Seasons Belated Greetings...

Hello!
I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! I had a nice Christmas with my family and enjoyed defacing traditional gingerbread cookie designs (Pearl Jam, pre-acid Beatles and a few Sabbath members.) I'll post some pics of that later...

Digby and Iona for Everyone!

If you've wandered this far down the page you get the special prize! (corny, I know. But I couldn't resist.) I recently recieved an e-mail from the very cool Digby and Iona who have a holiday gift for all of you. If you go shopping on their site and enter the word "holiday" in the promo section at check out you get 20% off. And that goes for anything in the store. I recommend checking them out. Since I've organized my jewelry I've been really into my vintage and antique pieces. The Digby and Iona shop is full of jewelry that evokes a period from the past. Plus, they sell Beetle and Flor (the designer I wrote about last week!)

http://www.digbyandiona.com/

Beetle and Flor

I have recently become interested in bone jewelry. This first began in my drawing class. There are props for still life's all over the room and in the back of the studio, animal skulls. Before class I often put my portfolio down and gaze at them. Sometimes I pick them up gently and look at the signs of aging: pale yellowing bone tones that Georgia O'Keefe loved and hair line fractures. As time went on, my fascination was stimulated. Some of my longtime readers know that I am a Japanese anime geek. While watching an old tape (yes, VHS) of Trigun I become envious of the villain Legato's ensemble. He wears a long white coat with a human skull below the shoulder. (How bad a' would I look wearing that!?) All the while, my style was slowy looking quite Americana (perfect for bones.) And so, the wheels of my mind turn, "Should I ask my drawing instructor where they get the bones? If I could find a small iguana skull it would make a great pendent. But I was going to watch that special on the Amazon head shrinkers........Maybe a tooth? But a real one, not the plastic ones at Forever 21." Then I got an e-mail from the folks at Beetle and Floor. The artist Christine makes porcelain casts of muskrat and skunk remains. The skunk jaw even has gold teeth. She also makes casts of animal skulls that would look marvelously interesting on a coffee table or a book shelf. Don't think that you can only gander at them longingly, I've found her prices to be quite reasonable (the jawbone pendents are $70.) I might have to buy myself a birthday present (which is tomorrow. Hint,hint.)

Check everything out here.

Something....

This is one of my favorite rock portraits. The idea of shooting a band after such an epic show is on my dream list. Playing a festival head to toe in dirt is on there too. Nine Inch Nails played an intense set amplified by the fact that they were covered in mud. Can you imagine what it feels like? Besides that, I have no idea who came up with the Woodstock '94 line up (I'm sure that if NIN were around in '69 they would not have been invited to the peace and love festival) but I love watching the videos on Youtube. Do any of you Nine Inch Nails fans know who shot this work of art?

Bury me in denim...

Whenever I'm in a crafty mood denim is my favorite material to work with. You could compare the obsession to Stella B. Zotis' love of leath-a on season 5 of Project Runway. Yeah, it's that intense.

my jewelry

(fuschia suede-an artifact from childhood-and a had-me-down silver bead; black pearl necklace from ice.com; turquiose cross, gift from my mom; silver spike necklace, H&M; japanese coin on a braided piece of fabric from one of my dad's old shirts; coin necklace and bracelet set, thrifted; Indian pendent, Mango (not the chain, a boutique); my favorite silver chain, thrifted) Click to see images larger

I finally found a way to organize all of my jewelry. I'm the type of person who (unfortunately) uses any available surface for 'storage' to the point where everything's a mess. Inside my Ikea unit I housed all of my necklaces and bracelets in tangled pile. Now, I can see what I have which will help stave off consumer temptation.

(rosary, thrifted; green beaded necklace, thrifted; silver leaf necklace, H&M; clock key, antique; Native American medicine pouch, an artifact from childhood; tear drop peace sign, my grandpa's; silver fan necklace, vintage (it was my mom's); turquoise necklace, thrifted, vintage black beaded necklace, consignment; owl necklace, vintage)

(on right: rainbow jewel box necklace, consingnment; onyx pendent, gift from my parents; bullet necklace, gift from my brother; gold star, thrifted)

(on the far right next to the gold star is a necklace made by the Sue indian tribe)

This is my necklace collection. I've got quite a few rings and bracelets that I'll post about sometime too.

help

Do any of you Alice/Jerry Cantrell fans out there know who shot these? They're amazing! This situation alone makes me want to put forth the effort of labeling everything I put up here. Even though it can take research sometimes. By the way, I'm studying photography now. That's why it's been so hard for me to update. Sorry guys. My studies are draining (notice the title of my last blog post), but I love it.

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

Love,

PIB

Umm, What the Heck?

Since the Kills have garnered more media attention, something has been bothering me. Fear of one of my favorite bands getting great success? Heck, no. I'm all for great music being heard by as many people as possible, even if that means I'll have to lose alot of cash for show tickets. I'm just tired of people talking about Alison's "transformation." Sure, she was in punk/hardcore for a while, but she was a teenager then. Those years usually contain skewed world views, confusion and drama for everyone. Her hair, clothes and music are different because people grow and change. My thoughts on life from my 7th grade diary do not define the way I live my life now. I'm glad that there aren't many photos of me from that time. *cringe* I don't understand why anyone would think that she has to have a choppy, boyish haircut and sing punk/hardcore just because she did that when she was fifteen. She's had long hair and a wicked rock n' roll style since way before the media noticed the Kills. She is not making a publicity stunt. She not copying other rockers. She's just being who she is. And she has become a grown up (Personally, I would never want to trap myself in the mind-set I had as a teen forever. I never liked being a youth. I'm glad those days get farther and farther behind me!)

