Quote of the Day

In my mind Friday battles Sunday for best day of the week.

I'm waving in the weekend. Smile on my face. Prosecco chilling in the fridge. Far away friends on the highway, their GPS set to Destination: Bonnie.

As I got dressed this morning I recalled the strange Tylenol PM induced dream I had last night in which a stranger quoted Emily Dickinson to me. She said "Dwell in possibility."

So, with that I wish you thrilling yet relaxing weekend and I invite you to dwell in the possibilities with me.

xo!

Bonnie Rue

The belly rules the mind

That's an old Spanish proverb. It's real old. Like all proverbs. I mean who's got time to write new ones?

Anyway, I've said it before but I'll say it again - I am really only ever concerned with my next meal. I make weekly meal plans. A new recipe finds itself pinned under my fork 2 or 3 times a week. Cooking is how I relax after work and how I most enjoy spending time with the raddest people I know. I care about where it comes from and how it came to be before it began it's journey to my stomach. Hooray for food!

I read a lot about food and the agriculture industry. I watch way too many documentaries and spend too long in the grocery store making decisions, but it pleases me. I hope some of my recent findings please you too! Some exciting stuff, some scary stuff & eye candy too.

I found out yesterday that the first zero-packaging grocery store in the US might be opening right here in Austin, TX! Sometimes when I get excited I will stammer and then say 'there are no words!' but thats a lie. I always have words. If I don't have something to say please lean in and check for a pulse, okay? So, here are my words - this is fucking amazing. Pardon my french, but that is how I feel. They need donations to make this happen though. I am going to toss $50 their way because imagining a store with out brand names and logos and goofy mascots competing for my attention and my pay check just makes me giddy. To think my pantry could be free of these things as well - eek! It means a world with a little less marketing, which don't get me wrong, great marketing really turns me on, but these days we do not get a free moment. Something is almost always blatantly or subconciously trying to get our wallets out of our pockets. It's exhausting and wether we realize it or not it fills our heads with crap that ultimately does not serve us. It forces us to make decisions about things we may never even purchase, causing stress and anxiety in small yet affecting doses. I'd rather just get to the point. Filling my belly with the good stuff while I stop contributing to the landfills that will not always be out of sight and out of mind. And now fine readers In.gredients

Now, on a less thrilling tip.. Here are some terrifying maps! One showing the locations of Americas top 8 burger franchises, the other of places where bars out number grocery stores. I feel that there are some errors on this map because Austin, TX does not show up as a hot spot. If I tried to name every bar in this town it would not only be boring, but exhausting to boot.

Okay, it's gross but... Feast your eyes on this (for a larger view just click on it).

The only thing I like more than food is good illustration. When I found They Draw and Cook my heart skipped a beat! Then I thought 'Damn it! why didn't I come up with this?' but that's a bull shit thing to think (pardon my french again! I have potty mouth today). Seriously though who cares who came up with it, just that it exists! There plans to illustrate some of my favorite recipes and I will surely let you know when I submit them. Until then, here are a few of my favorites! (again, if you want to get up close and personal just click on the images)

Well, I'm stupid hungry now and I turn into a betch when I'm hungry and I don't want to subject you lovely people to that.

xo,

Bonnie Rue

p.s. Remember, you can eat off my plate if I can eat off of yours.

Simple Do's and Don'ts on a Thursday

Do: Be inspired by Nick Gentry's paintings. Find or create things that are good out of the obsolete crap you have in your life.

Don't: Get a penis tattoo... Not on. Not of. Not that I thought you were tempted, but...

Do: Pick a lovely corner of the world and start socking away money to one day go there.
AND

Don't... Forget:

xo,

Bonnie Rue

Baby Steps

What a long week. At best I've been emotionally unstable lately. I was stressing it, even throwing a fit - but I'm just not going to allow myself to stress things anymore. Yeah, that is totally against my nature, but this component of my personality has proven to be.. less than advantageous. So, I am eradicating it. In other words I'm trying my damnedest to say good bye to my inner brat and just roll with the punches. Take deep breathes, allow myself to lean on people when I start to lose my shit and laugh when I feel a colossal cry coming on. It wasn't a bad week.

The highlights. The low-lights need not be mentioned.

