Hip Candy is moving!After 10 years, Hip Candy is moving to a new place y'all, so I hope you'll continue the journey with me over at our new spot! Click the pic above to go there now! And onc… Read More

And please evacuate if your city officials say it's necessary. Praying that this storm passes quickly Read More

Photo via @juxtapozmag and @jenny_morgan_jm on InstagramI really wanna see this! Just minutes outside of Las Vegas, 7 Magic Mountains will be on display until Spring 2018. Roa… Read More

And it's less than $25 bucks! This top would be cute with a pair of skinny jeans and heels (or a pair of Converse or flat sandals!) Or pair this top tucked into a pencil skirt for an o… Read More

Wearing my new Firmoo glasses and my DIY Satin Lined Beanie.Look, I'm no stranger to getting my prescription glasses online. In fact, that's been my preferred method since about 2009-2010. W… Read More

"As human beings, we are all the same. There is no need to build some kind of artificial barrier between us." #TransRightsAreHumanRights— . (@earthh_universe) July 26, 2017#TransRights… Read More

The Joint BBQ, 701 Mazant Street, New OrleansAre you coming to the Essence Festival in New Orleans this 4th of July weekend? If you are check out my recommendations for local eating spots on… Read More

Grey Tobi Cowl Midi Dress, Grey Sneakers. Shop this look below.A comfy dress that's still cute is my JAM. This cowl tank dress combines the ease and comfort of a pair of pajamas with the sty… Read More

Creole Tomato Festival in New Orleans. Festival Style Inspiration. Shop this look below.It's festival season y'all! Which is like saying, "it's Saturday!" in New Orleans because festivals li… Read More

My little white dress (LWD) by 7th & Broadway from TOBI. White parties are a huge thing when the weather gets warm. Here in New Orleans the white parties have already started and yo… Read More

The 2017 New Orleans Wine & Food Experience, Grand Tasting at Mardi Gras WorldMemorial Day weekend kicked off the 25th annual New Orleans Wine & Food Experience (NOWFE) here in the c… Read More

There's so much to do in New Orleans this weekend! New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, New Orleans Jazz Market Concert Series, Jammin' on Julia and beautiful weather! If you're in the… Read More

2017 French Quarter Festival in New Orleans. Desktop/Laptop users: CLICK THE PIC for a slideshow of photos.The annual French Quarter Festival is 4 days of FREE local New Orleans music… Read More

This is my 2nd time around.  I decided to transition back to my natural hair back in 2011 after transitioning for 15 months (see HERE). My first big chop was back in 2012 (see HERE… Read More

I've made 6 of these lined beanies so far, watch below to see how you can too!#fashion #sewing #diystyleFollow my sewing page on Facebook! Read More

Not really moved by #valentines day but we do #love ❤️ to #travel whenever we can. So there's that. Happy V-day anyway to you 💐😊 #traveltuesday #travelogue #pun… Read More

My first day of vacation outfit (and my first day hair). Purchase a similar vacation top to mine HERE.Glass of wine on deck! And that's an actual deck because I'm on a boat, ha. This cr… Read More

It's swimsuit season! Just kidding, it's the middle of winter, but I did finish my 2nd swimsuit before we took a quick warm weather escape to Mexico in chilly January (see my 1st swimsuit HE… Read More

Do you remember the first time I did a "sort of" tutorial where I turned a loose tee into a fitted tee? No? Well, here you go. And now I've done it again! It's my first sewing project of 201… Read More

Happy Holidays from Hip Candy 🎄😊 Read More

My Winter SketchesAnd I plan on sewing all three of these concepts before winter is over! *fingers crossed* Y'all, I'm pretty proud of this sketch, given the fact that I barely sketched… Read More

What I made in #2016! Well not all of it, this doesn't count my "satin" lined beanies (I've made 4 so far) and my first sew in wig but it's more than I realized I'd made this year considerin… Read More

I love hair. I love curly hair. This was my first time sewing a wig with the (curved) needle and thread. This wig wasn't an instant success, it took a couple tries before I got it right, but… Read More

If you guessed "dance team" you're warm, if you guessed "HBCU dance team" you're even warmer. If you guessed SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY DANCING DOLL then you're on FIRE. And right here is a good a… Read More

I guess it can be pumpkin since it IS October. But JUST pumpkin, not pumpkin spice. There's already enough of that everywhere. It's also my birthday today! Yay! October 12. All day today. A… Read More

Scroll down for my (tangerine!) version of this Urban Outfitters One Shoulder Top.#fashion #sewing #diystyleFor all the AWESOME people who followed my most recent Instagram story, here is my… Read More

My red maxi dress with the pockets I added #sewingBelieve it or not, but this was the first time I added pockets to a dress that I bought. I had never done that before buying this inexpensiv… Read More

My DIY blush pink Summer DressHow do you like my sweet and simple end-of-summer blush pink dress? I made it in ONE DAY! That's MAJOR for me. If you've been following this blog for any length… Read More

When you #sew using the same #fabric until you run out of it... #dress #swim #fashion #sewing #diystyle #isew #hipcoutureA photo posted by Chanel Ward (@nbr5) on Aug 26, 2016 at 8:21am PDT Read More

My red and white cut out dressHalf of 2016 is already gone (the 4th of July is just around the corner!) and I have sewn a grand total of 3 things so far this year. THREE. These red shorts, t… Read More

Enjoying the 2016 NOWFE Royal Street Stroll and the mild NOLA Spring WeatherThe ticket line. Shows the popularity of the Royal Street Stroll in one photo. Tito's Handmade VodkaRoyal Str… Read More

