Studio News: House of Antoinette 1950

House of Antonette 1950

House of Antoinette 1950

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House of Antoinette 1950 has been delivering sassy statement accessories since 2010. The products are a stylish alternative to mass production generic accessories. All items are limited edition or one of a kind. Our jewelry comes from Japan, China, Thailand, Russia and many more exotic places from around the globe. The accessories are top quality, durable and forever lasting.

The accessories have been featured at New York Fashion Week, special events like birthday parties, expos, and New Years Eve celebrations. House of Antoinette 1950 has been featured in media publications such as IndieFlava Magazine, World Fashion Media News, Philadelphia’s Main Line Today and a variety of fashion blogs. The accessories continue to delight clients from all over the world. The company founder, Antoinette Nassef is based in Philadelphia.  For inquiries to purchase her hand made works of Art, email:antoinettenaseef8@gmail.com.

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House of Antoinette 1950
House of Antoinette 1950
House of Antoinette 1950
House of Antoinette 1950
House of Antoinette 1950
House of Antoinette 1950
House of Antoinette 1950

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Portrait of Antoinette Nassef

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Katie Kerl: Valentine’s Self Care & Cocktails

 

Text and Photos by Katie Kerl, Copyright 2020

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Valentine’s Self Care & Cocktails

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Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching! It smacks you in the face at every turn. This year I urge you to put the phone down and stop swiping in dating apps. I was doing a little research and downloaded everyone I could find. Be very careful when on them. It seems as though at least 50% of men are on dating, hookup, and seeking arrangement apps. That is not my idea of a good time. Cross reference your picks that way. If not you could end up with a disease meeting a sex addict who is using all of the apps.

This led me to wonder why we so desperate for acceptance and mediocre dates on a Hallmark holiday? It is filled with awful pre-fix menus, cheaply made jewelry, drug store boxes of candy, & flowers that DIE. Why have we let the media make us think we have to have a date, or do anything on this day?

When I am in a relationship I make it special by surprising the person I am with. I make dinner, buy cool gifts, and usually some fun sex gag gift to be used later; haha! Going out for a few drinks and dessert is a very nice alternative the whole over reserved pre-fixed meal. I think it is one of the worst days of the year to eat out.

This year I am completely single, and will be spending it with a few friends. I’ll probably get a manicure, make dinner, and we will go dance somewhere. That is what makes me happy. If you are single celebrate that! If you are involved do not let that day be the only one you get off your ass to show appreciation to your loved ones. Self care is love, for men and women. Take that $300 you were going to waste and invest in yourself. After all, you are worth it!

I have compiled a few lists of perfect self care services around the city, and places to have cocktails and small bites that I enjoy. I’m going to start off with the men, let’s face it ladies they feel like they get left out a lot on this holiday. If your man treats you well appreciate that too!!  

 Masculine self care Ideas:

The Blind Barber just opened in the Gayborhood. They have locations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, New York, and now Philadelphia. It will not be a place to miss. Get your hair cut, and have a drink in their restaurant/club and relax.

Sulimay’s Barber Shop in Fishtown specializes in haircuts and straight shaves. This barber shop has been around since 1922! If that does not give you an idea of the quality here I am not sure what will. After, check out Suraya for a few cocktails and great people watching.

Blokes Barber Shop & Gentlemen Emporium in Old City. This unique barber also has a slew of gifts that are perfect for a self care splurge. They carry cufflinks, books, shave sets, socks, flasks, jewelry, and funny gag gifts as well.

Ashton Cigar Bar in center city is a very nice place to relax if you love your smoke and whiskey. The servers are all pretty, and they have a wide variety of drinks and cigars to choose from.

Art in the Age located in, Old City is a liquor tasting boutique. It is a unique spot to gather a group of friends, and start day drinking. They offer tastings, cocktail classes, sell bar accessories, bitters, mixers, & recipe books for the at home bartender that likes to entertain.

Follow it up with some sushi around the corner at Tuna Bar.

