If the Shoe Fits.....

Paint it!!!

Ok, a bit corny, I know.....and almost inaccurate since the shoe just baaarely does fit. My feet are a 10 and the shoes have 10 printed on the inside, but they're snug as ever. That's not uncommon for me, though, given how wide my feet are. They'll give eventually.

"Gotta break 'em in,"....as the manfriend suggested. Dontcha just love that phrase, "break 'em in"?

Anyway, I've got these new shoes that are rather plain. It's cool because I tend to like plain stuff, but today I said to myself, "T...you should paint those shoes." So that's the intention.



I sometimes like for my zapatos to have a few different colors in them for the variety when it comes to what they'll be worn with. They'll probably end up in various shades of browns and greens since earth tones are my thing. And I'm feelin' that whimsical print inside the shoes, so I think something similar would be cool for the outside as well....minus the circles. It'll work well when I'm decked out in solid colored garments, which is often the case.

Painting and stenciling are both activities I enjoy doing as evidenced in my more fun, more 'artistic' etsy shop among what's listed and what's sold. There were days in the past when I spent a lot of time on stencilrevolution.com seeing what was what and getting tips and ideas. These days my stenciling has been minimal, but I'm gonna get back into it. People often suggest screen printing for some of my garments, but I prefer doing it by hand...the tedious way (and man, it can get tedious). Still, there are several ideas in my head for tshirts where screen printing would most likely be employed.

Oh. back to the shoes.

Who knows when this'll get done. It's getting cold outside and aside from these, there's only one other pair of 'winter time', non-flip flop, non-open toe shoes in my closet....well that I'm likely to wear anyway. So these will probably see the outside world before the paint hits 'em. Perhaps, though, I'll rock 'em before completion. That should be interesting.

Stay tuned...

Well Whatdoyaknow...

There appears to be a theme song to go along with the whole 'country girl' thing addressed in my previous post:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=d89e6w405sc

Could be old, but I tend to be late on things.

That's pretty interesting.

Aside from that I really don't have much else to say. Earlier I had an idea for a blog post but didn't get around to taking the pics. What needs to be happening is that I need to be tryna get ready for a style show that's taking place reeeaaaaal soon.

Need models, (more) clothing to show, and most importantly, an idea.

*siiiiigh* Eventually it'll come together. I swear...sometimes this song by cree summer resonates so much with me on so many levels...."make yourself."

Anyway, since I like to include a picture in every post, here's one I took the other day:


Dontcha just love it?? (and yes...the cat is very much alive in this photo.)

Oh well. I'm off to listen to my song.

peace.

"The Wind is Pink. Grass is Black."

It's all a matter of perception, I suppose....


Well, today my interview was published in the paper. :-D

To read it go here: http://timesofacadiana.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071010/NEWS01/710100311/1002/NEWS01.

In the hard copy, there's another picture of me, the link to my etsy shop, as well as pics of Deborah's work. Really cool. I've been looking forward to having it published, so I'm pleased.

But since this is a blog, and I am free to express whatever feelings, ideas, issues I may have with whatever, that's just what I'm gonna do. Accuracy is a big deal for me, so I just wanna clear up some things where the article is concerned. I realize that every single word that's relayed during interviews most likely will not make it into print. Also, words that were spoken are many times paraphrased in the name of time and space restrictions. With that being said....

Contrary to what the article states, the great majority of my garments are made from scratch from vintage materials as well as fabric from stores such as Joann's...one of my favorite hang out spots :-). When I first read, "Neither peruses fabric stores, studying bolts of material," my first thought was related to all the great folk at Joann's who are so helpful and see me in there all.the.time. I love fabric stores and many times come up with designs based on a cool pieces of fabric found there. I do a lot less clothing reconstruction than I did when I first started out. Still, I really enjoy the process and admire revamped wears, it's just not my primary technique. Deborah, the other lady mentioned, makes a lot of really nice reconstructed garments. Judging from the article, it seems as though we both basically have the same approach to clothing design, which isn't the case.

As far as the thrift store rummaging, I mainly get t-shirts from there as well as garments that I revamp for myself. Some good fabric can occasionally be found there as well.

