My New Favorite, ONE OF A KIND Purse !!

Isabella Dean owner, Kristi Kotsatos has spread her creative wings to open up the Zoe Klutch line exclusively available at etsy.

Kotsatos is still continuing strong with her eco-friendly line of up-cycled jewelry, but has since expanded to up-cycled clutches (or Klutches to add that extra level of flair) for an everyday purpose for nearly every type of gal. She takes typical t-shirts (new or old, but preferably old meaningful t-shirts) and uses the graphic, in this case, my Alma Mater, "Mason" and makes it the design of the purse. She's also clever enough to use vintage denim to line the inside to not only make it more durable, but to use the pockets as actual pockets for the purse..to hold lip gloss, cell phone, the what-have-yous.

Even when making a custom piece, Kotsatos is one step ahead and making recommendations to her clients so the potential of the klutch is maxed. As you can see the t-shirt she used for my purse was white. She knows how much of a sports fanatic I am and suggested using a soft heather grey backing of the purse so I can lay it on the ground of a stadium without compromising the crisp clean look.

She does all of her crafts-womanship based out of her studio in Houston, TX but people all over the country and Esty lovers alike are scooping up the Zoe goods as soon as they hit the wire..

These are one-of-a-kind, up-cycled accessories and made from the heart and soul of up-cycled creationare, Kristi Kotsatos. To get one custom made, email kristi@isabelladean.com and tell her I sent you!

.jl.

Houston, You Need a Haircut.

If you're new to Houston and haven't found a hair dresser or a good group of fun-loving friends, then check us out at the Michael Saldana Hair Salon on Wednesday, June 17th from 4-8pm in Midtown.

The appointments are $50, which is a hell of a deal considering the salon and all the proceeds benefit Autism Speaks, the nation's largest Autism organization. (There are also make up makeover appointments if you don't want to cheat on your current hair dresser and there will be a party on the patio for a $10 donation from 6-9.)

Call 713.528.3699

If you can't make the event, but would like to make an online donation, click here.

Read below for the entire press relase:

Contact:
Jayme Lamm
jaymelamm@yahoo.com

May 26, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Charity Chicks Put on a Fun-Razor for Autism

Houston – Charity Chicks Houston partners with the Michael Saldana Salon bringing a Fun-Razor in Midtown directly benefiting Autism Speaks.

On Wednesday, June 17th, the stylists at Michael Saldana Salon located at 1319 W. Webster will donate haircuts and styles for a discounted rate of $50 with 100% of the proceeds going to Autism Speaks. “We are thrilled to support Autism Speaks through this creative and fun event. Autism has affected many of our members personally, as well as their friends and families and we are excited to raise money and awareness for the nation’s largest autism organization”, said Tam’ra Osborne Powell, Co-Founder of Charity Chicks Houston.

For those women already committed to their hairdressers, the salon is also offering $50 professional Make-up Makeovers with all proceeds benefiting Autism Speaks.

Call 713.528.3699 to make a hair or make-up appointment from 4-8pm on June 17th. Booker and Sarah from HOT 95-7’s Morning Show will be at the salon broadcasting live with today’s hottest music.

Join the supporters of Autism Speaks on the patio of the Michael Saldana Salon from 6-9pm for a $10 donation. The donation gets you free drinks, free food courtesy of Lucky’s Pub, and most importantly, the great feeling that comes along with supporting a valuable cause.

“We realize that people lead busy, hectic lives especially in Houston,” Powell said. “We wanted to give our members and friends a fun mid-week event to support this wonderful cause.”
Charity Chicks Houston is looking for support in a variety of ways. For more information, please visit www.charitychickshouston.com. If you can’t attend the event but still want to donate, there is a link on the website to make an online donation to Autism Speaks

-- About Charity Chicks Houston --
Charity Chicks Houston got the great idea from Charity Chicks Orlando (unaffiliated, but a truly inspiring group of women) and then added their own flair to the group in Houston.
The group meets throughout the year for a host of reasons and causes. Charity Chicks Houston plans at least one event per quarter to support a local charity either by volunteering or raising money - or both. The group also attends and helps with other activities throughout the year to continue to promote the plethora of charitable events in the great city of Houston.
The events and the organizations CCH chooses to support vary throughout the year based on current situations and the passion of members. The group is not affiliated with any particular non-profit organizations. The group is unpaid and there are no time or financial commitments to join or participate.

