More Cool Tools - Color Scheme Generators

My favorite color scheme generator is Color Schemer (sample above)  http://www.colorschemer.com/online.html.  This has been around for some time, the color schemes are beautiful, vibrant and truly inspiring.  Color Schemer has a blog too.  Their Color Schemer Studio application (~$50) has lots of cool features.  You can see a quick demo at http://www.colorschemer.com/overview_viewlet_swf.html.

Here's another fun tool to play with - Color Hunter http://www.colorhunter.com/.  This website derives a color scheme from any photo.  You can used theirs, upload your own, or enter the URL of a photo on a website.  If you are uploading an image, make sure to resize it first.  Large files just don't work.  I resized to 600 pixels wide and it worked just fine.  You can toggle between vibrant and dull versions of the same palette.  I uploaded photos of recent projects and our new kitten Matilda.  Check out the "related tags" section towards the bottom of the page for more interesting color palettes.  Buddhist and Piano yielded interesting results.   The results from this tool are not the very best available, but it is interesting and useful nonetheless.  I think this could be very helpful in working through a creative block.   

Also at wellstyled.com.  http://wellstyled.com/tools/colorscheme2/index-en.html This color scheme generator lets you play with color theory more.  There are options for monochromatic, complimentary  (they call it contrast), triad, tetrad, and analogous color schemes.  There are some interesting options for adjusting for various degrees and types of colorblindness.

Color toy 2.0 http://www.defencemechanism.com/color/ is also quite interesting.  Playing with numbers in your work?  Try dropping some of those numbers into this tool and see what happens.  Enter your birth date, anniversary, or other significant date in the hex field, or break the date up randomly into the RBG fields.  I tried my birthday this way R=120 G=81 B=957.  9995 also gave me a beautiful color scheme.

And one last one - Color Wizard http://www.colorsontheweb.com/colorwizard.asp.  I love the randomizer.  All the buttons are fun to play with.  I tried my model year - 1957 with the split  complimentary option for fun results.  Randomizing from there was even better!

Have fun!  Make something beautiful today!

Read more...

New Baby at Our House

We have a new baby at our house - this darling little 9 week old calico kitten, named by our vet's staff, Matilda.  She had a rough first week; she got sick and had to go back to the vet and stay four days!  She came home last night and all is well again.  We're keeping her diet very simple for now - plain baked chicken and white rice, although, if she was in charge, she would be eating smoked pork butt right off Chris's plate!  Matilda is the sweetest little thing, probably the most affectionate kitten I have ever had.  She sleeps right on top of my heart!

There are so many kittens now that need loving homes.  Please consider adopting one from your local shelter, rescue organization http://www.animalactionrescue.org/, or veterinarian today!   

Read more...

Self Scientific X Crooks - Come In Peace, Prepare For War

I have been knowing the owners of Crooks & Castles for a long time. They were involved in the Self Scientific movement early in the game. In he 90's they were once known as Blitzkrieg Militia, a bunch of Filipino cats from Cerritos rocking Lo sweaters and Cartier frames...Fast forward to 2008 and they are rich, while I'm still doing the underground rap thing....Geez!! We began working on the Come In Peace, Prepare For War album and I asked Dee, The General to bust a tee-shirt design for our merch line and this is the result...I'm not sure of the colors yet and we haven't even added logo's. I have only showed close friends but here you go... a sneak peek until we make them.

Self Scientific X Crooks
Come In Peace , Prepare For War Tee

Read more...

E quando a hora chegar, volta!

O meu mundo...
Por que não falar dele?

