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 Love and In Stitches!

Hello Lovelies!

I've got some good news!

1. Austin TX Finally cooled off. I'm blogging on my porch right now, listening to It's Blitz! sipping coffee in my hoodie & it's a crisp 47°F outside! I know that doesn't sound all that cold, but for Austin TX - that's full on winter! Just sayin.





2. The Sublime Stitching/Model Citizen Ready-To-Stitch Eco Totes are in my shop! AND - they come with floss, an embroidery needle AND How To instructions! This is a limited time offer kiddos. So don't eff around! Oh and BIG THANKS to Amy Bindle of Early Bird Special for stitching the example!




3. Tonight I'll be joining my manpanion, Austin Kalman for dinner @ Uchi in celebration of our 10 year anniversary! In 1999 we both moved to Olympia WA on a whim. We met almost immediately @ Majical Journeys where we both worked as phone psychics. Yes, phone psychics! I fell for him instantly and I'm still falling for him now. It's funny, I can't get away from musicians. On one of our first dates he told me he played guitar and I said "Oh honey - we all do.." Because I'm a jerk, BUT now he's about to embark on his first UK tour with his band and one of his songs actually appeared on Guitar Hero III... So, I was a jerk who is still pulling her foot out of her mouth. I'm so proud of him! Speaking of... I'm going to get off this computer and go give him my full attention. Nothing against y'all* of course.


xo!
Bonnie Rue

p.s. Expect East Austin Studio Tour updates next week!

*yeah, I said y'all. What you gonna do about it?

Naughty and Nice Posh Punk Lace Button Set

Now that I have room to play again I have been digging out old craft supplies and playing into the wee hours of the night! These new Naughty & Nice Posh Punk Button Sets are the result of last nights free time! Inspired by my childhood love of Madonna, Pretty in Pink & my ever growing collection of girl band 7 inches, these buttons turned out better than I could have ever imagined! One set of 4 will run you only $9! So strike a pose ladies!

Handmade Nation Premier in Austin, TX!

On Sunday, September 6th The Alamo Drafthouse is hosting the Austin premier of Handmade Nation! A documentary about the craft movement in America by Faythe Levine. If you read my blog I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that you are crafty - or a crafty connoisseur - ergo you must go to the premier. It's mandatory.
Faythe has been traveling all over - premiering her documentary 1 city at a time & I've been eagerly awaiting it's arrival to the Lone Star State! So you can only imagine how thrilled I was to be asked to come and sell Model Citizen Clothing @ the premier! I've got some new stuff that isn't available in the shop yet! Ooh Aah! Other crafty Austinites will be there too - such as Sublime Stitching, Naughty Secretary Club, Made With Sweet Love, Ramonster, One Creative Girl, Pommes Frites & More! Come out, shop, see the film, check out some awesome demo's by Yudu, Wondercraft & Rachel Hobson! It's guaranteed to be an inspiring day! Tickets are still available through the Alamo Drafthouse!

Wheels On Fire

It makes me pretty sad to think that I haven't had a chance to write a blog post in almost a month! Things have been so insanely hectic! Me & mine moved out of our house in exactly 30 days. That my friends was HARD. Austin (my manpanion) was in the studio recording a record & getting ready for a 3 month tour. I was in the middle of designing new items for fall and creating lots of new jewelry for the Texas Roller Derby Battle on the Bank II - The largest roller derby event in the world! Making a creative mess while packing and downsizing is something I hope to never have to do again. But I have to say - it all went off with out a hitch. I'm in my new temporary home now, living in South Austin with my talented friend Adrienne who is an architect & all around design genius. She is also married to the drummer of Austin's band so we are keeping eachother company while our dudes tour across the US. We work out together every morning and trade off making dinner almost every night. This might just be the most healthy & grown up relationship I've ever had ;)

But what about the Battle on the Bank you say? Well, it was kind of incredible! Women from all across the country came out to compete against our "All Scar" Texas Roller Derby Girls! I spent the past weekend in a huge room filled with some seriously tough women on wheels!

In true Texas style - the theme was capital punishment and when you walked in the door you immediately saw an electric chair sitting just in front of the ring! Kinda scary, but people popped in and out of it all day posing for pictures. The crowd for this event really brought it! I'm talking costumes i.e. Jedi's, Ninja's, peacocks & of course the derby dolls themselves we decked out in war paint, tattoos, super cute booty shorts and flashy safety gear. Eye candy everywhere!