-- About Autism Speaks --
Autism Speaks is the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. Autism Speaks funds more than $30 million each year in new autism research, in addition to supporting the Autism Treatment Network, Autism Genetic Resource Exchange, Autism Clinical Trials Network, Autism Tissue Program and a range of other scientific and medical programs. Notable awareness initiatives include the establishment of the annual United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day on April 2 and an award-winning, multi-year national public service advertising campaign with the Ad Council. Autism Speaks' family services efforts include the Autism Video Glossary, a 100 Day Kit for newly-diagnosed families, a School Community Tool Kit and the distribution of community grants to local service providers. Its government relations department, through its Autism Votes initiative, has played a critical role in securing federal legislation to advance the federal government's response to autism, and has successfully advocated for insurance reform to require insurers to cover medically-necessary autism therapies. Each year, Walk Now for Autism Speaks fundraising events are held in more than 70 cities across the country, as well as Canada and the United Kingdom. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit www.autismspeaks.org.

.jl.

Dear Arm, Welcome Back to my Body.

After 7 heinously grueling weeks I finally got my arm back. If you want to get technical, I had it the entire time, but I got my sling off. I had surgery before Easter and I thought I knew what I was in store for since this of course was the 2nd surgery on the EXACT same bum shoulder, but apparently my temporary amnesia resurfaced.

If you've never had to temporarily part with a limb, you cannot imagine the hassle and frustration that goes into it. I mean, do you have any idea how bothersome it is to know that John McCain can lift his arm higher than you can? There are so many things I will not be taking for granted after this..

+ two-handed sandwiches on the menu (you always have to make sure there is someone there to cut your steak too!)

+ double fisting or even single fisting drinks at the bar...hell going into bars is practically forbidden in fear of someone bumping into your little wing

+ taking a shower (imagine waiting patiently for your boyfriend to get home from work just to cover your arm and boob in saran wrap so it doesn't get wet) this should also include shaving

+ washing my hair and putting it in a ponytail (hair washing only commenced in the kitchen sink for a pretty lengthy amount of time)

+ DRIVING

+ being able to lift my arm to apply deodorant (subsequently thankful for not being able to lift my arm to smell it)

+ sleeping in ANY other position other than on your back with your robo-armed sling pointing directly to the ceiling

+ the gym (most of us hate it, but imagine if you physically CAN'T)

This list could legitimately go on forever. While the past 7 weeks may have been comical for some, it has literally been hell for me. I'm tickled pink to have rejoined the world of healthy individuals and I'm praying that my black cloud will take a reprieve from effing up my life. I think 18 weeks of rehab will suffice.

Thanks to those of you that helped me during this time and the get well wishes. I undubitably would not have made it through this without y'all :)

.jl.

who cares if I'm naked?

I've noticed over the past couple months that more and more friends of mine have blogs. For numerous reasons..to share pictures and experiences of their families and new additions, to vent about work, to keep in touch with friends and family..whatever the case may be.

One of my sorority sisters in particular has a cute little blog about her happy family, which don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled about. I also noticed that her "Blog List" contains links to every one of our sorority sisters...but NOT ME. And we are friends. She even links to some of our sisters she couldn't stand. Sure, times change. Differences are resolved. We grow up. I get it.

And then it hit me.

I'm too naked for her. I understand she has a family and is blessed with a social acumen I could never comprehend. What would people think if she read a site like this? Imagine if her mother-in-law decked in pearls and diamonds and Chanel reading glasses leaned over her computer and saw her computer read A $ $.

Blogs are meant to be personal and I won't apologize that sometimes my life is a little more expletive or that I like words you won't find in the Bible. I'm a writer and I started this blog to enhance my creativity and writing which means I'm educated enough to know when to turn it down and honest enough to know when to bring the heat. When I started brainstorming what I would write about I thought about writing under a pseudonym, but I like my writing and am not afraid to be judged, with perhaps a few limits here and there. That's what life is all about.

I made it clear when starting this blog that I was breaking one of the most prominent blog rules out there:

Stay focused and Stay on Topic.

