Kat peruses Etsy probably as ridiculously often as me.  There are just so many amazing hand crafters whose work it up there.  In this video, Kat shares her collection of handmade, mostly Etsy, finds.

Icon: Daria Stavrovich (The Slot)

 



 One song made me want to learn how to speak Russian.  Finally being able to grasp a second language (after years of bad French and Spanish instructors) is something I didn't think I would ever accomplish.  And this time I chose a difficult language, all because of one rock band.

I was watching videos on youtube this past January, and on the sidebar was a language I did not recognize.  Instantly intrigued, I listened to the song, "АнгелOK", and looked up the band.  The music of The Slot reminded me of Japanese groups that I loved in middle school, and the language was unlike anything I'd ever heard before.  I wanted to decode the letters, and absorb the romanticism, tension, and sorrow in the music.  Daria Stavrovich has a voice that mirrors those qualities in her shrill, somewhat otherworldly tones.  The language itself gripped me with its complexity woven from severity and romanticism. 

I found more of their music, which is a hybrid of metal, rock with pop elements, and spoken word.  The whole band is incredible, but on stage Daria stands out.  Her personal style, like the music, is built on hybridity.  It is some sort of collision of Burning Man, goth, and cyber punk.  Her dreads are really cool (I'm jealous, but not yet ready to make the commitment). 

Now, almost twelve months and a few language coarses later, I can hold a pretty good conversation in Russian.  I practice by printing out Russian song lyrics, figuring out as much as I can on my own, and looking up additional words.  It's good practice, and using music it super fun.  Thinking about this makes me remember all of the other ways music has inspired me: learning to play the guitar, listening to other bands who I never thought I would like, writing poetry, painting inspired by music, experimenting with my style, ect .  Music can inspire so many things in just one person.  I'm a firm believer in that.

Check out the songs I'm working on translating:

Odni/ Одни

Dead Stars (acoustic)/Мёртвые Звёзды

 

Nebo/Небо

 

 

 

All photos found on Tumblr

Bird Lands

 

Lately, I've been savoring the wonderfully dyed designs of a woman with wonderfully dyed hair (below).  Papuza is what she calls her line, and it is definitely enchanted and so rock n' roll.  Look for more here: Papusza in Birdland

 

 

There's a little something in my ETSY shop.


Stay tuned for these:

Louna

 

 

I started studing Russian over the summer.  My interest in the language began with a band called The Slot, who I will write about in another post.  They are very important to me.

 

Initially, I stumbled across a video of The Slot on youtube.  I was instantly mesmerized in some way by the language.  It was solemn, beautiful, painful, and romantic.  What was most striking to me was how the essence of the language was reflected in the music.  More than anyting, I desperately wanted to understand how to read the title of the song, let alone the name of the band, and there my journey with a second language began.

 

Now, I have started listening to another Russian band called Louna.  I believe the spelling of the bands name is influenced by the singer Lousine "Lou."  They have a modern-rock sound in songs like "Karma Of The World" (Карма мира ), and an old school metal edge on other tracks like "Change" (перемен) and "Invasion" (Нашествие). 

 

I know its pretty cheesy to say that music is a universal language, but it has inspired me in ways I never thought possible, most recently in my education.  Listening to great bands, like Louna and The Slot, reminds me why I'm so passionate about music.

 

до свиданья readers! 

 

 



 

 

 

 *all photos from last.fm

 

"Karma of the World"

 

 

"Invasion"

My current favorite pieces...

...and a little something home spun.


Watch my Etsy page!

Just had to share Lzzy's amazing leggings.  There was a similar pair at Free People a while back.  I never went out and bought them.  Ebay, here I come...

Inspiration Spell

images via Spell and the Gypsy Collective

Mother Loves Bones

Wolf Tea's Etsy creations seem to be pieces of ages past.  Her jewelry looks pieced together from trinkets found on adventures.   Every component is a blissful little token of a memory.  I also noticed that the artist herself looks like Ellen, the vagabond lady who lives in a cave, in Ken Follet's The Pillars of the Earth.  "Intense eyes...of an unusual honey gold color that gave her whole face a magical look"  Wolf Tea's creations seem to come from some neolithic place of myth, one that can only be reached in the pages of a good book.  Thanks Ken Follet ;)

I love leggings.  I have expressed my devotion to the garment in the past, so I've decided to share with you my most interesting wears. 

When leggings first became popular, I was a skeptic.  Why would I want to reveal so much of myself to the outside world?  Plus, I saw too many girls wearing short t-shirts with black leggings and it just didn't look good.  At the time, I also associated leggins with the 80's and hair metal.  This was five years ago or so, mind you, and my love of Motley Crue had not yet set in.  Now, as I type, I am listeng to the Crue (amazing!) and metal music documentaries and talk shows are almost all that I watch. 

I first became aquainted with leggings when my grandmother gifted me with an electric purple pair one Christmas.  I was not instantly repulsed; instead a light bulb illuminated in the area of my brain labled Fashion.  I could wear skirts and dresses in the winter!  They would be so comfortable for days when I begrudgingly put on jeans when I desired my good old sweats.  Leggins became a staple with long, loose band tees.  They are the multi-seasonal core of my wadrobe.  Even in the summer I put on a long loose (typically tie dyed) tank with leggins, flats, and a ton of jewelry.  They're good for anything, like a spontaneous best friend.
 
Some of them I dyed myself, others I've bought here and there (Mostly at Target in the kids section.  XL=women's medium).  One pair (AA black and green) I searched for on Ebay for an entire year before finding them in my size this last May.  Yes, I am not ashamed of my spandex, lycra-laced cotton love. 

Purple tie dye - DIY; Black and Green - American Apparel; Muddy Black and Green - DIY; Black, White, Blue and Pink - Target (kid's section); camoflage - Target; Blue and White tie dye -  American Apparel; Red and White stars and stripes - H&M; Black and Grey - DIY; Blue and Purple Stripes - DIY.

The Work Space

armarioenruinas

peaceloveNotherstuff 

11thDimension

LarkinAndLarkin 

LarkinAndLarkin 

Tie dye shorts are a perfect summer replacement for cool leggings or your favorite jeans.  They add just the right amount of colour to your favorite black band tee.  You can find great hand dyed pairs on Etsy (like the one's above), or take on the project yourself.  If you really love them, you can transition them into fall by wearing black leggings or stockings underneath. 

Today is tie dye day for me.  I'll give it a try and post my results later ;)