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Accented Glory has gain a lot a visibility this year and we're LOVIN' it! Many small businesses have experienced setbacks with the global pandemic this year. Accented Glory was fortunate to pivot early and has had much success even amidst Covid-19. It is truly a blessing to be in alignment with your vision and purpose! We're excited to announce that we ended the year with a bang! We now have the title of Accessory Business Of The Year by Buy From a Black Woman (BFABW). BFABW is a non-profit organization that supports Black women entrepreneurs by providing tools and resources that enables them to be successful. They offer educational programs, funding, and a directory listing for their organization members. During the month of November BFABW celebrates Buy From A Black Woman Awareness Month. Throughout the month they host giveaways and events. Accented Glory is excited to be a part of this amazing organization and believe we have found out tribe! Below are some additional features our visionary and accessory designer Tonya Cross has been a part of this year. Click on names to read and/or listen! Black Profits Feature Cornell Report (Mention Paragraph 5) Enterprise League Feature (Our project is #19) The Spirit Talks Podcast Women’s Entrepreneurship (Mention Paragraph 14) Cierra - AKA Accessory Diva  Accented Glory’s “Love Duo” with Akwati Style is back just in time for Spring! We partnered with Angel Jordan; an amazing fellow black designer for the collab. In the duo, our Cowrie Tassel Hoop Earrings are paired with an off the shoulder white shirt. Matching Ankara fabric directly from Nigeria was used to create the set. Accented Glory’s Cowrie Tassel Hoop Earrings are all that and then some! The African print center and cowrie shell tassel gives it an Afrocentric vibe that exemplifies our brand energy. They are light weight, so no worries of stretching your earlobes. The hoops are also lead and nickel free and are available in both gold and silver color. What makes this earring design even more fabulous is that we also have customized matching headbands. These sets are available in our Etsy Shop’s bundle section. The headband designs are satin lined to protect natural hair from drying out and breakage. In addition, all of our headband designs are adjustable. What does that mean for you? No more headband headaches; you control the tension. Our bundle pairings are great gift sets for some self love or to bestow upon someone else. So, what are you waiting for? Express your African heritage with Accented Glory’s Cowrie Tassel Hoop Earrings. No look is complete without great accessories! Click Akwati Style to order Love Duo from their website. Click Etsy Shop to purchase one of our Cowrie Tassel Hoop Earring and Headband Bundles. Cierra - AKA Accessory Diva Accented Glory’s visionary Tonya Cross shares what make her hair accessory and Afrocentric jewelry designs unique! Shop with Accented Glory on Etsy and Amazon for your hair accessory and jewelry needs. We have an array of one of a kind designs. No look is complete without great accessories! Cierra - AKA Accessory Diva  Accented Glory has launched a new earring design! Our Cowrie Tassel Hoop Earrings are all that and then some. What makes this design unique is that it can be customized to match fabric of our African Print Headband designs. This beautiful design is the sassy cousin of our Cowrie Shell Tassel Earrings that were featured on Essence! They are light weight, so no worries of stretching your earlobes. The hoops are lead and nickel free and measures 1.2 inches in width. They’re also available in both gold and silver color. No look is complete without great accessories! They can be worn with either a causal or dressy look. The African print center and cowrie shell tassel gives it an Afrocentric vibe that exemplifies Accented Glory’s brand energy! Our bundle pairings are great gift sets for some self love or to bestow upon someone else. Click on bundle photo below to be directed to our Etsy Shop and make your purchase! Cierra AKA Accessory Diva  Headband Bundle - Orange
 Are YouTube Tutorials Helpful? Photo Source: CreateHERStock As the natural hair community has grown, there has also been an increase of YouTube videos, channels, and sense of community in the YouTube world. And I am all here for it. I've watched tutorials for everything from learning new wrap styles to enhancing hair styles I already have down pat. I'm definitely an advocate for learning new things, but a recent experience had a naturalista doubting if YouTube tutorials can truly help you to master different styles. The faux goddess locs are the hot new trend that many ladies are rocking and I wanted to be summertime fine. I headed straight to YouTube to look for all the videos I could find on how to do individual crochet locs. After my 3rd video I was like hell yeah, I got this style down pat. After too many trials and errors and two trips to the beauty supply store I soon learned a lesson that I feel a lot of women have had to come to terms with...hairstylist go to school for a reason! While I may be my own personal hairstylist; I am no professional.  Trips To Beauty Supply Store - Photo Source: CreateHERStock I say all this to say that YouTube tutorials can be very helpful, but we also have to assess our own skills. If you know you can't braid, then chile don't be mad when your crochet style looks a mess after a few days. Don't fall victim to a case of what I wanted versus what I got, because you overestimated your skills girl. Always apply the Golden rule when attempting new styles with YouTube tutorials... practice makes perfect!
