Julie Ruin

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a HUGE Bikini Kill fan - and all around fan of Kathleen Hanna. The first vinyl record I ever purchased for myself was the Bikini Kill self titled record that came out in 1992. I played it to pieces and loved every second of it. Anyway, after Bikini Kill and before Le Tigre, Kathleen Hanna put out a solo record under the name of Julie Ruin. It made my heart thump and kept me dancing. That was 13 years ago and it's still one of my all time favorite records.





Recently Kathleen posted a Julie Ruin T-shirt contest on her blog. I HAD to enter! The winner will be announced on the 1st of June I guess BUT - I woke up this morning to find that she had posted my entries on her blog! This is insanely flattering to me!


I used the same colors from the album cover and paired it with all the lace that I've been using in the most recent Model Citizen designs. I guess it's kind of hard to tell from the pictures, but the name Julie Ruin is written in lace.

Anyway- I'm just so thrilled I had to scream it from the mountain tops..of my blog. If you are a big fan like I am there is still time to enter a design. The contest ends at midnight tomorrow! Put something together and email it to tshirtcontest@kathleenhanna.com

xo!
Bonnie Rue

R.I.P. Dennis Hopper

Dennis Hopper
May 13th, 1936 - May 29th, 2010

The Roof! The Roof! The Roof is...

on the ground?

Hello Lovelies!
Sorry I dropped off the face of the planet! Since my last post Renegade Craft Fair came to town and the minute it ended everything started to go wrong...
Austin (my manfriend) and I loaded up the car after Renegade, we got some grub, went home and I instantly PASSED OUT.. on my face. Then we woke up at 5am to the sound of part of our ceiling deteriorating and falling apart over our heads.
So - we dragged the bed across the room and the hunt for a new place to call home began immediately. The next day the internet went out and has been ever since - hence the no blogging. It's been a week since the ceiling incident and amazingly enough I signed a lease on a new place yesterday. We will be moving in Wednesday.
Once I get settled I'll share my new digs and my adventures at Renegade Craft Fair.
Until then.. wish me luck! Time for me to go pack!
oh and check out some of the new goodies in the shop. Tell me what ya think ;)




xo!
Bonnie Rue

Beach Blanket Bonnie

Last weekend I hit the road with my manpanion and went to the beach. We needed to get out of the city for a while so we booked a little cabin in the quiet little town of Port Aransas. We turned our phones off, slathered ourselves in sunscreen, rode our bikes everywhere & drank micheladas with sand between our toes. It was fantastic! One day I will runaway, buy an ice cream truck and become a beach bum. I believe it is my calling.

We stayed at this cute little place called the Laughing Horse Lodge. It was kitschy & quiet & cheap - in other words a dream come true. Our little bungalow was called "The Hobby Horse" which we felt was pretty fitting.
Before we left town we stopped off to get tropical pedicures! We didn't plan for them to be girly pink and bad boy blue - that's just how it worked out - cross my heart. It was Austin's very first pedicure and I doubt it will be his last.

Since Austin and I both work ALL THE TIME we were "not allowed" to work during this trip. So there wasn't a lot to pack. I did bring my computer though - which I really only used to check the weather and listen to music. I thought it would be hard not to work for an entire weekend, but turns out I was wrong! Dead wrong!
When we weren't laying low or looking like vampires on parade at the beach we hung out at the local pirate bar - The Gaff. A gem of a place that is filled with characters and hosts belt sander races on the weekends. Yes, you read that right - Belt Sander Races. We did not get to see said races which left me feeling cheated, but that gives me another reason to return.

Speaking of vampires at the beach - we forgot to pack our kites so we went on an adventure to find one. Luckily this tiny town of 3,370 people has a kite shop and we picked up the most bad ass delta you've ever seen! It was black with a big bloody vampire mouth smack in the middle of it. Did I get a picture of us flying it? Sadly - no. Whatever - you try to take a picture of something flying next to the sun and see how it turns out. I guess you'll just have to trust me about the "most bad ass" part. Flying it made me want to get chinese take out and watch Lost Boys like 4 or 5 times in a row. So instead of pictures of a killer kite flying session here's a shot of me looking totally washed up:
The whole trip was totally effing delightful! Going back to work Monday morning felt worse than any sunburn, but you can't have the rainbows with out the rain... right?
Take my advice - raid your piggy bank and get out of town! Make like a tree! Shew! It doesn't have to be a big deal of a trip to make you feel brand new.