Eu vivo de forma diferente da maioria das pessoas, apesar de ter muitos interesses em comum com elas. Eu tenho conceitos e valores que podem parecer estranhos para muitos e eu já cansei de ser julgada por isso, mas não há nada que eu possa fazer. Eu não tenho religião e eu sequer acredito em um deus. Eu acredito nos sentimentos, na força do pensamento e em tudo de bom que podemos fazer uns pelos outros. Sei que várias pessoas desejam e praticam o mal umas as outras, mas eu não sou assim. Eu não consigo passar um dia sem sorrir, mas nem um dia sem chorar. Eu vejo e entendo o jogo, mas não quero participar dele. Eu sempre fui sozinha e poucas vezes gosto de estar assim. Gosto muito das pessoas com conteúdo, porque grande parte das que eu conheço me cansam. Eu sou fiel a quem é fiel a mim. Eu tenho como defeito e qualidade a sinceridade. Eu não bebo refrigerante há 3 anos quase. Eu não gosto muito de sol. Eu detesto calor. Eu gosto muito de frio, cobertores, chocolates, flores, estrelas e lua, filmes e séries, livros e conversa inteligente. Eu não suporto futebol. Eu sou impaciente e até intolerante. Eu acordo às 6 da manhã de segunda a sábado, mas detesto acordar cedo. Eu durmo tarde, mas detesto dormir pouco. Eu danço sem música e estou cantando quase sempre. Falo bastante e às vezes fico muito calada. Eu penso mais do que deveria pensar e eu sinto mais do que deveria sentir. Eu sou exagerada constantemente. Eu sou muito ciumenta e gosto de cuidar e proteger todas as pessoas que eu amo. Eu tenho tendinite no ombro e cotovelo direito, além da crônica no tornozelo direito. Tenho rinite e sinusite alérgica. Tenho todos os tipos de alergia respiratória. Tenho a saúde relativamente frágil e minha temperatura corporal normalmente é de 36,9°. Eu amo aprender e odeio estudar. Eu sou sonhadora e romântica de carteirinha. Eu amo contos de fadas e toda aquela perfeição que nunca vou ter. Eu tenho paixão por lugares e países novos. Meu maior sonho é viajar o mundo todo. Eu tenho muito medo de escuro. Eu sou vegetariana há quase 1 mês e ando preocupada com as minhas proteínas. Eu me alimento muito mal e tenho um paladar tão apurado que chega a ser detestável. Eu tenho 4,75° de miopia no olho direito e 3,75° no olho esquerdo, além de alguns mais de astigmatismo em ambos os olhos. Uma parede do meu quarto é rosa e eu tenho borboletas de origami pendendo do teto. Eu desenho desde os 4 anos de idade, mesma idade com que comecei a estudar. Eu amo escrever, mas detesto revisar e procurar erros. Eu gosto de escrever o que vem na minha cabeça, o que eu sinto, o que eu observo e o que eu imagino. Eu sou extremamente observadora e detalhista. Eu sou sistemática e perfeccionista. Eu odeio tomar remédios. Eu amo beber água gelada. Eu amo o mar e as ondas. Eu sempre quis ser bailarina, cantora, escritora e pianista. Eu sempre quis salvar vidas. Eu leio sobre doenças e tratamentos quando não tenho muito o que fazer. Eu amo o cubinho colorido e palavras-cruzadas. Eu tenho exemplos, mestres e ídolos, mas não quero ser igual a nenhum deles. Eu odeio sentir saudades e sofro desse mal constantemente. Eu tenho características depressivas. Eu me estresso com facilidade. Eu só trato bem quem me trata bem. Eu sou muito sensível e sentimental. Eu calço 34 e tenho 1,64m de altura. Eu quero perder uns 3kg, porque gordura me assusta muito. Eu adoro fotografar e ser fotografada. Minha cor favorita é o rosa. Eu prefiro a prata ao ouro. Eu amo a minha infância com tudo que posso. Eu tive namorados ruins e falsos, eu tive amigos e amigas ruins e falsos e tenho muito medo de me machucar de novo. Eu quero cursar direito ano que vem. Eu amo Clarice Lispector, JK Rowling e Shakespeare. Eu amo cinema e teatro.
E se você me vir por aí, eu vou estar de jeans, pulseiras no braço esquerdo, cabelos soltos e olhando sempre pra frente. Não mais que isso, não menos que isso.

Me dêem a calma, que eu te dou a paz. Me dêem a verdade, que eu te dou meu coração. Me dêem a sinceridade, que eu serei leal. Me dêem o respeito, que eu respeitarei. Me dêem o amor e eu darei a perfeição.


(eu sei quando usar a ênclise, mas eu gosto da próclise! :/ )
Read more...

Self Scientific feat. The New Royales - Heavy

So...we decided to stop being the dinosaurs that we are and just release some music. People that know us know, we are always recording but the process of carving those songs into an album becomes....time consuming. Plus, we still believe on coming up with a concept and working the songs around that concept to from a complete album. People have praised Kanye, and Lupe for sicking to their themes and I urge you to examine or body of work the same way. Anyway, here is one of personal favorites from songs that we recorded in early 2007 for Come In Peace, Prepare For War. Khalil was recording heavy with The New Royales and we collaborated on a couple songs that weren't intended for any specific project. Somehow I managed to convince Khalil to let us keep this one...."don't it feel like we live in the 60's again..."

Self Scientific feat. The New Royales - Heavy
Read more...

Affiliate Marketing-And Working At Home

Affiliate Marketing-And Working At Home
By Vickie J. Scanlon

I received an email that asked - "Is affiliate marketing a fast way to make money"? My answer: No, but you can make money. And, Affiliate Marketing can be one way in which an individual can work from their home. But my advice, start your online business, while you are still working. Because it will take time. With that being said, what are the pros and cons of an affiliate business?


Pros

First, with an online affiliate business you do not have to worry about commuting back and forth from work. You are-there, so to speak. However, it is a business and you and you alone have to do the work. Does that mean long hours? More than likely. Does it mean some disappointments? Certainly.

Second, no dress code. You can sit in everyday clothes and write your articles, or update your site, and no one will care. And, it saves you money.

Third, you can start an online business with a small outlay of money.
At the least, starting an affiliate business, requires a website or blog-or both. You will need to pay for a website-to have the element of professionalism. No sense having ads that belong to the webhost, right. Or you can try your hand at a blog, if your passion is more content based, and you can get a blog for free. So what is the bare minimum of cost?

Your costs could include:
1) Cost for website
2) Internet connection
3) FTP software to upload your copy
4) Your labor-which you will give passionately


Cons to a Home/affiliate business

First, anything that is home-based will require you to deal with one important issue - isolation. There will be no co-workers to speak to, or to parlay questions. It's just you. So prepare for some outings to keep you fresh and less isolated.

Second, just because you are working on the Internet does not mean they you are on easy street, or you will get fast money. Not true. You are starting a business, it's just online. So, no you will not get quick money. Why? The Internet is wide open to all. Thus, the search engines are not going to instantly put you up at the top, or Index you instantly. It takes time and patience-and you can pay your dues while the search engines get to know you and the legitimacy of your business.