Reserve a table at Rec & Royal, for their weekend brunch party, Saturday and Sunday from 11-5. There is a food buffet, mimosa bar, and cool arcade games to keep you fully entertained.  

Treat yourself to a pair of new shoes or sneakers at Lapstone & Hammer.

The Suit Supply Is also a great place for the trendy go getter to add to their wardrobe.

Noto will be having a weekend full of parties to go dance the night away at.

The Ritz Carlton Spa offers lovely massage packages.

You can follow it up with their smoked mescal drink in the beautiful marble lobby.

Finally, treat yourself to the concert, or sports game you have been dying to go to.

 For the men who say Valentine’s Day is a women’s day; I think my laundry list of things to do may challenge that statement. Sometimes it just takes a little more than last minute planning.

Some gender neutral ideas:

Treat yourself to the gym membership you have been putting off, and get sexy for summer!

Luxury: The Sporting club at The Bellevue is a full gym/spa club equipped with pool, massage, food, meeting rooms, and personal training. Follow up your work out with a drink at XIX and try the seafood platter. It is located in the top of the hotel.

Mid level: City Fitness has multiple locations throughout the city. I recently joined the Northern Liberties location. They offer a wide range of classes, sauna, tanning, personal training, and a juice bar.

When you are finished walk a few blocks down Second Street and pop into Spuntino Wood Fired Pizza, and grab a heart shaped pizza. Bring your favorite wine because they are a BYOB, they have private parties, and pizza making classes!!

Basic: Planet Fitness has all of the equipment you would need to get cut for summer. They also have a few locations around the city.

Treat yourself to the concert, or sports game you have been dying to go to.

Revive Med Philly Is located in Northern Liberties. They are a non surgical cosmetics boutique. Offering a wide variety of services: facials, Botox, fillers, laser hair removal, EMsculpt, skin care products, finally IVs for hangovers & to boost immunity. I have been there a few times, and you will not find a more welcoming staff in the city. They will not over do it and tell you NO if you are being ridiculous. That is important! Patient continuity of care! Stop in and check out their V-Day specials, and guess the number of hearts in the glass jar to win a free service. You must be present to enter.

Take a photo in front of their beautiful wall for the gram, after they get you glowing in the right direction! They just started a monthly membership call for inquires.

Now for a few Feminine self care options:

Lacquer Lounge in old City is so cute for a mani/pedi. They have all white interior, and pops of pink spread around. Sip a glass of wine and relax while they take care of you.

Rescue Spa is a very tranquil space that you immediately feel at ease upon walking in. Great for a girl’s day, this spa offers a wide variety of services that are sure to please anyone. Call and see what works best for you, and your budget.

The Dandelion in Rittenhouse offers a fantastic afternoon tea. I actually took my mother there and it was quite the experience. You get a tower of tea sandwiches, sweet treats, and a pot of tea. There is a mimosa add on option that is very reasonable. The interior makes you think you have left Philly, and are sipping high tea in England.

 KAWAII KITTY CAFÉ in Queen Village, order your favorite coffee or tea. Then you are taken into a room to play with adoptable kitties. It is very cute to do if you have children as well. All of the cats were very friendly.

The Smak Parlor, located in Old City is a cute clothing and accessory shop that has yet to disappoint me.  They have very trendy reasonably priced pieces.

Book a Photo shoot session. Grab a bunch of outfits, go to a cool spot, and have fun! There is no better self esteem boost than amazing photos taken of you.

Have a Galantines’ brunch! Grab some friends and decorate your place. Make cute heart themed food, Valentines’ notes as place settings, and pomegranate mimosas.  Toss in a berry or two for garnish.

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While love is not always in the air in a romantic sense; we absolutely can enjoy Valentine’s Day in our own way. Appreciate the people in your life. After all, when your relationships end your friends are still there for you.

If you are happily involved I wish that REAL DEEP LOVE for all of you.

These suggestions work if you are single, taken, or for any gender if you identify differently.

I wanted the singles out there to know;

IT IS OK TO BE SINGLE and LOVE YOURSELF FIRST!

