring her today.

1) How did you find out about Nelesc Designs? 

Heard about it by looking for women's t-shirts on etsy.com


2) Why did you choose this top/icon? I love Billie Holiday pictures, I have a few products with her face on them, plus I am more of a moderate politically, so I chose it because I think its more "me" than some other icons.

3) Tell me about yourself.

By day, I work in the legal/consulting field. Other than that, I am working with a website called http://fusicology.com/. Fusicology is a website that has a presence in a number of cities. It promotes progressive music culture through event listings and relevant content. We love all music, but this website tends to give a greater voice to indie artists, especially neosoul artists.

4)What would you like to see more of at Nelesc Designs?

New icon "faces", especially for the cuffs. Perhaps some handbags as well.

5) What are you reading or listening to nowadays?

Reading: "John Henry Days", and listening- Authenticity by Foreign Exchange

Note to self: new icon faces! Thanks Cherisse, I need to get started on that. From our e-mail chats I could tell how cool Cherisse was and I was right! When you get a chance, check out Fusicology, I did and it's a really great sight for music lovers!

Puerto Rican Artisan Fair This Past Saturday

This past Saturday I participated in my very first craft fair. I was among the 40 or so artists who had a table at the 5th Annual Puerto Rican Artisans Fair at Hostos Community College. I came armed with my friend Sheila who helped me set up and eased my anxiousness with her fair business experience. She felt sick that day but I was so grateful she took the time to help me out.


Sheila at the table



Julia de Burgos and Pedro Albizu tops

Anyway, I had a super time. It felt so great to be part of such a talented pool of artists that were also Boricua (Puerto Rican). There were painters, photographers, wood workers, dollmakers, etc. There was such a great feeling of support and encouragement as we went around to each other's tables.  My table was between Jorge Gonzalez, an amazing painter who uses collage elements, and Ivelisse Pabon, and artist and dollmaker. Jorge comes from North Carolina every year for the fair and Yvelisse makes makes her way from Massachussetes.  I realized how prestigious it is to be accepted in this arena. Towards the end there was music, and dancing and it felt like a casual get together with people I have known a lifetime. I am always proud of being Puerto Rican but on Saturday, there was a special connection I felt to my people that I had not felt in a long time. I need to do this more often.

Want to know the best part? When I saw my mom, my sister Melissa and my nieces walk through the door. I have to say that I did shed some tears at their show of support. My mom whispered how proud she was of me and my sister also gleamed with excitement. That meant the world to me. I also have to thank my hubby who was home sick taking care of my boys. I can't do Nelesc Designs without him.

My mom and I

My sister Melissa and I

Finally, a big shout out to Luis Cordero who organized the fair and encouraged me to apply. Luis runs cemiundergound.com where you could find cool Pedro Albizu Campos gear amongst other Puerto Rican items. I will be doing a feature on him in a future post. Enjoy the pics! There's more on my facebook fanpage if you would like to join. Just search for Nelesc Designs. God Bless!

Puerto Rican Artisan Fair in the Bronx is Where I'll Be!

This is where I will be on Saturday selling my Puerto Rican items !!!!! The 5th Annual Comité Noviembre Puerto Rican Artisans Fair & Exhibit, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2010, Hostos Community College – 450 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY, 11AM – 9PM.

I am super excited about participating and joining with 40 other Puerto Rican vendors. I plan to sell my tops, cuffs, and maybe some hats if I get to finish them in time! This is a great opportunity to meet my clients in person and get feedback on my work.

The Artisan Fair and Exhibit was established in 2006, in celebration of Comité Noviembre’s, 20th anniversary. Over 40 artesanos puertorriqueños from throughout the US and Puerto Rico participated and the event boasted an attendance of over 5000 people in this very first Fair. Last year’s Fair continued to exceed CN’s expectations with over 60 artisans participating and a steady 5000 people.

For the past four years, CN has transformed, Hunter College West Building and the Church of St. Paul the Apostle into a typical Puerto Rican plaza with a fountain, palm trees, piragua and coquito carts and artists, sculptors, vejigante mask makers promoting and selling their wares while musical and cultural acts entertained throughout the day. This year will be no different at Hostos. CN will also continue to conduct cultural workshops for children and adults, like mask making, the history of the three kings’ celebration, Taíno storytelling in order to make sure that our youth learn about our culture.