Third, if you have no knowledge of the workings of the Internet, this will slow your progress to success. Just keep putting one step in front of the other -and move forward.


Naive Thoughts

I thought I should include the naive thoughts about an Internet business. Because it is always wise to get past the disappointment to move forward. It goes like this. Yes, you will actually
have to work to see some success with your business. Do not believe those that say, I only work 3 hours a day and made $10,000 this month. This leads me to this naive thought....

You will find instant success with great sums of money flowing into your coffers. Wow, I wish that was true. Unless of course, you are lucky. But if you have little or not knowledge about the ways of the Internet, it will slow your progress. There is a lot to learn, and let me tell you, it is not at all like a brick and mortar business.

Learning the ways of the Internet takes time. Yes, you'll have successes, and that will move you forward. But, also there will be some mistakes. And sometimes these mistakes may take several months to recover from. But then again, these mistakes, as I have found out, usually do not happen again, especially if it costs you money.

To conclude, there are pros and cons to anything you do. But the bottom line is this-do you have the will and determination to continue in the face of disappointment? If you said yes. Then begin your business online-and work toward success.
Read more...

Acid Dye Day

     

Thursday, our guild Off the Wall met at Gale's studio http://galesart.blogspot.com/ for a wonderful dye day.  Some of us used her acid dyes on silk, others brought Procion dyes and cotton fabrics.

I dyed the three pieces above.  The black and white silk habotai has been dyed twice so far, and I think needs a third, but delicately applied dip in the same very dark black that you see in the lower left corner and bits in other places.  Once that's done, and it goes for a fabric softener dip, I think it wants to be a lush scarf for me with hand beaded dangly trim.

The second piece is a previously dyed yellow green (it was too light for my taste) over dyed this time with blue and green in the "Explosions of Color" technique Gale taught us.  What fun, and so easy, too.

The third item (looks like a mop!) is silk satin bias ribbon dribbled with blues, yellows and greens.  I don't know what I'll do with this yet, but I love it. It could be very cool for fiber jewelery - strung with sparkly beads, knotted...

I love the acid dyes for a number of reasons.  They are fast, easy to use, and the results can be spectacular.  I especially love that the rinsing is SOOOO easy on my hands.

Thanks, Gale, for a really fun day.  You are the best!

Read more...

NOBODY SAID IT WAS EASY...

As coisas que eu vi, ninguém mais conseguirá ver. Tudo que eu sinto está guardado em mim. Quando fecho os olhos, eu posso sentir. Todas as cenas passam novamente na minha cabeça e eu percebo, outra vez, que a vida não é brincadeira. Todo sangue que corre na veia, toda vida que corre na estrada. Nessa longa estrada, sem futuro definido, sem chão previsto, somos tudo e ao mesmo tempo, nada. E o que fazer se o corpo é frágil e não posso ter nada além dele? O que fazer se a felicidade não é plena e o tempo é curto demais pra vencer tudo que eu quero vencer? Eu não posso mais parar por aqui. Cada vez mais eu percebo que tenho que seguir. São muitos ao meu redor e muitos que precisam de mim. Mesmo sem saber, mesmo sem querer, eu vou. Vou porque ninguém nunca me disse que ia ser assim e já chegou a hora de acreditar em mim. Não há tempo pra se arrepender. Não há obstáculo pra me prender. Se meu corpo me permitir, eu hei de chegar, pois tudo da mente só depende de mim e dessa minha vontade louca de ficar. É preciso ser, mas não é preciso ter.
Eu não vou te esquecer, eu prometo. Sequer te dei a mão, mas eu nem posso me culpar. E por ti e por mim, por outros e pelo que não fomos, eu tenho que seguir. Era cedo demais pra dizer adeus. Agora, não há que se fazer. Fecho os olhos e elas vêem outra vez. Peço perdão por mim, peço perdão por você.


*********************

http://oglobo.globo.com/rio/transito/mat/2008/08/21/motorista_de_kombi_perde_direcao_sobe_em_calcada_atropela_quatro_na_penha-547865406.asp

Acorde às seis da manhã, saia de casa às sete. Olhe tudo a sua volta. Não veja os corpos no chão, evidente.
E assim você segue a vida...
Read more...

O sangue que corre em mim sai da tua veia.

"Mudaram as estações. Nada mudou, mas eu sei que alguma coisa aconteceu. Tá tudo assim, tão diferente! Se lembra quando a gente chegou um dia a acreditar que tudo era pra sempre? Sem saber que o pra sempre, SEMPRE acaba. Mas nada vai conseguir mudar o que ficou. Quando penso em alguém, só penso em você. E aí, então, estamos bem? Mesmo com tantos motivos pra deixar tudo como está. Nem desistir, nem tentar. Agora tanto faz... estamos indo de volta pra casa."

