Welcome 2012!

Have a Happy and Blessed New Year!

 (Happy New Year Heart - Flickr)

Miracles and Blessings... Kiki here, Happy 2012 from our inter-generational divas at iCafe Woman Moderne!

"Ask and you will be given what you asked for... 

seek and you will find... knock and the door will be open." 

Matthew 7:7

 (Happy Children - Flickr)

Don't you love the New Year... all sparkly and new?  It's like when you were eight and starting the first day of school... your first day in third grade.   You put on your new school outfit you spent hours digging through the racks at Sears, searching for just the right look. (before school uniforms became the norm)

 (Flattop341 - Flickr)


Finally, you get to christen your new Saturday cartoon show-themed lunch box and open your pencil case, this one's in the shape of the United States map, and filled with freshly sharpened #2 and a rainbow of coloring pencils.  You're feeling so good, you could probably draw a rainbow from school to home, if you were allowed.

 (Colored Pencils - Flickr)

 (Buck Rogers Lunch Box - Flickr)

Where am I going with this?  Simple.  Life is kind of like that third grade pencil case.  A New Year means you can erase the ugly stuff you stumbled through in 2011 with that number 2 pencil, or aim those beautiful coloring pencils at the not-so-pretty junk that tricked you up more times than you care to share.  

So, go on... give them a chartreuse face-lift with a new attitude, apply sage green to a fresh approach, add sunflower yellow by way of a positive outlook.  Give your new-found power a shot of sienna orange.  You know you can't have power where there's a pocket-full-of-pity... right?

But let's get you moving too.  When you're moving, the negative stuff infecting your brain during the most inconvenient times, can't find a home because those endorphins are too busy Tae Bo kicking those negative thoughts right out of your system.  It's a total body cleansing.
(Bellicon.com)

So let's start the New Year off right with an attainable "2012 To Do List."  We're not going the New Year's Resolution route where friends inquire about your resolutions with cynical smiles and snickers translating into: "they'll fall by the wayside before Valentine's Day."  Yikes! 

A "To Do List" sounds more serious... corporate... action-oriented.  Yeah!  We can do this!  Whatever you need to accomplish your goals for 2012, you've got 12 months to make serious headway.  

Start today... don't procrastinate... don't daydream... step away from the La-Z-Boy... drop that remote... put the Dove Bar back in the freezer.  You can veg out for a moment after you reach a few of your goals, then back to work you go.

Make your dreams happen or at least begin the journey.  Just Do It!  Go for the Gold!  Feel the Burn!  Use whatever Madison Avenue sales pitch that'll motivate you to take active steps toward living a fulfilling life.  But remember this, to be blessed starts with being a blessing.

So as you write your book, start that music demo, script that movie, plan your wedding, launch a new web copwriting business or navigate a move overseas--don't forget to lend a hand to a person in need.  

Give an encouraging word to a friend or or even a stranger who has lost hope.  Take a couple bags of groceries over to a neighbor who just lost her job.  

 (Mother and Child Hearts - Flickr)


Offer gratis babysitting hours to a struggling single parent, sole breadwinner of three, studying part-time for a degree.

(Ojie Paloma - Flickr)

 (Thafeth - Flicker.com)


A need can be on the other side of your backyard fence or on the other side of the world.  As your dreams start to come true, look over your shoulder to see if somebody needs a hand to reach theirs.

Then you'll really know you have begun living a truly abundant life.  

Enjoy 2012!

"But remember this... if you give little... you will get little.  A farmer who plants just a few seeds, he will get only a small crop, but if he plants much, he will reap much."2Corinthians 9:6

 (Tomato Basket - Flickr)

Things That Make You Say... No Way!

It's a stiletto shoe.  

No.  It's a Desk.

It's a stiletto shoe desk.  Welcome to today's text-webisode: "Things that make you say... No Way!" 


Miracles and Blessings!  Kiki here... Yes, way!  Our iCafe Woman Moderne divas and little divas are celebrating innovators,creative thinkers... Average Joans who like to think way out of the box.

I'm sure Benjamin Franklin's wife thought he was a little nuts with his penchant for lightening storms and his crazy talk about creating electricity. But we're not talking about history-changing inventions, we're shining a light on new spins on everyday products... things you see daily.  Check these out!

1. I know what you're thinking.  It's just a bag of coffee, a cappuccino and a neat display of Twinkies, Yodels and Ho-Hos.  

(Coffee and Hostess cakes - Cake Wrecks)


Look again.  They're cakes made by today's new breed of cake artists.  They're not your typical neighborhood bakers from back-in-the-day.  They're artists, sculptors and designers for those who love sweets. 

