They say you never forget your first poncho. This is mine, and it was love at first sight. I spotted it from across a crowded field on a hot, muggy day of the most recent Brimfield Antique Market. As it was August, the last thing I wanted to touch was a heavy wool item, but I couldn’t resist the beautiful colors, and I knew my future self would thank me come winter. Man was I right! Wearing this is like hanging out inside a hug. And I always get smiles and winks from the people I pass. Based on this blog post title, which was suggested by my Studiomates, I gather my poncho makes me look like a Technicolor version of Clint Eastwood. Hey, I’m cool with that.
folk-artsy hat - $20 Carousel Antiques, Hudson NY
rainbow poncho - $20* Brimfield Antiques Market, Brimfield MA
color wheel pendant necklace** - gift from Maria
printed canvas vest - $7 East Village Buffalo Exchange
striped shirt - $8 East Village Buffalo Exchange
teal britches*** - $3 St Matthews Goodwill, Louisville KY
bright green belt - $2 Fulton Mall Goodwill, Brooklyn NY
red roper boots - $12 Repeat Street Revolution, Starkville MS
Studiomates + Muppets = Studiomuppets (or S’muppets for short).
It’s one of my fondest hopes to one day be walking down the street and pass a Muppet… on his way to work, or band practice, or where ever Muppets like to go. And upon seeing this Muppet, I simply smile and nod because passing a Muppet is NO BIG DEAL. They’re just here, among us. I believe with Muppets around, we would never run out of friendship, acceptance, music, laughter, or color. That’s the kind of world I want to live in.
The closest I’ve come to this, thus far, is to encourage my friends to dress as if they were Muppets. These are photos from the Friday before Halloween (or “Halloween Beer Friday” in Studiomates terms). The fact that I’m friends with people willing to so readily pretend to be Muppets means I must already live in a world where some pretty serious awesomeness abounds.
If you haven’t already, watch this terrific video featuring my friend Alex Blagg of a bajillionhitz.biz.
So this is where we’re headed for the next 5 days… You tell me, should I be worried?
Truly, I’m just happy I’ll get to reunite with some of my Studiomates (past, present and future). Man, I’ve really missed them! Plus I’ll get to hang for the first time with some of the people I’ve fallen in love with over the Internet, like Alissa Walker. And let’s not forget there’s reconnecting with some of my new friends from TEDActive, like Kestrin, Jonathan and Scott of {RV}IP. Yes, {RV}IP is a karaoke lounge inside an RV. No joke. Here’s Creighton in the RV, singing karaoke, as we go barreling down the California freeway at a top speed of 45 mph just one week ago today (good times)...
One of my favorite parts of our workspace is that on Fridays, my Studiomate Skylar brings in his French Bulldog, Pinky. She adds so much joy to the studio, finding patches of sunlight for her adorable naps, jumping from lap to lap, and entertaining us with her games of fetch (or as Pinky interprets it, keep away). Since this week’s theme is red and pink, it’s only appropriate that today’s outfit photos include cameos of Pinky.
red blazer - $5 Burlington Salvation Army
pink blouse - $3 Starkville Palmer Home Thrift
red belt - $2 Baltimore Salvation Army
high-waisted jeans - $18 Sideshow Clothing Co. of Hudson, NY
magenta Reebok high tops - $24 Etsy (seller Kasifoundthis)
Admittedly this post is a bit late for a party that took place on December 14, but my head still spins just thinking about it! AIGA/NY, James Victore, LIVE Karaoke, Mint Juleps and a Rainbow Skirt!!!! Where do I even start?
A tad bit of back story… In June I became a board member of the New York Chapter of the AIGA. That in and of itself is pretty awesome because it means I get to hang with the rest of the board (all amazing designers and people) and help plan some great events for our 3,000 members: Printmaking at Etsy, Designer Bowling, you get the picture.
