Happy Earth Day

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Earth Month – Making A Difference

For Earth Month, The Vine Events interviewed Tiffani Davis, owner of Tiffy’s Corner. It is time to move beyond awareness to acceptance. It is time to accept and act upon our responsibility to replenish the earth. We believe Tiffy’s Corner has made this transition and is doing their part by providing healthy products.

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Q&A Interview With Tiffani Davis

What’s the name of your company and what inspired you to start it?

The name of my company is Tiffy’s Corner. I was inspired to start Tiffy’s Corner because we live in a fast paced synthetic world. I wanted to provide people with inexpensive healthy products.

What type of products do your company provide?

Tiffy’s Corner provides many affordable healthy products. In today’s world, our food and body care products are loaded with ingredients that are extremely toxic to our bodies. Both inside and out.

I provide healthy baked goods that are as natural as can be. No preservatives or artificial ingredients of any kind. “You are what you eat” and I wouldn’t want anyone to be a lab created synthetic science experiment.

I am a firm believer that if you can’t digest it, don’t put it on your skin. This became my concern when we had children. As a parent, you want to protect your child from as much as possible. Well when you really read what is in these products, it really makes you wonder. All of the major company products are dangerous if ingested…Why would you make such a product for an infant or child? Infants and children constantly have their hands in their mouths; it’s natural for a child to be oral. Even though they may not bring that lotion bottle to their mouths and drink it (well my daughter did), the product is still on their skin. Not only are they ingesting harmful chemicals when the hands do go in the mouth, but it is getting absorbed through the skin. I felt it was time to provide us all with healthier options for our skin.

What do you find most rewarding in what you do?

I have to say that the most rewarding part of Tiffy’s Corner is the fact that I provide healthy organic products that are in reach for all walks of life; no matter what your financial situation. It breaks my heart to see how expensive organic products can be. Not everyone can afford the majority of what is out there today, but everyone should be able to afford and live an organic healthy life.

Our theme for Earth Month is “Replenish The Earth”. Why do you think it’s important to replenish the earth?

“Replenish The Earth”?… Ahhh, I could go on for days on this subject! I don’t think I could stress enough the impact humans have on this planet. We have become a cancer to our planet and need to provide a cure ASAP! If you do just a little research on the global changes occurring, it should light a fire under some of us to make the appropriate changes needed to sustain our planet. Unfortunately, people don’t want the truth…why? Because its inconvenient, the thought of making a change in their everyday life is scary and God forbid it just might slow them down! I believe that as soon as humans felt the need to speed everything up (transportation, building, growing, curing, etc) is when we began destroying Mother Earth .

It’s time to slow down. It’s time to step back and take a look at our water supply, take a look at the forest and the lack of trees, take a look at the amount of trash we accumulate, take a look at the mutations of animals, insects, and yes humans. It’s time to give back to this planet . Because we are only guest here. The trees, plants, animals, and insects can do just fine without us. We have become an unwanted house guest!

There are so many ways to make a difference. Plant a tree. It doesn’t have to cost much. Save a few seeds from an apple or orange and go for it! Start it on your widow sill and know that as soon as it begins to sprout, you have already began to make a difference . Be aware of your water use. No need to use more than you actually need. In our home we have a few grey water lines that irrigate plants outside. This reduces water use greatly. I barely turn on the outside hose in the spring or summer. But you don’t have to go through the great lengths of installing a grey water system. Catch rain water for your garden and indoor plants. When you wash those fruits and veggies, don’t just let that water go down the drain, catch it in a bowl and use for plants as well.

If we don’t take these steps and reverse the damage we have done, we will have no future. I urge us all to sit quiet, join hands, listen to Mother Earth, and begin the rebirth of our planet. It’s time for change.

You can visit Tiffy’s Corner online store at www.tiffyscorner.weebly.com.

You’re Our Favorite

Showing some love to our fans, followers, and members. You’re Our Favorite!

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Women’s History Month – Who Has Inspired You?

Want To Hear From YouThis month, The Vine Events, is commemorating Women’s History Month. National Women’s History Project (NWHP) theme for 2013 is “Women Inspiring Innovation Through Imagination”. We will highlight a fan/follower each day on our social network pages. Leave a reply below with one sentence about how a woman in your life has inspired you.  We ONLY have 30 spots available so, we need to hear from you soon!

For more information about Women’s History Month and NWHP click here.