Workshops on prevention and screenings for diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol and other tests will also be conducted in Hostos’ state-of-the-arts Nursing Program facilities, and educational and preventative information will be distributed.

This FREE Fair will be advertised as an opportunity to kick-off the holiday shopping season by supporting our artesanos and at the same time kick-off the New Year healthy.

For more information visit us online at: http://ComiteNoviembre.org. If you are on Twitter, follow @comitenoviembre.

She's No Dummy

I just had to post this. It's from the October 23rd New York Daily News. Yes, I read the Daily News, they have some great fashion coverage and pics, okay??? lol.

It caught my eye because the caption reads, "scantily clad mannequins are immune to the fall chill in the air yesterday outside shop on Ward Ave. in the Bronx."  I used to live on Ward Avenue in the Bronx during my High School years. I would go up and down the block looking in all the clothing shops as my fashion sense was blossoming. I went to Laguardia High School of Music and Art so you could imagine the various fashion styles at my disposal! The kids there wore capes and mohawks to school so anything went! I really experimented a lot during that time, trading in my uptight ruffled blouses (which I wrote about here) for striped socks and thrift store finds. Let's just say, my mom was not happy! 

Nelesc Designs Tiny Little Fall Collection

Well, here it is, my tiny 2 piece fall collection. It's really a three piece collection but I still have not had time to photograph the last piece and I couldn't wait. I wanted to keep true to my passion for reconstruction/refashioning/redeeming so these are made from reconstructed sweatshirts. A lot of people really like the puff sleeve jacket which makes me so happy. I have been making various versions of it and it's been such a wonderful process. View more pics in my shop .

                                                          


Puff Sleeve Jacket, $60.00



Asymmetrical Big Collar Sweatshirt, $40.00



These are made to order and can be made with different color combinations and icons. You can check the shop for details. Tell me what you think.

"Take This from Me, You Take My Life"

Tumani (Hope), 38. Tailor
“This sewing machine is all I could take with me. It was heavy, difficult to carry, but I couldn’t leave it behind. This sewing machine feeds my eight children and me. If someone were to take this from me, they would be taking my life.”

I saw this image on Amayel’s blog. Amayel (not her real name) is a woman after my own heart, she's a peace advocate, likes fashion, reads, is a thinker, and I love her blog! She writes a lot about African politics, muslim issues, and everything in between, like me. She is very well-rounded. I am definitely a follower.

Anyway, this photo really hit me. This is how I am feeling more and more about my sewing machine. It has really provided me a way of contributing to my household as well as participating, in my own way, in this thing we call fashion. I cannot compare my situation at all with Tumani's but Tumani, I am with you, take this and you take my life!

Now, for a little background: this photo was part of portrait photographer Rankin's latest exhibition which focused on survivors of the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The exhibition, called From Congo with Love, opened in February in London's South Bank. It was a collaboration between charity Oxfam and the man who has previously photographed Kate Moss and the Queen.

Eastern Congo is one of the most violent places in the world. Two million people have been made refugees and live with host families who take them into their tiny shacks. Rankin said: "My style of portraiture is about bringing people out of themselves, getting them to share something. I chose to photograph the people against a white background instead of in their physical environment. "The expressions in their eyes and on their faces - their humanity - was what I wanted people to notice and relate to."

Here are some other images:

Furaha Vumilia, 65. Basket maker
“It takes two weeks to make a basket – but it only sells for 260 francs (25p). How can you work for two weeks to make 25p? I fled when the war came. People were throwing bombs into our houses. I was living with my son. He and his wife were killed. I fled with my two grandsons. One is 15 and the other 13. They are orphans now.”




Rehema Buera, 52. Restaurant owner
“I lost my husband and four of my children because of this war. After the attack, there were dead bodies everywhere in my village. I found the dead bodies of my husband and my four eldest children – all shot in the head. That day, 175 people from my village were murdered.”





Banza Masamba, 47. Hairdresser
“There are 24 of us in the camp, living in four small huts. The worst moment in my life is right now. We want peace. That’s all. Peace so that we can go back home. We want you people to talk to the politicians and ask them to stop this war.”

