Heavy Metal

So, remember how I promised pics of my jewelry from the Austin Fashion Week challenge? Well, I don't want to use the dog ate my homework bit, but the dog ate my homework/my camera decided to be stubborn mid-upload. I was able to get a few shots though, so here they are. For the challenge, my team decided to go with an Egyptian theme, which is characterized by intricate beading and lots of metal when it comes to jewelry- neither of which I have much experience with.
When it came time to brainstorm and sit down at the drawing board, I enlisted the help of Merritt Gade (of Merritt Gade Fine Handmades) and Lori Hooks (of Adorn Modern), jewelry metalsmith extraordinaires. Actually, first I freaked out (a lot) and then I enlisted their help...which may or may not have been followed by more freaking out.
Lori was nice enough to let me invade her garage studio to work on the metal pieces as well as teach me plenty of techniques to turn hardware store brass sheets, copper wire tubing, and a few ideas I sketched/scribbled out into some rockin jewelry. The brass sheet for the cuffs was split down the middle and hammered out into a more wrist-friendly shape. I then used liquid fusion to glue on the art deco scarabs.
I decided to do one piece that was more on the side of what I do, which is where these scarab lucite filigree earrings came into play. I might just have to make some to sell on my Etsy shop. Whatdya think?
In other news, The WonderCraft, one of the Austin boutiques I sell my jewelry at, has found a new home on the east side at Starving Art. One of their neighbors of E.A.T. (East Austin Trailer park eatery) will be hosting a grand opening, and the WC gals will be open and celebrating their new digs tomorrow at 5pm. Read all about the new spot on The WonderCraft's blog and be sure to hit up the party tomorrow!

If that's not enough to keep you busy, come check out one of the other rockin shops that carries DGAJ, Lovely Austin Boutique's Grand Re-Opening tomorrow from 6-9pm at their new pad, i.e. 1506 S. 1st St. They'll have live music, ice cold popsicles from Austin's own Goodpop, and the cherry on top will be the premiere of one of my crafty friends, Anne Marie's handbags and accessories at the shop.

So, be sure to check out these stellar events this weekend, get ready for Austin Fashion Week voting and more updates, and while you're at it, shake your fist at my camera.

Action Jackson out.

Pinups and Pastries

I'm currently still in the planning stages for Austin Fashion Week, however, I'm thrilled to share some exciting developments for the event I'll be hosting with JR Salon. I'll post a Facebook event very very soon, but in the meantime here's the basics:

What: Pinups and Pastries Austin Fashion Week Event
Where: JR Salon (4800 Burnet Rd.)
When: Sunday, August 15th 5-8pm
Why: There's free cupcakes and cocktails in it for you if you come. If that's not enough incentive, I promise to make some fabulous jewelry/eye candy that'll make it worth your while. For the event, the salon will primp a few models ala Bettie Page to showcase their fierce (yes, I just said fierce) hair styling and mad makeup artist skills. To round out the look, these lovelies will be donning corsets and some rockin DGAJ jewelry.

So what about that exciting news, you say?

Kuhmillion Lingerie and The Cupcake Bar will be sponsoring our event to make it an especially stellar night.
Kuhmillion is an Austin-based lingerie company that is part classy, part retro and sells their satin and lace at prices even yours truly could afford. And that's saying something. Even if Vargas pinups aren't your thing, the variety in styles is vast enough to suit any taste. Our models will be sporting some fabulous pin-up stockings from the Kuhmillion boutique so you can see in person just how great their wares are. In the meantime, check them out here.
For those of you who've been living under a rock in Austin for the past few years, The Cupcake Bar is a cupcakes only catering service that combines unconventional flavors with even more unconventional toppings (nerds, gumballs, pop rocks, pixie sticks just to name a few) that are custom-made to your specs (hence the "Bar" part of the name) to make something that is not only insanely delicious but also super fun. If you want to see what I mean, check them out here.

The salon and I are brainstorming party favor ideas in the form of raffles and goodie bags; believe me when I say I'll keep you updated on this. All the same, hope to see as many of you there as possible!

Action Jackson out.

