End of Summer/Beginning of Fall

Back from a pretty interesting few weeks and I have plenty of updates and good news to share!

First things first:

The Gold Coast Art Fair went very very well (in the big picture sense). I toughed it out in 90+ degree weather for three straight days with no sunscreen, no tent and a minimal amount of tears/anxiety attacks. My inventory sold consistently... not necessary what I had anticipated but more than I have ever made an art art fair and for that I'm very grateful. The best thing is I was in an area designated for SAIC students only and they were all very supportive and pleasant.

Gold Coast Art Fair photo of me at my table. Taken by my mom with her magical phone!

I only had one unfortunate run in with a mean- spirited loony but I've since made my peace with that. It never ceases to amaze me what some people believe is acceptable behavior at a public art event, especially towards a fellow artist.

2) Summer is coming to a close, much to my dismay. I have no personal problems against fall as a season. It produces vibrant colors, wonderful flavors (pumpkin spice) and it makes me feel all warm and glowy....the only problem is that it will inevitably lead to winter. One of THE WORST seasons for me in every sense of the word.

I can't wait to go back to the Chicago Botanic Gardens later this month to see a scene like this!

I'm doing things to calm myself down and say goodbye to summer like hot showers with Dr. Bronner's peppermint castile soap, late nights of True Blood marathons, and shopping for soft, layer-able fall wear.


Side Note: I finally got around to reading Dead Until Dark. The first book in the Sookie Stackhouse series and I was very impressed with the story quality....and I was totally right about the sex scenes. The second season of the television show seems to be going down a very weird path but I'm not giving up.

Though I know it may take some time, I would really love to dance en pointe. My aerial teacher is always yelling at us to point our toes!

3) I'm starting Ballet classes at Lou Conte Dance Studio (a part of Hubbard Street Dance) next month and I'm very very excited about it. I figure ballet will help me to maintain my core strength and will be beneficial to the circus arts classes I take. Though I do consider myself to generally be a graceful person, I noticed that there was a slight difference between me doing a routine on the trapeze and an ex-dancer doing that same routine. Besides, I've always wanted a reason to rock some ballet shoes!

In the midst of an aerial routine. It hurts a little bit to be suspended in that position but it also feels pretty good to give your hips a good stretch. Maybe one day if I get good enough, I can work with Fuerza Bruta!

4)One last thing: I finally got a raise. Yay!! It only took like 3 years!

BTW, I can't wait to indulge in some pumpkin pie. One of my favorite seasonal snacks.

Happy Thursday!

The 3 C's: Clowns, Clothes, and Chocolate!

Hey Lovers!

I'm back from my "blogging break" and I apologize for not posting in such a long while. I've been a pretty busy beaver in the metal's studio lately, getting things nice and tidy for the Art Fair next month. The good news is, I have plenty of tasty photos and ideas to share, which I will be uploading in the next couple days.

But first, I'd like to take a moment to appreciate the adorableness that is Zoe Kravitz.

That skirt is worth dying for.

I've been trying to find a coat like this for the past 5 years of my life. No success.

BTW, Who knew that Alexander Wang was so young and gorgeous??!!

So now that I've gotten my fashion crush out of the way, I want to talk about something I've recently read: Clown Girl by Monica Drake.

My friend lent me this book during my short vacation in Michigan. I was intialy very excited about the prospect of a "dark, witty tale" regarding the life of an aspiring clown. But I was very disappointed by the end result. The main character of this novel is named Nita, an aspiring clown who works relatively shitty gigs to save up enough money to go to Clown School and be with her boyfriend (who she also sent to Clown School). In the midst of pining after her fellow clown lover (who doesn't return her phone calls) and perfecting her mime interpretation of Kafka's The Metamorphosis, she is also resisting the advances of a "Steve McQueen look alike" cop who is trying his damndest to court her.

You can pretty much guess the ending, right? I definitely did but continued on for the remaining 300 pages in hopes that atleast the end would justify the means...but it did not. None of the characters were sympathetic or multi-dimensional at all. In fact Nita, with all of her self imposed problems was down right unlikeable. It's also unclear as to why the cop was so drawn to Nita because clowns are relatively common place in this story's setting and Nita never leaves her home without her makeup and costume, even if she doesn't have a gig.

It's very clear that the author was trying to draw a parallel between the way the two character's "costumes" affected the way they interacted with the world but each character was so underdeveloped that after a while it felt like I was choking on archetypes. Read this book if there is nothing else lying around and if you don't mind getting headaches. I only think about this novel fondly because of the person who gave it to me.

I hope everyone is enjoying their Friday thus far. I'm in an overly air conditioned office, dreaming about Ice Cream.

