Recylced Chic Rules.

Clean out that purse of yours, go on, just do it. Notice all of those candy wrappers cascading through the hidden side pockets? Someone decided to put those to use. That certain "someone" consists of the creative team behind Ecoist, the planet friendly, fashion forward company based on the design of three women from Mexico to Chile to Miami.

Made from wrappers that are misprinted, or just discarded, these bags are little gems that need to be shown off. Bags come in three sizes, from coin purse to the "Everything/Anything" (or the "Double Coiner") bag and eventually the clutch. Prices range from $38-$148, and the favorites right now are the Luna Clutch, made from Luna Bar wrappers, and the Confetti Bag. Save on your shipping fees by stopping by the Blue Elefant Boutique on North Lamar in the Central Park Shopping Center. Treat yourself to piece of recycled culture that not only looks good, but won't fall apart.


Ecoist Handbags
Blue Elephant Boutique
4001 N.Lamar
512-371-3259

Unfinal Statement...

Thinking about your own work always keeps you on your toes. Or on your ass. Sometimes even trying to keep up with your own psyche. That is where I seem to be at the moment. Everyone Knows Everyone III takes place at Emo's on June 29th. Being asked to participate was a huge accomplishment for me.

I have always been interested in producing work that is visually stimulating...but not necessarily pretty, or stunning but stylistically unique. Something that represents that place in between my lungs protected by the ribs. It has always been there, working hard to try to push me the right way. When I was six, I won Honorable Mention in a city-wide story writing contest. To get into college I wrote an essay about the affluent nature of apple pie. As of late, I have started producing my favorite type of work. Combining writing and polaroids. Typewriting and polaroids, that is.

Example:


An even better one:


I made these with the intent to eventually take them to Kinko's and blow them up to the size of my bedroom door. Mainly I just wanted to vent, and venting through poetry has always been my best and most loved outlet. Weeks after I made these image collages, I started writing again. I got my typewriter ribbon changed and warmed up my fingers. I collected images from vintage stores and went through my junk collection to find a perfect image to type on.

This was it:


Suddenly, I was unable to stop scanning and typing and ripping...and wrote this...


What I figured out was that I need to continue this expression and that because it was so easy for me...I had to keep going. Ripping, pasting, typing, it all seemed like I was creating my personal ultimate zine. I wanted it to keep going, get bigger, be published, be carried in Book People and be carried in everyone's tote bags at all times. At this point, I made the following. It is not grandeur in its presentation, no polaroid involved, and the typing is messed up. I considered changing it, starting over, but its rawness was its captivation.



So....the shows is looming in the future...one month away. I cannot wait to see what I will do. You should be excited too.

Art is Now.

Art is tireless, and you should be too. Everyone's invited to the ultimate opening experience at the Blanton Museum of Art this Saturday from 9pm to 9 pm Sunday. If you have to work Sunday morning, skip it-call in sick. This is an event that is all inclusive!

The Blanton's new building on MLK and Congress is an enormous space housing expansive galleries and a magnificent atrium. Exhibitions include the classics, American and Latin American contemporary art, prints and drawings. Of such exhibitions, the one to watch is the New Now Next: The Contemporary Blanton featuring Texas artist Trenton Doyle Hancock.

Austin has never experienced an Art opening like this: starting on Saturday, the party commences with hors d'oeuvres and refreshments along with live music by Voxtrot, and improv by the Austin Improv Collective. The night crowd will want to stick around for the Austin Craft Mafia's mid morning fashion show, followed by Yoga, cereal and juice, chair massages, and a Ribbon Cutting around noon on Sunday.

The celebration will wrap up at 5pm-9pm on Sunday with a toast of the museum's own "Blantini" and the conclusion of the community art project "Blanton Blooms," in which you, the extreme art enthusiast will walk away with (or plant on site) the flower you made to commemorate the new museum.