Wow. I'm speechless.

Mountains That Take Wing, Part II

I am so late with this post. I was supposed to do it right after the 18th. Anyway, here are some things that I learned about the movie, Mountains That Take Wing, that I didn't already know.

1- Angela Davis' mom was also an activist, "the seeds were sewn", she says.

2-Davis started an interracial group that met in a church to discuss issues of discrimination and race. When did she start this group, you ask? AT AGE 11!!! Isn't that amazing? How many people are thinking about this stuff at eleven years old?

3- Yuri Kochiyama corresponded with Lolita Lebron while she was in prison.

4- Both Davis and Kochiyama work heavily with political prisoners today and the issue of prisons in general. They educate the public about the business of prisons and the racial discrimination that exists within this institution.

5-Puerto Rican political prisoners were the longest imprisoned group.

I learned a lot more but I wanted to give you a little tid bit. I really hope this movie will be available to the public. I definitely would like to have a copy. To learn more about the movie, go to http://www.reelsisters.org/.

Mountains That Take Wing, Part 1

On Sunday, October 17 I went to see MOUNTAINS THAT TAKE WING, a documentary that featured "conversations between Angela Davis, an internationally re-knowned scholar-activist, and 88 year old Yuri Kochiyama, a revered grassroots community activist and 2005 Nobel Peace Prize nominee." It was held at the Brooklyn Campus of Long island University. I went to see this film with my Titi (aunt) Nellie. It was a wonderful educational experience and seeing it with my aunt made it even more special.

Through the intimacy and depth of conversations, which span 13 years, we learn about Davis' and Kochyama's shared experiences as political prisoners and their profound passion for justice. But we also see a humanity, an intimacy, a "regularness" (if you will) to these powerful women. They were laughing and joking, sometimes struggling for words. Kochiyama was sitting on her bed and Davis sat across from her in what seemed like a revolutionary pajama party I was so blessed to be part of, even if virtually. It was great to see them in this relaxexd setting.

After the show, I reiterated this to my aunt "it was so good to see them in that way, in such an intimate setting." I am so used to seeing these women in posters, t-shirts, MY OWN TOPS AND JACKETS, in iconic stance, powerful, confident. The kind of woman I want to be. My Titi Nellie said, "well you finally humanized them." That really grabbed my attention, "I finally humanized them." She was right. Davis and Kochiyama ARE regular people just like you and me. Regular people have the potential to be activists, to speak up, to advocate. Hmmm. Perceiving these iconic people solely through their images on posters and t shirts does them a diservice. They lived radical regular lives in order to inspire us to do the same.

We watched Yuri and Angela in conversation and this led to my Titi and I having a conversation. My aunt is another outspoken women who grew up in th 60s and 70s. She has always been one of the stronger women in my family, she lived by her own rules, didn't bow down to convention. I always longed to be like her; worldly, knowing, sophisitcated. As we sat down to dinner at a restaurant on 91st, she shared a lot with me. I'm not a little girl anymore so our relationship is more on a peer level now. She was vulnerable and raw. I guess I too made her into an iconic figure of liberation in my life. I romanticized her into being something she in reality wasn't always. She also became more human to me that night. And that's a good thing. Seeing Angela's, Yuri's, and my Titi's vulnerability made me want to strive more too. Made me want to work out my own style of activism and liberation in my own vulnerable, regular way. Now they have become even more powerful in my eyes.

Tomorrow I will talk about what I learned through the film. Some little known revolutionary facts. Stay tuned.

Show Your Sari

I was very intrigued when I saw this article, a while back, in the November 2008 issue of Working Mother magazine. According to Show Your Sari, "new research suggests that middle schoolers don’t need to feel trendy to feel good" and that "11-14 year olds who dress according to the customs of their own ethnic group are less likely to have mental health problems than those who don’t."

I started thinking about my middle school years. I used to really dress up for school! I would wear ruffle blouses, dresses, and skirts. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I wasn’t allowed to wear pants because of my very legalistic, Pentecostal church upbringing. Although I wished I could wear pants, I did like dressing up so perhaps my frilly get-ups and my feeling good in them did contribute to my not having a mental breakdown. Lol. It really goes to show that when you feel good dressing in your particular style, you don’t have to bow to trends.