*Tons of yoga. Every day in fact. Vinyasa mostly, which I found utterly irritating at first. It's meditative qualities seem hard to find, but the classes are cheap and a new challenge is appreciated right now. Believe it or not.

*Wine and oldies girl group records with a friend under the canopy of lush trees. We sweated and rapped (not literally) about our pasts, talked in depth about the wine we were drinking and sang the praises of a well stocked and organized kitchen.

*While shopping for a dinner party I was approached by an old man who told me he wished I was his wife... after he raved for 10 or so minutes about how flourless bread is the only bread worth eating and that everyone should know about the"one-ness blessing". Me = crazy person magnet.

*Dinner at my place with my roommate JenJen and our friend Mario who won the title of The Funniest Person in Austin a few years back. He gave me a lift when I was too tipsy to drive one night so I thanked him with dinner and picked his brain about his comedy career. Check out his book A Cynic's Guide to a Rich and Full Life. I think he's got it figured out. His contribution to dinner was a cucumber infused vodka. As far as awesomely summer-ish things go I'd put it up there with watermelon and sunscreen. Yeah.

*I hired a rock n roll therapist this week. Sounds cheezy, yeah, but he can smell what I'm stepping in and I think he can help me wash away my crazy.

*Nail Party! My ladies rallied at the house with wine+wine+wine and caboodles filled with nail polish, decals, glitter and many tricks up their sleeve. Rissa taught everyone how to "marble" their nails (see JenJen's photo) while we ate brownies and watched Daria. The house smelled a little toxic once we were all fancied up... Small price to pay I think.

*Yesterday I went swimming with a gang of ladies in vintage bathing suits then took a walk to acquire vegan soft serve and a bouquette of flowers carefully cut from my neighbors yards.

*Thrifted a pair of creepers - just like the ones I wore in high school. *heart thump*

Today I called my Father and expressed my never ever ending gratitude and love. I hope you did too. The last few precious hours of the weekend were spent ignoring the dishes, drawing stupid pictures, eating some serious quesadillas and writing, writing, writing.
Baby steps to tomorrow and baby steps away from the brat in my brain.

xo,
Bonnie Rue

Ribbons Forever

A big thank you and too many hugs to all of you who emailed me little love notes. I really appreciate your sentiment and affection, more than you'll ever know. I've been rough around the edges and it really does help to hear from my lovely readers.

Speaking of lovely friends and broken hearts, Natalie Ribbons aka Agent Ribbons who is new-ish to Austin, TX (originally from Sacramento) just released her first super professional music video! It's filled with chandeliers, carousels, the best dresses ever and haunting vocals. It's whimsical and bloody and if you are anything like me, you will la-la-love it. I've been singing her songs in the shower for years now, long before she moved to Austin. One lucky night I was shakin' it at the Second Sunday Sock-Hop, like I do... when I looked across the dance floor and SHAZAAM! There she was. Girl crush in full effect. I caught her on the porch later and we made friends pretty fast.

"I love your dress!"
"Oh, I love YOUR dress!"
"You look like a cake!"
"You look like a modern day Nico Case!"

And THAT right there ladies and gentlemen is how you win friends and influence people.

So, with out further ado, here is That's Not Edgar's Heart by Agent Ribbons

Bonnie Rue: Who, What, When, Where and How did this gorgeous video come to be?

Agent Ribbons: The video was shot in Oakland by Ryan McCoy, who went to an experimental arts high school with me in Sacramento and found me later in life when he started working for George Lucas at Skywalker Ranch. He said he had access to all this great equipment and wanted to help us make a music video on the side, so we did!

Bonnie Rue: Tell me, tell me, tell me - who put your wardrobe together? Was it you?

Agent Ribbons: Ryan had costume designer Alison Cohen do the clothes so we didn't actually pick them, but we were thrilled with the wardrobe choices!

Bonnie Rue: Can we expect more amazing video's in the future?

Agent Ribbons: We may or may not have more videos...since we have no budget for them, it unfortunately hinges upon the desire of aspiring filmmakers and people who just want to help us out!

Bonnie Rue: Perhaps a Kickstarter campaign is in order?.... So, I know you ladies were just out on tour, anymore dates coming up that I should know about?

Agent Ribbons: We just got home from tour TODAY and we'll be taking the summer off from travel to write a new album. YAY!

