Astral Boutique's blog

World Premiere! New Agent Ribbons Video

I am so stoked to be able to share with you the brand new Agent Ribbons video for "That's Not Edgar's Heart".... it's hitting the world at large later week, but they are letting me give you all a sneak peek today. And OH MY GOD. No kidding, this left me breathless.... an amazing song that actually has a video just as amazing to match it, which so rarely happens in this world. If you love a good mystery and a surreal romance, then take a look here.....

Agent Ribbons - "That's Not Edgar's Heart" from Ryan McCoy on Vimeo.

Yum

Scenes from the garden, where the first crop of late Spring veggies is coming in strong.

Busy bees on the chive flowers

Kale, chard, and broccoli

Parsley, radishes, and lettuce mix

Strawberries, waiting for some more sunshine to ripen them up

Bag of greens for lunch and dinner... sauteed them in butter for just a minute, add a dash of balsamic vinegar, and you have pure bliss!

Bon appetite! 

 

 

Dude alert!

by Chris

Hello Internet!
A few weeks ago Sasha & I were sipping Italian sodas at a sidewalk cafe when she asked me the question that all men hope their wives will someday ask them. She said, "Chris, do you want to do a weekly column for my blog?" After haggling over deadlines, compensation, creative control, content supervision and who was gonna pay for the Italian sodas, I enthusiastically said "OK!"
Just that morning I’d been doodling different ideas for summer outfits which I scanned and annotated here for the first installment of Boys Noize. They seem to be going from casual to ludicrous counter-clockwise from the bottom right so I’ll start there.

The “Groover Magoo” is a mix of 60s and 90s. Summer is the only rational time for tie-dyes- here they’re mixed with big pants- go baggy ala the 90s but keep the material light- no one wants to wear a tarp. Men’s clothes are usually made in stiff, unbearable fabrics under the pretense of durability- get your pants vintage or thrifted so they’re already broken in.
The “Chill Bill” is another good pre-Summer look- get a pair of slim, light pants & chop them off about mid-shin. Add some black Winos from K-Mart and another tie-dye shirt & you’re basically set for inclement weather and rocky trails while still keeping it breezy. Note this is the only look without a long beaded necklace. On a recent trip to New Orleans we noticed all the boys wearing lots of necklaces- essential for sprucing up an ordinary outfit plus they give you a kind of talismanic/Captain Jack Sparrow vibe. I’m partial to tiny, multi-colored beads- kind of like the Love Beads of yore. All these looks are fairly hippie-centric but hey, it’s summer, you gonna wear a suit to the beach?
The “River Rat” is for full-on Summer use. I’m big on striped t-shirts this year. I got a bit burnt out on all the crazy, massive illustrations and over-cooked designs. Stripes keep it simple & interesting without assaulting the eyes. Plus they invoke the shoe gazer/Madchester vibe of the 90s- which was a pretty Summer-y scene. I recently wore a pale blue/navy striped t shirt from Banana Republic which I’d thrifted and Sasha said “I like that shirt- you look like a prisoner from the Civil War!” I was going for a French film auteur in mid-60s Saint Tropez but I’ll take Civil War in a pinch. Note again the long necklace(s), flip flops, cut-offs and a wide-brimmed hat. I’m finding cut-offs kind of essential since most new shorts look custom made for the golf course- which is cool if you’re playing golf.
The final look is for the dog days of August and early September when it’s so hot no one cares what you’re wearing and you just need to cool off. Cut-offs (preferably from old denims) and a striped tank-top. Girls get to wear tank-tops all summer so just follow their lead- plus they give you a good excuse to get (or show off) some tattoos. A close observation will show the “Duder Magruder” is actually wearing socks with flip-flops- an impossibility in the summer heat but a nice change for cool September nights. Socks and sandals are universally reviled in the fashion community which is a great reason to wear them whenever you want. Double-bonus points for having socks with a good pattern. Any color is acceptable as long as its not white. White socks will get you nowhere in this world.

