How are you tripping, eh?

Hello and Good morning to you all....

Got in late last night from our 2nd time into Niagara Falls so here we go with this week's blog post from you balcony blogger ! 

.....and the Balcony sure looks good with THIS view from the Anchor Motel ....

Wow ! Watching that sunset was truly amazing !

Niagara Falls and the surrounding area was , once again, a great experience. We dined at ELEMENTS which overlooks the falls and again I got some great shots from INSIDE the restaurant. This time around, there was a heat warning throughout the area. Temperatures were up above the 90 degree mark ! We parked near Clifton Hill and walked down the hill.... crazy steep.... and someone told us that the Falls were walking distance.....so we walked..... and walked....and walked..... got to see some zip-liners...that was crazy !  Racked in over 11,000  steps EACH to add to the dance a thon goal.... yet that was quite a long walk in the heat.....

Zip Line

 Coming down Clifton Hill was fun.... one of my favorite shots is of Marcia holding up the upside down house !!!!

And who remembers these???? Well this one below has some LED "stuff" on it --still thought it was funny !

On the last day ( Sunday, yesterday) we went to the Lewiston Fair.... I so enjoyed that. Picked up a few cool gifts and found some great connections at the fair including Carly's Club where Kisd Create hope for Cancer.....and Creative Copper Wire ( below)   It was still really hot yet the delicious Fresh squeezed Lemonade and the freshly made Kettle Corn made us very happy !

Creative Copper Wire ( link above) was one of the vendors I came across. He made these wire hanging light catchers... I like that he was making them right in front of us and they were gorgeous....  Here is just one example.... ( cute advertising, too and even gave me back one of the marbles I lost.... LOL)

Yet I have to say that among the highlights of our trip was WHERE  we tripped !  Ha Ha.... Where we stayed.... and that was the likes of the ANCHOR MOTEL  on the US side in New York. This quaint place is only about 6 miles from the Falls and if you want to just be relaxed on your visit, The Anchor Motel is a must.... They are open from roughly the  1st week in May to roughly the last week in September and the handful of rooms there on the strip of land sells out FAST ! 

The view from the dock is probably one the feature selling points, although I found the quaint rooms to be clean and comfortable too.  Only exceeding all of that, was the Lovely couple that own the Motel, Kathy is so friendly and willing to answer your questions to make your visit to the area complete. She keeps at hand a tear-off pad of a huge map right at the front counter so she can circle and pinpoint anyplace around you would like to visit !  Of course, the closest is the Dock where you can watch the beautiful sunrise and/or Sunset ....and the coffee is always on in the office !

My suggestion is to reach The Anchor Motel early for your reservations at:

www.anchormotelusa.com

AND TELL THEM AVA SENT YOU !

We're certainly not tripping into the FALLS yet tripping at the Falls at the Anchor Motel !

Enjoy !

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Work Hard , Play Hard , .....

Hello all,

Hope you had a fabulous weekend.  Sunday Funday from the Balcony Blogger talking all things Fashion today....mostly our "eyes" on Atlantic City Fashion Week.

Let's start by shining that light on one of our signature New Jersey Events-

ATLANTIC CITY FASHION WEEK
www.atlanticcityfashionweek.com 

                                                         Above- Yours Truly- Ava Holly
International Blogger and founder of 4 A STAR, 4 A VISION, Ava's Eye Bagz and co-founder
                                                      of Eye On The Shore Bridal Tours

                                                     
                                    Above- Media Partner Lisa Diane Hall and her gorgeous MOM

Above- Media Partner Jocelyn Earle

Above- Founders of Atlantic City Fashion Week and more....

Fashion Style Live and the newest fashion hosts at New Jersey's SNJ channel-

LAMONT AND JEANA BOWLING

Jeana and Lamont Bowling , local entrepreneurs to New Jersey, have taken this AC Fashion week idea to a whole new level over the past 11 Seasons of the Atlantic City event. 

