Welcome Divas,

 8 PLUS DIVAS ®  Founders

Gazania & Roseanna

8 PLUS DIVAS ®  is dedicated to empowering women and creating a (+) POSITIVE lifestyle.  We encourage ALL women to love their bodies, feel beautiful and be healthy.  We provide information, our opinions and advice  about  Fashion, Plus Size Fashion, Health/Nutrition, Fitness, Gardening, Travel, Cooking, Beauty and personal growth/motivation. We also host annual events and Fashion shows. Please check out our Youtube page for our lastest videos  and join us on Facebook /Twitter.

8 PLUS DIVA: A women who is confident, smart, sexy, embraces her curves while still maintaining a healthy lifestyle. She is wonderfully made…She is a 8 PLUS DIVA and flaunts   unapologetically!!!!!

 




About these ads

SOUL STROLL 2013 EVENT-ROSEANNA MCCOY FUTCH

I had made plan awhile ago to attend this event. I had wanted to go for the past years but something had always came up. This year I was determined to not miss out. When the day came around I found out I had a set class that date and could not make it I was so mad. That morning I got an email around 5am that said class was canceled so I jumped out of bed and called my family and told them that I was able to attend. I was so mad though that I did not have my workout clothing from “LOLA GETTS” www.lolagetts.com washed . I had to wear some random clothing,I totally luv the way “LOLA GETTS” clothing fit. When I did my 5k walk I saw a complete difference in the clothing . I had on a Reebok shirt and some random pants but I saw a huge difference in the support for the shirt, I felt that if I ran everything would fall out (lol). When I did the zumba workout I felt my boobies go from left to right (lol). For more details of the event click on this link : http://www.aachac.org/soulstroll/.

The company is really targeting african americans since there is a higher risk for heart disease and diabetes .The goal is to raise awareness of the benefits of good nutrition and exercise in preventing heart disease and diabetes. I had a blast for only $20 we were able to get breakfast and lunch. Their were also about 40 vendors that catered to health and I basically got a free gift at each table how cool is that!!!!! Their were a live D.J and a great out going host. we were able to meet a cool ex basketball player that had diabetes and came out to support the event.We all did a live zumba workout and it was great to see people of all sizes working out!!!  I will totally attend every year!!!!

WORKOUTME WORKOUT TRAIL MEWORKOUT MEDAL AFTER WALK BASKETBALL PLAYER DANCING GROUP WORKOUT

 

 

Roseanna Working out with “Lola Getts” Workout wear

100_3354

I was on the look out for good quality workout wear and found it at “Lola Getts”. I am so happy that I did because it is good quality clothing. When your trying to workout and have big boobies like I do you really need the right type of clothing or else you may loose one or two lol. Check out the video

Roseanna McCoy-Futch

Swimming in the Serengeti

Post By: Gazania

189964_1308923820687_2741946_n

Come on Ya’ll lets go swimming in the African Serengeti.  Well actually not swimming in the Serengeti, but wearing the Serengeti Swimsuit from naKIMuli: America’s Funky Sweetheart. Ohhh I really love this design and print. I personally love the support it gives for your bust, the high waist bottom, the  fabric that drapes over the mid-section and the trendy print design. The model Essie Golden is rockin this swimsuit.

Serengeti Swimsuit. Sizes 1X, 2X, 3X. Top-$68, Bottom-$60. Only 5 made in each size. Available on Thursday. NO PREORDER. www.nakimuli.com

SwimSuitForAll Swim Sexy “Black Cut Out Maillot”….. ITS HERE!!!!!!

I love this sexy swimsuit from SwimSuitForAll. Its great for women who are top heavy because you have straps to hold the girls up. I also like that you can show some skin without fully exposing your tummy. The Black Cut Out Maillot is ideal for the women who wants to change up from the one piece but not quite ready for the 2 piece, but at the same time feeling  a bit edgy. The cost is $98 and  it comes in sizes 10-24

 

Click Here to Purchase

375053_10152772324270103_836429906_n

Recap of the Curls, Curves, and Cocktails Event I attended on April 6 in San Francisco

Post By: Gazania

528513_2281627777678_539563746_n

I am a woman who embraces her natural hair and on occasions I will flat iron it. So after having my hair natural for like 5 months I decided to flat iron my hair a week ago.  I said to myself  ”Yeah…Gazania….you would be the one to attend a event about natural hair with your hair flat iron”….lol.