To see more pictures of our adventures check my flickr account!

xo!
Bonnie Rue

p.s. Best song to listen to at the beach? Summer Time Rolls ... if you ask me

Your Vegas is showing...

Yep that's right - Las Vegas has come up with a new slogan (that I find to be 100% hilarious). While I don't think "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" will ever get old, I do think that "Your Vegas is showing" is funny on so many levels! Anything that makes me *blush* & giggle is good in my book! But - what do you think? My manfriend says it just isn't funny. I say he's wrong. So what say you?

Anywho - Why am I going on about Sin City? Because I am Vegas bound!

No, I am not running off into the desert to be married by a pack of Flying Elvi.

A few weeks ago I got word that Model Citizen has been chosen to attend the POOL Trade Show this summer!!! It's kind of like a BIG deal & I am totally "lizzing" with excitement! I never really get to go out of town for work and I've never been to Vegas before - so excitement actually doesn't cover how I'm feeling.

So what is POOL? Well it is "a community of art and design driven brands creating industry connections for creative visionaries" so who is crazy flattered? It is me!

Well, I've got a lot of work ahead of me in order to be ready by August so I better get to it, but I wanted to share my good news with you, because I like you! Thanks for listening ;)

xo,
Bonnie Rue

Crush Alert!

Allow me to introduce Hilah Johnson - the lead singer of one of Austin's most bad ass local bands, The Hot As Shits & the host of Hilah Cooking! Bust out your bar wear, slip into your favorite apron and get ready to learn and laugh your ass off! She's Hilah-rious!
...I know. So very cheesy.. I couldn't help myself.

Here is a little teaser video where Hilah will teach you how to make one of my favorite adult beverages of all time ~ The Michelada!



xo!
Bonnie Rue

p.s. This is not becoming a food blog. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a spork in my eye.

And the winner of the Vegan Cookbook Givaway is...

First off I'd like to thank Snubbr.com for supplying these awesome books! If you haven't checked out Snubbr yet - you totally should. They take the guess work out of shopping! All you do is hit up their site and ask them a question like "What are the best vegan cookbooks?" and voila! They will tell you what the experts recommend.

Wow - I'm super excited to see so many people interested in delicious & healthy vegan cooking! Maybe I'll post some of my personal favorite recipes in the future for ya!

Okay so for total fairness the winner of this bad ass giveaway was selected by Random.org

So without further ado - the winner of the Snubbr.com Vegan Cookbook giveaway is:
#9 aka (b)



Congrats! Please email me at bonnie (at) modelcitizenclothing.com to claim your prize.
If I were you I would get on the horn and invite all my favorite people over for a dinner party to share the love. Share the Love!

Oh and I want to give a special shout out to Jacqueline (#15) for being so nice as to offer to give her book (if she'd won) to the Peterson Family. High 5 for being a Model Citizen! What a doll!

xo,
Bonnie Rue

A Vegan Cookbook Giveaway from Snubbr.com!

Whether you are vegan-curious or a vegan-veteran this giveaway is for you!
The lovely folks at Snubbr.com want to offer you, my rad readers, a chance to win a vegan cookbook! Which one you ask? Well that is entirely up to you! That's right YOU get to pick one of these 5 totally AMAZING books for your kitchen collection! If you are thinking "shucks - I already own all of these cookbooks!" then a.) you are a bad ass & b.) you could still enter to win because I dare you to come up with a better gift idea than a book that will get your friends and family eating ALL of their veggies. I triple dog dare you!

Learning about Veganism is a must & these books are a fantastic place to start! It's not only healthier for you - it's better for the whole wide world! Seriously.

All you've got to do is peruse this tasty selection, pick a book & leave a comment! The winner will chosen randomly on Tuesday April 20th!

So lets see the goods shall we?

This bad ass book written by Isa Chandra Moskowitz is just that - bad ass! Don't believe me? Well let's see what Joan Jett has to say about it.. "Vegan With A Vengeance is on my kitchen shelf. This fun and creative book is delicious for people like me, who don't eat pets!"

See? Told ya! Don't make me have to get Joan Jett on your ass again!

*Isa is now a columnist for BUST!





Not to be all "Isa! Isa! Isa!" but this lady makes one hell of a cookbook & this time Terry Hope Romero aka The Vegan Latina's got her back! For beginners & seasoned chef's alike Veganomicon was written with the goal of preparing us all for the vegan revolution! Viva!










