they call me Spindles
a blog for art, fashion, and music
I’ve joined the world of tumblr
Finally! I’ve updated my portfolio, so go take a peek! I still have all of my life drawing sketches to add, but that is a pretty large undertaking. Here’s the link to my tumblr: http://courtney-larsen1.tumblr.com/
A lot has been happening lately! Last week I modeled in the Hearts.com spring photo shoot, which was Amazing. And totally a last minute thing. The one blonde model we had booked just didn’t show up, and since I am also blonde, they asked me to fill in. I had a blast! Definitely fun getting hair and makeup done 
Here’s a sneak peek, one of my favorite looks from the shoot:
Hearts Spring 2013 photoshoot
All of the clothes from the shoot were either clothes from the other girls in the office or thrifted from Goodwill. Which just goes to prove that you can look super stylish and trendy shopping second hand.
New Year, new everything
I made it through finals. Barely. I got to the point where I was deciding which assignments were Absolutely necessary, and which ones I could skip in order to keep my sanity. Needless to say… it was a rough couple of weeks.
But then Christmas was awesome! And now I have a little break from work and school and the laziness has commenced. I am excited for the new year. I had some truly AMAZING things happen this year, as well as some things I will be forgetting as soon as I can hahaha
I have a BIG goal for 2013. Working for a company that focuses so much on sustainability and fair labor, I feel like I can’t keep ignoring the impact my purchases have on the world. I know how damaging the fashion industry is, and how just incredibly wasteful it is, and I don’t want to contribute to it. My goal for 2013 is to not buy anything new, unless I know that it is ethically sourced and produced.
It’s pretty ridiculous how wasteful we are as consumers. But it doesn’t have to be that way. And it feels awesome when you buy something that you know was made with mother nature in mind. I was so pumped when I found some of my Christmas gifts at the local farmer’s market, because I knew everything was handmade and local, and I knew that I was supporting my local economy.
So because I know I couldn’t go a whole year without shopping…. I’m doing this instead. And I’ll be documenting it : ) so that I can prove that you can still look cute buying second hand!
The world is wasteful. You don’t have to be.
On another note, my brother got me the Best of the Pixies album for Christmas. This video is weeeeeeeird.
Sunday Best
Sunday outfits! My sister and I totally had a 50′s Housewife theme going on this week. She even pulled out the sock bun for the occasion. Sunday is when I reserve all of my energy to dress nice. A couple years ago, I found this great vintage dress from an antique shop in downtown Mesa, Antique Plaza. I swear I could get lost in there for days! It’s a two story building spilling over with antiques. I generally try to give myself a time limit, something like an hour or so, because otherwise…. bad news. Once I’ve been shopping for a while, I tend to think my life is very different than it really is. I start to think I have more money than I do, and that my house and closet are enormous, and that Yes- I Can pull off a neon yellow/orange/red/green striped jumper from 1976. So the time limit is essential.
But this dress was a great find. When I tried it on, I swear there was a Traveling Pants moment of magic when I truly felt like the dress was specifically made for me. I can’t really lift my arms too high…but other than that- Fits like a glove!
Detail of the dress fabric. I’m in love the the hidden colors sprinkled throughout it.
And this is a cute basket purse my mom found me at Goodwill. It was filled with some old yarn and a book about crochet. I decided to match the red details in the dress, and went with my vintage bow shoes <3
Thanksgiving is the best Holiday
Rivaled only by Christmas. But Thanksgiving is great, because you don’t have to buy anything, or feel guilty for getting a much better present than you’ve given, and the entire day is devoted to eating and napping. Reasons Thanksgiving is great:
1. You are Supposed to eat a stupid amount of food, so no one can judge you for doing so.
2. Stuffing and Mashed Potatoes
3. Sleeping (I took no less than 3 naps throughout the course of the day)
4. Friends and Family. Somehow conversation always reverts back to gently making fun of each other.
5. Things like this happen:
Yesterday I ran the Turkey Trot 5K race. It helps me feel better about the sheer amount of food I know I’ll consume later in the day. And for the past few years, I’ve registered day-of with no problem getting a shirt. I think one year I ended up with a Medium instead of Small. Not too bad.
This year, I ended up with this:
It was a Youth Large.
Arizona has seriously been having the greatest weather. It’s actually pretty unreal- High of 82 for November 23?? It’s just crazy. I do kind of wish it was cold already. I’m so pumped to start layering! This outfit is Fall perfection:
Photoshop fun
I’ve been trying to get a little better a photoshop lately, which is turning out to be slow process. There are so many buttons! So many possibilities! I totally do everything in photoshop the hard way. I’m pretty sure that’s due to many, Many years of using Microsoft Paint for all editing purposes. Here’s a poster I made for an upcoming exhibition:
I’ve entered this show a couple times now, unsuccessfully, but hopefully this’ll be my year! Things are going to be different, I can feel it! Hahaha But really, I’m really hoping one of my pieces get chosen. I feel like it’s personal now. This is my last chance to enter before I graduate.
After making this one, I started messing around with some filters and changing things around, and this is what I came up with. I think I like it, it’s kind of eerie feeling. I want to keep playing around with the text, but it’s at a good stopping point.
ALSSSSSOOOOOO, I did some logo work for my talented friend, Anna Christy, so I’ll be posting more about that soon. My first commissioned logo! Ahhhhh!
