Kapaali Design Love

Real Life

2010-09-09T02:47:00.002-05:00

I know I haven't updated this in a while, but real life is more important to me right now. My main goal in life for the past couple of years and at this very moment is to get fit and healthy. To that end I spend a couple of hours a day doing some sort of physical exercise, and more time getting other daily goals met. This doesn't leave a whole lot of time for blogging, and honestly, I'm just bad about keeping up with this sort of thing. I may update this occasionally, but right now it is a responsibility that I choose to put aside. Feel free to unlike/unfollow (whatever blogger does, I don't even know) and take me off any links page to which you may have added me. I just really need to concentrate on myself and my life.

Urban Decay

2010-04-04T23:33:00.002-05:00

I'm loving these interiors from Castle Gibson. I love the clean but decayed look in homes. Something about it always makes me feel like a place like that would make you feel content all the time.

I love the rough brick walls, worn floors and exposed ceiling beams coupled with the luxe chandelier.

All this needs is some Persian rugs, a couple of hanging lamps, and this poster in a big gold frame.

Advanced Style

2010-03-31T23:26:00.004-05:00

I love fashion blogs, especially street fashion blogs. I can waste a good bit of time clicking through them. I discovered one today that I think is particularly interesting. Advanced Style is a blog dedicated to older people with style, and no, I'm not talking about people in their 30's, I mean the silver-haired fox set. Most fashion blogs are extremely youth-oriented, and that can get old pretty quickly. It's nice to see a blog dedicated to older people who still believe in fashion and individuality. It also heartens me a lot to see that many of them never, ever listened to anyone who may have advised them to dress "age appropriately."

THIS. From the green hat to the seemingly chaotic mixed patterns to her beautiful red-lipped smile, this woman has got it.

Yeah you right!

2010-03-30T12:08:00.001-05:00

Philip Pullman tells it like it is about free speech. This video should be shown to every single person in the world.

Bag Head

2010-03-08T23:56:00.001-06:00

Yes, this bitch is wearing a friggin' BAG on her head. SERIOUSLY, Y'ALL. Seriously.

Here we go again

2010-03-01T20:35:00.002-06:00

This isn't sexy.

IT JUST ISN'T. She looks ill. She looks like someone who is hungry ALL THE TIME. And don't give me that "oh, I eat all the time" crap, either. WE KNOW what you all have to do to be models, and I can spot the girls who really can eat all the time and still be skinny. They look tall and thin, but not sick and sallow. You can't see their ribs. YOU CAN'T SEE THEIR FEMURS.

It's gross and irresponsible. STOP IT.

Valentine's Day

2010-01-18T17:43:00.001-06:00

I'm loving this ironic Valentine's Day card from Etsy user Juliapott.

Hexmas goodness

2010-01-18T17:32:00.003-06:00

I know Christmas is over and it's gearing up to be Mardi Gras but I came across these cool papercraft Hexmas ornaments by flickr user Zoetica and wanted to share them. I love stuff like this. Go check out her flickr stream for more, including one very NSFW.

Someone just made my day

2010-01-03T21:09:00.002-06:00

Remember a couple of posts back when I said I needed this?

I just found a free pattern for it online! It looks like a terrifying trial of epic proportions, but I'm going to make it as soon as I finish the other sewing projects I have going on right now. Check out the scary assortment of pattern pieces below.

I love the model's Run Lola Run hair, too.

Stefan Sagmeister TED talk

2009-12-21T23:01:00.001-06:00

Very interesting TED talk from Stefan Sagmeister about the value of taking time off. Check out the dog furniture a few minutes in, it's awesome.

Sharpie critique, ELLE UK October 2009

2009-11-30T17:41:00.002-06:00

Can't sleep, clowns will eat me

2009-11-11T10:59:00.002-06:00

This has got to be the most hilarious ring ever.

I love it! Find it here at DayDefyProject's etsy site.

STOP IT

2009-11-11T10:48:00.003-06:00

I love fashion magazines, that's no secret, but there are some things I don't love about them.

This girl is not "naturally thin". She is far, far too skinny. Now, I know that models get paid a lot to be tall, beautiful and thin, and maybe if I was looking $5,000 a day in the face, I'd avoid the kitchen, as well, but COME ON. This isn't pretty. It's disgusting. She looks sick. She looks HUNGRY. She looks like she needs a pork chop STAT. I don't mind seeing thin models, but this trend toward skeletal has simply got to stop.