Of course, I was cheering for Austin's very own Lonestar All-Scar Army but the San Diego Derby Dolls reigned supreme, beating the LA Ri-ettes 78 to 76 in the final bout! SO Close! To see everyone's final scores check out www.derbynewsnetwork.com

As if all this heavy competition wasn't exciting enough - I am happy to report that I was in good crafty company all weekend long! So much talent! I had to keep reminding myself that I was there to work and make money, not shop and blow it all. Although I couldn't pass up a bottle of Bruise Balm from Glimmerance. Designed to help heal those of us who like to play rough so we can get back in the saddle a little sooner. I hope every derby doll went home with a bottle of this magical lotion! Oh did I mention that it smells lovely too? '


Other heavy hitters you should know about?
Diamonds & Guns
Devil Girl Designs
Lucy Blue Studio
Goth Martha
&
E Street Jewelry (etsy shop coming soon)

For all you ladies on wheels I highly recommend that you check out Jane Awesome. She has great gear, is a wealth of roller derby knowledge & can help you breath new life into your skates!

And if your wheels are on fire & you like it that way you should pick up a subscription to Blood & Thunder Magazine - the largest magazine dedicated to the revival of this awesome sport! www.bloodandthundermag.com/

xo!
Bonnie Rue

She Who Holds The Key

While attempting to de-clutter my house I came across my collection of unidentified keys. There were almost a dozen of them and there was no way I could just toss them out! That would be so cruel! I mean, some of them were gifts intended to be crafted with. Some (I believe) were from jobs I hated & others are a total mystery. They'd been hanging around here for this long just waiting to be revamped, so I drank a lot of coffee, popped in Teen Witch & got to work! This was a fun project for me because I was able to create some things that I wouldn't normally. Sometime you just have to venture to the other side of your crafty tracks and try something new.

This one is my favorite. This key is not a mystery, I know exactly where it came from. It was the key to the first apartment I ever lived in alone. I was 19 & had just broken up with my boyfriend. Most of the time I lived there I didn't even realize how great it was to have my very own place because I was so broken hearted. But - this wasn't the key the office gave me, this a copy I had made for my boyfriend when we started dating again. I know - how can I get rid of something with so much sentimental value? Well, we've been together ever since I gave to him so I like to think that this key is lucky. I want spread the luck & the love around. Maybe it could be the key to your heart too...

One of my ALL TIME favorite movies is Return to Oz and this necklace reminds me it. Not only because of the chain (which is vintage Chanel by the way) but because of all the keys that Mombi wore around her wrist. Remember they allowed her access to her collection of heads? I thought she was so creepy & because she was creepy she was COOL! Am I alone here? I mean she had a gang of Wheelers! Wow. Anyway, I digress. The key that brings it all together is unlike any other I've ever seen. I'm not sure what it was ever used for but I love the design so much. It looks like it really means business. Who ever said keys had to be boring?

Before I went on decorating the rest of the keys I became inspired to make my own. I had an idea for this shield floating around in my head for a while but was unsure how to finish it off. Duh! Turquoise key! Do expect more keyed up jewelry, I'm not sure when I will get all of them, but I intend to make every last one of them wearable art. If you have extra keys laying about I'd love to see you make something out of them! Lighten the load from your key ring and get crafting! Then, pretty please show me what you make :D




All items seen here are available @ www.modelcitizenclothing.com

p.s. The pictures in this post were made possible by the all too giving and unbelievably sweet ♥ Patri, who contacted me out of the blue on Flickr and offered me a camera that she was no longer using. Thank You so much! Alright everybody! Big Applause! Let's show this lady some love!

Hello Saturn

In less than a week I will be turning 27. This will be the beginning of my Saturn Return. Which I had never thought about or even actually been aware of. I know that for many people (celebrities & us regular folk) this has proven to be a time of serious struggle. I have friends who are even fearful of it, worried of what it will bring, & maybe a little resistant to it. I'm not going to give into any of that though. I'm just not. This is going to be the time where all my hard work pays off and by the time my 30's hit I'm going to be living large. I'm not saying I'll be super wealthy or have my name written in lights, but I will be happier, healthier, more successful & better traveled. That's my forecast.
In the future when I feel like I need some sagely advice I'll be reading Goddesses Are People Too which is written by my friend Ash D. She is a wealth of inspiration & has a lot of great life experience under her belt. Not only that but, she tells it like it is. Truly one of the loudest and proudest I know. Go forth and love her as I do.
So what are your 2 cents on this thing they call the Saturn Return? Did you feel it? Did you get your boat rocked? I'm dying to know.
Well, I had better sign off. In efforts to keep the positivity/productivity train moving forward, today I am filling an order for a new store. Hovercraft! on Congress Ave will now be carrying Model Citizen. I also just changed the look of my website. Tell me what you think.

