Fun Can Change Our Behaviour

Have you ever thought that something fun could change our behavior for the better? I do!

Specially, after watching these videos. They belong to a campaign called The Fun Theory (you can find more info here: www.thefuntheory.com )

Take a look:

Aren´t these ideas simply amazing? What do you think?

The Artist Behind The Shop: Suzanne Stevens

Today, I´d like to introduce to you the wonderful shop of Suzanne Stevens. and also, invite you to know a little bit more about her!

When did you start crafting?
I've been interested in being an artist and 'creating' things for as long as I can remember. Most of that pent upcreativity was channeled into writing for most of my life, and I've been a working (and award-winning) writer for many years. I've also painted, drawn with pastels and dabbled in clay from time to time. It's just been within the past six or seven years that I got interested in jewelry making. That interest has further piqued my old, buried interest in painting, etc., so I'm trying to get back to that, as well as working with polymer clay—a really great medium. Motivation? I guess what motivated me was the disappointment I started having with my job in advertising. It's not as much fun or as creative as it looks. Hence, I felt cornered and needed a way to let my creativity really flourish—or at least give it a chance!

Which one of your designs makes you feel prouder of yourself?
That's a tough question! I really like my “Holly & the Ivy” holiday set, it just gets me into a holiday mood, which isn't always easy! “Bengal Twilight” is another of my favorites. Although I didn't make the polymer clay tiger beads, I really love them and love how it all came together. Outside of jewelry, I did a painting of the Beatles in early 1981 that I love and cannot part with. (It's in my studio gallery.)

What kind of things inspire you?
Oh, goodness...so many things! I'm always inspired by color, the huge range of colors and how colors work together—sometimes in very new and unexpected ways—to make something exciting. Music also inspires me, and I like many different genres of music, with the exception of country and rap (sorry, fans, nothing personal!) Sometimes just people I meet, or see, inspire me—I'm a big people watcher—but that inspiration usually manifests itself in my writing.

Do you have any favorite book, movie, comic, etc?
Favorite book: “Alice in Wonderland”, because it's whimsical, funny and thought-provoking—there's something there for people of any age. Movie: “The Lion in Winter”, because there's been no woman greater than Eleanor of Aquitaine and no actress greater than Kate Hepburn.

If you could choose any fictional character (from books, movies, comics, etc), which one would you like to be? Why?
Dorothea Brooke from George Eliot's “Middlemarch”. She's smart, idealistic, kind and no fool. Need I say more? :)

Do you have any mania or obsession?
I love the Beatles, Star Trek and cats (and, well, animals in general, but I own four cats).

Is there a place you´ve visited that left a big impression in you? If so, why?
Love the UK, especially northern England and Scotland. Would live there in a second if I had the chance. Been there many times and it's always felt more like home to me than anywhere I've actually called 'home'. Around every corner there's always something new, something old, something different, something magical—and, of course, always the mundane, too. But that's more than O.K. That's life.

Would you like to share any advice with your fellow artists?
It's easy, sometimes, to become discouraged when you're an artist of any sort. As someone who also fights clinical depression, I try to see what I do as a personal goal and not as a way to become rich and famous. Do what you do because you love to do it; that will make all the difference.

Where can people find you?

Blog: (though I don't keep it up as well as I should) http://suzannestevenscreates.blogspot.com/;

Studio: http://www.suzannestevens.artfire.com/;

Twitter: http://twitter.com/SuzanneTina

Anything else you´d like to share?
Gosh, can't think of anything but to wish all my fellow artists and crafters the best of luck and very happy creating!

_______________________

Thank you very much! Don´t foget to visit her lovely shop! :)

Strange Wedding Cakes - Part I

Have you ever seen any cake like these ones in a wedding? I found a lot of interesting concepts and designs, and I wanted to share them with you. This is the first part.

This one is very cool, great for math´s lovers!

This is really cute and funny!

This one is one of my favorites, really stunning design.

Oh, King Kong!

This one is truly beautiful!

What´s your favorite?

For more strange wedding cakes, stay tuned! I´ll be posting the second part soon!

Thank´s for reading! :)

Photo Mosaic - Textures

1. leaf_textures_5, 2. Texture-Rrific Tree Bark, 3. T B S Texture, 4. Textures and colors

I love textures. In these pictures you feel like you could almost touch what´s in it.

Come and join the mosaic game on Mitsy´s blog HERE!

Monday Moodboard - Fairies

La fee des papillons - digital art Print

Fairy Tree, Painted Fabric Journal

Your Favorite Pocket Fairytales. zine

Pomegranate Leather Bag - Cognac Colour -

I picked this fairy inspired items from the European Street Team to make my Monday moodboard, aren´t they lovely?

