no inspiration.

i found this hawk (i think) feather today during a walk. been a crazy few days and i haven't felt very inspired so i thought i'd go for a walk with my camera...it always helps :) the cheap maincure is holding up well, ha ha.

peeling paint, bark, a found drawing in wood, and a mohawk left behind from a cut down tree...lots of textures.  i'm hoping to make a head-dress or some earrings out of the feathers, bones, and quills i've been finding.

MARILYN MINTER on my fingernails?!!

check out my cosmic nail art...this was surprisingly easy to do!!! all i did was buy some press-on nail strips...a friend tells me the cheaper ones work better ...these are from"kiss" and this set is "strength and beauty" (it cost only $3, found @ my local drugstore.)

some tips:

-i cut the pre-cut strip down even further with maincure scissors after putting it on my nail-- my nails are very tiny and short...i could use one strip for 2, sometimes 3 nails.

-i lifted them off the backing with a pair of tweezers. and set them down just above the cuticle.

-after pressing them on, i trimmed the edges with a nail clipper.  i used the edge of the tweezer to smooth them into shape, working from the center, out.

-pressed the remaining edges down, folding any small ragged edges down over the edge of the nail

-filed the nails after doing all that...carefully and using a very fine salon board.

all painting/photography in this post (xcept the 'nails of course) is by marilyn minter...she has collaborated with MAC cosmetics in the past. check out more of her artwork

here

pimp my.......BLOG??!?!!

pic of a roberto costa "maria zuerta" recycled necklace. genevievesweb.com

now, that's some serious BLING!!!!

since i began blogging, i realize my blog is not very flash-y, bloglovin-y, or full of  contests and giveaways...in time hopefully it will b all of those things...
wait,
let's have a contest right now: pimp my blog?! winner gets to be featured on this site and be shared with all my one follower(s)!!

(hmm. maybe better to wait on that. but seriously, if u wanna help me pimp my blog, drop me a comment! :D)

a designer who embodies "conscious style"...conscious of the environment, recycling, using what you have...brings me to today's post on the brilliant work of Roberto Costa, whose beautiful "Maria Zuerta" line of jewelry has me full of shopping lust.  each piece is crafted from recycled materials. this line breathes new life into jewelry by re-configuring old, un-used, cast-off pieces.

i discovered "Maria Zuerta" here, (and if you're not familiar with this boutique, please check it out if you're in/around NYC, it is amazing)

i'll be using this as inspiration for an upcoming line of jewelry i plan to develop: all one-of-a-kind pieces using recycled and found materials...it may take a while to gather them, but that's part of the process...

I(n)FiNitY....

the poncho came from my local thrift store. the earrings are handmade by TheSkulleryUSA. my boots are from minnetonka, they were a christmas gift from my mom. the blue nail polish is essie's "aruba blue"(#784).

 a friend recently checked out my blog...she really said it best when she wrote,

 " I also have wanted for a long time to stop buying "new" things - this world already has so many manufactured things in it, including in our dumps, so why do we have to keep making more? Anyway, I appreciate your passion for thrifting - it's much more than just a budget thing!"

i've been a thrift-shopper my entire life, not necessarily because i thought i was helping the environment, but because i hardly ever had the $$ to buy new stuff! when i was a kid my friends and i could find incredible true "vintage" pieces at the shops...it's hard  to find good stuff now.  more people are doing it, the shops are very picked-over...i'm not upset at this tho because it means more people are buying less "new" merchandise, and hopefully being more creative with what they alreday have.

a great place to find incredible vintage and handmade is etsy.  this web-based company is amazing. i am addicted to this site, and i'm threatening to open a shop (if i can ever get my SH*T together).  Check out Falke Malum's shop, TheSkulleryUSA, where my pheasant earrings came from, here. 

it is so important to support artists and craftspeople, which is something you can easily do by browsing and buying from etsy's thousands of online shops...just be careful to read each seller's feedback and ask questions if you're not sure about a shop or an item.  i've found the merchants to be very kind, accommodating, and willing to answer questions.

to me, fashion and personal style are an extension of art...it's a constantly evolving journey....thanks 2 my followers for joining me on this one :) xo

wanted: female singer....

i found this vid of  PJ Harvey video a while back, it completely changed my perception of her.  i love the outfit she wears and the whole look of the video...it reminds me to stay focused and keep practicing :) rock on, girlfriend.

