revolutionizing wearable art

Pinterest... a good problem to have.

2012-01-26T07:25:00.000-08:00

SO, is anyone else addicted to Pinterest like I am??!? At first I was worried that it was a problem... another online addiction? Isn't it enough already with email, facebook, twitter, etsy (i'm sure there are more to list but that should do for now)?! I guess there are worse things to be addicted to in this world (or online for that matter)! BUT then I discovered that I am actually very inspired by this mass sharing of ideas, and actually putting much of the inspiration into action. One thing I find very important about this as I put my ideas into action, especially because I am an artist, and this rule goes both ways... It is fine to be inspired, BUT don't straight up copy someones stuff. Maybe that goes too far when I put my own spin on recipes :) but anyhow I am having fun, and I think that is what it is all about, sharing our creative ideas, and contributing to a more positive, beautiful and functional world. I feel like there is so much stuff I have done... cooking, organizing, painting, etc. Feeling inspired is good.

To those who are new and don't really know what to do with Pinterest, I know that the site has become very popular so lots of you are there and are just looking around but don't know what to do. I was not really sure what to do with it at first either. I had the app on my iphone and I knew that there was lots of cool stuff to look at, but was not really sure what these boards were all about, so as I saw stuff that I liked, I would just "LIKE" it. Then once I had a ton of LIKES, and I got more comfortable with the site, I took a look at all of the things that I liked and then categorized - these are your boards. You can use the boards that are there from the start, you can delete them or change them to something else... like some of my boards that I created are "Accessorize Artistically" and "Words of Wisdom and Wit". I still do this if I don't really have a category for something that I LIKE, and then every once in a while go back and pin it to a board or create a new board. AND if you want to just lurk around and look at stuff and don't pin anything, that is ok too. I have found that it is a great place to find inspiration in many areas of your life.

Photos i've included here are of a night stand that I painted red and distressed. A old Pepsi box repurposed as a shelf in my bathroom (still working on decorating that one, but getting there! Both the night table and Pepsi box were purchased from a flea market) AND below... potatoes I made from a recipe found on Pinterest. This is just a few things of many. Go get inspired!

Follow me!

Artistic Spirits... where art and spirits collide!

2011-09-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

My latest venture, along with my creative friend Christina Lee, is called ARTISTIC SPIRITS. We will be teaching a painting class on most Thursday evenings at Artists at Gulf Place. Each class will have up to 10 participants where we will provide step by step instruction in creating a 16" x 20" acrylic painting. The painters are welcomed to bring a bottle of wine or any other spirits of choice... to aid in the creative flow. Gulf Place is an inspiring and colorful atmosphere to enjoy a night out with some friends, or to perhaps make some new ones. We hope that you will come and get creative with us at ARTISTIC SPIRITS - where art and spirits collide!

The class can also be set up for a private group. If you are interested, please let us know.

Please check out our links and help us spread the word :)
artisticspirits.com
facebook.com/artisticspirits
twitter.com/artisticspirits

facebook.com/artistsatgulfplace
maxineorange.com
chastaneart.com

Artists @ Gulf Place

2011-08-09T20:26:00.000-07:00

Relocating to the Gulf Coast of Florida from Southern California was a pretty big move, but upon my arrival I've gained something quite amazing. I was given the opportunity to sell my artwork at The Artists at Gulf Place in Santa Rosa Beach on scenic Highway 30A.
Today was my first day working there and being trained on how to run the "gallery". I'm super excited to be able to be a part of this, and even more that making art to keep my kiosk full is now my J-O-B! I've already sold 2 paintings and love the great amount of exposure that my work is getting here. If you are in the area, please stop by Gulf Place to check it out! I'm still getting settled in here, but I'll be doing my best to keep updating with images of my new work that is available.

The ALABAMA FOREVER Necklace

2011-05-16T20:32:00.000-07:00

The ALABAMA FOREVER Necklace is NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE!

Click here to purchase online.

**NOW ALSO AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA AT LAURA KATHRYN, THE PANTS STORE, AND BELLA BRIDESMAID**

I designed this necklace together with Jen Boaz (my favorite jewelry designer and one of my best friends) as a means to build support for disaster relief in Alabama. The tornados of April 2011 tore through Alabama and the surrounding states and these areas may take years to be rebuilt.

We want to help, SO why not do it in a fashionable way?!

Jen and I both attended the University of Alabama, and I grew up there as well. Even though neither of us currently live in the state of Alabama, a big piece of our hearts are there forever.

The proceeds of your purchase go to benefit the ALABAMA FOREVER Foundation.

"Alabama Forever is responding quickly to the storms of April through our monetary and logistical support of various local non-profit organizations. As recovery continues, our long-term efforts will evolve into a mission to help our state become an even better place to live."

The necklace has a laser cut plywood Alabama pendant with cut out heart (wood piece is 1” tall x 3/4” wide x 1/8” thick) hangs on a 16” sterling silver chain.

Show your support and make a valuable donation to disaster relief.

click here to buy now!

BAMA

2011-05-13T11:25:00.000-07:00

MAY

2011-05-10T12:08:00.000-07:00

sweet home alabama

2011-05-03T10:43:00.000-07:00

Well what a couple of weeks we have been having! The royal wedding, the draft, the tornados, and now Osama. Seriously, if anyone can handle all of this... we can! It has kind of been hard to fall asleep with lots of things running through my brain. It was really hard for me at first with the news of the tornados in Alabama and the surrounding areas. Seeing all of the videos and photos of the biggest tornado EVER plowing through Tuscaloosa, was absolutely heart wrenching. I lived 5 years of my life there. So being that i'm now in California, it was quite a helpless feeling to want to help all the people who have lost so much. I must say though, how impressed I am at the strength of the people there who have all pulled together so amazingly to help one another. It is a beautiful thing. The people of the state of Alabama should be proud - people have always said that it is a good place to raise your kids... and those kids turn into good people. It is showing.