If you´d like to see more "Monday Moodboards", go HERE!

Also inspired by fairies is my entry for this week´s EST Challenge, hosted by the lovely www.Jealousydesign.etsy.com

You can see the rest of the entries HERE.

Thanks for reading!

Are Niqabs and Hijabs a Fashion Statement?

FASHION/RELIGION - Have you seen any women recently wearing a Niqab or Hijab?

No, I am not talking about Conservative Muslim women. I am talking about women (of any ethnic background) wearing it as some kind of fashion statement.

And an important point is you can now buy them in brand names like Calvin Klein and GAP.

Like WTF? How did that happen? Well, its not so much that these brand name companies are getting into the business, its the fact they're making scarves/etc that can be used as such.

First lets affiliate you with some of the fashion terms:

A Hijab is basically a hood that is worn over your hair.

A Niqab (or Niqaab) is a scarf you wear over your face. A full niqab covers everything but a slit for the eyes.

There's also:

Abaya - Covers you from head to toe except for the eyes, one large piece that looks very baggy. Usually found in Pakistan.

Burqa - Like the Abaya, but it covers the eyes with semi-transparent fabric or a grille. More common in Afghanistan.

Dupatta - Popular in Pakistan, covers the head and shoulders.

Its important to note this is NOT a religious belief per se... and nor is it sexist. Many men in Arab countries also wear headwear to cover their heads. Such things include the Igal, Bisht, Ihram, Kufi / Kuffiyya / Ghutra / Shmagh, Taqiyah cap, Thawb and the more commonly known Turban.

So yes, before you go jumping to conclusions you have to realize this is a CULTURAL tradition, not a religious edict. Some Muslim women choose to wear such things and often make that choice when they are a teenager (ah, the horrors of peer pressure). In that context they see their friends wearing such things and they follow suit.

After all if you're best friend gets a tattoo, or a nose piercing or a pair of high heels... are you repressing yourself if you choose to get the same thing for yourself? No, you're making a choice. Admittedly your friend played a role in making that choice, but thats just a sign of a strong friendship.

Thus when non-Muslim women start wearing such clothing its not simply because they're trying to make a fashion statement. Sometimes they just have Muslim friends who wear such things, they look at it, realize they'd like to wear a hood or whatever, so they go out and buy it.

I myself have a fondness for hoodies, especially on rainy days. I could see myself buying a hijab someday if I found one I really liked. Does it mean I would be changing my religion? No.

Its just a fashion statement and frankly I think thats kewl. It could even be considered sexy.

Granted I am not about to run out and buy any full-length garments that cover me head to toe... they just look too much like radiation suits to me. But I could certainly see wearing a wide variety of Muslim clothing.

Let me give you an example you might not normally think of: Look at the adorable photo below of the little girl wearing a Kufi hat. Those hats are totally kewl and I WANT ONE! It has nothing to do with religion, its just plain a really kewl looking hat. Who wouldn't want one?

Earrings Galore!

Lately, I´ve been working on some new designs for earrings and here are the results.

They are all available on my shops.

You can find more info about my shops here: www.leelabijou.com

Thanks for reading!

David Dixon, Hip to be Different

FASHION - I really like David Dixon's fashion designs. They're simple, stylish and I can see wearing them on a day to day basis. They're sexy too.

What I also like is his choice of models. He picks his models carefully, choosing not just ethnically diverse models, but also being careful to pick models who have more meat on their bones as opposed to the disgustingly thin.

"I don't even think about it," admits Dixon. "It's not a conscious decision to cast women from various ethnicities. I pick the girls I like. I pick girls I think women can relate to."

Its also smart business sense. "I get feedback from women who have a critical opinion. They want to see themselves in these clothes," says Dixon. They're more likely to buy the clothes they can see themselves wearing.

Designer Mark Fast does the same thing. A couple weeks ago he insisted on having plus-size models for his 2010 spring fashion show... which drew a lot of media attention. Fast says: "My knits respond differently to different bodies. Some looks just work better on curves."

Which sparks my belief that "Its hip to be diverse", not just by adding plus size models, but by including models from a wide range of backgrounds.

Sunny Fong for example recently hired two models: One that was a lot older, and other who was bigger. "Other cities look to this unnatural ideal of what's beautiful," says Fong who only hires models with a waist larger than 24 inches. "I've never liked skinny-skinny models. They don't suit my clothes. My target market is real women, not skinny 16-year-old girls. When I put my clothes on skinny girls, they hang like they're on a hanger. I want the body to translate the garment. On a skinny girl, it says nothing."





Curves are sexy. Show em off!