Tag Archives: politics

Fashion tips … Handbags

11/14/2022 Nativegrl77

7 Tricks to Ensure Your Handbags Will Last for Years

November 8, 2014

By Allyson Payer

We’re more willing to splurge on a beautiful designer handbag than on any other wardrobe component, justifying our purchase by saying, “Well, this’ll last me for years,” which brings us to today’s subject: learning how to preserve and properly care for these investment items. Luckily, there are a few simple steps you can take to ensure that your precious satchels are kept in mint condition for years to come.

Scroll down to see our tips, and to shop gorgeous investment bags that you’ll want to protect!

1. Protect The Material:The Blonde Salad

Want to shield your new bag from spills and dirt before they happen? Scotchgard Fabric will do the trick for fabric panels, while Scotchgard Suede and Nubuck is a great water and oil repellant for suede. Both Collonil and Chamberlain’s make great leather-protecting products. Apply product with a clean white cotton cloth, followed by a dry cotton cloth to buff. Use products regularly on heavily used bags. With any products, test a small patch on the bag to make sure it doesn’t cause discoloration.

Collonil Leather Gel

Chamberlain’s Leather Milk

2. Store Them Properly:

Le 21eme

Do your bags get tossed onto a haphazard heap at the bottom of your closet? They’ll last longer if stored the right way, ideally in an upright position in their dust bags or a cotton pillowcase. Never store them in plastic or vinyl, which traps moisture inside. Stuff your bags with scarves, sweaters, or acid-free tissue paper, or use a handbag insert made for this purpose. Cross the handles over each other to avoid wear on the bag and unclip any removable straps for long-term storage.

The Container Store Quilted Handbag Shapers

The Container Store Linen Handbag Storage Bin

3. Remove Stains the Right Way:

Athens Streetstyle

The first step is to know what type of stain you’re dealing with, as that will dictate the removal method. See specific techniques below!

Food stains: Crush white chalk and let it sit on the stain overnight. Brush off with a clean cloth in the morning.

Oil stains: Put cornstarch on the stain immediately, rubbing it in to create heat from friction, which will help the oil absorb. Brush the powder off with a clean cloth after you’ve rubbed it in—don’t let it sit on the stain.

Ink stains: If the stain is fresh, use a white eraser to immediately erase the spot, without applying too much pressure so that the color doesn’t come off. If the ink is already set, you’ll need a professional (see tip #7). An eraser also works for dirt stains.

Water stains: Blot water stains, let them dry naturally, and bring your bag to a professional for removal.

Odor removal: Keep a plastic bag filled with baking soda inside your handbag. Zip the handbag or place it in a larger bag that seals if it doesn’t zip. Keep the baking soda in the bag for one or two days to absorb the odor. Another option? Place a couple of dryer sheets in the bag for a few days.

4. Protect the Lining:

A Love is Blind

Use pouches to store cosmetics and liquids, which will protect the handbag lining from spills and keep you organized to boot. Avoid click pens at all cost, opting for pens with caps instead. Better yet, put those in your pouch too, in case of dreaded ink leaks.

Comme des Garçons Star Embossed Small Pouch

5. Keep Metal Hardware Shiny:

A Love is Blind

Do your best to keep away jewelry and zippers that could scratch your bag’s metal hardware. A go-to household item, Mr. Clean’s Magic Erasers, do a great job of cleaning up tarnished and grimy hardware.

6. Practice Routine Maintenance:

Athens Streetstyle

Here are a few best practices when it comes to daily handbag maintenance:

1. Avoid handling your bag if your hands are dirty or have lotion or cream on them.
2. Keep your bag out of direct sunlight.
3. Rotate which handbag you carry regularly so that they don’t wear out too quickly.
4. Use a suede brush to clean and revive suede.
5. Regular use of a leather moisturizer will keep the leather supple and free of cracks.
6. Wipe your bag down on a weekly basis (when in use) with a soft cloth.

7. Take It to a Professional:

A Love is Blind

For stains and wear and tear beyond your handbag maintenance skill set, take it to a handbag repair professional. Most shoe repair professionals also work on handbags. They’ll treat it for you, clean it, and restore color as needed. If your bag doesn’t have metal feet on the bottom, it’s wise to have those installed, as they’ll protect it from scratches and dirt.

Shop Investment Handbags:

A.P.C. Edith Leather Shoulder Bag

A structured black bag will take you from day to night. Bonus points for sleek gold hardware.

Chloe Large Drew Grained Leather Shoulder Bag

All the cool girls are wearing this It-bag with a cool yet classic vibe.

M2Malletier Memento Mori Bag

This slightly larger version of M2Malletier’s popular clutch style is perfect for everyday wear.

Building Block Bucket Bag

Buttery forest green leather and oversized tassels join forces to create a perfectly quirky bucket bag for fall.

Mark Cross Laura Leather Shoulder Bag

Boxy shapes are in for fall, so tap into the trend with this structured Mark Cross version.

Rag & Bone Haircalf Bradbury Small Flap Hobo

This leopard calf-hair bag makes a subtle statement and gives a luxe feel to any outfit.

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Social Security ACT … a repost

08/14/2022 Nativegrl77

Jenna Brayton
August 15, 2014
04:08 PM EDT

On August 14, 1935, President Franklin Roosevelt said, “We can never insure 100 percent of the population against 100 percent of the hazards and vicissitudes of life, but we have tried to frame a law which will give some measure of protection to the average citizen and to his family against the loss of a job and against poverty-stricken old age.”

