Shopping with Action Jackson- Geeky Chic

My goodness! It has certainly been too long since my last post! Still trying to find a balance between work, guitar, and jewelry...and maybe eventually exercise and studying for the GRE? Then, of course, there's finding time to do none of that and just have fun. Before I get to the good stuff, I'd just like to remind everyone of a few upcoming shows that Diamonds and Guns will be at, which I mentioned in the last post:
- Fantasy Realized Craft Exhibition @ Elysium (705 Red River): 7:30pm-11pm on September 3rd
-We Make Stuff @ The Scoot Inn: 7pm-12am on September 19th

I'm also proud to announce that I will be participating in E.A.S.T. in November. More details to come soon on that!

And now, for the meat and potatoes (or tofu and potatoes if you're vegan) of this post. I'm very much inspired by the back to school spirit that this time of the year brings. Fall means cooler weather (about 5 degrees difference from summer for us Texas folk), demure fashion, foliage (again Texas will have this eventually, we just take a little longer than everyone else), and a certain re-focusing on (for many, at least) learning. Being a real book worm, I'm no stranger to this last mark of fall. To honor this time of year, a renewed dedication to learning, all you smarties out there, and anyone who's already got this style goin on (weezer glasses, argyle, nerdy and sometimes esoteric witty t-shirts), I give you Shopping with Action Jackson: Geeky Chic. Enjoy.

Shops and Items featured are listed left to right, descending down:
-ModelCitizen: Hot Pink Future Nobel Laureate Earrings ($12.00)
-Cotylee: Green Argyle Mini Dress ($65.00)
-LucyBlueStudio: Gears Steam Punk Belt Buckle ($35.00)
-PigseyArt: Zombie Jesus Journal ($12.00)
-DiffractionFiber: Ctrl Alt Del Three Pillow Set ($58.00)
-Vintage50sEyewear: Vintage 50s Rhinestones Black Cat Eye Frame ($65.00)
-RobotBaby: Sushi Flash 2-2gb ($20.00)
-Mehran: Backpack in pink and brown ($77.00)

Action Jackson out.

Back to the Drawing Board

For the past few days, I've had mad scientist syndrome and have been obsessing over new jewelry ideas. Even though AFW's done and over, my adrenaline's still making my brain constantly tick and I've just got to get these brain waves to materialize somehow! With fall, my very favorite fashion season, coming up, I thought it would be really awesome to challenge myself to make a cohesive new "line" of about 10-15 pieces. I figure it'll kick the ole thinker into gear and will be a good challenge for me, and what Type-A doesn't love a good challenge? In my spare interspace web hunt time, I've been been browsing for new ideas and muses and have been stewing on everything I find.
A really great idea came to me the other day to use Bioshock, a seamlessly crafted art deco-style retro anachronistic post-apocaliptic first person shooter game (see above image), as my inspiration. The game is set in a dystopian underwater futuristically retro (hence the anachronistic aspect) city and many of the game's themes and storyline concepts are based on Ayn Rand books. *Enter brief tangent* Personally, I HATE first person shooter games (as a player) because they are way too fast paced and there are too many weapon & item options for my level of gaming experience and style. However, when my boyfriend was showing me some of the games he'd been playing and replaying (which he does on a regular basis since he's an avid a.d.d. gamer), Bioshock really stood out to me (the same can be said for Fallout 3). It's one of those games that I watch and wish I had the gamer skills for because it's got an enticing story, beautiful aesthetics, and an overall great feel to it. Anyway, since my hobbies take precedent over my improving my first person shooter game skills, I've had my boyfriend play the game for me. *End brief yet semi-relevant tangent*

So what does this mean for the new jewelry line? Definitely burlesque/flapper-inspired feather headbands with crystal accents. I can't tell you how long I've been wanting to make those. And that's about where the idea well runs dry. How anticlimatic is that? I did some extensive art deco supply and jewelry searches on Etsy yesterday and just wasn't really happy with what I found. The super angular pieces available would be tacky-kitschy vintage when paired with Swarovski crystals (and yes, I DO feel the need to put those on everything I make), and so many people already do that kinda thing. Plus, I'm not really into that style in the first place. All of that made me feel very torn and stumped because I really liked the idea of translating Bioshock into jewelry, but I hated the parts and pieces that were readily available to me. When I told my go-to roomie about my predicament, who I ask for advice on everything, she suggested I try putting my spin on art deco instead of the other way around.

Simple as that might seem, that seemed to resusitate my frustrated beaten down brain. Admittedly, I'm still kinda stumped. It may be one of those things I have to put on the shelf for a few days and come back to. I really want to do a lot of whites, creams and pastels, but since fall's coming up (even though the Texas weather won't admit that til November) I feel obligated to do emerald greens, cobalt blues, plums, and deep reds. Another point of feeling torn. Oh well. I guess my mutual inspiration and cold comfort in all of this is Tarina Tarantino's been able to make a few art deco pieces that really work (see above, side), so maybe I can too?

Action Jackson out.

Austin Fashion Week Concludes! Now what?

A few days after the conclusion of the highly anticipated and very exciting Austin Fashion Week and I'm still trying to catch my breath! I just started a new job this past Monday, so there was no rest for the weary in the immediate post-AFW state for yours truly. I must say that I really do love my new job, but I can't help but wish I had more time to work on making jewelry, doing blog write-ups for my blog as well as the Etsy blog, and hunting for new pieces. *le sigh* It's definitely always a transition figuring out how and where to fit everything on the ole to-do list when you have an 8-5 work schedule.

But that is not what I'm here to talk about! First, a quick recap of AFW in the Diamonds and Guns world. The Sparkles and Sweets Soiree was truly a success in my eyes. It was a packed house from start to finish with great friends and lots of new faces, the DJ's lived up to being great muses all night, and I got to meet some really fantastic people. I owe so much to the gals of Urban Betty Salon and all the work they put into getting the word out about the party, organizing the raffles and swag bags that were provided, and assuring that we'd have plenty of cupcakes and pink cocktails. To give you an idea of how awesome they were about that, I still have leftover cupcakes from the supply I brought for the partay (see my proud cupcakes above!).

As for the AFW Awards, I'm sad to say that there were no golden boots handed out to DGAJ or Urban Betty Salon, however, the always lovely and super sweet Kim of Broken Ear Productions (fellow Etsy Austinite too!) went home with the Rising Star golden boot award. If you see her, be sure to congratulate her; she worked very hard leading up to the week! The awards show was fun, though I could have done without the prep problems my boyfriend and I had with wardrobe malfunctions and the like. Ladies, I know you hear me when I say that last minute uncooperative catching zippers on the ONLY dress you planned to wear for an evening is no laughing matter. Highlights of the AFWA were definitely the performances by Ume (Sonic Youth crossed with Pretty Girls Make Graves) and the Octopus Project (they had a theramin (sp?) onstage!), the UT students' fashion shows, and seeing Kim win the Rising Star award! I'm a little sad I missed out on the after party, but when you work and 8-5er, sleep is not something to be messed with! Anyway, I've rambled on long enough, so I'll save my energy for the next post.

Action Jackson out!