Currently Listening: The Island by Le Tigre

That Hansel is So Hot Right Now

First up, if you don't have plans tonight, you should check out Pixel Pop: a Fusion of Art, Fashion and Music. If you do have plans, cancel them- chances are this promises to be more fun anyway. This all ages event is goin on at Mohawk tonight starting at 9:30pm and will feature art/art demos, a fashion show, pop-up shops, make and takes by The WonderCraft, tasty treats from Blue Note Bakery, photo booths, live music, and giveaways. Whew, that's a mouthful! Personally, I'll be seeing Predators tonight at The Ritz Alamo, but I will definitely be stopping by afterwords.

Note: This picture has been removed until further notice. Sorry for the inconvenient lameness.

In other news, yesterday was the team photo submission deadline for Austin Fashion Week, which means I can start leaking all the pictures I want. What you see (above) is the product of my team's (aka Team Anachronism) blood, sweat, and tears. The models featured are Lauren Rachelle and Robby Gonzalez, whom my team selected in June at the AFW Model Call. The beautiful dress that Lauren is sporting was made by Kellie Lewis of Material. Robby is also donning a wrap made by Kellie; you just can't see it in this particular photo. Egyptian eye makeup, Goldfinger-esque body paint, and even a wraparound snake (on Lauren) are all makeup splendors created by Wendy Sanders of Blood and Glitter Makeup.

One of the first things I see when I look at this photo is the intricately designed gold and silver hair centerpiece (yep, it's hair) on Robby. Equally intricate and detailed is the tall hairstyle on Lauren that incorporates watch faces, leaves, and a head piece by yours truly. The avant garde hair you see here was done by the sweet and talented Pamela Ivy Kim. Finally, the beautiful photography work that captured the tangible efforts of our team members in one concise shot was done by Julien Larmay. The jewelry was of course done by DGAJ. Close up shots soon to come!

So what's next on the list for DGAJ and Austin Fashion Week? I'm in the works of planning my trunk show/soiree-esque event in collaboration with JR Salon. I'll be posting details on my event as well as those of other Etsy Austines soon, so keep your eyes peeled. In the meantime, check out Pixel Pop tonight at Mohawk.

Action Jackson out.

Currently Listening: Frankenchrist by Dead Kennedys

I Can Haz Break?

Sheesh. I have not been the model blogger by any means for the past three weeks, i.e. unusually long hiatus. But but but, I assure you (in the same way I would a professor asking for an explanation on late homework) I have several excellent reasons! Could this explain for seemingly arbitrary pictures of adorable kittens on my blog? Yes, yes it could.
As some of you know, I moved recently, and I'm irked to report I'm still not 100% moved in. I have moved once every year for the past four years (or six if you want to throw in dorm move-ins), and at the end of each subsequent move, I'm always amazed at two things: a) how long it takes to really finish moving in and b) that I somehow have the energy to keep moving at that rate. Admittedly, I'm losing a little steam and the "novelty" is wearing off, so hopefully I can give it a break for a few years. No pictures yet (believe me, you wouldn't want them even if I had them to show off), but when the new place is presentable, I'll post.
...which brings me to my next excellent reason for not posting, a kitten named Alice. Two days into my move, I was needed back at work for a day and while there, I found a kitten romping around campus. At UT, there is a wonderful program in place known as the Campus Cat Coalition that traps, spays/neuters, and releases cats found on campus. In addition, the UT CCC cares for and adopts out kittens found on campus who are under the age of 12 weeks. Because the primary caretaker for kittens was overbooked, I took it upon myself to foster this adorable fur ball. Her (temporary) name is Alice, and she is a 10-week old torby (part tabby, part tortoiseshell, though I don't really see the latter). So, though the timing with moving and everything else wasn't ideal, I'm glad to have helped take care of this pretty girl in the meantime.
But wait, there's more (not even kidding)! During the weekend of my move, I created jewelry for Austin Fashion Week's team design competition. Basically, there are 24 teams consisting of clothing designers, jewelry makers, hair stylists, makeup artists, photographers, and models competing in the challenge. Each team creates a look for a photo shoot (one photo is submitted to AFW) and runway show. Once digital prints are received from all teams, they will be posted on Austin Fashion Week's website for voting. Don't worry, I'll let you know when this happens. Tomorrow's the deadline for photo submissions, so I will be posting pictures of not only my jewelry but also the team's snapshot very soon!

So yeah, you could say I've been busy. ;) I'm slowly getting back on track though, so I'll be posting more on AFW and other juicy happenings soon enough.

Action Jackson out.

Currently Listening: Emergency & I- The Dismemberment Plan