Lions & Tigers make for a messy household

My household/life is taken over with the two mightiest members of the jungle kingdom.
Model Citizen's designs are heavily dominated with Tigers & Tigresses then there's my manfriends band, LIONS. The evidence is everywhere. Stacks of posters, albums, T's, random promo materials, jewelry, etc. Everywhere you look there is a fierce cat staring you in the face. It's empowering but all these things are making a mess at the house these days. I'm in the middle of holiday season & LIONS are re-releasing their second album No Generation and gearing up for some dates with Local H & The Toadies.
I did manage to clean up a bit the other day and take some photos @ the house with my dear and talented friend Knoxy. I normally don't shoot in the house, but she convinced me that we should use my funky interior as the back drop for these new designs. I'm pretty pleased with how the pics turned out. Once all the craziness of this season is over & order returns to our lives I plan on shooting the house to show off our little corner of the world. I mean, why not? It's my favorite place on earth. We've lived in this house for almost 5 years now and it says a lot about who we are.... but like I said right now it just says that we are messy. It's impossible to do it all, i.e. be organized, work a plethora of odd jobs, follow your dreams, do yoga, eat well, relax, create, party, shower, show up on time, grow up, keep the kid inside alive, pay bills (once again, on time), keep the car clean, ship out orders, read books, etc... So, for now I guess I can just be okay with total lack of organization. Either that or I'll have to be put in the looney bin. Padded walls are cool right? I mean even Jane Lane was jealous of Daria's padded room. Speaking of Daria, why oh why have they not released the entire series to the public yet? You can purchase the Beavis & Butthead collectors edition or even complete seasons of The Hills (um, yuck) so why won't MTV give the people (ME) what they want? Which is Daria! I've become re-obsessed since Halloween if you can't tell. Anyway, I digress. I'll be posting more new items soon as I am about to undergo another jewelry making extravaganza!
In other news you can now find Model Citizen goods at BookPeople (the largest independent bookstore in the country), East End Craft Gallery, & Hovercraft on Congress (same owners as Creatures Boutique) . All of these stores are located in Austin, TX. If you know of a store in your home town that you think would like to carry Model Citizen please pass along the info. If it turns out that they carry the line I will send you a "Thank You!" surprise in the mail.
Okay - I'm going to put the coffee down, stop rambling and start marking things off my to do list....

All items pictured here can be found online @ www.modelcitizenclothing.com
I'm offering Free shipping in the US for the holy days!

Limited Edition?

For a many moons now I have been thinking of offering limited edition prints of the Tiger Ladies
featured on many of my T's. Lately I've been fed a some more inspiration to do so, see my "All Things That are Good" post.
They would have "built in" frames. So here's a mock up - what do you think?
Should I go for it? Print them on paper? Wood? Glass? Plexiglass?
So many options! I wanna hear from You!

Want. Need. Pt. 3

Recently I've been saving a lot more & spending a lot less. Not letting myself scratch that "shop therapy" itch. It's frustrating & (currently) I dislike it, but it makes me think about the things I really want, rather than just buying things on a whim. Me & my little household have talked about following in the foot steps of San Francisco's Compact. This means we would buy nothing new for 365 days. To learn more please visit their blog. BUT we haven't made the commitment yet so let's get started with Want. Need. Pt 3 - shall we?


Riedell's Vegan Derby Skates!
Let me start by saying that my life is seriously devoid of roller skating. I've been window shopping for skates for quite some time, I don't like the idea of renting skates. I just don't want to do it. They're funky & they're funky because of other people's feet. No thanks. I like these because they are not leather, smokin' hot, & designed by derby dolls specifically for speed. Did I already mention how freakin' cool they look? I don't want to join the derby or anything. I spend my entire life trying not to fall down in front of strangers. I just want yet another hobby ;D



A Blue (or pink?) Ukulele
Austin & I were talking about banjo's & ukulele's the other day & how the chords are the same. I am currently not interested in playing the banjo but the ukulele is another story entirely. After our talk I did some research about the cost, different models available... but before I got too far I found this video posted by the lovely, talented, & hilarious Liz Wood . I am sold! One Ukulele Please!