You can pick up her latest release, Chateau Crone at Antenna Farm Records. Buy it on vinyl so you will always and forever have it in your collection. It lives proudly in the front of my record rack *smack in the center* so it's easy to get to at any ol time AND so I can see it's lovely cover every single day!

Self Medicating

First off, let's get something straight.. I am not a hippy. Some of the facts may suggest otherwise. I mean, I live in Austin, TX. I eat mostly vegan cuisine. I sort of really hate washing my hair. Socks are something I rarely wear. I'll even admit to being accused of smelling um, "natural" on an occasion or two. But I'm not a hippy. That being said, when I get sick I do ingest a lot of herbs, vitamins, tea & green leafy things long before I'll ever set foot in a doctors office. Because I feel that food is the cure when you are sick. Eat yourself to health is one of my many motos.

These days I am not sick... but I am not well. And none of these things will cure me. My heart is broken. Everyone knows that time is the answer but I can't brew up a strong cup of time. Some days I can't even get off the couch or bring myself to eat. You can't rush this shit. There's only enduring it. Some things do help. Friends being at the top of that list. They are familiar and they love you. Which is all you want when you your heart feels like someone is trying to make sausage out of it.

Familiar isn't always good though. Like when it comes to your music collection. Every song is filled with ghosts.
"This is the first song we ever sang together!" or "This song was playing when we drove to the desert that one time.." and even "He used to hate it when I would put this record on." All of it will split you at the seems and have you wishing for a tear free existence before you even reach the chorus.

I'm trying to come up with a cure for the broken hearted. Maybe it's silly. I know it's not a fucking sore throat, but I can't just sit on the couch wondering "Did I eat today?" Knowing I did not.

Yes, a haircut helps. Self applied or otherwise. Writing is an important part of the process, but unfortunately it also makes you feel trite. My highschool art teacher once suggested doing a self portrait, which I half heartedly attempted the other day. He said it would make you spend time with yourself. Thinking of YOU and what YOU want. Not a bad exercise, but my heart doesn't feel EXERCISED.
A trip to the record store has been the most beneficial of my efforts so far. Yes, I'm writing from the couch still, but for all intents and purposes let's say that blogging is a social activity. Which is an improvement. I picked up many different things. A selection that is all over the place.. just like me. And here they are:

Story by Tiana Hux aka MC Sweet Tea
A local white lady rapper (one of my most favorite things) who I find to be inspiring and she gets me as close to giggling as possible. I first saw her perform at a fashion show this past winter. Her hair was big, her rhymes were um, phat & it was love at first note. It makes me think I could dance again. Which is much appreciated. I highly recommend it.




Xiu Xiu's Fabulous Muscles
Because part of me will not let this couch or this feeling go. So I might as well have something new to cry to. I'm in the mood for something beaming with dramatics. Something creepy and impossible to explain. Ya know, a record that sounds like it was very painful to make.






My Secret Public Journal LIVE by Mike Birbiglia
Mostly because it was on sale. Also because I love him. AND I want to try stand up comedy (once I can crack a joke again) and I feel that at some point this will be highly inspiring.






Last but not least...

Diamond Rings - Special Affections
This record IS my rebound boyfriend. John O is so cute and all the words are right. The love songs are certainly punishing BUT I'm into that and it's poppy enough to get me up and into the shower. If you've recently broken up or been dumped you should let this cute canadian boy sing to you. You might even smile.

She Was An American Girl

I don't mean to brag (or drive it into the ground) but good gawd - I've got some really bad ass friends. Some here, some there & some on the other side of the world in places like Berlin! As we speak the lovely Tara Tonini who hails from Dallas TX (just like me) is opening her first pop up shop - She Was an American Girl! It is a retail and gallery shop featuring 16 designers, 8 artists, 4 musicians and one record label. 100% Made in America!

Think American cowboy silhouettes, pop art passport covers, Native American ponchos, hipster screen printed T-shirts, studded rock ‘n’ roll dresses, jewelry designed out of vintage records, stewardess inspired swimwear (made by Tara ) and romantic accessories constructed from nature. Of course there is TONS of Model Citizen stuff up in there. Just like this Axe Slinger Tee pictured here with Leatherette Heart's Japanese Parachute Pants!

