Countdown ... 13 Days to Go!

We've been busy these last few weeks ... really ... really ... busy.

As of today, we're less than two weeks' away from our trip down to San Diego.

Just yesterday, I finished the 10th Look for the Collection.

Here's a peek of the shoes:

sorry ... for now, all I can show is the box.

As for the actual garment ... here's two more sneak peeks:  

 
To show the finished look would spoil the Surprise!

I CAN show you these amazing shoes that Hourglass Footwear created for one of our very first looks ... a look we released in June and in July ...

 
it's a pretty incredible overall Look ... one that is super comfortable to wear ... all in organic cotton

18 days until Fashion Week ...

13 days till we travel ...

We're pretty excited!

September's Sneak Peek!

This week's Sneak Peek from our 2014 Eco ArtWear Collection to launch on the runway

 during Fashion Week San Diego!

Uber comfortable t-shirt crafted from walnut-dyed, hemp knit. Cropped pants made from a beautiful hand-crafted, rayon batik from India.

From our 2014 Eco ArtWear Collection:

Model: Crystal Geller
Hair/Makeup: Beigeblond - Brett M Allred, Molly Miles Hickman, Aliya Chaidez
Accessories: SteamCircus.com
Photo: Barbara Hill Photography, Barbara Hill
Location: La Bottega in Vancouver, WA
From our 2014 Eco ArtWear Collection:
Model: Crystal GellerHair/Makeup: Beigeblond - Brett M Allred, Molly Miles Hickman, Aliya ChaidezAccessories: SteamCircus.comPhoto: Barbara Hill Photography, Barbara HillLocation: La Bottega in Vancouver, WA

Click ... Click ... Snap!

We've successfully completed the shooting of all garments that will be contained in our Look Book.  The online site for this book has been created and will be available for viewing the last week of September ... for launch during Fashion Week San Diego. 

We've also sent the hard copy of the look book to print ... we anticipate having the book in hand within the next two weeks.  Lot's of photos ... a few words ... all on glossy paper ... we're pretty excited!

Our Final Press Conference for Fashion Week San Diego is this evening at Roppongi in La Jolla, CA.  It is during this PC that another Sneak Peek from our 2014 Collection will be released to the Press and General Public.  We're excited about this release ... as it's a completely different look from the overall feel of the rest of the collection.  It's attached to this update ... kind of a pre-release of a pre-release  ;)

The countdown to our Travel Date is official ... less than 30 days' remaining.  We will be posting updates on our social media pages all through the next month as we get closer and closer to the runway debut.

Enjoy your week!

=) Caryn

Our Kickstarter Project Sponsors!

Our deepest gratitude goes out to the following people who contributed to our Kickstarter Crowdfunding Project:  Taking an Organic Road to Fashion Week.

Thank you for being a part of our incredibly beautiful adventure!

Jacob Nordby
Peggy Stockwell
Karen Mengersen
Jennie Dougherty
Wendy Willingham
Janet Lynn Espinosa
Karen Davis Smith
Shasta Gaughen
Michael Bukraba
Sarah Nash
Reg Try
Cyndy Hagin
Rachael Coughlin
Ammi Brooks
Llewellyn Rhoe
Jamie Moore Fox
Elisabeth Svinth Davidson
Krysta Bell
Christopher Allen
Frank Miller
Steve Stockwell
Suzan Monson
Catherine
Peter Dougherty
Ganin Lovell

In the News!!!

It's been an exciting week!  Handed out more than a few fliers at our events this week to those interested in learning more about the project.  And our story was published in Saturday's Columbian, our local newspaper.

In the Living Section ... above the fold!

and if that wasn't cool enough ... we were featured in the upper right corner of the front page, right under the banner!!!

I don't know about you ... but I think that's pretty damned cool!!!

And ... in case you haven't been following along on our Facebook page ... this goes hand in hand with our Kickstarter Project.  Which, by the way, we're excited to announce that we've reached 1/3 of our goal with only 14 days to go  =)

If you have a moment, please check out our project and share it forward ... we'd appreciate it immensely if you did.