Water Dissolving

I found this totally by accident on itunes the other day and immediately went to investigate. I can't believe something like this existed for so long and somehow managed to pass right under my radar!! I'm totally getting it!

I got back earlier this week from a short trip to Ypsilanti. I stayed with my friends and it was an amazingly peaceful experience. I got to meet the mastermind behind Spiritditch, a blog that I've been reading religiously since I discovered it earlier this year. It was almost like meeting a celebrity!

I'll have to write a longer blog post about the ins and outs of Ypsi when I get the chance. Right now there's a lot of commotion going on in my house and in my head surrounding my severely water damaged bedroom closet. BOOOO.

Happy Saturday!

Stop Motion Extravaganza!

I caught this on the Sundance Channel a few nights ago. It's called Madame Tutli Putli and is a stop motion animation about one woman's surreal trip on a train across country. I was extremely impressed with the quality of the puppets and animation in general, though I'm sure a little CGI was used to smooth out the flow of movements. What I liked most were the expressive eyes of all the characters and the bumpy textures of their skin.




I didn't really understand the ending but I think it's worth watching for all of the creepy backdrops and colorful characters.

This is the moment where she meets a famous tennis player who is a very rude man! A man like that deserves a crisp slap across his face!

These two men are playing a wobbly game of chess while sitting in their suitcases. Another wonderful moment.

So this got me thinking that I have to plug two other favorites. I know I've mentioned this one before but it's definitely worth re-mentioning. Peter and the Wolf (2006) is a modern stop motion adaption of an old composition by Sergei Prokofiev.

"Boys like Peter aren't afraid of wolves." Awesome.

I've always had a fixation for wolves. The Bog Bad Wolf is my favorite fairytale villain and I've dated several guys because they were wolf-like (bad idea in the long run). The wolf from this tale will not disappoint. He's mean and scary and has a coat of beautiful, alluring fur.


Don't you just want to pet that lovely beast and keep it in your home as your companion?

Look at Peter's wonderful face. An example of some very fine sculpting.

This is an older live action version of Peter and The Wolf that I used to catch on the ARTS channel back in the day. It's narrated by Sting (as a puppet) and is a combination of Barnum and Bailey and nightmares from childhood. My favorite elements are the Marx brothers-esque hunters, the alcoholic duck, and the giant frightening wolf puppet with it's long, lolling tongue. To my delight the first chunk of it is available on youtube. Watch it and bring lots of joy to your eyes!

The past two weekends have been stimulation overload for me...but in a good SummertimeinChicago kind of way.

Trump Tower

I spent Saturday night in Trump towers with my good friend Sheena and my new friend Sam. We were on the 23rd floor in her deluxe suite and I couldn't fall asleep because I was deftly afraid of sleeping in a room so high up.

A king size deluxe suite at the Trump. Roughly what Sheena's room looked like.

I imagined the room splitting in half and me plunging 23 three stories below to a poisonous river death, clad only in my pajamas. I guess this means that I might be afraid of heights which makes sense considering that I've lived in 2 or 3 flats my entire life.


By the way, Artistic Liberties recently posted an extensive interview with yours truly. Read it to find out all about my humble beginnings!

Anyway, it's my bedtime. Happy Monday!

P.s - I saw a lady reading a book on the train today entitled Give Us A Kiss. I know that has to be some kind of sign. Just not sure what it means.

Take your protein pills and put your helmet on..

I just finished reading The Man Who Fell to Earth and it was so much better than I was expecting it to be (minus some mild sexism and the term "African savages" being used a couple times.) In short it was about an alien from some place called Anthea who comes to earth with the intent of saving his dry, rotting planet and its mere 300 inhabitants.

The exact version of the novel that I have. Except mine is in better condition. I 'd love to have a poster of this on my wall.

What I liked most about this book was that although it was science fiction, it was less about an extraterrestrial and more about human nature. Infact it seemed that this alien was more human than the humans he surrounded himself with. A few times he described his interactions with humans as communicating with highly intelligent and crafty apes.

In the novel, Thomas Newton (the Anthean) mostly learned about our planet from years of watching television and listening to the radio.

It's pretty needless to say that he did not succeed with his mission and the CIA/FBI caught on to him. In the end though it wasn't the CIA or FBI that broke him, it was "earth culture". The book portrayed him as a very delicate being which was refreshing and a stark contrast to the aliens portrayed in movies like Independence Day and Mars Attacks. I especially loved the scene that described him breaking his entire leg by fainting in an elevator (he wasn't used to our gravity).

The Anthean without all of his earth disguises.

Bowie circa early 60's.