Cada dia que se vai, eu tenho mais certeza que eu não seria nada, asbolutamente NADA, sem ele. Por motivos óbvios, é claro. Mas, mais que isso! Não pelo que ele foi com os outros, mas pelo que ele foi comigo. Não pelo que ele deixou, mas pelo que ele construiu. Não pelo que ele disse, mas pela forma como ele agiu.
Como a vida, como a água, como o vento. Complexo, necessário e sincero. Não posso mais tocá-lo, mas sinto seu sorriso cada vez mais. É um silêncio profundo, mas a voz dele ainda ecoa dentro de mim. Ele se foi. E eu sei que se foi pra sempre, mesmo sem querer acreditar nisso. Ele me deixou, mas não por querer. Sei que ele jamais escolheria isso, qualquer que fosse a situação ou a condição.
Hoje sinto falta das tardes que passamos juntos. Sinto dor por não tê-lo para ouvir tudo que eu sempre quis dizer. Muitos não o conheceram e sequer ouviram falar dele. Quem teve essa HONRA jamais o esqueceu e o esquecerá. Eles me dizem isso o tempo todo, e eu sei que é verdade.
Quem teve avô, sabe como é. Mas ninguém soube como era ter o MEU avô. Ele foi e sempre será único para mim. Eu fui e sempre serei única para ele. A eterna garotinha....
A garotinha que ficou guardada em mim. A garotinha que eu sou tantas vezes, mesmo sem querer, porque não se pode esconder quem você é na realidade. A garotinha que ficou lá, durante tantos anos. A garotinha que nunca vai crescer, porque o passado, somente o passado, é o que ela tem dele dois. A garotinha que tinha o mundo nas mãos e vivia no seu próprio mundo. Aquela garotinha não se foi... não é preciso dizer isso. Ela nunca irá.
E um dia, se eles se reencontrarem, ela vai sorrir aliviada porque encontrou a sua infinita paz. Um conto de fadas com um final feliz...
Read more...

One of my favorite things is really cool tools, either real or virtual.  Today, while searching for a means to print isometric grids of various sizes onto transparency film for a C&G course activity, I found this website http://incompetech.com/graphpaper/.  On it, you can create an amazing variety of graph paper styles, and you get to choose the specifications for grid and line size and color yourself!  Be sure to scroll all the way to the bottom, there are so many styles.

For example, today I created equilateral triangle graph paper in 1/2", 3/4" and 1" sizes. Here's a sample: Download 34_inch_triangle_graph_paper_black_lines.pdf . 

A few of my favorites are: 

• polar grids (great for drafting spirals)


• variable triangles where you control the degrees of the angles and the base size (here I created a very wide squatty triangle with great potential)


• circles


• perspective

There are lots of things for quilters - tumbling blocks, hexagons, Celtic knot to name a few.

I love that you can control the color of the lines, too.  I created my grids for transparencies with black lines, so they really show up when you lay them over an image.  For printing on plain white paper, I chose the pale blue lines so they will disappear when I color in the triangles.  The applications for design work with these grids are numerous.  There is an excellent discussion with examples here: http://textiledreamer.wordpress.com/2008/02/02/designing-geometrical-quilts/  and be sure to see a beautiful completed quilt http://textiledreamer.wordpress.com/?s=snow+flake

Have fun.

Read more...

Google PPC/Adwords Changes

1. Google PPC/Adwords Changes

It looks like Google is making some changes to their Adwords Program, as well as, further explaining the two frequent programs Click Fraud (which affects advertisers) and Invalid Clicks which affects the Adsense user/Adwords user.

Adwords Changes to the Content Network

Google is rolling out some new features for Adwords for the content network. The features will benefit your earning potential and the effectiveness of the ads. Some of the features include:

1. Frequency capping-prevents users from seeing the same ads on your pages
2. Advertisers will see which site is performing best for their ads
3. Improved ad quality. They are going to implement a DoubleClick ad serving cookie on the content network. Their hope is to improve the experience of the users and to protect privacy but increase value for publishers and advertisers.


But there are also several other important questions that need to be answered. And that is what is the difference between an invalid click(which gives you no money) and click fraud (invalid click with consequences).


Invalid clicks Explained

Invalid click-are clicks that will not be charged against the Advertiser and thus, not be credited to the Publisher. These include extraneous clicks without value-such as second click of a double-click.

However, Click fraud is a completely different creature, that is intentional. So what is click fraud?


Click fraud Explained

Click fraud is the use of invalid clicks that is used with the intended purpose of driving up advertiser cost or publisher revenue artificially. Where do these invalid clicks come from:

1. publisher clicking on his own ads, or encouraging others to click on the ads
2. Users or family members clicking to support site/publisher
3. Third party programs with user incentives-such as paid-to-surf or auto-surf programs
4. Automated clicking tools, robots, deceptive software.
5. Third-party programs for purchasing fixed amounts of traffic, $10 for 1000 page views.

Obviously, any of these methods to artificially generate clicks, impressions, or conversions is prohibited by Google's program policy.
Read more...

Meet Mo

This is our angora goat Mo (short for Lawnmower).  I wish you could see his eyes because he has such a soulful gaze.  Because goat's pupils are rectangular, some people refer to them as devil's eyes.  There is absolutely no devil in this goat.  He is very docile, calm and so serene.   We got him last year, the weekend after Chris found out that he would have to mow all the grass he sowed in the back yard!  I had no experience of goats, and I was rather intimidated by his size, but he turned out to be the dearest, sweetest pet you could imagine.  From the first day we brought him home, he has been eating out of our hands.  He loves to have his head rubbed.  He talks to us!  He comes up to the gate to see me when me pull into the driveway.  He gets along great with our dogs; seeing the three of them line up for apple and carrot treats is hilarious.  I had not expected to love this goat so much. 

