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

I love flying. Everything about it. Trotting through the airport with bags in tow, slamming into strangers shoulders, shuffling onto the plane in single file with that weird aircraft AC smell in the air, a tiny bag of peanuts in my near future... but then nothing tops the take off!
So about a month ago Austin and I fastened our seat belts, made sure our seat back and folding trays were in their full upright position & then we learned that Austin simply does not like to fly. The take off in particular does not thrill him. Why am I telling you this? Well - because it is the reason why we arrived in Vegas with a little bit more than a buzz. Flight attendants make a stiff drink & for that we applaud them. We went from TX to NV in the blink of an eye and as we descended into Vegas our hotel the Mandalay Bay glimmered like a golden starship in the desert sun. If you've never seen it - it's way over the top. Yes - everything in Vegas is, but no other hotel is made up entirely of mirrored gold windows. Wow.
We had one errand to run before checking into what we would later refer to as "The Man Bay". We had to pick up some astro turf for my booth from Lowes. The girl at Lowes did not know what astro turf was! This is funny because Las Vegas Blvd is lined with the stuff! There's no real grass in the desert - c'mon! So, after acquiring our lovely lush astro turf we were now ready to hit the hotel and check out our booth at the POOL Trade Show.
The hotel, our room, the convention space - it was all so overwhelming! We wondered around being touristy, taking photos and pointing at everything for the first few hours we were there. We flew in a day early just so we could have time to act like fools for a moment before we had to get down to business. After figuring out where we were to register in the morning and seeing the booth we had nothing really to do for another 20+ hours we decided to have a nice meal at Susan Feniger's restaurant the Border Grill. Black bean & plantain empanadas anyone? This gal right here says
"Yes please!"

After dinner we waited for the sun to set & then headed out on an adventure down the strip. Despite waiting til 9 almost 10 at night it was still 102°F!! Being from Texas we could hang with this - but still it was fairly punishing... and for those of you who have never been to Vegas - the later it gets - the more the strip smells like puked up daiquiri's. Yikes. So here's some pics from our stroll down the strip:

Lounging on the astro turf
the lady of liberty on the right is made out of jelly beans!
Sin City snacks!
Our neighbor - The Luxor - where we ended up spending a lot of our time.

















After sweating to death on the the streets of LV and losing some piggy bank money on the slots our swanky hotel room was calling to us. I slept like the dead - which was amazing because the next morning we had to be downstairs by 9am to register for the show and set up the booth..

Which I will tell you all about in Part 2! I'll introduce you to all the amazing designers I met at the show AND you'll even get to sneak a peek at my Tiger Lady's boyfriend! Truly love at first sight - it was all I could do to keep them from running off and getting hitched by Elvis!

Summer Lover

I've totally been ignoring my blog. This summer has me swept off my feet. It is my favorite season - even if it is 100+ degrees outside. I've been sipping margarita's, breaking into apartment pools, riding my bike, eating watermelon, setting off fireworks, trekking out to the lake. ... AND running around like a crazy person while I try to get ready for the Pool Trade Show. WHICH I leave for in only 4 days!! It's all starting to come together though - I think I may actually pull this off. Vegas - I hope you are ready!

I've put a lot of work into creating a simple yet awesome design for my booth and here's a little sneak peak at what I've got going.

This lovely lady will (inspired by Ms. Bake & Destroy herself - Natalie Slater) will be greeting everyone as they enter the booth:


And this bad ass hair hopper will be displaying all the Model Citizen bobby pins.

*Sigh* I wish my hair were that big...

So that's what's up in my world. What have you ladies been up to all summer?
I hope to hear stories of skinny dipping, beach bunny-ing & boozey watermelon eatting contests ;)

xo!
Bonnie Rue

Hair Hopper

I rolled out of bed recently, crusties in my eyes, sun coming in through the window.. I stumbled to the bathroom with my eyes squeezed tightly shut, splashed some water on my face and then as I peered sleepily into the mirror I realized that my hair-do has officially expired. Yes, I am a bottle blonde. Not exactly a secret... but there it is. So yeah - my roots are extreme. Extreme I tell you! Now before I go under the bottle I decided to dig around for some inspiration - I mean, I don't want exactly the same do again. No way!
What did I find myself looking at instead of hair styles that I could actually rock day to day? Over the top, avant garde, super stylie, highly structured, tampered, teased and sprayed do's from all over the world of course! Because that's productive. Right?
Anywho - I thought I'd share my favorites with you. Enjoy!

The good news is...

I tell myself (on a daily basis) that I am going to sit down and blog a lot in order to have a bunch of posts saved up so when I'm busy or feeling drained I'll have something to post. This obviously hasn't happened. Lately I've been both busy and drained. I've been buried at my jobby job booking bands & busy at the house trying to get ready for POOL and unfortunately getting things repaired. Yeah - the new digs aren't perfect. The water heater was all messed up, there were a few electrical issues & some plumbing issues too. BUT the ceiling & roof are holding strong. I like that!
Things aren't all bad though. No no! Let me share some good news with you:

*Comedy Central has been airing new episodes of Futurama!


*LUSH Cosmetics is having a pop-up shop here in Austin next weekend!

*Devo has a new record out! It's called Something for Everybody! (I love the album cover - it is hilarious!)

*Fan mail! Yep I got some awesome fan mail from a girl named Kendall who will soon be a bad ass pastry chef! Thanks Kendall you made my day <3

*Speaking of my day - I found a new way to start off each and every one on the right foot:


*AND!! My kickstarter project has been going really well! I've raised enough cash to help pay for my booth & with 20 days left my new goal is to maybe raise some more for the plane tickets.