I haven't watched the movie because it seems so different from the book and I don't want to be disappointed but kudos to the filmmakers for casting David Bowie as the extraterrestrial! I cannot think of a more graceful, delicate being who'd be perfect for the part. Look at all of that lovely boyish charm! I bet you can't even look at him directly without burning your retinas.

Newton and Mary Lou, who in the book was named Mary Jo and was not his lover but his housekeeper.

From what I understand they added a romance to the movie which was not at all present in the novel. I guess it was an excuse to film David Bowie naked in the thralls of love, which I'm totally fine with! I didn't get the feeling from the book that he had a human-like genitalia but either way, I think it's a bad idea to have unprotected sex with an alien.


I listened to Space Oddity as soon as I finished reading and now this song seems to be infused with another layer of meaning.

A live cover by Gnarls Barkley. I usually don't care much for covers but this one is phenomenal! I wish they would record a full length version. Cee-lo's voice is so rich and perfect for it.

On a semi related note: I can't stop listening to the Sailor Moon Soundtrack! I found it at the Brown Elephant two years ago for 50 cents. Even though the original Japanese version totally kicks the American version's ass, it still has some pretty annoyingly catchy songs.

Moon Prism Power!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Let's talk summer attire...

Here are some things I've been thinking about for the summer months.

Summer Things by Giveusakiss featuring Lanvin shoes

• Bright, bold patterns (Isn't that stripped skirt fun?!)

• Floral blouses/Rompers (I've yet to find the perfect romper to this day!)

• Big, obnoxious earrings (The kind of earrings I prefer actually.)

• Gladiator sandals (Yes, I like them. Fuck you.)

• Linen hair bows (You can never have too many headbands with bows on them!)

• Short Shorts (Especially with cute patterns.)
  

• Cloth necklaces (Any tips where I could find some cute ones?)

• Leaves, Leaves, Leaves

• Cloth flats

• Woven Bags
  

• Plum lips with deep shades of lip stick (This summer, I vow to give lipstick a try.)
  

Aren't those snake earrings just the most amazing thing you've ever seen? I found them on a very questionable website for 20 bucks!

Happy Saturday!

Fuerza Bruta!!

I apologize for my lengthy absence. If you only you had known what the past two weeks have been like for me. Nonetheless, I'm back and life has reached a nice calm plateau for the time being. But anyway let's get to it! We have much to discuss you and I.

I had the privilege of seeing Frueza Bruta last Saturday at the Harris Theater. My friend scored free tickets and very sweetly invited me along. For those of you not familiar with them Frueza Bruta (brute force) is a crazy spectacle/circus/dance/performance collective from Argentina.


The first performer (a man running on a treadmill on a flat, rolling platform) terrified me to the point of nearly having a heart attack. As he started to run, the music sped up and got louder until a loud gun shot rang out causing him to stumble and a giant blood stain to appear on his shirt. When he straightened himself out, he removed his white shirt and another (bloodless one) was underneath.

The running man breaking through a wall.

This sequence continued possibly two or three more times and included him breaking through walls and trying to run while holding on to tables and chairs. In addition to a mild case of agoraphobia I am also very deeply disturbed by loud noises, particularly gun shots. I didn't realize that I was hunched over covering my ears until my friend stroked my arm reassuringly and tried to distract me by calling my attention to two aerial artists doing a very graceful routine against an aluminum "wall".


The second time I nearly lost it was during the water choreogaphy. Out of nowehere a giant pool appeared above us with a woman gracefully splayed out in a minimal amount of water.



More women entered the pool as it lowered over us and the crew members encouraged us to raise our hands up to touch it.

The pool being lowered over the audience. My favorite experience from the show but also the most terrifying.

The women at first interacted with the audience by pressing themselves and their hands against the pool. Towards the end of the routine, they began jumping and slamming their bodies against the pool as hard as they could!



I imagined the entire thing collapsing, leading to a bloody, watery death for us all but fortunately it was over before I reached my breaking point. But just when I thought things were once again safe, the running man appeared shortly after.

The running man again- this time with some friends!

The show ended with lots of loud music, flashing lights, and a smiling audience, soaking wet and dancing in damp confetti remnants. I had a great time. Go see it if you're in Chicago and in no way bothered by death-defying feats!

On semi- related news I got hired for my first non-Redmoon Theater related puppeteering gig! I am now a puppeteer for a sci- fi comedy web series entitled Human Resources. It's written by a sister writing duo (Kozi and Kyra Kyles) about alien abductions in the work place. You can read a little more about it here.

Also my friend just finished interviewing me for her Artistic Liberties series. I will post a link as soon as the interview is up and running!

Aside from that I am now two years shy from being a quarter century old and aerial classes start next week! Yay!

You sink without a sound...

