Analog Girl…

 

Analog Girl

Hello Darlings, just a quick post this week. It amazes me how much time I spend online these days, whether it be research, photo editing, writing, tracking down materials or posts on social media.  It can seem overwhelming sometimes!

After hours at the desk I have to push away, only to realize the whole day has passed in a flash. In all honesty however, I prefer the tactile quality of paper and pen, pencil and sketchbook.  I can spend hours looking at fabrics and touching them, comparing their weight, texture, colors and patterns. I might find myself walking in the park and taking photographs…how I miss the magic of film, so much nowadays is instant gratification…no wonder we have little attention span for anything that takes over a minute!

How about you, Darlings?  What is your favorite “analog” activity?  One of mine is listening to vinyl LPs on my old record player, it’s grainy, scratchy and most of the music cannot be found easily online.

Listening to records (by Fritz Willis)

‘Til next time…

xoxo

Madame X

http://madamexapparel.storenvy.com/

 

A hedgehog on my desk…

Oops…the hazards of the work space!

Greetings from Madame X, Darlings!  Today’s topic may seem a mundane one, but I for one think it’s fascinating!  Have you ever wondered what other people’s living and work spaces look like? The curious girl in me is always looking for ideas to spruce up my surroundings and it’s always inspirational to see what others do.  Today I present you with a “behind the scenes” peek at my work space…which resides in my living room.  It is a hodgepodge of thrifty finds residing on top of a small table on which I write, draw, eat, sew, craft, edit and do research.

My daily work space (cleaned up just for you, Darlings!)

 

Probably the most expensive item on my desk is my laptop/camera.  The mason jars that house my scissors and pencils were spray painted with gold.  My brushes sit in a tiki mug that i decorated…there is a large chip in the back but I think that adds character and it’s perfect for holding my brushes.

The flowers are silk (because I can’t keep plants alive to save my life) and matches my point and shoot camera perfectly…I LOVE purple, Darlings, it’s my favorite color!  The ribbon board was a thrift shop find and the flower pot was picked up at a farmer’s market.

A Carmen Miranda inspired vintage toy on the board over my desk.

My ribbon board holds several quirky postcards, cut outs, business cards and this vintage “noisemaker” inspired by Hollywood entertainer Carmen Miranda, I acquired it at an outdoor flea market, i love it!

Harris the hedgehog pencil sharpener.

This is “Harris the hedgehog”… my trusty pencil sharpener, because Darlings, I love to journal and do it the old fashioned way, pencil and paper!

How about you, my Darlings? What does your work/creative space look like?  What are some favorite items on your desk? Do you even work at a desk, if not, where do you do your best work? Do tell…

xoxo

Madame X

http://madamexapparel.storenvy.com/

Cupids, hearts and kisses…

 

Oh…to receive roses and love letters!

 

Hello Darlings from your marvelous Madame X…we are almost half way through February…how time flies and now we are near St. Valentine’s Day. I for one make EVERY day Valentine’s Day, there’s no need for a special holiday to celebrate love …yet thinking of it certainly piqued my curiosity.  It was fun remembering all the valentine’s cards exchanged in school…one year my teacher made everyone write something nice about everyone in the class and put it in our very own valentine box so at the end of the day we could read all the nice things the other children wrote about each one of us.  I received a lot of “very creative”, “artistic”, “nice person” notes, it gave me warm fuzzies!

Have you ever wondered how some things have become a part of our holiday traditions? Here are a few fun facts…

• As far back as the 1840’s candies were being stamped with witty sayings and served at weddings.  The heart shaped sweethearts sold today have been around since 1901! They are known as “conversation hearts” and are produced by the Necco Company.
• Flowers have, for centuries, held symbolic meaning…so it is no surprise that the red rose is the most popular flower sold on Valentine’s Day. The red rose often represents love and passion…its vibrant blood color often associated with matters of the heart.

Valentine card, 1850’s

• Valentines’s cards evolved out of the love letter, and England was where these paper greetings first rose in popularity.  Apparently not all young men back in the day could express their feelings in the way that the poets could so the card was born.  The advent of the industrial age produced cards with printed prose which could be manufactured and easily available to consumers.  Some of the earliest valentines were elaborate, using ribbon and lace.
• Hershey’s kisses have been around since 1907! No one knows why they were called kisses, one theory is that machines that deposited the chocolates during production made a kissing sound.  The famous foil wrapper with paper “plume” were added in 1921.

