Spring Fashion 2011: A Plethora of Prints
March 27, 2011
The Fashion World has roared: “Prints are in.”
I was bold in junior high. I wore various printed tops to class: bright beetles and satin comic-strips. It got attention.
The chutzpah slipped away in high school, and ultimately disappeared in college. The mantra on campus was look like everyone else.
Spring 2011 Fashion is not my motivating factor. {Enter red-head and The Magic School Bus.}
Ms. Frizzle. The teacher’s fancy frocks remind me of true glamour.
Where does Ms. Frizz shop? Does she design her own clothing line? Is she on Match.com? Is her first name Fran? Lots. of. questions.
Despite my fictitious admiration for the scientist, I do realize she does not exist. But I do believe that many crafty women carry little pieces of Ms. Frizz’s splendor and philosophy as they roam the streets.
Let the Frizzle wild. Rock the rhinos.
It’s on me: A drink for a doodle
December 12, 2010
You get something, I get something. I’ll buy your therapy.
Dish out your self-portrait. Be creative + crafty or dangerous + sharp. Be you. Exaggerate. Pour out some paint, throw in some mud, use your fingers, and make a mess!
Why should you waste time with chunks of crayon, erasers, and glue sticks?
Therapy. It feels really good. And who isn’t a tad narcissistic these days? Check out my mermaid waves. Also, I’ll include a link to your website if you want some attention.
Other than a free therapy session (unleash your inner tarantula or unicorn), I buy you a drink. Since I can’t and won’t take you out for a drink, I’ll send you a drink via snail mail. (Spend it on cotton swabs or jelly beans if you don’t drink alcohol.)
I get the doodle, and you get the drink. Win-win-WIN. There are stipulations, of course. And I don’t just give drinks away. Effort is necessary.
Here’s what you get when you give:
→Share a self-portrait with your story, and you’ll be savoring a delicious PBR in no time. $3
→Bacon beer in your belly. Submit a diorama with the story, and you will taste the meat in no time. Cheers. $5
→If you are eco-friendly and apply organic materials to the caricature (with story), then salt up the arm, a tequila shot is on the way. Tequila! $7
→Ambitious and dangerous? Two drawings with two stories = One delicious dirty martini. Encourage a friend to play! $9
→Delight your friends. Collect 5 self-portraits + stories. Send. Celebrate with a round of shots. $21
It’s easy to submit. Fill out the form.
Connecting via the disconnect
June 11, 2010
Photo Credit: Red Feather Development Group
No texting. No internet. No blogging. No, no, no.
I love it. I’m currently residing in an emerald green tent in the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. My first time in Montana. I’m helping build a sustainable straw bale house through the incredible organization, Red Feather Development Group.
Truthfully, waking up a 7am and working every day does not seem like a vacation. Yet, I feel like the next week may be worthy of a lot more than golden beaches and tans, pool side lounging, and daiquiris. It’s my first week on “vacationing” completely on my own. On my own as in not knowing a single soul. It’s refreshing … and it’s needed.
I’ll be back to the homestead, NY i love/hate you City, on June 20th. Changed.
The organic side of a mother and daughter
May 10, 2010
Art by Melissa Garrett (daughter) from Bristol, Tennessee
“My name is Melissa. I have always felt like I was born in the wrong area.
I feel that I would better ‘fit in’ in a large metropolitan area, such as New York or LA. However, I went to a very rural high school in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. It was not out of the ordinary for the students of my high school to wear their overalls and roper boots to school, fully adorned in the cow and horse manure from working on their families’ farms early that morning.
Agriculture and Horticulture were the most popular areas of study at my high school. Old pick-up trucks with a dead deer in the back from the owner’s most recent hunting trip were plenteous. I, on the other hand, did not find this aspect of my area’s culture attractive in the least bit.
Each morning when I got ready for school, unlike the others, I did not think of what would be most comfortable to wear that day. I focused on what was stylish and appealing. I spent much of my time with my fashion magazines. My dream job is to be a fashion stylist of the stars (although I am currently in college to become a nurse).
As my picture describes, I treated the halls of my school like a run-way, modeling the fashionable looks that I put together. I did stand-out from the ‘norm’ of my peers, but I didn’t mind. I love expressing myself through style.”
-Melissa Garrett, 20-years-old
Art by Barbie Garrett (mother) from Bristol, Tennessee
“This is a self-portrait reflecting my vision of who I am. As I was having fun drawing, I was reflecting that this is not how others see me, I think. I started to send a picture of just two green eyes on a white background. I see myself that way sometimes, on the outside looking in. And invisible.
This reflects the parts of me I enjoy. I purposely left out my family, even though that is so much of who I am. And, I purposely left out my faith, which is also much of who I am. This is just a simple ‘look at me’.
I spend much of my time out on the porch, working on my laptop in my porch swing. I am a freelance writer, and this is a lot of who I am. I am the Social Media Examiner for the Knoxville Examiner. I write about many different topics, but it is often cooking and crafts. I am a kitchen gadget addict: I have 3 bread machines and 3 rice cookers.