Mo spends part of his time at our warehouse, keeping the yard there in check.  Folks in the neighborhood surrounding the warehouse love him, too.  They talk to him, and stop their cars to inquire about him.  They bring him treats.  Some little kids even tried (unsuccessfully) to feed him chicken and biscuits.  One lady  wrote him a love letter and stuck it in the fence!

People always ask me if I work with his lovely mohair fleece in my artwork.  I don't.  First of all, we are terrible at sheering, so the fleece is a hacked up mess when we're done.  Second, I have neither patience nor energy for cleaning and carding the wool, although I do love nuno felting.  Finally, I would rather play with my one true love - fabric.  All that was until I saw the new BabyLock Embellisher today at Atlanta Sewing Center, with its 12 needles and endless potential.   I may just have to change my mind about working with "Mo"-hair.

Read more...

Barack......

I have, for a long time, had a serious problem with the political process in America. In my youth a had an immature outlook on America in general. As as adult, I have traveled the world. Quite frankly, I have come to appreciate this country for all that is, and all that it is not. But I am still skeptical of our political process and the people who run for office...even, Obama. The natural "team player" in me wants to be 100% down but I'm not. My knowledge of our country's bad habits in regards to incest and politics, prevents me from believing he isn't "one of them". I have been saying for a long time that his story is too vague, even after reading his book, he seems to be hiding something....Here is a clip from YouTube that has a suprisingly low view count, considering Obama's popularity...Just a teaser until I can do more research..


Read more...

Do you wordle?

I love words. I always have.  And now, thanks to Jackie's Stitchworks blog http://stitchworks-jackie.blogspot.com, I have a great new way to enjoy them.  It's called wordle http://wordle.net/.  You type or copy text into a box on the website, click go, and their brilliant Java Applet creates a graphic design using your words.  There are lots of configuration options to choose, or you can keep clicking randomize until you get an image you love.  Here, for example, are two versions using the first stanza from Edgar Allen Poe's The Raven:

You can print these directly from their applicataion, or as I do, print them to a file on my computer using a virtual printer that converts the document to PDF (we use Primo PDF - it's free, easy to download and use.)  I can then play with the image further in Photoshop Elements -resizing, applying filters, changing colors.  I would love to create screens from these - thermo fax might be a good option for this.  Please comment if you have any other suggestions.

Read more...

Sean Reveron u.k.a Cooley Ranks

The Homie Sean is and has always been a hustler. I can honestly say I have known him for about 14-15 years now. Back in the early 90's Cooley was one of the few Dancehall Emcees in Los Angeles. I remember him and I Smooth 7, had a deal at Motown. Right before the whole Trend of Culture Of and On shit took off. I also remember Sean for being an extremely style conscious individual. Dude, was the first brother I knew that went and lived in London and was living in Europe when the whole international streetwear thing started to happen in fashion. Since then Sean has started a small but successful and highly sought after line called ROCKERS NYC. All you fashionistas and hipsters should already know....This picture is from earlier this year, Arnold Espiritu (Founder GreyOne), myself and Sean...I just saw him at RTB also...good to see people from back in the day elevating and getting it..PEACE.
Read more...

Black & Brown Project - Together As One (Niggaz & Mexicans)

Fuck It!!!! THe homies might be mad at me for this one ,but everytime Im on a plane, or playing new joints for some of fellow artist friends, I play this joint in the iTouch. About a year ago we started this project and did about 6-7 songs before jack got busy with the Muggs album. SInce then we have gotten deeper into our album and Jack is doing spot dates for The mask and The Assassin, but please believe the Self Scientific X Sick Symphonies - The Black & Brown Project - is coming...(probably next year) but , it's definitely gonna happen. Too necessary, we have a serious problem with the Black & Brown violence in this City (L.A.). too many dope songs already..so, here it is a lil treat for you real fans

Together As One (Niggaz & Mexicans)
Read more...

Elm Company X Chace Infinite - Designer Music

Designer Music-

Designer Music – Music has changed. Music is disposable. More people seem interested in the things that their favorite artists’ are into, more than their music. Today, everything design related has taken precedence over the music. It is as if the music is secondary to sneakers, clothes, hats, and gadgets. As a result, artists spend more time developing their product, and less time perfecting the music. Some artists even view their craft solely as a platform to launch merchandise.

Designer Music is an exclusive, limited line produced in collaboration with Chace Infinite of Self Scientific and Kevin Sanchez of Irvine. The series is inspired by the images and sounds that shaped Golden Era Hip-Hop. For those that know, the hats are intended to pay homage to the songs they represent. For those that don’t know, we intend to educate, and elevate.

Designed by Chace Infinite and veteran designer Kevin Sanchez , the hats are limited and only sold at select Elm Company dealers. Every hat is made in Downtown Los Angeles using the finest fabrics and craftsmanship.


Summetime - The Summertime hat was inspired by DJ Jazzy Jeff and Will Smith’s classic song “Summertime”, the quintessential Summer anthem from their classic album Homebase. Although Jeff & Will are considered some of the most commercial rappers of all time you can’t deny their groundbreaking classics like “Brand New Funk” , “Parents Just Don’t Understand” and “Summertime”. Not to mention, DJ Jazzy Jeff is one of the most respected and legendary DJ’s of all time.