To turn my helpless feeling into something good, i have started collecting clothes at my office. We always have lots of samples and extra stuff around, so I am hoping to be able to send as much as I can afford to ship.

If you want to do something, here are some other great ways that you can make a donation.

Online: go to www.alredcross.org and click on the "donate now" link on
the homepage

Call: 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) and you will be prompted to a menu that includes financial donations

Text: REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross.
After your confirm your donation, you will receive a text and will be offered the option to specify your gift to support Disaster Relief to help people affected by disasters like the recent tornadoes

OR donate to:

TEAM RUBICON, a hybrid team of veterans and firefighters to respond domestically to natural disasters.
http://teamrubiconusa.org/2011/04/28/team-rubicon-activates-east-coast-team-for-bama-tornado-disaster/

Check out these cool T-shirts designed by Maggie Crisler in Florence, AL. All proceeds go to the Red Cross. Help Maggie reach her goal to donate $1000.
http://www.maggiecrisler.com/tornadorelief.html

Happy Earth Day

2011-04-22T13:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday at Quiksilver, we celebrated Earth day with an art contest. The requirement of this art show was that all pieces must be made from recycled materials. It is always exciting when we have art inspired events because there are so many creative people who work there, so there was quite a bit of competition.

My art piece was made from old Quiksilver and Roxy lineguides. I have a shelf full of lineguides in my office that has been building up over the past 5+ years. See the photo to the right - as you can see, there are still a ton of them even with what I used for my project. They are kind of like a time capsule and are filled with images all of the clothes for that season and the artwork that is used for branding.

I made a 3-dimensional decoupaged bird out of these colorful pages of the past seasons. He sits on top of a nest that is made from wire hangers, yarn, rope, string, wire, elastic, and lace.

Check him out below and let me know what you think!

He is now for sale in my etsy shop, and proceeds will go to the Surfrider foundation.

Happy Earth Day! Please recycle and keep the beach clean!

saw this online. love it. so true.

2011-04-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

I like it. I love it.

I want some more of it.

Challenge yourself today.

Do something that makes you nervous, even if it is just making a new friend.

It will be exciting and exhilirating! Just you wait and see.

Well, what am I doing you might wonder? I wanted to start blogging more, so here I go! Today is day 1 of Maxine's new start of blogtasticness!

ALSO... Today is the 21st of April.

The 21st is a special day for me every month! One of my best friends, Emily and I started a tradition when we were in college, to celebrate life once a month (on the 21st! long story why it fell on the 21st, but not important). Back when it started (this was about 14 years ago!) we would sometimes skip class (as long as we weren't missing anything too important) or we'd just go do something fun or weird - it was a fun day off from being responsible. BUT what it has turned into is the most important - a day to celebrate life! So today, if you are reading this, do something fun, do something that you've always wanted to do, do something weird, or just take some time to relax with a glass of wine!

Celebrate LIFE and have a beautiful day.

Huntington Beach Art Walk

2011-03-11T10:39:00.001-08:00

Hey yall! I hope to see you next Wednesday at the Huntington Beach Art Walk. This will be the 2nd time I've participated in the Art Walk. I'm excited to be a part of it, and to see how much it has grown since the 1st one I did.

I have been working hard making new paintings so hopefully you will come out to see what i've been up to!

Click on the link below to check out the website where you can learn more about the art walk and all of the other artists that are participating.

http://www.hbdowntown.com/artwalk/information.html

ramma jamma BAMA custom Maxine Orange clutch

2010-08-24T16:01:00.000-07:00

Hey Yall! check out this pic of one of my friend Trixie with her custom Maxine Orange clutch in BAMA colors! We shared many fun times at the University of Alabama. Last year before football season (yes, we all have great LOVE for South Eastern Conference Football!) she had me make some custom clutches in Alabama colors and also a couple of UGA ones too. I'm working on making some more this year as football season is now upon us once again. Being that we (ALABAMA) are the reigning national champion - all the girls will have to look fabulous on game day, as if we would not anyways... but its extra special now! Even though i am a big bama fan i'm going to try to make some Auburn ones too. it will be hard to put the paint on the canvas, but i will make a special effort since I know there are a lot of people out there who will love them dearly. I can't wait to make these!

the latest in wearable art radness.

2010-05-28T20:38:00.001-07:00

MAUVE NAIF was discovered today by me when i was cleaning out my magazines. I have a habit of collecting things and my very clean and tidy fianceé who I am so lucky to have, keeps my life in order by making me get rid of magazines when they start to overflow. So before I throw them away I go back through and find all of the pages that I flagged with their LUCKY stickers, (one of the best magazine inventions ever) and I tear out the pages that I flagged and go check out the websites or just tuck them away into another little area where i collect the pages of inpiration.

Check out their awesome tribal art applied to shoes, scarves, tees, and more... just beautiful. I definitely would like to get one of these scarves for myself.

Visit their website and their etsy site for more coolness!

notes for the weekend...

2010-05-07T13:40:00.000-07:00

have a great weekend!

PS! check out some of my engagement photos taken by my friend kristina! she did such an amazing job. check out her site kristinaleephotography.com and her blog kristinaleephotography.blogspot.com

Anthro-mazing.

2010-04-09T11:27:00.000-07:00

We both grew up in Montgomery, Alabama & were the cutest munch-kins in the land of OZ (we were in a summer production of the Wizard of OZ back in the day @ ol' Jasmine hills) -

Ashley Longshore, fabulous artist who now lives in New Orleans is part of an amazing artist inspired home collection at Anthropologie. check out this chair featuring her artwork. Ashley has a rad collection of artwork and she is super cool and fun, which shows through each and every piece of art that she creates.