Just wanted to share ... and if you would be so kind as to please share this with your friends and families ... I'd really appreciate the love.

xoxoxoxo

Photo Shoot - Day 1

Today's shoot ... successful and completed!

My deepest gratitude goes out to La Bottega in Vancouver, WA, Barbara Hill Photography, and Beigeblond for the incredibly awesome work they put in to pull this off. It's not every Sunday that folks are willing to roll out of bed at 6am to help create something amazing! And let's certainly not forget Crystal and Deanna ... my two beautiful models ... without them ... well ... the clothes would still be hanging on the rack.

Additional thanks to my amazing husband ... he managed to help keep it all together so we could do this.

And finally ... to Harmony Art Organic Design for the incredible fabrics, Hourglass Footwear for the omigod pumps, Wasataylor & Steamed Circus for the accessories, and Neema Bags for the spot-on handbags.

While I cannot release shots of the actual garments until they have been released at Fashion Week San Diego, I can release this test shot that we did ...

Cheers!

In the News ...

Our interview today with The Columbian, a local newspaper, went exceedingly well!  We are excited about having had the opportunity to share with them our story.  We expect the featured story to be released within the next week [or two] and will post an update here once we have the link.

Thank you for your support of this project!

xoxoxo

Kickstarting it Into High Gear!

We've launched a Kickstarter Program to help cover the remaining costs associated with getting our Organic Women's Clothing Collection to San Diego for Fashion Week. It's an All or Nothing Deal ... so, there's really nothing to lose ... and you gain a wonderful feeling of helping an artist recognize their Dream ♥

Check out our Kickstarter Program!

Facing Fears

This coming week marks a milestone of sorts.  On Monday, I will be participating in a Press Conference in Hollywood ... designed to promote me and my art form ... my participation in 2013 Fashion Week San Diego.  This Press Conference serves to introduce Who I Am and What I Do to the rest of the world.

I am excited ... and scared ... all at the same time.

So many "what ifs..." are coming to the surface.

What if ... I am late for the conference?

What if ... I say the wrong thing?

What if ... I drop my drink/food/purse/etc.?

What if ... not one person likes what I make?

What if ... no one likes me?

The last one is kinda a biggie to me.  I spent many of my formative years fighting against a parent telling me that I would never be "good enough".  Impressionable teen years railing against classmates that bullied or ridiculed me because I was too smart or too pretty or too quiet or too whatever happened to be their particular pet peeve at that moment.

Over the last 10 years, I've worked tirelessly to face and remove those fears.  I've brought those concerns to the forefront of my life ... letting those who participated in my growth know that the words spoken in the past  no longer have an affect on my present or on my future.

I love me ... who I've become ... and the path that I am creating for my future.

I love my life, the profession that I've chosen to invest my heart and soul into, and all of the decisions that I've made along the way to get me to where I am right now.

And I suppose ... in the bigger picture ... it doesn't really matter what other people think ... so long as I have put my best foot forward and put everything that I Am into the Dream that I have chosen to pursue.

I am reminded of words spoken by Darryl Anka:

            "circumstances do not matter ... state of be-ing, matters".

I know this ... to my very core.  But sometimes ... I forget.

Guess it's time to dig it out, dust it off, and put it into practice.

Will let y'all know how it turns out.

xoxoxo

Countdown to Hollywood!

We're in the last days before our trip to Hollywood for the LA Press Conference ...

These last couple weeks have been split between preparations for this event and re-stocking our organic body products.

This morning, the shoes for our debut garment arrived via FedEx from Hourglass Footwear!
[gotta love them ... always so quick with their deliveries]

Of course ... the contents are Top Secret until after the 19th  =)

And ... doncha know ... a Designer HAS to have something new to wear ... just in case a photo [or two] is taken.  So ... I've been working on a new look just for that occasion.

Might need some sort of handbag ...

Took all afternoon to create ... but I think it will work well with the shoes.

