Lovelace in the City: A Single Girl's Guide to Valentine's Day

As you know Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching and being the single friend is not always fun. Since Valentine’s Day is on a Monday, there will be couples out in full force the entire weekend. The famous day of love can turn out good or bad; depending on how you approach it. You have a choice to enjoy the day despite not having a Valentine. Or you have the choice to be miserable or depressed and reminisce on all the Valentine’s days of the past. Well I am choosing to enjoy my entire weekend. My plans consist of celebrating my single-hood with a body wrap, shopping, working out, dinner, and homework (that has to be done). If I start to get sad or envious of my friends because they are in relationships, I will remind myself there are damn good reasons why I am not with any of my exes and be thankful I'm not in a volatile relationship.

I thought of a few suggestions for the single Valentine:

If you have single friends, throw a singles’ party. Everyone can appreciate a nice dinner, wine and good old girl talk.

Pamper yourself. Make an appointment at your local spa for a manicure, pedicure or facial. Making myself feel good always puts me in a good mood.

Buy yourself flowers and candy. Who made a rule saying a significant other has to buy those items? At least you will not have to guess what kind of chocolate is in the box, you'll get what you like. Besides who knows you better than you?

Go shopping. Retail therapy is always the best therapy!

Go to a club or bar. Remember, you are not the only single person in the world and you may just meet your future Valentine!

Spend time with family. What better way to spend the holiday dedicated to love than to spend time with the people you love most.

So get up and get out this Valentine’s Day! Don't think about what could have or should have been; it's in the past and did not work for a reason. I know I will have the best Valentine’s Day with the love of my life; just not this year! I hope everyone has a Happy Valentine’s Day!

Remember ladies, love yourself first and laugh at the fools who don’t!

XOXO Angel

TGIF! What... It's Not Friday Yet?!

So it's almost the end of the week, so I'm already thinking about what's going on this weekend. I shouldn't be so ready for the weekend considering I was shut in the house last week because of the ice storm.

Friday night, I'm getting a body wrap. Believe me there will be a LOT of pictures on here and my Tumblr documenting that experience. Other than that, I have no definite plans yet.

Last weekend, my bestie from college came down to visit. So we and my friend Tobey went to dinner, followed by a fashion show presented by Mode Magazine and then slammed Irish Car Bombs at Claddagh Irish Pub in downtown Indy. Here are some pics:

Soon as we walked into Claddagh I saw them. I was drawn by his faux mustache.

Tobey

I've known Jenny for over 15 years...we always have a great time, no matter how much time we spend apart.




                         Oh...and I got GREAT news. 

Plus size model Ana Garcia is going to share some of her photos with us from next week's Curvy Revolution conference in Las Vegas.  Stay tuned for that!

Love is in the Air

Takia and her hubby

With St. Valentine’s Day just five days away, the cupid in us can make some good or bad choices when it comes to holiday. People fall in love and forget how and why they are with their mate. Sometimes you have to stroll back down memory lane. Take a look at your mate and find something they do that makes you want to love them all over again.

Play Cupid with some fun games.

Leave love notes around the house for the next five days.

Write a love poem about how you met and frame it.
Create a box or jar and fill it up with different role play games or positions.

Date for two: make meals together and feed each other.

Create the mood with candles, fuzzy blankets, music, wine and fresh fruits.

Let’s stay in, order your favorite restaurant.

Forget the overcrowded restaurants; make a basket or meal for your mate  and set it up in middle of the living room floor.
Dinner for two: set the table for a romantic chow down. Candles or flowers can be the center piece. Use your best dishes and cover the table with a lace table cloth.

Movie Night: pick from comedy to your favorite romantic, popcorn, soda and favorite candies.

Music to your ears, dance with your mate. (Great to use when Strip teasing)

Use your cable box; it has variety of music collections.

Pandora

Make a CD with all your favorite love songs.

Create playlist on iPOD.

