The Spice Girls... Sex and the Military

I was never a HUGE fan, but I do like their music from the old days, so I'm glad they're back.
These shots are from their performance at the Victoria's Secret Show. I'm just loving the Military look....reminds me of when I sang as part of The Andrew Sisters in highschool. So sassy!

Some of my Etsy favourites...

In the following 2 treasuries [don't ask me how I snagged 2 at the same time, but I did], I have posted some of my favourite Etsy items in time for your Christmas shopping delight.

My first treasury "THINGS I WANT FOR XMAS" is full of many of my faves from Etsy artists.

... and my second treasury is entitled "Victorian Wunderland" and it's full of amazing Victorian -inspired pretties. Enjoy!

Under the Love Tree...and in the Candy Shop

I must have missed these lil' cuties in my post about KisstheFrog and her amazing work, so I've decided to add them today! But, trust me when I tell you that there are so many more sweet pieces to choose from in Maria's shop!

How cute is this little one?!?!? This piece is called "Under the Love Tree"


Oh, there are just sooo many pretties in this shop...I 've just eyed these as well!
"Candy Shop Note Card Set" Get yours in time for the holidays as these would make great stocking stuffers!

Keep up the great work, Maria!! We love your vision!

xxx
Raven

Cuties!!

A sweet new treasury has featured my little cuties, Tweedle and Deedle. This photograph was taken of 2 adorable teeny tiny bisque dolls that reminded me of Alice in Wonderland. How happy they must be to be amongst so many other talented artists and their cuties!

CUTIES Treasury West by KISSTHEFROG
Thank you, KisstheFrog!

KisstheFrog is another amazing artist on Etsy. Her "Secret Admirer Gift Tags" & "Mystery Girl Portrait"are my favourites! Sooo cute! Be sure to visit her shop for more Pretties!

The Most Popular Couple on Etsy!

Here's my latest treasury entitled "The Most Popular Couple on Etsy". Please be sure to check it out as it included some of my recent faves that I'm sure you will fall in love with too!

Japan and all its Wunderment...

I have always had a sweet fascination with the Japanese culture....in fact, I am almost positive I was a Geisha in a former life. [I'd love to do past life regression someday soon to confirm this.]

When I was a young girl, I had a pair of those Japanese wooden clogs or Geta.

Geta are made of one piece of solid wood forming the sole and two wooden blocks underneath with a thong that goes between the toes at the front. Geta were not for fashion, but to keep a kimono from touching the ground.

Normally, it takes significant practice to walk in Geta safely and elegantly, but for me as a 7 year old girl, it was if I was born wearing them. I never took them off, wearing them with shorts, pants and skirts. Even now, I have a pair...granted they are a modern day version made of rubber, but they are super kewl...just not great for wearing on the streets of NYC.

(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸ * * *¸.•'´¯)¸.•'´¯)¸.•'´¯)

For my last Art show, entitled "Bound" I did my version of the Kokeshi doll made in clay.
The name 'kokeshi' itself is thought to derive from a combination of names given to the wooden dolls in the various areas of their manufacture. In addition to being ornamental, they are also seen as charms to prevent fires or even ward off evil.

(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸ * * *¸.•'´¯)¸.•'´¯)¸.•'´¯)

"Hiroko Bound" was the first Kokeshi I did and to this day remains one of my all time favourites. As you can tell, it's not a traditional Kokeshi, but my avant-garde version.

Bound by Beauty.
Bound by Silence.
Bound by Emotion.
Bound by Society.
She cannot be kept.

(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸ * * *¸.•'´¯)¸.•'´¯)¸.•'´¯)

I also sculpted smaller Kokeshio dolls in the more traditional style, painted them, wrapped them in exquisite Japanese papers and placed them in dioramas. Note: The dioramas below will be taken out of my store in the next week to make room for new items. If interested, please contact me.

Noriko and Mika Stop to Smell the Roses
On sunny Spring days, pretty Noriko loves to go for walks. Her sweet little bird Mika loves to go with her. Along a pebble path, they discover a pink rose, which has just fallen. They stop to admire its Beauty and relish in its delights. [left]





Kiyoko Walks in the Garden
Sweet Little Kiyoko so happy in her garden with the green grass between her toes! [right]

Tamiko Amongst the Sakura
Tamiko loves to meditate amongst the cherry blossom trees {Sakura} in her garden. She feels most at peace amongst the beauty of nature...with a flower in her hair and a song in her heart. <3>

(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸ * * *¸.•'´¯)¸.•'´¯)¸.•'´¯)

So, given my fascination with all things Japan, I was pleased to see that I was featured in Msutil's current treasury entitled "JAPAN"
Msutil is from Madrid, Spain and makes super sweet jewelry. Please check out her shop!
Thanks, Msutil!

From Nobody to Somebody...

Today is a day for a "Raven Rant" on The Dirt!
Yeah, I suppose I should be posting my art, but lately I'm on a celeb gossip kick and I can't help myself, so here goes...

One of my fave celeb. gossips sites forever is GoFugYourself.
If you've not had the chance to check it out, consider this your golden, embossed, hand-delivered by a hot babe in a g-string invitation to do so. You will love it as much as I do, I guarantee it...well, mabie not THAT much, but you WILL enjoy it.