Do you hear that? It's the sound of your sweet tooth squealing with Joy - The Joy of Vegan Baking that is! Colleen Patrick-Goudreau has done it! A lovely book filled with traditional treats & desserts - Veganized!











Jannequin Bennett's Complete Vegan Kitchen is fantastic for beginner vegans! From easy peasy throw and go recipes to fancy dinner party menus - this book will not let you down. Cross my heart...












Colleen is back and as awesome as ever! I have no idea where she finds the time. She is not only an award winning author but also the founder of Compassionate Cooks, a columnist for VegNews Magazine AND a contributor to NPR. This book has been on my WANT/NEED list for a while... if someone wins this will they make dinner for me?









Oh decisions, decisions... So what's it going to be kids? Make a wish in the comments & it may just come true for you! Again - the winner will be announced next Wednesday!

xo,
Bonnie Rue

p.s. For even more vegan goodness you simply MUST check out my friend The Urban Housewife! She will take you across the globe one delicious vegan bite at a time!

SXSW 2010 Recap

I know - SXSW has come and gone, but I've been planning on writing about some of my favorites from the week and it's my party so I'll post if I want to... no matter how late or dated it is. Better late than never - that's what I always say!

It was the longest week. My feet hurt in all new ways. I ate like crap. I slept like the dead - but only for a few hours a night. My ears are still ringing. In other words - it was a blast & I can't wait to do it again next year!

We started off early on Tuesday night - hitting up a house party to see a friends band, Black Cock! Fronted by Whitney Lee - one of Austin's greatest photographers, her manpanion Chico Jones (owner & head engineer @ OHM Studio) & her brother Jordan Lee (who you may know from Sublime Stitching) is also in the band. They were AWESOME! Punky, noisy, poppy, creepy, beep beep-y, - I loved it. Makes you wanna throw a tantrum - in the best way possible.



My manfriends band - Lions - played like five times & I made it out to see three of the shows. They played a few new songs that the crowd & myself really liked - which is always exciting! It's nice to see them playing a lot in town - since last year Austin was out on the road so much. Missing people is for the birds. The BIRDS!



Lions @ Trophys SXSW 2010


ANYTIME Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers come with 500 miles of Austin TX - I WILL BE THERE! Luckily once a year I can just walk around the corner and see one of my all time favorite bands. Shilpa Ray is beautiful little beast and in my mind she can do no wrong. I swayed in the sunlight at Shangri La and felt as if all was right in the world as she & her band blew us all away.







JAVELIN! This was a fantastic show - I only wish it had been later in the day.. or at night even. They played the Pitchfork Party at Emo's. I woke at 11am and immediately got dressed and walked over to Emo's to catch them at Noon. I still felt like a vampire by the time I arrived at the club and there was a line around the block. Luckily - I know guy ;)
Once inside the band was already going at it. The best way to describe it is like electric dance candy for the years! Keyboards! Drums! Electric drums too! I will say that while all the grooves are good - the minute you get to comfortable with one they are on to the next. Keeps you guessing! They were signed by David Byrne's record label Luaka Bop last year & their latest record No Mas will be released tomorrow! Check it out!


It felt like a whole lifetime later (when in fact it was just later that same day) I saw The Coathangers I was at the very front of the stage dancing and taking photos. Their drummer Stephanie Luke was so sick. Like literally - she had lost her voice and had a killer cold but holy hell - that did not stop her from giving 187%! She even got up and sang a few - I wanted to hug her and shower her in cough drops. Poor lady. These girls are bad asses and they were a highlight of SXSW experience! Their new record Scramble comes out April 7th!


Another total super high point this year actually took place at my house! Heard of Sissy Bounce? Well Vockah Redu & Cru performed on my front porch and I now know for certain that I simply can not dance. These guys had moves that make my hamstrings ache just thinking about them!

The performance was a part of Aubrey Edwards & Alison Fensterstock's show at the BiRDHOUSE titled Where They At - an exhibition that portrays the founders, architects, and players in New Orleans hip-hop and the uniquely regional rap known as bounce music, a phenomenon that evolved from the communities based in the city’s housing projects. I've rarely been so impressed.


And this is what a SXSW love note looks like:

A 6 pack of local beer & sweet nothings scribbled on the back of an old flier from our lovely friends from the west - Matawan Creek - who spent the week sleeping on our hardwood floors & entertaining the masses... oh and being harassed by my neighbors. Sorry about the graffiti on your car kids ;)


The End

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