Hennessy and Hawthorne

Sorry for being such a bad blogger recently but I've had so much to do between interning, holidaying up the north island and doing my exec work at uni I've felt a bit flat in terms of blogging creativity. Weirdly I may have more time even though I've now had to add classes to my schedule I think I'll be able to better manage my time, fingers crossed. Eeeee I've had only one class today called Drape for design, which for those who don't know is very basically designing clothing by draping the fabric over mannequins and not working with block patterns. But anyway my "Eeeeee" is that I'm so excited to be back as now we specialize in a subject ie. Fashion, graphic design etc which is much more exciting for me than say... Sculpture. See, boredom creating sculptures, I can assure you that there are many sculptures that I very much like but that is irrelevant

I love the colours of our fruit bowl this week, a healthy mix for our first week back at uni after four blah months of holiday.

Mmmmm, loving the design for the cover of this book, the design inside is super cool too and I'm soooo tempted to whack it onto my course-related costs.

Talking about costs, when Jake and I went up to auckland recently I splashed out on these cute little morsels a Vivienne x Melissa collaboration purchased from Made.

Oh and lastly one of my personal favorite holiday memories was Jake and I winning tickets to see Mayer Hawthorne when he came down last week. He was amazing, we were lucky enough to be right up the front and both got ourselves a glass of Hennessy poured by him! My reaction is... It's bloody strong, but I wasn't not drinking it after all at about $70 a bottle I'm not likely to be picking any up soon, oh and also if he pours you a drink your not going to not drink it.

But I must let it be known that was not the highlight, he is a amazing performer with great stage presence and a voice to match, if you get the chance go and see him trust me you will love it! Ok folks, well that's all for now dinner's ready and I'm bloody starving!

Lot's of Love

Audrey Megan

Wishes, butter and bulldogs

It's not yet halfway through the week and it's already going so well, I found something new to display on my desk top. But the only problem is at at $696.00 on sale there's no way I can afford these sexy black Giuseppe Zanotti steel toe wedges from SSENSE, but at least I can see them everyday this way even if I can't buy them!

The next thing that has totally brightened up my week is my new nail varnish from Butter London in "Tea with the Queen", I got it after accidentally using my old left over black revlon polish from high-school which made me suddenly regret five years on the dark side, perhaps more than I already do. Ok kidding about that part, maybe. But anyway this stuff is so beautiful once it's on and it comes off super easy too, one wad of tissue for two hands! I already own one polish from Butter in a sparkly red and once you go Butter or now I've gone Butter I'm not going back.

Oh gosh! How could forget?! My very exciting news is that I'm interning with Good as Gold in the offices helping with product imagery and the like, plus seeing how for the first time in real-life the inner working's of an important part of the fashion industry. So I'll keep you updated on my now much more exciting life (the office has two bull dogs in residence!). 

Lot's of Love

               Audrey Megan

Happy New Year! 

I'm sorry I've been such a bad blogger recently but I've been enjoying the holiday's and Jake and I are in the middle of moving into our new flat. However last night I found the time to make these pretty glitter shoes from Elsie. I used a mixture of Purple, gold and silver glitter rather than the mix colour glitter she uses and they've worked out perfectly so I can imagine that I'll be wearing these a whole lot this summer!

After making these I was so happy with my out come I couldn't help trawling the internet for more cute DIY projects. I really enjoy making stuff however I never seem to get around to making anything so this year I guess you could call it my new years resolution is to do more craft projects and art. All of which I promise to share with you, and maybe come up with some of my own DIY ideas to share with you.

Lot's of Love

                Audrey Megan

My new addiction.....

These are my first four Polyvore set's on my new account, I forgot just how addictive it can be. The last time I used it I was still in high school wasting time with my friend Jessie doing "Research" for sewing class. So after my afternoon of Polyvore addiction I've decided on a new "mini-column" which feature's on the side of my blog that will showcase my most recently made set's, however I will also upload them to Facebook and you can also see them on my Polyvore page.