Yep - it's going to be killer! To see a list of the designers and read more about them please check out Tara's blog!

Awesome thing is - you do not have to be in Berlin to shop til you drop! All of this goodness is right here under your nose.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x
ALSO - Tara is not alone in Berlin - the Oh so very bad ass Melisser Elliot (from San Francisco) is currently calling Berlin home! Check out her blog and her book - The Vegan Girls Guide to Life!



Allright, who loves you?
Bonnie Rue

Mermaid Water

Bath time is the best time. I know this now. When I was young I would fight it. Bath time was up there with bed time & home work time & "we gotta take you to the dentist" time. It did not matter how many toys were buried in the bubbles, I didn't want to play. If anything I'd get into save my plastic friends from a watery death.

I am so glad all my feelings about personal hygiene have taken a complete 180 since I was 7. I am a big girl now, who is obsessed with smelling great & feeling softer than is humanly possible. But I want it all! I want to smell good & feel even better with the use of no man made chemicals what so ever! That is where my love affair with LUSH comes in. I've told you of the miracle that is their face masks, but there's oh so much more to fall head over heals with. I'm happy to announce that Austin, TX recently got their first LUSH store & now I can have it ALL any old time I want!

On my most recent trip I discovered what can only be described as Mermaid Water. It is marvelous & I simply could not feel like a decent human being if I didn't share this bath time blessing with you!

Here's how you make it happen. It's one part Big Blue Bath Bomb & one part Sunny Side Up Bubble Bar (which you can break into pieces for multiple uses). Big Blue takes you ocean side with fresh sea salt, arame seaweed, lavender, & some citrus notes while Sunny Side smells of tangerines and is covered in a light and shimmery gold glitter. Not the crafty kind, but the kind that is edible and made for dusting over some bad ass cupcakes or maybe some upside down pineapple cake... just a thought - I mean, why not?

So you lovingly mix these two amazing items into your bath water while it's running. What emerges is a glittery tub of aquamarine bubbles that will shimmer and shine all around you. You will feel as though you never want to step foot on dry land again.

Click here to find a LUSH store near you.

And just because I can't help myself:



Best. Bath. EVER!
Cross my heart!

xo,
Bonnie Rue

Want. Need.

Winter and all of it's gloom has left the building! It makes me want to lay in the warm shade all day long, reading and doodling my life away. Yes, I have a trillion things to do and there will not be nearly enough lounging, but a girl can dream. So - inspired by Spring, here's all the shiz I am currently fawning over. Get it? Spring, Fawning? Anyway...




My friends say I'm pretty competitive, and it's true. Not in a Heathers kind of way. I'm a nice girl. I'm thinkin' though - if one were to pick up a bottle of Strawberry Flowers by Fresh you would have a good shot at smelling even more lovely than the honeysuckle wafting in through my window. Take that Mother Nature! I am sold!




What could be better than swaying down memory lane in my hammock? Well I can think of a few things but I'm not going to put make outs & margaritas on my want/need list because they are both a given. Anyway - Did any of you ladies live for the moment when your issue of Sassy would show up in your mailbox? I sure as hell did. It was the first magazine I ever became fanatical about. When they went out of print I felt like my BFF had moved to Canada over night without leaving a forwarding address. Dramatic much? Totally. I was 15. Back then I had no idea how expensive it is to run a magazine. All is forgiven though. I have a few old issues & soon I will own How Sassy Changed My Life: A Love Letter to the Greatest Teen Magazine of All Time by Kara Jesella & Marisa Meltzer. The reviews are great & even if they're wrong... I sort of don't care.

Once I get tired of lazing about all on my lonesome I think I'm going to need this fantastic little Bodum Grill so I can feast outside with my gang on my merry-go-round. I feel the need to cook as often as possible over a fire - outside of my adorable, yet frighteningly warm kitchen. Peaches & figs with balsamic glaze! Mussels & grilled lettuce salads! Tofu dogs with grilled onions & homemade spicy wine mustard! I'll stop now. I could go on like this all day. Are you a pit boss? Have a favorite recipe you'd like to share with me? Please do! FYI - the photo here is from the NYT and not of the grill I'm dreaming of. Please click on the link if you want to peek at the grill.