Number 3 on this Want/Need list needs no explanation, it's just freakin' RAD!
Here it is, A quilt dedicated to Blythe! What could ever be more fun to curl up in? Please tell me. This photo is from Heidikira's flickr photostream - which you should check out. She is traveling across Europe eating many dee-lish looking things & taking lots of pictures with her Blythe dolls.


November is here & in the blink of an eye Thanksgiving will be upon us. Me & mine have chosen to stay home this year & host an orphans holiday... but Im going to need some more serving trays and plates if we are going to do it right. I've got my eyes on these two pieces from Trixiedelicious. Im going to go ahead & file this directly under "NEED"




































And last (for now) but not least, I've been daydreaming about my next tattoo. Im not sure where I want it to go, but I know what I want! Tons of vegetables! A collage of vegetables just like the illustrations on old timey seed packets! It excites me so!

Daria Morgendorffer Makes Her Comeback

Due to messed up priorities & sheer busyness I haven't had the pleasure of celebrating Halloween in the past few years. Which is entirely no fun! Finally this year Halloween was in full effect. Originally me & a few of my lady friends were supposed to dress up as The Misfits (Jem & the Holograms rival band), but group costumes are always talked about with the greatest enthusiasm & rarely ever come to be. SO I went as one of my all time favorite sheroes - Daria Morgendorffer. Unfortunately most people thought I was a mix between Daphne & Velma from Scooby Doo or the nerdy girl chipmunk... My only response to this was "C'mon people, watch better cartoons!" Seriously. I hit the town after carving up a rad Tiger pumpkin with our newest housemate Todd. He hadn't given his costume a lot of thought so I put him in one of my dresses & Prest-o Change-o he was Toddanya, the Bearded & Tattooed Lady. We went to a party, drank champagne, & danced like boy crazy floozies until our feet hurt. Toddanya was a huge hit with the ladies & even the gents! Her dance card was filled all night & she kept telling me how freeing it was to wear a dress. Ha! Guys always enjoy wearing a dress, they are so freakin' jealous of us ladies & many different wardrobe options. There were a plethora of fabulous costumes at this little shindig! I was unable to photograph them all because my camera died. Dang it! I've had a film crew shooting a movie in my house for the past week (long & not so fun story) who ended up moving everything I own into one scary & unmanageable pile. My camera charger was at the very bottom of it, thanks. So, no pictures of Austin's "Eyes Wide Shut" get up or the girl who came as Miss Brazil from Beetle Juice (she was spot on!) but I did get a few before my camera went night night.
I didn't score any candy & stayed out way too late, but the night was a success none the less. Next year I think Im going to have the party at my house. Bake a big cake shaped like a brain, get a Freddy Kruger pinata, & let my friends camp out in the yard.

So what did you dress up as this year? Did you get into any ghoulish trouble? Perhaps some rowdy teenagers threw a jack-o-lantern through your window? Do tell!