This new little mini-column is also my way of trying to incorporate more fashion into Lace Knickers as it is my life's passion, without taking away my ability to continue writing a random array of articles. Oh and if you have your own Polyvore or are just starting one email me the link? I'd be so interested to see your own style and take on presentation!

Lot's of Love

             Audrey Megan

Summer Christmas must have: How to reline a picnic basket

Tonight Jake and I are packing up a picnic basket, grabbing a blanket and making our way down to Carols By Candlelight, part of the reason iI'm so excited for this is the six dollar picnic basket that we found at thrift store. My project today was to reline the inside because the original blue checked lining is quite stained, so here's my little tutorial on relining a picnic basket:

You will need:

I'm reusing the foam padding and clear nylon to secure the fabric but if you want everything spic and span I suggest you get these also. You will also need a sewing machine with all the appropriate bits and bobs, or you can tediously hand stitch.

Step one:

Unpick the pre-exsisting lining on both sides of the basket, If your's is like mine then it'll be long strands of Nylon which are very easy to pull through. 

Step 2: 

Remove and replace or just re-adjust the existing foam padding, If you are replacing measure the length and width of the base and sides separately and record before cutting. Do this on both baskets if you are planning to reline the top smaller basket also.

Step 3:

Using the needle and nylon sew the foam to the basket using big looping stitches inside where they'll be hidden and small discreet stiches to attach it to the basket as they'll be seen from the outside if there too large.

Step 4:

Measure the length and width of the base and sides separately, recording the measurements for the material covering. Add two centimeters onto each side to allow for room. Once again for both baskets.

Step 5:

if your using lined, checkered or patterned fabrics before cutting try to ensure that everything will match up after it has been sewn.

Step 6:

Sew the fabric sides to the fabric base leaving a two centimeter gap between the stitching and the fabric edge. Iron the two centimeters left around the top down so that when the fabric is placed in the basket it is touching the basket and is not visible. This hidden part will be sewn with nylon to the basket just as the foam was, by sewing this and having is steam pressed with the iron it means that the nylon stitching will be hidden inside.

Before

After

Have fun!

Lot's of Love

                    Audrey Megan

New York, I miss you....(Part 5)

Art, culture, shopping, sex and food New York was amazing and I do truly miss it I can guarantee a return trip and I can only hope that it'll be sooner rather than later. So many friends and acquaintances have asked me what my all-time favorite part of NY was and at first so many thing's spring to mind, the view from the Empire State, The duck that I guiltily ate at Niles Restaurant, managing to find the perfect dress as well as getting snapped by one of my favorite blogs. But in the end I think it has to be the famous, grand and dazzlingly beautiful Central Park we spent a lot of time there walking through the orange and yellow leaves, climbing rocky hills and watching the many dogs being walked. It is such an amazing place very quite and serene in most places and so different from the fast-paced surrounding city. 

The colour of the leaves were so beautiful to walk through.

The lake.

Parts of the park look as if they're out of a fairytale.

Oh and I almost forgot (and how could I!) while we were over there we managed to to see a friend who ten years ago had been a home stay student staying at my house, I was nine and she was seventeen and seeing her again was amazing something I could not have dreamed of happening. So next time we see each other will definitely be a lot sooner than ten years time.

So now this five part series has come to an end and Jake and I now face a day of moving everything into our new apartment by three eeeek!!! It's going to be a long day.

Lots of Love

                     Audrey Megan

New York, I Miss You.... (Part 3)

So as well as all these fabulous art museums and artists we also did plenty of other very tourist-y things, we managed to make it up to the top of The Empire State building just as sunset was finishing making for a terrifically brilliant view and we stayed long after it was dark as the city looks extraordinary at night. Luckily Jake managed to get a lot of pictures on this trip (11 rolls of film, and 4 cameras + he brought a polaroid camera when we were there) because I'm terrible at remembering to take them and of my own two rolls of film I still haven’t gotten round to getting either of them developed.