I don't want to. I write about me, my experiences, things I've published, things I do, things I want to do. My blog is just that...MY BLOG. I don't think I write anything offensive. Even though the name is A$$, it's not nearly as bad as you think it is. I don't use it as a bad word. Go ahead, read about it.

And you know what else? I'm not as naked as I want to be. Like on this post ..when I fell down the stairs and had head trauma, I failed to mention that "an amazingly fun girls photoshoot" was code for a semi-nude/lingerie shoot which looked like the production of a porn. I was actually naked and didn't even post it. Ironic, no?

I'm going to continue being naked and continue to say A$$ as much as I want. Hell, some of us look better naked and I've been told quite a few times my writing is better naked.

.jl.

The Demise of a Tagline.

Bank of America is a prime of example of taking a tagline, which is meant to help grow your business and turn it into a PR nightmare, A.K.A. a lie and my conversation below proves it.

Wikipedia defines a tagline as a variant of a branding slogan typically used in marketing materials and advertising. The idea behind the concept is to create a memorable phrase that will sum up the tone and premise of a brand or product (like a film), or to reinforce the audience's memory of a product. Some taglines are successful enough to warrant inclusion in popular culture, often becoming snowclones.

If you go to Bank of America's website, they say:

"Get more from Online Banking ...Save time managing your finances, so you can spend more time living your life."

I tried to get my year end statement for tax purposes, but they do not offer that service. They offer a summary at a charge of $9.95, but do not offer one full year end statement. Here is my online conversation with one of their reps. I wonder why Bank of America doesn't include this conversation in their marketing collateral? Possibly because it contradicts getting "More" or being "Easy".

If a company were to choose a tagline of "Open All Day Everyday", what would you think if that same company was closed 7 days a week? You'd think they were liars. Which is why I think Bank of America is comprised of liars AND people that decide on the advertising/marketing campaigns that don't truly understand the offerings of the company. This often provides a major pitfall for some companies.

Verbatim Conversation:

Welcome to Bank of America . My name is Patricia. How may I help you with your Bank of America credit card today?

Patricia: Thank you for choosing Card Services. How may I provide you with Exceptional Service?

you: I am just trying to find my year end 2008 statement for tax purposes of all my transactions. Is this available online?

Patricia: Thank you for being a valued Bank of America customer. I would be happy to assist you with your account, Jayme.

Patricia: The summary is not available online. Would you like me to see about mailing it for you?

you: yes please.

Patricia: Great! For security purposes may I have the last four of your social security number?

you: [I obviously deleted this line from this post]

Patricia: Thank you.

Patricia: I can send a Year End Summary for $9.95. The delivery time frame is two to three weeks. The alternative is to print monthly statements online for free.

you: wow, you guys don't do free year end statements like my other credit card?

you: OR have the option online to do so?

Patricia: Our accounts do not offer a free Year End Summary. The alternative is to print monthly statements online for free.

you: I really don't mean to be difficult but I find that somewhat disappointing considering my other cards offer that service

Patricia: I can definitely understand that. I truly apologize for the inconvenience, Jayme.

you: on top of the fact that I save Bank of America money each month by never making a late payment OR requesting paper bills.

you: That saves Bank of America the cost of printing that paper and stamps, but yet you want me to pay the first time I need something sent to me in paper? Have I ever received a discount for paying things online versus paper bills? I've done this as long as I've been a customer of Bank of America, I'm sure you can imagine that saves you quite a bit of money.

Patricia: Are you still with me? Please respond so I can leave this chat window open to answer any Credit Card questions you may have.

you: yes I do

Patricia: Okay, great! You can print your monthly statements online for free instead of paying the $9.95 for the summary.

you: please note that I will be cancelling my account due to this ludicrous option of having to pay for MY statements

Patricia: The statements are free online, Jayme.

Patricia: You are asking for a summary which is different from monthly statements. The fee is for preparation and delivery costs.

Patricia: I will note your comment on file.

you: I don't want a summary

you: I want one file with my entire report of what I paid for what

Patricia: That is a summary.

you: I do not want or have time to go and print 12 different statements for every month when I need the entire year

Patricia: I can definitely understand that.

you: It's not a summary if it's 12 statements tied into one file.

Patricia: I truly apologize for the inconvenience.