Who can forget the images in the video? The classic Summertime BBQ seemed to capture the feel of the season. So we decided to take the inspiration from the BBQ scenes and created a hat that embodied the vibe of the song.

The fitted features a the traditional red/white gingham patterm, raised embroidery watermelon patch, and a sublimated cloud print liner. The Summerime hat also features a quote from the classic Summer anthem, which is also fitting ( pun intended) for the hat series “Just a little something break Monotony
Read more...

Amazing Feats of Creativity

I am constantly amazed by the huge and apparently endless variety of creative accomplishments I see on the Internet.  The Skittle Wrapper Prom dress is one of those amazing things that I never would have seen without the wonderful world of blogs.  I first saw this on the Craft Gossip Blog Network. The dress is made entirely of Skittles candy wrappers.  It is a stunning dress, beautifully designed and executed, and truly original. It looks very well made, too. The young lady who made it for her prom dress is simply a genius.   Please follow the link below to see photos of this VERY COOL dress and to read more about her process and, of course, the prom.   Note the matching shoes, too. Everything about this outfit is so inventive.  I am particularly impressed by the way she acquired her materials.  WOW!

http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=243397.msg2687230#msg2687230 

Reading about the dress led me to look at more candy wrapper art, which was a delightful journey in itself.  I've seen small candy wrapper handbag at a local eco clothing store.  They were too small for me (I like a roomy bag) and not inexpensive either.  It turns out that there are lots of websites with tutorials on how to make these bags and other accessories from all sorts of wrappers.  Here are just a few.  I'm wondering about trying the weaving technique with fabric strips.

www.candywrapperpurse.blogspot.com     http://rubyreusable.com/artblog/?p=805   http://iwannanewbag.blogspot.com/2007/04/purses-made-from-candy-wrappers-etc.html    http://fluffyland.com/blog/?page_id=50

Fun, interesting, plus an excellent  and very responsible reason to eat more candy!!!

Read more...

Make Art Every Day

This is pretty much my new mantra, the answer to most problems, and apparently the path to a happy life.  I started early this summer, and I must say it really helps me in lots of ways.  If I'm upset or frustrated, my first response  now is to make art.  If I'm at home, I go to the studio, but I can do this anywhere, anytime, and with just about anything, even if it's just a matchbook sketch or a plastic straw "sculpture".  It's almost addictive, a delightful high of sorts (without the hangover or legal issues) - the more I do, the more I want to do.  I rarely miss a day.  This is probably about endorphins.  Too bad I have never been able to get exercise to work the same way for me.

It didn't take long at all for this practice to become a firmly established habit.  Interestingly, the results don't seem to matter.  My internal critic seems to have no place in this process, no voice at all, which is LOVELY!  Now that I think of it, I haven't heard from my internal critic in a while.  Maybe it's dead!?!  Hooray! 

I think that part of the reason that the results don't matter is that I am not striving at all for completed works.  My idea is to have art making time, not to make this, that, or the other thing.   I can make something if I choose, but not having that as an objective is very freeing and satisfying.  Even cleaning the studio satisfies me, makes me feel better, happier, more energetic.  I've spent many happy hours lately sorting, culling, and reorganizing art tools, supplies, and books.  I've rediscovered all kinds of things I had forgotten about.  A large give away pile is steadily growing in the middle of the room. It's rather interesting that after all the years of believing that acquiring art materials would lead to making more art, it turns out now that giving stuff away is having that effect.

More about this later...

Read more...

O sertão JÁ virou mar.

Tantas coisas mudam...
Não tenho muito o que dizer, já que duzentas coisas estão passando pela minha cabeça agora e é impossível escrever assim. Só sei que as coisas não estavam certas, não estavam mesmo! Porém, o que fazer quando você não perdoa seus próprios erros e não consegue não se afogar no seu próprio mar? Eu sempre fui meio difícil, meio perdida nos meus pensamentos e, mesmo assim, sempre agi como se tivesse certeza dos meus atos. Sempre pensei demais, analisei demais e várias vezes deixei de ver o que estava na ponta do meu nariz. Não acho que isso seja errado ou certo - não dá para simplesmente mensurar a minha personalidade ou julgá-la. O fato é que eu não gosto do rumo que as coisas tomaram, mas não consigo achar minhas soluções ou respostas. Minha cabeça dói, meu mundo gira e eu ainda procuro mais uma das minhas verdades...

É isso, então, eu acho...

********************

Senti-me morta tantas vezes que quando a estrela da vida brilha dentro do meu corpo, fico sem saber como agir. A sensação de mudança nunca me trouxe conforto, mas eu nunca fui de me acomodar. Seria um novo caminho ou mesmo caminho com passos diferentes?

********************

Beijo e namastê ;)
Read more...

SEO and Adsense-the Common Factor

SEO and Adsense-the Common Factor
By Vickie J. Scanlon

There are some things that SEO and Adsense has in common. Surprised?


SEO Defined

SEO (search engine optimization) is the utilization of keywords within the Meta tags and within the body of your content to help the search engines to identify what your web page/website is
about.

If you and the search engines' algorithms are on the same page you will be rewarded with a good page ranking, so your target market will flock to you in groves. But this is the kicker, SEO is not an exact science, but one of trial and error. So be patient.


