We stayed at the historic Charleston Place hotel, right in the middle of downtown Charleston.  The moment we got in there, we were overjoyed with the decor—-the warmth, the detail, the tradition, mmmmm.  We immediately jumped into photo-shoot mode.  Seriously, for at least 30 minutes, my mama, sis and me took pictures of the gorgeous room and each other in it.

So. much. FUN.

Chocolates on your bed.  Whaa??  Who does that any more???  love.

That moment stood out as one of my faves of the whole trip.  I mean, what’s more fulfilling than being completely goofy with the ones you love most?  So I combined it into my Outfit of the Day.

girly dress:  Free People from Radiance in Hilton Head.  (a new boutique who will be carrying my line)!

graphic tights: from Philly’s Bus Stop boutique (another loyal betsy & iya seller)!

boots: Frye.

new earrings and necklace: betsy & iya

Turns out mama has some SKILLZ with the camera…go mama!!  I heart this new head shot!

And then…ahhh…my favorite shot of all—the real deal, iya.  Sis, you melt my heart.

More on this east coast journey to come (including: my trip to Etsy headquarters, the NU hotel in Brooklyn, and sweet memories of childhood beaches.  Also, I’ll be listing those new key/chain earrings for you today.)

I hope you’re holding your Monday’s hand and skipping all the way into the sunset!

***Song of the Moment: Blues for Mama, by Nina Simone***

]]> http://www.betsyandiya.com/blog/outfit-of-the-day-charleston-place/feed/ 1 http://www.betsyandiya.com/blog/confessions-unabashed-confidence/ http://www.betsyandiya.com/blog/confessions-unabashed-confidence/#comments Fri, 05 Feb 2010 18:07:13 +0000 betsy http://www.betsyandiya.com/blog/?p=1593 This morning I had this equally exhilarating and terrifying thought:

I am exactly where I need to be.

(And somehow that thought corresponds with this wicked picture I took of my good friend, SQ.  beautiful.  hard.  soft.  lovely.).

I hope you all have unabashedly confident weekends.

xox~betsy

***Song of the Moment: Godspeed, by Jenny Lewis***  (okay okay, I’ll switch it up next time.  I’m just really loving Ms. Lewis this week).

REVIEWED;

Portland Monthy Magazine (blog):  Preview: Truth & Beauty

Willamette Week:  Fertile Ground Day 1, Truth & Beauty

Oregonian: Fertile Ground: ‘Truth and Beauty’ is a literally moving production about a unique friendship

a friendship like no other

It’s playing in front of these audiences that has really brought our characters to life.  A few days before we opened, Jessica (co-star, plays Lucy Grealy) handed me a book for inspiration: C.S.Lewis’s A Grief Observed, written after the death of his wife.  His words helped me tremendously:

No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.  I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid.  The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning.  I keep on swallowing. … And no one ever told me about the laziness of grief.  I loathe the slightest effort.  Not only writing but even reading a letter is too much.  Even shaving.  What does it matter now whether my cheek is rough or smooth?  They say an unhappy man wants distractions–something to take him out of himself.  Only as a dog-tired man wants an extra blanket on a cold night; he’d rather lie there shivering than get up and find one.  … The act of living is different all through.  Her absence is like the sky, spread over everything.

There is a sequence in the beginning where Ann Patchett (the character I’m playing) lyrically expresses her grief.  With an appropriate David Byrne song playing and only one chair, Ann’s chair, in just a few moments, she goes down to the bottom and claws her way back to the top—fighting through the mire and muck of sadness to come out on the other side.  Ann wrote the book this way…3 weeks after Lucy’s death.

In the performance, there have been nights when I thought I got there.  There have been nights when I knew I was no where close.  I have 3 more nights to go even farther and I intend to.

Won’t you join us?

***Song of the Moment: Memories Can’t Wait, by Talking Heads***

Since I am trying to get ready for New York in lickety-split lightening speed time, I’ll keep this baby short.  Soon, I’m going to post about the number of callouses I’ve developed on my poor hands.  I never thought one could get callouses in such places.  The building of my ear wires in large numbers has given me tough spots all over my hands— the way a seasoned guitar player has merit bumps on the tips of his fingers.  The more you play, the harder they become.

I’m quite proud of my bumps (hehehe).  But in order not to feel like a butch mechanic in a local autoshop, I offset the calloused beauties with a sweet dress from one of my favorite local shops, Mabel & Zora.

It was a little chilly when I left for the studio, so I paired one of my favorite jeans–from another local favorite, Pin Me Apparel—with the ensemble, to keep me cute and warm!  My gray strap-happy shoes come from yet ANOTHER local twinkle, Shoefly.

The earrings are a new betsy & iya fave (well, my favorite at least).  I’m experimenting with a buttload of vintage chain and making all kinds of new items for the drips section in my shop.  These are just a preview.  I’ll let y’all know when I update the shop.

Don’t forget to comment for the giveaway (or spread the word for folks you know in NYC)!  xoxoxoxo!

