Swizzle Fashion Show Sneak Peeks!

Hello Cherrubs! I apologize for the light posting week--I'm in the final days of putting together an exhibition and fashion show: Kitschmas! I've been buzzing between studios, rehearsals and shopping trips that are more like a scavanger hunts. (Never imagined half a dozen pairs of seamed stockings would be so difficult to score!)

Here are a few sneaky peeps of the fashion show my mum and I are working on! "Swizzle: A vintage cocktail inspired runway showcase"!

The event poster, designed by my lovely and talented friend Kelly.

Custom bubble jewelry!

This is exactly what it looks like--making giant limes. :}

A peep at the beginnings of the "Dirty Martini"

Fat Mew, skulking around the studio.


Vintage pumps and berry colored brocade!

Stuffed strawberry soon to adorn a pink sorbet muff!

I can't wait to post pictures of the show--Wish us luck!

Stuff That's Totally Doin' It For Me Right Now

Hello Kittens! As usual, the three-ring-flea-circus that is daily life at HerSpeak Headquarters continues on with the gusto of a twelve piece UmPah band. I wanted to take this rare moment of sanity to share a little inspiration with you, show you all the "squee" worthy tidbits I've been enjoying!


First--Tom Waits new record "Bad As Me" has been my soundtrack for destruction: full of distortion, clanging pans, fat sax and warbling falsetto--gets my genius gears grinding and the makin' stuff factory in full swing!



I've been stealing slow moments at one job or the other to feed my latest guilty pleasure: making dreamy inspiration boards on Pintrest. Check out my latest assemblage "Places We Should Be Now". It's brimming with all things good & warm...and chocolaty...


Oh yeah--Glitter. Glitter is always doin' it for me...


AND finally--conspiring with my mum on Skallywag Fashions' latest runway show: "Swizzle". The vintage cocktail inspired style showcase will be the highlight of our next collective exhibition--Kitschmas! This week we had the pleasure of snooping around in resale shops for treasures to add to the line up.

What is inspiring you this week, my pets? Tell us what's doin' it for you!

T-Shirt Slaughter Continues: Summer Scarf

Hello Starfish! I've been continuing my t-shirt carnage and just recently finished another Tank Girl inspired accessory. In an effort to push my last t-shirt upcycle project, I began this piece by cutting six different Goodwill shirts into skinny-minny strips to make several yards of yarn. Each shirt made a surprising amount of yarn--I had plenty of left-overs to make other projects...soon to be posted! After the yarn was made I began braiding the strands and wrapped the whole technicolor rope up like an extension chord, tied of the end and VOILA: a totally sweet scarf for summer.

A friend at work asked me how I'd describe my style. I told her, "A mix between mad max and a slumber party from Hell." I'm making more of these to share with my girlfriends. :) I'd love to know what crafty madness you've been making this week!

Massacreade Recap + New Work!

Hello cupcakes!*

Ahhhh--feels good to be back in the blogosphere! I've been off making mayhem! And as you know when working on a project of Epic Proportions one must prioritize and something has to "give". This time around those "somethings" were laundry and blogging. The latest project my dear friend and Kelly and I were toiling on ended up being an H-Bomb of Awesome! Our Halloween schmorgasboard of art and music, "Massacreade: The Curious. The Marvelous. The Macabre." was well received--we sold out two performances in one night--and was enjoyed by all the freakish and fabulous in attendance! Here are a few highlights from the evening:

Anna looking exquisite with the Famous Graves
on upright bass and our special guests The Echelon String Quartet.

The final fierce pose from Skellywag Fashions (my mom!) smashing debut runway exhibition, "Glampyre"!
That's Kelly in the powdered wig!
The incredibly lovely Evan Flynn, special guest violinist and model.

My muffin looking dapper behind the drum kit.
He deserves a medal for putting up with me being a banshee
for 2 months--a really really shiny one.

Leah Schultz rocking the viola--ensemble coordinator of
The Echelon String Quartet and all around Renaissance woman.
They're amazing performance changed a lot of minds that night--classical music is METAL!
A full view of me feeling like a princess in this awesome
Rosemary Clooney inspired gown Mom made for me.
It was a treat to perform in this incredible outfit, certainly helped
me channel all the dead jazz singers The Famous Graves covered!
The talented Mrs. Julie Ivens was behind the camera.
John Miller of The Echelon String Quartet destroying the crowd with his cello--
nothing hotter than a man in a bunny mask. :)

Our dear friend and talented artist Rick in
his clever costume doing what he does best--being spooky!

