Hello it's the Kitty

~Hello Kitty~
Never too young and never too old to have toys. Playing is playing whether with Beanie Babies or with Cars and Cloths. I don't know about you, but I am a huge fan of my childhood toys. Sometimes I am lucky enough to spark up a conversation about some of my favorite things "when I was young." During this remembrance we would all shout out our most beloved show, fad, and toy. Things like "Cabbage Patch Dolls", "Power Puff Girls", "Beanie Babies", the Disney Classic like The Little Mermaid and even the classics that don't get recognized as much but are still awesome like Dumbo and the Swan Princess. I know that everyone had at least one Tomogatchi. We all collected Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh and watched Saved by the Bell and Reading Rainbow while we baked everything in our "Easy Bake Ovens." Oh and who remembers how amazing it was when the "Game Boy Color" came out? haha Oh the 90's.
In this post you will see one of my most favorite collectible- Hello Kitty. Hello Kitty remains timeless, You GO Kitty!

Into the Wild

"It's not you, It's me"

Right........ Sure..... I believe you.... NOT...

Wrong, what happens when the only way to express your feelings is by using this line? This line has been mocked so much that it has killed its emotional feeling if you try to use it. Trying to use it, you must forget making it heart felt. It is just not going to happen. I used it once and I said "It is not you, It is me, truly" yaddah yaddah he didn't believe me.. I even added the "Truly" but to him it was "Truly, I am lying." So now, what do we say if it is "us" and not "them" without saying this line? I have been pondering it for a while.. what can we say to A) show emotion and B) be truthful... any thoughts?



Fashion: Vintage "Tess" shirt, BP shoes, Zara shorts, sunglasses from Anomoly,
the earrings are a rendition of Chanel and the Bracelet is a cuff from Jacksonville FL...i'll get back to you guys about the name..

P.S Take a closer look at the belt. I took a scarf and wrapped it around the brown leather belt to create a different look. Try it!

Zip it Good- Fashion

I dedicate this post to the Sohong Designs- hand made in New York. I found Sohong Designs in the Soho Fashion Markets located inside of a church. Sohong Designs designed the zipper piece that you see that I wore around my shoulders. This piece was originally sold as a bustier , but can be manipulated to so many other purposes. The dress I am wearing is an urban outfitters find. But, unfortunately, I am one for taking the tags out my clothing for reasons of it itching me like crazy. Question: Since people spend a large time creating clothing why don't they finish is with a tag that is actually nice. It is the worst when you wear something and the tag either flops out on the rim of your neck or when the tag itches and irritates the living day lights out of your skin.

ENJOY THE REST OF THE WEEKEND,
-Love, Carter

Edible Liberation

Edible Liberation, just in time for the weekend...

The day to day grind scratches the body and frustrates the mind.
Sometimes I feel like the expectations for what we need to accomplish in life weigh on us all. What do we do for ourselves? How many of you have tried time and time again to form your schedules with a little wiggle room for naps, online shopping or facebook? I know I sure have tried. One thing that I miss here at school are those long hot luxurious coconut milk and Epsom salt scalding hot baths. But one thing that does remain true where ever I go is that I always find time to stretch, meditate and eat chocolate. Lots of Chocolate. I constantly find in my paintings the theme of liberation with finding(or creating) that true haven and balance in life. I think I have found all of things that my day lacks solidified in one bite/bar/ or truffle from Vosges Chocolates. The real test to find that one action/object/ or idea that gives you liberating satisfaction, I find, is whether or not it makes you dance. When the sweet cocoa lays against your taste buds and the opera beings to play in your mind and as the orchestra plays the subtle notes in the chocolate flavor, you dance around and can find no other way to express then to dance with both eyes shut. It is like your mind produces the aerial-view image of you twirling in a a beautiful dress laughing to the clouds. Vosges Chocolate is known for pushing the envelope of what people put into chocolate. All of the bars featured in this post are exotic in their own right.

My favorite Vosges Chocolate bars are:

Calindia Bar- Indian Green Cardamom+California walnuts+dried plums+ Venezuelan dark chocolate

Naga Bar-Sweet Indian curry+ coconut

Woolloomooloo- Roasted and salted macadamia nuts+ hemp seeds + Indonesian coconut

Black Pearl bar- Ginger+wasabi+black sesame seeds

My favorite Vosges Chocolate Truffles:

Oaxaca-guajillo and pasilla chillies+ 75% Tanzanie chocolate +organic pumpkin seeds

Viola- Milk chocolate+candied violet flower

Wink of the rabbit- Soft caramel+milk chocolate + organic New Mexican pecan

Excuses Excuses Excuses

"I just can't help it."

Excuses, excuses, excuses. Oh they comfort us so. Once asked the typical tongue and check phrase "why not.." you are doomed. Unless you are one of the people that can think on their feet and create a perfect counter story to back up your excuse, but other wise you are screwed. I for one am terrible with making up good excuses. I revert back to the old sayings like, "When pigs can fly" and "It is raining cats and dogs." Oh dear. Or also even using "being sick" as a undisputed response. These lines are not well taken by people of my age. But the one counter response that I am reminded of time and time again is "Because I said so." This line is the quintessence of perfect liners. Instead of putting thought into furthering the complexity of your excuse just say this line, "Because I said so", and you will have just reiterated your first crafted line with a response that will not be challenged. Brilliant. If only I could remember "because I said so" when the time comes to use it...hahaha. For now "When pigs can fly" will stay on the forefront of my frontal lobe as I continue to get funny looks and off topic responses back. Ah- Carrumba!