...And since I'm bitching about fashion mag stuff like it's important or something, here's another thing I don't like about them. WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED to all the beautiful men?

Maybe it's the mags that I buy...I believe this dude came out of Nylon, but he could just as easily have been in Dazed & Confused or some other hipster fashion rag like that (and yes, I love those, too, I'm just sayin'). This guy is not attractive. He is also way too skinny, his posture is terrible, and his haircut makes him look like Alice Dellal's ugly brother (and Alice Dellal doesn't have ugly siblings, yo). I do like his jacket, gloves and boots, but seriously, dude, eat a cheeseburger every now and then.

Sweetie, no

2009-10-29T01:06:00.003-05:00

I'm in my thirties, so I lived through (and yes...wore) the worst of 80s fashion. This gives me the cred to officially state that there ARE some fashion trends that should be left by the wayside, and MOM JEAN CUT-OFF RAGGEDY MADONNA SHORTS ARE ONE OF THEM. STOP IT RIGHT NOW.

Turn into...Alison Mosshart

2009-10-07T13:54:00.004-05:00

Alrighty then. This is the first time I've ever done a blog post like this. Here's some ideas on how to put together Alison Mosshart's rockin' rock goddess look. A good outfit doesn't look like such a mystery when you break it down like this.

Leather-esque moto jacket by Mossimo (I bought one of these in grey at Target...you can't tell that it isn't leather), leopard print shirt by Sonia Rykiel, skeleton key necklace by 2Sister Designs, horn necklace by Eve's Addiction, black high/low hem tee by Torn, black rubber bracelets at Target, Art Deco rhinestone bracelet at Nouveau Motley's etsy store, black skinny jeans by Rock & Republic, high-heeled gold chelsea boots by Marc Jacobs, men's gold chelsea boots by Underground UK.

The gold boots are really what make this look. I have a pair of gold ankle cowboy-style boots and when I wear them, I get loads of compliments. I've yet to be able to afford the Underground gold chelsea boots above but they will be mine soon.

A true Rock Goddess

2009-10-06T00:53:00.003-05:00

This past Saturday I saw the Dead Weather play House of Blues here in New Orleans. It was quite possibly the best live show I've ever experienced. The crowd was amazing (and mostly well-behaved...a rarity for HOB) and the band...well, not much else needs to be said about them. Jack White and Alison Mosshart together in a band makes my brain orgasm. Do check them out if you get a chance.

Alison Mosshart was a DEMON on stage, stalking back and forth like a big cat and trying to get a look at each one of us in the eye, but the other thing that struck me about her was her easy sense of style. She has got it going on when it comes to getting her own brand of "rock goddess" fashion down pat, and she makes it look like she spends no time at all thinking about what she'll wear. It doesn't look contrived at all.

Saturday night she wore this leopard print top over a simple black t-shirt (wonderfully distressed, of course), black skinny jeans, her Terry de Havilland gold chelsea boots, and a bad-ass leather jacket. Her accessories were also quite nice: rubber 80s bracelets with a very shiny, ornate-looking silver cuff that I couldn't get a good look at and a long silver chain necklace with some charms and pendants hanging off it.

If Patti Smith, Joan Jett, and Mick Jagger all had a baby together, it would be Alison Mosshart.

In my next post I'll grab some product shots off the glorious intarwebz so we can try out Alison's look for ourselves.

I was also really impressed with Jack White's bass drum head. It's a screen shot of the three brides of Dracula from the 1931 version of the movie starring Bela Lugosi. It would look great on a t-shirt.

Japanese vector motherlode!

2009-09-28T12:58:00.002-05:00

Check out this excellent collection of free traditional Japanese patterns, all vectorized, easily resized and recolored...a seriously great find!

Found here.

DIY Circus-y garland, y'all

2009-09-25T00:04:00.007-05:00

I love fashion magazines. Even though I'm not yet able to fit into the clothes I see in them, I still love fashion rags something fierce. The problem with this is that I end up with a lot of magazines sitting around the house because I feel bad about throwing out all that paper. With that in mind, I've come up with some interesting ways to reuse the paper in magazines (paper beads, paper bowls, paper jewelry) and tonight's DIY is no different.

