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Some of everybody's favorite things in Urban Girl Accessories are the Kelly Rae Roberts wall hangings. They are whimsical, colorful, and meaningful - and a surprisingly affordable way to fill a wall! Here is some information about the artist, taken from her website www.kellyraeroberts.com.
Kelly Rae grew up in rural North Florida where she jumped off docks into the
Sante Fe Lake with her german shepherd dog every day after school. As a child,
she lived for eating fried chicken every Sunday afternoon, fishing with an old
tattered piece of bamboo, and playing checkers with her then 85 year old
granddad. Amidst the winding dirt roads of her hometown, Kelly experienced the
joy and complexity of life and, like her mother and sister, turned to creative
outlets as a way to express her experience of life.
Eventually, Kelly’s family moved to Jacksonville, Florida where she attended
middle and high school. Later, she attended college at Florida State University,
deciding to major in something “practical”- social work. In 1999, she met her
husband John and they set off to begin a life together in Portland, Oregon. It
was there that Kelly eventually decided to take up running which mysteriously
led her to discover the confidence and passion to pursue a longtime
“impractical” dream: to become an artist.
Kelly is the author of Taking Flight: Inspiration + Techniques to Give Your Creative
Spirit Wings, a popular arts + craft book that encompasses all aspects
of what it means to live the creative life. Her work has been featured in a
variety of mixed media books by her peers and she’s had several articles
published in various magazines, including Cloth Paper Scissors, Somerset
Life, Somerset Studios, and Memory Makers. Much of her artwork is
licensed and can be seen in stores nationwide on a variety of products,
including cards, journals, magnets, decorative wall art, and more. In addition
to painting, licensing her work, and writing, Kelly is passionate about teaching
others how they too can find their creative wings with her inspiring lectures
and workshops that are held all over the world.
In essence, she is an artist, social worker and all around lover of life and
people who seeks to express a sense of vitality and connectedness in her
paintings and writings. Having spent most of her life in the company of women,
her pieces grow out of the kindred support she has felt from many of them
throughout her life. She is unendingly grateful for the spirits of these women
who walk with her, in flesh or in paint, on her incredible journey into art,
love and life.
Kelly currently lives in Seattle with her outdoorsy husband John and their airplane-eared dog Bella.
Unfortunately, we don't keep her art in our on-line store as it sells so quickly, it's hard to keep up! Also, many of her pieces are in limited production - when they're gone, they're gone! But please enjoy some of her images below. Please feel free to call us - we'll ship whatever we have!
As usual, we are adding more and more music to our Urban Girl playlist. The idea of making a whole new list every month got a bit overwhleming - so we are just building it a little at a time. Here's some new stuff we've discovered:
23 -- Blonde Redhead
Haven't Met You Yet -- Michael Buble
Me and Armini -- Emiliana Torrini
Hotel California -- The Gypsy Kings
Time to Pretend -- MGMT
Touching the Ground -- Brandi Carlisle
Sweet Nothins -- Brenda Lee
Busted -- Ray Charles
Before I Knew -- Basia
Merry Happy -- Kate Nash
Furr -- Blitzen Trapper
Sing -- Travis
Crossroads -- John Mayer
Reflejo de Luna -- Alacran
Lowdown -- Boz Scaggs
Have any suggestions? I'd LOVE to hear them!
Music is super important to me and I LOVE it when Urban Girl's customers comment on our music. Many of you have asked if we sell it on a CD. Unfortunately, we don't, but I can share a portion of the playlist of songs that I've compiled for January. January's playlist is sorta mellow - mainly in repsonse to everyone's stressy holiday season. On it, you will find new artists, local artists, and some standard favorites. Enjoy!
Scream - Nico Stai
Excelsior Lady - The Donkeys (San Diego locals!)
Les Froleuses - Louis Bertignac & Carla Bruni
Move You - Anya Marina (San Diego local!)
Vegas Baby - The Weepies
Quelqu'un M'a Dit - Carla Bruni
Even Though - Norah Jones
Daydreamer - Adele
Ooh Child - Beth Orton
Mercy [Roots Remix] - Duffy
Sun is Shining - Bob Marley
Such A Night - Donavon Frankenreiter
Help Yourself - Sad Brad Smith
Little Bribes - Death Cab for Cutie
Meet Me in the Morning - Bob Dylan
Of course, if anyone has any suggestions, please pass them on!
Urban Girls dont just shop. They do stuff around the house. Grown up stuff like refinishing furniture. And I'm here to help. (Hey, this is full-service blog.) Here are the answers to all of your furniture refinishing questions:
Q: Will the simple task of re-staining my oak headboard require at least two trips to the hardware store?
A: Yes. One for the stain, and then another for the brushes and sandpaper. Der.
Q: Do I really need to wear two gloves?
A: Yes. Especially if you are ambidextrous. Sure, being ambidextrous is cool, but it doubles your glove budget.
Q: Will this job get huge once I realize how beautiful the oak wood looks after a coat of stain?
A: Yes. You will immediately go around the house looking for more oak wood. I recommend stopping yourself at this point.
Q: Do I really need to worry about splattering my upholstered chairs with stain, even if they are 5 feet away from this little oak table?
A: Yes. Don't ask how I know this.
Q: Will my cat suddenly decide that it wants to hang out on my dresser after I restain it?