(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸ * * *¸.•'´¯)¸.•'´¯)¸.•'´¯)

Today's hand-picked amusement is Kim Kardashian, whom we wouldn't have ever ever heard of if it weren't for the fact that's she's bloody rich , BFFs with none other than Paris Hilton and, oh yeah, made a sex tape too! *Raven rolls eyes* In fact, Kim AND her entire family now have their own reality show on E! no thanks to Ryan Seacreast.

Here is the blurb on Ms. Kardashian from GoFugYourself. Have a laugh!

Fugging Up With the Kardashians

An Open Letter to Kim Kardashian:

Dear Kim,

Okay. Enough. We get it. We all get it. The whole world was cc'ed on your memo. You are hot. Hot hot hot. Hot like fire. Hot like lava. Hot like the flames on the side of my face that erupt when I think about how I'm now supposed to find you interesting enough to have a reality show. Message received.

And here's a little message for you, just a little tip, something that I think will serve you well in years to come: When we can all essentially see the seams of your Spanx, it WON'T HURT YOU TO GO UP A SIZE. No one can see the tag on your dress but you and the individual who unzips you at night! And if that person makes some kind of sizing-related commentary, you best eject him or her from your boudoir and consider that time saved. So, unless you've accepted a position as the spokesmodel for Casey's Sausage Casings and Meat Accessories, there is absolutely no need for you to go out in something this tight, and it actually seems like it might be injurious to your internal organs. Let's give the girls a little breathing room, shall we?

[Photo: infdaily.com]

(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸(¯`'•.¸ * * *¸.•'´¯)¸.•'´¯)¸.•'´¯)

My BFFs and I...[and granted, we are nobodies and like it like that] are often amused by the VAST number of people who become famous out of nowhere, because of who they are dating, who they are related to, who they have "done", etc...

Here are some of my favourite examples :

• Paris Hilton herself - Born into an uber-rich hotel dynasty, she was virtually unknown until she let a sex tape of herself out into the public...and, trust me, she KNEW what she was doing.

• Nicole Ritchie - Yeah, she was adopted by Lionel, but was a nobody until she teamed up with Paris.

• Alexis Stewart - We all LOVE Martha, but Alexis is only known now 'cuz of her mum, who puts her in her magazines and in her television commercials.

• Beth Ostrosky - Shagging Howard Stern brought this model into the spotlight. Oh, goodie for her! She's no Linda Evangelista in my eyes. [pic at right]

• Kevin Federline - He helped make Britney Spears the mess that she is and gave her 2 kids to corrupt as well.

• Shar Jackson - Kevin Federline's ex who also has kids to him and several other guys. She's now an actress and rap star! Ok, fairly, she was on "Moesha" and some other shows, but seriously, wasn't a household name until Britney shagged Kevin and "stole" him away from her.

• Kato Kaelin - OJ Simpon's pool boy...ok, ok, ...."house guest"

• One of my faves: Petra Nemcova...she was hurt in the Thai tsunami and now has her own television series and 15 minutes of fame. She's no Linda Evangelista either! [photo: right]
  

• And, possibly my ALL TIME fave "Nobody to Somebody" is Elisabeth Hasselbeck...former "Survivor" contestant and now a co-host on "The View". I don't get it at all! Can someone PLEASE explain her popularity?? I don't want to hear her "view" and I don't need to know what's she's doing on her maternity leave, feeding her daughter Grace, wearing to meet the President or doing with her famous quarterback hubby.
  

Is it just me...or do these "Nobodies to Somebody" irk you too? I know I've left out a lot...like Anne Heche [got down with Ellen Degeneres], Tila Tequila [got nekked on MySpace], Esme [sang in her bedroom on You Tube], etc... but you get the gist. I've posted some of my faves.

I'm off my soap box -for now- and off to do something meaningful....

xxx
Raven

Katie Holmes & her Elfin Escort

I can't say that I've ever been a Katie Holmes fan...and never even paid her and her man Tom any mind until they had baby Suri [SUCH a cutie!].

But, I've got to share this photo with you because Katie looks beyond stunning. The light is hitting her just right and she is glowing. I am enchanted and inspired by this picture beyond words for some reason.

Granted, the dress is pulling down a bit at her lack of cleavage [Kudos for being au naturelle!], but most strapless numbers eventually wreak this sort of havoc. The hem on the dress is a bit heavy looking too for my taste, but all in all, she looks divine. I just won't talk about how Tom looks like a little Elfin escort next to her. Oops...I guess I just did. ;)

Beautiful, Katie...Beautiful!

xxx
Raven

BFF!!

I spent time last weekend with great friends of mine...Afsaneh and her daughter Layla, whom I've not seen in a while.
Boy, has Layla grown since I last saw her!



....Me and Layla....





I originally met Afsaneh years ago when we were neighbours in a courtyard apartment complex in Los Angeles. At the time, Layla was about 4 years old and called me "Wisha" since she couldn't pronounce my name Patricia.
So cute!
The nickname has stuck with me...and I like that.

For some reason [mabie cuz Layla took them] , all of the shots of Afsaneh and me came out a bit blurry...

We had lunch at a little French Bistro and relived memories, laughing till our insides hurt.

Afsaneh has always been a huge fan of my art and almost never misses a show...and for that, I thank her.

Afsaneh with the vintage bag she purchased from my shop Dirty Pretty Things.


















Later, Afsaneh sent me pix of Layla at Halloween dressed as a fairy princess...She wins the prize for best costume for sure!


Love those gold eyelashes, Layla!


See you both soon!

xxx