***Song of the Moment: Starfish and Coffee, by Prince*** (i know, i know, I’m on a prince kick lately.  this is one of my all time favorite prince songs off of one of my all time favorite prince albums, Sign of the Times.  If you’ve never listened, you should.  It’s wildly fantastic.)

Okay, I can’t think of a better title to encompass the whirlwind that has been my life the past few weeks/months.  And then there’s the past few days where I’ve sort of been sitting zombie-like, with my jaw dropped reflecting on all that has happened and all that is about to happen in my life.  It’s like I’ve been hit with a frying pan and I’m seeing the pretty stars circling around my head, while blinking very slowly.

(Art Hop on Alberta Street, May 2009.  Lupe is wearing my wooden curtain rod hoops in this photo.)

(The colors always draw people to our booth.)

The last two street shows have been the best we’ve ever done.  The weeks leading up, I basically made jewelry until my fingers bled.  And now I must prepare for the Rose Festival (I’m selling with Handmade NW right on Waterfront Village!!!)  and then comes…New York!!  That’s right, NYC friends, I’ll be at a MASSIVE show at the end of June, for 5 days!!  I am also planning on hitting up some NY stores to try and get in long term.  Any suggestions??

Stay tuned, I’ve gotten some great suggestions on this blog and I intend to tune in more often than I have as of late.  I think I just needed to break for a second.  One thing that’s for sure—you all love the Outfits of the Days!!  This actually really cracks me up, because even though I love playing dress up, I feel a bit like a fashion impostor.  Maybe that’s why you love it so?—it does truly make me giggle sometimes.

Lookout for upcoming OOTDs.  Tomorrow’s might be my favorite of the month.  Here’s a teaser.  I like to call this photo:  Locker Butt.  (I’ll explain tomorrow).

***Song of the Moment:  1-2-3-Apple Tree, by Herman Dune***

So—NO MORE!  I’m bringing back the stylish, funky, throw-a-hot-outfit-together-super-fast betsy:

Wow, I had a tough time naming this one.  Casual, but cool.  Kinda mom, but super sassy/hip mom.  Business, but relaxed.  Industrial, but prissy.  Frumptastic Chic???

It’s a new jumper that I snatched from my recent trip to SF.  I can’t remember where I got it, but I know it was on Haight Street at some cute indie boutique.  I planned on wearing it first with maybe some wild tights and boots.  It was a little chilly this morning in PDX, so I chose to pair it with some light pin stripe black pants that I’ve had since HIGH SCHOOL…what (…is wrong with me)?

I added a heather gray American Apparel tee underneath, slipped on a pair of my favorite comfys from Portland’s Shoefly, and headed in for a full day of PROduction.

Oh yeah…last (but never least), I tacked on my current favorite pair of betsy & iya color blasting vintage earrings—the flower bombs in cobalt blue.

Wednesday…Woo!

***Song of the Moment: My Friend, by Dr. Dog***

]]> http://www.betsyandiya.com/blog/outfit-of-the-day-hottie-pants-worker-bee/feed/ 2 http://www.betsyandiya.com/blog/strugglin/ http://www.betsyandiya.com/blog/strugglin/#comments Fri, 24 Apr 2009 17:17:02 +0000 betsy http://www.betsyandiya.com/blog/?p=726 I’m not gonna lie, folks.  It’s been a tough week.  I’ve felt like I can’t quite keep up with everything, which is making me not get enough sleep, which is making me a bit spacey headed, dark/heavy-eyed and cranky.  All of these things are a recipe for crashing.  And while March was an insanely good month, April has been a bit slow—I suppose everyone has tightened their belts over recession blues and maybe freaked a little over their taxes.  I trust though that this won’t last forever and after all, it is just part of the whole ebb and flow of things…right?  Not to mention, the weather!  It was SO crispy nice last weekend and the week came around and killed it.  (Listen to me…wah wah whiney McWhinerstein!!)

In an effort to pull myself together and appreciate the good things, I will dedicate this post to the one thing that has always been there for me through the rough times:

Here are some favorite moments of me with my liquid best friend through the years.  The above shot was taken on a January road trip at a great divey diner with some human best friends.

One of my favorite moments with my liquid BF in my Frida cup, while living in Mexico City.  It was my 25th birthday.   The light shone in off of the courtyard into our perfect Mexican room.  I woke up to this scene.  It was the perfect birthday gift.

These shots from Veracruz—one of my most memorable mornings with the legal drug.

I have never been able to get those colors out of my head; thank goodness.

Okay okay okay, just running through these shots and memories has helped me stop and hush my worrying mind—AND SNAP OUT OF IT!!  In one hour I will pick up one of my most treasured friends from the airport.  She’s flying in from her home, Amsterdam.  It’s been almost one year since I’ve seen her.  I expect we will find a perfect Portland cafe and sit down for a quick cup of love and chat.  I am so lucky for what I have… I will go into the weekend with a hopeful heart and a calm mind.

I hope the same goes for you all!

Have wonderfully beautiful, exciting, hilarious and coffee-filled weekends!