The rest of the Anthropologie collection is equally amazing, featuring a group of artists from New Orleans, and also another one of my art idols, Vera Neumann.

view the entire collection here at anthropologie

visit Ashley Longshore's website here and if you have time to be thoroughly entertained, make sure to watch some of her videos on youtube

TGIF :)

One Wing Monkey ART TO WHERE show this SAT 2/27/10

2010-02-24T10:41:00.000-08:00

Join us this Saturday 2/27/2010 at the new One Wing Monkey Gallery in Costa Mesa, CA for a unique art show featuring the work of Remy Holwick, Jay Pezzelle, and ME!

If you are in the area, it will be a fun stop on your Saturday night. Their last show was a great evening and raised money that was donated to Doctors Without Borders.

Some fun things will be going on for sure... Jay from whodini handmade will be doing some live sewing. I will bring some of my painted canvas and printed scraps that hopefully he can work into whatever he is creating. We will also have our works on display that will be available for purchase.

Also Alex Lopez, the ringleader of the One Wing Monkey will be manning the screen-printing station where you can have any piece of clothing screened with artwork from any of the artists. Bring your own item to have screened or buy a blank tee or blank tote bag. The small fee for screening will benefit the Oceanic Preservation Society - creators of the movie "The Cove" (which by the way I can't wait to see...)

I hope to see you there!

good times at the HB art walk

2010-02-19T16:50:00.000-08:00

The first Huntington Beach Art Walk was a big hit. My art and I were located at Meleesa the Salon. Meleesa is my friend and my amazing hair guru who takes care of the gray part of my life. That is us in the photo :)

We had a great crowd with an amazing vibe (as it

always is in Meleesa the Salon). My friend Devin who works for Primo Beer was nice enough to sponsor our event, which also contributed to the total radness!

I wasn't sure if many people at the artwalk would be buying art, so I was excited that I did sell 3 pieces of art! So if you ever thought Huntington Beach had no arts or culture (besides surfing)...

HA you're wrong. Hopefully this art walk will flourish and grow and be super fun this summer! Looking forward to taking part in another one. Check out pics from the OC REGISTER and more of my pics here! Thanks again to everyone who came by, to all the girls at Meleesa, and to Devin and Primo Beer... and of course the lovely HB biz ladies who organized the art walk.

HB ART WALK

2010-02-10T07:00:00.001-08:00

visit the event page on facebook

cool art site. ART WALL ONLINE

2010-02-03T16:16:00.001-08:00

I just found this very cool website called ART WALL.
They feature artwork of different artists in lovely hand drawn rooms. They do not sell the works there on the site, but link to the artists site where you can purchase.
I just love it and am feeling a little inspired...

vintage buttons & things

2010-01-19T15:26:00.000-08:00

For some of my girlfriends this year for holiday gifts i made rings and hair barettes from my vintage button collection. they were so cute. hopefully they were well received. here are a couple of snippets to share. i definitely want to make more and am currently working on the vintage button bib neclace that I think is amazing and can not wait to share, and to wear.

Here are some of the other buttons and bits of inspiration also.

take a CRAQUE at the YOUNG BLOOD GALLERY in the ATL

2009-10-22T10:01:00.000-07:00

HEY... if you live or happen to be in hot-lanta, go check out the young blood gallery. it is a great little spot for emerging artists and indie designers, located in the hip virgina highlands area of the ATL.

They just so happen to be selling the yummiest candy there, it is called CRAQUE, and it just so happens to be made by my big sis, Freida Orange.

Just in time for halloween... go get your treats! and check out the blood!!!!

photo credits:
young blood gallery, katherine stuckey, amanda miller

http://www.youngbloodgallery.com/
http://youngbloodgalleryandboutique.blogspot.com/

http://www.focraque.com

found cute store today on etsy

2009-09-21T15:55:00.000-07:00

well, i am going to have to buy one of these necklaces... whether it will be for me or for someone else... that is the question. oh yeah, and another question... which one to get because they are all so SO darn cute!!? check them out here at petites curiosities on etsy

this reminds me, i saw another collection by an designer/artist who sells pins at this art store called mosaic in the denver airport that i wish i could remember the name of that artist or i wish i would've bought one that day! it was only $7... they were little plastic horses and lizards painted crazy colors and funky designs with wire wrapped around. anyone know who or what i'm talking about?

design your own chucks

2009-09-10T17:57:00.000-07:00

so i guess it is true... nike is taking over the world. that is ok. at least they will do it in a cool way and let you design your own stuff. if you didn't know by now, nike owns converse and hurley.
(have you seen the new concept store in laguna beach?)

so with that being said, now you can design your own converse shoes just like you can do with nike ID.

color your world the way you want it to be.

Good Ol' BARRY

2009-08-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

I love these photos of President Obama as a cool laid back college freshman at Occidental college. The photos were taken by a fellow student, photographer Lisa Jack.

She thought he would be a good photographic subject because she thought he was hot.

see more of her photos here :
http://www.mbfala.com/artists/_Lisa%20Jack/_other%20works/

LIVE artist Pete Nawara

2009-08-05T16:56:00.000-07:00

Check out artist du jour Pete Nawara. His colorful paintings and portraiture are full of life and excitement. Many of his works are created at live music shows like this one shown below of one of my current favorites, the Black Keys. (image by Pete Nawara)

More of his work can be seen online at petenawara.com
and can also be purchased at cool store Zella Brown in Chicago's Wicker Park.

i must have one of these clocks!!!