I hope everyone has a fun Valentines’ day no matter how you choose to celebrate.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Katie Kerl was raised in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. She is currently living  in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia. Katie has a background in Psychology from Drexel University. She is a manager in the commercial/residential design field . Katie can be reached  on Instagram @kerlupwithkate 

For collaboration e-mail: Kate.kerl32@gmail.com

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To access additional article by Katie Kerl, click herehttps://tonywardstudio.com/blog/katie-kerl-dating-guide-2020/

 

Katie Kerl: Derek Bailey Green Car Innovator

Derek Bailey Interview by Katie Kerl, Copyright 2019

 

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Photography by Tony Ward, Copyright 2019

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Derek and I came across each other on Instagram. After seeing what he was doing I immediately asked to interview him. He welcomed any positive press and agreed. I had the Opportunity to sit down with Derek after the interview as well.

I was able to learn a little more about his company, but more importantly what kind of person he is. The questionnaire part of interview was completed a  few months ago. Derek’s car just recently arrived in the United States a few weeks back. I went to Hatfield, Pa to check it out in person last weekend. Also, I was able to meet part of his growing sales team; leads coming from the top Volkswagen and Lexus dealerships in the area.  They just like Derek were very welcoming, informative, and excited about what was happening there. 

The car industry is pretty cut throat, but I was pleasantly surprised at what gentlemen and active listeners they all were. 

No pretentious bullshit in this crew; he cut right to the chase and had quite the sense of humor about him. A very family oriented man. He loves his two daughters, and speaks highly of both of them. Derek’s mother and brother all are in the area as well. They take part in many charity events giving back to the community. Being so busy he still takes the time to give back and show gratitude for all his accomplishments. 

For me not knowing the first thing about cars; after talking with Derek I feel like Id be able to speak intelligently about his new innovation. One cool feature not seen on many electric cars; the Avani’s fully retractable sunroof. Most electric car dealers leave this out not wanting to waste precious battery charge. The Avani will not have that issue.

Derek broke it down in a way anyone could understand. That is what you need when trying to sway people into the clean energy movement; understanding. If we don’t educate the public, how will they make informed decisions about helping our declining environment? Tony Ward actually took the photos for this article. Derek had a drone flying the day of inspection. That was also taking place at the same time as Tony was capturing his shots. The drone capture was a pretty monumental; a famous photographer capturing a new leading green car mogul. 

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Derek Automotive started taking pre-orders with a $2,500 refundable deposit starting in September 2019. Deposits will also earn the first 200 buyers one thousand shares of company stock, as a founding buyer incentive.  

For all the information you’d need to know about Derek’s green car, please visit his site : 

https://snapshot.derekautomotive.com/

Derek Bailey

Derek Automotive

INTERVIEW

K.K. Tell me a little bit about yourself please?

D.B.  I was born in New Orleans and I’m 50 years old. I studied Economic – Major & a marketing minor, at Virginia State University, and went on to study for an MBA at the University of Edinburgh, which I did complete – due mostly to the interruption of launching businesses.

K.K. Being a serial entrepreneur how many businesses have you had since the beginning of your career; were you happy with all of them?

D.B. Actually, I’ve not had a job where I received a paycheck since I was about 19. I’ve launched many businesses, with many failures, but also a few big successes.  One being a Company called Popa Media which I sold for $11 million. I’ve been in the Temporary staffing business for over 35 years. It’s been the financial fuel for my other bigger endeavors like; Wolverton Bailey the company I co-founded to design and patent our new engine supercharger technology. After receiving two patents, I decided to launch Derek Automotive Technologies to commercialize our engine technology, as opposed to asking other companies to include my technology in their products.

K.K. When did you realize you wanted to be a part of the clean energy movement, and produce an electric car that has the ability to be self charging?