While Mum, Anna and I were recuperating from this extravaganza we decided to indulge in some retail therapy at a funky antique mall where I found this excellent Athena statuette! She's a stunning addition to the collection.
I'm also trucking along in my studio classes making books for my print studio, drawing goddess portraits, making shrines, practicing watercolor technique and as usual, up to my eyebrows in naked people for figure drawing! Here's a little peek of my hard ground etching project. The process involves little copper plates that are coated in a black waxy ground. You remove the black coating with a stylus, just like a scratch board and then dip the whole shebang in an acid bath to etch the exposed lines. I'm illustrating one of my favorite ghost story songs, "Long Black Veil", I think it will be rather lovely when it's finished. :)


I've also been lucky enough to make some new friends in town! The ladies at the Bewitchingbee Magical Supply, a wonderful metaphysical supply and spiritual advising operation here in Milwaukee, are sweet as pagan-pie! I'm working on some new signage for their storefront. Shhh! Don't say anything! It's going to be a Halloween surprise--I can't wait!More Making Stuff photos to come soon--and I mean really soon, not "3-weeks-from-now-soon"! hehe!

Now tell me dearies, what sort of mayhem have you been making?

Until Next Time,
Much Joy and Merry Making!*

Wishcasting: Famous Graves + Studio News!

***Hello, My Pretties!***

Though we've been pelted with snow and rain the past few days, spring is on the way! I can feel the movement--can you? All this mud makes a perfect place to plant wishes! This week our Wishtress Jamie asks, "What do you wish to trust in?"

***I wish to trust in me--

To be confident in my abilities.

I wish to trust in my voice--
to mean what I say and say what I mean.
I wish to trust my intution--

To relax and listen because my guts know where to go.

What do You wish for?

Life has been happening here at a breakneck pace--so many exciting developments, so little time! Here's a quick peek at what's been shakin' in Apartment Number 5!:

Firstly, I've been asked to lead the organization for a major kick off gala for the Women's Artist Resource Network (W.A.R.N.) here in Milwaukee. I've been buzzing from meeting to meeting, typing minutes, meeting with awesome professional artists of all kinds, visiting studios, creating contact lists and researching decor, floral and video possibilities. This event is PACKED to the gills: three levels of film, red carpet, swag bags, fashion shows, gallery spaces, live music, signiture cocktails, vallet parking and of course, totally Amazing women from floor to ceiling! I can't wait!

I've also been helping my wunderkind mother put together a porfolio that is as rad as she is! We spent all day saturday doing a photoshoot of her incredible costume work. (Here's a pic of her wearing one of her insane vampire creations.) Skallywag Fashions--skandalously fashionable! Her work will be available online soon! We're also collaborating on a Gallery Night fashion show--we're thinking of going with a Nasferatu steam punk theme. We're going to be the best dressed undead in the entire city!

The Famous Graves are in full throttle! We've been compiling lists of new tunes as we'll be performing at the W.A.R.N. gala event this summer! It's good to be back in the swing of playing, and I'm excited to continue exploring jazz as a new Famous Graves frontier. We'll be rehearsing again on Sunday--R.O.C.K!

I've been bussing back and forth from downtown this week as I was invited to participate in the MIAD Thesis exhibition as a performer. It is a BFA show titled "22 Years of Inventory" by the talented sculptress Ashely Gustafson. I play a super snooty arty farty gallery owner. I'm scheduled to go and get a super angular hair cut this next week as to better fit the part--Too fun! More details on that as the show approaches!

And as usual, I'm a spider lady: weaving weaving weaving. Actually--this piece is based on the myth of the Spider Woman. This is the beginning of a tapestry project I'm creating for my fibers course. Eventually the circle will become a pallet for a night sky onto which I'll be embroidering stars and a figure. It will be a multimedia piece that will include photographs, fabrics and beads. I'll be sure to post the progress. :)

For now, I'm off to the closet to find an outfit for the Women in Communications Awards show for tomorrow evening! Also--be sure to check in this coming week. I'm hostessing a give away that is inspired by yOU my blogosphere beauties!

And now my dears, what's been shaking in your universe?

Until Next Time--

Much Joy and Merry Making, Friends!~*