I've been seeing these "circus" garlands popping up on web shops for ridiculous prices. Sure, they're made out of nice expensive paper (and you could make yours out of it, too) but why would I shell out even more money for even more paper when I've got loads of it already? Plus, the glossiness, the bursts of color and pattern, and the paper quality of most fashion mags work well for this project.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:

Some sort of cord (I used waxed thread) cut to your desired length
Sewing machine with your choice of color thread
Old magazines
Scissors
A pen or Sharpie

...AND GO!

Get out a magazine of your choosing (I'm using a copy of Dazed and Confused from a couple of months ago cuz I'm cool like that) and find some pages with interesting colors or patterns on them. You could go monochromatic, choose all black and white, or get crazy and mix up as many colors as possible.

Take your page and fold it in half, with the side you want to show on the outside.

Make a triangle pattern in any size you like. Placing the base of your triangle on the fold of the magazine paper, trace the pattern like above.

Cut out the triangle on the fold so that when you open it up it is a diamond shape.

Arrange your triangle on the string or cord so that each side of the "diamond" straddles the cord.

Now sew the triangle "diamond" just under the fold, making sure that the cord is all the way against the fold so that it won't get stitched. If you have a decent sewing machine, it should be able to sew through the magazine paper with no problem.

Keep sewing on the triangles until you've filled up your cord as much as you want, and then clip any threads from the seams so that they're neat. Tie a looped knot at each end of the cord for hanging. VOILA! Cool little circus garland! If you stitched the triangles correctly, you should be able to slide them along the cord so you can adjust them as needed.

That's it. This was my very first garland, it's about 2 and a half feet long, and it took me about 15 minutes to make. It took longer to type up this tutorial and upload the photos!

So don't throw those mags away, ladies and gents. You can always think of some way to reuse that paper!

JPG avec T'arget? Oui, s'il vous plait!

2009-09-21T14:05:00.003-05:00

Rumor is that Jean Paul Gaultier will be designing a collection for Target sometime soon. I can't wait to see cone bras, gaudy patterns, and punk rock plaids lining the aisles at T'arget! Seriously, if you're into this sort of thing then this is pretty cool news.

News

2009-09-21T13:43:00.003-05:00

Around the time I started this blog (and abandoned it!), I started a NOLA street fashion blog...and abandoned it. It's called nolastreets (which I only recently realized rhymes with NOLA Eats--sorry, Leslie) and has a total of maybe four or five entries so far. Earlier this summer I had planned a move to Seattle, and so I didn't worry about the nolastreets blog. I figured I could pass it on to someone else or just let it languish. I've decided to stay here in NOLA for the time being, so nolastreets is back on. I'm going to try to get out there at least once a week and take photos of the amazing street styles that can be found in this city. I've only got a little point and shoot camera but I've got photoshop and can make it work, right?

So check it out in the next couple of weeks (I know I've said that before). I mean it now. And if you're interested in street fashion, and interested in contributing to nolastreets, let me know.

http://nolastreets.blogspot.com/

Douchebag Recipe Card

2009-09-19T14:22:00.003-05:00

Lunchbreath's flickr account

Sharpie Critique, British Vogue Sep 2009

2009-09-12T00:24:00.003-05:00

Ve vant to suck your blud...and pretty dresses, ve vant pretty dresses...and odd headvear. Ja.

I really love this model. I don't know what it is about her, but I really like her face a lot.

I love this...yes, even with the pirate boots.

When one is considering partaking of the new harem pants trend, one must ask oneself "Self, am I MC Hammer?" If your Self answers no, and it should in all but one person's case, then you SHOULD NOT WEAR THEM. NO ONE needs that much crotch room.

Everything about this outfit is right right right and could never ever be wrong. Just a great timeless look all around.

Beautiful jacket...I just wonder when magazines and designers are going to start crediting Noel Fielding for the past two and a half years of fashion trends (minus harem pants). He's been wearing a trench similar to this for about three years now, he singlehandedly brought winklepickers and pointy Chelsea boots back in vogue, and should be paid royalties for every pair of skinny jeans sold in the past two years. Also, he is beautiful. I adore him. He's going to be getting his own post here soon.