A Boy's Life

Although I have posted very few Men's items to the shop overall, I have always had a great response to the things I do list. In fact, a few guy customers have written me lately asking me to please please please put more things in the Men's Section! Chris is helping me on my weekly kamikaze shopping runs now, so I've got him on patrol in the Men's clothing... and hunting for vintage Ugly Christmas Sweaters, of course. (This year we have a dream to make enough money from Ugly Christmas Sweaters to buy two plane tickets to Hawaii. We've been fantasizing about returning to the tropics since our honeymoon there nine years ago!) Anyhow, the first infusion of rockin' Men's fashions will be coming to the shop in the next day or two, and you can preview the pics here. This week we found trippy 70s shirts, like the one below, amazingly detailed Western shirts, and some super rad ties. 

Here's to the Dudes!

Remember, as a blog reader, you can receive a 15% discount within the first 24 hours of listing by writing "PREVIEW" in the Message To Seller. Happy shopping!

Cosmic Connection- Northern California Women's Herbal Symposium 2011

I am back from the Northern California Women's Herbal Symposium and I am filled to the brim with joy and inspiration! It's hard to summarize this amazing event, and photos only show the tiniest piece of the whole puzzle, but I will try to give you all an idea of the magical world of women and herbs and wisdom and playfulness that happens at Black Oak Ranch in Laytonville every year. This first photo probably encapsulates the feeling the best:

Me and my bestie Linda, striking our best "the spaceship has just beamed us onto planet earth" pose

This was my seventh time going, if I am counting correctly, and still my husband says he doesn't really understand what the Symposium is like. I mean, I come home with a head full of crazy stories, which never spill out in any logical or linear order- everything seems equally important, from a conversation I overheard in the food line to the thought I had around the fire at 3am to the thing I learned about grindelia's effect on helping asthma to.... well... things like accounts of spontaneous mud wrestling contests tend to stand out, naturally. (Ahem.)

This year I decided that it could best be described it as a magical summer camp that is run entirely by the counselors... the weirdest, coolest, most super playful counselors. A ton of work goes on behind the scenes, but the overall impression for us campers is that the Authority Figures have all *poof* disappeared, along with all the usual rules which limit us as women in the "real" world (how to dress, or undress, how to behave, how to connect with each other), and yet: everything is working just fine. In fact, it's working better than ever! Everyone is connecting as if by magic... synchronicity grows wilder and more lush every hour of the camp, until, by Sunday night's ceremony and drum circle around the fire, everyone's minds and energy fields are electrified and it feels as if we are talking to each other without words. The moment you think of a question, it seems, the answer will appear. Even if you have a whole wheelbarrow full of questions. This is why this is so much more than a "normal" experience for me... it is actually a spiritual infusion. After the long cold winter, it is so amazing to sleep outside and feel my energy field expand down to touch the earth- literally!- and then up to touch the stars. It is a coming home to community, to earth, and to my connection with the spirit world.  

Home sweet home: this is the tent that was baptized many years ago as "Daft Home" (because it is an REI "Half Dome" tent and Chris and I just can't leave a name alone). Sleeping outside was so different after all of these months indoors.... me and Linda were laughing that we could sell bags of dirt in major urban centers with the sales pitch "Ground... the ORIGINAL relaxing surface!"

The Moon Tent, aka the Red Tent... filled with beautiful red velvet pillows and books about women's bodies and cycles. Isn't it amazing that not long ago, women still called their periods "the curse"? We've come a long way, baby...

Dress up is encouraged all day, every day. Here is my friend Chelsea, who was leading a singing class for children bedecked as a beautiful blue fairy:

My stall at Marketplace. It was so fun to see all of the clothes out in the open, in a little pop-up "store"!

This is Lindsey, wearing a dress that she bought from me and Amber at Violet Folklore two years ago! She is still loving it.

A spontaneous sing-a-ling starts at Marketplace:

My friend Beth's tie-dye booth:

Okay, back to the spaceship people, aka me and Linda! This year was a very special Symposium, to celebrate the 21st year, and part of the celebration was a Masquerade Ball. I won't say much more, cause I don't want to give away all the surprises, but here we are getting ready for the amazing feast that started the Ball!

One of our amazing organizers, Terri! 

A magical band entertains the diners....

Hand-washing in rose water:

Linda and our friend Heather, who works her butt off for us on the RTF (aka Random Task Force), and has the very important job of taking care of the campfire at night:

Heather and the organizer extraordinaire, Karen!