~Takia

Midwest Love: I Got a Sweetooth for Sweetooth Couture

While blogging for Aesthetic Design Style (ADS), I happened upon a plus size independent designer from Cleveland, OH. Anytime there's a designer from my own backyard I have to showcase them. Here is a reprint of the interview I did last month for ADS with Sweetooth of Sweetooth Couture. I did buy two pieces from the designer. I should get them soon. I will post them when I do!

Full name?

Rachel Kacenjar

How long have you been designing?
About 3 years.


Where are you from?
Cleveland, Ohio

How did you come up with the name Cupcake Cuddlebunny? Sweetooth?
Cupcake & Cuddlebunny was just supposed to be a temporary name when I came up with it. I started out just doing alterations and someone was interested in a garment that required an invoice, so I thought I should probably have a name/logo/separate bank account. One of my nicknames was "cupcake" and I called my cat my "cuddlebunny" all the time, so I just threw it together. I'm actually changing the name of the company to "Sweetooth Couture" in the coming weeks. Too many folks think my business is a bakery or a kids clothing store, so its just easier that way.

Sweetooth Couture is meant to still sound sassy like C&C, and embody the campyness, fun style, and daring lines my clothing offers. I really only came up with it because I like the idea of a tooth as a symbol for ferociousness!

Petal Pink Frock (retail $38)

Why plus size? Why vintage? Why couture?
I started doing plus size stuff because I've been a plus sized person most of my life and up until recently, have always struggled to find the type of clothing I've wanted to wear. I've had a deep love for vintage clothing for as long as I can remember, and so much of it is really small in the bust and waist even if you're lucky enough to find it in larger sizes. Vintage clothing has so much to offer that today's clothing doesn't have- impeccable construction, glamour, fine details. What's not to love?

The dilemma here is that when you're a modern size 18 like I am, you end up searching for cute stuff in vintage size 22-24, which is basically the chupacabra of clothing. Its hard to find, and when you do find it, its usually overpriced at an actual vintage store, as opposed to the cheaper items you can score at the thrift store or at estate sales.

When I moved to New York City to finish my psychology degree in 2005, I found that there were basically no thrift stores that carried plus sized vintage (Re/Dress NYC wasn't open yet), so when I'd visit my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, I'd thrift my little heart out and come back to NYC with garbage bags full of dresses that needed repairs or alterations. This is basically when I began to teach myself how to sew.

Lollipop Dress (retail $72)

I moved back home a couple of years later and my friends and acquaintances noticed my style and I started to get a lot of requests to do personal shopping and make stuff for folks. I think a lot of people have that special garment that they have a lot of sentimental value wrapped up in, and often our bodies grown and change and that garment sits in some one's closet for the rest of their lives. I really wanted to unearth those garments for folks and alter them to fit again, so couture ended up being part of what I offer. I certainly am no couturier by the strictest of standards, but I believe that one of a kind, hand sewn, custom garments are special, and people of size deserve them!

By the Summer of 2008, I had a 6 month long wait list for custom garments, and I thought I should probably open an Etsy store to make my order management easier, so that's how Cupcake & Cuddlebunny was born.

Zoetrope Keyhole Dress (retail $48)

I started designing the Sweetooth line last year because I had so many customers get irritated with me when I'd only offer one of a garment. I had never designed before, and quite honestly am a terrible drawer, so I took what I knew about pattern making (very little) and tried to create a line of 12 pieces that embodied a lot of the requests for custom clothing that I'd received. Working with a manufacturer to produce pieces brought on a whole new set of challenges that I've never dealt with before, but it was a really great learning experience. I've received a wonderful response from the Winter 2011 line, and am working on a Summer line right now.

What type of woman is a Sweetooth Couture woman?
I think a Sweetooth Couture woman (and I don't just want to cater to women- I want anybody who likes my clothing to wear it) is bold and confident. I don't make clothing to hide people's bodies, I want it to enhance people's bodies. Coco Chanel was at the forefront of breaking women from wearing corsets and girdles from day-to-day, and I really try to embody that spirit. I'd like to think that when people wear my clothing, they feel liberated, sexy and stylish no matter what their size or shape.