2. A Rubber band Chair... Really?   A bigger question is, will it hold me if I sit in it?

(Preston Moeller's Rubber band Chair)


We've all used rubber bands, but have you ever sat on a chair made of rubber bands?  You won't end up on the floor after sitting in one of Preston Moeller rubber band chairs, who designs fun, upcycled furniture.  Sixty-five thousand colorful rubber bands are bound by a wire frame.

As an industrial design student,  he created the 'rubber band chair' which earned him the $3,000 first prize in the Appalachian State University’s 6th Annual Chair Design Competition. 


3. Lark Silent Alarm and Sleep Sensor
Okay, this was designed just for me.

Now you can set an alarm that'll wake you up without disturbing your spouse.  (That's what I'm talking about!) Lark alarm clock and sleep sensor by Lark Technologies Inc. silently vibrates to wake only the person using it--not both people in bed.


The $129 sensor wirelessly connects to an iPhone via Bluetooth and slips into a wristband that's worn on your wrist while you sleep. The un-alarm device went on the market on June 14, you can purchase it Apple stores. 

Not only does it act as your alarm clock, a sensor on the Lark tracks sleep patterns and measures your quality of sleep.  It's soothing, gentle and unlike regular alarms, it doesn't jolt you into waking up and increase your adrenaline before your feet hit the floor.

What's really ingenious is that the Lark vibration is slightly different each day so you don't get used to it and start snoring through it.


4.  Is that a cozy for a street sign?

(Magda Sayek - Knitted Graffitti)

You've seen graffiti on walls, buses and on construction fences, a lot of it is not so warm and fuzzy.  Well, that has all change thanks to Magda Sayez the founder of the knit graffiti crew Knitta Please.  (also known as knitting guerrillas) Knitting is no longer just for grandmoms in rocking chairs.  That's now a thing of the past.

Today, Wall Street execs, Hollywood starlets, celebrutantes, fashionistas, the-girls-next-door and a Jersey girl or two are all  knitting.  Knit graffiti crews are turning ugly stop signs, meters, water spigots, steps and awnings into beautiful knit creations.

(Knitta Please - Utility Pole in NYC)

This year, Magda entered her knit art in ArtPrize, a festival held in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where over 1,500 artists displayed their work in venues spread all over downtown Grand Rapids, and the public voted on the entries to determine the finalists and the prize-winners.  

(Seating 1 - Art Prize)

(Seating 1)


It’s Magda’s first year as an entrant. She teamed up with City Flats Hotel in Grand Rapids, Michigan, a new green space in downtown Grand Rapids that’s decked out with modern furnishings all designed and made in Michigan. 

Magda's entry Seating 1 quiets the old fashioned perceptions about the knitting craft and honors modern furniture design.  Okay, here are the stats.  The art piece stands 81 square feet and has 5,184 knitted squares -- yes, all by hand. Visitors to the Flats Hotel couldn't miss the giant wall installation, a feast for the eyes and hands.  A signature Knitta awning welcomed visitors before they stepped inside.

5. Now, back to Food Art... this is amazing.

Art Oreos

(Mixed Reality)

6. A Little Black Dress that's a Telephone?

(The Telegraph)


Yes, a little black dress that's also a cell phone.

 Named the M-Dress, this LBD lets wearers make and receive calls by slipping their sim card under the label, allowing them to keep their usual numbers. Gesture recognition software allows users to pick up a call by raising their hand to their ear and end a conversation by letting it fall to their side. 

The M-Dress, designed by the London-based fashion company CuteCircuit, rings when an incoming call is received and different ringtones can be assigned to different numbers.  But the dress can only call a limited number of pre-programmed contacts, according to Mashable, the technology website. This LBD is a form-fitting silk jersey that hit the market earlier this year.

7. Can't you see Princess Beatrice's sculptural hat in an art gallery.  I'd wear it!

(Princess Beatrice at Prince William's Wedding)

8. How many Lucy Ricardos can you fit in Jamestown, New York?  
Apparently, over 900.

(Guiness Record - Lucy Lookalikes)

Aug. 8 2011

(Reuters) - More than 900 red-lipsticked, redheaded women -- and men -- gathered near a "Vitameatavegamin" sign in the hometown of "I Love Lucy" star Lucille Ball to mark her 100th birthday on Saturday with a world record for most Lucy look-alikes.

Sporting upswept hairdos and blue and white polka dot dresses, the crowd of 915 Lucy Ricardos were set to establish the first Guinness world record in her honor. It was all part of the annual Lucy Fest in Jamestown, which drew fans from as far away as Australia.