***Song of the Moment: Don’t Worry, Be Happy, by Bobby McFerrin***

(I remember cranking this song and dancing around the house when I was a wee one.  It’s way more fun to focus on these kinds of memories over the harder stuff…duh)

I really like noticing things —details, I’ve never noticed before.  I like how I’m always surprised and mesmerized by the things I don’t know.  And then I get to know them a little more over time and then they become something else.   Portland looks and feels so differently to me now than the first time I saw it.  The same thing is true for people.

This is W’s first stroll up the ladder he built (from scratch) for my studio.  I needed extra storage space—before I even had time to stress over it, W was finished with the high (awesome) shelf (also from scratch, with wood from the Rebuilding Center) and onto building the ladder from the bottom up.  DUDE!  Am I NOT the luckiest gal ever!?!  Now, practically everything in my shop was built by him (and me) and all were first time projects!  Do-It-Yourself, people!!…errrrr…OR with help from your partners!

Just like my relationships, Portland has grown and changed so much before my 3-year-old PDX eyes.  It’s the same beautiful place, but full of feeling—beautiful memories and potential.  That makes a place look differently.  The details.  The small beautiful building up.

***Song of the Moment: El Zocalo, by Beirut***

It was the other day when I recognized, in the moment, just how much the post office means to me.  First of all, I’ve never had a bad experience with a Postperson.  In fact, beyond getting my important packages to their even more important destinations, some of the postpeople actually make an effort (it seems) to liven up my day.  With the characters waiting behind their respective PO windows, my wait has never been boring.

The counter itself is like a gateway to postal heaven—the clerks, its angels.  My favorites are the ones that you know have been there forever, like the sprightly yet cynical short fiery redhaired woman with academic glasses.  She could easily be viewed as the wiser, more intimidating person on the crew—she means business.  In reality, she’s the goofiest and most playful of them all, you just have to give her a chance.  Sometimes when I’m waiting in line, I cross my fingers that the heavens will open up and line it up perfectly so she’ll be my clerk.  With her wild red hair, her intense eyes, and rubber chicken bright yellow earrings (and crazy hat wearing near the holidays), I know I’m in for a wild checkout ride.  Most of all, she’s kind and it seems as if she truly enjoys her job.  I think she gets how important she and the whole post-office experience is to me. …I can see it in her smile when I’m walking away.

And then there’s that journey down the long post office hall when the pride sets in.  After passing my things off to the post office Angels, I feel like I’ve earned my little spot in post office heaven.  They know how hard I worked and they’re passing the product on to the next place.  They’ve guaranteed to take care of it from there on out—and they always do.

In that journey down the crisp post office hall, sometimes my feet  (depending on the type of shoes I wear), punctuate and trumpet my recent shipping victory…I feel as if the world has been lifted from my shoulders, every time.  Sometimes it’s as if I’ve been holding my breath and I can finally breathe again.

Insert:  Man, I love Portland!  I’m riding the bus right now and out of the North side windows, I see a boyish person (kinda nerdy looking….but cool) just come out of the coffee shop with an iced drink and proceed to get on his unicycle to go wherever he’s going.  (note: second time in one week that I’ve seen people traveling by one wheel…love it.)

This one goes out to the Post Office peeps:

Check out this cute Thank You card from a shop I just discovered on Etsy: Swieky Siggies…love it!

To great people, great post office experiences and great weekends!  Cheers!!

***Song of the Moment: The New Post Office, by Denis Cahill and Martin Hayes***

Mere hours after we stepped off the Coast Starlight Express, we had to be at our first appointment.  We checked into our hotel room, turned it into a tornado of things, and ran out with our 15 minute cute fresh selves and a massive bag o’ jewelry.  Luckily we had time enough to wake up on some good coffee on Haight at People’s Café, before we ventured over to our first destination.

necessary addiction

Offbeat on Haight was chock full of awesome indie designers’ wares, including the owner’s and manager’s designs, with whom we spoke.  It was a creative mecca, all products so well organized and beautifully displayed.  You can imagine, I was almost geekily excited when the amazing owner wanted to order my things.  We got through it and even made a special custom order for the funky, wild awesome clerk behind the counter.
After that, W and I were so jazzed and pooped, that we just walked around Haight-Ashbury, holding hands whilst ogling the awesome colors, shoes, down-and-outers, drinking more coffee and eating the most delicious burritos with a beer at El Balazo until we couldn’t take any more in.

day well spent

(me in an old OOTD—when in doubt…go back to the surefire winners)

We passed by the hotel to drop off the 1000 pound bag of jewelry before we headed down to the wharf for a celebratory dinner.  (Wait, have I mentioned yet that it is not my two hands that carried my jewelry all around SF and back again?  No, no, my friends.  It was ALL W’s.  I take this moment now to gush about him:  Will is the awesomest.  Hands down, my favorite…and not just b/c he carries my jewelry all day long.)

We ended the sweet day with a sweet dinner right on the sparkly red water with the sun going down.

To be Continued:

follow me to get the next dish.

(and I’ll tell you what the REAL celebration was about in the next post.  see if you can’t figure it out.  there are clues in here…(hehehehe))

***Song of the Moment: Fade into You, by Mazzy Star***