2009-07-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

So while perusing the internet as I sometimes tend to do... I was reading about this artist guy Luca Ionescu on the artsprojekt website. (that is a whole other story for another day). I would have never really been drawn to the t-shirt with the skull, but now looking back at it, it is pretty rad. He runs a design firm and an amazing looking magazine Refill which I hope to get a copy of soon.
The point i'm trying to get to is HERE... the magazine did this project with a bunch of artists where they laser etched and cut the artwork onto vinyl records.... AND not only is it amazing artwork, they are all functioning clocks, even more of a reason to hang one on my wall!!!

check this one out by artist Jeremy Hollister
Limited Edition of 24 Time Pieces
Purchase online at
www.thegoodfolk.com

SJP's Untitled Art Project

2009-07-13T10:29:00.001-07:00

So all last week and the week before I've been debating whether or not I would go to the casting audition in LA for the recently announced BRAVO reality show with Sarah Jessica Parker. It is called "the untitled art project" and is said to be seeking all levels of artists for this reality show. I've loved Sarah Jessica Parker ever since the first time I ever saw the movie "Girls just wanna have fun"
This is kind of weird now that i'm thinking of it has a little bit of a parallel with her going to the audition in the movie and everything that comes along with it. hmmm.

I did not end up going to the audition in LA (there is still Miami, chicago, and NYC) if i change my mind. There are a number of reasons why I wanted to do it and some reasons why I did not. I did however fill out at least 3/4 of the 22 page application . (check it out if you are an artist and can still make it to the other casting auditions) Some of it was pretty painful (the reality show stuff), but some of the questions were self realizing questions any person needs to ask if wanting to further a career as an artist.

I look forward to seeing who makes it and how they pick these characters for the show. I wish the producers luck as I'm sure it will be quite a daunting task. I still kind of wish that I would've gone, but at the same time, I am glad maybe that I did not... and at least maybe I have grown just by filling out the application and that has helped me to solidify some of my goals.

jewels 4ya shooz

2009-07-08T16:50:00.000-07:00

wow. these are pretty cool - i came across a few of these in the stylehive and had to investigate further. why didn't someone think of this earlier? it is like a modern take on the anklet. (whoa! i'm having some anklet flashbacks) but these are way better than anklets... because first of all they are not anklets, they are jewelry for your shoes and 2 there has to be a fabulous heel for the beautiful shoe jewelry to adorn - this is no flip flop jewelry. anyways, i love it. and i wish to see many more designs of the like... hmmm. maybe i will see what i can come up with. they will be totally different from these OF COURSE because i'm me. i think i know a couple of ladies who wear some very high heels that i can experiment on. you know who you are.

they have some other cool chain head jewelry and some other weird stuff (but thats cool) you have to be a little weird to come up with cool stuff sometimes ;) check them out at http://www.littersf.com/

anshita's custom bag

2009-06-10T15:04:00.000-07:00

i'm currently in the process of making a custom clutch for my friend anshita. she wanted to have artwork inspired by the lotus flower in warm colors. i always enjoy the fun challenge of constructing a bag from scratch. i never use a pattern and sometimes make it up as i go along. happy accidents are my friend. so far this clutch is quite lovely. check out the pics. just wanted to share. let me know if you or anyone you know is interested in a custom project.

tetris pots

2009-06-08T11:11:00.000-07:00

check out these tetris pots
they are so cool. tetris was always one of my favorite nintendo games.
it would be fun to plant some colorful flowers or a little herb garden and have them all arranged in a nice organized tetris formation!

:)

check out the STRING REPUBLIC cool shoes

2009-05-30T15:37:00.000-07:00

check out these rad shoes by the string republic. they are espadrilles printed to look like sneakers. they have all different funky designs, and an artist collection too. i want to get the ones that look like boat shoes! check them out!!!

http://www.thestringrepublic.com/store/index.php?affid=3133

fashion finder game

2009-05-29T15:34:00.001-07:00

maxine orange handbags are featured in the newly released FASHION FINDER GAME...
The first photo-realistic live action hidden objects game!

Meet Abigail Andrews – a true trendspotter. Abbie has just been hired
at a well known fashion magazine to help the editor save the struggling magazine by revitalizing the once popular trendspotting pages that highlight everything from street style to runway couture.

With Fashion Week – the biggest event in the industry – fast approaching, Abbie needs to find the hottest trends around New York City and make
the magazine a must-read again.

Join Abbie on assignment in designer showrooms, on photo shoots, and maybe even on the runway as she visits 20 super-stylish locations and advances through 24 progressively challenging levels.

SEE IF YOU CAN FIND THE MAXINE ORANGE HANDBAGS!!!

vote for my tattooed steel designs!

2009-05-22T09:38:00.000-07:00

vintage wearable art bags - so cool.

2009-05-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

Check out these beautiful vintage bags from Patricia Smith Moon. Patricia designed the artwork on the lacquered panels herself. Her business, Moon Bags Inc, Milwaukee, WI was in business from the late 1970's through 1997. All the lacquered flap Moon Bags have a Velcro strip so the panels can be interchanged. She sold her business to Karia Jordan Collections which sold the Moon Bags for a short period of time. Now the Moon Bags are one of the most sought after wearable collectible vintage handbags.

The needlepoint purses are a work of art. These purse kits were sold in Yarn Shops and ladies would choose the colors of the needlepoint yarn to go with the canvas artwork for each unique needlepoint purse. Also choosing the lacquered plaques. Once the needlepoint was complete the purse would be sent to Patricia Smith Moon Bags for assembly. Since these were all hand made none are the same.

how cool?!

many of these bags can be found at this cool vintage handbag online store

http://www.vintage-instyle.com/moon_bags.html

rad & tough wearable art

2009-05-08T14:51:00.000-07:00

so today i was just workin' at quik minding my own biznass when my friend/coworker's boyfriend strolled into the office how he sometimes does. he has a cast because he hurt his hand and has some kind of crazy pin in it - and he got the camo cast wrap, which is pretty rad as it is. it's no fluorescent pink, but camo is always cool. he asked if i could add some magic to it. so here is what we came up with. his idea, my artwork. it turned out to be super rad. love it. always good times at the office on friday... and it is definitely wearable art so i figured i'd have to feature it here on the revolutionizing wearable art blog!
:)

new paintings!

