Happy New Years From Me To You!

Hello Everyone!

In celebration of the upcoming New Year I have decided to do a giveaway! The lucky winner will receive a $20 dollar gift certificate redeemable at either of my Etsy shops. ( ToBeTattooed or TheHipRevolution ) The drawing will occur on New Years Day & the winner will be posted here & notified by email. The gift certificate must be redeemed within 60 days of winning, and can only be redeemed at one of the shops. Also- any remaining balance on the gift certificate will be nullified, so be sure to use it all up :)


Ok- so now onto the fun stuff! Its easy to enter and just as easy to win! To be considered-
First- become a follower on my blog
Second- pick your favorite item from either of my shops and post it here with a link. Also, include your email or Etsy shop link- this is how you will be notified!

Names will be drawn on the first of the year! Only one entry per person no matter how many items you post!

The winner will be notified by email, and once you choose what you would like to use the gift certificate on, you can convo me at the shop of choice and I will adjust the price to reflect the $20 gift certificate.

Thank You for your participation & Have a Happy New Year!

Hoopy Holidays!

I am so excited! This week has surely been my busiest with The Hip Revolution! I was swamped with orders for lovely hoops. I think what really thrills me is the fact that people were ordering hoops for either themselves or as gifts- such an amzing gift that promotes all around well- being!

Speaking of well- being, I am working on some new resolutions/ devotions to start off 2010 with. And I am getting ready to post a blog on what to prepare for if you are moving cross country- but I wanted to drop in so no one felt abandoned!

Wishing everyone a lovely week!

Lola

New Tattoos

Just wanted to drop a note and post up two new tattoos I recently did!

And wish me luck I am on my way to talk to a studio after I post this!







Voila! Enjoy your day!
XO

p.s. - I just joined in the BNR under $20 thread- it is AWESOME! Also I am having free shipping on all my artwork until this friday here!

New Mandala Style Flowers

Brrr!! It's just about 30 degrees outside here in Oly (WA)!! Hope life is warmer and a bit more sunny for the rest of you!

I just wanted to post an update on some of my new artworks. Wish me luck- this upcoming week is my first venture in finding a shop to work at here in town. I have a meeting on Tuesday with a shopowner locally :) ( Ohmmmm )

Anyways- I painted a few things this week- mainly just these two flowers- been trying out some geometric stuff trying to get my line work more steady and consistent.



This particular piece is half mandala half fleur. No real dedication in style- but I like the tones I went with... I went with more earthy tones for my second one which I will post next time as a p.s.

Finally- I painted this traditional style dagger this week too.

Both of these originals will be on my Etsy!
So although it has become grey and extremely nippy I am doing my best to remain proactive! TUSH! Burlesque is already on the road for the next show which is going to be Thursday February 11, 2010 at The Royal in Olympia, WA.

Until some more good news comes about- enjoy your days!

Knit Creations

Hi Everyone!
I hope everyone is enjoying the season! <3 Family & <3 Friends!

I am so happy to finally have finished my most recent project. I have always wanted to knit- but was never able to grasp the ((surprisingly simple- once you get it ;)) "how-to" of it. This past week I decided on a random trip to Micheal's- in a random moment of randomness to pick up a ball of yarn and some needles. A short ride home and 10 minutes to research and I was off to my first knitting experience. I had tried a few times before- unsuccessfully and always put it down and forgot about it. But this time was different- I did some research, cast-on and was off to a blissful rhythmic knitting voyage. LoL!

Anyways- the first thing I knit was this lovely rich cowl- which I then decorated to my taste and have thus named the Luxe Cowl. Its darling- but punky and I think fits my style excellently!

It was really fun- although somewhat more detail oriented then I had originally expected- and I have never worked with lace before but a few hours and Voila!


So then I was off to my 2nd creation- the uber sext Corset Cuff- a little lace, a little sparkle and Mee-ow! I love this incredibly comfortable and warm wrist cuff. Lady like yet casual and fun spirited!

I just wanted to post a sneak peek before I list them on Etsy- they will be custom order so you can pick the colors!

xoxo
Lola

p.s. I have tons of new art- including Robots & Corsets!

Kawaii Robot Tattoo

I'm totally excited! I got to do this amazing kawaii robot tattoo! I will be posting the painting tomorrow on Etsy- but the tattoo is way more fab! I can't wait to get photos of it healed- it will be super dense and bright! But for now this is the mini tidbit I will provide you with!