What else....? Oh. My guy says he doesn't like, "I'm just a country girl." I think it's hilarious. While I don't think those were my exact words, most likely something similar to that did come out of my mouth. As far as New York, I was there for 3 days this past summer...Queens and Brooklyn to be exact (and had a good time.) Didn't even see the fashion district. I never lived there, which is sorta what the article implies. For me, it's a place to visit and that's the extent of it.

And yes. I am radical when it comes to being self-sufficient and self-employed. As far as the support from the parents, that's referring to the fact that they support what I do. They never pressured me to be or do something that I have no interest in. Read in the context of the article, it seems like the support is financial. That would be nice. And while I'm sure they're there when I need them, I'm continuously on the grind trying to create my own financial path.

Oh yeah. My guy friend also doesn't like the whole, "I've sold to people all over the United States and Hawaii..." He says it makes it seem like I don't know that Hawaii is part of the US. Well, I think that's funny too, since I personally prefer to consider Hawaii as its own country. I tend to recreate geography/history on my own terms, ha ha! No, but I feel where he's coming from. But everything said in person doesn't translate well to print.

That pretty much clears up everything. This is lengthy, but I just had to put it out there. So many times in the media we hear things that aren't exactly accurate, and the ones who are being quoted don't always get a chance to tell their side. So dangit!! In the name of all the misrepresented people out there, I submit this blog. :-D

peace

What we gonna do when they come for you...?....?

(Extremely random title...Badu on the brain...)

Once again, I've neglected to update for the longest. :-/

By this point I've changed my mind about showing the dress mentioned in the last post. Instead, look below for something really cool.


Yep, yep! Bottom of the right page...with the green background....that's me! :-) Click to make larger.

Last month I spoke with an editor at 008magazine (local publication) about having a write-up about me and my designs published in their magazine. I did a couple outside photo shoots at her request (some of the pics can be seen here) so I could get some with good lighting. At the end of the month I sent the final pics and waited to here back. Well, I never did, so I figured they'd decided against it or something.

The other day, though, while visiting with the owner of one of the boutiques where I sell my creations, I was congratulated for my article in 008magazine. My reaction was, "Huh?" I hadn't checked out this month's issue but was pleasantly surprised when I finally got a hold of a few (several) copies. Such a nice summary that was written. Other than the original email, I really didn't submit any info other than pics. Matter of fact, the pics I submitted weren't even used. It's all good though. I'm thrilled just the same. :-)

Unfortunately, it's hard to read here, but I'm really pleased with what was said.

*big goofy smile*
:-D

Green Goodness

Ok...back to the clothes sometime this week. (I have a cute dress I wanna show y'all)

But for today I just have to share this beautifully delicious salad I made.

It haaaaas...... red leaf lettuce, green cabbage, cucumber, carrots, alfalfa sprouts, tomatoes, broccoli, onion, garlic, parsley, fresh lime juice, a little pure, cold- pressed, unrefined olive oil, and a (large) pinch of cayenne pepper.

Maaaaan, was it good! I was gonna make tahini dressing but decided against it. A good tahini dressing can really set it over the top, but I'm always satisfied with nothing but lime juice. I don't even need olive oil. If I have some I'll use it, though, to help keep the insides right. ;-)

Natural, holistic food and holistic health and wellness in general are other passions of mine. It's just the goodness. For real. :-)

Uuuuuh...I don't know....

I've been outta commission blog-wise, but here I am. I've had numerous ideas for new posts since I last updated, but for whatever reason it just didn't happen.

Some random info. I was in Baton Rouge today and had a realization. Numerous Indian ladies were in my atmosphere while I was out there, and I realized that it was their long flowy tunics that are a basic part of their dress that also strongly influenced my love of the tunic that I enjoy making (for now, anyway) as mentioned below. Ya know how sometimes you you know something, but you can't quite determine what it is? It's like, "I know I didn't invent this style, but I can't remember where I saw it first that made me love it." Yep. It was among the Indian women I see here or while traveling.