Beautiful flower girls:

This weekend for me was all about conversations and connections. Here on the right is my dear friend Jen, who runs the Wellness Center at the Symposium, talking with a friend:

It wasn't quite as busy in Wellness as it can be sometimes, so me and Jen actually got to steal some sweet Friend Moments... she played me the songs she learned this winter on her banjo and her ukulele, and we sat by the creek and talked about life, plans, questions... it was so good to connect. 

Stargazer Li, an incredible wizard of time and space, who leads stargazing talks at night, and Linda:

Li has been in my life for many years, since one of her calenders came to me as a gift back in the 90s. She has expanded her community and her teachings from the base of the Symposium, and she is an incredible example of someone who is doing her true Work in the world. That might sound easy, if you are called to be a banker or an accountant, but imagine if you were a Shamaness of Interplanetary Dimensions? The most incredible thing about Li is that not only is she a true genius (brains. so many brains) but she is a gifted teacher- she can actually impart this wisdom in a way that makes it accessible to the layperson. You can find out more about Li's work here.

Chelsea and I, saying our goodbyes:

When I drove up to Black Oak ranch this year, it felt like it had been mere minutes since last May... time is so funny like that. Now I can't believe it will be another year til I go back! Luckily, there are options... there are actually TWO sessions in May and this year there are TWO in September. I think that after seven years I have started to love the Symposium too much for one session to be enough! I am going to keep those weekends free... and we'll see, we'll see. Maybe with some luck I can be back there again, filling up my soul and my spirit. Meanwhile, all of you should sign up ASAP.... it's really a unique happening on planet earth, and it is sooooooo worth putting aside the time and money to make it happen for yourself.

Think about it. 

Maycation!

It's that time of year again.... and whoa, the time has really flown..... I am going to the Northern California Women's Herbal Symposium, aka Witch Camp... my chance to reunite with my dear friend Linda and learn and connect and sing and play play play under the oak trees and the stars. It looks like the weather might even co-operate! (after waking up to three inches of snow this weekend, I was having my doubts...)

If you are a new blog reader, you might be interested in my blog post about last year's camp here.

The shop will be on Vacation Mode for the first time ever... because I need a break, and because I am setting up a booth with my hand made and hand altered items at the Symposium Marketplace! 

I will try to take a lot of pictures, and I'll be back in a week.... see you all then, and meanwhile, HAPPY MAY! 

You Make Me So Very Happy

So I am trying to get some improved systems in place for my workweek and my promotions for my shop.... I am always fiddling with things, you know, that's just what you do when you run your own business! I have been working on a way to reward my blog readers/Facebook/Twitter fans, cause you all are the heart of my business, and I came up with the idea to post preview photos of the next week's Coming Attractions at the end of each week, so that you have the weekend to sneak a peek at what's coming, and a chance to grab the items you love before the whole wide world gets to have a go at them.

(such as this amazing piece, ahem... I can't believe I am selling this.)

Now I don't like to clutter up my blog with photos from my store, so in the future I am going to just do a brief post and put a link to the Facebook "Coming Attractions" album at the end of each week. The sizes and prices are all on there. (You don't have to be a member of Facebook to see the album.) Today, for example, you can just clickity click right here and you will see Monday's goodies! 

The "reward" part is that I am offering all of you a special 15% Preview rate on these items, good only for the first 24 hours that they are listed. If you like something, move on it! Just write "Preview" in the Note To Seller (or Convo me) and I will refund your Paypal 15%.

(And if you can't wait til the item is listed, you can always Convo me and ask about Reserving it in your name... first come first serve as always.)

I can't say it enough- I am so thankful to everyone who reads this blog, and those of you who are able to support my shop with your purchases really do make my dreams come true. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! It's been a year doing Etsy Full Time now, and over 1,000 sales in my shop.... I am such a happy camper. (-;

Have a great weekend, everyone! I'm going to work in the garden!

Groovin In The Grass

On a sunny morning in the meadow, I am out hunting dandelions, and Zazou is hunting mice. 

Sometimes you have to look very carefully... (there is a frog in the picture below!)

 

 

The End Of The Rainbow

...the Abita story continues.... 