Fashion: Anonymous Skirt from India, "Three Dot" white T, Medieval Moccasins-Irish gillies, and A Egyptian Revival necklace, shown below, is from The Bee's Nest.(Click to see the post with more outrageous jewelry items)

Fashion Channeling..

I ordered Indian food in and watched the 4 hour movie of Elizabeth Taylor's Cleopatra. I was reminded of my unhinged love for rich cultures. My Lamb Kebabs and Sweet Curry Chicken were richly spiced and packed with historical flavors. I was very content....

Add all of that along side of the rich colors, fabrics, carvings and emotion of the ties between Egypt and Rome in Cleopatra, and you have a heavily rich night. haha. Inspiration by the world and it's history brings about change in trends and fashion styles. My style is eclectically measured by my love for rich cultures, such as the Rococo period(Victorian and Edwardian) old Asia and everything Egyptian. Each day I "channel" each outlet of my fascination for these ways of life into my dress. Today I felt ripe with the color of red and ancient with it's patterns. I do not plan outfits strictly day by day. But yet, I just let the color of the day direct me to what I wear to express what I am feeling on the inside. Next time you put on your clothing, look at it and see if you can connect the colors to your mood. Everything depends on the mood and your subconscious is more knowledgeable than you think....

Fashion: Native Indian poncho, no name. Gap jeans and Nieman Marcus short boots.

Clinics

This post is long over due. These shoes, called "The Clinics", arrived at the dawn of spring. I was one of the many who had preordered these babies up. They have a 4 inch wedge a mirror planted on the sides and a strict line of buckles. These are Jeffrey Campbell shoes. I am a adored fan of his fashion forward items. have worn these shoes in this posts thus far "MFA."
Love, Carter

Mid day Spring Dream

The importance of sleep...

We all realize the unparalleled importance of sleeping. How the right amount of sleep gives us energy to spring through our day and ultimately remember things that we might have been slaving over the night before. But yet against our better judgment, we stay up later then we should to just lay in our beds or talk on the phones to appease our demanding boyfriends or family members. We all should sleep more. Yes, but it is harder to do then it sounds. It is great to say confidently "I am going to bed early tonight" and when the time comes to slip into bed the urge to sleep is lost. Perfect! Now that you cannot go to sleep earlier you end up actually staying up later..... oh the irony.

One thing that has been invading my body more than usual is the frayed connection between my body and my brain. You sleep because you are tired, but when just your body is lethargic and your brain is wired (or vice versa)... What do you do? How do you go to sleep when your body wants to but your mind is active?

I have created a list of ways to convince the unruly brain that it actually is tired..

1) read a book (less likely ahah)

2) watch a movie

3) play games on phone

4) other mindless tasks.. etc...

But God forbid you start thinking! Because once your mind starts wondering after you have missed that opening of falling to sleep, you might as well forget it. You start thinking .. it leads to a pondering overload... no sleep for you...

What things do you do that help you fall asleep?

Fashion: Dress- My great grandmother's dress, no name. The necklace is a vintage Mariam Haskell. This necklace is such a special piece from The Bee's Nest ,blogged about here.

-Love, Carter

The Classic Kryptonite

Is the world only filled with either the Heroes or the Villains?

From Xmen's Magneto,Spiderman and his Green Goblin and to Superman's Lex Luther, there is always a yin and a yang to life, and love. Because of this, are we given an excuse to be attracting to our yang, our Lex Luther, Green Goblin or Magneto? What is so appealing about a conniving, confident leather jacket wearing guy, anyways? Don't you just hate when you are attracted to your kryptonite? You even think it over in your mind and it makes no sense why you might be attracted to such a creature, but you are. It is almost out of your own control, like your subconscious is subconsciously desiring to elope with his subconscious, subconsciously of course... haha.

Who knows.. you live, you learn and even Love the bad man in order to know how much you cherish the X-men, the Spiderman and the Superman.

Happy Friday.

p.s Below you will see my Belly Dancing video. Enjoy !

My Belly Dancing

Put a Knob on it!

Customizing and Redesigning...

My kitchen was dull and needed something that yelled "This is my house." But we didn't want to knock down walls or install different cabinets, no no no... everything just seemed way to pricey and honestly, unrealistic. We thought smaller, taking the shab and making it chic, I guess I could say. Knobs! Put a little trinket of happiness on every drawer and cabinet in the kitchen and it turns it into something different and something that yelled "This is my house". Ha! take that! other over priced ideas! Victory can be yours by either buying knobs from Anthropology or even going to a "Paint your own Pottery" store and do a family bonding experience by painting your own knobs. Bet you never thought of that...

Enjoy your Thursday and think of ways to change up your shab to chic..

Adios..