D.B. This whole effort has been about saving our planet, without harming our economy, as most approaches to climate change solutions seem to do. There are trade-offs to going green. When people talk about electric cars it’s as if they think the electricity comes from magic. Over 70% of the electricity produced in the world comes from burning fossil fuels, like coal and natural. If all electricity was created with nuclear energy or wind and solar, then electric cars make a lot more sense – no emission at the source of the energy, and no emissions at the vehicle – totally carbon free! What we have today is a situation where electric cars are pollution-shifting; no emissions in the car, but emissions are created far away at the electric plant. Our grid is so complex; it’s difficult to know the carbon footprint of a specific electric vehicle because we might not know where the power is coming from. I wanted to empower us to know the carbon footprint of every electric vehicle. The reason I wanted to build an electric vehicle that recharges itself is to get consumers to purchase electric cars! Electric car adoption has been slow because consumers don’t trust them and find them inconvenient (i.e., being able to recharge, the long time period required to recharge, etc.) plus they’re expensive. It’s my goal to solve these problems, and deliver an electric car that the masses will want to buy.

K.K. Can you tell me how the technology works?

D.B. We’ve created a technology we call a Proteus Supercharger. Of course Proteus is the god of nature /sea that could take any shape. The super charger is based on two patents we’ve been awarded. One patent is for a highly efficient combustion engine that burns all of its fuel (most of the pollution coming from vehicles today is unburnt fuel) so it emits 83% less carbon than today’s engines. The second patent is for a special amplifier-generator that intakes 1-volt on input end, runs it through a magnetic field and outputs 1000-volts on the other end. Our clean engine (technically, it’s called a prime-mover), which runs on a small amount of gas, turns the generator to create an abundant amount of electricity (gas-to-electric power generation) for the batteries and interior cabin in the electric car. The supercharger only creates electricity; it does not help power the car like in a typical Hybrid-car. So, effectively, we’ve put a small power plant inside the car to make it more convenient for consumers. We believe that most consumers will enjoy driving totally on electric power, but also spend only 2-minutes putting a few dollars of gas in the car, as opposed to sitting for a charge for 35-minutes up to 5-hours.

K.K. Who did you turn to for production of this new venture?

D.B. Unlike Tesla and others, we can’t raise the hundreds of millions required to build our own plant, so we’re using the Apple model where we design and have more experienced manufacturers build for us. The Chinese are actually leaders in building electric vehicles and we’re partnered with a Chinese manufacturer to build our electric car, and we will integrate our supercharger into it here in America, to create American jobs.

K.K. Is gaining investors easy considering it’s a form of clean energy, or is it difficult being it could shut other vehicle producers down?

D.B. We’ve been powered mostly by my own capital, and capital from small investors who share our passion for workable green tech solution to carbon emission from the transportation sector. It’s unfortunate to say, but minority-entrepreneurs don’t have the same access to venture capital as others. Seeing genius from us is still a little hard for many investors, so we have to be willing to bleed-alone to get things done – but hey, that’s the American way – entrepreneurship is for the rugged. As far as shutting down other producers, our goal is to produce a great vehicle, using our technology, get it into the market, have consumers go crazy for the power of electric driving, the recharging convenience, and then license our technology to all the other car makers.  Licensing is another billion dollar opportunity for us.

K.K. What are some of the road blocks you have had to overcome along the way in testing / production?

D.B.  You ever hear that song “no one knows the trouble I’ve seen?”  Well, our roadblocks have been plenty. No one believed we could build a better engine. Once built, no one believed we could get a patent. Now we have two. No one thought I could get a car built. Now, that I’m introducing the car, no one believes I can build a car company against the big competitors and in the current car market. At each step it’s an excuse not to invest in us. Always with the assumption that I won’t make it to the next step.  Yet each time I do – and now the incredible thing is I find myself still owning 65% of the company.  Now, I’m only a few steps from shocking the world. I learned a saying a few years back – “as an entrepreneur one might have to bleed and cry by him/her self, but we also get to go to the bank by Ourselves.”  It’s that thought that keeps me going.

K.K. Is this more of a luxury car, or will it be something that is affordable to everyone on a scale that will stop the way we pollute the environment?

