Beautiful Models

Oh I have so many photos to show you from the amazing Push Asheville Fashion show!  I’ve just posted a couple on my website for you to see, and I promise I’ll post a slew more here, but tonight I must pack the car for our annual road trip to upstate New York.  Here’s a couple to whet your whistle:

Holt struts her stuff on the runway in super light weight wool jersey.

Carrie and Kaileah wearing a mother daughter look in organic cotton, and a beautiful, simple, floral print

This woman can work a dress! It's wool - but super slinky and light - pink and red, 1920s styling.

Despite - or because- of the blurriness of this photo, I think this is a sexy picture - Leah wore this piece beautifully.

It was a crazy night, but we're still smiling! It really was fun...

I do promise more photos soon, there are so many to sort through, and I just don’t have the time right now!  Thanks to everyone who came out and supported us local independent designers!

Fashion at the Orange Peel!

It’s been a lovely, very lively, summer so far.   The kids have already gone to camp and returned home.  Meanwhile, we moved down the street to our new little house and have been nesting here, planting gardens and setting up beds, and basically just enjoying the heat and pace of summer.

I have also been finishing up my Pilates training, and beginning my training in Gyrotonics, so have been logging lots of sweaty hours at the studio – it’s truly wonderful.

Tomorrow, I put my fashion hat back on, and present my Hazel Anne line on the runway at the Orange Peel!  There will be 12 local designers and 18 local boutiques, and the show will benefit Asheville Grown Business Alliance, the grassroots push to support independent businesses and shop local.  I’m showing 5 looks -  2 girls and 3 women.  I’ve had 3 fittings today with my models, and my last 2 come later this afternoon.  It’s so exciting to see these dresses, skirts, tops and leggings on real bodies!  I really love this mini line, and will be making more of it for sure.  No pictures for now, you’ll just have to come to the show Friday, July 16th at 9:00 pm and see for yourself!  If you are out of town, I understand, but you’ll have to wait a few days for me to get the model photos online for everyone to see.

Kitty, Kitty!

Just had to share this cute photo of the cat.  We just moved and her usual routine is out of whack.  Look where I found her!

That is a really tall bureau, by the way!  Wish we could jump that high..

Push Asheville Fashion

Big fashion show coming to town!  Push Productions is hosting a fashion show for local designers and boutiques on July 16th at the gorgeous Orange Peel in downtown Asheville.  I get to show 5 pieces, so I’m doing 3 womens and 2 girls looks.

here's a still of me in a promotional video, talking about a bamboo dress.

And here is the promotional video, featuring me and Hazel Anne Design! (Click on the link there, and it will take you to the you tube video – no matter what I try, I can’t make the video itself appear here).

It’s a funny thing to see yourself on film, there wasn’t really any prep time or practicing, so hopefully I make sense and make people want to come to the show!  It’s an interesting exercise to try to sum up your whole business in 5 minutes, certainly lots gets left out, but what do you think?  Do the main ideas get through?

pilates training

After a week of computer related problems and time at the computer doctor, I have my laptop back now, along with all of my recent photos.  The computer is on it’s last legs for sure, but I will try to eek out a few more months of hobbling along at sloooowww speeds and an if-y power cord.

In other news….

In case you didn’t know, one of my hats these days is pilates instructor in training, and it will be a summer full!  I am so insanely lucky to be doing all my training at Jennifer Gianni’s Fusion Pilates, have a look at her studio!

Not a bad place to hang out, huh?  I’ve been teaching a few times a week and will finish up my course work by the end of the summer.  Last weekend we had an incredible class and learned lots of advanced moves on the Reformer.  I took my first teacher training class last august, so all in all, it will have taken me about a year.  It is such a joy to keep learning and being a student and filling my brain with anatomy and movement – I just can’t get enough!  And then to be able to jump right in and teach in this amazing facility, well, I’m just too lucky.  I’ll keep updating here as I continue my path towards the final certification, and hopefully remember to bring my camera to the next training weekend in july to get some good action shots!

Busy, busy

Where I’ve been:

Finishing up soccer season

Sewing costumes for "Alice in Wonderland" dance performance at the modern dance studio

among the costumes, hedgehogs!

running a 5K with the girls and the entire Western North Carolina Girls on the Run chapter on a very hot morning.