Well Natural Selection Blog and The Curvy Fashionista collaborated and had an event on April 6 in San Francisco at 1016 Folsom. The event was Curls, Curves and cocktails. My good friend Val Pretty Glam and I went to the event (peek a boo i see you..say hi … below)

valandme

In the beginning the guest were coming in mingling  and ordering drinks/cocktails. The music was playing in the background and “My DNA”  free hair sample products at various tables. The plus clothing designer for IGIGI and  the CEO of Lamik cosmetics was  in attendance and they had a table to display their products.

 Chenese Lewis started the event with an introduction. The fashion show featured Plus Models wearing IGIGI. It was interesting  yet nice…they had the models walk out and step up on a square boxed platform. Seven to Eight pieces were showcased and out of them i really adored 3 (1. Cicily Wrap Dress 2.Ellie Dress  3.Felina Dress in Crimson).

While the models showed their dresses, Marie Denee mentioned her thoughts on the pieces and Cassidy Blackwell described how the models natural hairstyle was achieved and created. After the mini fashion show they had a panel. The panel included Chenese Lewis, The Curvy Fashionista, Cassidy Blackwell, The CEO  of Lamik cosmetics Kim Roxie and the hairstylist who styled the models natural hair. They discussed the latest trends, their inspirations and more about themselves. At the end they gave our really cool gifts…like really… $100 IGIGI gift cards…I could have really put that to good use.

I like the idea of this collaboration. I would have loved to see a more detailed demonstration of natural hair care or styles and a Q&A (with the audience asking questions…to engage us), but I guess the event was more of a showcase of Curls and Curves.

Check out some of the pics below …mind you we forgot our “real Camera” and had to use our phone…also the lights were sort of dim…so excuse the quality of the pics…. :-) Thanks to Val Pretty Glam for taking these pics

logoevent

_________________________________________________________________________________

 Marie Denee of The Curvy Fashionista

 524342_636124429737177_1037081178_n

______________________________________________________________________

Chenese Lewis (Actor and Host of Plus Model Radio)

551292_636122349737385_1077665548_n

_______________________________________________________________________

Chasity of Garner Style

valandchasity733879_636120056404281_697260517_n (1)

 

__________________________________________________________________________

runway The Models wearing IGIGI

______________________________________________________________________________

productsSamples of Hair Butter from My DNA

____________________________________________________________________

11021_636175319732088_1634789454_nnaturalselc

The Panel included Chenese Lewis, The Curvy Fashionista, Cassidy Blackwell, CEO  of Lamik cosmetics Kim Roxie, IGIGI Designer Yuliya Raquel and the hairstylist who styled the models natural hair.

My Ancestry DNA Results -Gazania

POST BY: Gazania

189964_1308923820687_2741946_n

HAPPY Dance……MY Ancestry DNA Test Results ARE IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Girl, Why did you get that test done in the first place?….We are all from Adam and Eve…” (A comment I got when I told this person I took the test…I thought it was pretty funny)

Well….my husband is totally into finding information about his family and doing a ton of research. So I joined him on Ancestry.com to find out information about my family. I have started  to ask many questions to my relatives about our information and history. It has been quite interesting and I get a sense of pride learning about my relatives and background.  Both of my parents “look mixed” but when I ask them ….“hey what are we mixed with?”, i get that age old answer….”Black”...“in our days if you mix with an inch of black you black”…ummmm OK …So my husband Greg  (hey sweetie…us pictured below) 377567_1660656573786_1192102815_n purchased me a Ancestry DNA Test (Cost was $120 but I think he got it on sale for $99). It came in the mail within a couple of days. I opened the package, put my saliva in a tube and mixed it with the solution and sent it off to the lab. The results came in about 12 days.