Harley-David, Son of A.....

my harley-davidson wallet from the 1970s-80s, given to me by someone very special.

ahh, the sounds of spring: singing birds, children laughing in the park , and the growl of a 750cc engine rumbling past my house...

recently, i have been really inspired by the look, feel, and idea of the "road-warrior" culture.  here, in my village, bikers are large, grizzly men in leather vests covered with patches.  many are veterans.  they ALL kick ass. (i want 2 get some photographs of a bike, but haven't felt that the moment is right yet....i am afraid i'll get caught in the act then have to actually explain what i am doing..."uhhh, i'm sorry, sir, i'll back away now, i was just taking really close up photos of your bike for my "blog"...yikes!) (anyway. i PROMISE soon i'll get some, no more chickening out)

studded vest, robin's jean. jacket, belstaff. cross earrings, modekungen.se, studded iPhone case, shopthetrend.com. rosary- dagger necklace, pamela love. sunglasses & ring, chrome hearts. satchel, belstaff. boots, harley-davidson.

so many designs these days are biker-culture inspired. leather, studs, spikes, and "distressed" fabric is everywhere, from alexander wang to zara. for me, it's always important to find authenticity closer to the source...(i too love spiked Litas, but i cannot imagine wearing them on a bike.)

the harley-davidson co. itself, designs and produces apparel.

one of my favorite accessory designers is chrome hearts. they manage to stay true to the original feeling and spirit of biker culture without losing their amazing sense of fashion and design.  (the company was started by a biker in the 1980s.) i have a chrome hearts necklace that i was lucky enough to find at the brooklyn flea. (whole 'nutha post...stay tuned.)

and, belstaff.  the english version of harley-davidson.  they have become really popular in the past few years.  a while back they did some work for j.crew.  i first found out about them in a small boutique in NYC's west village whose name now escapes me...(i was like "oh, that's a beautiful leather jacket"...then i checked out the price tag...whoa.)  i love their designs and, when i win the lottery, any of their pieces would be a truly worthwhile investment.

my chrome hearts necklace. photo by christina baute.

there's so much amazing cultural history involved in this trend, not only in the US but also abroad...so even though spring and summer are coming and pastel colors are everywhere (ugh. i'm really trying 2 b OK w/ this...)...don't b afraid to mix some leather, studs and spikes into the mix....and b ready to take that road trip !!!

gimme some color!!!

it's so rainy and gray today so until the real spring flowers come up, here are some artifical ones...

abandoned amusement. (signs, ignored)

i went exploring today and took these photographs in and around an abandoned amusement park. i am always drawn to places like this, with their peeling paint, ghostly vibrations, overgrown lots, and strange graffiti...i usually get some incredible photographs without even trying. 

the spirit of a dress.

one of the things i  LOVE about thrift shopping: sometimes i find a garment with a life of its own. i found this authentic bohemian dress at a Maine goodwill thrift store last year. i believe the dress is from the late 1970s-early 80s. i made the bone necklace this morning for the shoot. (will have to make it more permanent). my mom gave me this soup bone, just wrapped a chain around it.

(and, i finally decided on the neon pink
nail polish)

having fun running around in the woods with an iphone.(it is really hard 2 take good pics of yourself) hee hee, here is today's outfit: polo ralph lauren flannel, glitterypalm tree shirt and ombre scarf are from the local salvation army, boots from DKNY (old), and porcupine quill earrings from urban outfitters (got em on sale for $4.99). (though i saw a dead porcupine on the road, not too long ago and have not been brave/sick enough to go take its quills off :P)

Life's tough decisions.

nail polish from the ***dollar store***.  these colors all cost only $1!! (i am kind of a spaz when it comes to painting my own nails, so i can't make any designs yet. in brooklyn, the cashier at my local market had THE most incredible nails. wish i had taken some pics of her! i asked her once and she said that it took about 3-4 hours to have them done)

salvation army STYLE !

HAVING AN EYE:
OK. so ...
i realize many of us have ENDLESS good taste, style, and creativity (!!!) but we lack an ENDLESS suppy of $$$$$$$$$$. sometimes, even getting things on sale, or "for less" is not helpful or, even possible!!! being an artist by trade i am always trying to find ways to get around having NO cash. so, i'm starting this new tag "$0.99 store STYLE". i mean, this is REALLY tight budget, as in NO budget

---->i am a FAITHFUL THRIFT-SHOPPER  (my past two trips have been AMAZING, i have found a SONIA BY SONIA RYKIEL dress with THE TAGS STILL ON IT and what i believe to be, AN AUTHENTIC GUCCI BAG !!!)(see pics above--if anyone knows how 2 authenticate the bag, please, lemme know in comments)




Remeber my friends:: NEVER STOP LOOKING FOR INSPIRATION 'CUZ U NEVER KNOW WHERE YOU'LL FIND IT !!!!!

i am still learning
i am an "old soul"
so

(patience please)

and i hope this will
inspire you
as much it
inspires me.

xx thank you :) xx

lines, cracks, and tracks. don't look back.