Whatever people are saying, the Kills rock. I can't wait to hear their fourth album.

Venus in Furs

Future Heretics

I've only recently learned about Future Heretics. Every look in this collection seems to inspire one to think of a character. Each ensemble creates some kind of wanderer whose clothes are road worn and have seen many adventures. This kind of reminds me of how I've been dressing lately. Just last night I was looking over the little details that I've put into my oldest t-shirts as well as the sings of wear and tear. I liked it. Since I've calmed down as a consumer, I love that I'm wearing the same clothes over and over. The main purpose of clothes is to protect ones self from the elements. When your clothes say something about who you are, how you live your life and where you've been, that's the special part.

I love the details in this collection (tye dyed long johns, cut up t-shirts, braided scarves). It's inspiring me to go shopping in my closet and look for more clothes to alter. As far as wanting something new, the motorcycle inspired denim jacket in the first image (my favorite look) is something I can't get off my mind.

www.futureheretics.com

Getty Crafty Again...

After finding this photo via Gnarlitude I got inspired.

Remembering Cliff...

I've been pulling my old flares out of the back of my little jean shelf lately. It reminds me of Cliff Burton. He probably wasn't conscious of how cool his jeans looked (that would be so un-metal). Or noticed that he showed off the drape of the garment so well with what seemed to be his signature pose. (Now I am wondering why I never cease to notice what people wear????)

The first Metallica song I ever heard (that changed my life) was not one composed by Cliff. I saw the video for "One" with the second bass player, Jason Newstead, who was recruited after Cliff's death. His tragic end happened in a tour bus accident in Sweden, '83. Such a bummer; he was really great. James wanted to kill that bus driver. The whole band didn't know what to do with their grief except tour. They say that's what Cliff would have wanted them to do. So they took their emotions to the road.

When I was at a layover in an airport this summer I saw Cliff's biography in Barnes and Noble and my jaw dropped. I plan to buy it sometime (airports will just hope to rip you off in your jet-lagged delirium) and I'm digging up older Metallica stuff because of my admiration for his bass skills. Long Live Old School Metallica!

Watch a compilation of his bass solos here.

Secret Places

I'm very impressed with this young photographer. Her images cause the mind to unravel stories behind each captured frame. They accurately evoke the first middle ground of life, when the longing for fairy tales is shadowed by the pains that growing requires. Isolation, sadness. Eleanor Hardwick is capturing 15 while reinventing what was pretentious angst.

Klea McKenna

Look for more Klea McKenna in the current issue of "Black and White Photography" magazine

Basic Blue Jeans? Nah!

I've become a bit bored of blue denim. Lately, I've been really into my skinny black and grey stiped pants (which I've seldom worn over the past three years) and my black and grey plaid pants. Denim is great (and perfect for some looks), but I like to have something unexpected on my bottom half these days. I may even wear skirts more often.

Anyone else feel this way?

The times....

photo by stacey mark

I haven't blogged much this summer. For that, I apologize. I love interacting with you guys and getting inspired by your blogs. It's just that I've changed a lot, positively. Major things in my life (and heart) are different because I stopped running away from changes that needed to be made. A less serious issue that I've been mulling is this: being the kind of person who wears the same few items of clothes for years, not worrying over what the don't have, but enjoying the creativity of reinventing and cherishing a small collection of clothes or being the type of person who understands that they are privileged, knows that there are much less fortunate people out there (who can't even afford one, necessary, pair of shoes) and sincerely appreciates the lifestyle that they have. My relatives have said, "You are young, you are stylish. Have fun with your clothing." But I felt that I was not honoring the gift of creativity that I have been given. For a long while I've contemplated consigning excess clothes that are not versatile and living simply. Lately, I've been living in a middle ground between my two choices. I can go shopping, see things I like, and come home with nothing simply because I don't need them. Sometimes, I find a garment that stands out. Something that I can see myself in for years to come that will go through processes reinvention, like artwork. I consign things that I don't really wear and alter of dye clothes that have potential. With my gifts comes great responsibility. By doing this I feel that I am honoring my gifts-feeding my creativity. I am thankful to be as fortunate as I am, but I don't want to abuse it.

There will still, of course, be posts where I gush over others designs, but this blog will probably focus more on music, art and my DIY projects. Stay tuned. I'll be posting more regularly soon!

Love,
Pretty In Black

Artemas Quibble

Here I tend to dwell on clothes, but I have a lot of jewelry. A LOT. I've recently enjoyed taking my jewelry apart to create a new pieces. But nothing compares to the journey one takes in searching through thrift stores and ethnic boutiques for interesting pieces. Recently, I've been enchanted by Artemas Quibble. The designer uses vintage found vintage objects (anything from jewelry to 18th century books and clocks) to create beautiful yet severe pieces. He even made a pretty sick, trashed pair of pants that I would love to wear - with his leathers of course. Sorry vegans.

Artemas Jason Ross

http://www.artemas-quibble.com/