Ok, lesson learned

If you go too long without blogging there is just no real way to catch up on all the goings on that life has to offer. I've been a negligent blogger because I was crazy busy preparing for Maker Faire! I churned out a few new t-shirt designs, made more hoodies for the fall & winter seasons, got some tote bags printed up (!!!), & made TONS of jewelry! Almost 200 pieces of hand crafted accessories made by yours truly ;)
Not all of them are up in the shop, but they will be soon. Cross my heart and all that jazz. My Mom came into town for the faire (see above ^ ) - she was my helper, Thanks Mom! We butted heads a few times like moms & daughters do, but mostly we just had fun. Maker was really inspiring! What made my favorite list? Well, definitely Bazaar Bizarre - so many crafty people in a small space! Then there was the Austin Bike Zoo! Talk about a bike gang! They had bikes outfitted to look like rattle snakes, butterfly's, & boats! There were a lot of cool tandem bikes & SUPER tall bikes that looked a bit scary to me, but fun none the less! The art cars were effing rad too! I saw the Yarn Car, but didn't get to ask him how you wash it... next time I guess. There were so many things, and I didn't get to see enough of it due to working my booth. The sacrifices you have to make for craft. I did get to snap a few shots of the things that were in close proximity to my booth & did a little hula hooping next to the Mouse Trap (I think Austin got a little video of me - I'll see if I can post it)! SO Fun! The fair was really inspiring & the people watching was amazing! Below are some pics of shoppers & a few of my favorite booths in the Bazaar Bizarre. I had intended to do most of my x-mas shopping here. BUT on Saturday night after the faire Mom & I went to get some grub from Whole Foods & then a beer @ The Tiniest Bar in Texas to get our relax on... We got our food to go & ate in the parking lot outside the bar. While we were eating I heard a lot of honking towards the intersection. I look over & there is a blind homeless man trying to cross the street! People are honking & swerving around him! I jump out of the car & get him out of the street. Long story short he was lost & no one would tell him where he was! I got him a cab back to the ARCH & gave him some money for food. Once I was back to the car I was so distraught & heart broken that I failed to see the "do not park" sign in the parking lot... So I got towed, with ALL of my merchandise in the back of my car! As if this wasn't bad enough, it cost $200 to get my car out of tow!
So - my shopping plans were ruined. I did collect a lot of cards from the bazaar for future online shopping though... AND I was able to help a man who is truly at society's mercy. Getting the car out of tow was very Adventure in Baby Sitting, minus the Mighty Thor. We got super lost in the middle of nowhere, there were drunk dudes starting fights, an angry mob, you know - all the things you don't want to deal with after a 13 hour day. Despite this unfortunate incident it was a really fun & inspiring weekend! Thanks Maker Faire!

above: two happy customers wearing their pink cupcake earrings/ Bossa Nova Baby's booth / awesome MC shopper with rad mohawk!/ crocheted plastic bag purses by Belle and Burger's booth/ Naughty Secretary Club's Booth/ my awesome Baz Biz neighbors Nerd Bomber!

*oh and BIG hugs to my Mom for helping out & buying me a BIG green hula hoop (seen above) as an early birthday gift! Also, High 5's to Austin & Todd for helping us load in & out of the faire! You guys ROCK*

All That Glitters!

Over the weekend I attended a party/art opening @ Frenchy's Beauty Parlor. My friend Kym & I walked around, sipping our Lonestar's & talking about the art. My favorite of the evening was Sue Zola's glitter art. Portraits of popstars, pornstars, film & fashion icons lined the walls. All of them 100% glitter! My friend Ashley, who is a stylist @ Frenchy's, came up as I was admiring the portrait of Mick Jagger, his giant lips sparkling like ruby's & she says "Don't fall in love, he's taken! I bought it!" (!!!)
Then she took my jealous ass to meet the artist.
Sue is talented, friendly & hilarious! She truly is the Glitter Art Diva. She was kind enough to do a little Q n A with me, enjoy!

ME: After meeting you at Frenchy's the other night (such a fun party) I realized that I didn't notice one stray piece of glitter on you! Not in your hair or stuck to your dress, nada! It seems impossible to me! How do you keep all the glitter under control?

SZ: You may not have looked close enough, because believe me, glitter gets everywhere.....maybe it was just hiding in all the places that didn't show!


ME: I'm guessing that you never thought you'd be the THE Glitter Art Diva when you grew up. When you were a little girl what was your idea of a dream job?

SZ: Up until 1999, I was a musician. I came to Austin, the "Live Music Capitol of the World" from New Haven, Ct. to pursue music but ironically, I never actually got anything going.
Instead, I met my husband Dave, bought a cute little house in South Austin, and started doing glitter art as a hobby. Now my little "hobby" has become a career....hhmmm, go figure!

ME: You've been showing off your glittery goods in gallery's since 2001, has there ever been a masterpiece that you regret parting with?

SZ: Oh there have been quite a few pieces that regretfully I had to part ways with. Actually, right now I'm recreating a piece that I did about a year ago; Van Gogh's "Starry Night".
It looks pretty incredible in glitter, although it is definitely my own interpretation.


ME: What's the strangest thing you've ever committed to glitter?

SZ: There have been lots of strange custom pieces throughout the years, but the strangest piece was x-rated.....a certain manly body part that was an actual picture of the aforementioned body part....yikes!