Chips Ahoy Dress (retail $78)

What's special about Sweetooth Couture?
Sweetooth Couture is special because it makes people feel special. I try my best to run an ethical business as well. I'd say about 95% of the fabric I use is vintage or "upcycled" as fancy folks like to say, and most of my zippers, buttons, appliques, and trim are vintage as well. My new line uses a lot of recycled cotton and sustainable wool. I promote altering old clothing so folks don't go out and buy new stuff that's made in a sweatshop. I pack things in re-usable envelopes as much as I can, print on only recycled paper, and try to make things as affordable as possible. I employ a non-profit pricing structure that pays me $15 an hour for my work + materials costs and that's it. I'm a one-person show, so that helps to keep costs as low as possible. I am very serious about providing honest and reliable customer service, too! It gets really hard to compete with big box stores on that type of thing, but I really do try my best.

Explain how you construct your pieces? Vintage?
I am a huge proponent of doing custom fittings. Obviously I don't always have the luxury of that when folks are ordering online, but having an accurate set of your own measurements is almost impossible to get by yourself, so when I can fit someone and then fit them a second time during construction of a garment, I know it will fit as accurately as possible. If I just have measurements to work with, I crank my adjustable dress form to those measurements and make it work.

After a fitting, I take into consideration where the customer will wear the garment and what it is for, and try to find the best fabric to suit their needs. I end up making a lot of garments out of vintage polyester, which most people despise even thinking about, but in reality, it doesn't wrinkle, has a good amount of stretch, and does not lose shape or color after several washings. (Its also never going to biodegrade, so I think its great to have people wear it instead of throwing it out.) I usually have a customer send me links to garments they like or provide me with pictures, and I go from there. I tend to put my own design spin on garments, which most people really like. If someone wants me to make a reproduction of something, I usually turn the job down. I'm a designer first, seamstress second. I don't really want to spend my time making stuff that already exists.

What are your inspirations?
My main inspiration is the social and political implication that fat people should be ashamed of their bodies. I want to defy that notion, and I do, each and every day with the way I dress AND what I do for a living. My friends also have a huge impact on what I design. I am lucky to have many gorgeous, plus sized, confident people in my life and I feel honored that they think the art I make is special enough to actually wear out in public. They inspire me to keep plugging away when I feel like I can't do it.

Taffy Pull Dress (retail $62)

 Do you prefer independent designers or mainstream designers?
Independents, definitely. I think what happens a lot of the time is that Independent designers grow weary of constantly scrapping and scraping for things like food, rent, and health insurance, and end up selling out to mainstream lines and stores. That's the nature of the beast, and I don't judge anyone for doing what they have to do to get by or get ahead in this industry. Its hard to get your voice heard, you know what I mean? Some of my favorite independent clothing designers are Bertha Pearl of Size Queen, Valerie Mayen of Yellowcake, Mondo Guerra, Lucy Peterson of Hissyfit, Leanne Marshall, and Rodarte.


Who are you influences?
Though it doesn't show much in my clothing, I am undeniably in love with the more outlandish couture fashion giants. Alexander McQueen, Vivienne Westwood, Heatherette, oldschool Karl Lagerfeld. I think my fashions most reflect Mary Quant and Coco Chanel, or at least I hope they do.

What is the average price of your pieces?
$14-$78 with some "couture" or super fancy vintage that needed a lot of work going a bit higher. Custom work is $15 per hour plus the cost of materials.

Divinity Dress (retail $68)

What is your favorite piece?
The Divinity Dress. It's really simple if you take off the epaulettes and really fancy when you attach them.

Do you have any side projects you want to share with our readers?
Yes! I am working alongside Valerie Mayen, from Project Runway Season 8 to build a sewing co-op and fashion incubator in Cleveland, Ohio called Buzz and Growl. (You can check it out at www.buzzandgrowl.com) Its her brainchild, but I'm working with her to establish it as a non-profit and secure funding for youth programming. I'm really excited to see how it turns out!

Thanks for doing the interview Rachel!!