With that, he signed the Social Security Act into law, ushering in an era of economic prosperity for middle-class families. The first American to get Social Security received 17 cents in benefits. Today, 79 years later, Social Security stands as a major source of income for 54 million Americans who have paid into the system for their entire working lives.

President Obama understands that many seniors rely on Social Security, and believes that every one of them should be able to retire with dignity, which is why he’s acted to strengthen the Social Security system and ensure it remains solvent for years to come.

~ Culture & History, ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

He Had a Dream – Celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day ::Black History

02/17/2022 Nativegrl77 2 Comments

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s leadership of the American Civil Rights Movement achieved more genuine progress toward racial equality in America than the previous 350 years had produced. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest leaders in world history.

Our country is celebrating his birthday. Check out these classroom resources, activities, and lesson plans to learn more about him:

About Dr. King
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service
Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, Washington DC
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site, Georgia
Activity: “I Have a Dream” Speech
Activity: “I Have a Dream” Banner
Audio Recording: “I Have a Dream” Speech
Guide: Curriculum for Empowerment (PDF)
Lesson Plans
Timeline

~ Culture & History, ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

The Charleston Shooting … In memory of

02/17/2022 Nativegrl77

By CAP Action War Room

Wednesday’s tragic murder of nine black parishioners in Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church by a 21-year-old white man wanting “to start a civil war” is weighing heavily on the hearts of all of us. We cannot begin to understand the grief felt by the families of those lost or the Charleston community. But we can speak about what we do know. This was a racist committing a racially motivated murder. This was another tragic example of how guns too easily fall into the hands of dangerous people. This was a terrorist act.

Here is a round-up of the columns and news that we are reading and talking about. We hope they foster and inform your conversations, reflections, and actions too:

1. Jelani Cobb in The New Yorker: Murders in Charleston. “We have, quite likely, found at 110 Calhoun Street, in Charleston, South Carolina, the place where Columbine, Aurora, and Newtown cross with Baltimore, Ferguson, and Sanford.”

2. Ta-Nehisi Coates in The Atlantic: Take Down the Confederate Flag—Now. “Moral cowardice requires choice and action. It demands that its adherents repeatedly look away, that they favor the fanciful over the plain, myth over history, the dream over the real. Here is another choice. Take down the flag. Take it down now.”

3. Jeff Duo in the Washington Post: The legal loophole that allowed Dylann Roof to get a gun. “Dylann Roof, the man accused of a shooting spree that left nine people dead at a historic black church in Charleston on Wednesday night, should not have been able to get a gun.”

4. Jamelle Bouie in Slate: The Black American Holiday Everyone Should Celebrate but Doesn’t. “Juneteenth isn’t just a celebration of emancipation, it’s a celebration of our commitment to make it real.”

5. Jennifer Mascia in The Trace: Charleston Area Faced Gun Violence Spike Before Church Shooting. “Nearly eight out of every 10 killings in the area last year involved a firearm.”

6. Dan Wasserman’s editorial cartoon in The Boston Globe:

wasserman charleston

CREDIT: Dan Wasserman

And be sure to check out the latest news and opinions from our partners at ThinkProgress:

1. Judd Legum: NRA Board Member Blames Charleston Victim For His Own Death. Seriously.

2. Ian Millhiser: When John Roberts Said There Isn’t Enough Racism In America To Justify The Voting Rights Act. It’s a sordid business, this divvying up the amount of racism in the United States to decide whether Congress is allowed to enact laws intended to fix it.

3. Jack Jenkins: How The Charleston Shooting Is Linked To The Confederate Flag, According To A South Carolinian. While the Confederate flag is certainly about heritage, it is and always has been about hate.

4. Kiley Kroh: Charleston Victim’s Son Addresses Media On The Baseball Field. “Love is always stronger than hate. So if we just love the way my mom would, then the hate won’t be anywhere close to where the love is.”

Wishing you a safe and peaceful weekend.

~ Culture & History, ~ politics petitions pollution and pop culture

Lawrence Guyot : a Civil Rights Leader, in memory of – Black History

02/14/2022 Nativegrl77 3 Comments

WASHINGTON November 25, 2012 (AP)

Guyot was born in Pass Christian, Miss., on July 17, 1939. He became active in civil rights while attending Tougaloo College in Mississippi, and graduated in 1963. Guyot received a law degree in 1971 from Rutgers University, and then moved to Washington, where he worked to elect fellow Mississippian and civil rights activist Marion Barry as mayor in 1978.

“When he came to Washington, he continued his revolutionary zeal,” Barry told The Washington Post on Friday. “He was always busy working for the people.”

D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton told The Post in 2007 that she first met Guyot within days of his beating at a jail in Winona, Miss. “Because of Larry Guyot, I understood what it meant to live with terror and to walk straight into it,” she told the newspaper. On Friday, she called Guyot “an unsung hero” of the civil rights movement.

“Very few Mississippians were willing to risk their lives at that time,” she said. “But Guyot did.”

In recent months, his daughter said he was concerned about what he said were Republican efforts to limit access to the polls. As his health was failing, he voted early because he wanted to make sure his vote was counted, he told the AFRO newspaper.