Speaking of Noel Fielding... Pixie Geldof, you have never looked lovelier than in the pages of this month's British Vogue, but seriously I WILL CUT YOU, GIRL. Go find someone your own age!

Y'all know how I feel about skulls. You can slap a skull on it and nine times outta ten I'm gonna like it.

This looks like a furry black and blue 70s moto jacket. I wants it.

Emma, I know you're a fashion lover, but every time I see you in that Burberry campaign, I just want to shout "Lumos!"

Switchon Switchoff

2009-09-06T00:07:00.004-05:00

When I was a child, my mother gave me a remnant of some silver velvet that she used to make a fancy party dress. I held onto this remnant of silver velvet my whole life and used it in a lot of projects. I ran out of it last week. I used the last tiny little sliver of it to make this wrist cuff.

So today I went on the internet looking for something comparable. I didn't find any silver velvet that even came close to the stuff my mom gave me (seriously, it looks like CHROME in fabric form), but I did find these utterly amazing chandeliers by The French Bedroom Company, an absolutely decadent and droolworthy interiors online store.

Now, I will most likely never have any reason to buy chandeliers. I'll be a renter forever or as long as I'm still paying on my student loan, whichever is longer. It's nice, however, to dream that someday I might own an awesome Addams Family-esque home in which to put these beautiful babies.

The Hot Kroon Molten Chandelier comes in black or white, 5 arms or 18 arms, chock full of goth goodness and oh I wish I had some excuse to buy one of these...in black, naturally.

Bones

2009-09-04T16:38:00.002-05:00

Bones aren't just a Halloween thing for me. I love them all the time. Ever since I was a child I've been fascinated by bones, skulls, shells... Can't get enough of them. These boney salt & pepper shakers by Chris Stiles are right up my alley.

Find them at the Matter website.

Plus size clothing that doesn't suck!

2009-09-01T13:17:00.002-05:00

Check it out: carmakoma.com, a new Danish plus size fashion online store. And get this...THE CLOTHES DO NOT SUCK! I REPEAT, the clothes don't suck! So many good things to choose from, they're not afraid of black, the models are actually plus size models of varying degrees, and there's not a muu-muu to be found on the entire site! The only problem is that they're based in Denmark, so if you're like me and live in the States, you'll have to pay those pesky international shipping fees, but that's all good for awesome clothes.

Above, the Shanghai shirt that initially caught my eye, paired with the Rollercoaster belt.

CRITIQUE Nylon Sep 2009

2009-08-28T14:07:00.003-05:00

What is up with shoes just getting more and more ridiculously enormous and high? Seriously, these shoes look like they're going to swallow her.

I love "True Blood" but will someone please kill Tara? ERIC NORTHMAN, PLEASE KILL TARA.

I think some twelve year old girl is holding Marc Jacobs hostage and designing in his name because this bullshit just CAN'T be right.

BOOSH BOOSH STRONGER THAN A MOOSE. I love these boys. Noel Fielding needs to quit copying me, though. First the unicorn necklace, now the fangs? We should meet, Noel.

Seriously, ENOUGH ALREADY. You've brought it to the unwashed masses and ruined it for the rest of us. Now fuck off and die.

Frames and Textures

2009-08-21T15:32:00.003-05:00

I love flickr. I visit it several times a day. My favorites folder on there is stupidly large. One of the things I love about flickr is that it has loads of free, Creative Commons-licensed resources for artists and designers. Two groups that I visit almost daily are FRAME for use (just what it sounds like--frames for use in Photoshop, collages, etc) and Textures, which is filled with closeups of wood, brick, concrete, metal and whatever else the over 6,000 members of the group can think of. Almost all of the files in both groups are totally free, meaning you can use them for anything you want, even commercially (but make sure you check!). There's some amazing stuff on flickr, y'all. I never get bored with it.

Rope texture by Fergus Kelly, seen in the Textures group

TV frame by Skeletal Mess, seen in the FRAMES for use group and used in the previous Vogue grading post.

