Twisted tulip skirt designed by Cindee(me hehe)

I haven't posted up any of my garment creations lately so i thought it's about time. Wrap skirt, silk blend, gold top stitching and a sash that can be tied to the side or can also be worn as a head scarf.

This skirt can be worn 2 ways:

♥ If you are feeling cute and girlie you can wear it like the first picture on the left(blouson)
♥ Or if you are feeling more sophisticated just twist the hem to create and interesting effect and a more fitted style. Taa-daa. Am i a genius or what?

Making Waves

I know its a lil late to post wknd pics bcos we are now in the middle of the week but better late than never right? So I had a pretty good wknd considering that I havent been out for a while. It was one of those nights that I didnt want to see end. I got home at 6 in the morning. Not bad. lol* So the above collage is an interpretation of what I wore on Saturday. My white leather jacket over white graphic tee with faded fabric finishing, paired with a black satin miniskirt and black stockings.

(ok i know i put my name on all my pics but there's a reason for that!)

And to make my overall look a little more exciting, I used my brand new hair waver from Bed Head. Ordered it online from Folica. I've always been a fan of wavy/crimpy hair. I received this product super fast considering how eager i was and it was fun to use. Time consuming but fun. But then again the first time for anything is always fun.

It is a dual waver with a barrel that can be adjusted depending on how deep you want the waves. I had it on the deeper setting. It was slightly awkward to use at first because each time you go down the length of ur hair you have to match the barrel with where you left off. It was also difficult to crimp the hair at the back of my head. I barely use hairspray in my hair but for this look its necessary or else you look like a frizz ball. Hairspray gives the waves more definition.

If you dont want to spend money on a product like this another alternative is to braid your hair. I'll wash my hair before I go to bed, blowdry it until its about 80% dry and start braiding. After i finish the braids I'll go over them with leave in conditioner followed by hairspray or mousse. Blow dry the braids and go to bed. If I have no where to be the next day I'll leave it on until I go out for the evening.

So in this pic the waves were created with braids. Looks pretty similar hey?

Braiding, can be more time consuming but its healthier & less damaging on your hair

Links of the Week - Style

There are no set rules for how to dress and how to have style but there are always guidelines and tips you can choose to follow or add to your knowledge. Dressing up should be fun. That's what I love about being a girl.

♥ "Dear woman of the world: Everyone deserves the right to self-expression, especially if it is not conflicting with another person’s life...." read more
♥ Gala's guide to dressing up and choosing sunglasses that suit you
♥ Guide to Outstanding Personal Style from Doo Deere's blog
♥ Do a closet cleanse. There's a lot of emotional residue hanging in our closets. The jeans that will eventually fit you again after you lose 5 pounds, the dress that you wore on your first date, the "lucky" blazer that you wore which got you your dream job, the teeny bikini that no longer fits but you keep because it reminds you of "supposed" happier times when you were younger and thinner.... Ask yourself, does everything deserve to be there? Try not to hold onto things you no longer need. I promise you, you'll feel ten pounds lighter =P
♥ Improve your posture. It makes a big difference. Mentally it helps you feel more confident & physically you look slimmer and taller. As a bonus your clothes will look better bcos they are falling where they're supposed to

♥ I love looking through japanese fashion magazines. They are full of styling ideas.
♥ Browse stylish clothing at Chictopia
♥ Ask yourself: "Am I wearing the clothes, or are the clothes wearing me." Why is it that some ppl can pull off wearing outrageous items of clothing while others look like they are trying too hard? It's because the ppl who can pull things off know themselves, they know who they are. Intead of letting clothing define them, they use it to express themselves and their personality. There is a difference.
♥ Best designer deals on the web
♥ 5 Rules for Timeless Style
♥ Book recommendation: A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style by Tim Gunn. "Its is important to note that there is a difference between homage and parody. While we encourage you to draw inspiration from your favorite inventors, this does not give you free rein to dress as an Angelina Jolie or Martha impersonator. Real style is achieved when accenting your signature look with one of theirs"

Quote of the week

“A style does not go out of style as long as it adapts itself to its period. When there is an incompatibility between the style and a certain state of mind, it is never the style that triumphs.”

Coco Chanel

Transformation - The Butterfly

credit: Samantha Hahn

A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.

So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.

The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.

The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our lives. If God allowed us to go through our lives without any obstacles, it would cripple us.

We would not be as strong as what we could have been. We could never fly!