Oh ... and it's all from recycled materials that I received from one of our Sponsors:  Rose City Upholstery!

Can't wait!

An Artist's Statement

I create clothing … beautiful architecture for the human body.

I cannot not create … it is in my blood, my genetic code, to take ordinary materials and turn them into something extraordinarily pleasing to the eye and the touch.

I look at a piece of fabric as though it is a blank canvas … the flow and feel of the fabric dictates the garment design, rather than the other way around.

Trims should accent, rather than take away from, a garment’s overall design.  There can be a point where there is too much … and a true artist will know exactly when to stop before the accents and trims take away from the overall feel of a good design.  Much like perfume, a little bit can go a long way.

Regardless of the type of design, clothing should be an exquisite pleasure to wear.  Fabrics used in a design should feel amazing next to the skin.  And whether you have donned a raw silk ball gown or simply grabbed a sweatshirt and a pair of jeans, the clothing that you wear should never feel as though it were separate from you.

I believe in maintaining the integrity of our environment with every action I do, every garment I create, every belief that I hold close to my heart.  I create with intention.  I believe that whatever you get back from The Universe is directly proportional to what you put into it.  Having this belief is the reason why Love is the main component of everything I have ever created … no bad product has ever been made where Love has been present in its creation.

I aspire to limitlessness.  I believe that imagination and openness to potential are the two most important tools any artist can have in their possession.  I explore and break through the perceived boundaries of my creativity at every available opportunity.

And finally, I firmly believe that everyone should discover and pursue that which is their Greatest Excitement in Life.  For it within this pursuit that a person’s truest potential is discovered and miracles are created … creating a beautiful world filled with amazing inspiration for others to follow.

Caryn Stockwell

Color Alchemist

Second Star Designs

A Sneak Peek!

A Sneak Peek at the Designer Line-up for 2013 Fashion Week San Diego

The ride of a lifetime has now begun ... please keep your hands inside the vehicle at all times!

More to come ... so please stay tuned!

It's Been Such a Long Time ...

since I last wrote.  I know.

We've I've been a little busy ... okay, more than a little ... crazy busy.

So ... to catch y'all up:

Days have been filled to the brim with meetings ...

and new body products like this whipped, chocolate body souffle

and these incredible chocolate bath truffles

which are also available without chocolate ... 'cuz not every woman wants to smell like a dessert!



And then ... a trip to the beach to celebrate our 1st Anniversary ... 'cuz we're cool like that the Smalls were at school and it was our only chance for 6 hours of silence, together, that didn't involve sleeping.




And sometime around the end of February, we headed out to Lincoln City to stock a new store that opened up right on Hwy 101.  Cool place filled to the rafters with amazing artisan treasures.



And to round out the month, with the first designer meeting under my belt, The Muse has been heading into overdrive spinning fabrics into clothing, setting up artistic collaborations with other equally talented designers, and talking to potential wholesale accounts about their carrying of our line of body products.

It's been a fun month!

There's so much more to come ... will keep you posted ;)

365 Days of Creativity - Day 4 & 5 - Shhhh!

On Monday, I was accepted as an Official Designer for Fashion Week San Diego.

YAY!!!

So, life's a little exciting around here at the moment.
And on Day 4, I spent most of the day working on 2 designs for San Diego ...
can't show them to you, 'cuz it's a S.E.C.R.E.T!

For those that know me, you know how much I love sharing on FB the stuff I'm doing in the studio.
Day 4 ... notsomuch ... 'cuz no one's supposed to know about any of it until like, October.
The kids have been sworn to secrecy ... bribed with candies for the next 6 months!

Now ... Day 5 ... that's a completely different story.

I can tell y'all about today ... until the cows come home.

Except, there's not much to tell ... we chopped about a pound of habaneros.  Okay, not "we" ... my husband chopped them for me ... and now they're marinating in the slow cooker for our next project.

which will be shared with you ... tomorrow.

Until then ... hasta la manana!