What started out as Atlantic City Fashion week in 2011,  has grown to other communities around New Jersey and the Tri-State area. The week begins with THE BUSINESS OF FASHION panel event, student showcase, awards and then into Ready to wear night and finally Couture night.

 I have had the pleasure of knowing the founders, Lamont and Jeana Bowling for many years now and I have watched the consistent growth of this fabulous event.
From running the model casting calls, interviews, and running the other aspects of their life in the Fashion Industry, Jeana and Lamont are growing their brand everyday !

The AC event alone draws designers from around the Globe as well as photographers, journalists, vendors, models, and more....

Just a few of the Designers and models that I am also honored to call friends include...
Lainy Gold, Lloyd Crawford, John Leon,  Jermaine Pratt, Clavon Leonard, Gio Delavicci, Agatha Ngo Likoba , Samantha Grandy and more....

Lainy Gold with Gio Delavicci and more....

Clavon Leonard and more....

I work with many photographers in the area and the light shines today on John Stpales of 

JBMS photography , also a long time friend....

This event also included our own Mr. Panting of Mr. Panting Photo and Video as well as some other people I have met along the way....

Past Season Designers and Designers we now work with on a regular basis include 

Samina Mughal and Mark Legrand 

Ava and Samina

Above Center- Samina Mughal

Global Fashion Designer

First look at one of the "Where" bags - Dallas -  from Designer and Manufacturer

Mark Legrand.....

Stay tuned for all the November happenings around Ava's Eye Bagz

Image from the Mark LeGrand Boutique

In speaking with Lamont and Jeana over the years, many "things" have come up for discussion not only in the logistics of running a successful show yet in the logistics of running a successful business.  I'm sure we've all heart the term "It takes a Village".... it is so true.... one of the " P's" we will be discussing at our Fall Mastermind is PEOPLE....

No matter what you do or what your goal is in life, you need to surround yourself with the right people........and you need to choose those people as part of your team carefully. 

Is it always perfect? Do these people ALWAYS stay in your path? ..... Of course not, yet being prepared the best you can do to give yourself  that extra heads up moving forward. 

I always believe that people come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime..... you learn and grow no matter when, where or how long - both positive and negative..... 

Lamont and Jeana have a great team in place right now and this is what is catapulting AC Fashion week, Fashion Style Live, and yes, even the newest segment of their spot on SNJ.

NO ONE MAKES IT ALONE. 

Some of their great team include Media Director and founder of JBMS Photography

John Staples ( pictured below)

John runs a very professional tight ship when it comes to the "Paparazzi" and the media allowed on the floor to cover the Fashion Events.... 

Managing and placing photo and video companies and individuals in the right place to get the best shots they can is just one of the many tasks on John's plate. 

A portfolio dream to be front and center at a Fashion Event !

Visit John at     www.JBMS1photography.com 

Other directors include  Miss Sheree who is in charge of ALL the behind the scenes organizing for the event, including preparing and setting up vendor tables, swag bags, and overall "go to " person at the start..... Sheree can then direct questions and concerns to the proper individual directors in category.... such as Miss Tina, Miss Cat, Manny, John and others...wherever it needs to go.... and the organizational process is never ending. 

For those of you that are NOT local and do not have the opportunity to see one of Jeana and Lamont's events....take a moment to search out a similar event near you if Fashion is you Passion.... 

In the meantime, enjoy over 40 photos from this weekends Fashion Event in Atlantic City, NJ

Make it a great day !

Enjoy !

These first 2 looks are made out of paper !

This next designer is just 8 years old !!!!   Savannah Smith.... I was only able to get a shot of her walking BACK on the runway yet I managed to capture one of her designs as well.... WOW !

My hats off to all the models, designers, MUA's ( make up artists), stylists journalists and photographers

..... enjoy the rest of the photos !

As always, you can contact me at www.4astar.com for any inquiries into any of our blog topics !

#DOACFW

#4ASTAR

#FASHION

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