So anyway. My male companion's b-day was recently. Naturally, I wanted to do or get something for him. Somethin' special, ya know? *Although, looking back over the past 4 bearthdays he's had while we've been together I can't recall what I did other than make a vegan chocolate cake one year....with strawberries and chocolate sauce on top. It was good, too. I'm sure there were other things, but my memory is just off like that sometimes.*

He's really into photography and takes pictures of various scenes. I thought it would be neat to create a collage of some of his pics, frame it, and give it.



Theme: Nature.

And you know the cool thing about it? One day he was over here looking through his massive collection of photos (which are stored on my computer) and was commenting on the ones he really liked. So he unknowingly helped me choose the ones that would be included in the collage. (Even though that last one is one of my absolute favorites and woulda been included regardless).

I'm pleased with how it turned out, and he seemed really moved by it. Oh and there was also a book he's been wanting and a Patrice Lumumba tee included in the gift box. It's cool when you know a person well enough to just...know 'em like that. :-)

Time To Let Go

Woooooooooooooooo!!! Lately I've been having all sorts of ideas concerning a new approach I've been spiritually prompted to take in regards to my work. So, so, so much going on inside my head! When it first came to me, I went through a few days of confusion and anxiety. The other day I lollygagged around this apartment aaaaaalllll day doing absolutely nothing. It's like I was afraid to touch my sewing machine, any fabric, thread, scissors, anything cause I just was so..........uncertain! I have this feeling every once and a while, but find it hard to explain. I thought my head was gonna explode yesterday. Seriously.

I also have spells of, "O.k. some of this has to go." Currently I find myself in this mood. Last week I got the urge to through away my huge bin of fabric scraps. For me that's big, cause I keep that thing filled with random fabric pieces that I use for various projects such as this and this
I love my scraps, mayne! Some of 'em date back to '02 and bring back memories. But. Gotta listen to "the voice". Make room for the new. In addition, I've been moved to just get rid of stuff. It's not like I have a lot of 'stuff', but some of the items in my living space are just buggin' me.

So anyway, earlier today I marked a lot of items in my shop down by 50%. I just love 'em to life, but they're so ready to be released into the world.

Like what, you ask? Well there's this top:


Dating back to November '06. This one really makes me smile. I was very pleased with the entire 3-piece collection that it's a part of. The dress now belongs to someone in Switzerland (and I hope she's enjoying it :-). What's left is this blouse and the skirt. That green material is just perfect.

What else?

Oh, there's the Rafeeka Pencil Skirt:


Now, brown is my color. It makes up the majority of my personal wardrobe..in one shade or another. I think I'm gonna start wearing more high waisted skirts. I really like 'em. I felt great in this one. Oh, then there's the sold skirt and currently available dress that matches. Fall with a nice touch of summer :-).

Speakin' of summer....the weatherbug on my desktop is dinging giving me notice of a heat advisory. A red '100' is blinking down in the task bar. Yes, weatherbug, I know it's HOT. I appreciate cha lookin' out for me though. ;-)

peace

My New Obsession

I barely know what to do with myself now that I've got a faster internet connection. Pictures upload in seconds as opposed to the 30 minutes to an hour that it took with dial-up. Yep. It was a pitiful situation...especially for someone who spends a good portion of her time uploading photos to various places online. I'm so thrilled right now. :-)

But anyway, you may have noticed a style of tunic that has shown up a few times in the shop. This is one of my new favorite garments to create. Just so simple and...cool!







The idea for these came back in January of 2005. I was preparing to go to Houston, Tx to see Lizz Wright in concert (simply beautiful). Well, I couldn't think of what I was gonna pack to wear to the concert. Then it came to me. I'm forever throwing something together to wear at the last minute by cutting up, painting on, revamping something in my closet. Well, Someone had given me a tan, stretchy polyester skirt with long slits up the sides. I knew I'd never wear it...as a skirt anyway. So, of course, I turned it into a top. There wasn't really any sewing. I simply painted an ankh on it, found a piece of material to tie around, and a new concept was born:



(Sorry for the blurry photo...this was taken at my old place before the green walls and before my improved automatic photo taking skills)


It wasn't until this year that I decided to expand on the idea. I personally am in love, so expect to see more. I'm (mentally) working on new styles for colder weather. We'll see what I come up with. ;-)

Dresses Galore...

