Shellys London

Shot my beautiful all american blonde Rachel of Ihateblonde.com for Shellys London the other day. 

We wandered around, took photos and then drank yummy wine on the roof with photographer Jen Senn. All in all, the perfect girls day. 

Hologram obsessions

It's no secret that I'm obsessed with anything hologram. I love the shiny futuristic look from headpieces  to nails to shirts to pants and to shoes. Give me all of it.

The lovely ladies at Spy Love Buy fed into my hologram obsession and sent over these silver hologram beauties. The second I saw them, I knew I had to pair them with the UNIF Moto Jacket that I picked up from Shop Blonde. The shoes are a dream. Since my knee surgery last winter, heels have been something I've struggled with. The LoveME silver hologram shoes from Spy Love Buy is a platform shoe which i've found to be much easier. They have so many varieties of shoes on their site. Be sure to check them out to find your new favorite pair!

Photos by Rachel Lynch of Ihateblonde.com

LOVEME Cleated Sole Platform Gladiator Sandal Shoes - Silver Hologram from Spy Love Buy

Short Vest Printed with Eclipse from The Front Row Shop

UNIF Gamma Ray Moto Jacket available at Nasty Gal but bought at Shop Blonde

Sunglasses from ZeroUV

Skirt from LF

 

We are going to be ok.

Robin Williams for Esquire Magazine shot by Mark Mann

I honestly don't really know where to begin with this post. As all of you know, we lost a great actor on Monday. After years of battling depression, Robin Williams took his own life. Hearing the news shook me to my core. As a child of the 90's, I've seen almost all of the great Robin Williams movies. Every time Mrs. Doubtfire was on, my mother and I would watch it together and laugh at the silly lines. When I was in 6th grade and tried out for teen theater, I watched Hook to get into the mind set of a lost boy, looking to Robin Williams as my fearless leader, Peter Pan. So much joy was brought to my life because of his movies. It's hard to imagine that a man who could make all of us laugh so much could be plagued with such sadness. 

To be completely honest with everyone, I'm so shaken by this loss. I have nothing but respect for the man and the loss is huge and it really struck a cord with me. As I've mentioned in previous posts, I suffer from pretty severe depression and anxiety. There are weeks where everything in my life is going well and for some reason I can't find a reason to get up in the morning. I have frequently battled my own voice in my head telling myself that I'm not good enough and that I don't deserve to live. Through this journey of growing up, I've seen my depression become more manageable with the help of therapy and amazing support system and I always just assumed that as I got older the depression would get easier to control. That I would have my bad days but I would have years of wisdom to figure out ways to clear my head and get past even the darkest of days. 

Robin Williams taking his life at 63 years old woke me up. Depression is life long. Depression is a battle. Depression just doesn't go away. I opened my eyes to the adults around me who suffer from depression as well only to realize they struggle each and everyday. Some days are better than others, as it always is, but somedays are darker than you can imagine. All of a sudden a fear took over. All of a sudden I was afraid that it would never get better. That I would have a family, a career and other real responsibilities that would be neglected if I couldn't get out of bed due to depression. What if my future family needed me and I couldn't get past the terrible days that abuse me mentally and physically? After talking to a lot of my other friends I realized they had similar fears. 

The conversation that started after my How To Love Your Depressed Lover  post was one of love, support and a mutual understanding. People I hadn't talked to in years messaged me and told me their stories of their struggles. It was nice to make a little support group among friends. A lot of times, it helps to feel as if you're not alone. 

So that is why I'm writing this post. I want to make some promises to myself and I hope you can all make them to yourself as well. I promise to fight as hard as I can to see the light on these dark days. I promise to take this battle with depression day by day and to not get consumed over the what ifs of the future. I promise that if the voice in my head tells me that I could be freed of my pain if I just ended my life that I will go and talk to someone who can help me push past it. 

Please talk to someone. Anyone. There are so many people who will listen and help you until the wave passes, even though sometimes it feels as if it never will. This is the reason I have the phrase "This too shall pass" on my right arm. 

It is an everyday battle but one that is worth fighting. We need to remember that. 

Tell the people that you care about most that you love them and hug them if you can.
Life is precious and we should take the time to let the people who matter to us know that they are valued in our lives. 

I don't know how to end this post. My heart is aching because I want so badly to believe it will get better. I know it will. I know I have it in me to fight. I know that we all do and I know so many of you, the people I care about the most, are going through the same struggle, this same fight. I want to be able to hug every single one of you who is and tell you we're going to be ok. It will be hard but we are going to be ok. 