On one of our first nights in New York we went to Madame Tussauds, which I was looking forward to immensely. I have to say the wax figures are amazing as long as you don't look at that hands which were a bit worn and too shiny to constitute as real. Majority of the wax figures looked like who they’re meant to be however I actually struggled a bit with the Miley Cyrus one. Our all time favorite was Andy Warhol and we both took a picture with him that could pass for real except for the sign in the back showing his name. Also the 4D movie was so cool, I really hope this catches on because if there's anyone out there who doesn’t like me know what a 4D movie is it's when as well as everything kind-of popping out the screen you feel the wind and snow fall's on you and hail stones rush past your feet. I thought it was pretty extraordinary.

Another museum that I actually really enjoyed (minus the hoards of school children running about) was The Museum of Natural History. Obviously we didn’t manage the whole museum in one day but what we did manage was pretty extraordinary. As childish as it is, we were both so excited to see the dinosaur skeletons as they have a whopping collection of them and before this I can't remember the last time I saw one. They had pretty much every dinosaur that come's directly to mind one of my favorites was the Geochelone Tortoise skeleton it was HUGE and had a smiling face. However the museum does hold other exhibits and so time to move on. It had exhibits that we saw on both African and Asian mammals, which are stuffed and put into dioramas of their natural habitat. We ventured into the underwater creature exhibit where we very quickly went around, as there were about three separate school groups, which I suspect is just a daily thing there. This museum is pretty spectacular, we just paid for the cheapest pass each but they had on some really interesting paid exhibits that we both would have liked to have seen. One where they had over 200 live and different coloured frogs so if you ever go to New York then this is I'd say an absolute must even if your not really into the whole tourist-y thing.

The Museum of Sex. What can I say? Saw the name, had to go. It didn’t disappoint. The front room is the shop that is very brightly lit with upbeat music playing and (very) large selection of sex toy's, book's and games with of course a never ending amount of flavored condoms, then there's a downstairs entrance to the bar where I'm told (as I'm under their state drinking age) they serve cocktails that get your up and running, ready for some.... Fun. The entrance to the museum is on the shop floor and once you've paid your admission your submerged into porn and it's history starting with the earliest silent film era porn where the most action a guy get's is seeing a ladies ankles up to the rough and sweaty much more explicit porn of today. You then go through to the next room that looks at sex in film and T.V. such as Kids and Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Oh and through both the film sections a not particularly lovely man with his *cough* mail order bride *cough* *cough* loudly exclaimed how "Oh! haha I know this one, hehe not like I've seen it (winking)" hmmmmm  no-one wanted to know. His poor wife must have been mortified. I mean of course I didn’t expect the place to be empty of people like this, but honestly Fuck off no one is actually interested in all the movies you've wacked off to! However we waited until he was a few rooms in front before we moved forward and thank god because we walked into the S&M section that (thank-god, because it's not my thing) they didn’t have any porn playing and it was just the photographs of people dressed in kinky latex suits and gas masks. They also had some Real Dolls on display which I've always wanted to see in real life because the idea is so fascinating and I've always wanted to know just how human they feel, luckily for us they had a Real Doll penis and vagina that we could touch! To be honest they’re a bit cold and kind of clammy and weak feeling I think to ever make me want to go in the doll direction. You then walk into the cartoon section that once again starts off with the earliest forms of cartoon porn where the cartoon is in black and white and a simple outline of a guy pushing his large penis around in a wheelbarrow. Then slowly moves forward to porn in comics and reworking of Disney character’s before looking at anime porn which is a little bit too disproportioned to me and it's the frame transitioning’s aren’t very smooth but then again I'm probably full of nothing but criticism as anime is not very exciting normally for me.

Part 4 coming soon! Sorry for the long wait we're in the process of moving YAY! 