WHM-Inspiration2

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Black History In The Making…

For the month of February, The Vine Events is celebrating Black History Month and we will highlight African American entrepreneurs on our social network pages. Our theme is “Black History In The Making” and our focus is “Community”. We’re kicking off our celebration with an article about high fashion designer Avnah Davis-Long written by guest blogger Desere’ Cross. We chose Mrs. Davis-Long because her life experiences parallel the story of struggle and triumph of African American people.

“Although my whole life was rough, God kept me and brought me out a new person with no limitation. He has instilled in my heart that everything that ever happened to me is my history, not my destiny, and I have seen Him work amazing things out in my life.” – Avnah Davis-Long.

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Our specialty is informative events such as, Q&A parties, screening dialogues, interpersonal workshops, and community forums. We offer both face-to-face and online event designs. Contact us today for a “free” consultation for your next meeting/event.

Black History In The Making – Avnah Davis-Long, High Fashion Designer

Avnah Davis-Long (center left) at speaking engagement.

Avnah Davis-Long (center left) at speaking engagement.

What does Kelly Rowland, high fashion, and Salisbury, NC all have in common? They have all come into contact with Avnah Davis-Long, a high fashion designer who has humble beginnings in Salisbury, NC.

Davis-Long moved from Ohio to Salisbury at age 12 and attended Knox Middle School, Salisbury High School, and Rowan Cabarrus Community College. At age 20, she moved to Atlanta, GA and opened a hair salon. From there, she grew her salon business. Inside of her salon, she would dress mannequins in her clothing designs. After receiving inquiries from salon clients about where they could buy the clothes draped on the mannequins, Davis-Long began to invest her income from her salon into fabric for her designs. The success of her fashion design business soon exceeded that of her hair salon, and she had to decide which passion to pursue; fashion designer or hair stylist? She chose fashion.

Davis-Long began crocheting when she was young. It was something her mom thought would be good for her to learn. This hobby that Davis-Long describes as something she was “forced” into doing, ended up jump-starting her career. Davis-Long’s first fashion line was a crochet swimwear collection, which resulted in her entering the fashion world as a notable crochet designer. In 2003, she trademarked the fashion line Avnah Couture and incorporated sewing into her line in 2006. In 2012, “Couture” was dropped from the original name, and the line was rebranded as AVNAH. AVNAH has been described as edgy, futuristic, and unique and has been featured at the New York Fashion Week, Atlanta International Fashion Week, and CIAA Fashion Week. Grammy award winner, Kelly Rowland, was the first celebrity to wear AVNAH. The collection is now being sold on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, CA and has been worn by Sasha Pieterse from ABC Family’s Pretty Little Liars, Cynthia Bailey from The Real Housewives of Atlanta, and many more.

Being the owner of a high fashion boutique requires wearing many hats, and according to Davis-Long, this is one of many obstacles to being an entrepreneur.
“I do everything, from sewing to administrative tasks,” Davis-Long said. However, during 2013, she plans to have her fashion line mass produced in a manufacturing plant. This will allow her to focus on personal aspects of the design process, such as creativity. When asked if she had any advice for aspiring entrepreneurs, Davis-Long said “you have to have thick skin…sometimes, when you take criticism the wrong way, it hinders you.” She also encouraged entrepreneurs to persevere even after being told “no.”

Although Davis-Long moved to Atlanta because it provided her with opportunities for what she wanted to do, she has not forgotten Salisbury. In the past, Davis-Long has had several speaking engagements in Salisbury, including one at Salisbury High School. Ultimately, Davis-Long said she wants her brand to have meaning behind it. By giving back to those in her community who need help and guidance, Davis-Long is able to exemplify philanthropy. In Georgia, she has worked with the Boys and Girls Club on different events and projects, such as sponsoring sewing workshops. She has also provided free demos for cosmetology schools in Georgia.

If you’d like to find out more about AVNAH or shop at their online store visit http://www.avnah.com.

Desere’ S. Cross
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Journalism and Communications Studies Major
Class of 2014

Designs By AVNAH

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New Beginnings-The Vine Events Chat Cafe

The Vine Events Chat CafeWith a new year comes new beginnings and The Vine Events is taking our RealTalk events to the next level. This month, we will host our first “The Vine Events Chat Cafe”.

While researching the art of conversation, we ran across the topic of conversation salons and this was our inspiration for Chat Cafe. The conversation salon was an Italian invention in the 16th century. During these gatherings, participants would discuss current events, exchange ideas, and encourage activism.