I am a church organist and a former piano teacher. I do a lot of things, but I usually do them on the front porch in my porch swing.
Obviously, I am a philosopher, and not an artist!”
-Barbie Garrett, 50-years-old
Spring break rat
April 27, 2010
Master of all
March 20, 2010
I don’t specialize in one thing. I don’t want to. I lean more towards master of none rather than master of one. Both figures of speech are ill-fitted in the hip and shoulder area. I’m looking for attire that better suits me. Preferably with lace and zebra stripes.
How about Master of All?
Sounds powerful. Sounds like a challenge.
Dream big, and more importantly, do big. Right?
Moving on to March 20th. Today is the first day of spring. It feels fresh – full of kites, cheap beer, burnt hot dogs, and rosy new sunburn. Yearly aspirations should start today rather than the bleak of winter, January 1st.
I am 27 today. Rather than listing the things I want to do this year, I’d rather list the hats I want to wear. It’s open-ended. Direct paths prohibited. Figure it out as you go but just get there.
The Different Hats of The 27-Year-Old Kira:
1. Bee Charmer – It’s been my vision ever since I watched Fried Green Tomatoes.
2. Vixen – I received my first astrology reading from my new friend, Ophira of the Astrotwins. Without revealing details, I apparently have an inner-stripper that is clawing to be unleashed. Hmm…
3. Zebra Philanthropist - Striped cocktail event in the works for May! Hyenas prohibited. Cheetahs will be given case-by-case consideration.
***I assure you that I am picky with my bonnet and beret collection. To prove it, I will share another list.
Beanies Kira Will Not Wear This 27th Year:
1. Troll Collector – Been there, done that.
2. Fire Eater – Maybe next year?
3. Mayonnaise Enthusiast
If you feel inspired on this lovely spring day, please share some of your new seasonal hats.
“A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly, specialization is for insects.” – Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough for Love
A colorful pair of tattoos
March 15, 2010
Miss Rose (Charlotte Rowe) and NTAG (Noah Gunnell) created their own self-portraits using magic markers, skin, and their imaginations.
“Noah and I are known for our ongoing joint shenanigans. We’ll pretty much do anything for a laugh/smile. 
We’ve been doing so since 2008. For a glimpse into our world, please visit our Blogspot. Thanks for the excuse to get creative!” -Miss Rose
I have a crush on this colorful couple. After checking out their shenanigans on this website, I not only wanted to hang out with the vibrant pair in Portland, but I also wanted to know more about them:
Where did they meet? What do they do? Favorite date together? Best adventure?
Spread the love and share the creativity!
• Follow Kira on Twitter • Follow Kira on Facebook
My cowboy grandpa
February 25, 2010
Self Portrait in Sub-Mission by Sean Samuel Kelly
“This drawing came to me in a dream, thus the title. I was having one of those eye-opening episodes we all have in our early twenties. Trying to find my purpose in the grand scheme of things, the cosmic connections, the wanting heart and desperate brain. I was feeling kind of low and inspired.
I lived in a little farming community about ten miles outside of Chico California called Capay. I lived with my grandparents. My grandpa was an old cowboy who was known for his little doodles and drawings that were scattered about his home and workshop. Mainly little cartoons of cowboys urinating on a cactus or something silly.
He was watching me one day as I was drawing my self portrait. He was giggling and giddy about it. It made him proud to share his creative gift with me. The piece itself comes from a deep, dark place but humor and balance are evident throughout, like life I guess.”
-Sean Samuel Kelly from Portland, Oregon
Spider style or lack thereof
February 17, 2010
At least my hair was clean today. Magical curlers substituted for the baggy eyes my colleagues could not ignore under fluorescents. I allowed myself enough sleep last night, finally, and I was punished.
Dear Body of Mine,
I’m cutting out 20 minutes of sleep tonight. Maybe then you won’t swell in your pleasure. Warning: I will continue to shed minutes until you are obedient.
Love, Kira
Beyond cosmetics, I was not aware of my distasteful outfit until I hit my 10th hour. I found my uneven khaki pants and over-sized navy sweater (snagged from my Dad’s closet in 7th grade) very much present at the Toastmaster’s public speaking event. My mind, on the other hand, was barely in attendance.
I showed up to the formal meeting as a guest, clueless of the details and meeting protocol. As a first-timer, I was called upon to give an impromptu speech for one minute.
All confidence fell to my ankles as I realized that my spider socks were not only creeping into the non-Halloween month of February but also creeping up my leg and clearly visible to those surrounding me.
I don’t actively think about my appearance around other civilians. I might care what my stubbly date thinks, and I might even want to impress my friends, monthly, with some effort and accessories.
I haven’t decided if I should start caring more or less about style. How do you know if your appearance is authentic and quirky or just sloppy and disastrous? Or does it even matter?
A Seinfeld self-portrait
February 10, 2010
Doodle by Tara Joyce of Rise of the Innerpreneur
Doodle by Tara Joyce, writer, speaker, and creator of Rise of the Innerpreneur, and Elastic Mind.