The Perfect Little Black Dress: Now A Must-Have for Little Divas

I wonder if Coco Chanel had any clue when she designed the perfect little black dress in the 1920's that it would not only be a fashion staple in every woman's closet, but it would also make a regular appearance in our pre-teen and teen fashionista's wardrobe. 

 (Kidcuteture - Llbd Shop)

(Cachcach Kids)

 

You'll even find the crib set sporting little black dresses in their baby strollers.  What's good for Mommy is certainly good for Mommy's little fashion plate.

(Florence Eiseman - Llbd Shop)

 (Little Audrey Dress )



These days, our little divas are grabbing their Mommies by the hand... bypassing the pink and lilac and stopping in front of a black empire or knit baby doll dress.  And mommy likes the endless accessorizing possibilities.  She can add a pink belt or lilac scarf or Tiffany blue shrug and get another look or two.
 
(Below - Llum Toddler & Little Girls Bertoia Dresses - Llbd Shop)

You won't have to look far for a little black dress version of a colorful pink, red or purple dress.  Yes, better days have arrived!

  (Better Days by The Art of Judi Lynn - Like this art? Click on link to purchase as a canvas print, framed print, art print or a greeting card at very affordable prices.)

Can you say reversible?  Now you see it in a pattern and now you see it in black... inside out.  Voila!

(Llum Toddler & Girls Reversible Pinafore Dress - Llbd Shop)

(That's right pose for the cameras, little diva.)

"Teach a child to choose the right path and when he is older he will remain upon it." Proverbs 22:6

 (By-the-Light - The Art of Judi Lynn)
 

Miracles and Blessings!  Kiki, here... I  know it's been a minute since our last text-webisode.  Fortunately, our iCafe Woman Moderne and iCafe Girl Moderne regulars only missed a few visits during the summer months.  

They're still coming up with great ideas that'll keep our iCafe Woman and Girl Moderne patrons informed, entertained, amused, as well as spiritually and physically fed in the months to come. 

New exciting clubs have formed already topping the list with the Lil Divas Perfect Little Black Dress Club, the brainchild of a feisty  six-year-old.

Feisty Six-Year-Old
I'm seven, Miss Kiki.

 (Primigi Kids)

 Kiki
Oh, I beg your pardon.  The Founder and co-President of our new Lil Divas Perfect Little Black Dress Club is seven-year-old Desiree Lake.  We're also expecting some very talented people to drop by iCafe Woman Moderne for a Latte.  Okay, we'll whet your appetite... a fine artist who paints in mix media, a television producer, a wedding planner, an interactive game designer, a pasty chef, an animation scriptwriter and a female auto mechanic and motorcyclist who educates women on caring for their cars in her classes, "Ladies, Start Your Engines."  And these are just for starters.  Our first guest is an innovative painter--

Desiree
(interrupting)
Miss Kiki, I thought I was gonna talk about the artist lady.

Kiki
You are, but I wanted to give our audience... (smiles) never-mind... you're absolutely right.  This text webisode is all about our little divas.  So without further delay, I'd like to  welcome you all to our iCafe Girl Moderne text-webisode where girls, tweens and teens hang out and be their best.  Your host for today's text-webisode is.... 

Desiree
(grinning)
Me...  Desiree Lake... I'm seven and I love little black dresses.  My momny's a fashion designer for a lady who loves wearing little black dresses like me.  So I started this club with my friends who like wearing them too... and we wear them every time we meet at iCafe Girl Moderne.  There's ten of us, but only eight came today... Maya is 16, Naandi... 10, Brielle is 15, Sasha.... 12, Chyanne just turned 8, Marisol is 1l and Folu's from Nigeria... she's 9.  And we're all gonna model our little black dresses too.

 (Marc Jacobs - Gaela Robe)


Kiki
But before you give us our little black dress fashion show, don't you have a guest you'd like us to meet?

Desiree
I almost forgot... she's the art lady.

Kiki
She's an artist. What kind of artist?

Desiree
She's an absack artist... whatever that is.  I just know she's a really good painter cause she don't just paint pictures of cats, houses and flowers... BORING.  (She pretend yawns.)  Her pictures make you stare really hard and try to figure out what it is.  I like that a whole lot.  It's not boring at all.

She draws some trees too, but mostly stuff that makes you keep staring at it like you do when you're looking in that funny tube you gave me for my birthday, Miss Kiki.

Kiki
You mean a kaleidoscope?

Desiree
Yeah... yeah... like that.   I don't know what I'm looking at, but it's really cool. I can't stop looking.  She's right here, she'll tell you.

Kiki
Is there something you have to do first?


Desiree
Sorry, I've got to introduce her.  Oh, I remember.  (clears her throat) I'd like to welcome to the first taping of our Lil Divas Perfect Little black Dress Club... art lady Judi Lynn.  I like your art... my favorite ones are these.  That second one looks like somebody's sleeping on the floor.

