Yoga Mat Carrier

This is what I made...

out of this!

First I hemmed the upper edge and sewed some thin black and white trim around it. Then I  wrote "Namaste" on the side and stenciled a hummingbird below it using textile paint.  Next I added beads to the bottom tie string (which was already conveniently placed for gathering at the bottom of the pant leg) and sewed a vintage button onto the pocket.  I stenciled a flower below that and then added decorative stitching with embroidery floss down the sides and around the pockets.

I had a strap from a discarded gym bag that I hooked onto a ring that was already on the pants and then sewed some pink and black trim to it and attached the other end to the top of the bag.  I also added a yin yang charm glued to a key which reminds me of my greatest challenge in yoga and in life:  BALANCE.

Let me know if you would like to order your very own yoga mat carrier made from the remaining pant leg by leaving a message in the box located in the right column of this blog post.  You choose your own colors and decorations and I will make it for you!

NAMASTE

Do Cape May Yoga!

A wonderful little yoga studio opened this month on the second floor of the Magic Brain Cafe on Perry Street in Cape May.  I am in heaven.  I can roll right out of yoga into a delicious cup of coffee and begin my day with my two favorite things in the whole world!  Thanks go to Stephen Gatier for including yoga at his superb cafe and to Lia Antonicello, Kelsy Wise and Brian Lee for their outstanding daily classes.

Here I am on my way up to class wearing my favorite yoga outfit.  The leggings are from Blue Sky and are made with a divine cotton/lycra blend that is soft and loose but doesn't look too baggy.  

The skirt is a piece of art in itself.  It is made by Zand of Amsterdam.  It wraps around with as many snaps as you need for a perfect fit and has this nifty little pouch that hooks right onto the skirt.  The colors of both pieces are so bright and happy that they make me smile just to put them on. 

Lia painted this lovely mural that meets you on your way up the stairs and invites you to try out your own upward dog!

Getting ready for class...

stretching...

flexing...

and finding my

downward dog for the day.

Greeting Lia...

and now I am ready to begin.

Shall We Dance?

We went to see "The King and I" today at Lincoln Center.  Fantastic music, wonderful choreography and divine costumes!  So of course I had to wear a costume too.  The jacket is a thrift store purchase that I got years ago and rarely wear.  It was fun to finally have the perfect occasion for it.  And the skirt has just enough of the harem pants feel to it without being too obvious so that it is suggestive rather than imitative, but also endows the outfit with the exotic accent that I was looking for. I made the necklace from a combination of gold tone costume jewelry. It's for sale in my Etsy shop, redbirdmercantile.etsy.com, if you would like to purchase it for your very own!

 etcetera... etcetera... etcetera

Styling Susan

"As a child, I never wanted to get out of my pajamas."  This is how Susan McMahon defined her style preferences after we had been shopping together at a thrift store and I helped her pick out some new clothes.  We were trying a different look on her, playing with more color, texture and contrast in her wardrobe.  At first she thought this sweater was too cutsey but when she tried it on, we both loved the way it looked and she quickly paired it with this citron colored shirt.

When we started shopping she found the thrift store experience overwhelming, but I showed her how to scan the racks and zero in on items to try on, beginning with colors that attracted her eye and fabrics that felt good to the touch. When she found one piece that she really liked, the next step was to put it together with other separates and make an outfit.  She was on a roll, and found this great tulip shaped denim skirt.  The long narrow shape contrasted nicely with the cropped square look of the sweater and highlighted her tall elegant figure. 

 

As I photographed her she showed me some Tai Chi moves.  She said that in her new clothes she discovered she had a figure, which she had pretty much ignored her whole life.  Now she enjoys dressing up more often and I am reminded of how beautiful people look when they find ways to express themselves through the clothes that they wear.  And then when you pair that with any kind of creative, heartfelt movement, it's like costuming the dance that is your life. 

Bravo, Susan!