Green with Indie

Come on out to this fabulous craft show March 9, 2013!  Doors open at 10 am.  There will be tons of vendors and craftspeople selling their wares, many of it eco friendly, up-cycled, etc.

Winged Skull T-Skirt

I will be there with my new
 line of T-Skirts.  Remember 
your favorite cool t-shirt?  
Now you can wear it as a skirt! 
Just like a comfy pair of sweats, 
the skirt has a drawstring waist. 

Tie-dye T-Skirt

Fun colors and wild motifs make 
these skirts great for all occasions, 
from a weekend afternoon to 
the Roller Derby!

FREE ADMISSION!  www.greenwithindiecraftshow.com

Been awhile...

Gosh!  Time flies by when you are having fun--or working for a living!  I'm not much of a blogger, considering the last entry was in 2009! 

Anyhow, what have I been up to?  Let's see--Plenty of craft shows featuring the Rodeo Revival Upcycled Shirts, Kitschy pillows, Mosaic Hats and clothing for women.  

Have a few new motifs for the Rodeo Revival line.  Pictured here, is the Claddagh Hands.

Also, the pillows have jumped from the Day of the Dead designs to some Tattoo Flash!

Other things that have been keeping me busy have been a handful of wedding dresses and, of course, Opera Saint Louis. 

This past Winter, I got involved with the Off White Wedding show, and the ladies organizing the event were kind enough to feature some of my dresses.  Since then, I've been lucky enough to work with a few more brides.  Please check out the Off White Wedding page and blogs. 

Here's one featuring the dress that I built for Julie Kunkel. 

 http://offwhiteweddingshow.com/2012/01/23/featuring-a-down-home-wedding-with-all-st-louis-vendors/

Lovely Julie in the wedding dress I built for her.  Photo by JJ Lane of Belovely Photography.

 

 

 

For anyone who knows me, they are used to the fact that I can't do anything with them during the Opera season which lasts from the end of March to the middle of June.  There I spend my life building all sorts of costumes, usually for the men, for the Operas in production.  Things get crazy and I don't have much of a life away from the costume shop!  If you've had the chance to see a show during the Opera Saint Louis Festival in the past five years, you've probably seen some of the costumes I helped build.

Well, just a brief update...I'll post some more fun stuff in the future!

What a fantastic weekend of arts and crafts! For those of you who missed the show, you can find some of my stock on the Etsy website. Come visit my shop, bruk66, at etsy.com. I'll be listing a few hats for those of you still in winter weather, spring skirts, Day of the Dead pillows for Cinco de Mayo celebrations, and Rodeo Revival shirts for your inner cowboy.


Thanks to Molly for modeling my "Jenni" skirt at this past weekend's Green With Indie Craft Show up at Webster University. Seems like it caught a few folks eye! And thanks to Ms. Miller of Scarlet Garnet Jewelery for the trade, she ended up with this skirt.


Next year, I plan to join the fun and create something wild for the fashion show. Congrats to all the participants whose work was so phenomenal!

Please check out:
http://scarlettgarnet.myshopify.com/

Day of the Dead

Growing up in Nogales, AZ, I was extremely influenced by the culture. I miss the wildly colored houses visible from across the Mexican border. Even though we lived in the high plains desert, the town was alive with brilliant hues.

Nogales, Sonora is a tourist town and one can find the most beautifully painted ceramics, Mexican silver jewelry, and woven textiles.

I just love the mix of Catholic and Pre-Columbian imagery that permeates the religious iconography. These Day of the Dead pillows are my own tribute to the little town where I grew up.

I have some of these pillows listed on Etsy in my store bruk66. I really appreciate the website and their push for handmade items. It is wonderful to be able to broadcast images of my work to a wider audience and/or clientele.

Please check out Etsy.com for handmade items and my store bruk66.

Rodeo Revival Heads East

Thanks to Cena and Dick Swizzle, Rodeo Revival has hit the East Coast. This custom design was made for a fan of game shows, specifically those from the 70's. The radiating diamonds and triangles are based upon the Gong Show logo. The shirt has been decorated with rhinestones to give the impression of the running lights that were all over the tv studio sets.

Dick Swizzle runs his own game shows out of his club in Brooklyn. Please check out his sites.

http://www.dickswizzle.com
http://www.myspace.com/dickswizzle
http://magneticbrooklyn.com

Special Occasion Dresses

Some of my other custom wear includes special occasion dresses. It's extremely fun to build a party dress for a lovely lady. They are all gorgeous to me!


This little black dress is made for a birthday girl who will be celebrating her 25th tonight. I'm sure that Ms. Nicole will be the belle of the ball, dancing the night away. She looks just like a Hollywood princess in this satin and chiffon gown. I wish her a very happy birthday and many more.



I built this custom wedding dress back in June for my friend Mirnela. She and her beau had two weddings--one in Arkansas and one in Albania. The dress is a cream matte satin with overlays of sparkle organza and chiffon. It has lace appliques along the hemlines and bodice. Over 1000 rhinestones give the gown that extra sparkle. Talk about a fairy tale gown...

Custom Applique's

Appliques help personalize a custom western. I create the images out of fabrics that have been glued together with Wonder Under and top-stitched on the machine. For an extra fancy touch, rhinestone studs can be added for that special sparkle!


This western was created for Justin Brown with his favorite guitars as an applique'. Justin is a local St. Louis musician who plays with the Dock Ellis band, and, along with other local musicians, is a host of the Chippewa Chapel held Wednesday nights at Off Broadway.


The little kitty-cat pictured above is on a baby-blue 50's circle skirt. I've sold a few of these skirts to the local rock-a-billy crowd. Along with the roller derby gals, these ladies have a fun sense of fashion.


This shirt was sold at the Rock and Roll Craft Show 4 held here in St. Louis featuring local crafters working in a non-traditional style. Great event to get your Holiday shopping done. This year, it was held on December 8th and 9th and was very well attended. A mob, I'd say!! The craft show was held at Mad Art, an alternative space that hosts art and music and can be rented out for any event.

Please check out these sites:
www.myspace.com/sixstringsamurai
www.myspace.com/thedockellisband
www.myspace.com/chippewachapel
www.myspace.com/newoffbroadway
www.archrivalrollergirls.com
www.rocknrollcraftshow.com
www.madart.com