Lot's of Love

                Audrey Megan

This is Ted

Or Teddy, he's an androgynous bear and he’s 19 years old. No, I am not ashamed that I still love my Teddy he’s been everywhere with me and has the hole count to prove it. Now the reason I'm introducing Ted is because tomorrow we leave for The Big Apple. Jake, Ted and I. And as Jake and I plan on having the time of our lives there won't be much time to blog, however Ted will be making regular appearances on my Tumblr of himself at various NY spaces and places so make sure you keep an eye out.

Also if you happen to be in Wellington, Auckland, Los Angeles, or New York airport or on any of the flights in between keep an eye out for the Lace Knickers Zine hanging around. There are only 11 made so finger's crossed they don't all get thrown out by airport employees. Oh and also a few will be scattered around Wellington and New York. So if you find one, comment! I'd love to know who picked them up!

Ok, I'm sorry it's such a short post but I’ve got a bag to pack, zine's to bind and a new skirt to hem.

Going to miss you all!

Lot's of Love

                 Audrey Megan

Happy Halloween! - Sunday Best

I love, love, love the holiday's and can't resist celebrating them to the fullest extent. So obviously I had to do Halloween! Yes, I know it's not actually Halloween yet but seeing as it falls on a Monday the majority of Halloween party's was last night (Saturday). Jake and I went to a party thrown by Good as Gold (fantastic shop) where the theme was dead rockstars. Easy, peasy theme for guy's but not quite so much for girls. So I decided to improvise and went as Andy Warhol's superstar instead, Edie Sedgwick. She was amazing and beautiful, with superb style but had an unfortunate taste for drugs.

I found a cute, but very, very large stripy shift dress at recycle boutique's vintage shop. Which I had to alter to fit, but it's so nice and silky and I’m certainly going to wear it again. Now Edie wore heaps and heaps of make-up, which I usually never do so I'm not very skilled at applying, I used this tutorial by pixiwoo to help me perfect the Edie look. 

Anyway, the night was fantastic and I got quite a few compliments on my look, and thank god because it took me agesssss to apply two set's of false lashes on my top eyelids.

Dress: Jerell of Texas, from Recycle Boutique (Vintage)

Earrings: Bling

Lot's of Love

                  Audrey Megan

Time for tea

The last week of university is finally here and so this weekend it's been go, go, go with homework. God, I am so happy that I study art rather than science because the homework is so less tedious, for me anyway. So this weekend Jake and I shot the final series for my Art and Design with the modeling help of my friend Ellie. The shoot was done in our makeshift studio, i.e. A1 paper taped together and it worked better than you'd think. The whole series is loosely commenting on vegetarianism and the over sexualizing of female's. Give it a look and tell me what you think.

Lot's of Love

          Audrey Megan

Off to the Zoo

Have you ever had one of those overwhelmingly magical experiences, that give you understanding that you never before truly had?  

I'm not sure if I have had before but on Wednesday the Wellington Zoo was $5 entry so my friends, Ellie, Lexy, Jake and I couldn’t turn it down so off we went. Really, I don't care what anyone say's the zoo is fun at any age + we got a free red panda poster, so you can't really beat it! Some of the animal's were quite funny and lapped up the attention and it was quite cute, especially these little Kune Kune pigs that posed in the sunlight for multiple photographs.

Sweet aren’t they?  

At 12.30 each day the Zoo does the giraffe feeding and everyone get's a small stick of leaves and then they come up with their long purple tongues and pull the foliage out of you hand. Anyway I absolutely had to do this! Luckily there were lots and lots of people all scrambling to do this so the giraffe was around for a long time, and up close she (or he) was stunning! Their eyes are so beautiful and gentle, so after feeding her and getting accidentally licked I was able to touch her face and give her a stroke. It was so amazing, she was very soft and my heart beat wildly at excitement of actually touching a giraffe. I well recommend it!

Anyway, this magical moment that I was writing about at the beginning was not being able to stroke a giraffe it was actually at the Baboon enclosure of all places. Now baboons are quite cute when they’re little and they are also much more trusting. So while we were standing at the glass the most gorgeous baby baboon slowly make's it's way closer and closer to us until it's sitting on the ledge on the other side of glass. I have no idea why I did it but I put my hand of the glass right beside the little monkey (!) And, oh gosh it was so cute and amazing and special because it put it's hand right atop of mine on the glass!!!