Ok, so for the record the Conservatory was amazing!!! Please go if you get the chance! Just beware that if you go during the afternoon on a weekday, it might be overpopulated with lots of loud school children which will alter your experience a little. Next time I go I will have photos galore!!

By the way, does anyone remember this book?

My mom used to read it to me ages ago and I recently spotted it laying on a chair in my friend's house. It is a story about a little bunny-child laying in their bed at night, saying goodnight to everything in their home.

The entire book is written very eloquently in rhyming lyrics. After rereading it a few days ago, I repeated certain lines to myself throughout the course of the day. My favorite lines: "Goodnight comb and Goodnight brush. Goodnight nobody. Goodnight mush. And Goodnight to the old lady whispering "hush".

These are images from the Mermaid Theatre's production of Goodnight Moon. Well crafted handmade sets and bunny puppets? Yes, please!!


I love that they stuck with the original color scheme of the book. But they could have been a little bit more creative with their placement of the puppeteers.


I'm usually pretty open about my mild case of agoraphobia and my love of small shoebox-sized rooms. I found this on Peter Tucker's website, along with other tiny delights. This room just makes me want to shrink myself down to Tinkerbelle size and snuggle in that mini bed!!

But anyway - I was able to find the animated version of Goodnight Moon on youtube, read by Susan Sarandon. Doesn't it just make you want to go to sleep??

And of course, a little shameless self promotion never hurt anyone.

Goodnight Moooon earrings. Still for sale on my Etsy page.

I found this song a while back when I researching the death of Kurt Cobain (don't ask why) apparently Veruca Salt was inspired by his suicide and Goodnight Moon when they wrote this.

You're the pearl in the quicksand
You sink without a sound
I'm the girl with the tiny hands
Planted underground
You're the dream, I'm the dreamer
In the dream, you're still around
See the sun falling down [x4]
You're the bleach
When everything went black
The relief I found
You're the sliver of hope in my lap
You're soft, warm, round
See the sun falling down [x4]
Falling down [x2]
Goodnight moon, Goodnight mush
Goodnight ladies saying hush
Goodnight moon, Goodnight mush
Goodnight ladies saying hush
See the sun falling down [x6]

How obsessive can a person be over one little book? Finding it yesterday was like some sort of omen. Happy Thursday!!

Craft Disasters and other stories

School is out! To quote Lady Gaga (and I will not do this very often) "I'm a Free Bitch, baby!!"

The last craft show I did was a truly awful experience. Not only did I sell only one item but my tablemates were bitchy and kept giving me dirty looks. It was very disheartening. I think part of the reason I sold so little was because my stuff was the most expensive there (roughly $15 - $30 per pair of earrings) and since it was at a community center, I don't think people were willing to pay that much. I also have a sneaking suspicion that it wasn't very well advertised. A lot of people who came through didn't seem to know what exactly was going on.

On the upside I got to chat up some friendly crafters (not my tablemates), I ate a ton of brownie cookies, and now I have some new merch on the etsy page. Check it out!

Gold Dust Woman Earrings

Good Night Moooon Earrings

In unrelated news I have begun watching True Blood. I really appreciate the overall darkness of the show and that it's not afraid to be visceral and disgusting, which is something I think a lot of modern day vampire shows are missing.

Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton (Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer) in Season 1 of True Blood. Stephen Moyer should be given an award for being the most attractive and believable vampire ever!


I researched it and Yes, you can actually buy this drink (not made from synthetic blood, of course). HBO sells it on their website - $16 for a four pack! A little steep for a carbonated drink.


Vampires Pam, Eric, and Chow ready for an attack! My most absurd dream job would be to play a vampire in a movie or tv show. You'd get to wear those fangs and be all confident and do a lot of sweet stunts! *Sigh* Perhaps I've gone into the wrong profession.

The sex scenes are a little bothersome. Not that sex scenes make me uncomfortable per se. I just get the feeling that in the book they were probably way more erotic and stimulating than HBO's version. I'm kinda getting tired of seeing that blonde guy get straddled by various boring looking women with fake seeming breasts. Other than that, the acting and storyline are great...even though I don't quite buy the whole shape- shifter thing (sorry if that spoils anything for other new watchers out there).

Now that the semester is over, I have been left with a frightening amount of energy. I went for a lovely 45 minute run this morning then came home and danced in my kitchen to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs while I made (and ate) lunch. Then this evening I walked the equivalent of 3 train stops back to my house carrying books and groceries. Weird. Maybe once Aerial classes start, I will be good and tired again.

I was mostly listening to this song by the way:

BTW, I am planning an early trip down to the Garfield Park Conservatory tomorrow after breakfast. I will be sure to write about it and all of its loveliness.

Happy Thursday <3>