Join the Colour Revolution!

I’ve been busy making since I last blogged. Sorry for the gap between posts, I really am not good at keeping you all updated. I admit I’d much rather be sweating it out at the sewing machine or getting busy with a paintbrush than typing at a keyboard.

But, a lot has happened since my last blog post. Firstly, I was really honoured to have my work featured in the Sunday Times Style magazine, courtesy of my friend, the Fabulous Fashionista ,  Sue Kreitzman. Sue was on the cover wearing a gorgeous Lauren Shanley creation, and on the inside feature, she was wearing a kimono I made for her featuring her own artwork.

What a joy and a privilege!

I’ve since gone on to make a few more kimonos , but short, jacket style ones all in my signature bright colours.

I made one for a very special friend, a Zimbabwean designer, who lives in Nottingham and has won many awards for her incredible accessory designs. Her name is Pam Samasuwo-Nyawiri and her company’s name is Vanhu Vanmwe  Do look her up, her bags are just incredible. Her kimono features her love of inspirational women , Erykah Badu, Miriam Makeba amongst others. Here is her finished kimono:

Another was made for a very special friend called Clare, who runs an amazing company Big Love Sista CiC who’s mission is to inspire women , young and not so young to believe in themselves through the power of art. I couldn’t love this woman more. Her kimono was made with her own images of Our Lady of Guadalupe on the back and a painting of Eve on the front. An image of Frida Kahlo with a sacred heart completes the piece, along with lots of vibrant poppies, embroidered and embellished with gold thread.

Along with these, I’ve made three other kimonos that are looking for new homes. There is a Frida Kahlo inspired one, and two with beautiful Macaw parrots as the theme. Here are the images. They are all a free size ( will fit up to about size 22/24 ) and they cost £180. A bespoke piece costs £225. If interested, do email me on thebabyfairyfifi@hotmail.com for more details.

 

For further information do head over to my website IHEARTCART 

or if you are a Facebook person like me, like  my page on facebook .

 

If you are a more of a cape person than a kimono person, I make those too… either waist length or hip length. Here are two I made earlier: So if you are bored of this bland world and you want to raise a smile , join the colour revolution !

 

Wrapping beautiful, stylish, unique women in art

This blog post is not about fashion. Fashion in my mind is more to do with status than expression. This post is about style and about originality and art,  it is to celebrate diversity and beauty found in being fearless and expressing yourself.

The clothes I make for unique individuals, are a collaboration. I start off with suggestions from the client, I try to gain a feel of what the client is about: colour preferences, ideologies, and favourite imagery. One proviso, though, I do not do beige or pastel colours. It is just not something that I could make work. I’m all about vibrancy and passion which I do not feel is reflected in beige and pastel. This is why I’m very drawn to the beautiful kento batik african fabrics as they are bold and brave and sometimes quite eccentric in the printed  imagery chosen, which suits my taste right down to the ground. I’m in the process of making myself a dress  with fabric covered in prawns, yes prawns…

Isn’t it just fabulous?

I thought it was about time to share some of the wonderful pictures  from my delightful friends /clients who have shared the moment when they first wear their piece of wearable art. They are priceless. There will be more, this is , hopefully an ongoing perk of making wearable art for unique individuals.

 

My very first client, Fabulous Fashionista Sue Kreitzman wearing her portrait kimono for the Sunday Times Style magazine shoot. Sue remains an inspiration and has become a dear friend whom I treasure.

Cassandra in her very sleek fitting Frida pencil dress. Oh how beautiful she looks!

 

Beautiful Anne Marie in her Wonderwoman dress. She is quite the wonderwoman in real life too!

The brief was Wonderwoman , pink and Cat Woman . Two divas on one dress, hmm, that would have resulted in a bit of a struggle, so Cat Woman was symbolised by the leopard print side panels.

I think she looks spectacular! I hope it makes her feel like Wonderwoman when she wears it.

Amazing Kate in her Frida’ Hummingbird’ dress . Kate is not only beautiful, but smart and free spirited . She loves dragon flies and dandelions.

The brief was autumnal colours with a pop of red and orange, dandelions, Frida and dragonflies. Kate also requested a co-ordinating wrap. I wish I had Kate’s beautiful flame red hair…

This short cape was created for Lolo Moniasse, a model and muse. She inspires me . The theme was ‘Elements’ and features air, fire, earth and water.

Lolo is not only physically beautiful, but incredibly spiritual and quietly radiates a wonderful warm energy that inspires and soothes in equal measures.

Her short cape features a double portrait of herself, based on a photo by Simon Fairclough on the front and an original portrait by myself on the back, featuring Lolo’s fascinating scarification patterns.

Beautiful, original and unique. The capes not bad too…

This is another of my muses, my dear friend Marnie Scarlet. modelling her portrait tote bag based on a photo by Helene Jaspers. Without Marnie’s inspiration c.Art would have never existed. Love you Marnie.