The picture honestly does this piece NO justice! Go figure- I could just suck! Anyways, I also got my forehead pierced and will post that up next ! Pretty rough? At least I assume- Dave had to take a seat, I was just getting it done... so...?

Til then !

The Spy & The Tadoo

Dave & I had an unexpected treat this week when we found out our Aussie brotha Adrian Krygsman was going to be doing a guest spot @ Lacey's Finest. ( The shop at which Dave tattoos at.) With the added bonus staying with us. He's our first guest at Casa Sinor - the Tin House at The Flying Carpet. :) Its currently a half wreck due to construction holdups in the backroom (HA!). It is a very long blog prejct which I should have planned better!


We initially met Adrian at the Ink Traveler's convention last February in Vancouver, WA, having similar tastes in artwork to Dave these guys hit it off immediately. Hanging around Lacey's Finest on Saturday there was a full shop- Nick Ackman, Dave, Adrian, Andreas (guest piercer), and me-the spy. I think it was a frigid rainy day; therefore it was pretty relaxed at the shop- if I remember Andreas (off to Berlin in 2 weeks ( a sad hoo-ra!)) was dealing with a Whiskey sickness and everyone was talkin ta'doos. Lots of inspiration and dragon claws were produced.

The day was finished off by Dave tadooing this sweet Dancing Wolf on Adrian's leg between a severed head from ...( I'm gonna have to get the name, sorry mate!) and a mum done by Horiyoshi III.

Pretty fucking rad.

The next day was a quiet day with just Adrian and Dave- so I got tadoo'd. Adrian has been drawing some rad mums- so I was definitely feeling those- and I tossed out the idea of a rat and he was stoked! I got a sweet Rat in a Mum with a Cheese Moon on the back of my left arm. I'm going to post a few pics once it's healed cause my arm fat got super swole the day of.


Happy Fuckin Birthday! On a completely different note- here's a rad shot of Adrian and I quote " Makin [his] balls slap" There is nothing more refreshing then shop humor. Dirty mouths & dirty minds abound. I often find myself being thankful for the company.


Monday Adrian did a guest spot at the newly remodeled SpirderMonkey Tattoo in Olympia, WA and the three of us hung with Skrappy and had a little paint session. Skrappy was trying to get the VCR hooked to watch some sweet ass older episodes of Tattoo TV with Aaron Caine- but a few minutes of fistfuls of wire and we said "Fuck This". We saw a collection of ... weaponry that was quite interesting and I made a sidenote of who I would go to in case of Zombie Rising.

So in finally it was a marvelous weekend and a great way to start the season of friends!

Twitter. ( and more!)

It was inevitable. As a small business owner online you must access as many resources as possible to promote yourself & goods. The more venues you are presented in the more likely you will garner new fans & sales!

So I caved, and started a twitter account. I limit myself to a tweet in the morn & a tweet in the evening ( isn't that some sort of song? LoL).

I also decided that I am going to use my twitter for top secret promotions! So if you are interested in getting some SNEAKY DEALS - check it out HERE.

Other then that, life in Washington has been good! TUSH! had it's second show at the BrotherHood ( known as the BroHo to Oly folks ) and it had a great turnout & they put on a fantastic show. I wasnt able to be a part of this performance, but truly- thats ok. I am going to be a part of the Pink Oyster Cult performance in February & I am already getting started on picking a song. The super exciting news is that I am going to barter a tattoo for a custom corset-- MEEEOW!

Here's a picture of my current hometown from last winter- it is truly beautiful here!

Finally... It's Done!

Honestly-

I didnt personally do much work on this project. I deemed myself logical director and technical creator :). Dave is great at sewing ( thanks to experience sewing marine canvas) so I put him to work on the first ever collapsible hoop tote!

A few mis-stitched later, this tote is fabulous! Perfect for conveniently carrying your collapsible hoola hoop all the while protecting it from damage!





Check out the goods here!

All this hard work is makin me nappy!

So I think the Winter is Here!

One of the clear signs of season change is shorter days- but what no one ever mentioned to me was that the sun would just D I S A P P E A R! Its true. The past few days have been a solid light grey. No blue sky, no sunshine, just a flat sky of grey. I actualy slept undisturbed until 11:30 am this morning, without realizing it was so late! That can be attributed to the lack of bright morning sun!

So I just wanted to post a bit about my newest ( !top secret! ) project- the perfect tote for your collapsible hoop!