Rompers! Sundresses & Skorts! Oh my! If spring & summer ever had a uniform - this would be it!
When I moved into my new place I purchased a desk off craigslist that is PERFECT for sewing! I'm a little rusty but my Mom sent me some really cool old patterns that claim to be quick & easy, so I'm planning on getting my sewing fingers back! I'll post the results (even if they are hideous). Cross my heart. Is anyone else doing some spring sewing? Care to share? If not, but you wish you were - Etsy always has great vintage patters. Burdastyle is another amazing place to check out. They have some of the cutest patterns and sometimes they are FREE!




Last but never least... Anything from the Irregular Choice spring collection.
*heart melting* I am not 100% positive that you could play badminton in them, but croquet and lounging should be a breeze. C'mon - tell me you don't love these?




Well, that is enough wanting and needing for today! I am going to go now & be content with the things I have. Please forward on any recipes or feel free to share what you are reading this spring. AND of course, I want to see your sewing projects!

xo!
Bonnie Rue

Brunch for President!

Forget Trump, Palin & Barack. Cast your vote for mimosas, home fries, flap jacks & the worlds favorite food - bacon!.. or veggie bacon for those who are not carnivorously inclined.


What the hell am I talking about? Am I seriously encouraging you to shove your political views off the table only to make room for a pitcher of bloody mary's and a plate of scones? No! That's not what is actually happening here. I'm introducing you to my friend Haley's awesome new blog - Brunch for President!

Once upon a time Haley had what I like to call "Fear of First Food" - meaning that she sort of hated breakfast food. Dubious, am I right? Those days are now behind her and to celebrate her new found love for all things Bunch she has been eating and drinking her way across the city, through the weekend & into your heart. I just know you will be as wild about her as I am.

AND

To inspire you for the upcoming weekend feast I will be posting a brunch inspired haiku on Brunch for President every Friday! Every freakin' Friday without fail! So - get your digital brunch on, check out my dumb haiku's & REMEMBER: There's no such thing as too many mimosa's.

xo!
Bonnie Rue

Make up. Make out. Break up. Move out.

Has it been a lifetime since I last posted anything here? It certainly feels like it. I didn't mean to neglect my blog but it's been a rocky year in the house of Rue. Since my last post I've had my heart cracked, hammered, stomped & eventually flushed. Me and my boyfriend of 11 years decided to call it quits. There was no name calling, plate breaking or launching eachothers personal affects through the window and onto the lawn. No one hates anyone and there was no BIG reason.. It was just time I guess.

I moved in with my lovely friend Jen about a month ago. She's wonderful, smart, well traveled and read & she enjoys all the experimental dinners I cook - so all in all, perfect roommate. The house is awesome and in a great part of town - PLUS - we have a merry-go-round out back! Sometimes I eat my breakfast on it, taking slow little 360 degree tours of the back yard. Pictures to come soon!



Yes, I've been drinking away my sorrows. Tequila is my official break up medicine. I gotta tell ya though - broken hearted with a hangover is just not pretty. I'm turning a corner now though. I haven't had much to say.. and I promise you - nothing you'd want to hear anyway (cross my wounded little heart), but spring has me smiling again! So we will now return to our regular broadcasting schedule. If anyone is still reading this thing that is.

On another note - my work/storage space has been cut in half so you can expect a massive Model Citizen sale very soon! Also - you can look forward to a total revamp of GG&G before my next post. Exciting!

who loves you?
Bonnie Rue

And the winner of the Hoodie is...

Miss Anonymous!

Who would not have won if she hadn't left her email address!

I am happy that a unemployed & chilly grad student will now be warmer!

Congrats!

I'll be doing another give away next week. Same bat time - same bat channel ;)

xo!
Bonnie Rue

Hoodie Giveaway!

I can not believe it's November. Last I checked it was September... or that's how it feels anyway. From the looks of my office it may as well be the week before Xmas. Shipping boxes here & there, empty rolls of packing tape over flowing the trash can, my printer is blinking red to let me know I've used all the ink printing out festive shipping labels.. It's a lovely little mess up in here!

Some of these shipping boxes are going off to lovely far away lands & others have just arrived. So what just came in?

More Outlaw hoodies!