He/She took her hand away and I mine, stupidly though I did it again and the baboon did it again too. Luckily my friend Lexy managed to get a picture just before the mum decided to come over and bang very angrily on the glass at me! I'm not quite sure what startled the baby to call it's mum over because there were a lot of people milled around, or it may have simply had enough. Needless to say I jumped out of my skin and moved rapidly backwards. However the experience of being so close with the baby baboon and seeing it's intelligence was so amazing that the mother's attempt to protect her baby didn’t dampen the moment at all.

The only downer to the day was that Sean the Sun Bear had decided to stay in hidden in his hut, and that I found that they no longer have Zebra's. But apart from that the day was pretty perfect and I think next year if they do $5 Winter Wednesday's I'll definitely go again!Anyway, That's me for now.

Lots of Love

                Audrey Megan

P.S. The photos are a mixture of both film and digital, taken by Jake, Lexy and I.

The Swan: Self-Expression Vs. Suppression

First off I apologize for not posting sooner, but I have been off my feet my feet busy trying to finish homework! And don't you know it is paying off!! I've nearly finished two art assignments a there not due in for another week and bit!! So while everyone's stressing out I get to relax and enjoy the weekend.... A little bit more.  So I was planning on posting the stills from my stop-motion video drawing but I carried right on last night and made the video, music and all.

Before I show you the video I should explain the concept behind it, or it will come across terribly no doubt! 

All right, so the film is called "The Swan," and instead of the alleyway it's self my lovely friend Keber agreed to stand in as a representation. The name I feel fits, as the story of the alley follows that of traditional swan stories. Starting out as nothing seemingly special and it grows up spreading its wing (figuratively) and becoming something of beauty and wonder before falling to a tragic end, just as the alley way did.

The colours used for the people who ark with the space are very intentional. The graffiti artist is made up of many tiny multi-coloured spots on a black. Thus, giving it a slightly grey shadowy effect. I chose this as graffiti artists are somewhat like shadows, you never really see them but they flit in and out. The multicolored flecks are to represent the freedom and the people, us. With all our differences and brightness.

The orange person who covers up the girl is the color of the council workers jumpsuits as they painted over the alley (literally).

Beethoven would turn in his grave no doubt as I have mixed parts form both Eroica's first movement and the first movement from his first symphony. This music is I feel relevant, Eroica would be my favorite of his symphonies but I think that it depicts the change and the beauty of the ally whilst the first symphony has just enough dark elements to allow feelings of shock and hostility to come through as the beauty is taken and locked away.

Ok, enough chit-chat heres the film, and oh, don't forget to comment about what you think! 

Lots of Love

          Audrey Megan

Horror in drag, the show's coming to town!

The Rocky Horror Show is coming to Town!! And it's just in time for my birthday!!! I remember the first time I watched it, I was about ten or eleven and I just didn't get it, it was and still is quite bizarre. However, the second time I saw it ensured that I became a fan. Of course this was just the film rather than the stage production, as this will be. I highly doubt my mother would have taken me to a theatrical production of it at that age, let alone any age!! For as much as I love my mother, and Mum I do. I don't think that The Rocky Horror Show is her cup of earl-grey.

(Source)

For those of who don't know what the film / stage production is about, the film was made in 1975 and tells a story of Brad and Janet who are awfully straight laced and out driving on a dark, rainy, Saturday night. As luck would ensure their car gets a flat tire, and they end up at a nearby castle that has a host of wonderfully weird and different people, who are holding an annual transvestite convention.

.

.horror

Of course a house full of immaculately made up, crazy transvestites paired with a mad scientist and two ultraconservative's guarantee a movie that is out of it's own tree. Finger's crossed my boyfriend get's me tickets to this for my birthday. 

And, the rest of if you haven't watched it already, make sure you do!!!

Lots of Love

              Audrey Megan