ME: The other night you mentioned that you recently did a group art show in Vegas for Breast Defense with Iggy Pop & Kim Gordon! Did you get to rub elbows with either of them & if so did you mention to Iggy that in the past you have glitterized him & all his glory?

SZ: Oh I wish I had had the opportunity to rub elbows with Iggy Pop, the guy is a living legend, but alas, I have never met Iggy or Kim Gordon.
Who knows what the future holds though....

ME: I know you get a lot of requests for custom pieces, does one come to mind as most challenging or most flattering?

SZ: It is by far the most challenging to do a memorial piece, there's no room for error, plus it's a daunting responsibility to make it come to life and come out perfectly.

ME: You have done so many amazing portraits, have you ever done a self portrait? If so, can we see it?!

SZ: Nope, no self-portrait as of yet. There are too many better things out there to do in glitter than my mug!

ME: Last but not least, what can all of us glitter fiends expect to see in the future?

SZ: Well, rock stars never go out of style, but currently I am still obsessed with vintage cereal box glitter art, and I am on another cupcake kick!
Also, lately I have been in a girlie phase, so I absolutely love making flower glitter art!

You are probably looking around & noticing a serious lack of glitter in your life. If so, you will want to hit Sue up for one of her masterpieces.
Email her allthatglitters@austin.rr.com or contact her on myspace


AND if you want to look like one of Sue's masterpieces I suggest you try this Starry Eyed Eyeliner by Too Faced. They are fantastic & have the most fitting names imaginable! My favorites?
Obsessed Fan * Drunk Dial * Ooh Aah * Super Freak * Gold Digger

Lions, White Tigers, & Craft! Oh My!

It's official, Monday September 15th totally exceeded my expectations. Got up super early to find that the temperature here in Austin, TX has finally dropped! It was in the 70's all day long, which is very rare here. By the time I got to work and checked my email I found out that Craftzine had posted a Q n A they did with me! We talk a lot about the craft community here in the great ATX & the upcoming Maker Faire. It was a lot of fun & super flattering to be featured on their amazing site. I tell you - the people at Craft are friendly and endlessly creative, love them!

After work and coffee with a friend I found that LIONS uploaded the first episode of their tour documentary! I get to see what my mister is up to :D
Those guys are on quite the adventure! Highs & lows, sold out shows, & questionable hygiene practices ensue...
here's a little *Becoming a Rockstar 101*

3, 2, blip...

Episode 1

Time to meet your MAKER

Not too long ago I learned that Stitch will not be happening this November which broke my little crafty heart as I have been a vendor for the past 3 years. It is the one craft fair that I was sure to participate in every year. It hasn't been canceled, just postponed. Still sad news. So, I started thinking "crap, where am will I be getting my craft fair fix this year? ACL is too expensive... dang."
Luckily I had a little meet & drink with Katie from CRAFT a few weeks ago & she informed me that Bazaar Bizarre will be a part of MAKER Faire this year! I had heard of
this Bazaar Bizarre, but never attended one since it usually resides on the west coast. So that night I put in my application, crossed my fingers & voila! Model Citizen was accepted!

What you need to know:
MAKER Faire is
Saturday, October 18th: 10am-10pm
&
Sunday, October 19th: 10am-6pm

@ The Travis County Event Center & Fairground

What will you find there other than Bazaar Bizarre?
There is no telling! Robots, maybe some segway polo, a larger than life Mouse Trap, not to mention art, crafts, techy goodness, music (!), & all things wired, soldered, & electronically brought to life that you can imagine! In other words, it's NOT to be missed!

As I mentioned above, I do not participate in too many craft fairs.. I have a day job & one million things to do outside of it! So I am asking for your help:
Do you have any awesome crafty idea's for displaying jewelry? Keep in mind that we are talking about a 6 x 6 foot space. I will not be setting up a big table because I will need room for the clothing racks (which will be full of new hoodies, dresses, & T's!).
So lay it on me! I believe in your crafty / organizational powers!

If it's life you tend to like...

Better get yourself a bike!