Now available in Small, Medium & Large! For the longest time I just had smalls in stock - which is uncool - but those days are behind us now & because it's foggy outside & the temp has dropped considerably here in Austin, TX I am giving 1 of these Outlaw Hoodies away - Right here on my blog! All you have to do is leave a comment below sometime between now & next Wednesday (November 17th). I will pick a winner at random on Wednesday morning. The winner will be sure to turn heads & maybe get some weird looks from their grandma from across the thanksgiving day table... *wink*

We are not done yet though... I'm offering 10% off on all Hoodies for the next 14 days! This includes the Outlaw Hoodie Dress of which there is ONLY 1 left! PLUS I have a few hoodies stashed that were test prints OR they are the very last of their kind & I'll be posting them on my Etsy shop in the coming days at special prices that will include the 10% off! Follow me on Twitter to know when they are up ;)

Why the massive hoodie sale? Well, we here at Model Citizen (and by we I mean me) just hate to be cold. It's the total effing pits. So we want you all to be warm & thrifty of course... and speaking of everyone being warm, while you are out shopping this holiday season - if you see any blankets on sale please pick 1 or 2 up and drop them my your local homeless shelter. Better yet - post up a flier at work asking people to donate some blankets (if used they must be washed please!) then take a big ole box of warmth to some people who really need it.

xo!
Bonnie Rue

Tis the season for soup!

I am bat shit crazy about soup. It's one of the first few things I learned to cook - which is a really great place to start because a little bit of almost every cooking technique is involved in making a fab pot of soup. Sautéing, braising, simmering, double boiling, pureeing, thickening, etc. - I know it's exciting stuff. Anyway, the temperature is dropping here in Texas and I've been souping it up a lot. That being said, there is one soup I make almost all year long & I eat it for breakfast almost everyday. (Why breakfast? Well, because it's full of vitamins, it's easy to digest so it helps wake up your digestive system first thing in the A.M. & eating soup helps hydrate you.) So many of my friends are curious about this morning soup action & have asked me for the recipe. I figured I would just post it here rather than track everyone down and email it out.

Here we go!

*Morning Monster Soup*

1-2 table spoons olive oil (I just eyeball it - like everything else in this recipe)
1 large onion diced
1 large turnip diced small (If you don't like turnips - get over it)
3 garlic cloves smashed or minced (add more if you like)
2 teaspoons thyme (you could use dill, but dill makes me ill so I never go that route)
5 cups veggie broth
*Okay this is important - if you are not making your own broth please use something with low sodium content. If you find yourself wishing that your soup was saltier later on - just put some Braggs amino acids in when you are serving yourself a bowl - cool?
1 large zucchini sliced into half moons
2 stalks celery chopped
6-7 stalks kale rinsed, drained, de-stalked and chopped (say that 5 times fast)
1/2 a lemon - juiced
pepper to taste if you like

In order to dance this mess around you'll want to:

1. Put your olive oil in the pot - let it get hot & add the onion & garlic.

2. Once the onions are starting to get soft add your turnip & thyme. Saute for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add your broth & zucchini - now simmer on medium high for 5-7 minutes

4. Time to add the lemon juice & kale.

5. Once the kale is super green and starting to get soft you'll want to take 1-2 cups of the soup out of the pot and puree it in a food processor, blender, or if you have a hand held blender just pop that in the pot for a few seconds to help spread that hulky green color around.

6. Mix the blended stuff with the chunky stuff and boom! You are done.


*this photo was taken with my phone - it's not the best photo in the world, but you get the idea.

I like to serve my soup with extra lemon & some pumpkin seeds for an additional dose of manganese, phosphorus, iron, copper, zinc & protein. Noms!

Seasoning Alternatives:
If I'm feeling a sickness coming on I will add turmeric, cayenne pepper, the juice of 1 whole lemon & more garlic.

Well, I thought I'd never say this, but that's enough about soup for one day.

Enjoy!
Bonnie Rue

What happens in Vegas aka My POOL Trade Show Adventure Part II

Sorry for the first teaser post *wink*

So here's the tofurkey and potatoes about what went down in Va-Va-Vegas!
First day of the show was pretty effing exciting. We arrived at the show at 9am sharp with 2 hefty breakfast burritos in hand (because when you are outside of Texas the breakfast burrito is like 900 times more popular than the breakfast taco - a fact that I will NEVER understand). The booth was all set up and looking super cute (if I do say so myself)! But you tell me - what do you think?