So. The dresses (mentioned in a previous post) are done! done! done! :-D The results:














I've been wanting to make a kimono style dress for someone so I took this opportunity to do just that. (second photo)

Now keep in mind that I'm 5'1" she's 5 '11"; her bust is 4 inches smaller than mine; her waist is 2 1/2 inches smaller than mine; her hips are 6 1/2 inches smaller than mine. You can image how hard it was for me to get in and out of some of the garments to shoot these photos! I'm a bit smooshed in at the bust on some of the pics, but thankfully I was able to get in and out without tearing or stretching....with the use of a bit of acrobatics ;-). When I do custom work for people over a long distance who are smaller than I am, that's sorta my way to gauge things..."If this is too tight for me, then it'll work for ____." If the person is larger, I use a similar method, but I also have a curvaceous dress form that helps, too.

Also, since she's tall and some of the lengths of fabric didn't accommodate her height, i added contrasting pieces so the dresses would fall at or below her knees. Some she wanted shorter so they'd hit at mid thigh or a little longer.

I'll be uploading the pictures to my fotki soon so you can have a better look.

Overall I'm pleased with the outcomes. I just have to wait and get her feedback....

Delightfulness for All Involved...

*Wheeeeew!!!!* So far my day has been active and fun. For the last two Saturdays, I've been teaching a fashion styling class (for teenagers) through the continuing education department at the local university. Today we had such a great time! Since it was the last day, I wanted to make it lively, so last night was spent thinking up activities for us to do. It had already been confirmed that we'd have a style show to conclude the course. But I had to come up with some other activities for the meantime since the class was 4 hours and the show would only last 30-45 minutes.

Well, I made up a shoe designing project where I provided the girls with a cut out of a high heeled show, markers, colored pencils, fabric scraps , and various other craft supplies and left it up to them to jazz up the shoe in whatever way they wanted. I have a picture of them holding their shoes but won't post it here for their own privacy. I realized later that I shoulda taken a picture of the shoes, lying on the table. They were really neat. But! I do have a picture of the shoe I created so you can get an idea of what it was all about.



Aside from the orange, the whole thing was done with fabric glued to the cut-out. The piece in the middle is gold lamé. I like my lil shoe. :-)

We also played charades...but with words. (is that still charades??). The game was a knock off of one I played when in Atlanta. I can't think of the name of it though. Anyway, all the words involved were fashion related. It was really fun, and I was pleased to see how much the girls enjoyed themselves. I have some great photos from the style show that I'd love to share with y'all. I won't, though. ;-)

So in other news, I just marked down a whoooooole lotta clothes in my sewfly store. It would make me very happy if you went over and had a look. It would make me even happier if you bought something! Don't you want me to be happy?? I know ya do. ;-)

So. You're curious about what type of clothes I marked down?? Well, there are a few shirts over there similar to this one:

'Truth' Art Top: $12 in the shop.

Pretty cool, huh? Go have a look around. I'm off to continue my day of blissfulness.

peace!

School Days

Ancestral Delight: $40 in the shop!

When I was in elementary school I had this green floral print babydoll dress that I just adored so much. I wore it often cause there was something about how I felt when I was in it. I guess I can describe the feeling as 'grown-up' or 'womanish' or something like that :-) Me and that top were a force to be reckoned with. Who knew that I would grow up to be a designer of clothing and that babydoll dresses would be one of my most favorite things to create? I'm certain that the joy I get out of creating one of these stems from my experience with the green floral top I wore back in the day.

I was in Atlanta recently and noticed that a lot of girls were wearing short babydoll style dresses. I asked my girl Attallah was this a new trend. See, cause I create clothing but I'm sooo out of the loop when it comes to mainstream fashion. I'm just not up on it. Well, she informed me that these dresses were the new 'it' fashion item, which I think is pretty cool. The babydoll dress will always be a staple in my clothing design endeavors. So simple, so fly. :-)