Adsense

Adsense is Google advertising. Once you sign up for Google Adsense, you can place pieces of java script code onto your site. In turn, Google Adsense will come by and place, hopefully, relevant
ads on your web page.


Once you have experimented with the color, size and positioning of your ads on the page, you are ready for the Google spider to roll through your site and put relevant ads on your site to give you a side income. Now that we know a little about SEO and Adsense, what do they have in common?


Adsense and SEO Common Factor

So what is Adsense and SEO's common factor. The spider:

1.cannot read images-you need to enlist the use of a title and the alt tag to identify the image for the search engines.
2.has trouble with Flash and dyanamic content (urls that have ? within it <>. Spiders get skiddish and will back out if it is too complex. And let me emphasis it needs to be simple.

To conclude, SEO is the hub for you to work on. Though quality content is important, it is the SEO work you have done that will help to get the quality ads from Adsense and people to your site.
Read more...

Adventures in creating a design wall

I moved from the tiny bedroom studio to the converted carport studio several years ago, and left my old design wall behind.  I missed it, but there just wasn't a good place in the new studio because every wall was busy, with doorways, windows, bookcases, birdcage, etc.  I developed some amusing work arounds, like going up to the loft and looking down over the edge to my worktable below to get some perspective.  Not great, but I thought it was the best I could do until I saw the perfect answer on Pamela Allen's blog http://pamelartnews.blogspot.com/2008_03_01_archive.html .  It's a rolling design wall, made from an inexpensive rolling garment rack and a sheet of rigid insulation board.  It's fabulous! So, I got started figuring out how to make one for myself.      

First some problems to work out.  Our local big box home center stores only had Styrofoam insulation board, which is weak and kind of floppy and the edges break down easily.  Solution Laminate the Styrofoam board to a sheet of luan.  Second, how to attach the upholstered board securely to the garment rack.  This took some fiddling, but I think my cable tie solution worked out well.  Velcro could have worked too, but I didn't have any on hand, and getting it snug might have been an issue. 

I am DELIGHTED with the results.  It rolls easily, works great, looks great, didn't cost much, and serves some bonus purposes I hadn't even considered.  When my naughty little studio mate Mylo Birdie shrieks (parrots are SOOOO loud!) I simply roll the design wall in front of his cage and he becomes quiet as a little mouse.  The quiet is followed by his soft, contrite, flirty voice, saying sweet little things like "I love u" and "Hi, baby".

I will soon add light storage, too, by hanging large pot hooks from IKEA over the rod at the back.  This should be ideal for stuff like aprons.   I may even suspend another hanging rod from the garment rack for a few small folded quilts.  I have written a tutorial to show how I created my design wall http://quiltrobin.typepad.com/quiltrobin_my_creative_jo/design-wall-tutorial.html. 

Read more...

I am so excited about having my own blog.  My goal for this blog is to document and share my creative journey, and all of the really cool things I find along the way.  I began reading blogs written by other textile artists  a couple of months ago.  This adventure has been a tremendous source of inspiration, encouragement, and discovery for me.  All the wonderful things I've read and seen have given me a great burst of energy and a "can do" perspective on reaching my creative goals.  I am completely amazed at the abundance of brilliant tutorials on blogs and other websites!  For example, this one on making a custom ironing board cover is sheer genius http://u-handbag.typepad.com/uhandblog/2008/01/super-easy-iron.html .  I sewed one up immediately.  It was indeed very easy, super fast, and quite beautiful!

I love taking classes and workshops, but I've been struggling to find just the right venue for some time.  I read about the City & Guilds courses in Quilting Arts Magazine, and I read Linda and Laura Kimball's book "The Painted Quilt" earlier this year, but hadn't seriously considered undertaking such a long term and costly commitment as their City & Guilds Patchwork and Quilting Certificate Course.  Checking out the student gallery images on their website http://www.lindakemshall.com/studentgallery.htm really clinched it for me.  I knew immediately this is exactly what I wanted to do.  I signed up for the course right away and have been spending just about every free moment since then working on the course.  It has been so much fun!  I've been dyeing fabrics, making mono-prints, transfer printing, designing, sketching, and so much more.  This truly is the very best decision I have ever made in my creative life.

So, welcome to my blog dear readers.  I hope you'll enjoy this as much as I do!

Read more...

Chace on SkeeTv

This was a done a lil while ago but some of you out there may never have seen it. Some o my sneaker related shit on SkeeTV..what up Skee!!! G1SA.....
Read more...

Storng Arm Steady Buggin Out....

The homies trippin on some random video blog shit. Why is Krondon wearing those fucking glasses?......
Read more...

O infinito é realmente um dos deuses mais lindos!