Here is another one of Marnie’s bags a quite bonkers pink Nelephant bag based on photos by Tigz Rice Studios.

This is the back of the portrait bag, this side features an image based on the photo taken by Mark Lloyd of M L Imagery of the wonderful person who embodies living art, Marnie Scarlet.

Visionary artist and brilliantly bonkers beautiful human being. Miz Thang I love you! Miz Thang sent me a plain white tux jacket all the way from the States and here she is rocking the transformed version. The brief? Well, it’s Frida Kahlo .

Here’s Miz Thang again, wearing a cape I made for her based on her own incredible paintings of Circus Freaks. It had to be one of my favourite pieces to make .

There will be more posts like this, oh boy. How excited and privileged am I to do this?

Links and contact details

Sue Kreitzman

Marnie Scarlet

ML Imagery: mlimagery@gmail.com

Helene Jaspers

Tigz Rice Studios

Cassandra  http://www.thelondonbootcampcompany.com/

Lolo Moniasse

Miz Thang

 

To join us on the c.Art wearable journey, get in touch with me via my website or on my Facebook page or email me on thebabyfairyfifi@hotmail.com or send me a message via the contact form below.

By the way, you don’t have to be female…

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From Virgin White to Glorious Colour : the birth of a Frida Jacket

Creating something special for the extraordinary artist , Miz Thang

What a fortunate woman I am at the minute. I have recently been commissioned by the extraordinary American Folk artist, Miz Thang  to create something wonderful from a vintage white tux tailcoat. The theme was Frida Kahlo which made me very happy as Frida is very close to my heart.

It was pretty daunting to make the first painty marks on this pure white garment that had been flown all the way to me from across the Atlantic Ocean. But I stuck my courage to the sticking place ( sorry Lady Macbeth) and gave it a go.

It’s currently flying it’s way back to Miz Thang on an aeroplane. It’s a well travelled tux. Here is it’s story in pictures.

I can’t wait to see pictures of the marvellous Miz Thang wearing her new arty tux. It is such a joy to help people become walking art pieces, especially when they are already fabulous artists!

I’m currently working on the most amazing cape for her, featuring her very own , delightfully bonkers paintings of circus freaks. This one is worth waiting for… I can’t wait to show you!

Making Fabulous Fashion for a Fabulous Fashionista

My oh my , how I’ve been busy! I’ve barely had time to breathe since I started on this path of making wearable art for the wonderful woman  and Fabulous Fashionista , Sue Kreitzman.

Since I wrote my last blog post, I’ve made so many more pieces , I think I shall just post pictures and let them do the talking.

Since my last blog post, I’m terribly sad to report that the purple coat that I customised for Sue with her portrait on the back

has been stolen by two men

( pictured on cctv cameras in the gallery)

when it was on exhibition at the quirky and exciting gallery/cafe Cult Mountain in Shoreditch.  If you recognise these men please contact the police as the theft has been reported. Who knows what prompted someone to steal such an identifiable piece. Who would wear a coat with the person’s portrait on the back that you stole it from? It makes no sense.

Sigh.

I suppose I can say that a piece of my art has achieved notoriety. I’m going to make another portrait coat for Sue  and try to make it even better. So there you have it, pictures of the work I’ve been doing, making wearable art for fabulous people.

 

There’s still more to come.

 

To view a full collection of what I’ve made thus far , do head over to my Facebook page : www.facebook.com/c.Artbags

My website , if you fancy having a look is www.iheartcart.com

I love my life.

 

Diamonds are a Girls Best Friend? No, it’s handbags.

Handbags, evening bags, shoulder bags, clutch bags or even a big old tote bag, us ladies sure are suckers for a something to keep our bits and pieces in.

Here in my incarnation of c.Art, I’ve been busy making more bags, each one unique, as befits the brand.

Marilyn Monroe once famously sang ‘Diamonds are a girls best friend’ but I beg to differ. I think a handbag is much more useful and can be just as pretty as a string of sparklers . I combined the glamour of the image of Marilyn Monroe in this  dusky pink evening bag .

The back of the evening bag reads: ” I’m a failure as a woman. My men expect so much because of the image they’ve made of me and that I’ve made of myself as a sex symbol. Men expect so much of me and I can’t live up to it. ”  A quote from the screen idol herself, showing her acute self awareness and burgeoning Feminist thinking.

This bag was snapped up as soon as I’d made it. Others similar could be ordered.

From one great woman to another, here is a shopper made with a kaleidoscopic image of the wonderful Frida Kahlo. With hand painted green leopard print and heavily embroidered and handpainted image , this shopper bag would turn your shopping trip into a very special occasion.

Lined in pistachio green satin with a magnetic snap closure and a zippered inner pocket, this bag is stylish as well as practical. 

To order your own bag or to see what I’ve currently got in stock, head over to my website www.iheartcart.com

or if you’re a Facebook person : www.facebook.com/c.Artbags