Patricia: Yes, it is a summary, if it is summing a number of statements.

Patricia: Do you have any further questions regarding your credit card account?

you: A summary is defined as –noun 1. a comprehensive and usually brief abstract, recapitulation, or compendium of previously stated facts or statements.

you: I do not want a summary, have you listened to what I asked for?

Patricia: The Year End Summary will not provide the transactions listed singly, it will summarize them in their category types.

you: I don't want them singly, hence the reason I asked for a year end statement, not a year end summary. Please read the very first entry of my portion of this conversation.

you: You mean a company as large as Bank of America does not have the capability for what I want?

Patricia: Okay, we do not offer them any other way than singly or the Summary.

you: so online when it says "make banking online easier", that is not a true statement?

Patricia: Yes, it is

you: How can one manage their account when a company your size is not even capable of producing such a document?

Patricia: Jayme, what you are referring to is our Year End Summary, I apologize for any confusion.

Patricia: Would you like to order the Year End Summary?

you: Other banks do, perhaps they should have that statement of "Get more from online banking" because I can't even get a simple document that numerous other banks offer. And I am not referring to a Year End Summary, I am referring to one document with every transaction for the entire year. I am referring to the exact same thing I received from Chase and Wachovia merely a few weeks ago.

Patricia: I truly apologize for the inconvenience.

you: Thank you for your time and confirming that Bank of America is poorly run with Poor Options or lack thereof. Please cancel my card/account effective immediately and let your supervisor know that I am going to a bank that truly gives me more for online banking, such as options.

So my question is this...why invest an exorbitant amount of money into advertising when you can't follow through with it?

.jl.

Charity Chicks and Astros Support The Parish School (press release and flyer)

Contact:
Jayme Lamm
jaymelamm@yahoo.com

May 19, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Charity Chicks and Astros Support The Parish School

Houston – Charity Chicks Houston continues on with their efforts to raise money and awareness for non-profits in Houston. As the Houston Astros gear up to take on the Pittsburgh Pirates, the members of Charity Chicks Houston gather at Minute Maid Park on June 6th to support of The Parish School.

The Parish School is a local private school for children with autism and other learning differences and has been located in Houston since 1983.

Tickets for the June 6th game are on sale at charitychickshouston.com or astros.com/parish and by using password “PARISH” $2 for every ticket sold will be donated back to the school. “After meeting with the administrators at The Parish School and touring their beautiful campus, we saw the amount of hard work that goes into the education and enrichment of those children’s lives of the students,” said Tam’ra Osborne Powell, Co-Founder of Charity Chicks Houston. “This event isn’t strictly about raising money for the school. The focus of Charity Chicks Houston is threefold: raising money, raising awareness and having fun. We want to raise awareness for The Parish School as well as offer the kids a fun time just as the summer starts.”

The group is also giving the first 50 students from the school a free Astros gift in the Union Station Lobby at 5:30.

The Astros have offered a deep discount for the game where field Box seats can be purchased for $23, Bullpen for $16, Mezzanine for $13, View Decks for $10 and $8 and anyone can take advantage of these discounts and support the school. Visit astros.com/parish and use password “PARISH” to take advantage of this offer.

-- About Charity Chicks Houston --

Charity Chicks Houston got the great idea from Charity Chicks Orlando (unaffiliated, but a truly inspiring group of women) and then added their own flair to the group in Houston.
The group meets throughout the year for a host of reasons and causes. Charity Chicks Houston plans at least one event per quarter to support a local charity either by volunteering or raising money - or both. The group also attends and helps with other activities throughout the year to continue to promote the plethora of charitable events in the great city of Houston.
The events and the organizations CCH chooses to support vary throughout the year based on current situations and the passion of members. The group is not affiliated with any particular non-profit organizations. The group is unpaid and there are no time or financial commitments to join or participate.

-- About The Parish School --

The Parish School is the only school in Houston, public or private, which offers a multi-age, language-based, developmental curriculum for children 18 months through fifth grade. Children served have communication and learning differences, but average to above average learning potential. These differences may include problems with speech/language, learning to read, focusing attention, visual motor areas, social skills, and auditory processing.