2009-05-05T17:41:00.000-07:00

check out my etsy shop for a some new paintings that i have recently added to the mix!

maxine's art on etsy :)

for our mother... earth.

2009-04-22T17:06:00.000-07:00

happy earth day to you and yours. hopefully you celebrate earth day every day.
in honor of earth day, check out this rad art zine, made by some friends of mine.
one of my paintings from my birds of paradise series will be added for the printed version.
thanks to scott massey and all the other lovers of art and of course the earth.

http://jonathansandridge.com/files/guest/RRR.EZine.4.22.pdf

birds of paradise

2009-04-21T14:38:00.000-07:00

i saw these birds of paradise on the planet earth show from the discovery channel. they are the craziest birds ever and i was inspired to do a series of paintings. i will have them ready for the
show in san diego! they are lots of fun. watch the video. birds of paradise are cool :)

The Breast of Both Worlds

2009-04-09T17:38:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, April 29th I will be part of this great art show/shin-dig. Together with some of San Diego and Orange County’s most sought after artists, musicians, and nightlife guru’s will be attending The Breast of Both Worlds charity event at the Hard Rock Hotel in San Diego's historical gaslamp district. The party starts at 7pm and tickets can be purchased for $10 online at wantickets.com or at the door for $20. Art will be for sale. and there will be a raffle so bring your dolla-bills yall.

A portion of all proceeds will be going to the Keep-A-Breast Foundation.

Hope to see you there! Spread the word….

fey handmade

2009-04-02T15:22:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the new site feyhandmade.com? It is so cute and everything is handmade.
Some of my items will soon be added, so be on the lookout! check them out now...

SIGG bottle ART auction at Quiksilver/Roxy

2009-03-27T14:23:00.000-07:00

On St. Pattys day, we had the long awaited, 2nd employee art show. Working at Quiksilver is pretty amazing, you are always surrounded by lots of creative and inspiring people. Last year we (any employee who is an artist and wants to take part) did record album covers and this year SIGG donated bottles for us to paint/decorate or whatever we wanted to do... There was a theme of "eco-beach" and they were all in a silent auction with the proceeds going to the proceeds being donated to The Ecology Center and the Quiksilver Foundation. So as promised here are my photos from the show.

new lovelies from gemma redux

2009-03-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

I just saw these beautiful jewels on daily candy... what a beautiful line it is from gemma redux!!!

supposedly the designer created this line while she was studying for the bar exam, and she used to be an engineer. great story. check out the line and more about designer rachel dooley at http://gemmaredux.com/

happy st pattys day

2009-03-17T13:43:00.000-07:00

May there always be work for your hands to do

May your purse always hold a coin or two

May the sun always shine on your windowpane

May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain

May the hand of a friend always be near you

May God fill your heart with gladness to cheer you

SMILE WITH YOUR EYES
EVEN IF YOU AREN'T IRISH!

quik sigg bottle contest

2009-03-15T13:48:00.000-07:00

SIGG generously donated 50 aluminum reusable water bottles to Quiksilver for our 2nd Annual Art Showcase! Applying any medium, Quik artists have been challenged to design their bottles using an "Eco Beach" theme in celebration of Quiksilver's desire to preserve the worlds boardriding communities and environments.

March 17th from 3-5pm, a silent auction will take place at Quiksilver HQ with all of the proceeds being donated to The Ecology Center.

The bottle with the highest bid will be profiled on Quiksilver, SIGG, and The Ecology Center websites. Photos coming soon...

Location: Quiksilver HQ - Huntington Beach

today on etsy.

2009-03-13T16:13:00.000-07:00

check these shoes out... made from cardboard and tire tread.
find them at courtneyscastle

craque-heads

2009-03-09T13:36:00.000-07:00

I believe I may have mentioned the craque before. My sister Freida makes this amazing candy called CRAQUE. Last week, it became a big controversy all over local news reports and spreading virally across the internet - because of the name and packaging. Of course it has to be expected that everyone would not have as great of a sense of humor about it, with a name like that... and of course it is not fun to be bashed, (as I am sure it has not been for big sis) but I like to believe that there is no such thing as bad press, especially when you have a yummy addictive product named after a horrible addictive drug.

See Baratunde Thurston's post on the Huffington Post blog

Buy your own CRAQUE here at Freida's online store
www.focraque.com

alabama chanin

2009-03-05T12:26:00.000-08:00

Not only because she is from Alabama, but because everything she does is so cool, fresh and amazing... I love Natalie "Alabama" Chanin. Always have had thoughts of amazement that the whole beautiful creation is in my home state. It started with Project Alabama, and now is a lifestyle collection called Alabama Chanin. They use many sustainable materials and everything is handcrafted, handstitched, living art.

Check out this fun and super cute project they have in their online store for a DIY tea towel kit - I cant wait to buy it for someone as a gift!

AND they started making amazing furniture and stuff for the home. look at this chair - the seat is made from woven ties!

michelle and i heart tom binns

2009-03-03T11:19:00.000-08:00

Recently spotted in some hot jewels by UK designer Tom Binns, Michelle Obama obviously knows how to rock it out... see link above and check out these beautiful sparkly numbers from the same guy.

I love the pieces with the charisma and color, but she is just as stunning in the pearl neclace in the photo. Now this is what I call wearable art!

see more of the gorgeous jewels that are making me salivate at http://www.tombinnsdesign.com/

etsy find of the day

2009-02-27T11:36:00.001-08:00

I just found this fun etsy shop with such colorful jewelry designs and it happens to be from one of my favorite places, panama city beach. the jewelry is very intricately designed with beautiful beading detail. check out these earrings and some other great pieces

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5176651

Join Flavorpill to win a trip to New York

2009-02-18T10:31:00.001-08:00

Your friend digs Flavorpill and thinks you will too. Flavorpill provides great info on events in the cities you love. When you sign up, you'll be entered into a contest for a weekend in NYC, where you'll get an exclusive tour of our NYC.