"These pieces explore themes of transformation and recovery through the metamorphosis of crushed beer cans from the streets of New York into flocks of realistically crafted butterflies." - Paul Villinski

Cindee's sample of work

Hi guys. Sorry havent been posting. I've been working on putting some of my work together. The illustrations took 4 long days to complete. And I'm not talking a few hrs a day. I'm talking from 10am - midnight. The reason why is because 1) Im a perfectionist and 2) the process had many steps. First I drew up the sketches on paper, then scanned it onto the computer and from there, traced it with Adobe Illustrator and did the coloring and rendering on Photoshop. Even tho it took awhile to put together I enjoyed every bit of it & Im so happy of the outcome. Well, here are a few pages... enjoy!

Inspiration: Exhaustingly beautiful ballerinas with their structured poise and smooth and fluid movements.
Colors: Milky colors just like faded dreams
Season: Spring/Summer

Fashion Designing

credit: Samantha Hahn

This is only advice that I'm passing on through personal experience.
If any of you are thinking of going into the fashion design business, here are some things to consider:

Your dream shouldn’t be focused on being seen as a designer. It should be focused on BEING a designer. Don’t be in it for the wrong reasons….fame…popularity. You have no idea how much work is involved in designing. Its not just about coming up with ideas and sketching them out. It requires so much more than that. It requires hard work, discipline, sweat, blood and PASSION. These ingredients are all important. I’d have to say passion helps me the most when Im faced with obstacles and discouragement. When I was at Blanche we started off with about 20-some ppl and by the end, half the class dropped out or got kicked out bcos the work and stress wasnt that they expected.

You will live, eat & breathe your business. Designers work 7 days a week and work at LEAST 12 hrs a day with barely any time for anything else. It will be your lifestyle. and it demands self-discipline to follow your own structure, meet deadlines and stay focused on your daily goals.

As I said before, a designer takes on many roles. The reality is you’ll be designing only about 10% of the time. The rest of the time you spend is on paperwork, pattern making, sampling, sourcing, production of your garments, researching your target market, following up on emails…the list goes on.

If you’re not organized, learn to be. This is one of the biggest challenges I faced because I am such a scatterbrain. Its important to give yourself structure or else you’ll end up getting distracted & lose focus on your daily goals. You need to be able to handle things financially… keeping records of your expenses and all that stuff. If not hire a professional to help. If you dont, in the end you will lose money. This is my current challenge =P

Dont force your creativity. The more pressure you put on yourself the more frustrated you will become. Creativity is natural so let it come naturally. If you find yourself stuck, take a break and get inspired. Go to the art gallery, flip through magazines, click around on the internet. Dont just limit yourself to fashion…look for inspiration in nature, in architecture, in illustrations, paintings and other artists’ work.

Links of the Week - Love

credit: {mainemomma2007}

So this week's links are love related. Love is more than just romantic love.... it is the love we feel for friends, for family, for anything we are passionate about. So love your life... love the things you do and surround yourself with things that make you happy =) Cheers.... March is here.

credit: {Cinnamon}

♥ Buy a card for a friend and surprise her/him with it by writing why you are grateful for them
♥ Take a friend out for lunch...or even better, a fondue date. If you're in Calgary The Living Room has quite a delightful chocolate fondue platter with fruits & cookies to dip into chocolatey goodness
♥ Read this article on Understanding Human Relationships by Steve Pavlina and another good one from ThinkSimpleNow blog is: How to Build Intimacy in Any Relationship
♥ Stay in one wknd and rent Chick Flicks with your girlfriends

credit {lobsterandswan}

♥ Send a handwritten letter on pretty stationary or on postcards and snail mail it. I dont know anyone who really does this anymore but I also don't know anyone who doesn't love receiving mail the old fashion way.
♥ Learn to be a better listener. Yes, we know how to talk but do we know how to listen?
♥ Practice doing random acts of kindness to brighten up someone's day. Visit Operation NICE to read some cool stories on other's random acts of kindness
♥ Inspire other ppl to see the best in themselves

Credit: sorry im not sure

♥ Wear cute and pretty pj's to bed
♥ An article on How to Love Yourself and another on Building Confidence
♥ Start a little notebook full of quotes and words that inspire you
♥ Sit in your warm tub, fill it with bubbles and daydream
♥ Share your thoughts with others. I've noticed that I've been having a hard time doing this verbally to ppl. I have a huge dislike for talking on the phone and a strong hesitance to explain myself fully(verbally) without getting frustrated. I will save you the details but this is something I definitely need to work on.
♥ I love you more than..... and check out their cute totes

♥ Cute heart-shaped cutting board to help cook dinner for your bf/gf. Make it a day to just focus on each other.
♥ Notice & acknowledge the little things they do for you
♥ Daydream together while sipping on a glass of wine

♥ A great article on love and another on How to Find True Love
♥ Book recommendation: The Authentic Heart by John Amodeo. I first picked up this book at the library when I was around 16 and after reading it once I went to buy it. Since then I've read it 4 more times and each time I seem to take something different from it. I think this book was a good investment. You can read the book here.
♥ Be playful.