O mundo não me conhece e talvez nunca vá me conhecer. Eu não sou importante para o mundo, mas o mundo é importante para mim. Sou mais uma em mais de seis bilhões. Entretanto, com sorte, eu talvez consiga significar algo na vida de algumas pessoas. Talvez eu seja importante para elas e minha presença as alegre. Talvez eu as chateie ou as enoje. Talvez elas venham a me odiar ou a me amar.
Por maior que eu seja, meus passos não serão seguidos pela humanidade, mas pretendo deixar algumas marcas. Marcas nas pessoas que conviveram comigo. Que as minhas ações sejam as melhores para mim e para todos os que dividem o mesmo céu que eu. Que as minhas palavras sejam de conforto e não de raiva ou mágoa. Que eu possa ajudar aqueles que querem ajuda e mostrá-los que a verdade é uma necessidade. Que eles entendam o significado daquilo que tanto significa para mim: Um dia, um quarto. Que as pessoas que eu não esqueço jamais se esqueçam de mim. Que os meus dias mais felizes sejam os delas também. Que cada olhar que eu dê, reflita a minha alma e os sonhos de alguém que também precisa de ajuda, às vezes. Que eu possa cumprir todas as promessas que fiz e que sejam leais a mim todos a quem eu fui leal. Que a amizade verdadeira seja eterna. Que o amor verdadeiro seja eterno. Que as lembranças felizes sejam eternas. Que o tempo conserte todo coração partido ou dor do passado.

Eu pedi para a vida me mostrar o caminho certo, mas ela nunca me respondeu. Eu pedi a um deus qualquer um pouco de misericórdia e compreensão, mas ele jamais esteve presente para mim. Eu pedi sinceridade, mas recebi mentiras. Eu pedi alegrias, mas guardei tristezas...
Só depois de tanto tempo eu pude ver o que realmente existia. Eu encontrei a mão que eu sempre precisei. A ironia disso é que ela sempre esteve ali, me esperando, e eu sequer consegui ver. Esteve sempre ali, no final do meu braço. Tantas vezes ela enxugou as minhas lágrimas e foi mordida por medo, ansiedade ou dor.

A vida não me deu e nunca me dará as respostas que eu quero. Nada nunca vai ser fácil, mas também não precisava ter sido tão difícil. Eu aprendi a achar o meu caminho, a me abraçar, a chorar sozinha, a me dar colo e me entender. Eu aprendi tanto e esqueci tanto. Eu não vou deixar lembranças para muitos, mas eu vou saber que eu existi. De alguma forma, eu existi mesmo! Eu existi porque fui de verdade. Ser de verdade é errar, chorar e aprender. É não desistir quando tudo te leva a isso, mas também é perceber que insistir muito no que não te merece é burrice. É saber que você vai amar da sua forma e que vão te amar da forma deles e talvez até seja na mesma intensidade. É saber que não vão gostar de você, que vão querer te sufocar e reprimir, mas assim é o jogo. É perceber que você pode conquistar o que mais deseja e ter apenas que agradecer a você mesmo por isso. É ter sonhos, sonhá-los, realizá-los e sonhar mais. Sonhar sem parar. A vida não é feita de sonhos, porém nunca disseram que sonhar faz mal.

Deve ser porque não faz...

*********************

"Já não me preocupo
se eu não sei porquê .
Às vezes o que eu vejo
quase ninguém vê .
E eu sei que você sabe,
quase sem querer,
que eu quero o mesmo que você!"

*********************

Então, em dias como estes, eu olho para o céu e grito dentro de mim: "Ah! Como eu queria que você estivesse aqui!"
Read more...

SEO Quick Tip

When you are first beginning, the one item that is not thought of, or you are not aware of is SEO. Search Engine Optimization, is the way in which your target market and the search engines find you.

So, if you have a website, be aware that the Meta description and the Meta Title should contain your keywords. In addition, the Meta Title and the Meta Description should match the content of the page.

Some people when they first start out, slap the same Meta Title and Meta Description of their Index page on all their content pages. That could give you a lot of trouble with both the search engines and your target market.

Possibly the search engines will think you are spamming, and the target market is not finding what they thought they would find. And trust me, your target market is not going to take much time searching for what they want. Let's put it simply-they just clicked away.
Read more...

August 05, 2008 nhỚ MHX!

Hôm nay, đã 3 ngày sau khi mình trở về từ mảnh đất Cà Mau. Chia tay những đứa học trò dễ thương, chia tay bà con, ba má Tám, chia tay những người bạn và 9 anh em nữa.
Tự nhiên nhớ wá, 20 ngày và nhiều thật nhiều những kỉ niệm.
Nhớ lắm bài hát Việt Nam gấm hoa và dáng vẻ các bạn nữ mỗi tối tập múa.
Nhớ bé 6, bi h ko có ai ở đây để chọc ghẹo.
Nhớ anh 2, anh 3. nhớ bé Trúc... nhớ lại buổi tổng kết - không khí thật nóng, "rất là" hăng, cả thầy cô tình nguyện lẫn lũ trẻ, ai cũng gào khảng cả cổ và rồi chia tay trong nước mắt khi chính mình phải nói nên lời chia tay.
Nhớ bài hát Tạm biệt, giai điệu rất ấm, rất lưu luyến: Gặp nhau đây, rồi chia tay. Ngày VÀNG như đã vụt qua trong phút giây...", vang mãi trên môi những ngày cuối chiến dịch.
....................
tự nhiên thấy nhớ nhìu wá, Mùa hè xanh đong đầy trong tôi những trải nghiệm và lòng tôi giờ đây trào lên NỖI NHỚ!


Read more...

Chile Performance footage

I know its old but damn it just surfaced on youtube also, peep the whole thing we perform a new song called Deeper Roots towards the end of the clip and I start banging on ol Georgey.....SS 4 Life!!!
Read more...

Strong Arm Steady EPK

Strong Arm Steady EPK from gregthedude on Vimeo.

SAS -
Read more...