They've got the beat!

I was recently interviewed by Leslie Henkle at Tom Tom Magazine - a magazine ALL about female drummers! Leslie had some really unique questions that were fun to answer! Check it out ;)
Pretty flattering to be interviewed by such a bad ass! Leslie not only curates the Crash Crash Craft series for Tom Tom, but she also editorializes over at A Mutual Respect.org! She doesn't quit there though - Leslie works for a nonprofit called Bags for the People that hosts bag-sewing workshops all over New York City and now in Jamaica too! PLUS she writes the Tight Pantsy Drew Mysteries, serialized cozy mystery zine set in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, starring hipsters, anarchist freegans, “Chad P.”, and of course the super-sleuth Tight Pantsy Drew!


So - what are you still doing here? Go read about some wild ladies who have a beat you can dance too! www.tomtommag.com

xo!
Bonnie Rue

In sickness... and in white belts?

I just read that next spring Urban Outfitters will be launching a line of bridal apparel. Will hipsters across the country rejoice? The wedding gowns and bridesmaids dresses will be designed by the Anthropologie design team (owned by UO). They're not just stopping there though - they will also be offering jewelry, shoes, accessories.. even invitations. Eventually their plan is to actually provide wedding planning services, travel booking & of course flower arrangements.

I'm excited to see the designs and I wonder what the price points will be... but I hope that I don't see a million UO cookie cutter wedding photos uploaded on flickr. It sounds like they'd like it to be one stop shopping for your big day. I don't think it should be that easy... but while they're in the designing stages I'd like to request that they made a dress something like this (keep scrolling) - so one day I can get married in it. I simply can not afford this one. I'm just not the kind of girl to buy an $7,000 dress. No matter what. I mean - I'm just going to take it off... and maybe even spill something on it. le sigh.
So ladies what do you think? Thumbs up? Thumbs down? Are you doing a little happy dance? or do you draw the line at buying area rugs & gladiator sandals from UO?

Do Good. Look Good!

The Spring Model Citizen goodness has arrived!
I had hoped it would all be done by the beginning of the Year of the Tiger, so it's a touch late, but better late than never! All items are available in in Small, Medium & Large at www.modelcitizenclothing.com

There's a lot of lace, a lot of tigers & stripes & hot pink & teal. And with this new collection we welcome the big cat of the sea - The Tiger Shark!
So lets get to it shall we?

Wild Child!
Made of Tiger Stripes & Lace. Screen printed on a black jersey cotton dress.


























Outlaw T
Pretty in Pink & Heather Gray.




























I love you but I've chosen... Shark Week
Lacey killers - circling your heart! Do you see the Tiger Shark? She's the one on the bottom right... creepin up on ya!




















Love in the Bike Lane
Sometimes - you've just gotta do it in the road.



























Gal with the Growl Earrings




























AND We've brought back an oldie - but a goodie:
Beauty & The Beat!
(modeled by my lovely friend Flip S.)


























So, what do ya think? I had to get it all posted before SXSW started. I think I'll be wearing my Wild Child dress quite a bit in the coming week! SXSW brings out the devil in me.

xo!
Bonnie Rue

Becoming a Modern Day Model Citizen Pt. 3

Once upon a time I started a series of posts all about fun ways to become a Model Citizen... and part 3 has been a long time coming. What else has been a long time coming? Spring! Luckily spring is in the air, blooms are all around and it has inspired me to finally finish this post! So, lets recap - Part 1 was about fun ways for all of us ladies to go green & stop contributing to the landfill. Part 2 was Charity for charity's sake & covered tons of opportunities we have to give back to our community without busting out our check books. So what's the topic of discussion today you ask?

Making the world a lovelier place by any means necessary! Ready to get your hands dirty? Literally? Let me start off by admitting something... I have black thumbs. BUT this is something that I don't like about myself - that I CAN CHANGE! Do you have black thumbs too? Do things go from garden to graveyard in the blink of an eye? Lets make this change and grow together - pun intended! We all know that reading is the best way to learn about anything and I have to say that You Grow Girl by Gayla Trail has really opened my eyes as to where I've gone wrong in the past with my garden patches. You'll learn all about starting from seed, composting, irrigation, container gardens & more! She also has a new book that just came out - Grow Great Grub. I don't have a copy yet but you can bet your pretty pink garden shears that I'll be picking one up soon and you should too. If you are broke but ready to get growing check out her blog.
Fun Fact: The National Gardening Association says that on average families can get up to a $500 return on their investment in gardening. For $500 me & my manfriend can spend a long weekend at the beach! Gardening here I come!