View >>

on art...

2009-02-17T13:13:00.000-08:00

I always knew I liked this guy, Woody Guthrie. I bought a book about his life one time but I never finished it. I just stumbled across this poster with a quote and i really like what he says. and it is a really cool poster. I know he was an influence on Bob Dylan, which says a lot. Maybe I will go back and read the book now.

Speaking of Bob Dylan... I watched the movie, Factory Girl, yesterday - about Edie Sedgwick and Andy Warhol. It was not the greatest production as far as movies go, but I do always love to look deeper into the lives of historical artists, especially those who changed the way people look at art and the world. It brought up many ideas about being an artist and fame seekers... Is it really worth all the cost? I think I prefer to just enjoy the journey.

I did not realize until I just learned on the internet that the other guy in the movie was not actually named Bob Dylan in the movie, but I knew it was him without even really knowing that they had a relationship. One of the most interesting parts of the story was seeing the difference of the two types of artists portrayed in Andy Warhol vs. Bob Dylan and the battle that Edie had with that substance (among other substance battles of her own).

*Make sure you read the words on the Woody Guthrie poster above.

indie biz chicks $5 press release writing!

2009-02-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

next up on the fave jewelry designers...

2009-01-29T13:44:00.000-08:00

Next up on my list of favorite jewelry designers is SHAWNA TELLEZ from Solana Beach (San Diego). I met Shawna when we had neighboring booths at the at the Thread Show in San Diego last year. As I may have mentioned at some point on this blog... whenever I do one of those shows, I have to buy something for myself. Even if I did not make much $ it is better to buy something handmade and one-of-a-kind that day than to buy something at the mall next week! So yes as you probably guessed, that day I bought an amazing necklace from Shawna. I have done lots of these types of shows and I will say that there is definitely a lot of jewelry out there that looks the same or pretty similar, but not Shawna's... it was most unique and cool!
Her jewelry is all made from recycled vintage pieces, which is not necessarily a new concept, it is just the way she puts it all back together that is so cool. I don't even really know how else to explain it... vintagey but oh so fresh! you must check it out. Her "time for peace" collection is really neat, all made from old stopwatches, each is adorned with a peace sign... and the "no. 5" collection is all made from original vintage chanel pieces... amazing!

visit her website at http://zanelesliedesigns.com/

my favorite jewelry designers

2009-01-23T13:02:00.000-08:00

gotta give a shout out to the amazing people who keep me blinging... or whatever u want to call it. so in the next few blog posts i'll be featuring my fave jewelry designers...
first up is JEN BOAZ. hailing from hotlanta, Jen is known best for her amazing "brilliant" neclaces... and aptly named, the brilliants are quite brilliant. Do you have a jewelry box that is full of items you never wear but they all have some kind of special meaning to you or bring back a certain memory? Well, gather all of these items together, send them to jen and she will give them a new life as a beautiful necklace with all of your items as a sparkly clump of charms and chains and whatnot. I have 2 brilliant necklaces... 1 with a silver chain that has some items that jen put together that she thought say "maxine" (the m logo charm, a silver cowboy hat, big sparkly crystal, etc.), and a 2nd one with a gold chain that has items that i pulled out of the old box (gold tennis racket charm from 8th grade boyfriend, blown glass charm from back in the day, phone coin from israel, etc). Both are SO beautiful and i love to wear them all the time and people always ask about them and of course pour on the compliments. My other favorite items from JBo are my ring and my EGO earrings (OMG i just noticed i'm on the website! see the link)... The next item i've got my eye on is the ASSET bracelet. love you jbo! keep bringing on the bling!!!

raspy laces art scarf-tastic!

2009-01-21T10:16:00.000-08:00

check out these super cute scarves!!! they are made by my friend carey who happens to be one of the most stylish people i know. i love these scarves! they are perfect for a day when there is a little chill in the air but you just don't feel like putting on a jacket... wrap up your neck and you are good to go. OR... if you work in a chilly office, it is always good to have one around to add to your warmth and of course the style points!

visit the raspy lace scarf shop on etsy to see more of these hottie scarves made by carey and her sis! there is quite a variety of fabrics and beautiful laces added to spice you up right.

SALE on all ORIGINAL COLLECTION bags

2009-01-16T12:18:00.000-08:00

Visit my etsy shop or my recently updated collections page at maxineorange.com to see items available. Many items have been marked down recently for the holidays, but even better... ALL BAGS FROM THE ORIGINAL COLLECTION (mostly the mod clutch bags) are all on SALE now only $49. These bags originally retailed up to $160.

If you have always wanted an original piece of maxine orange one of a kind wearable art, now is a great opportunity to get one at this amazingly marked down price!

Add a little color to your life!

updating my website... one step at a time.

2009-01-14T10:11:00.000-08:00

I took a class a couple of days ago. Wow, it really feels great to learn something new! I think I almost forgot what it is like, but I really enjoyed it. Especially when it is something that you feel challenged by and want to learn because it is something that you can really use! So, the class i took was in XHTML and CSS. Just saying that is quite a mouthful, and previously I was scared of learning any web language at all. I've had friends show me how to do this or that, but it never really made much sense. So I had the opportunity to take a class which I am glad that I did take advantage of. It was just the basics but now the door is opened... so now i have to figure out how to do all the stuff in my head that I want to do! scary and exciting all at once!

I did start with a few little things on my website, which should've been done long ago!!! If u get a chance, check it out. www.maxineorange.com

I've updated the collections page so it has items linking to my etsy shop
and just some other little things here and there. Be on the lookout for more updates SOON!

the string republic

2008-12-29T15:37:00.000-08:00

I met a nice girl who is a senior at Harvard on the airplane on our flight to Atlanta for the holidays. Quite an intriguing young lady... i think was equally enthralled by the conversation with my boyfriend neal and myself.

she told me about a very cool shoe company called
THE STRING REPUBLIC
check out their rad espadrille shoes with artwork by all different international artists...

