I admit, I am a shopaholic. But in my own defense I am somewhat wise about it; I buy second hand clothing. I get the occasional "shut the hell up-you bought that at Goodwill?!"when in reality thats where all the best finds are. Lucky for me this year I have been fortunate enough to travel around different cities and rummage through their thrift stores having found some of the most amazing things. I stumbled across this article written by blogger Elissa from Dallas. She couldn't have said it better with thrifting tips for the clothing snob like myself. The internet has made it extremely easy to search out the spots if you aren't familiar with an area and one of the first things I start with is figuring out the neighborhoods that are in a higher tax bracket. Goodwill stores are located almost everywhere and on their site is a handy store locater link. The employees are constantly putting new items out and most of the stores are well maintained with clothing organized by size and sometimes even color. Like Goodwill St. Vincent de Paul stores are located in most areas too, often carrying really nice second hand furniture or even floor models from local retail stores. Their clothing sometimes seems out dated though, but I have gotten really nice handbags and shoes moderately priced. Plato's Closet is a super trendy consignment store for the person who is a little shy or uncomfortable about thrift stores for whatever reason. You can even bring your own clothes there and they buy them for store credit or cash right there on the spot. They are super picky, however and only take things that are in season and in stores right now. Prices are fairly decent depending on where you are (Des Moines prices are awesome, Knoxville prices were a little steep for what they had). Their target market are teens and 20 somethings, both men and women clothing, shoes and accessories.
Click the link below to see what I've found this week.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Monday, September 19, 2011
No, they don't rub off
"It's a good thing they (tattoos) hurt, otherwise every pussy in the world would have one." -tattooist Jack Rudy*
I started getting tattooed pretty much right away when I turned 18. Since then I haven't gone an entire year without getting something done and every time I sit down in that chair I ask myself, "why the hell do I continually put myself though this ridiculous pain?!"--that being said I am the worst person to tattoo! Somehow I've managed to get through a ton of hours... and I cant picture myself not getting tattooed in the future. It was fun going through all my photos and putting this log together!
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| Budha working on my arm |
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
How to feel miserable as an artist.......
by Matthias Heiderich
1. "Constantly compare yourself to other artists.
2. Talk to your family about what you do and expect them to cheer you on.
3. Base the success of your entire career on one project.
4. Stick with what you know.
5. Under value your expertise.
6. Let money dictate what you do.
7. Bow down to societal pressures.
8. Only do work that your family would love.
9. Do whatever the client/customer/gallery owner/patron/investor asks.
10. Set unachievable/overwhelming goals to be accomplished tomorrow".
Check out his photography work here, matthias-heiderich
Check out his photography work here, matthias-heiderich
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Hooooot hoooooot
Spotted owls are pretty rare to see in Iowa. Especially tucked under your car in the park. During the summer of 2004 I was leaving a local disc golf course when a friend of mine suddenly noticed a little owl hanging out underneath the car. Curious, we were able to pick it up--he actually let us! and ended up bringing it home with us. Little did we know just how illegal it is to have this owl, as it is protected under the federal government. Dont worry, we got rid of it! I was catching up with an old friend this weekend when I was reminded of this story and had to dig through old photos to share with you--because it is that crazy!
-Click the link below to see more photos-
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Dia de los Muertos
Ok, maybe I am a little early but is it just me or are sugar skulls popping up all over the place?! It's ok with me because I absolutely love them. Celebrated in central and southern Mexico during the 1st and 2nd of November, Mexicans in this region partake in a full-on party to commemorate and honor their deceased loved ones. "They believe that the gates of heaven are opened up at midnight on October 31st, and the spirits of all deceased children are allowed to reunite with their families for 24 hours, on November 2nd, the spirits of the adults come down to enjoy the festivities that are prepared for them" (Day of the Dead history). People in this region spend a ton of money decorating tombs to the fullest extent. Sugar art in particular was brought to the New World by Italian missionaries in the 17th century. Mexico, abundant in sugar production and too poor to buy fancy imported European decorations, learned quickly from the friars how to make sugar art for the religious festivals. Sugar skulls represent a departed soul, have the name written on the forehead and is placed in the home or gravestone to honor the return of a particular spirit. Sugar skull art reflects the folk art style of big happy smiles, colorful icing, and sparkly glitter. Its unfortunate that real sugar skulls are disappearing as fabricated imported candy skulls take their place. Sugar Skull background info
This past May my girl friends Maggie Gulling and Tiffany Dean showed off their talents and did us girls up like sugar skulls! Tiff, who is an amazing makeup artist painted us up and Maggie, an amazing photographer ever took photos.. then we all went out to the bar to scare people off with our faces on! Click the link below to see more photos from our day and get inspired to do your own sugar skull face!! November is just around the corner.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
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