Cierra - Accessory Diva My Journey Most would probably classify me as a natural hair veteran. I began my natural hair journey in 2001, before the natural hair movement regained its popularity post 60s and 70s. Like most, when I first started out, I struggled with finding hair care products that met my natural hair needs. It was also difficult to find hair accessories. Most hair accessories in retail stores catered to a much younger demographic and were not natural hair friendly. So here I was, in a dilemma. I wanted to dress up my new natural tresses with age appropriate accessories, without damaging my hair. Fast-forward 12 years later, after raising three beautiful daughters who are also naturals, I picked up a new hobby – crafting hand-made hair accessories. The hobby was both a time filler and therapeutic. Once I had a few prototypes created, I was surprised to find that my daughters liked the designs and started to wear them regularly. Soon they began to request specific designs, like the afro puff holder, to accent certain natural hairstyles. Other natural haired women started to notice our hair accessories and asked where we got them. When they found out I made the accessories, they wanted to purchase my products! So my daughters and I took a leap of faith and launched a handcrafted hair accessory brand for women called Accented Glory.  Inspiration Results Many positive things have been birthed through my natural hair journey, most of which are related to my brand. Before starting Accented Glory, I had no entrepreneurial or marketing experience. With the guidance of my oldest daughter and small business online groups, I've learned a lot in the past few years about marketing and entrepreneurship. I’ve also built a natural hair Facebook group community, Accented Glory Naturals, of 300+ members that I co-manage with my daughters. The relationships I have established as an entrepreneur have been great. I’ve met other forty plus female entrepreneurs who have decided to pursue their passions later in life too. Many of us are balancing full time jobs while building our brands. I’ve chosen to keep my full time job because I have two daughters in college. The steady income from my 9-5 helps to ensure their tuition is paid. Although having a full time job and business can be stressful at times, I'm thankful that my three daughters are actively engaged in helping me build the Accented Glory brand. I honestly couldn't do it without them - they have truly become my tribe; my support system! Lastly, my natural hair journey has taught me a lot about myself, my passions, and my drive. Whether it's building a brand or mastering a flat twist style, with the right tools, I can do anything I put my mind to. Building my own brand has helped me to discover my passion to create beautiful things by hand. Now anyone can reap the benefits of this passion when they wear my hair accessories. Accented glory fosters my daily drive to be a better version of myself and to turn obstacles into stepping-stones. I can’t wait to see where my natural hair journey will take me next. Tonya – Visionary and Accent Designer of Accented Glory We NOW have "Embrace Greatness" Lady Tees! Visit our online store to purchase.  Since being natural I have been able to love and appreciate myself more! I have learned to love my hair for what it is - kinky, coily and a little frizzy! It has been an awesome journey learning my hair and making the right choices to bring my hair to its healthiest. Though I have had some difficult moments with my hair, overall being natural is the best thing I could have done for my hair - it is healthier, thicker, longer and stronger and the last time I recall my hair like this, I was a young child. Then, I did not really appreciate my hair type but now I have embraced its uniqueness. I know to some, maybe many, it's "just hair" but being able to truly love and accept my hair has boosted my confidence and creativity and I'm excited to be able to encourage others to experience this journey as well! Morgan (Instagram: The4cProject)  We NOW have "Embrace Greatness" Lady Tees! Visit our online store to purchase.  Choosing to wear my hair in its natural state has allowed me to be able to embrace my hair has built my self confidence. It has also influenced my daughter's to love their natural hair too. My girls are my motivation and knowing that they embrace their hair at an age where appearance means so much is awesome to me. They are in the 7th and 9th grade. Tameka  We NOW have "Embrace Greatness" Lady Tees! Visit our online store to purchase.  When I first started the natural hair process, I chose to wear locs. As I continued to grow and learn as a person, I wanted my hair to grow with me. The process of achieving a goal in life to me was very similar to how my hair grew. The beginning process was hard; I had to stay focus and dedicated. As time went on, my hair continued to grow and learn it's pattern. It became something beautiful. Then I started a new cycle in my life and cut my locs. I continue to keep my hair in its natural state, because it was now a part of who I am. My hair has its own natural hair pattern and continues to transform as it grows, just as I do! Rotrina  We NOW have "Embrace Greatness" Lady Tees! Visit our online store to purchase.  |
Cierra CrossCierra has been a part of Accented Glory since its launch in June 2013. Outside of being an "Accessory Diva", she's a millennial who's currently navigating adulthood. Click Not One Of Your Little Friends to check out her podcast! Archives
February 2021
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