ceramics with a side of screen printing

when i was in high school, i used to be in ceramics class and LOVED every minute of it-i was pretty good on the wheel and made a number of cups, bowls and art work depicting the funny inside jokes i had with my friends...such good memories.
over the years, i have been wanting to go back into the studio, but either had zero time, scheduling conflict or no money for classes.

(kombucha on tap with Mark-a quick drink before class)

my friends at Avanti Cafe have been trying to get me into their ceramics class in Huntington Beach which is very affordable and if i just rearrange my schedule, i could do it.  after a year of asking me,  i finally got my act together and started taking classes every tuesday for the past few months.
Our instructor Matt is a super nice fellow who teaches computer art stuffs, ceramics and painting/drawing...really funny and one day had scissors screened onto his pants, when i asked where he got them he replied, "i screen printed them in the next room".
AWESOME...

Matt recently made me a screen of a mason jar, and last week showed Mark and I what to do with it....

(attaching the screen)

(Mark spreading fabric ink over the mason jar screen)

(the original drawing-turned into screen-into cuteness on a dress!)

(Matt explaining to Mark about photoshop for his screen)

i brought in a few items that had stains on them o i could cover them up with cute mason jars!

(already wore this to work!) 

(going to wear this to work!)

next up: Backyard In A Jar aprons, tea towels and Road Less Traveled staff tees and other merch! Coming in 2011

and i do do ceramics in this class :)

it's getting cold in So Cal: leg warmers

truth be told, those of use in Southern California really have it good. now i am not talking gov or the financial situation of our state or most other things (prop H8T anyone??), but in terms of weather-we can't be beat-especially in Winter.
however, if you are a native to the area (like yours truly), Winter is still cold, but we still like to wear our shorts, skirts and other beach/hot weather wear b/c well, Winter in Southern California consists of sunny days mixed with dry-cold nights and mornings. what to do...
in comes the leg warmer. i became a BIG fan of he leg warmer not from rollerskating, but from years ago traveling in the Andies where REAL cold is permafrost- yeah frozen soil. i bought several alpaca legwarmers with cute llamas on them that i wore under my pants and skirts, even slept in them. they were a perfect way to keep that biting chilly wind from creeping up on you. sure you have the occasional "pull-up", but they were the next best thing to being in a "burrito-blanket" while wearing your wears and doing your thang.
over the years, i have taken to busting out the leg warmers in colder weather...maybe it is my age, but i love them-they feel good and i can still wear what i want and be warm...my collection has grown and i wanted to post a few things that i have found over the years that i love and can fit most tastes.

(DIY-style, old sweater sleeves from Wiggin' Wasabi)
(these are just like what i bought in Bolivia-peace love and cloth)
(want them now- American Apparel has them too!)(these are a great take on the leg warmer/accessory-Laine Design)

Just today i had my legwarmers on at Long Beach's first Patchwork Show, and i had several compliments of my well-worn, slouchy grey covers...hey if people liked mine, they must be popular!

transformer clothes

now that i live in a 700 sqft apartment, i really need to be more selective about what clothes i buy...no more of those random shopping sprees at the discount rack at Anthropology or thrift stores...buying stuff because "it is only $1". my closet will simply not allow it anymore.
this is something that i have been thinking about as a retailer as well-supporting lines that not only are made with sustainable/upcycled fabrics, but can be worn several different ways, limiting the amount of clothing you have to buy in general.

some of the items i have found:

Lirola: from Israel, has a dress that has 7 different looks, that is 7 dresses for the price of one...now we are getting somewhere!

(and this is without accessories)

Le Muse: loving this tiny line of knits that have a number of uses-off the shoulder, off both shoulders, blouse, dress or perfect for maternity...at under $80 you can go wrong.

Natural High Lifestyle: i LOVE this Santa Monica-based company that sells simple, sustainable clothing geared to the yoga/surf/nature loving person. Their bamboo sarong is always a big seller in the store-not only because it is the softest thing on earth- but you can wear it as a dress (shown 2 different ways below), as a skirt, a chunky scarf, a head wrap...this is must have for sure! which reminds me that i need to order these...

De Gala and Conscious Clothing: both businesses make sustainable lines, but they also make tube dresses that can have multiple looks.
The first, from Conscious Clothing can be a dress or a skirt. paired with different tops, leggings and accessories and you have a lot of outfits.

The second one, from De Gala is a basic narrow tube dress. but it is a super-simple foundation for just about anything.
i will post more as i find them.

Hollywood Farmers Market, Booger and brunch with Felix

on Sunday, i had my first full day at the Master Food Preserver table at the Hollywood Farmers' Market. even though i am not used to waking up that early anymore (i am more of a late night computer/book person these days), going out to Hollywood (especially with ZERO traffic!) was a real treat that i am going to look forward to once a month.
at the market, i shared a table with LA Master Gardener Kevin, who was handing out free seeds and giving advice on what to grow this time of year. Kevin also gave the the ins & outs of everything about the market: local crazies, regular customers, celebrity shoppers and favorite vendors.

speaking of celebrity..right in the middle of our conversation i noticed a familiar face. through the crowds, i kept staring, trying to figure out how i knew this person, and then it hit me:
Booger (played brilliantly by Curtis Armstrong) from Revenge of the Nerds!!

(remember this scene!)i wasn't able to grab my camera in time, and unfortunately the next time he walked by, i was busy answering a question :(

this time i also didn't have the time to score the deal of the century, i had to rush back to finally attend my friend Felix's brunch-where i met one of my favorite people, Chef Mark Cleveland from the beloved Avanti Cafe. i was so excited, Mark and i have never had the chance to hang out in a non-work context-PARTY!

(pasta with baby lentils, lima beans and other goodness)

(beets with micro greens, and a quail egg-YUM)

(Mark taking pictures of his meal)

(Chef Felix relaxing after a terrific meal)

but probably the best thing of the day (besides the various goodies that Mark brought me and that i will be talking about later this week), was this one guest's awesome poncho that was a five-in-one accessory. she was more than proud to show of her goods.

(poncho then...)

(side deal...)

(chunky necklace...)

(shoulder shrug...)

(pulled up with a bunch in front)

i think i need one of these.

when quilts meet tees

i come across a lot of blank tees at thrift stores and garage sales and i just know there is something i can do with them, but i do not want to end up with a bunch of shirts sitting in my closet (which i have absolutely no room for now that i have moved!).
i had just happened to find these awesome shirts that are patches from quilts on tees...super cute!

(this does look a little "hippy", but more modern fabrics can take the patchouli out of it)

(love this deconstructed one-kind of like a permanent scarf on the tee)

today on etsy-fisherman's girl

everyday i go on Etsy, at least once to check out cute items or to get ideas or look for possible vendors for the store.
today i found Fisherman's Daughter, organic clothing from Cape Cod
arent these just the cutest thermal legwarmers?!?
PS i love the name of the line!

clothing by desira pesta

Happy New Year!
found this new (or at least new to me) organic clothing line, and it doesnt look like anything i have seen before.to see more of this line check out her etsy page, let me know what you think!