The New Orleans Wine & Food Experience is celebrating it's 24th year (May 26-28, 2016) and each year, hundreds of wineries and restaurants participate. NOWFE is one of the best New Orlea… Read More

A few months ago, I posted this super cute Valentino dress coming down the runway (from their Fall/Winter 2014 collection), and I knew almost instantly that I wanted to try to make it. Slow… Read More

THE GORGEOUS WEATHER! The 2016 French Quarter Festival could NOT have been prettier. The 2016 French Quarter Festival had 4 consecutive days of THE. MOST. GLORIOUS weather imaginable. I cann… Read More

Turned my F21 Boyfriend Jeans into Shorts, Location, The Saint Hotel, New Orleans, Canal StreetOutfit Post! Because when was my last one, right? (that long ago) but anyhoo, here we are now i… Read More

Denim Boyfriend Shorts?! I spotted this look on Pinterest and thought it was the coolest ever. This look is smack in the middle of my style comfort zone. Easy, comfy, chic. I just neede… Read More

Click over to Michelle O. Style to see more Read More

I purchased my tangerine jersey and tangerine twill fabric 2 years ago and I'm just now all like, "hey! I know what I wanna do with this!" lol. Well I told you, sometimes it takes a minute t… Read More

The 2016 New Orleans French Quarter Festival (presented by Chevron) is upon us again, so what can you expect from the festival this year? New Orleans finest restaurants at "The World's Large… Read More

Rosa Parks was a Civil Rights Icon and "The Refuser in Chief" of famously not giving up her bus seat to a white passenger in 1955, which in turn kicked off the Montgomery Boycotts and o… Read More

DIY Red Satin Shorts. Photo by Ron WardHey y'all! Long time, no post, I know, I know. But we finally got a chance to snap a few pics of my diy red satin party shorts that I finished way&nbsp&hell…Read More

I made this red print maxi dress (with pockets!) waayyy back in 2009 (see HERE and HERE) and from time to time, I like to see if things I made still fit the same. It still fits, so yay! And… Read More

My Navy DIY Midi DressBy chance, have I mentioned that I'm ready for Fall? I have? It's just that it's been SO HOT in New Orleans this Summer and I'm over it. Bring on the cooler weather! An… Read More

Bear with us as we make a few cosmetic changes to Hip Candy! We just felt like moving some furniture around and maybe applying a new coat of paint. Stay tuned as we try to make the site bett… Read More

My Sporty DIY Raglan T-Shirt Mini DressHave you ever spotted an item of clothing and thought, "that's cute" but you knew that if you went on a search spree to purchase this same cute item of… Read More

My Ankara Inspired DIY Mixed Print DressHere's is my completed Ankara inspired, mixed print dress that I told you guys about months ago. Whenever I sew, it usually takes me a minute lol, but… Read More

My DIY Striped Fleece Dress using Your Fleece FabricHow do y'all like my striped fleece dress using Your Fleece fabric? This is the actual fabric that I used. I made the dress for the Your F… Read More

The 2015 New Orleans Wine and Food Experience (NOWFE) was a great time of food, wine, tasting and learning once again this year. Even rainy weather couldn't halt the festivities. We had… Read More

Louisiana food. Delicious Louisiana cuisine is one of the beautiful things that God has blessed this planet with. So naturally for us natives, it's really fun to watch people who've never ha… Read More

The 2015 French Quarter Festival has come and gone and even though the weather wasn't the most glorious for the festival weekend this year (boo rainy weather, booooo...) rain or shine the sh… Read More

Spring has sprung in 2015 which means it's festival season all over the country! Music festivals, food festivals, art festivals, you name it, they're in full swing right now. We love food an… Read More

Y'all know we like to get our eat on in New Orleans since moving here in 2013, and we've made our way around the city's culinary scene a bit, but really, we still haven't scratched the surfa… Read More

Rejoice! Be glad! For God has risen and will come in time! Happy Easter! Read More

Success is not final, Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts. -Winston ChurchillFailure is a pathway to ultimate success! Stay motivated!  Read More

2015 French Quarter Festival Cubes. Click the pic above to view the 2015 French Quarter Festival music lineup cubesWe're only 15 days away from the 2015 French Quarter Festival in New Orlean… Read More

Sligo, IrelandIt's St. Patrick's Day 2015! What does that mean exactly? I don't really know, but this list gave me a bit more insight into the holiday. Anyhoo, how pretty is that countryside… Read More

Look. You've all heard the following motivational quotes and inspirational sayings:Nothing amazing happens in comfort zones..Talent is good, but hard work trumps talent..Dreams don't wo… Read More

DIY 2-Piece crop top dressAnother 2-piece set? WHATTT?! Yeah, yeah I know, I’ve been going a little buck wild with the crop top sets, but methinks this is my last one for a while.&nbsp&hell…Read More

UPDATED: #PRAYFORPARISDIY Mixed Pattern Outfit, New Orleans French QuarterGingham and stripes and houndstooth and buffalo plaid, oh my! lol. One of the easiest ways to mix a bunch of random… Read More

2-piece DIY crop top and pencil skirt setI'm working it out on these crop tops y'all. This is my 2nd crop top set (see the 1st HERE) and I have one more planned so bear with me, won't you? T… Read More

DIY brown ribbed stretch knit bodycon separates. Photo by Ron WardFor the awesome folks who follow all my sewing shenanigans on Facebook, finally, photos of my brown ribbed knit bodycon dres… Read More