Here are a couple of pics of me in Junior High School. This one is from my JHS yearbook. It's hard to see the detail but I am wearing a very high collar ruffly white blouse with a skirt. I definitely did not dress my age!

This is me in seventh grade. I LOVED this pink tie neck top. I don't know how many times I wore it. I know it was a lot!

Wondering what ethnic cultural dress keeps me sane now? ....My Pedro Albizu Campos tops! This one is still available in my shop!

Reconstruction from the Vault

As you might know, I love to reconstruct clothes. Taking an existing garment and transforming it, gives me such a sense of satisfaction. It's Fashion redemption!!!! I love it. I just got my burdastyle weekly e-mail. They had a remake challenge that they posted a while ago. I am trying to concentrate on my shop so I didn't enter any of my stuff, but if I had, I might have entered this little number that I made back in 2008. It's kind of space agey but I love it. It was my mom- in-law's sweater. She gave it to me a while ago but it looked a little frumpy so, voila! I turned the collar around, placed the placket diagonally across the body, cut the sleeves, and added ruffles to the shoulders. I look like a space age Jedi fighter. I like it. What do you think?

Another Etsy treasury

I am catching up here on some shop news. So here is another treasury from September in which a Nelesc item was chosen. RoseofLinden chose my purple Nina Simone top for her theme, Antartic Traveler. I think she was mostly interested in the color of my top than Nina, but that's okay. I am just happy she chose it!




Here's a close up.

The items in this treasury all have a tinge of purple in them. Very beautiful. RoseofLinden makes really cute jewelry. Check out her shop here.

Etsy Treasury #2

It feels so good to be recognized. Back in August my Che Guevarra cuff was chosen for an Etsy treasury. I was too busy to post it then with the kids out of school and all, but here it is.




And here's a close up.





It's the second Che Guevarra item chosen for a treasury. I love seeing it in this kind of context with other people who create in honor of this cultural hero. Thank you Indira Villalobos for choosing my piece. Indira and I have a love of Frida in common. Check out this coral Frida bracelet from her shop.

Romper No. 3. Great Transition Piece for the Fall.

This my third romper and I really, really love it! This one is made from a wool polka dot knit and if I add boots and a turtle neck, I could also wear it in the Fall! I wore it to church yesterday and it is so super comfy, I didn't take it off til 9:30 at night.

What do you think?

I'm Not Just the President, I am a Client!

I was so happy when I woke up with a morning chill. I said to myself, "yay! I can wear one of my sweatshirt jackets this morning!" You don't know how much I have been longing for fall. I love fall fashion, especially jackets. Not to mention that I have been living with my crazy, frizzy, unruly hair in a headband and bun almost ALL summer. It's been so hot and humid in New York this year that I couldn't even wear it curly for fear that I would pass out.

Anyway, this is one of my first Frida sweatshirt jackets that I made for myself. I love it so much, it's so warm and cozy and such a conversation piece. My friends really liked it and it's what got me on the road to making more and selling them in my shop.

(don't you love my big forehead? Tyra Banks has nothing on me! LOL!)

I will definitely try to whip out some more this fall but with a little twist. Stay tuned. Love ya!

Romper Love

Okay, here's my second romper and I really love it. I used McCalls 6083 pattern and was quite pleased with the results. This is actually a reconstruction. Last year I saw these hideous knitted dresses on sale for $1!!!! So I bought like seven of them knowing that I would use the fabric to make something else (I wish I would have taken pics of them before I ripped them up). Anyway, this romper is made from the skirt portions of 4 of the dresses. It is a very thin burgundy knit but it works okay. I wore it today to take my little one to the sitter and do some romping in the super market. Here I am romping in my front yard! I will definitely make another one. I have a black polka dot knit that will transition nicely into the fall. The only change I would make is to make it longer and to ruch the shoulders a bit more.

What do you think?

First Attempt at Romper

I have been sewing a lot for myself this summer as I realized that my wardrobe needed a pick me up and I am bursting at the seams (pun intended) with fabric so I needed to do some serious fabric stash busting. I have made two rompers, a top, and two dresses. I will definitely show pics soon!

