Steven Brownlee, a dude residing in Miami, who rides his bike at night and hosts “Jewelry Creations Workshop” –jewelry classes out of his home-studio every week. He is not your hippie-looking type, although his adventurer spirit wears him well. In love with his passion for creating treasures with his hands, he created this jewelry workshop to make you fall in love with the simplicity, calm, and satisfaction of making jewelry.

He will teach you how to pierce, fill, form and forge the metal. He will guide you about the hand-tools, tell you/explain what they are for and how to use them.

Being in his workshop is a hands on experience it’s lighting the torch, seeing metal liquefy in seconds, dealing with acids, molding brass, carving metal, it’s holding a hammer — and not knocking your fingers off, it’s creating something out of nothing at all.

Jewelry Creations Workshop has a flexible schedule offering four-hour classes in the morning, afternoon and evenings all week long. The intensity and the skill level of the classes will accommodate to your previous knowledge or novice expertise. If the art of bargain is all you know about handmade artisan jewelry pieces, don’t worry. After you take his class and you make your first silver ring, you will be embarrassed to ask for discount ever again.

What:: Jewelry Creations Workshop by Steven Brownlee
www:: www.jewelrycreationsworkshop.com
Contact:: info@JewelryCreationsWorkshop.com
Where:: Miami Shores
Why:: Show off your four-hour plain silver hoop-ring. Profits of your first workshop class.

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Vanessa Maldonado

This Venezuelan chic found in New York a new home second to her loved Caracas. She moved to the Big Apple in 2007 and since then she’s been walking a path towards one of her many talents, jewelry design. By manipulating, bending, embossing and playing with enamel and metal she has developed a diverse collection. Every item is spoiled by the designer’s wit with glimmers of humor and character. Meet the diamond pooping bird, the egg button or the bicycle tandem earrings, for example. This woman has traveled the world, worn the chef’s hat and worked on film sets. Her jewelry treasures mimic her varied and rich experienced life. Meet Vanessa at Artists and Fleas’ market, every weekend in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

What:: Vanessa Maldonado
www:: http://www.vanessamaldonado.com/
Where:: Artist & Fleas
N. 6^th St between Bedford & Berry
Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY
Why:: I want to poo diamonds

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Fancy Sexy Me

Ronnie Aminov, jewelry designer, and Cynthia Catera, fashion designer, braided their expertise to compose the hot jewelry body collection, Fancy Sexy Me. They let convention jump off the boat and are conquering ladies and guys necks, fingers, wrists and bodies.

FSM’s signature look is their draped, medieval and fringed jewelry techniques. Their chains hang from your shoulders and neck falling below your chest. They rest like gold and brass waterfalls around your body. Too Fancy. Surrender to their knuckle “skull crusher,” “tough love,” or “fuck-off” duster rings. A flat silver or gold ring, handcuffing two or three fingers at the same time. Chose your fit, win the battle between life, death or overthrow. Too Sexy. Ronnie and Cynthia can be found at Artists and Fleas in Brooklyn. Take a peak at this indie bazaar every weekend and meet these masters.

What:: Fancy Sexy Me
www:: www.fancysexyme.com
Where:: Artist & Fleas
N. 6^th St between Bedford & Berry
Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY
Why:: Me, Me, Me.

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Knickers and no Fur Coat

Jana Kennedy is your typical British sweetheart with a contagious smile and a strident personality, darling’. A blond chick that once danced the can-can and designed the knickers for the U.K.’s biggest burlesque troupe CanBootyCan.

Now, located in New York, the hot summer has got her brain sweating burlesque-y creativity by coming up with retro-inspired astonishing bikinis. Her pin-up two-piece bathing suits come in funky acid colors, pink neon zebra prints, with striped or skulled up fabrics. Up top: find a strapless piece that might have a bow on it. Down below: meet hot pants with its back covered in ruffles. It gives your tush a visual lift up. Her empowered women 1950s attitude is embedded in her creations. You can catch Jana at Artists and Fleas every weekend in Brooklyn. Or if distance is an issue, her online store solves the problem.

What:: Knickers and no Fur Coat
www:: www.knickersandnofurcoat.com
Where:: Artist & Fleas
N. 6^th St between Bedford & Berry
Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY
Why:: Can your booty can?

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Every Little Counts

Amy Snider likes old movies, reads San Francisco’s poetess Anais Nin, drinks old man drinks and is a vegetarian. Adam Schwartz eats, breaths and teaches design, laughs too loud and is also a vegetarian. Amy and Adam are a happy witty married couple. They are residents of the bricked, oak wood Brooklyn boho neighborhood. Collectively they are the creators and designers behind Every Little Counts.

Their t-shirt line appeals to a violent-sensual-sensitive-girl*. They hand print with eco-friendly water based inks modern graphics, and words-of-love over lightweight solid color cotton tops. If a product is made with love… every little counts.

*One of ELC’s graphic Ts.