Truer words have never been spoken! I dare you to say you don't love a good bike ride, or to tell me that you have never experienced bike lust. I "triple dog dare you"!
Being on a bike lets you experience the world around you in a totally different way. Driving down your street day after day, you miss all the little things that made you want to live there in the first place. But on a bike, it's all right there. You just cruise by and take it all in. I am guilty of not riding my bike enough. This is mostly because my bike is heavy & rusty. I can make it through a 90 minute bikram yoga class, but could I ride my bike to work & back? I am not so sure. With only 1 working gear the odds aren't looking so good. I do have my eye out for a new ride though. Something Danish & covered in baskets! I was shopping around on the web the other day for something with two wheels that I couldn't say NO to when I found the most amazing thing! Eric Stallers Conference Bike! Maybe it's old news but it wasn't to me! This contraption seats 7 people, everyone peddles & one person steers! Can you say Neato?! It wasn't what I was looking for but wow, I'm glad to know that it exists! See what I mean?


Geez, those people look happy. I see lot's of happy people on bikes here in Austin, TX. I want to be one of them. A big YES to joining their ranks & starting a gang :)
The other afternoon while I was day dreaming about this imagined gang I made these heart shaped bicycle rings. Because that's what I do, I make stuff.


I know a lot of people who make stuff, but I should note that part of the inspiration for said gang & the rings that followed came from my friend Eli. She has decked out her schwinn, in a totally kitschy & classy way. Jealous much?! I know I am! High 5 Eli! Keep the rhinestones comin'!

I guess that's all for now on the bike front. Maybe I'll go take my beast for a spin around the hood.

tah tah!

Where to begin?

Oh man, with so many things going on it's impossible to keep this blog up to date!
Let's see... Where to begin? Ah, the Second Sunday Sock Hop Beach Party! Having a cold did not stop me from making an appearance at the hop on July 13th. I went dressed as if I were straight off the yacht with half a voice and a head full of Claritin. What fun! Hawaiian shirts, vintage bathing suits, sand, boys with beards getting "laid", hula hoops & kiddie pools! The weather was hot and balmy - in other words - perfect for the event. If you live in Austin and want to DANCE - this is it, this is what you need. Forget about work on monday, just slip on your flats and "shake it like you do when you wanna get you some!" The hop is my favorite event that happens all month. It will help you work out your frustration, but sadly it will not help you get over a cold. I hope they have another beach party, it was a blast... cold or no cold. Here's some photos:











My cold took a turn for the worst which caused me to miss the Tilly & The Wall show - suck! But once I was on the mend Austin and I headed down to Padre for a little family time. I guess the sock hop beach party left me wanting some real surf in my life. We drove in and went straight to the beach, where we drank tequila, floated in the waves and saw some real deal sea turtles! They had the sweetest eyes and were at least a foot and a half long! It was magical. We also ate some cocktail shrimp that were boiled in red hots (yes the candy) instead of things like celery salt, mustard seeds, ginger, pepper, cardamom, etc.. and they were DELICIOUS! We could not stop eating them! The day at the beach left me with a serious sunburn. It was really red, totally blotchy and left me napping on the couch for hours... eek. Note to self: More sunblock!
Seriously!

Now that I am home it's business as usual. Booking tours by day and art + craft + make by night! Ive got a new bracelet up in the shop, it will be hard to part with because I am IN LOVE with it!



Oh! I found out today that Tiny Meat will be making some of their awesome wallets using my art! Which has been a dream of mine. Realizing dreams is the best drug ever! You can see what the wallets will look like here and here.

Speaking of things that are addicting - have you gotten yourself a Twitter account yet? Go, go now! Let me know so we can "follow" eachother :)
Austin keeps his tour blog through Twitter. It's a little gritty and soaked booze at times, but always entertaining.

until next time...
xo,
B

Charming!

Lately - with my man on tour all the time - I have been crafting my brains out! This weekend I hung out on my living room floor watching Sixteen Candles & making my first charm bracelet. So very fun!
After my week long trip to NY I was too tired to take part in the 4th of July fun. I skipped The Jungle Rockers show (which I never do) and just hang out all me, myself and I style. Uploaded some pictures from my trip, made Elvis cupcakes (chocolate, peanut butter & banana- yum), and a shit ton of shrinky dinks! A little "me time" is just what the doctor ordered.

Austin got home from tour on sunday night, so I fed him cupcakes and have been trying to get him as addicted to shrinky dinks as I am. So far I'm not seeing that sparkle in his eye, but in all fairness his mind is else where as it should be. Lions are working on a new album and those songs don't write themselves. Oh to be a rock star...

Anyway - here's the charm bracelet, which is for sale on my website. I am not too happy with the quality of this photo, but I am looking at new camera's right now - if you have any suggestions I would love to hear them :)