Here you have my first attempt at making a romper (sorry for the blurry pics, I think I need a new camera!). I chose a black knit with leafy detail that I got for $1.00 a yard at Savathon on Fordham Road. When I first embarked on this journey I thought, "how hard can this be? It's just a top and pants attached at the waist with elastic, I don't need a pattern." So I went on my merry way and cut it out without a pattern. Well, it is not what I envisioned it to be. The top turned out too fitted and the waist is lower than what I wanted, it looks like a dropped waist. That said, it is passable and I have worn it twice already.

I since have made another one that I really like, from a pattern. Hey, sometimes a girl needs a little help. I will show pics soon, hopefully better ones.

I was featured in Princess Dominique's wonderful fashion blog!

I am so excited to announce that I was featured in Princess Dominique's fashion blog. This is a well established style and beauty blog hosted by Princess Dominique, a dynamic, amazing multifaceted woman who has been blogging since 2004. Born and raised in the Bronx and a former student of the Fashion Institute of Technology, Miss Princess Dominique is better known for her weekly shoe giveaway and looks forward to launching her shoe line in 2012.

Please take a look around her blog (after you read my piece first, of course, LOL). She has some amazing features on other very talented designers as well as loads of fashion/beauty advice and witty social observations. I am so honored to be in such company. Thank you Princess Dominique!!!

Nelesc Designs and LEAD Uganda!

I am so happy to announce that Nelesc Designs will be partnering with LEAD Uganda!! LEAD Uganda is an educational leadership initiative for abandoned children affected by AIDS, war and poverty. It was founded in 2004 by Stephen Shames, a New York based photojournalist on assignment in Uganda in 2000. "While photographing AIDS orphans, children affected by war,
and street kids in Africa, Asia, and Latin America — Steve ran into children who desperately wanted to go to school but couldn’t because they lacked school fees. In Uganda, children often got sent home from school because they don’t have a pen or paper. Steve realized a small amount of money could transform a child’s life." (http://www.leaduganda.org)./ Thus LEAD Uganda was born.

I have been looking for ways to use Nelesc Designs as a vehicle that would help others in need. Early this year, a choir made up of Ugandan orphans came to my church to sing. Unfortunately, I was not in church that day but my husband told me all about it and through his zeal and heartfelt description, I was really touched. Although Nelesc Designs, is a small, part time business, that experience caused me to ponder ways that I could give back. As I mention in my website, the image of Angela Davis which I screen print on some of my items, is based on the 1969 photograph taken by Stephen Shames. When I found out that he was the Founder and Executive Director of LEAD Uganda, I thought, "this is it! It felt so natural, not to mention, the right thing to do, to contact Steve in hopes that we could create a partnership between our two ventures. Stephen Shames is a world renowned photographer, who creates award winning photo essays on social issues for foundations, advocacy organizations, the media, and museums. He has published various books, and his images can be found in the permanent collections of many museums and art institutions. He is also the nicest guy to talk to on the phone. After exchanging e-mails and phone conversations, we decided to come together. So.....starting in May of this year, I will be donating a percentage of my Angela Davis item sales to LEAD Uganda. Please know that you will be supporting this wonderful, worthy organization by buying Angela Davis at Nelesc Designs.

To know more about LEAD Uganda, click here. To know more about Stephen Shames, go to http://www.stephenshames.com/.

Nelesc Designs 2nd Year Anniversary = FREE SHIPPING!

I was looking at my journal the other day (yes, I keep a journal, nerdy, I know). On September 17, 2005 I wrote "today I have been thinking a lot about starting a fashion business..." September 19, 2005 read, "I am now ambivalent about the whole fashion/sewing business. I wonder if it's really worth it, if people would really buy my stuff, if I'm good enough..." On September 22nd I wrote, "I am feeling more and more comfortable with this duo, art and fashion. I think I want to design t-shirts with inspirational people on them..." It is so strange to read this back and forth. I totally remember feeling scared and nervous about launching Nelesc Designs. I had about 5 tops I had sewed myself and then stenciled revolutionary/famous people on them. Among them were Frida Kahlo, Angela Davis, Pedro Albizu Campos and Diana Ross. I had them around the house a long time until Sunday, May 25th, 2008. It was then, that I decided to just list them on Etsy already before I changed my mind. I then took the boys to my friend Sheila's house. I was so happy to just do it. I remember telling Sheila that I just opened a shop on Etsy.com and we went to the computer to check it out. Right after, I told my big sister and, bless her heart, she was my very first customer. So, go ahead, write your dreams down, even your fears about them. It's so cool to read these journal entries again. I am so glad God gave me the courage to dare take that first step. It's actually the dreams of the people on my shirts that inspired me and the encouragement of my friends and family that keeps me motivated. Thank you all so much!