(Fruits-of-our-Labor - The Art of Judi Lynn)

(She Sleeps - The Art of Judi Lynn)

Judi Lynn
Thank you for inviting me, Desiree.  I'm an abstract painter who works in acrylic and mix media. You have a great eye.  The first painting is called "Fruits of Our Labor," and the second one I titled, "She Sleeps."  It's an abstract of a sleeping woman.  You were right. 

Desiree
It's really cool!

Judi Lynn
Fruits of Our Labor is an acrylic and digital painting that shows the abstraction of an apple, which is the source of nutrition and the symbol of health, not only in our bodies but in our lives.  The apple represents knowledge.

Desiree
Wait a minute, this is my favorite one too.

Judi Lynn
That one is "Some Kind of Wonderful."

(Some Kind of Wonderful - The Art of Judi Lynn)

Desiree
I know.  I like it too.


Judi Lynn
(laughing)
It's called "Some Kind of Wonderful."  This piece started off as an acrylic painting on canvas, then... to make things interesting... I used digital tools that take the image beyond what the physical hand can do.  The final result is amazing for both the painter and the viewer.

Desiree
Why do you call your art ab-stract?

Judi Lynn
You look at a painting of a landscape and know what you're looking at.  But I could take that same landscape and change the shape of the trees, the color of the grass and use colors that are not common in landscapes and it becomes a different version of a landscape.  I'll do it this way to express a deeper meaning.  It's a landscape but painted in a different way.  

You said that some of my paintings remind you of a kaleidoscope.  Well, that's a great example because a kaleidoscope changes the way you see an image.  I hope my paintings stir different emotions in each person who sees it.

Desiree
Makes sense to me.  Why did you become a painter?

Judi Lynn
I've been making marks on blank surfaces since I could hold a pencil in my hot little hands. While the little girls in Kindergarten class played house, I grabbed brush and paint and entered my own world.  My education has always centered around art from elementary to my college days at Temple University's Tyler School of Art.  I've been painting professionally since 2006. 

I enjoy exploring techniques in acrylic textured painting. I'm also a bit of a computer nerd... playing with light and color also excites me.


Desiree
I like computers too, but how do you paint on a computer?

Judi Lynn
I use a digital tool called a stylus.  The stylus is my computer paint brush and I use an electronic tablet as my canvas.

Desiree
Your art feels really good too.  I touched it when nobody was looking.

Judi Lynn
(laughing)
I'm glad.  I like my artwork touched.  I want it to feel good  inside and out.  My life's purpose is to touch lives and use my art to help make them better.  My paintings tend to appeal to your sense of touch and are often spiritually inspired. I'm moved by rich color and earthy tones.

Kiki
Where can we purchase your art?


Judi Lynn
I'm glad you asked.  You can purchase my art as a canvas print, framed print, art print and greeting card at affordable prices at an online art gallery:  The Art of Judi Lynn  
http://theartofjudilynn.artistwebsites.com/

Desiree
What's earthy toes?

Judi Lynn 
(smiling) Earthy tones are colors that come from nature such as, leaves, tree barks, the ground, rocks, a sunset, clouds... you get the idea.

Desiree
Creepy crawlers and flowers too?


Judi Lynn
Well, yes... colors can come from them too... the brown from a grasshopper, the black from a spider or the red from a rose.


Desiree
Yuck!   I hate spiders.   Can you put your art on a tee-shirt or a little black dress?

Judi Lynn
Sure you can... and I don't like spiders either.  You can have one of my prints silk-screened on your tee or lbd.


Desiree
Thanks for wearing your perfect little black dress today. 

Judi Lynn
A perfect little black dress is like a blank canvas, you add paint and create one look and add a little more paint, and create another look a moment later.   I also love yours and your Barbie's.


Desiree
Thanks.

Judi Lynn
I can't wait to see your fashion show.

Desiree
Naandi and Maya... come on out!  Ten-year-old Naandi is wearing the fancy lbd you can wear to a wedding or church... and Maya's wearing one in a junior size that you can wear to school if you don't have to wear a school uniform.  The rest of the girls will be wearing a fancy one and one for every day too.

 

(3 Little Dot )

(CashCash Kids )

(Ses Petites Mains Girls Greta Dress - Llbd Shop)

(Primigi Kids)

(Claesen's Toddler & Girl Tee Dress - Llbd Shop)

Find the perfect little black dress for the little girl in your life at:
Little-Little Black Dress Shop.





Do You Have a Daughter Who's Crazy About Wearing Little Black Dresses?  We'd like to hear from you or her?  Drop us a comment.