Cupid and his bow and arrow

From Greek and Roman mythology we get Eros/Cupid, he is the son of the Goddess of Love, Venus.  He is known as the god of desire, erotic love and attraction, so in other words, a natural choice to have him be associated with Valentine’s Day.  Most often depicted as a cherubic angel boy, he carries a bow and arrow.  According to myth, he carries two types of arrows which he shoots into mortal hearts.  One arrow is gold and pointed, it fills a person with desire and passion. The other arrow is blunt and full of lead, it fills a person with aversion and a desire to flee. No wonder love is so messy!!

Have a wonderful week my Darlings, ’til next time.

xoxo

Madame X

http://madamexapparel.storenvy.com/

 

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year to my Darling Madame Xers!

 

Happy 2015! (Illustration by Robert McGinnis)

Happy New Year Darlings, from Madame X…I must say that this year has been both trying and fascinating and am bubbling over with excitement for the changes coming in 2015.  Madame X has only just launched a few short months ago and the positive support has been a constant source of joy!  Though there is a long way to go, I find it most encouraging that Madame X is starting to gain momentum.  It is important to help foster start up business owners, and help each other prosper.

I truly believe that sharing is caring and the more you give, the more you receive.  Giving to charitable causes is a great example of this.  Here are a few of the organizations whose work I would like to share with you…

• http://suspendedcoffees.com/ acts of kindness, one coffee cup at a time…
• www.facebook.com/letsadoptglobal  saving animals around the globe, especially in countries that do not have the means to provide adequate care
• http://www.feedingamerica.org/  hunger relief for those fallen on hard times
• http://www.worldwildlife.org/ world wildlife conservation
• www.water.org  Providing safe water and sanitation to communities around the globe.

…and if you are unable to donate money, there are numerous other ways to help charitable causes, such as donating gently used items, providing meals, tutoring, volunteering, providing transportation, using your skills, or spending time with those in need!

Have a safe and Happy New Year Darlings!

Glitter and kisses!

xoxo

Madame X

http://madamexapparel.storenvy.com/

 

 

Trick or Treats, Darlings!

Meeeow Darlings! Happy Halloween from Madame X

Darlings, whether you call it Halloween, Hallow’s Eve, Samhain or “pumpkin” flavor everything time…it is rather fun to dress up and indulge one’s sweet tooth!

One of my favorite memories was when my mother would make home made costumes.  One year she used a robe, a fan and sandals to make me into a lovely geisha girl, there was a costume contest at school and I came in top 3! It was so much fun and there was no need for elaborate expensive outfits. Use your imagination!

What was your favorite costume or Halloween memory? Do share, Darlings!

Also, I found a FABulous recipe for “Poison” apples here:  POISON TOFFEE APPLES

I hope you enjoy sharing them!

Poison Toffee Apples!

Have a safe holiday and stay away from ghouls and goblins…I myself prefer the company of a good headless horseman or the dashing Count Dracula!

xoxo

Madame X

p.s.  New and unique items appearing at the online store soon…

http://madamexapparel.storenvy.com/

 

 

Belly dancers, shamans and weirdos, oH mY! 10 things about me…

Madame X here Darlings! Day 4 of the Feel Good Blogging Challenge … 10 things about “moi.”

 1. Early in my teens I developed an OBSESSION interest in James Dean which I still have.  I’ve seen the films, read the books and articles and know all the histories.  My birthday is one day shy of the date he died, so one year I dragged my cousin and brother on a road trip to see his grave in Indiana. Most people know him as the “Rebel” but he was an artist, poet, musician and way ahead of his time.

 

2. I have several degrees, one of which is in Anthropology.  At one point I was living in South America.  As part of  my studies, I was researching ethnobotany, the scientific study of the relationships that exist between peoples and plants. I studied Shamans and their use of local plants for cultural and medicinal purposes, one of which was the sap of the Dragon Blood tree, which oozes a thick blood-like sap said to have miraculous healing powers!

 

Christian Lacroix Illustrations

 

Christian Lacroix couture

3. I met my fashion idol CHRISTIAN LACROIX…Darlings…I am usually not a girl who gushes…but, LACROIX!! Before Galliano, before Alexander McQueen it was Lacroix, the French Couturier who had the wildest and most beautiful colors and textures making their way down the catwalks.  I was a fashion design student in Chicago at the time and he was in town to present his fashions for a museum benefit.  As fashion students, we were asked if we might want to help backstage at one of the shows and we were able to meet him, he was very gracious and polite.

