Margaret

I got to do Margaret Cho's makeup yesterday!! 

How bout this rad 80's modified mom skirt???

<33333

old-school button covers!!!

I scored these bad boys at my new favorite thrifting establishment...

Spiders and Saturday

Last Saturday was quite pleasant...I spent most of the day potting new babies, and replanting old favorites....

This is the mama spider that was given to me almost 2 years ago!!

These are two of her babies...and a random ivy

Look at those home grown roots!!!! mmmmm...

The tiniest of all the babies...

Flower

She makes me smile :) She tries to go with me everywhere...to work, to school...and tries to fit in all of my bags like I won't notice she is there 

I think I have a new slogan

"AbnoRmaL Couture.....made with white thread and your Grandma's curtains!"

Like a dear friend of mine, I have been going through a 'green' phase.  I like anything and everything that is green, all shades, all tones, all texture....some days I even wish I was green.  How bout the latest AbnoRmaL creation?? eh?  GREEN!!! 

Vacation!!

Vacation this year has been short, but sweet...filled with good music, good friends, and great bike rides! 

A really amazing band from Seattle visited the Red Room on Thursday. They are called Widower, and the sliding guitarist is my new/old lover/i wish ;) 

Friday was filled with Sangria and swimming, and good company! 

Today, I received a fabulous gift all the way from Seattle!! (not from my boyfriend unfortunately)

Nico and I decided to go on a late Saturday afternoon bike ride......

Look! A Jesus park!! Is this cool, or creepy??? you decide....

Looks like bad voodoo....??

AbnoRmaL is BACK!

A floral dress with an altered vintage lace overlay 

My Kitchen Window

Beauty is everywhere....even if it is just a kitchen window....

Barbara

I have a new addition to my house that has no room for additions....but how could I resist!!! Especially because she is Judy's sister.... What a fabulous gift! Welcome home, Barbara! :) 

I AM...

Here is a sneak peak from the series I am working on....

I got a bike!! I got a bike!!

This is my new bike!! I am so excited! I bought it off a friend that is moving to New York and no longer has a need for it! yay!!  

Does anyone have a bike for me???????

I can not believe I have survived in this tiny hipster town without a working bike for so long!!! Ahhhhhhh!! I have had two bikes stolen from me, and my inherited bike is out of commission! Booooo! I have searched tediously through every bike shop and thrift store that I know of, and I have had no luck!! Who has a bike for me?? Anyone??? 

212

Ever since I was a little girl I have been drawn to a city that seemed so magical.  When I went there for the first time I felt like I was home.  When I had to leave I felt like I was leaving home. When I actually got home all I wanted to do was go back, back to New York.  My love for the city is not because I think it is 'cool', or fun, or an awesome place to party.  It is a different kind of love.  Yes, New York IS all of those things, but to me it is just where I am suppose to be.  It feels like home.  It is home. Every year since I was sixteen something or someone always brings be back to New York.   It is almost like there is the overwhelming energy force that finds a way to suck me back to the tiny island that captivated my heart and soul.  Lately I have been feeling like my time to leave is inching nearer and nearer.  Maybe it is the excitement of graduating, or starting my life, or being free and fearless? Maybe I feel like I have conquered this ass-backwards town and payed my dues?  Maybe I feel like I have nothing left to learn here? Or is that pretentious? Does Tucson really have anything left for me?  I believe that people and places are merely stepping stones that carve the path to a greater place.  I have learned a lot since I have moved here, and I am thankful for the people who have helped shape and reform my identity....but  I am ready for a new adventure, new people and new places.  I feel like I am ready to start my life...in the city where I belong, the city where I call home.....

fabulous finds and a late birthday gift

My favorite thing to do on my days off is to wander about this old town in search of new treasures, art, inspiration, or a new secret spot :)  Today, I was so fortunate to find some fabulous new items......