Freida's (not on) CRAQUE!

2008-12-09T16:37:00.000-08:00

For years now my sister Freida has been making a delicious treat for almost every special occasion... she takes it to parties, she gives it as gifts, la la la. So this year, she decided to package it up and sell it so you can give it to your friends and serve it at your parties! Her friends were calling it crack - i suppose because it is so addictive! To make it a little more catchy, (and because we are not crack-heads...) we've re-named it CRAQUE! sometimes people also call this stuff "puppy chow" or "white trash". It is made with rice chex, peanut butter, chocolate, butter and powdered sugar! whatever it is, it is SO SO YUMMY. She sold out of the crunchy, savory and sweet - incredibly irresistible treats last weekend at the Freeman's Alley market in NYC!
check it out... she just opened an etsy shop www.craquerockshop.com
buy your craque today...

Handmade for the Holidays (part 2)

2008-12-02T16:57:00.000-08:00

well, the (part 2) has a different meaning than what i thought it originally would have, but it works. my friend amishi and i had planned to have our event a few weeks ago, but mother nature threw some flames down here in southern cali and it happenend to be right down the street from amishi's house. luckily her home survived!

SO we have re-scheduled our handmade for the holidays event.
It will be this Sunday, December 7, 2008... 1:30pm - 5:30pm

:|:|:|: Get your Holiday shopping underway :|:|:|:

if you are feelin crafty you can paint your own tote bag...
for only $20, what a great gift idea.

Buy one of kind handbags, jewelry and other accessories + so much more. Many items come with free gift bags.

Snacks and other refreshments.

at Amishi's House
260 N Rose Blossom Lane
Anaheim, CA

9498705229 | amishihise@gmail.com
7146589491 | maxineorange@gmail.com

visit our etsy stores:
maxineorange.etsy.com
amishi.etsy.com

indie biz chicks teleseminar $1... make you holla

2008-11-18T17:41:00.000-08:00

MOvember

2008-11-18T09:22:00.000-08:00

If you don’t know what MOvember is, click here - http://us.movember.com/whatismov/content/What-is-Movember/
and learn all about raising the level of awareness on men’s health issues like prostate and testicular cancer.
All donations made will go directly to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, which will use the funds for high-impact research to find better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer. The Prostate Cancer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law

donate to my friend travis' MO here
(that is him with his crusty moustache there on the right)
http://us.movember.com/mospace/1482276

and to learn MOre about MOvember...
http://us.movember.com

all i want for xmas is a maxine orange print!

2008-11-16T17:27:00.000-08:00

check it out... everyone is always asking me if they can buy one of my paintings. and the answer usually is - well, i cut the original paintings up to make handbags. so after talking about it for forever, i finally had some prints made of a few of my favorite paintings. and now you can buy them. special holiday prices for special peeps. check em out in my etsy shop. $85 for one or $120 for two. you can still also buy prints and cards at imagekind.com too.

Handmade for the Holidays (part 1)

2008-11-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

:|:|:|: Get your Holiday shopping ON :|:|:|:
BUY HANDMADE FOR THE HOLIDAYS
hosted by maxine orange and amishi hise

Sunday, November 16, 2008
1:00pm - 5:00pm at Amishi's home

260 n rose blossom lane

Anaheim, CA

Buy one of kind handbags, jewelry and other accessories + so much more.
Many items come with free gift bags.

Snacks and other refreshments.


	9498705229
	amishihise@gmail.com maxine@maxineorange.com

a revolution, you say?

2008-10-29T17:58:00.000-07:00

so what do you mean... a revolution? yes it is a revolution in the world of wearable art. here is the definition of the word: to change something radically or fundamentally.

we are changing the way that we think of art and making our world a little more hip while still being crafty. do it people, just put it out there... have no fear!

so what i'm trying to say is, this ain't your granny's wearable art, or your hippie aunt (not that all granny's or hippie aunts are all that bad, but i think you may get what i'm saying... if not please let me know and i'll try to clarify a little further.)

with that being said, i keep finding more and more amazing things on etsy every single day i am just blown away by the overflowing of creativity and ideas. i'm so glad that I discovered this amazing community and so happy to be a part of it.

wearable art du jour

2008-10-27T15:01:00.000-07:00

Today I arrived at work and my friend kristina (aka k-dub, but only at work) gave me a beautiful belated birthday gift. oh yeah... i just turned thirty. kdub's been frequenting the HARVEST festival craft shows helping her mom sell her yummy wine jellies. As we all know, the hardest thing about being at one of these shows when you are supposed to be working, (especially for fashionista shop-aholics like me and kristina) is keeping yourself from shopping when you are surrounded by all amazing handmade goodness.

she bought me this amazing ceramic bracelet from SURLY-RAMICS

Surly-ramics also has a great etsy store with more bracelets like mine as well as beautiful pendants and other fun pieces of ceramic jewelry.

who hearts me?!

2008-10-23T19:47:00.001-07:00

OMG... i've reached a major milestone in my life as an etsian. i have 100 on my "hearts me" page. OK, so maybe it is not really that big of a deal, but whatever I feel the need to celebrate! there are so many sellers who have like thousands of others who "heart" their etsy store. well... i have 100! thanks for loving me, i love you too. visit my etsy store and make me your favorite too!

my etsy favorites

2008-10-16T17:01:00.000-07:00

if you are ever looking for some fun stuff on etsy... check out my favorites. i just added an etsy "mini" at the bottom of the blog here. just scroll all the way down and you can see some of my favorites. i've also placed it in this post, but it will always be located at the bottom of the page.

i'm always finding amazing things and adding them to my favorites so it is a good place to start if you are new to etsy... or if you want to buy me a gift ;)~

custom projects journal...