That's what's been shakin' in my world! How about you?

xo!
Bonnie Rue

Calling all Tiger Ladies!

I need your help!

Remember how I'm going to Vegas in August? Then you remember how my ceiling fell down and went boom in the night a few weeks ago?

Well, all these out of the blue moving expenses have really tripped me up. I'm no longer on schedule to pay for Vegas on time. This will be an incredibly expensive trip. By the time I get back to Austin, TX after the show I will have spent roughly $5,000 on samples, airfare, hotel rooms, promotional materials, decorations for my booth to help me stand out in a sea of other super talented up and coming designers and many other little things that would only make me feel overwhelmed if I listed them.

So, I've started a little fund raising project on kickstarter.com
I'm only asking for $1,000 to help me finish paying off my booth. This is a huge opportunity. You all are the ones who helped me get to this point and that's why I set up a bunch of cool rewards for each donation received. Postcards, t-shirts, jewelry, mix cd's, art work inspired by your bad ass self - more!

Any and all support is appreciated. If you are broke - I absolutely understand! Please just share the link to the Kickstarter Model Citizen project page with your friends.

or refer them to the Model Citizen commercial on YoutTube:

Who's the best? You's the best!

tiger stripes & tandem bikes!
Bonnie Rue

My Big Gay Weekend

Friday afternoon I clocked out at work & ran home to put on the loudest dress I own. I was running late & had a very important date with the loudest and proudest of Austin's LGBTQIA community. That's right - Austin had it's first ever Queer Bomb Day! It was a smokin' hot success covered in love & glitter & of course - pride! We had to go march and show our support. There has been a rift here in the heart of Texas's queer community & some disagreement on how that community should present & conduct it's self... Some folks didn't want to concern themselves with what the rest of the world might think about them... thus Queer Bomb was born! It was a total effing blast! Pics? Of course!







I feel like I sort of failed this event. Not being fully unpacked yet I could not find my body glitter (yes, I own some) or any of my noise-makery things like whistles, kazoo's, bells... There's always next year - right?

We got home from Queer Bomb - LATE. Then I was up and out of bed, straightening up (wha wha) to have my lady friends over after we caught a showing of Sex in the City 2!
We sipped cosmos while they showed old trailers for movies like Big Trouble in Little China & Mannequin - which Kim Cattrall starred in! I totally need to revisit these movies with a quickness! I loved them when I was a kid.

As for the movie we went to see - it was totally over the top AND it was supposed to be. It wasn't bat shit crazy about the movie. I can't for the life of me figure out why the writers chose Abu Dhabi as the girls vacation destination - out of EVERY WHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD. But - i'm not going to get caught up on all that... I loved Stanford and Anthony's wedding. It was fantastically over the top! *Spoiler Alert* There were swans, Anthony cries, Carrie wears a tux & she looks awesome - minus her lady gaga inspired head gear.. My favorite outfit in the entire movie was Miranda's dress she wore to the wedding. I could only find this shot of it.

My second favorite fashion moment was Carrie at the Souk in her big giant skirt that makes her look like Carrie from so many years ago:


*Spoiler Alert 2* Aiden comes back! He was my favorite. Okay - that's all I'm going to say.

While I think most people would find it hard to relate to the extreme luxury in this flick - relating to where the ladies are personally & in their relationships takes little to no work at all. Each woman lives such a different kind of life, but they are all struggling with trying not to lose who they were just a few years ago - while they try to warm up to the changes that have recently taken place. Marriage, children, menopause... The message the ladies have is sort of comforting. In a world filled with lifestyle magazines and Martha Stewart telling you the best way to deal with every little freakin' thing in your life - the fab 4 seem to be telling us to tune all that crap out and make our own rules no matter what. It's all set up at the biggest gayest wedding ever. Which was sort of perfect. All in all I'll give it a B-
which is equivalent to three (out of five) <3's.

So which of our leading ladies do you most relate to? I've always felt like I was a pretty even mix between Miranda & Carrie... with a touch of Samantha when I'm cutting lose. I've never been able to relate to Charlotte though. Not even a little bit.

And that is the story of my big gay weekend!

love, glitter & pride,
Bonnie Rue

p.s. What about that amazing pony ride of a bike? Are you as jealous as I am?!

Drinks are on me

As many of you know I've been moving. Which is a total pain - everywhere! Things are almost in their place though. I was hoping to go see Sex in the City 2 last weekend with my lady friends but instead I was unpacking & waiting around the house while a plumber fixed our water heater. That's right - after we moved in we took icy cold showers. It seriously sucked! It made me want a cocktail... and then maybe another! Especially since I wasn't sitting in a theater with my friends sipping cosmo's and watching Carie, Miranda, Charlotte & Samantha strut their stuff. It's true - the Alamo Drafthouse - our theater here in Austin TX has a full bar. We are spoiled - I know.

Inspired by my lack of fun this last week I created these luscious liquor earrings!

* Champagne * Tequila * Vodka * Whiskey *
All of which will come with a special summer cocktail recipe that will cool you down and chill you out! The recipe's will feature ingredients such as - cucumber, passion fruit juice, citrus fruits & avocado! All recipes are easy peasy & you and your friends will love them. Cross my heart!

I'm excited to see the new Sex in the City - I have heard mixed reviews, but I of course will have to decide for myself. Have any of you seen it? Did you love it? Did you hate it? No spoilers please!

Once I get totally settled I will post pictures of the new Model Citizen HQ!
It's a little bigger than the last space I was in. Exciting!

Okay kids - remember to accessorize (and drink) responsibly!

xo!
Bonnie Rue
moving, Alamo Draft House

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