The first tote I am making is in an olive green with some lovely red and yellow details. I love high contrast, bright, and still classic motifs. It has been fun working on my color theory through hoops, art, and other projects! :)




And finally- A sneak peak at my newest collapsible hoop- to be sold with the matching bag debuting this Saturday on my Etsy!

Ok, but don't tell!

xoxo

Art Fever!

I've been hammering out a bunch of mini paintings the past week! Just trying to keep it simple and clever! I figure this is the best way to keep myself entertained and at the same time get plenty of practice~

Here are a few of my newest ones, I totally am on a food kick- so I started off with some Nachos & Sushis ( YUM! Maybe not combined though!)




Both of these are matted & framed 4x6" originals for sale under $30! You can find them here . A deliciously calorie free delight for the fanatic!

And I couldnt stop myself with just one sushi- I don't even think I can stop myself with two sushis- but for now here is the sashimi that I painted ( are you cravin sushi yet ?)


We are not done yet! Heres "Ma Cleava" in the Ghouly feeling of the season!



IF you live in the Pacific Northwest- or on the Eastern SeaBoard- or any where else where it can rain for 3 days straight and the sun wont come out- then maybe you will love this happy little rain cloud done kawaii style!



These originals are priced very wallet friendly & will make great stocking stuffers for friends who are either art lovers, kawaii fans, tattoo enthusiast- or self proclaimed foodies! Check em out on my Etsy before your favorites find a new home!

It's 4 Am- Where's My Art?

(Heart McGee 2009- prints and originals available here)

So here I am-

4:33 AM this Wednesday mornin. The mister is a snoozin and I am awake and prepping for a VERY early cycling class. Doing my best to stay active after an untimely wake up at 4am instead of 5 am.

Some of you may have known that last week I took a trip to see the fam in Florida- such a lovely experience. Lot of lovely, bright, energizing sun and heat! I will tell you that I do NOT appreciate 3-7 yr olds on planes. It seems as if the wee children (younger then 3) are fine, they pass out and are relatively mild mannered. But it is once a child registers that with outrageous emotional outbursts their parents go into ignor and do what you want mode. Gr.

Dave & I arrived back in Florida this past Monday after an overnight delay thanks to AirTran- who was absolutely unwilling to give out any type of compensation. Trust me, 45 minutes later on the phone with Thomas from AirTran and all he could say was that "since it was due to weather..." . Lame.

OK- all these complaints are besides the point :) - I brought the sunshine home when we landed in the flat grey of Seattle on Monday afternoon. And with the sunshine came motivation. Just random sparks that enticed me to paint some small simple things- like this delicious "Mmm Pop!" which is soon going to be altered into a fridge magnet!



I have a few more little snazzles to upload- but here is my latest Daruma. You know I love me some Darumas!



Happy Wednesday!
Don't forget to check out more artwork on my Etsy!

How to Collapse Your Hoop!

Some how my brain got distracted by the number 8 when I was making this picture! Sorry for the confusion! :)






Yes! New Collapsible Hoops are up on Etsy!

Fall Colors Photoblog

Autumn is abound. The sky remains bright for now, providing the perfect complement to the trees shades of golds and rich reds.




The beauty of transition is everywhere. When going about your daily life it is hard to miss, but also easy to neglect.




Maybe today you will pause, and appreciate the beauty surrounding you during this season. The beauty outside will reflect that inside, so be sure to soak it all up!

Todays Mission Briefing

Today's Plans-

List hoops that I made yesterday. They are rad. Be sure to check out how rad HERE. :)





There s a little sneak preview .

Next up to the ... is it the Jim? Nope, the gym.

But most importantly, it is too gorgeous a day for me not to do a photoblog of the lovely fall that is upon us! I woke up all muddled in murkiness since I missed my Pa's birthday yesterday for the second year in a row. I m not used to being so separated from my dear familia so far away in Florida! But with the sun a shinin today I cannot let sadness sweep me away!
Photoblog comin tomorrow AM!

Community Thanks

A few days ago Dave & I experienced another passing of a loved one. Our boat was just rocked with the passing of Dave's Aunt a week or two back. It's been tough to go through it again so soon. I stepped back from my blog & art & Etsy and have been spending time with Dave & his familia in hopes of making things easier for everyone.