Look at my  family and tell me what do you think we are mixed with?  ….The bottom of the page will reveal the pie chart breakdown of my results:

Here are some pictures of my family

MY SISTERS AND I:

mccoysister2

My Brother:

290230_252047134853303_1852421802_o581517_505002609557753_696498441_n

My Mom (on her wedding day & My Dad (Back in 1965):

connie2860c866-22b7-4782-9ac4-d0fe474dfdf4

My Mom Parents (my grand parents): 

bc7ea8ee-1ae2-4742-b8f1-e8d6d9d9b95e182150_400700499987965_306579012_n

My Grand-mom Parents on my mom side….( So My Great Grand Parents): 

anderson1 anderson2

My Mom Great Grandparents: 

anderson3

My Dad’s Father (Yes it must have been a hot summer…hehe) And My Dad’s Mom..”Grandmom McCoy”:

84cb6bed-f7bb-43c9-b1e2-dfe8517f2b1fdoris

598362_10200112175513608_1101249465_n163466_1766936897086_6329012_n

 

MY RESULTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ancestry

ancestrydnagazania

46% West African(I was fully aware of our West African decent) Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ghana, Gabon, Congo, and various other nations along Africa’s west coast, from The Gambia to Equatorial Guinea

29% East Asian- ( People always asked me if I was mixed with Asian. A lot in my family have the “Asian features” with the eyes but I was not aware of it actually being in my DNA) China, North Korea, South Korea, Mongolia, Vietnam, Myanmar (Burma), Japan, Laos, Taiwan, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Singapore, Brunei, Palau

7% Finnish/Volga-Ural – (This was news to me. I was not aware of my FInland DNA) Russia, Finland

6% Central European-  (I did know that my mom dad was mixed with German and my dad;s mom father was Irish) Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein

12% Uncertain – What does that mean? “Uncertain” usually means that you have traces of a specific genetic population that were too low to pinpoint to an ethnicity. (Well my grand-mom tells me we have Native American in our blood…so maybe this could be it.)

My 2nd 5k at “MUD FACTOR” …Roseanna McCoy-Futch

ashley stewart By Roseanna McCoy-Futch

LOGO

April 6th 2013 I had the privilege to do a 5k in Sacramento CA called the “MUD FACTOR”? I was trying to prepare my mind and body for this 5k because I knew it would be like no other. When I arrived there were loads of cars and people coming and going. They had a new race start every 30minutes. I saw groups of people in tutus, teams wearing the same outfits, a few wearing swimsuits etc… I loved it even more because I saw people of

all sizes.

JUSTME

I made sure I brought clothing that I did not care about and I am glad I did because we got muddy in places you can only imagine lol. I had a “BFF’ (best friends forever) of mines join me in the race. This 5k was a real workout!!!! We crawled in mud under bob wire, climbed over containers, and much more check out all the obstacles they had on the link http://www.mudfactor.com/obstacles/ . When we were finish I felt like I really earned my medal and bandana.

100_3242 100_3243

At the finish line we were all so muddy but I did not care I was so tired. We met a group of ladies on our way out that new us (8 plus divas), they were at 1 of our fashion shows (small world). The ride home I was so sore, I even had bruises on my legs. The next morning I woke up in a lot of pain but it was so worth it. I will definitely do it again next year and hopefully bring more ladies out to join me. My goal is to get 20 medals and so far I have 2. My mission is to live an active fun lifestyle!!!!

MUSCLES mudrungroup meandtashamudrun

Top 5 picks for Swimsuits 2013

Post By: Gazania

mecover

Ok ladies STOP going to the beach in a long t-shirt!  We have so many choices that can compliment our shapes and sizes.  Here are my top 5 picks for 2013.

The designers include Monif C, Swimsuit For All and Sorella Swim .

Some of these pieces are priced in the higher price range but  you can’t compromise qualit. A swimsuit has to have great quality and support. I would advise all women to  invest in a great swimsuit that will last you for a while. A quality swimsuit will last you a long time, you will  always  feel great and get tons of compliments.

SO check out my Top 5 picks for 2013 and why I think they are a great choice.

# 5 

Gives you a nice bold color, sexy shoulder and tummy control and comes in sizes 10-24

One Shoulder One piece swimsuit Lagoon

#4

Will be available in a few weeks on SwimSuitForAll Website. Love the high waist bikini bottom, strap around the neck for bust support, Bold print….very classy, cool and sexy.

Vintage Styled Polka Dot Bikini (picture from British Plus Fashion Show. Swimsuit will be available in a few weeks)

#3

Will be available in a few weeks on SwimSuitForAll Website. I absolutely love the cut out. For women who are a bit timid in showing off their stomachs this is  a sexy/edgy look.