We are going to be ok.

We are going to be ok.

I'll leave you with a poem from Donna-Marie Riley, who wrote "How To Love Your Depressed Lover" which inspired the post mentioned before. Her writing is so heartfelt and beautiful. She's easily become one of my favorite writers and I hope you can take time to read the rest of her work. 

Eventually, The Flowers

Eventually, 

the flowers will grow out of your back.

Only then will the lovers give up their hands.

Only then will the rivers flow into your veins.

You belong to the lilies.

Remember that.

Someday the sun will catch in your throat.

Someday, magic. Someday, hallelujah.

                    You’ll make it.

                    To the water. To the summer.

                    To the peace.

You’ll make it to the forest where the birds

will adorn you. They will perch on your collarbones

and love you back.

The birds. The sun. The magic.

You belong to the magic.

Eventually, the flowers will grow out of your back

and the loneliness will forget how to kiss you.

Thomas Matthews

A silly quick shoot with actor Thomas Matthews of American Hustle and The Newsroom.

Stone Cooper

As you've all seen, I've been absolutely blessed to work with Katherine Sliclen of Stone Cooper these past few months. We met through a mutual friend who I haven't seen in years and it has been an amazing budding friendship. I want to scream at the top of a mountain about all of her amazing jewelry. All of it is so unique and beautiful, like nothing i've ever seen before but all things I wish I would wear ever single day. After shooting a blog piece and after Kat was kind enough to create a custom head chain for me for my adventures at Governors Ball I decided I need to get more of her out to you guys, because you won't be disappointed. Stone Cooper will easily become your new favorite jewelry store. 

Kat is wearing all pieces she designed that can be found on Stonecooper.com

Let's begin by talking about your brand. How did the name Stone Cooper come about?

The name Stone Cooper comes from my name, Katherine Cooper Sliclen, Cooper being my Mom’s last name, and Sliclen coming from the word Schlichthernlein, meaning “Stone-Cutter” in German. My parents’ have always supported my creative endeavors and passion for art, so the name is somewhat in homage to them, and where I come from/who I am.

What inspired you to begin creating jewelry?

I’ve loved jewelry- both making it and wearing it - for as long as I can remember. As a toddler, I called jewels “Pretties” and decked myself out in as many as I could, (my feminist mother questioning where I’d came from). The first time I sold my jewelry was when I was in the 4^th grade when I set up a table of beaded memory-wire chokers at a holiday craft fair at my elementary school. At age 15, I applied to work in a local bead store and worked there, teaching classes and helping others make jewelry all throughout high school and during college breaks. During College, at Skidmore, I took metals classes all 4 years and interned in NYC’s diamond district the summer before my senior year. People have always told me that I should sell my pieces, and upon graduating and realizing that my dream was a possibility, I thought, “why not give it a shot?” so I filed to become a small business and have just been working (and doing a lot of learning) ever since.

Your pieces are so unique, how did the idea to make casts of these amazing pieces come about?

Thanks! Haha a lot of them actually came about almost accidentally. The first time I took a casting class at Skidmore I was only able to make 3 pieces… (one being a required hideous “brooch”) and so when I was able to take it again senior year, I vowed to spend as much time as I could in the studio and to use up all the silver I had collected in the prior years.  So in the last few weeks of my senior year I had all these left-over sterling spoons and broken earrings… all ready to be melted down, so I had the opportunity to play around. I tried casting the little rubber animals (the polar bear was my first) and other small, found objects. I love(d) the way metal looks when it takes the shape of something else –so detailed and unexpected. This is what gave me the ideas for some of my pieces such as the cast matchsticks, jawbones and candles.

Which is your favorite piece?

I’d have to say my favorite piece is my wishbone necklace. It is delicate and polished, yet natural and raw – you can see the tiny fibers in the bone! Also, I love that it the original came from a Rotisserie-Chicken wishbone from Price-chopper.

Do you have any fun things coming up?

 Starting in the next few weeks, a really sweet boutique in Doylestown PA will be carrying Stone Cooper, and we’ll have a whole case of jewels right next to the register there, so I’m looking forward to that. Then in the Fall I have some upcoming shows, including Hoboken NJ’s Fall Arts and Music Fest which I’m excited for.

Tell me a random fact about yourself

I find more 4-leaf clovers than anyone I’ve ever met. A lot of times I’m not even looking but I’ll happen to glance down and see one. I think I’ve found over 50 this year since Spring began.