by MissMalaprop on July 25, 2010
My wonderful boyfriend took some fabulous pictures last night at Worn Again NOLA 4. More pictures can be found on my Flickr photostream.
Congrats to all of the talented designers, and to the winners: Best in Show – Meghann Harney, Best Professional – Veronica Russell, Best Amateur – Antoinette de Alteriis, and Honorable Mention – Cely Tapplette-Pedescleaux. And let me say, honestly, it was so hard to pick winners, and even to pick the top 10 designers – there were some we really duked it out over last Saturday during the judging process. Everyone did such an amazing job, it was hard to pick winners!
My personal favorite was this Top 10 dress, designed by Kendra Morris. Dave got into a bidding war during the silent auction, trying to get it for me for my birthday (which is Wednesday, July 28). We lost, but I appreciated the effort! This dress is gorgeous! Although I have to say, I’m glad I finally got some photos of the dress I wore to the event, which is my Horizontality Dress by Ureshii.
Congrats again to all of the winners! This event is always a lot of fun, and it always helps to benefit a great local cause, this year Press Street.
by MissMalaprop on July 21, 2010
Hey Saints fans! For those of you New Orleans Saints lovin’ ladies who want to show your team spirit this upcoming football season, but don’t dig the oversized jersey look, check out the new collection of mini-fleur vintage inspired dresses from Trashy Diva. Available in 5 different styles, this new print features sweet little fleur de lis on a field of black, perfect for the fanciest of black-and-gold Who Dat fans!
by MissMalaprop on March 18, 2010
I’ve been hinting at it for what feels like months now, and the time has finally arrived: my new Shop Miss Malaprop online store is now live!
Here are just a few of the things you’ll find inside:
Hackberry iSockit Deluxe Cell Phone or MP3 Case Hackberry iSockit Deluxe Cell Phone or MP3 Case by Blythe King
Kamakura Zen Pouch of 5 Reusable Grocery or Shopping Bags by b.b.begonia
NOLA Love Unisex Organic Crew T-shirt
All Natural Absinthe Soap, handmade by Sweet Olive Soap Works of New Orleans
Happy Vegetable Reusable Veggie Bags in Green by Wonder Thunder
Consider this a “soft launch”. I’m still adding products (the jewelry category is currently empty, but that will change very soon!), but I tested the shopping cart the other night and as far as I can tell everything works, so I invite you to check it out! I’ll be doing a big media push in the next few weeks, but if you like what you see, please feel free to pass it along!
You can use the coupon code open4biz at checkout for 10% off! Limit 1 per customer; coupon expires June 30, 2010.
If you notice any glitches or errors anywhere, PLEASE let me know. I’d also love any suggestions or general feedback! I’ll be adding more artists and products to the site, so if you have an idea of something you think would be a good fit, let me know that too!
by MissMalaprop on March 17, 2010
It’s time for another giveaway, this time from Melvita’s organic skin care products line. They’ve offered up one of their Ultra-Nourishing Fondant Body Balms and their Naturalift Anti-wrinkle Cream to one lucky reader! (That’s a $70 retail value!)
Melvita specializes in natural cosmetics and organic skin care products that meet the strict standards of ECOCERT, the organic certification organization founded in France in 1991. Melvita uses the finest ingredients from organically farmed and responsibly harvested sources, and is committed to keeping harmful chemicals such as parabens and phthalates out of their products. (No nasty stuff here!)
I love that the company founder, Bernard Chevilliat, is both a beekeeper and biologist. (If you’ve been a long-time reader, you might remember that I’m slightly obsessed with the plight of the bees — the idea of bees dying, and scientists being unable to figure out why, totally freaks me out.) Bernard felt the same way when he founded Melvita in 1983, and says of his concern for the bees: “This was why, from the outset, I wanted to place ‘nature at heart’ of our approach and of our ecological and humanistic concerns.”
Melvita offers a variety of organic and natural products for skin and body, including floral waters to naturally help cleanse skin and remove makeup, and plant oils, which offer time honored benefits for your skin, hair, nails and eyelashes. The Naturalift Anti-wrinkle Cream is made from the moisturizing extract of wild beech buds, hibiscus seeds, which help reduce the appearance of fine lines, and buddleia, which works to eliminate free radicals in your skin. Melvita’s Ultra-Nourishing Fondant Body Balm hydrates skin with cocoa and shea butters, while the oils of safflower and sunflower add additional moisturizing. One user noted that it’s “the most decadent body balm I have ever tried”. A pretty stellar review, don’t you think?
This giveaway is open to residents of the continental U.S. only. (Sorry to Alaska, Hawaii, and international readers, I’ll try to have something for you soon…) To enter, all you need to do is leave a comment on this post by midnight on Friday, April 2, 2010 (Central Standard Time – go here to figure out what time that is where you are). Limit 1 entry per person. Winner will be chosen at random from the comments. Please use a valid email address, as that’s how I’ll be contacting the winner. (I won’t share it with anyone, I promise!) If you are chosen as the winner, you must respond to my email within 1 week from the date I send it to let me know your mailing address, or an alternate winner will be chosen.
Let me know – is natural and organic important to you in skin care and cosmetics? I know I definitely try to avoid the harmful chemicals wherever possible and always try to take the time to read ingredient labels before I buy body care and cosmetics products.
by MissMalaprop on March 16, 2010
I’ve noticed a similar theme with a couple of submissions I’ve received from two artists recently: they’re both using handbags and tote bags as the canvas for their art. I think this is a great approach, as I’ve always loved art that is both beautiful and functional.
Rebecca Sherman is a 28 year old Brooklyn based artist and designer with a BFA in Studio Art from NYU. She recently launched her new line of eco-friendly totes, dubbed BHEKI bags to incorporate her art in a functional and accessible format. Her classic tote designs feature digitally printed images from her ‘Bodies of Water’ series of paintings and digital drawings. She also creates one of a kind totes featuring interpretations of her paintings using embroidery, metallic fabric paint and other embellishments. You can find more of Rebecca’s tote bag creations, plus her original artwork in her Etsy shop.
Julianne Fuchs-Musgrave creates handbags that double as wearable art by hand painting her work onto cotton canvas and twill handbags as well as on purses crafted from recycled leather and suede. She also paints onto other clothing and accessories, but personally, I find the bags to be the most accessible and beautiful pieces. A great handbag is something most people use on a daily basis, and I love this idea of keeping a beautiful work of art with you on the go. You can check out more of her bags at her website, Jolly Juli.
by MissMalaprop on March 14, 2010
I’ve seen a lot of neat things done with old vinyl records, but these jewelry storage & display stands made from old 45s really caught my eye. I couldn’t help thinking how great they would be for display in a retail shop or at a craft show.
The base of the stand is made from sewing machine bobbins – so clever! There are so many other cool recycled products in the artist’s shop, Make Shop Live. Plus, there is a great tutorial on their blog about dying buttons! I’d never even thought to try dying buttons, but I think it’s a very clever idea and I love the tutorial on how to do it!