Making skirts, of course

making endless snacks for 3 hungry kids

Having a studio moving sale! Last minute sample sale - lots of friends came and got many annie m and hazel anne duds for a song. Should have done this years ago!

set up in the living room

tank tops, scarves

and of course, trading silly bandz....

Also doing lots of Pilates teacher training courses, teaching pilates, packing the house to move next week, driving carpool for the last week of school, getting ready for camp, lots of sewing commissions (lamp shapes! curtains!), summer swim team started up again, picking snap peas, the first raspberries… what am I forgetting?  Oh yeah, forgot about this blog for a little bit there….

Cold Brewed Coffee

So you know I love coffee.  I mean, really really.  Can’t go without.  Well, I found a new way to brew it that is gentler on the tummy.  Brew it cold!  I bought this coffee maker from Toddy on Amazon and started a pot right up. Basically, you put a pound of coffee and 9 cups of water into a carafe, and let it sit for 12 hours!  You are left with a coffee concentrate which you then add hot or cold water or milk to whenever you want a cup.  I bought it because I drink tons of iced coffee in the summer, and I only drink it black.  Sometimes when the coffee sits in ice, it gets watered down, and kind of  battery-acid tasting.  But this stuff is great! Perfect for that summer iced coffee.  30 something dollars well spent… Come over for a cup and see what I mean!

This is what it looks like - the image is from their web site. Pretty, huh?

Vintage cotton

Well NO! I didn’t forget about you!  I’ve just been deep in the pudding of costume making for a local dance troupe, with no time for the computer.  Show starts tonight so I’ll have to get some good photos to share.

So today, I got back to my own stuff, and made a skirt out of a bolt of vintage cotton lawn that I recently bought.  Oh, it’s so pretty! Candy pink, soft and airy, with an organic cotton waistband.

Here it is on the manny, paired with one of my bamboo skinny tanks.

A detail of the adjustable drawstrings on the side, and a closer look at this pretty fabric!

You can go to my Etsy shop to see more details.  It feels good to make something pretty just for for fun, and I have a whole bolt of this cotton, so more to come!  I think it would make a very pretty tunic or light summer dress…..

Strawberries

Strawberries are in at the Western North Carolina Farmers Market!  If you live here – go get some now! Inexpensive, fresh, local:

I got 2 big baskets. The kids will be so excited when they get home from school!

Up close.

Now, what to make, what to make….

I’m thinking about jam, muffins, tarts…. for now, here’s my recipe for Strawberry Ice Cream – only worth making when the strawberries are fresh.

Fresh Strawberry Ice Cream:

3 Cups whole organic milk

1 1/4 Cups sugar.  (if your berries are super sweet, just use 1 c., if not so sweet, add a little more).

dash of salt

3 large egg yolks

2 cups diced strawberries

In a saucepan, heat the milk to a boil, then remove from heat.

Combine sugar, salt and yolks in a bowl, beat with mixer at high speed until thick and pale.

With a ladle or cup measure, gradually add a little bit at a time of the milk to the egg mixture, beating with a whisk the whole time.  Once you have added half the milk, pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, and continue to heat the whole mixture on medium low for about 2-3 minutes, stirring the whole time.  Put the saucepan into a large bowl filled with ice to cool the mixture down, stir occasionally.  When the mixture is cold, pour it into your ice cream mixer and freeze according to the directions on your mixer.  I use a regular old Cuisinart one I got for my birthday one year.  You can’t believe how much use that thing has seen!

You can always puree the strawberries if your kids don’t like the texture of the frozen chunks of fruit.  I’ve been through that.

Mandala

Here’s my boy’s little self-made art project from yesterday.  A sunny Sunday, and I noticed he was outside with a gluestick, pasting something to the wall.  I just stayed back and watched – he was concentrating so intently, I wonder where he got this idea?

Here's the long view. That's our cement retaining wall that is in desperate need of its annual spring whitewashing (just mix lime, salt and water!).

he gluesticked (gluestuck?) the little "helicopter" seed pods that fall out of the trees onto the wall. What a pretty pattern!

close up!

It looks like rain, so I thought I’d better take a few photos.  Who knows how well Elmers glue stands up to the elements?

Just goes to show, art is everywhere…..