Sept 2009 VOGUE Critique

2009-08-21T11:45:00.003-05:00

A while back my BFF and I started a little game that we occasionally still play. We had a men's fashion magazine in our laps (my BFF is a boy), we had Sharpies in our hands, and we set to "grading" the magazine by writing our opinions of the models and clothes on the pages. Earlier today I was in Walgreen's and of course I couldn't resist the big fat fall fashion issue from Vogue. Once home I sat down to look at it and, with Sharpie in hand, proceeded to critique the fashion. I think this might become a regular thing on this blog because it's just so damn fun. This month's Vogue is so damn huge I could have spent three hours grading the damn thing, but I have a life, so here's just a few.

Marc Jacobs, you should know better than this!

I hate this pose so much, and it's in every damn fashion magazine ALL THE TIME.

Good job, Andrew Marc. You get an A+.

Fringe is going to be big like RIGHT NOW. I love this.

Shoes as Art...I get it, but why are they so ugly and dangerous?

Lovely 1940s inspired outfit. NICE.

HALLOWEEN!

2009-08-20T16:57:00.003-05:00

I've been doing research for this year's Halloween costume. This is my last Halloween in New Orleans so I want a kick-ass costume, and I've dropped quite a few pounds so I have more options this year. Anyway, while researching I came across this photoset from flickr user riptheskull. It is AMAZING--thirty-eight pages of vintage Halloween coolness. Check it out. They don't make 'em like this anymore.

Above, a vintage German die cut skull. I love it!

T-shirt dress

2009-08-13T11:37:00.004-05:00

Normally I think t-shirt surgeries like this come out so...well, TACKY. However, I do find this dress by Angela Johnson to be amazing. There's something really fun and wicked about it. Check out her other stuff on Smashing Darling, as well, to see what real, creative, recycled clothing can be.

I want this

2009-08-10T13:36:00.004-05:00

I want this Bare Escentuals tutorial kit. I saw it earlier today on the Sephora website and I can't stop thinking about it.

I've only recently gotten into makeup. It's very hot in New Orleans (I sweat off everything I apply) and I was less than fabulous, so I didn't bother, but things are changing and I'm behind the curve! Someone buy me this!

Wrong quote

2009-08-10T11:47:00.003-05:00

From The Emperor's Old Clothes:

"...sorry but Haute Goth is no longer cool for grown ups OR Tweens".

Sorry, but I don't care. It's a look I'll love until I'm dead.

It's important to find one's own style, and not rely on blogs (including this one), designers or magazines to tell you what's "in", "cool", or "hot" regarding fashion, furniture, art or anything else. What you like is what you like. That particular quote above was about a Rick Owens collection. Rick Owens is GOOD at Haute Goth and he knows it. Rock whatever you're good at doing, and don't give two shits what anyone else says.

(And for the record, I do like the aforementioned blog, I just don't like being told what to like--I'll decide what's cool for myself, thanks.)

Flower of Love

2009-08-10T07:34:00.002-05:00

Normally I abhor wallpaper, but I am won over by this gorgeous, Art Nouveau-inspired wallpaper from New Orleans-based Flavor Paper.

It's so beautiful, I've had dreams about it. For real. Check out the entire website for more absolutely mind-blowingly beautiful wallpaper designs.

Unicornis

2009-08-09T14:03:00.004-05:00

I'm totally loving this black rock 'n roll unicorn necklace from gallerynucleus.com. If I didn't already have a unicorn necklace (and wasn't completely broke right now) I would get it.

Click here to get one for yourself. Take a look at the rest of the store while you're clicking. They've got loads of cool stuff, priced much more reasonably than I've seen elsewhere.

Red is the new black

2009-08-09T13:48:00.005-05:00

I'm seeing red this weekend, what with all the red dresses yesterday, so it's no wonder this bag caught my eye.

Find it at the lovely Mod Cloth store here.

patternwall.com

2009-08-06T22:33:00.005-05:00

New website with free seamless patterns for web backgrounds. I especially like the Moorish-style star backgrounds, and I love the hand-drawn-cardboard-and-tape menu.

Skeleton love

2009-08-05T12:35:00.006-05:00

While looking for skeleton charms so I could recreate this necklace I came across this amazing keychain from Alexander McQueen. I love it to bits, but there's no way I'm paying $300+ for a keychain.

Seen here.