D.B.  This first vehicle is an SUV; its styling is like that of a Range Rover. We needed to design something that consumers would recognize and have an idea of its value. Once we make some money with the luxury vehicle, I will build an affordable car that I already have on the drawing board and named. That is a secret for now.

K.K. How do you deal with stress of starting something so new?

D.B. That’s a great question and I’m not sure I’ve found the answer. I workout, take long drives just to play music and think. I’m not in a relationship right now, the place where one would find the best stress relief, assuming the relationship is a good one. So, I struggle a bit with managing my stress – I’ll admit I sometimes turn to Mr. Jack Daniels and a mindless TV show. The key is I’m always ready to get back on the grind every morning.

K.K. What are your hobbies?

D.B.  I like to hit golf balls, play chess, ride bikes, but business is my hobby. I also love cooking and construction because I can see the results of my efforts quickly, as opposed to the years it takes to build a business.

K.K. When will your self charging electric car be released to the public?

D.B. As I said earlier, I still have a few more steps to my ultimate goal of the self-charging car. This first car I’m revealing in September 2019 is an all-electric SUV. The strategy is to sell 150 all-electric units (same as what the other automakers are selling) and plow that money back into reducing the size and completing the integration of the supercharger into the electric vehicle – it’s a lot of work, still. To answer your question, I think we will have our self-charging vehicle on the market in early 2021, maybe sooner if all the stars align.

K.K. I noticed you were granted the right to import vehicles as well. What are you planning to do with that?

D.B.  That import license is important because one can’t import vehicles into the USA without approvals from the EPA and DOT. This was a stepping stone for us.

K.K. Where do you see this taking you in the next 5 years?

D.B.  In 5-years Derek Automotive Technologies will be known as America’s first minority-owned car manufacturer and the leader in carbon emission reduction from the transportation sector. We’ll operate in 3 countries, have sales in excess of $600 million and valuation of more than three billion; minting me as a new American billionaire.

K.K. What are your personal, company, and environmental goals?

D.B.  My personal goals are to see my two daughters finish their schooling debt free, or near debt free, find my forever girl, and leave a legacy of having had a huge impact on climate change by reducing carbon emission in the transportation sector.

K.K. When will the launch party be?

D.B. The launch party will now be this fall. We had a bit of a trip through The Department of Transportation and got a bit delayed.  Fall is the perfect time for a launch Party, everyone is back from vacation and ready for what’s new. I’m looking at a few locations as I couldn’t book anything because I was not sure when we’d get all our approvals. 

Awww the stress of it all!

I’ll put out a notice on social media and my e-mail once the date and location is decided.

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Katie Kerl checks out the new Avani by Derek Automotive

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Katie Kerl was raised in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania. She is currently living  in Northern Liberties, Philadelphia. Katie has a background in Psychology from Drexel University. She is a manager in the commercial/residential design field . Katie can be reached  on Instagram @kerlupwithkate 

For collaboration e-mail: Kate.kerl32@gmail.com

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To access additional articles by Katie Kerl, click here:http://tonywardstudio.com/blog/katie-kerl-weed-the-people/

 

Julian Ward: Indoor Champion, Marion Anderson Center, Philadelphia.
 

Poetry by Julian Gabriel Ward, Copyright 2019

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THE HERO IN ME

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You pushed me hard

You lift me up

I smile today because of your love

 

You’re stuck in your head

Replaying the tape

Negative thoughts

That can’t be erased

 

The heart is broke

Cracked in half

Selfish and fearful

How long will it last

 

One day the hero inside of me

Will get me back

Where I need to be

 

No fear, no anger, no pity in me

Let go and let God know

I need him back

The hero that felt pain

Who fought his way back

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About The Author: Julian Gabriel Ward is a professional soccer trainer and coach based in Philadelphia.

Perfect Holiday Gifts: Fashion Fetish 25 Years. Available in Store!

Tony_Ward_new_book_Fashion_Fetish_25_Years_in_Store
Fashion Fetish 25 Years
 

 

FASHION FETISH 25 YEARS now available in Storehttps://tonywarderotica.com/store/

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With introduction by A.H. Scott.  Copyright 2018