Our Chat Cafe is for individuals who are seeking a mini break from electronic communication and is interested in engaging in face-to-face dialogue. The Chat Cafe will offer the combination of great food and conversation in a cozy environment. Our chats will not only be informative but, also interactive and encourage open discussion.

So, if you’re looking to examine social issues face-to-face and not behind a user name, we invite you to join us for our monthly Chat Cafe. This will be a great opportunity to expand your knowledge and build relationships with people from diverse backgrounds.

Our first Chat Cafe will be on Saturday, January 19th at 10:00AM in Salisbury, NC. We will be continuing our discussion titled “My Sister Keeper”. Participants from our first discussion in November stated on their evaluations that they wanted to go “deeper” and address each root issue that was identified. We listened and we’re looking forward to more intriguing dialogue.

The cost of this event is $10 per person. To reserve your seat, click on the donate button below. The directions to event location will be emailed to those who RSVP so, please enter your email address on PayPal payment page. Thanks and see you there!

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Our specialty is informative events such as, Q&A parties, screening dialogues, interpersonal workshops, and community forums. We offer both face-to-face and online event designs. Contact us today for a “free” consultation for your next meeting/event.

Three Lessons Learned

Business People Thumbs UpWow, another year is coming to an end! We would like to thank all our fans and followers for your support and making this year a success.  We have great things planned for 2013 and we’re looking forward to sharing them with you in the months to come.

Looking back over 2012, we just wanted to share “Three Lessons Learned” during our first full year in business.

1. Build A Community-Within our first full year in business, we learned the importance of community and have built a rapport with our fans, followers, and discussion participants.  The majority of our RealTalk discussion topics and features we added to our social network pages were suggested by our fans/followers.  All their suggestions enabled more interaction and intriguing dialogue within The Vine Events’ family.

2. Embrace Technology-Our team is truly thankful for the tools technology offers. HootSuite became our best friend during our first full year in business. We also connected with some wonderful people around the globe we probably would have never meet if it wasn’t for the wide reach technology offers.  Our connections with other small businesses through social networks was also very beneficial. They offered great advice and encouragement that facilitated our entrepreneur journey.

3. Building A Business Is A Process-The reality that building a business is a process set in early. Our team’s marketing and advertising skills was put to the test during our full first year. Our mindset going in was that we will learn from our mistakes and keep it moving. We didn’t allow pass failures to keep us from trying new and different tactics/techniques. We received much encouragement from other small business owners that was instrumental in keeping us pressing forward and for that we say thanks.

We hope you found our “Three Lessons Learned” to be helpful and encouraging.  We want to hear from you. What lessons have you learned during 2012? Please leave a reply in the comment box. Thanks.

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Our specialty is informative events such as, Q&A parties, screening dialogues, interpersonal workshops, and community forums.  We offer both face-to-face and online event designs.  Contact us today for a “free” consultation for your next meeting/event.

December – AIDS Awareness Month

world aids day 2012_logo2In 2001, I was diagnosed with HIV which I contracted from my ex-husband who knowingly infected me. I was devastated as well as shocked! I knew HIV was not a death sentence but, I sure did not know how I was going to cope after getting this unexpected diagnosis. Well, I did more than cope, I actually took a stand on HIV by becoming an educator and activist in my community.

No it was not very easy being transparent and allowing others into my personal space but, then I began to realize that it is not about me and there are many others who need to be empowered by someone else’s experience. In 2004, I made the decision to speak out publicly and educate others on prevention of HIV/AIDS and other STDs as well as, how to live healthy productive and fulfilled lives despite adversities.

My desire is to help others understand the importance of avoiding risky behaviors that would result in an HIV positive diagnosis. My goal as an activist is to press the importance of knowing your status by getting tested, empower those who have received a positive diagnosis to love yourself and know that you are not alone, help others get connected with those who are a good support system, and influence communities to get educated to become more aware of prevention measures to avoid a diagnosis of HIV. There are many websites and organizations that provide resources, educational information, and even support. I have listed a few websites below as well as information on how to contact myself. Be encouraged and know that you are never alone.

Alicia HealedLee Diggs

http://iwilllive-healedlee.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/Aliciahealedleediggs?ref=h

Resources:

http://www.avert.org/

http://www.triadhealthproject.com/

http://aidsmeds.com/

http://poz.com/

http://www.cateincba.com/womenlivingwithhiv/

http://hivtest.cdc.gov/

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