So, maybe you want to see things spring up and grow.. but you don't have any dirt to dig in? Think again! Dirt is everywhere. Sure it may not belong to you but that doesn't mean it's off limits. Grow rogue! Look around your neighborhood. There are medians, patches of grass next to bus stops, unused space in local parks AND yes - vacant lots that are screaming for a little love & affection. There's plenty of fun and sneaky ways to spread that love. Get Fresh Cut put together this rad video that will teach you all about DIY seed bombing and inspire you to transform your neighborhood!
*I will say that you may not want to plant veggies and herbs for consumption in these public places. You don't want to eat kale that was pee'd on by a drunk or fogged out by traffic exhaust. Just sayin'.. Okay - on with the show:


Did that get you all riled up and ready for more guerrilla style beautification tactics? Yes? Fantastic! Let's talk graffiti! No, don't bust out the Krylon just yet.. You will need a beer & a blender though for this most amazing and gorgeously green way to decorate your hood. Mossgraffiti! Okay, this won't work perfectly in all climates - including my own. Not a lot of moss here in Austin, TX... but that doesn't mean I won't give it a shot. You can create any image you like with moss and adhere it to any surface. All you need is:
*1 can of beer
*1/2 teaspoon sugar
*Several clumps garden moss
*1 plastic container (with lid)
*a blender
&
*a paintbrush

It's simple really. Just throw 1 beer, sugar & moss into a bender, mix until smooth or "creamy", transfer it to your plastic container and march out the door to your chosen location. You then paint it onto your surface using a stencil or go freehand if you like. It may not look brilliant at first, but if you stop by your lovely work of art and make sure it stays moist (using a spray bottle for misting) eventually the little bits of moss will start to recover and root springing forth your work of art. After time the moss will grow beyond that and take over the area, which is always a pretty site - in my opinion. North Westerners - I am calling on you to do this! I'll try it here in Austin, I've been scouting locations, but with 107 degree days on their way I'm feeling a little dubious about the outcome. I'm thinking my neighborhood needs one of these devil girls I drew lurking in an alley somewhere... *fingers crossed*

If none of these projects appeal to you but you've already got your hoe in hand and no where to grow you can find a community garden near you at CommunityGarden.org. On the other hand if you are an avid gardener please share your tips of the trade with me! Me and my black thumbs are all ears.. hmm that's a weird sentence. AND if you do or have tried out one of these projects will you take pictures? I'd LOVE to see them! Okay ladies - time is of the essence! Grab your gloves and grow!

Happy Harvesting!
Bonnie Rue

A dance floor tiger lady pumpin everything she has

This weekend I was schooled. Turns out that from the east to the west - the girls in the middle really do rock the best. Okay, I don't want to say that your weekend plans were lame, but I'm willing to bet my entire wardrobe that I had a more entertaining weekend than you. The city of Austin was blessed with a visit from the worlds greatest Cewebrity - The Midwest Diva herself - Miss Leslie Hall & her incredible Ly's! I was there front & center! Nani Nani Boo Boo! The show was packed & the crowd really brought the bling! A sea of gem sweaters shining brighter than all the stars in the nights sky my friends. No, I don't have any photos. All the pictures I took didn't really turn out or do the event any justice.. but hey, I never claimed to be a photographer! So - I drew this for you instead:
I first came across Leslie Hall a few years back while poking around on the internet looking at billions of beautiful bedazzled garments & accessories. Then *Shazaam* I found www.gemsweater.com & my life was changed forever by a chubby girl wearing gold spandex. My heart began to melt when I laid eyes on her larger than life hair do (remember kids I'm from Dallas, where there's only one rule with hair, the bigger the better) & by the time she started rapping I became completely infatuated with her & her talented back up singers The Ly's. I've laughed til I cried while she raps about the movie Willow. Leslie's Zombie Killer 7" is one of the dearest discs in my collection. Her smash hit Craft Talk plays on repeat in my mind while I'm stocking up at Hobby Lobby... And when the Ly's became flesh & blood Tiger Ladies I went from razzled & dazzled to head over heels faster than you can say Gold Pants! On that note kittens lets all gather around the youtube so Leslie's gemz & jamz can glimmer in our eyes as they well up with tears of joy caused by her seriously hilarious genius.



Aaahhh... That really hit the spot! Am I right ladies? Kitties? She's just the greatest. Also in running for the greatest is Christopher The Conquered who is out on tour w/ Leslie right now! No, there are no tiger ladies in his band, but there is a really awesome horn section & Christopher himself (Crush Alert) will win you over & have you dancing before he's even 3 songs deep into his set.

It was a great night filled with dancing, drinks, ski ball, gemz, jamz, gifting (I dropped off one of my pink Hell Yes brooches at the merch booth for Leslie), best fwends AND I finally got to shake hands with the lovely & talented Rachel Hobson of Average Jane Crafter & Craftzine fame. See - all the cool cats came out to this show! Which means you MUST go! The tour is headed West next - so all my readers in big CA - mark your calendars, don thine gems & let it all hang out! Visit www.leslieandthelys.com for tour dates <3 onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/3007166100_2edd47b406.jpg">

Anyhow - If Leslie isn't coming to your town anytime soon you can pick up her records or a pair of spandex pants at the Hefty Hideaway .

So? What do ya think? How did my weekend stack up to yours?

xo!
Bonnie Rue