For our December event at Galapagos Art Space, our President, Jennifer Kinon, set a specific directive: we’ve been working hard ALL year, and now it’s time to have some fun! So we decided we’d throw a Winter Bash. We asked the talented and always entertaining James Victore to come talk to us about what he’s been up to (spoiler alert: it involves shot guns), and then hired the fabulous Crash Course Karaoke to give our members an opportunity to be the rock stars they’ve always dreamed of. Mint juleps ensured everyone was feeling festive, and a fun photo booth filled with fake snow brought out everyone’s wacky side. As if all that wasn’t enough, my mom made a special skirt for me… and it’s a RAINBOW! This is the grown up (and I use that word lightly) version of the Rainbow Princess costume I made for Ella at Halloween. (Photos of the two of us together are coming soon!)
My own personal highlights from the evening included…
The original equation went something like, beer + studiomates + friday = x
Over time, the equation has morphed into something more like, beer (bottles + growlers + kegs) + studiomates + great friends (neighbors + colleagues + clients + kids + out-of-towners) + video games (rocking + singing + dancing) + theme (costume + craft + movie) + friday = x
In both instances, x = Beer Friday, and while the equation may have, um, expanded over the past year, the heart of the matter is still very much the same. All that’s really necessary to the success of the formula is to get amazing people in a shared space with a shared motive of relaxing and having a good time. That’s really what our co-working space Studiomates is all about.
Now on to this particular, most recent, December 3rd Beer Friday…
If we’ve met, it’s likely you’ve seen me wear this dress. A favorite of mine for obvious reasons (hello rainbow stripes!), it’s extremely easy to wear due to its t-shirt-like top, elastic waist and full skirt. I love the buttons on the shoulder, the puff sleeves, and the fact that it leaves no direction of stripe stone unturned; it’s got vertical, horizontal and diagonal!
rainbow-stripe dress - $20, Jelly Roll at Brooklyn Flea
wooden beads - borrowed from Creighton, Maui Salvation Army
Rainbow as seen from my DUMBO Brooklyn studio: 5:22 p.m. EST
Rainbow hunter’s tip: if it’s raining and you’re looking at the sun, turn around because there may be a rainbow sneaking up behind you! When this one landed right on my doorstep today, I started screaming, “Rainbow! Rainbow!” even though my studiomate Jason was on a conference call. After all, rainbows are rare and impressive beasts in New York City. I ran next door to tell everyone, and then the double rainbow appeared! I yelled, “DOUBLE RAINBOW!!” so loud the whole floor could hear. Then Tina and I did the rainbow dance. Good times.
What does it mean? Since I’ve been spending all my non-work time sewing a Rainbow Princess dress as a Halloween costume for Tina’s four-year-old Ella, I thought it must mean the rainbow gods are giving me a thumbs up. Tina and Gary are going to be dressed as a double rainbow, so she took a moment to channel the rainbow and its energy. I’m sure this will make her embodiment more authentic. Look closely at the base of the rainbow, and you can almost see her baby boy Tilo sparkeling as the pot o’ gold!
Halloween is right around the corner, which means Candygrams are BACK! Candygrams are odes to candy by guest authors during the month of October on Jason Santa Maria‘s blog. I loved these posts last year, so I was thrilled when Jason asked me to participate this go ‘round, but I had trouble choosing a single candy to write about because I’m actually excessively fond of ALL candy. (Remember when I couldn’t choose a single color for my Rainbow Birthday so I decided to wear every color? It’s a lot like that.)
When I love something, I really love something. I think that’s called obsession, right? Well in this case, the thing I’m obsessed with actually has the power to make me physically ill. Hence the title of my Candygram: Love Sick. I basically challenged myself to keep a diary about my love of candy for a week and then share the results with the world. Luckily, my friends Courtney Martin and Mandy Brown were kind enough to offer constructive criticism and their crackerjack editing skills.
Monday was a special day. We celebrated the day the world changed from being a place without Cameron to a place with Cameron and all his awesomeness. Aside to having a thing for pipes, our studiomate Cameron’s got a special knack for cutting to the chase… A few nights ago when we were picking up our blankets after a Movie with a View, I spotted a book on the lawn. I picked up the 800-page tome, looked around unsuccessfully for its owner, and proclaimed, “Cameron, look! Somebody left this whole book!” He pointed out that it would have been silly for anyone to have left only half a book. Smart, right? But now that I’ve used its pages as pipes to top delicious vegan cupcakes from Baby Cakes, the book’s not so whole anymore. Happy Birthday, Cameron. I’ve done my best to express how much you mean to us all.