EDIT: Oh, it's on sale at Zappo's for a mere $283. Still way too much. Also, I love McQueen's logo.

Zur Hirschspurillenbildung Zeit 01

2009-08-03T12:41:00.003-05:00

I am in love with this necklace by flickr user the justified sinner.

See more of his amazing work at The Justified Sinner's Cabinet of Curiosities.

DIY fringe necklace from T-shirt

2009-08-03T12:30:00.005-05:00

I found this tutorial a couple of weeks ago and made one of these fringe necklaces. It came out really cool and was pretty easy to make.

Fashion Dos & Don'ts

2009-08-02T12:59:00.002-05:00

Dos & Don'ts from Vice Magazine.

Holy crap

2009-08-02T12:53:00.001-05:00

I totally forgot about this blog. Oops. I'll start updating it, I guess.

When it rains, it pours

2008-03-18T18:17:00.002-05:00

After several months of no freelance work, in the past two days I've received three requests for it. Feast or famine, indeed.

I'm adding lots more links to design, art, craft and photography sites that I like. Go check them out when you have the time. They're all filled with amazing work.

Green Project SALVATIONS Juried Furniture Exhibition

2008-03-06T17:37:00.006-06:00

The Green Project sent me an email today about SALVATIONS, a juried furniture exhibition, gala and auction they are presenting March 14 at 7pm. Click here for pics of the furniture. Had I any money to speak of, much less money for furniture, I would bid on #17.

Draw Every Day 1-17-08

2008-01-17T02:46:00.001-06:00

Yes, this is Marilyn Manson. No, I'm not an obsessive fan. I came across a high contrast photo of him and just really liked the shape of his face, the high contrast of the eyes, the way one piece of hair fit just right over his left eye, the highlight on his bottom lip... It was begging to be drawn.

Finished sock

2008-01-07T03:15:00.001-06:00

I finished the sock. I started it four or five days ago. It knitted up pretty quickly. Now my wrists hurt. Click on the pic to see the entire sock progression from day one (yes, I documented the whole thing because I am just so damn proud of myself).

sock beginnings

2008-01-03T14:34:00.000-06:00

This will hopefully end up being a sock.

Draw Every Day

2007-12-31T00:56:00.000-06:00

Celtic Knitting

2007-12-30T01:57:00.000-06:00

I've got to learn how to knit cables so I can make this:

Draw Every Day 12-26-07

2007-12-27T03:04:00.001-06:00

Sketchbook and tutorial

2007-12-26T14:16:00.000-06:00

I made this sketchbook for Richard for Christmas. It's the first book I've ever made so it was not perfect but I was pleased with his "Cool!" exclamation upon opening it.

The tutorial is here. It is a bit more complicated than what I made, but I did not have chipboard to make the heavier covers, so I improvised.

Draw Every Day--Mr Tiki Man

2007-12-25T21:21:00.000-06:00

With the holidays it's been difficult to keep up with my drawing. Here's the latest, from a few days ago.

Ironwood pendant

2007-12-25T21:18:00.000-06:00

This is the ironwood pendant I gave Richard for Christmas. I really love it. He's lucky he got it.

WOOT!

2007-12-20T14:18:00.000-06:00

Finally! My first sale on etsy!

I'm going to post pictures of the magazine bowls I've been making for Christmas gifts, since most of them have been given away and the people who are getting the rest of them don't read this yet. I got the idea to do these from somewhere on the internet--it was the perfect gift idea for me because I had a ton of old magazines lying around and I already owned a hot glue gun. The bowls are made from folded magazine pages hot glued together. I decided to try doing most of them in one particular color. This was easy for the red bowl and the blue bowl--most magazines have a lot of blue and red in them. The hardest colors to find were pink, purple and yellow. Everyone seems to love them so much, I'm thinking of making some for the etsy store.

Hidden Christmas

2007-12-15T02:33:00.000-06:00

I've made a lot of beautiful Christmas gifts for my friends, but since my friends will read this, I cannot post pictures of said beautiful items yet. For now I'm adding a new link to a design blog I've found and like very much: designers' block. I'll post pictures of the gifts after Christmas.

Kapaali Design Blog!

2007-12-11T13:32:00.000-06:00

I design things.
I take pictures.
I have an etsy store.
I like being inspired.

Go see.