New Cut Out Suit From “Swim Sexy Line” (picture from British Plus Fashion Show. Swimsuit will be available in a few weeks)

#2  

Great Sexy Print, Show off your shoulders, Peek a Boo of your stomach while still supporting your sides…HOT, HOT, HOT

“FIJI” SWEETHEART STRAP-LESS RUCHED PLUS SIZE SWIMSUIT W/ REMOVABLE STRAP- ORANGE

#1  

Nice sexy Bold color, Bust support with straps, Adjustable legs ties (also a great place to put your fingers as you walk sensually across the beach), nice added style of the fabric draping off the shoulder…great over all swimsuit made for the curvier women with style.

“ANGUILLA” COLD SHOULDER PLUS SIZE SWIMSUIT – BURNT ORANGE

MY 1ST 5K RUN WITH “THE BIGGEST LOSER”

MaRCH 16,2013 was my first 5k run, It was one of my best experiences!!!! I arrived early that Saturday morning at 7:15. I was glad that my husband had joined me because I did not want to do the drive to Sacramento myself. When we arrived cars was lined up to get into the parking lot. When we got into the entrance I saw loads of people at with big bright orange shirts. We got our Bib number,shoe scanner and shirts and waited by the start line. A good friend of our “Zakiya” was their as well. Were all excited and waiting patiently as we listened to the dj play live music. The vibe of the event was great because you saw all sizes from a size 2 on up ready to do the run. When they blew the whistle everyone took off, at first it was a little congested but after a while the crowd spaced out. Since I have been walking/jogging up to merit college near my home I tried to start jogging at the 5k. Throughout the run I felt all types of emotions, throughout the whole run we had people on the side lines saying “You can do it!!! You can do it!!!!you can do it!!! ” and that made me say to myself “yes I can do it!!! ” lol
This is my first 5k run but it wont be my last. The next one I am doing in April 6th 2013 called “The Mud Factor” it will include running through obstacles in mud. Here are a few pics from the run.

100_3155

100_3157

100_3160

100_3161

100_3162

100_3164

100_3166

100_3168

100_3169

100_3171

Register for the Biggest Loser RunWalk at www.biggestloser.com/runwalk

Register for the Biggest Loser RunWalk at www.biggestloser.com/runwalk

Register for the Biggest Loser RunWalk at www.biggestloser.com/runwalk

Register for the Biggest Loser RunWalk at www.biggestloser.com/runwalk

Register for the Biggest Loser RunWalk at www.biggestloser.com/runwalk

Register for the Biggest Loser RunWalk at www.biggestloser.com/runwalk

Register for the Biggest Loser RunWalk at www.biggestloser.com/runwalk

Register for the Biggest Loser RunWalk at www.biggestloser.com/runwalk

Register for the Biggest Loser RunWalk at www.biggestloser.com/runwalk

Register for the Biggest Loser RunWalk at www.biggestloser.com/runwalk

RUN11

Get healthy snacks delivered to your Door for only $20/month

Post By: Gazania
528513_2281627777678_539563746_n

I always love to hear about businesses that focus on providing great healthy food. Recently I found out at NatureBox.


What is Naturebox? Well each box is $19.95 and it ships free. Inside each box are nutritionist-approved snacks. It comes with 5 different NatureBox snacks. Their products are made from wholesome ingredients and minimally processed, if at all.

natureboxfoods.1363045275

Each month you get a variety of different snacks. For example: For one month you might get
Blueberry Nom Noms, Dark Cocoa Almonds, Vanilla Macaroon Granola, Honeycomb Sunflower Kernels, and Nature’s Bounty mix of organic nuts and berries. For the second month you might get Bombay Curried Cashews, Dried Fancy Figs, Far East Rice Crackers, Mexicana Mango, and Maui Onion Crunch.

naturebox

The great thing about it that you can cancel anytime if you want to discontinue the service. So what are you waiting for …give it a try! JOIN ….I did ….:-) Gazania

oooh yes I almost forgot…You get a $10 credit for sharing!
When you share NatureBox with your friends, they get $5 OFF and you get a $10 account credit…Super cool right.