Gone but not forgotten

"Listen to the river sing sweet songs to rock my soul." ~ Grateful Dead

Jerry Garcia  (8/1/42-8/9/95)

 "I'm married to my roots here, still I feel like I am free." ~ Widespread Panic

Michael Houser  (1/6/62-8/10/02)

August 9th and 10th are always kind of bittersweet days for me.  They are days that made music history, when two of the greatest guitarists I've ever known, passed away.  Jerry Garcia, of the Grateful dead, died on August 9th 1995.  Michael Houser, of Widespread Panic, died on August 10th 2002.  Each year, I listen to music by the musicians all day... all week and month sometimes.  I smile and take it all in.  They were each magical in their own way.  They each wrote beautiful music.  They each changed the music scene, in their own way.  They each changed the lives of so many, who love them and their music so much.  I've been following Widespread Panic around the country for 10 years now.  I've been blessed to see some incredible music from them.  I was never able to see Mr. Garcia play.  At age 11, when they came to Bham, I was too young to go.... says my mother.  ;)  I have been fortunate enough to see some of the other members of The Dead though.  My life has been blessed by each of these guys.  I'm grateful for them both and miss them all the time... Especially on these days... the days they left us and this crazy, crazy world.

Cheers,

Stevi

moats and boats and waterfalls

Alabama, Arkansas, I do love my ma and pa

Holy Moly, Me oh My, You're the apple of my eye

Laugh until we think we'll die, barefoot on a summer night

lyrics:  "Home" by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

Summer in Alabama.  It's hot as hell.  But, we're all used to it.  We hope for summer breezes but, make due with late night swims.  On any given 90 degree day, I wear as little as possible while still being appropriate (for the office 4 days a week) and chic.  It ain't always easy.  It's mostly lil dresses, skirts and tanks or cut-off shorts and breezy blouses... topped off w/ funky shades, some jewelry and very tall platforms.  The taller the better.  A staple for many summer looks.. simple on top, whoa on bottom.   This outfit:  dress- gifted, shades- vintage (mom's), leather bracelet- gifted, platforms- Herve Leger.  These photos make me smile b/c they depict my simple summertime style... and, how appropriate that the summer sunlight was shining through the trees.  The sweetness of summer that makes me happy. 
It was nice to write here again.. Thank you for reading.
Happy Summer,
Stevi

Butterflies and Zebras and Fairytales

"Well, she's walkin' through the clouds

A circus smile that's running wild" - Jimi Hendrix

Last week I did several photo shoots throughout the week. This little lace slip dress somehow made it's way into just about every one of them. It's so simple and short and flowy and fun. It can be worn over black or ivory or any color in between. I wore it first over a black slip dress w/ these big platforms by Herve Leger and my vintage heart necklace. It was a really sweet and sexy look that I got lots of compliments on. Later in the week (another one I'm sure I'll post pictures from soon) I wore the dress with red lips and black specs to do a shoot. For this little shoot though, my sweet friend, John, was my photographer. He was very patient with me. I think he was actually having a really good time by the end of it. He was such a gentleman too. As you can see these platforms are quite tall and the stairs we shot on are quite steep. He was there to help me up and down the stairs whenever necessary. A true friend I tell you. I'm really enjoying this season of sporatic photo shoots and fun in my life. Please stay tuned for more to come. Creativity is something that we all have inside of us. It's something that we have to find and accept and use to share beauty with the world. My creative juices have been flowing like crazy lately. So, I'm glad and proud to have a blog to come to and post whenever I please.

Thanks for reading and supporting The Jazzy Belle! :)

xoxo,

Stevi

dreamed one afternoon

"A box of rain will ease the pain, and love will see you through

Just a box of rain, wind and water
Believe it if you need it, if you don't, just pass it on..."

~Grateful Dead

So, I started decopauging several years ago. I found that mixing glue and water(now Mod Page) together made for an easy paste to brush onto boxes, frames, jars, table tops, etc. I started collecting magazines, scrapbook paper, cool pictures, and cards to use. In my spare time, I'd find old shoe or perfume boxes and decopauge them... then use them to store jewelry, photos, concert tickets, buttons, whatever, really.. Obviously, a box may be used for many reasons :)

Throughout the shoot we tried to showcase the boxes' different shapes, sizes and designs. Some have themes to them like the butterflies or vintage clowns. Others are filled w/ pictures of all kinds. Those are usually my favorite because there is so much for the eye to take in.

Above, you will see one of the first frames I did. It's now sitting on the vanity counter in my apartment. I had a floral theme here and tried to keep the colors similar. I always start by painting the frame itself. That way you don't have to cover every inch of it with materials. This particular one I did in a silver metallic paint. It's one of my favorites.

You're able to see the different sized boxes that have been done so far in the photo above. It's crazy because I always feel like there is no flow or form to what I'm doing. But, usually, by the end, the box really starts to have a cool vibe about it. As the artist, I think one pics up her own style of work and also becomes more comfortable in piecing different things together.

The beauty of decopauging is that there's really no wrong way to do it. You can use all the things I listed above, as well as, lace, feathers, beads, glitter, etc. I will be making many more boxes, frames, coasters, jars and whatever else I think of. I'm hoping to put a link on the blog soon when we start to sell them more. I will also be on the art show circuit. So, if you spot me or the decopauged madness, please come by and see us. Thank you for stopping by and for your support of this blog, hobby and dream. Have a great weekend dolls!

xoxo,

Stevi

sure look good to me

"Red Hot Mama was gettin' down,

scoping the places where fun to be found,

She was smokin'

Ride on, Red Hot Mama

You sure look good to me."

~Funkadelic

Kristen- cardi- UO, dress- Express, tights- M. Star, pumps- C. Santana, shades- Barton Pierre

Stevi- dress- Anthropologie, belt- BCBG, boots- Nine West, shades- Ray Ban

I've been dying to do a blog post in this dress since I got it. I wore it at Christmas and put a few pictures up. But, those did it no justice. I absolutely fell in love w/ it when I saw it in the store. I kept my eye on it for a pretty long time. But, wasn't willing to drop the $200ish on it. Finally, it went on sale. But, not only that, my fantastic brother bought it for me for Christmas. Further proving how unbelievably well he knows me. I was beside myself w/ excitement.

Anyway, Sunday, the day these were taken, was a beautiful day. We did a photo shoot and enjoyed the warm sun and fellowship with friends. Photographed w/ me is Kristen, a dear friend of mine. I laugh b/c we both wear black a whole lot. She followed normal suite that day. I love the dress she's wearing.. one that can be worn year round. She paired it w/ cable knit tights and a long sweater, making it perfect for a winter's (according to the calendar, not weather) day.

I hope everyone is having a lovely week. I've gotten better about taking photos lately. Now I have to get better at posting the photos once they've been taken. haha. One step at a time. Stay tuned for more and thanks for your support!!

xoxo,

Stevi