What:: Every Little Counts
www:: www.everylittlecounts.net
Where:: Artist & Fleas
N. 6^th St between Bedford & Berry
Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY
Buy:: http://www.etsy.com/shop/everylittlecounts
Why:: Lost in Love

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Another Work In Progress

It’s right-hand red and left-foot yellow time. Why? Because Another Work in Progress’s clock looks like a Twister board. It’s one of many recycled creations from AWIP.

Their eco-friendly line consists of journals, sketchbooks, photo albums, wall clocks and stationary. They are all handmade out of recycled products and antique board games. Your great-grandma probably played with these classics in the early 1900s. Still, there is one more challenge to this wonderful store’s allure. It’s name. Another Work in Progress’s name gets tricky. For everyone’s work to be completed, these one-of-a-kind notebooks have to be filled. So, step up to the game, roll your imagination’s dice and write your brain off on the blank pages. Claim your victory.

What:: Another Work in Progress
www:: http://www.anotherworkinprogress.com
Where:: Artist & Fleas
N. 6^th St between Bedford & Berry
Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY
Buy:: http://www.etsy.com/shop/anotherworkinprogres
Why:: Twister time, you never heard that before?

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“This is Medusa’s Make-Up most inspiring product. People can not get enough of it! Medusa’s Make-Up Eye Dust is truly an amazing mineral eye shadow in the form of fine loose powder, think powdered sugar. This all natural mineral eye dust is by far the best in the industry. It glides on the skin like silk and wears well all day long. Each color carries it’s own characteristics, some shimmer, sparkle, some have iridescence and many are highly pigmented. Apply “Stick It” to get a more dramatic effect. Can be applied to eyes, lips and face. 1.5 grams net wt.”

:::::

Buy:: $6.00 Each
48 Different Shades

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OMBU is a company founded in Miami in 2007 taking its leadership role very serious. They transform nouns such as responsibility, awareness and action, and evolve them into verbs. OMBU has created an eco-friendly shoe derived from the Argentinean shoe alpargata; a comfortable shoe that hugs your foot as a glove and let’s you walk, jump, run or dance if that is what you are into, and we know you are. In addition, you can show them off because they come in fun checkered prints, polka dots, stripes, denim and even metallic and ecological colored leathers.

Responsibility:
What makes OMBU shoes eco-friendly besides their use of ecological leather is that they are easy to dispose and recycle and they come in fabric bags instead of carton boxes. Each bag also comes with a tiny front pocket that contains a tree seed giving you the chance to spread the love. At the same time, every time you or your friend buy an OMBU shoe, the marvelous alpargata will plant a tree for the “Trees for the Future Foundation”.

Awareness:
This wide-ranging shoe is also part of the “Leave No Waste” activist project. This project started last April and happens every two months with the purpose of cleaning our beaches. Catch celebrities, artists and conscious pals of the movement participating in the project.
Next event : July 25^th, 2010.
More info: Stay tuned to Ombu Lifestyle’s facebook to keep up with more news.

Action:
OMBU is an eco-activist inviting artists and students to splash some ink to personalize the shoes. GG is a young pop-art Venezuelan artist that joined the cause. Mariano Pilatti, an original street guerrilla from Raw Art, is another artist that has answered OMBU’s call to promote awareness and protect our planet.

If you ever thought ecological, raw and recycle was boring, OMBU will change your mind. It’s all about responsibility, awareness and action.

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Fortunately, appearances are not what they seem.

Eccentric doesn’t have to mean always loud; fun doesn’t always have to be colorful; and good design doesn’t have to be French or belong to a modern art museum. So, what are Alisha Trimble’s designs? Yes, they are eccentric. They are filled with detail and ruffles and fabric games that speak the language of silk charmuse and chiffon. Yes, they are fun and attractive. They dress one up with elegance and sensuality in solid hues. And yes, they also catch your eye if we are talking about design and its simplicity. But what are they really?

Her fashion is more like a piece of art. She should not to be called a designer but a fashion artist. Alisha mixes up her expertise with classic couture techniques and introduces her fashion poetry, braiding it up with her fabrics to create not only a dress but also a whole vanguard collection, indeed a wearable piece of art.

Alisha Trimble is a cool chick based out of New York that has experienced the breeze of San Francisco, where she completed an interdisciplinary art program. (Now it’s clear where the contemporary aura of her designs comes from). Her inventions vary from ready to wear, to cocktail dresses, and recently she added a mastermind of a collection with her latest swimwear line: Brain Wave, a creation for the smart gal, because smart means confident and beautiful. Alisha Trimble knows all about it.

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Medusa’s Make up

Power, seduction and mystery are all nouns that can be added to a woman’ game to win sympathy, but she is not trying to be liked, she just is. She will freeze the blood running through your veins, your tongue will turn cold and thirst will invade your dry mind. All are acquainted to her gaze traversing your presence. Her je ne sais quoi can’t be imitated but wherever you look you will find this same gal imposing her sensual powers over you. She doesn’t know it. It’s her nature to enamor, attract and break hearts. That’s Medusa. Can you relate?

The 21^st century myth narrates like this: a creature that will immerse you in her glowing rainbow aura and will turn you with amazement into stone because of her audacious personality, beauty, independent character, and creative soul. Can you relate?