 

4. Had I chosen a different path in life, I really believe I would have been a belly dancer!

 

The 1920’s

5. I’m obsessed with the 1920’s…the fashions, architecture, stories, films and books of the time seem to resonate with me for some odd reason…I always thought I was born too late.

 

 6. I earned a first degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do when I was 15. I still remember a lot of the forms and sparring techniques, let’s just say I can hold my own if needed.

 

Yak butter tea

7. When I traveled to Kathmandu, Nepal, I tried yak butter tea…it was…ummmm…interesting…an opaque yellow/brown salty tea with frothy bubbles of buttery fat floating at the top. It took me a half hour to sip it down…indeed.

 

8. I am a weirdo magnet! No matter where I go, where I am or what I’m doing, inevitably a complete kooky stranger will come up to me and start divulging the most heartfelt or intimate details about themselves.  I can’t have a quiet cup of coffee at a cafe without hearing about someone’s tragedies, illness, sex life, history and odd occurrences when I haven’t prompted them at all or even know them.  I think it’s my calming energy and exotic looks that attract these “lost souls” and random encounters, I don’t even bat an eye, just quietly accept it and then carry on.

 9. I ABHOR mayo…something about the smell, color and texture of it makes me want to lose my cookies! I don’t care if you call it “aioli”, dressing, spread, tartar sauce, secret sauce or whatever…it’s NOT going in my mouth! I always double check all sandwiches to make sure they do not include it when I order it without, and half the times, yup, you guessed it, slathered in mayonnaise.  I once had a waiter re-serve me the SAME sandwich, only they had just scraped off the mayo and re-used the soggy bread, yuk, like i wouldn’t notice.

 

10.  I have an infinite fascination with the paranormal…no, really! When I was studying psychology in college, I asked the professor about parapsychology and he laughed at me, as if I was being frivolous.  All my life I’ve been fascinated with “the Other Side” and voraciously devoured books, films and information on apparitions, spirits, hauntings, mediums, telekinesis, angels, reincarnation, etc. I’ve had strange experiences that could not be explained away easily but I do also balance it out with a healthy dose of skepticism.

‘Til next time, Darlings!

xoxo

Madame X

http://madamexapparel.storenvy.com/

 

 

 

 

VEGAS, Darlings!

Hello Darlings, Madame X here, how I missed you all! I do hope you forgive my absence, travels took me to Las Vegas this week and there was barely a moment to catch my breath! Ooh-la-la sin city always offers such titillating sights, sounds and sensations.

This was the first time Madame X had a chance to attend the world’s largest fashion trade show, WWDMAGIC.  It brings thousands of buyers, wholesalers, manufacturers, designers and other creatives together.  Its fashion shows, seminars, lectures and panels forecast the trends, colors, textures, and silhouettes that will grace magazines, social media, department stores, boutiques and consumers around the world. I brought home so many ideas and the excitement of seeing so much creative work from around the world invigorated the mind, although 3 days of walking definitely worked the calves, darlings!

Be on the lookout for new products and designs in the coming months.  Next time I will tell you all about some fabulous off strip adventures.

xoxo,

Madame X

p.s Don’t forget the launch of the Madame X online shop in September 2014. We are starting small Darlings, but we have big pink dreams!

Madame X in her favorite showgirl attire!

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!

Madame X stays hydrated, Darlings!

Fresh mint

Sliced cucumber

Lime wedge

Fresh infused H2O

Drink up!

Good day Darlings! Madame X here, reminding you the importance of staying hydrated and cool during this hot August Summer. Staying refreshed is important for our body and skin, have you ever seen wilted lettuce? It is so sad, dreary and lackluster from a deficiency in moisture. Well…this is what some people look like when they forget to drink water. Darlings, some do not like to drink water but there’s always a way to dress it up (I for one LOVE plain H2O). The added bonus is it flushes out toxins in your system, why not be sexy on the inside?

You can infuse water in a myriad of ways by using fresh berries, watermelon, cucumbers, mint leaves or herbal teas. Here I have taken the liberty of adding fresh cucumber slices, lime wedges and organic mint leaves to water in a carafe. It’s OO-LALA luscious!  Make sure you pick out a nice BIG firm cucumber, bigger is better!  😉  Add a few fun shaped ice cubes or chipped ice and serve it chilled!

xoxo

Madame X