So yeah, by 9am the dj was already on the scene.. not that anyone was awake enough to dance, but he did a good job warming us up. Right off the bat I made friends with the lovely and out going ladies from Leatherette Heart. Liz (the brains & shot in the arm of the biz) is sort of the most wonderful person ever! Hilarious, crass & seriously one of a kind! AND she is was sugary sweet enough to share a box of "Fat Elvis'" with the rest of us on our row. What is a Fat Elvis? It's a fried spring roll filled with banana's, chocolate & *wait for it* bacon! Good Gawd - they were sinful. Here on the left is pic of Liz, Robin & yours truly from The POOL opening party @ The Hard Rock Cafe. I guess this is a good time to tell you that this was the night the debauchery really started. See - unless you are gambling in Vegas - the drinks are crazy expensive on the strip... but they were free free free at the POOL opening party! Don't we look like sassy drunk ladies?

The first day I was really nervous but it faded pretty quickly. I met lots and lots of super nice people. Many of them were from Canada & they really do live up to the cliche of being oh so seriously nice and polite! I also got a very flattering visit from Twinkie Chan (who is not from Canada as far as I know - but just as sweet)! She walked up and said "I heard you were here and I wanted to come meet you." I was like "you wanted to meet me?!" *blushing* She is even cuter in person (seems impossible I know) & her booth for Yummy You of course really was um, YUMMY! She is something to aspire to. No doubt! If you don't know who Twinky is - read her blog. It will not disappoint.

Later in the day our booth neighbors appeared- they'd had a shipping mishap that kept them from loading in on time :( What a nightmare! Enter stage right Magda & Jake of Marmalade Clothing! Well traveled, sharply dressed & witty as hell - we could not have had better neighbors। She is from Toronto, he's from the UK and while Magda had been to Vegas before - this was Jakes first time to the states! I spent the next few days swearing up and down that the US is NOT like Vegas. I think I finally convinced him. By day we helped reel people into each others booths (and made fun of the dj) then by night we were skipping through the casinos drinking beers and fawning over eachother. Instant BFF's!
The second and third days at POOL were a blur of handing out line sheets, shakin' hands, feeding people fortune cookies, talking about tiger stripes and lace. It was FUN and exhausting! Time in Vegas either doesn't exist or it passes you by making you feel nuts in the process. Before I knew we were pooped and packing up. With an armory of new biz contacts we wobbled back to our room and prepared for our last night on the town. We didn't just go out to gamble our hard won booty away - we actually got put on the list to see Ghostland Observatory - who were actually playing in our hotel that night! So we talked almost everyone on our row into going with us and we danced like fools before finally making our way to down town Las Vegas. WHICH WAS WAY BETTER THAN THE STRIP! It was real and gritty and flashy AND I won $25 on an Elvis slot machine! Winning always makes things better ;) It was hilarious though. I was sitting with Austin at another slot losing my ass and I got up to announce that I was going to hit the Elvis machine in the middle of the room and I literally said "because I need a little less conversation and a little more action" then after the first $1 I put in the machine spit out 100 quarters! That was the end of my gambling in Vegas. I now when to say when... most of the time.
The rest of the night was filled with bar hoping, photo-boothing, bar top dancing, country western sing-a-longs, pricey cab rides & saying "I'm going to miss you so much!" over and over again.
Here's the photographic proof:
yep - fried twinkies. Not served all night apparently.

I know it's hard to see, but this is a shark covered in bra's... hanging on the wall at a honky tonk called hogs & heifers... when in Vegas - right?

I know I don't have to say it - but it was a long night and I felt like death in the morning. We were totally green on our flight home - but we weren't the only ones in rough shape on the plane.

So - how did it go business wise? Well - I'm still finding out. People are still putting orders together. But I can tell you that soon you will be able to find Model Citizen at these fine retailers:
Hip Replacements - Asheville, NC
Cliche - Minneapolis, MN
Young Blood Boutique - Atlanta, GA
Hootenanny - Cambridge, MA

And I will be announcing more soon ;)

As for everyone that donated to help me get to the city of sin - I will be sending out your rewards shortly. I could never thank you enough for your generosity! EVER!

xo!
Bonnie Rue