The Parish School utilizes a classroom based therapy program implemented by certified teachers and speech/language pathologists. Classroom ratios are low and treatment/education plans are individualized to maximize the success of each child. The state-of-the-art facilities include parent/therapist viewing areas, built in assisted listening devices, play and picnic areas, gardens and large, bright classrooms. The creative and visual arts play a large role in the academic program and incorporate the focus on expressive, receptive and pragmatic language skills while giving children a creative outlet in which to express themselves.

.jl.

if this wasn't made for my mother I don't know what was..

Love you mom!

.jl.

I'm too sexy for my shirt..

Oh how I wish that were the case.  Since my recent shoulder surgery, it has been quite a feat to dress myself and most of my smaller shirts are completely off limits for the mere fact I cannot move my shoulder high enough to get the shirt over my head.  Until today...

I just bought my first pair of scrubs (even though I work in the medical industry, I don't wear scrubs) for a Pub Crawl for MS on Saturday.  I was so excited to try these scrubs on imaging I'd look like Meredith Grey or something but of course with much bigger boobs.

But the XS would NOT, I repeat, would NOT come off.  I had to call for reinforcements to literally drive to my house and either rip or cut this damn top off.  Talk about claustrophobia at its finest..feeling trapped inside a cotton morsel of clothing.  

And oh how sexy it must have been for my boyfriend to drive all the way over here and pry this damn shirt off my swollen post-surgery one-armed body with recently added lbs.  As with most things in my life picturing this escapade simply would not do it justice.  Welcome to my life.

.jl.

Apparently Kenny Chesney lied when he said love don’t happen twice..

LOVESICK.  That's what my friend Jen and her boyfriend Josh are.  I always make fun of her and she recently started a blog so here is her intro to the blog world written by yours truly..

There once was this girl named Jen who all the boys adored. You’d walk into a bar and they’d gravitate to her. Even if you were wearing a see-through bikini they’d find their way to HER. A grocery store…same thing. A library..yup. You get the picture. She was tall, had long hair (but always wanted longer hair like Rapunzel), played volleyball whenever possible, never left her house without her camera strategically placed in her right hand and had creative juices flowing like Sunny Delight from a can. My Grandpa used to put on his Velcro sneakers faster than I’d ever seen just to catch a glimpse of her walking by…even with a broken hip.

But none of those boys (including Grandpa) meant a thing to her or made her heart flutter like a Britney Spears concert used to. Why? Because she has * Josh *. He’s the one “that makes her heart happy and constantly gives her butterflies.” She thinks he’s the “greatest guy ever”. Insert grimacing face here. She’s “fallen in love with her best friend again and fallen HARD” and is “so in love, it’s not even funny.” Hell, I think reading all their MySpace and Facebook statuses is funnier than an old school Saturday Night Live marathon. And yes, this is the guy with the heinous knee scar, but she loves him unconditionally.

Sixty-Seven miles may not seem like a LONG-distance relationship but to this Romeo and Juliet it is just enough distance to continually make their friends cough up the acidic juices from their stomachs every time they hear their love lingo or watch their finger race in a text battle to see who can say “I Love You” more than 5 times in the span of sixty seconds. At the time this was written they’ve yet to accomplish that many texts in a one-minute span.

Never fear..this is not a Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt type of couple, no matter how much media coverage they garner for themselves (i.e. 9 million photos of them making out or hugging). Though I doubt love happens twice for the Brad/Jen duo, this is Jennifer Henrichsen and Josh Brown and they got a second chance at fate (sigh immediately followed by raucous, vehement vomiting). Making love popular again.

So just as a good friend would do, I convinced her to start a stomach wrenching earth-shattering blog about her love affair simply so I’d have one more reason than I already do to make fun of her. And here is the start of her soon to be infamous blog…

(of course this is all meant in jest.. I love this couple..scars, hair extensions and all.)

.jl.

One Word.

I just thought this picture was worth posting. Curious to see what one or two words each of my readers can come up with to describe this picture of Heidi and Spencer on their pre-honeymoon in Mexico fighting off the swine flu. Aside from the obvious word, ridiculous.

My One Word:
Tan-lines? (ok, maybe that's two words, but the hypen made me feel better..)

Click on the small comments button below and let me know your word. You can be anonymous to post a comment..don't be shy.

.jl.