So last night, I logged into my Etsy to see what was going on and truly felt behind in my business & life in general. Trying to maintain a shop presence on a consistent level daily can be overwhelming. And after having a few days off it seems even more heavy, because I don't feel like I can just jump back in 100% . I posted a Positive Energy thread hoping for a few pick me ups from the community. I just posted and left- just a momentary expression of the self in a community of 1000's of hardworking busy bees! This morning I logged in to check the thread to see if anyone had offered any keys to how I could get my mojo back.

The response was FANTASTIC! I've only been a community member for a few months, so I couldn't expect anything- but I feel like the handful of people that responded were truly caring. After I have spent days hiding from Etsy, Blogging, Twittering and so on and so forth, it was this thread that has got me to write this. A small step in a big picture, but a worthwhile step regardless!

Thanks again to everyone who so kindly spoke up!

Finally!

Something you will realize is I am always a day late and a dollar short. I can barely keep up with myself!

About 2 weeks ago I did my first tattoo- it was a squiggly boob. Just a good ole boobie. Just one. To keep him comin back for more! Then I did a Daruma and Dave's co worker ( which is awesome, because I love Daruma's & tattooing has been a long time wish of mine ;) which he then added some gnar waves too.

Yesterday I did my third tattoo- this sweet little cherry blossom:



I am so happy I can't believe I m finally tattooing! After 2 years of watching & getting bailed on for an apprenticeship I am lucky that it actually came to be. I guess I should say thank you to Dave for being super supportive and awesome the whole time.

Anyways, just a quick Tuesday morning post as I am off to revamp Dave & my websites hopefully today!

ReBirth

Continuing on the note of chaos and crazyness-

So through death comes new beginning. It's just strange how quickly one may follow the other.

SaFire's workshop was this past thursday in Seattle. It was something I had been eagerly awaiting since I joined her online community HoopCity, an amazing place for hoopers, poi artists, and all those spiral loves! I couldnt wait to meet the creator of such a great community as well as one of the women whom I have watched hundreds of times on YouTube- where she provides some great tutorials on basic hooping. My digital hoop mentor! I was also excited to meet some local (kinda) hoopers and just hoop with other people! I swear Olympia is barren of hoopers.



This was the amazing hoop group who converged for SaFire's workshop. SaFire ran through some nifty tricks with us for about an hour, making rounds to us individually to work with us on any troubles we were experiencing. I have very bruised knees from trying to learn to walk with my hoop at my knees. Knee hooping is... my downfall. I swear as soon as it gets to my knees I'm essentially just waiting for it to fall- must practice! Here are a few shots from the workshop and the gathering.




Also I finally got hoop with my first client from Seattle- Ms. Amanda. She is so amazing! And somehow she has knee hooping down pat! :) It was lovely to get to hoop with her and she gave the Oddity a new home, as well as the Caramel Apple Swirl which her friend Jenn bought!

This lady is going to be an amazing hooper! As a matter of fact she is participating in a Duathalon right now I think! ( Sending some best wishes not to puke ! at 11:08 this Sunday mornin Amanda!) :)



While at the workshop- I met Anne of Seattle Hoopla ( picture below) ( shes the lady to the right of me ( I m the lady on the right!:))




Anne teaches hoop classes weekly in Seattle- check out her site here so you can get the low down on Anne & her classes. So through Anne I got my first batch order of hoops & I will be doing some design for her as well.

See- so quick, the cycle of up and down, round and round!

SO here are some new hoops I made for her fall class- super pretty!


If you want a custom hoop- message me on my Etsy! I love making hoops- I love to create these items which will bring smiles to so many people!

Ok, so at the close of the workshop portion of the meetup SaFire had us do a breathing, energy focus type practice that made for some cute pictures! Look at all these hoops & all these hoopers!! So happy!








Then of course- the sun went away and LED came out to play! Time to let the pictures do the talking! We <3 getting FUNKY! I didnt get the opportunity to personally meet everyone- so if you are here come give me a shout at HoopCity I m Lola!






LED Hoops are amazing and make for fantastic pictures and video! And they are super fun to hoop in just watching everything go round and round in a swirl of bright light and color!


I was amazed at this guys ground hooping! It was like he was blending breaks & hooping- awesome! ( See picture below- if you look closely you can see a large swirling hoop off his foot!! )





And voila, the day began- so the day ended.



THANKS TO DAVE FOR TAKING SO MANY GREAT PICTURES ( I EVEN SAW HIM HOOPIN XD)
&
THANKS SO MUCH TO SAFIRE! For being great inspiration, and so kind- and for creating hoopcity. MWA!