A: Yes. Most definitely.
Q: Are the fumes really that strong?
A: Yes. Even though there is a lot of ventilation going on around here, I suddenly can't get enough Velvet Underground and Bob Dylan.
I am sure you are starting to see a pattern here...yes, yes, yes. Dropcloth? Yes. Mineral spirits? Yes. A WHOLE day? Yes. Extra foam brushes? Yes. And how do you reward yourself for a job well done? Get a breath of fresh air by walking along the water at Seaport Village. See you at Urban Girl!!
OK, Christmas is San Diego was GORGEOUS, but even we have our cold days. The perfect footwear for that is a pair of good ol' Uggs. I remember getting my first pair in the mid-90s and lugging them back to New York for a visit. The confused looks I got told me that the look hadn't gotten far from the West Coast yet. But NOW! Everyone loves'em.
The look is classic Australian/Californian Apres-Surf. Here's a bit from their website:
The UGG® Australia story began in 1978, when Brian Smith,
a young surfer from Australia, took a trip to the United States with a bag full
of sheepskin boots. After finding a new home amongst California surfers, the Australia brand began to take shape...In 2003, the
UGG® was named Footwear News' "Brand of the
Year" and was responsible for the creation of an entirely new category of
footwear. From that moment on, sheepskin footwear would be seen on the runways
in Milan, Paris and New York; and it all began on the beach in Australia.
Of course, Urban Girl has a selection in the store and on-line. Click on the picture below to see our collection. (By the way - the Moss style that the model is wearing is now 30% off!)
Last week, one of our customers told Jenny about an easy way to make extraordinary brownies out of regular ol'brownies-from-the-box: in the middle of the batter, make a layer of Hershey's Chocolate Bars!
1. Follow the directions on a small box of brownie mix (the kind made for 8x8 or 9x9 pans).
2. Pour half the batter into your pan.
3. Make a layer of chocolate bars on the batter.
4. Pour the rest of the batter on top, and bake as normal.
Of course, Jenny and I made a long list of other things we could put in there besides just a candy bar (I mean if you're going to do it, do it BIG, right?). Jenny tried spreading a thick layer of peanut butter on the chocolate bars before laying them in the batter. This came out GREAT! The layers were all melty, but kept their integrity. If you put one of her brownies in the microwave for 30 - 45 seconds, it was heaven.
I made a batch with a layer of caramel-filled Ghiradelli squares in the middle. The squares all melted away inside the brownie, so I didn't acheive the amazing layered look that Jenny got, however these brownies were infused with the extra chocolate and caramel, and turned out to the be the moistest, gooiest brownies ever.
Some of the other things Jenny and I thought we could try in there were: peppermint bark, Hershey's Special Dark bars, bacon (!), Heath bars, peanut butter & jelly...
Anyone else have any suggestions?
One of our newest products in the store that attracts awareness to the world's issues is Falling Whistles. 100% of the proceeds go to help rehabilitate young boys in the Democratic Republic of Congo. These boys have been abused, brainwashed, even tortured in order to convince them to walk the front line of their war blowing whistles to attract the fire-power of the enemy.
It's a tragic story, but one that needs to be told. You can support these efforts buy buying a Falling Whistle in our store, over the phone (619.231.8845), or here in our On-Line Store. Click on Jon Stewart (who is wearing one!) to go to that page.
Urban Girl got a great write up in the local City Beat magazine. Check it out!
http://ww2.sdcitybeat.com/cms/story/detail/where_can_i_find/8777/
One of Annie's great Urban Girl finds is the Gathering of Friends series of cookbooks. The one we're featuring in the store currently is Volume II.
These books were written by Michelle Huxtable, an interior designer in Utah. She, along with her six children, created this collection of recipes, shopping lists, and decorating tips. Gorgeous photographs! We've picked our favorite recipe to share with you: Bleu Cheese Potato Chips. (If someone could whp these up and bring them to the store right now, that'd be great!)
BLEU CHEESE POTATO CHIPS
6 med. size potatoes
1 qt. vegetable oil
1/2 c. dry Parmesan cheese
1/2 c. crumbled Bleu cheese
1 tsp. Kosher salt
In large soup pot, heat oil on high until a potato slice pops quickly in oil. Slice potatoes with a peeler in very thin slices. Combine salt, Parmesan cheese and Bleu cheese tgether in a bowl to create cheese seasoning mix. Drop handfuls of potato slices in hot oil and quickly fry chips. Stir gently to separate chips. Remove from oil, spread in a paper towel lined baking tray. Sprinkle with cheese seasoning mix. Repeat until all potatoes are cooked. Serve immediately or keep in a warm 200 degree oven until ready to serve.
Please let us know if you make this dish, and what you think. Meanwhile, you can buy the book by stopping by the store, calling us (916.231.8845), or here in our on-line store.
As many of you know, one of my favorite product lines in the store is Acholi Beads. These are gorgeous handmade beads rolled from magazine pages by the Acholi Tribe of Uganda. The company was created for these women by local San Diegan James Pearson.
Recently, James posted a video on his website about one of the beaders, Mama Esther. Please take a moment to watch this 3-minute story that introduces you to one of the beautiful women that make this noteworthy jewelry.
http://vimeo.com/7717581
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