24-Hour Extreme Grand Opening
Blanton Museum of Art
MLK at Congress
Saturday and Sunday, April 29-30
(9 PM Saturday - 9 PM Sunday)

Don't Knock It.

Yeah, that's right. Don't knock it until you find it. This week on my journey with my Polaroid I found some upscale secret spots.

The obvious:
Behind Spiderhouse
The wall next to former space of Legs Diamond
Off of Sixth Street

The secret:
North Burnet
The dumpster behind Hole in the Wall
Did I mention around Medical Parkway?

Get Your Jersey On.

It's barely May and the heat is on. The season is here for minimal coverage, and you can do it without looking like you belong on the bar of Coyote Ugly. Ditch the short cut-offs and tube tops and get with the jersey. Rachel Pally's jersey, that is. Fluid, graceful and down right soft to the touch, this material is one that is commonly used by designers, but is rarely mastered.

Less is more, so it is said, and Pally's designs reflect just that. Barely patterned, each piece is breathable and seductive, perfect for a porch-sipping get together or a first date. Find these gems at Nordstoms and at Therapy on South Congress. (Look for Pally's graceful touch in Goucho's, dresses, backless tops, short-sleeved tunics and skirts.)

What's more is that each piece smells like a dryer sheet, and fits like a charm.

Lucky You.

Either you want a collector’s piece of jewelry but don’t want to drop the cash, or have lost your grandma’s antique pendant. You like the look of vintage but don’t feel like digging through the bin at Savers, right? Exactly. Take this advice: get off of ebay and get into Flipnotic's Clothes Pad.

Not only does their usual stock of jewelry impress, but their new line called Lucky Loo Loo deserves honorable mention. This collection is vintage reworked for the modern, fashion confident woman. Rings and pendants are hand-painted and designs range from sparrows and hearts to lockets and crowns. Flipnotic’s collection includes rings, necklaces, bracelets and earrings. Prices are so reasonable, you might just have to buy a whole set.

Flipnotic's Clothes Pad
1601 Barton Springs Rd.
512.322.9011
Mon.-Sat. 11-7
Sun. 11-6

Life Changing

Sometimes, artists create worlds that are rarely visited. Luckily for Austin, we are invited into one of the most creative examinations of a fantastic society created by, and analyzed by Peat Duggins. “The Moment that Changed My Life Forever” is a reactionary installation by Duggins that plays upon the occurances of his 2004 piece entitled “The Battle of Hickory Ridge.” What is to be expected is Duggins’ exploration of Hickory Ridge’s multifaceted existence, through tragedy, reactionary politics and the incoercible force of misfortune.

From April 22 through May 31st, the Art Palace will be the site in which this whimsical community will be populated. Miss it and miss a life changing instant. You will be sorry.

Slightly Obsessed.

Thinking about Feathers can really consume a girl. Not animal feathers or feathers used in art class. No, the boutique. Waking up during these hot April days leaves us feigning for strappy sun dresses, sexy Onezie’s, wedges and clutches. Once you set foot in the best vintage boutique to ever hit Austin, you will find yourself consumed by it. You will wait until your lunch break and a make run for it. Tucked in between Mi Casa and Prototype right off of hot to trot South Congress, this is the kind of place you want to keep a secret.

Masterfully handpicked vintage has never before been this accessible for young women in Austin. Slouch boots, handbags, Playboy’s, belt buckles and a Jewelry tree welcomes the shopper upon entry as does one of the two owners Emily Hoover and Masha Poloskov. These ladies are two of Austin’s most fashion savvy young women. Both in their twenties, Hoover and Poloskov started the business with the vision to bring an ease an excitement to the vintage buying experience. Thanks to them, there are plenty of ways to look incredible this spring and summer and make it worth every penny. Prices are super affordable and the secret it out. Let the obsession begin!

Feathers Boutique
1700 B South Congress
(Entrance on Milton)
Monday-Saturday 11-7 and 11-6 on Sundays