Yes, you can have a party here! My friend Stephanie did..... she fully got married in the Abita Mystery House!

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Okay, first I want to say a little bit about Stephanie for those of you who don't know her or how we came to be friends. Way back in the days of my angsty adolescence, there were these things called Pen Pals.... and actual letters on paper that came in the mailbox! I know it sounds weird! And this is going to sound even weirder.... I was a member of an unofficial Cure (as in the band) fan club that had a monthly magazine called Other Voices, featuring news and pics of the Cure and a section in the back where you could write a little about yourself and put your address if you wanted pen pals. I wrote something like "dark moonless nights... the scream of lovers lost.... black-hearted boys and the voice of the sky"... you know, along those lines, like I'm sure every Twilight fan does on message boards or whatever these days.

Stephanie was my pen pal from waaaay back when... like, age 14 at least, the heart of the hormonal tragedy/gothic poetry/big ratted black hair party thing was my teenage experience. She would send me the most heartfelt, supportive letters, sometimes like 20 pages thick, and of course (once you see her this won't be a surprise) the envelopes themselves were pretty much frame-able paintings that just happened to have my address on them. (The post office will send anything through the mail, or at least it used to be that way!) Anyhow, we were pen pals for years and years before we finally met in my early 20s.... I was on a road trip with my hubby Chris and my friend Automne and we went to see the Cure in New Orleans in 1996 for the Wild Mood Swings tour, and we showed up at Stephanie's door at 7am after driving nonstop from Denver, and we were totally shocked (though we should have known) to see that Steph's apartment looked just like her envelopes... even the microwave had some kind of leopard cozy on it, and everything was beaded and bangled and glittered!

So we all saw an amazing Cure show and tried to meet the band but failed cause I wouldn't run a red light (what a wimp!)... but we made up for it in the year 2000, when all four of us piled into a rental car and followed The Cure across the USA and ended up on their guest list and having front row seats and backstage passes. Me and Aut and Steph even followed the band to Australia. Yeaaaah!

Chris, Automne, myself, and Stephanie; May 2000, Toronto Canada

Okay, I don't know how to reveal this cause it sounds so weird out of context, but Chris and Automne were both my Cure pen pals, too! We were talking about this at the wedding and realized that we need to write the former creator of the Other Voices fanzine, because our lives would not be the same without her! (I think I just found her on Facebook- hooray!)

Okay, there are absolute novels to write about all of these things that I have just hurried through so fast in a few paragraphs, but I hope I have given you all a decent summary. Now on to the present moment, where Steph is madly in love and her man Charlie is gonna Put A Ring On It!

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(I find it hard to take photos at weddings... you know, you get all wrapped up in watching the ceremony, talking to people, dancing, eating, ecetera. That's why people hire wedding photographers, right? But I did my best to pick up my camera at a few key moments, cause I really wanted to share the moment with Automne, who couldn't be at the wedding, and my parents, who as I mentioned, made the whole trip possible.)

Chris and I check our look in the hotel mirror before heading to the ceremony.... my dress is from the 1920s, bought at Junkees Vintage in Reno Nevada.... I love the lace so much, and the green color of course. The headband and shoe toppers (sewn onto China Flats) are handmade from a doily that I had in my Craft Pile. Chris' tie is also vintage, and I just love how we match (with the green theme), but not too much.

When we arrived at the Mystery House, I had the sweet Parking Attendant girl take a better photo of us. (I have realized that I never end up with any photos of the outfits I wear to special events, cause the event takes such precedence over the photos, so my new policy is to try to get pics before anything gets started.) I am probably going to wear this exact same outfit to a wedding I am going to late this month.... is that cheating? I mean, where else am I going to wear something that is so delicate and fancy? 

Okay, that is so enough about me and what I was wearing... let's talk about the bride! She was getting ready in the studio belonging to the owner of the Mystery House...

I love this surreal photo... a headless bride! Ha ha! Her cousin Chris is helping her get into her amazing dress:

We took a reference photo to show her what her veil (made of rainbow ribbons) looked like in the back:

Before she walked down the aisle, the photographers flocked around her and her beauuutiful (hand-made!) dress:

Her flower girl was the cutest thing ever.