Stop by Sweetooth Couture's website and Etsy page to view more looks from this designer!

My Faves This Week

It's been a while since I've blogged on Ruby Leonne. I am a blogger for Aesthetic Design Style as well. Make sure you jump over there and read the blog. So here are my faves so far this week:

Curat's Cherry Bombastic (retail $5)

Makeup Artist M. Renee Al-Eryani of Fierce Looks is creator of this all natural line of soaps. Because it's Curat's first birthday she's having a sale on their Cherry Bombastic scent. I ordered some last night! Can't wait to get it. She says it smells like Cherry Now-a-Laters! Mmmm...

Carnelian Crystal

Scrounging around this weekend, I found a necklace with the semi precious gemstone of my zodiac sign. The stone is said to give eloquence to public speaking, relieve depression, dispels apathy, removes fear of death, purifies the blood, relieves menstrual cramps, back pain, nose bleeds and enhances desire and motivation. A lot of job descriptions for a such little stone. I got it...we will see how it goes.

(photo from CBC Sports) Cutey Aaron Rodgers!

Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl last night! YAY! No more football until August or possibly longer if there's a lockout! BOO! If there is a Super Bowl next year, it's in Indianapolis! YAY! Football ending means spring is on its way! YAY! I LOVE FOOTBALL. The Super Bowl always makes me sad. What to do on Sunday afternoons now?

Chloe Narcisse (retail $35.49 for 3.4oz)

Found my favorite fragrance on Overstock.com. Chloe Narcisse was released in 1992 and now it is so hard to find. This was my signature fragrance back in my young Ball State days. My roommates and I used it like water. I'm happy I found it. I pray Overstock NEVER runs out! 

Ruby Needs Your Help: Shopper's Psychology 101

If some of you don't know, I work for a fashion public relations/marketing house called Aesthetic Design Style. So two things: make sure you stop by the blog, aestheticdesignstyle.blogspot.com, (I write for this blog as well) and read the tribute we're doing for Black History Month. Everyday we will feature an African American pioneer in the fashion industry.

I like you to do me a favor and fill out a survey. Aesthetic Design Style wants to see your how and where you shop. Filling out the survey and providing your email address to subscribe to our newsletter enters you in a drawing for a chance to win this limited edition ShaSAM3 neck piece. One entry per email. Survey and contest over March 28, 2011. Winner will be notified by email April 1, 2011.

Complete the survey below; it will take you five minutes...really! Thanks guys!

Forget Snowpocalypse 2011, Let's Talk About Eats for the Super Bowl

The NFL season is at an end; time for Super Bowl weekend.  The Sunday of the Super Bowl is the second largest day for food consumption in the United States; after Thanksgiving Day. With that said, your menu must speak volumes to your guests. The menu can be simple to creative. This year our family decided to do a pitch-in. Pitch-in allows you to have a variety of food and hopefully enough for everyone to enjoy. Super Bowl parties are great when you have a game plan. 

BYOB: Bring Your Own Bowl for dishes that are prepared/served in a bowl.  This is great for salads, soups, chili, nachos dishes, etc.

Pile It On. Make your own Sub Sandwiches. (Meat & Cheese Tray)

Skinny Dip! Make your favorite finger food and dip. (Wings, Cheesesticks, Poppers, & Quesadilla)

Chips & Dip This combo is great having guest make their favorite dip. (Queso dip)

Pizzeria.Whether you make or order Pizza is a party pleaser.

Fire up your barbecue grill and char your favorite foods.

Buffet Style, have your guest bring in their specialty. 

Go to the border; Mexican dishes are fun to create. 

Make a Food Bar from pasta, salads to baked potatoes.

The Crock pot is hot; stuff the pot with your favorite meatballs, link or fondue sauce.

2.      

Check out some websites for ideas

http://www.gfs.com/

http://www.foodnetwork.com

http://www.drinksmixer.com/

http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/dinner/neely-recipes.aspx

Food Safety

http://www.fsis.usda.gov/News_&_Events/NR_012706_01/index.asp

Takia