Sushi Kitty

Happy Halloween! Here comes Sushi Kitty. Hiya!

New Friends for Fall

These little acorns fit nicely in the palm of your hand and they are kid friendly!

Terrarium Day

My Lucky Koi

It’s been a little while since I made some new earrings. . .

Gotta see Gaultier

My aunt hooked me up with some tickets to the “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk” exhibit at the de Young Museum. Thanks!

It was pretty incredible to view a collection of Gaultier’s work over the past 35 years in one space. I especially liked his Urban Jungle collection and La Mariee wedding gown.

The best part of the exhibit for me was being able to see the super complex and ornate details up-close. Some of the pieces even had the amount of hours for production included in the title. There was one gown that took 1,000 hours to create!

Crocodile Corset for Hermes: Winter 2004-2005

Lace and beadwork detail from Gaultier’s Modern Men Collection

Mongolian inspired accessories

I had to include this because it was so random. The funk band Cameo is wearing clothing from Gaultier’s French Gigolo collection. Word up!

 

 

 

Kauai Kitty

It wasn’t until I made this plush kitty that I realized I seem to be going through a tropical phase. I’ve been constantly drinking Raw Coconut Water, listening to Sergio Mendes, and recently acquired a vintage Bali embroidered Cutwork summer dress.

I used this vintage Hawaiian shirt to make my kitty. I had a good time playing around with the placement of the foliage and bird of paradise flowers.

I really liked the label on the shirt and was hoping to incorporate it into the design. It didn’t seem to work out, but I’m definitely hanging onto it for something in the future. I also discovered Paradise Found is the same company that made Magnum P.I.’s “Jungle Bird Shirt!”

 

Not only are bird of paradise flowers colorful and exotic, they represent joy and paradise. I named the kitty after Kauai since it means “Garden Island.” I also like that it sounds just like Kawaii, which means “cute” in Japanese.

To give the kitty extra Hawaiian appeal, I used leather buttons that have a very similar weave to Lauhala- woven boxes made of palm leaves.

 

There’s Something about Seahorses

Seahorses are fascinating fish. They have the head of a horse with the snout of an anteater, spines like a puffer fish, a pouch of a kangaroo, eyes like a lizard, the tail of a monkey, an armor plated body, and the ability to change color like a chameleon and wrap their tails around things. The male seahorse is also the one who gives birth!

I’d been holding onto this seahorse for quite some time, knowing that I wanted to transform it into something colorful and fun.

The pewter finish was dark and lackluster so I sent it to my friend Shoshannah at F. is for Frank to be gold plated. What a difference the color change made- my seahorse was looking shiny and pretty! I had wanted to experiment with weaving different colored threads with chain and thought the two would be a nice match.

I think the combination turned out pretty good. The braided chain follows the curves of the seahorse and the colors add an oceanic, tropical vibe.

I used my new iPad to take these photos. I know it’s trendy, but who doesn’t love the hipstamatic? The anticipation of how the image is going to turn out is so exciting!

Another Weave

My New Weave was well received and led to the making of this custom headband.

This time I used warmer colors -shades of brown mixed with copper chain.  I also added a little bit of turquoise and blue to ensure a nice contrast.

There is a small braid within the braid itself. I thought it made the headband more fun and interesting.

Heart Through the Hair

I got into the spirit of Valentine’s Day this year and made some hairpieces for a few of my buddies as small tokens of affection.

I used a mix of leather and suede. I chose different color ties to match each of their unique styles, but was sure to give them all a heart of gold!

I also made a hair stick with a little bird resting on some leather hearts with a smaller heart suspended from a  gold chain.

It is commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds’ mating season, which added to the idea that Valentine’s Day is a day for romance. Who knew?

I thought the stick could also be interpreted as cupid’s arrow shot thru the hair, sparking love and desire. Hee hee.

Water Dragon Day

It’s Chinese New Year- the year of the Dragon, the most favored zodiac sign!

I spent the afternoon roaming around Chinatown checking out the action and picked up a few souvenirs along the way.

I found this sticker at a calligraphy shop. It was definitely old, judging by the yellow tinge and that the paint was starting to wear off. The woman who sold it to me told me it was a picture of the building across the street, which made it extra special and cool.

I couldn’t resist this little guy. I also figured it couldn’t hurt to have a lucky dragon.

I’d been searching for a pair of jade hoops for quite some time and finally found them. Yay! Jade is a symbol of beauty, protection, good health and strength. Not only are my hoops pretty; they can ward off evil and bad luck. Excellent.