If so, then you are missing one thing, some of Medusa’s Make-Up in your Pandora’s box.

Brighten up your stock with any of the 48 different 100% mineral eye dust shades.  Pick your favorite from shimmer, sparkle, iridescent or highly pigmented types. Trap your prey by the neck with your lips but first gloss them with any of the 12 different non-stick formula lip-gloss flavored weapons. And to enlighten your skin Medusa’s Make-Up also offers blushes and body shimmer for your legs, arms, body and face in different colors. And to complement the art of make-up: eyeliner seals, make up removers and stick on formulas are also available.

Time to make the myth happen.

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We wake up and shake the morning from our hair, open the blinds and brew a cup of coffee.  While stepping over piles of outfit maybes, there they are.  Our Chucks.  We smile.

We love Converse because they are always with us.  A buddy.  A constant companion.  Sometimes sparkly and sometimes under-the-radar, Chucks are a part of the getting-ready process that doesn’t leave us frazzled.  We know that they look good.  We know they will be comfortable.  We know they make a statement:  I am independent, carefree and ready to take on the world.  Bring it on.

Converse has been around for a century and has stamped the planet with styles to match any attitude, any feeling.  When Nike purchased the brand in 2003, the same feeling was coddled and preserved.  We like the bright bold colors that bring out the rock and roll, rebellious attitude that Wasabi Fashion Kult embraces.  The I-don’t-give-a-fuck kind of free-thinker.  The instigator.  The one that makes you think and challenges conventional beliefs.

Converse like any artist, it has grown and come into itself over time.  It’s a survivor.

Did you know that….?

-       In 1908, their motto included a quip that said, “A rubber shoe company that would be independent enough not to follow every other company in every thing they do.”
-       In the beginning they made both shoes AND tires.  Shoes were a bit more successful.
-       The famed Chuck Taylor was named after one of Converse’s finest salesmen.  He was rumored to travel the country in a white Cadillac, trunk filled with shoes, and no permanent address.
-       In the 1950s, the one-two punch of Rock and Roll mixed with the birth of the NBA gave Converse a seemingly endless crowd of adoring fans.
-       Over 800 MILLION pairs of All Stars have been made since 1966.

Hell, I have my favorite green low-tops on right now.  I wear this pair when I feel inspired.

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As we all know, Tokidoki has become a leading producer of Japanese inspired consumer goods around the globe. This year, the company decided to take a more fashionable approach to the art with the launch of a Karl Lagerfeld Tokidoki. In the creation, world-renowned fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld is immortalized into a 10” vinyl figurine.

The reproduction features Karl decked out in his signature K by Karl Lagerfeld fitted suit, extended white collar, and rhinestone studded belt, tie, and cuffs. The oversized badass shades couldn’t be left out of course.

Paying homage to the designer’s trademark color preference, the Tokidoki is exclusively designed in black and white with a touch of gray and silver.

Despite his prodigious fame and unparalleled success, designer Karl Lagerfeld humbly esteems Simone Legno’s Karl Lagerfeld figurine creation and states that he is flattered to be a Tokidoki.

The piece carries a price of €129 Euros (about $193) and will be distributed at all Karl Lagerfeld flagship stores throughout the US and Europe beginning October 2009. The Tokidoki will also be seen on T-shirts in the K by Karl Lagerfeld Spring 2010 Collection.

What? Karl in Vinyl
Where? Colette @Paris

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If you have ever seen a striking photograph tacked on some mysterious and creative friend’s wall, chances are it was a prime example of Lomography.  Photographs taken with Lomo camera’s are known for their  deep saturation and charmingly blurred images.  The company stands firm in their love and fight to preserve analogue photography, that is film photography as opposed to the digital kind.  At first glance a Lomo camera has a very inexpensive and vintage look- most Lomography cameras have plastic bodies and interesting colorful finishes.  However, the lens is curiously high quality for an essentially plastic camera. All Lomo cameras available for purchase use 35mm film or 120 film, which is also available through Lomography.com.

The first Lomography camera dates back to 1982 Russia where the director of the LOMO Russian arms and optical factory sought to create a new version of the Cosina cx-1, a compact Japanese camera.

This is how the Lomo LC-A came to be.  It seems only the communists were indulging in Lomography until 1991 when a group of Viennese students popularized the beautifully imperfect style photograph that is synonymous with Lomo.  Since then, the company has made great strides and garnered international fame which such creations as the 4-lensed action sampler and the world’s first compact fisheye lens camera. Aside from the groundbreaking, they offer a host of usual cameras with a Lomo twist, like the Diana F+ which  has over 10 editions, like glow in the dark and “Meg” which was made for Meg White of the White Stripes and now the Diana comes in mini as well.

Today Lomo thrives on a spontaneous ‘shoot from the hip’ culture of photographers.

With their 10 Golden Rules strongly based on their motto “don’t think, just shoot” they make themselves accessible and appealing to all. And getting started

Is ridiculously easy, you can just pick up a Lomo ColorSplash camera and spend the day changing the tinted flash filters and blinding all your friends with red, blue, and yellow Flashes!

::Where? www.Lomography.com

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