So....as you guessed, today is Nelesc Designs second anniversary and to honor that, I would like to offer FREE SHIPPING on all of my items starting today until June 25th. You don't have to buy anything to help me celebrate. Just leave me a comment and tell me what you think. I always love feedback! Thank's again.

I Love Ruffles!

That's right. I love ruffles, always have. I am so glad they are so in right now. From J Crew to Anthropologie, there are so many textured tops to choose from. Here are a couple of ruffly things I've been working on myself.

My Mother's day dress. I used a ruffled top of mine that I love and attached it to a skirt via an elastic waistband. I know it's hard to see the ruffles, I'll post better pics of my process soon.

Reconstructed t-shirt. I used Tea Rose Home's tutorial for this. You can find it here. (I'll post more pics of this transformation).

Ruffle detail I added to a dress I made (more pics to come).

I've been trying to find ways to add more texture to my clothing line. I know that eventually I will go a new direction but I am still not ready to stop printing my cultural icons. "How can I marry ruffles and other texture with printmaking without it looking too busy?", I thought. This is what I came up with. I love it! So much that I decided to keep this Nina Simone. Not to worry though, I made two more, which I will list tomorrow. I'll continue making them if people like them. Let me know what you think.

AIDS WALK TOP

On Saturday, I made an AIDS ribbon top for my friend S who was participating in the AIDS walk yesterday. I wrote about her and her story in this post. I am so proud of her and am so happy I got the opportunity to do this for her. Next year I am definitely walking with her.

My First Treasury!

I forgot to mention that one of my tops was chosen for a treasury on May 7th! What is a treasury? Thanks for asking. Well a treasury is a collection of etsy products that someone puts together in some sort of appealing way. It is a tool to promote shops on Etsy.com (the site my shop is on). This treasury was put together by Angela from Baby Shower Supplies and the theme was Cuban goodies. She chose my Che top to represent! Thank you so much Angela!


Angela's baby shower shop specializes in diaper cakes and favors. It will definitely come in handy if you are ever in charge of putting a baby shower together. She also has another wonderful shop that specializes in hair accessories called Stella Pearl. Here she showcases her beautiful hairclips, knit hats and crocheted headbands. Love the plastic head models! Definitely give these a look see.

Happy Birthday to Me

When you have kids, the best gift you can get on your birthday is the gift of sleep and alone time. That is what my kids gave me on my birthday (which was yesterday). My youngest, D, who has sleep issues and has not allowed me a good nights sleep in the last 8 months, slept 7 1/2 hours the night before my birthday. Thank you D, much appreciated!!! I also decided to drop him off at the babysitter's so I can have some alone time with moi for 2 hours.

One of the first things I did was don my favorite flower headband (yes, I made it myself!) and go straight to Duncan Donuts as to not deny myself a bagel and butter. I have been abstaining from bread but today was an exception. It was my birthday and I was going to have it darn it! I came home, sat on the front yard bench, and was in heaven! It was me, my bagel, and the sweet sound of chirping birds. I then went upsatirs, did a little sewing, my mom came over and I spent time with her, and then I picked up D.



In the afternoon, I decided to share my alone time with my eldest boy, M. My youngest is very demanding, which often leads me to spend more time with him than with M. I have been trying to find more ways to spend alone time with M and so my hubby had the great idea of my going out with M for my birthday while he stayed with D. M took me out for dinner and a movie that night. His father slipped him a couple bucks to play the part. Very smooth, I must say. It was a beautiful end to my special day.

Happy Birthday to me!