This is just what I needed. A little practice drawing corsets. I must say. I do love them. And, my fashion show is coming up this Saturday! SUNY Cortland hosts a Music for the Cause event where the proceeds from the show go to a different cause each year. My line of corsets and skirts will be showing at this event. I am very happy to announce that it is November 7th and my first day of the clothing shop being open is going to be November 9th. Thanks to all of my fans!
<3 your rum and couture designer

New Boutique

This is the good news. I am putting my clothes into a boutique downtown! I'm super excited. The place is not into clothing right now, due to the fact that they are all hair and products. I really love the boutique and I am working with the owner to make room for a clothing line. I really love this picture because the color scheme is amazing with the green and the light pink. I hope to incorporate the colors into the store downtown. It's also full of furniture which I think makes the place look comfortable and welcoming. I'll keep you picture updated about the process.

<3 Your Rum&Couture Designer

all pictures are found on flicker.

My Tulle Obsession

Here is the inspiration for what I like to think is my attempt into working with TuTUs. I happen to love them and then Add the fact that you can find amazing tulle colors and you have me hooked. I'm going to attempt a few skirts that I plan on showing on the runway. Below are the pictures that I look to for inspiration when making the new skirts. I'll have stuff that I made to post in no time.

Welcome to my Wonderland.

Here is the inspiration for my fall line. I'm going off the femininity of Alice with the wild side of the other characters. I am going to do an entire line of skirts that are one of a kind. I have black corsets to go with each dress. I want the contrast to speak for itself. Plus, there is nothing more exciting to me than frills and ribbons!
<3 your Rum&Couture designer.

HOW TO PACK FOR 5 DAYS

On my last trip to Florida I realized what I have known for years. I am an overpacker. I have no ability to minimize. I could have saved money on suitcase charges by just bringing a carry on and leaving what I never even take out of my suitcase at home. 

So how do you pack for a five day trip to a warmer place? Well here is what I actually ended up wearing, which ends up being less than half of what I packed. 

First rule of packing...always check a ten day weather report and plan for the lowest temps and the worst weather they try and throw at you. In my case that was low sixties for a day and two days of rain. Also, no matter how hot the weather is, there is also very cold air conditioning.  

For my five day trip I was able to wear, and should have only packed the following...

2 pairs of jeans, 1 sweater, 1 hooded sweatshirt, 2 bathing suits, 1 pair of sneakers, 2 pairs of sandels, 2 pairs of heels, 2 sundresses, 2 going out dresses, 2 pair of sleep shorts, 2 pairs of shorts, 1 skirt, 2 tops, and 2 long sleeve shirts. Even though this seems like a lot, it rolls very small and all fit into my carryon suitcase along with other things I needed. This includes my camera, ipod, makeup/toothbrush, and hair products. Because the plane regulations only allow very small sizes (you should always check what the oz. regulations are before packing) they take up very little room. 

I found this picture on flicker and thought that it was a good example of packing. Try it. You can avoid packing a large suitcase that you will have to pay for if you just think ahead and make good packing choices. 

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photo thanks to flicker.com

Summer in Alaska Sketches

         Well here is page from my notebook of sketches. This is the original sketch page from the Rum&Couture Recycles show in the fall of '08. You can see how things change in just a few short weeks. I didn't even end up using fur in anything I did.

         I started with the idea that I could recycle some material that gets wasted a lot in our society. I thought of fur first because of the animals that get hurt by it. I wanted to make a summer line that incorporated fur in some ways. The best way I thought to do it was making bathing suits and short summer dresses and pairing them with books and heels that were accented with fur. 

What I ended up doing as most know was recycling T-Shirts. I know that there are so many T-shirt used for promotional events that they become disposable like trash. So I took T-shirts and made dresses and tops that were fit to go out to dinner in. 

Next post: I plan on showing you how to pack for a 5 day vacation to some place warm with just a carry on suit case! 

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Why I Love Shop Flick!

This dress is the Ric Rac Camdyn in Carnival Print. I love this dress for more than one reason. The dress is off of shopflick.com and they feature designers of all areas. They have really cool clothes to offer and you can see the designers talk about their lines. It makes the shopping really personal. This dress is a three tier skirt with a clinch top. It's a beautiful summer dress, not to mention the pattern is just perfect. The victorian ladies playing games is both reminicent of the dress itself as well as the summer feel of the entire piece.

Check out shopflick.com and look at what they have to offer. Check out "about the designer" portion of the stores and learn what the artists have to say. It's both interesting and enlightening.

photo credit: www.shopflick.com