There is always some adorable baby at a wedding that makes you want to have ten kids! Look at this cherub! And to the right of the photo is my brand new bud Judy, who lives in California (she grew up in Gulfport with Stephanie) and is a creatrix extraordinaire. 

Walking down the aisle...

John Preble, the artist behind the Mystery House, officiates the wedding, to much giggling. And yes, that is a UFO crashing into an Airstream trailer behind them.

Pretty pretty bouquet:

And there's that ring.... 

They did it! Time for pics of the wedding party....

Bros lifting Charlie up... I have no idea why. Seemed like the thing to do.

Family:

Let the dancing begin!

(They are SO in love. It just makes me tear up just  at these photos!)

Let's dance some more:

The "groom cake"-- can someone tell me, is this a new thing? Cause I never heard of it until the Royal Wedding (which was the day before Steph's wedding, watched on the TV of our hotel in New Orleans while eating an almost illicitly large serving of bread pudding). Whatever the case, I like the idea a lot! Express yourself, boys!

And the big cake, which , of course, echoes Steph's dress. She told me she "wasn't concerned about anything matching" at her wedding, but I have to say, she took the color scheme to the Next Level! I mean, who does rainbows????

Steph's shoes (at the end of the night) and the table decor:

Reunited and it feels so good!

Now I didn't get a picture of this, but Stephanie and Charlie actually had a FIREWORKS show later in the evening... a real one, and a big one (!), in the field next to the reception! Now that took the cake and ate it, too... soooooo super magical. That kind of stuff is not even legal in California anymore! (Not to mention that the multicolored fireworks totally matched the whole rainbow theme!)

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Another big thanks to my parents, who donated their frequent flyer miles to get me and Chris to Louisiana... a wedding is such a special, once-in-a-lifetime thing, and it meant so much to us to be there! I hope these pics inspire some of you future brides to consider alternative venues for your wedding, and to not be afraid of colors! The more the merrier!

Here's to LOVE!

Mystery Loves Company

I have been excited to show you all my pics from the Abita Mystery House, where my friend Stephanie got married, but I'm also a little nervous that I might scare some of my blog readers off. I mean, I have a love for kitsch, a true love for kitsch. You are going to have to prepare yourself for this if you like things neat and orderly and normal. 

So I was wondering what the mystery was all about at The Abita Mystery house- I mean, was it like The Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz? or the Trees of Mystery in Oregon? I actually ran into the owner and artist/designer, John Prebel, when I was using the bathroom in the gift shop during the wedding reception, and he told me that it used to be called the "UCM Museum" (like, "you see em") but no one really got it, and it wasn't good for publicity. It turns out that if you call something a "mystery", suddenly everyone wants to come and take a look. That said, I bet it is still a mystery to a lot of people why someone would take it upon themselves to create a place like this. I don't think it needs any explanation, but that's because it looks like the inside of my brain, basically. If my brain was from Louisiana. I guess I am going to have to make one of these places that is a tribute to California oddities. Can't you just see me and Chris in our retired years owning a roadside attraction of crazy art junk? 

The thing that amazes me most is that John created this whole place in only ten years. I mean, it seems like a lifetime of work! Of course, collecting the stuff takes time. The best quote about the place was in the brochure in the gift shop-- apparently some little girl walked out of there after a tour with her mom and stated defiantly: "I'm NOT giving away my rock collection."

I am not going to bother to elaborate on these photos, cause I really think they speak for themselves. I can't explain most of them anyway. I will say that these photos only give you a glimpse of about 10% of what you can see at the Mystery House. You could literally spend all day here and not notice everything. 

 

If you are in Louisiana, you should definitely go here... obviously. The Abita Mystery House is in Abita Springs, right along the most gorgeous bike trail I've ever seen (it goes all the way to Lake Pontchartrain), and the Abita Brewery is just down the road. I leave it up to you to choose if you are going to have one of their super strong beers before or after you visit the Mystery House. (They also make amazing root beer- I should know- I drank like a gallon of it.) Admission is $3 and the hours are 10-5 everyday. There is a great little website here with lots of funny quotes from visitors. A lot of the exhibits are animated and come to life when you push a button, so this is a cool place for kids, too.

Go! Go! Go!