For those of you who have not met Judy....this is her...she is delightful.  She is a mannequin from 1940 and was gifted to me by a great friend of mine...she serves many purposes in my tiny apartment:

1. a dress form

2. keep Flower company

3. scare away ghosts  

Today, while thrifting about I found a vintage swim-cap which Judy is now responsible for modeling

My other find of the day is this terrific vintage suitcase! I am such a sucker for old suitcases! I have a million, but I can't stop buying them! This one is in amazing condition, lined with red satin! How could you say no?  I have filled it with my Grandmother's vintage scarves that she gave me last year when I was home for Christmas.

This great Chanel book was gifted to me last week as a late birthday present!  It is from the early 90's with all photos by Karl Lagerfeld himself! Amazing!  

cliche poetry

I have been really involving myself in new art projects, reading, writing.....etc...for some reason this old cliche poem continues to manifest itself in my memory day after day.  Linguistically it is incorrect, but something about the context seems to really hit home......

After a while you learn
the subtle difference between
holding a hand and chaining a soul
and you learn
that love doesn't mean leaning
and company doesn't always mean security.
And you begin to learn
that kisses aren't contracts
and presents aren't promises
and you begin to accept your defeats
with your head up and your eyes ahead
with the grace of woman, not the grief of a child
and you learn
to build all your roads on today
because tomorrow's ground is
too uncertain for plans
and futures have a way of falling down
in mid-flight.
After a while you learn
that even sunshine burns
if you get too much
so you plant your own garden
and decorate your own soul
instead of waiting for someone
to bring you flowers.
And you learn that you really can endure
you really are strong
you really do have worth
and you learn
and you learn
with every goodbye, you learn...

Framing a memory

There is the really amazing thrift store in Tucson where I tend to find some of the most amazing treasures!! Yesterday I got really lucky and found these vintage frames.  I bought all three of them for a grand total of $3.00.  I knew they were meant for me because I have been looking for the perfect frames to frame my photo- booth pictures from last year.  Recently, the photo- booth pictures have become more memorable since it broke :(  It is was the only vintage photo- booth in Tucson, and one of the only in the Arizona.  What a great way to frame a year that was so special! <3

Artful Debit Cards

Wellsfargo has this really great new program where you can design your own debit card!! This is the picture that I chose to put on my fancy new card!  I took this picture in February in Spanish Harlem, where I was staying while I was there for Fashion Week. 

To me this picture represents accomplishment, reality, and change.   Someone once told me that I used the word love loosely.  I don't think that I use the word loosely, rather I think that other people do not use it enough.  Sometimes I think that we forget to remind the people we love how special they are. Or, how about showing love to a stranger?  Some people are not fortunate enough to be loved, and some of us forget how powerful love is.  I am a better person because I have been loved, and I want to better the world by showing people love.  

This is a great reminder for me every day that I have the power to change, to love, and to make a difference.  To reach higher, dream bigger, and love love love love love.....

AbnoRmaL Couture....elastic waistband summer skirt :)

Summer....without school

Now that classes have finished, and my work load has subsided I have turned back to the world of art for a short while.  Every creative inch of me has been forcefully tucked away in order to accommodate for my school and work load.  I feel like I am bursting at the seams with new ideas and plans!! I am still trying to develop my clothing line AbnoRmaL Couture, while writing, and doing canvas work.  I can't seem to focus on one project! This could be why my website has been untouched since February, my pile of 'to hem' clothes is 10 feet high, and my bar tab is never ending??? :)  I am reading several books right now as well....one is called Artists, Critics, Context and is a compilation of essay's written by 20th C artists and critics. It's amazing!   I have been inspired to do a new series of canvas work that is in progress right now! It's called I AM.  I can't give too many details away but...think: Jenny Holzer meets Claes Oldenburg, with a little Mondrian and Warhol. Oh, wait...my series Beauty...still yet to be finished!!   

I have been lucky enough to come across some amazing vintage fabric lately...and am working on summer/fall skirts!  

So, I decided to jump on the bandwagon of blogging. I am beginning to wonder what I have gotten myself into already! I feel like I am a part of every imaginable social network on the web! I have been doing some thinking however....instead of making my blog about negative energy and life problems...it is going to be more about creative thinking, inspiration, and imagination.  This is going to be about me, my life story...but seen through an eye of objectiveness rather than a tongue of despair.  <3