2008-10-13T11:24:00.000-07:00

Since my project with Whitney and her amazing BRIDESMAID BAGS... i'm on a total DIY custom project, sewing and making everything kick! I have a few custom projects that I am currently working on (that i made some progress on this past weekend!) that I am pretty excited about.

The first one is a group of bags that I am working on with a friend in Atlanta - they are clutches that will be painted in all UGA colors, and then we are going to do some BAMA ones too!

Project #2 was inspired by the recent Jeans4Justice event! Ally Bling Bling of ART ROCKS! RADIO (listen to my interview with her in top right corner of this window). She bought my skirt at last year's event. Now she has asked me to paint a pair of her jeans for her.

Let me know if you would like to have your own jeans customized or a bag in your favorite colors. I've added more custom items to my etsy shop also! I'll update the blog regularly with my custom projects progress and any new and exciting ones that come up!

Host a PAINT YOUR OWN TOTE party for the holiday!

2008-10-12T19:51:00.000-07:00

Feeling crafty? need to get your creative juices flowing??? How about hosting a PAINT YOUR OWN TOTE-BAG party for you and your girlfriends this holiday season?!

I will bring all the materials (tote-bags, paint, brushes, etc.) and you provide the location with drinks, snacks and guests! Sounds like fun to me!

Everyone is carrying those tote-bags around, so why not make your own and stand out from the crowd with one you painted -

or make it a handpainted gift for someone you love!

Each person who would like to paint a tote will need to pay $15 for the materials.

I'll also show up with other fun handmade

accessories (handbags, jewelry, notecards, etc.) and stuff you can buy for holiday gifts at a wide range of prices. What more could you ask for?!

If you are interested in hosting a holiday party, please contact me at info@maxineorange.com

find of the day on etsy

2008-10-07T16:52:00.000-07:00

favorite etsy designer of the day... UnConventional
She makes these crazy funky neclace designs that are a little over the top with charms and colorful beauty! Every piece is one-of-a-kind wearable art! And what is even cooler is that 20% of each sale is donated to the organizations listed below. How cool is that?!

Save the Turtles
http://www.costaricaturtles.org

World Land Trust (two separate projects)
Tropical Forest Project, Ecuador
Reef and Mangrove Projects, India
http://www.worldlandtrust.org

I have not bought one of these yet, but i hope to in the near future!
She also has another very cool vintage shop on etsy called loveitshop
check this stuff out!

Jeans for Justice

2008-09-29T23:21:00.000-07:00

For the third year in a row, I will be taking part in an exciting event called JEANS FOR JUSTICE!

Jeans for Justice is a unique non-profit organization that uses the voices of artists (like me!) to take a stand against sexual abuse and violence. Along with a number of different artists and designers, I took a pair of jeans and totally turned the volume up a notch.

Each of the artists are unique and what we create each day is an expression of who we are and what we believe in - this creation happens to be for a great cause. Some of the jeans are totally deconstructed and reconstructed as something else altogether (like last year i made a really cool skirt), but this year... as i was reading all of the information about the event and the cause, i was reminded about WHY it is JEANS that we paint or re-design!

Jeans cannot even be partly removed without the effective help of the person wearing them... The name Jeans For Justice comes from a grassroots campaign inspired by a 1999 case in which a rape conviction was overturned because the victim was wearaing jeans.

check out the photos of the jeans that I painted and embellished... The jeans were donated by my friends at Quiksilver Women! They are skinny jeans in a dark wash that i painted with acrylic paint and applied leather pieces along with some embroidery and beads. The belt is made of lace with a decorative piece featuring metal and plastic chains with leather pieces and beads.

Jeans for Justice is part of San Diego's first ever SAN DIEGO FASHION WEEK! Fashion Week takes place 10/2/08 - 10/5/08. The runway show takes place at the KIN lounge @ Manchester Grand Hyatt downtown San Diego on this Friday 10/3. Tickets are available at the SD fashion week website!

AND on 10/4 from 4-5 pm I will be at the Fashion Valley SAKS for another gallery style event with a number of the other featured artists.

You can bid on the jeans at either of these events and at the Saks event the highest bidder gets to have another pair of jeans by their artist of choice...

ROXY jam Cardiff

2008-09-24T13:27:00.001-07:00

So, this past weekend i had a booth at the ROXY JAM CARDIFF! It was so much fun - a totally different crowd than most of the art/fashion shows that i normally do. The Roxy Jam is an all women's longboarding contest - held in Cardiff by the Sea, CA (a beautiful spot just north of San Diego). The contest was Thursday - Sunday, but on Saturday and Sunday they also had a whole bunch of vendors, mostly artists, some cool surfing & environmental stuff, and lots of yummy food. In addition to selling my bags, I also had a big blank canvas and lots of paint and brushes where anyone could paint, or you could also paint your own tote bag. It was a ton of fun and just seeing the excitement on some of the kids faces when i asked them if they wanted to paint was totally priceless! I now have the painting hanging in my office @ quiksilver/roxy. I hope to have some prints made - so if any of you who painted (or parents of those who painted), please let me know if you would be interested (email me: info@maxineorange.com) in purchasing a print of the painting. A portion of the proceeds will go to support the San Elijo Lagoon Conservancy!
See more photos of the event (taken by my friend Kat Borchart) at roxy's flickr page: http://www.flickr.com/photos/22653992@N02/sets/72157605325458694/

whitney's bridesmaid bags

2008-09-16T11:18:00.000-07:00

a few months back, a friend of a friend asked me to make bags for her bridesmaids. i was happy to take on a new challenge! it was fun but definitely challenging... my sewing machine probably killed at least 5 needles, and the whole machine died at one point (had to go into repair shop for servicing - which lasted a whole week) so needless to say it was an ongoing adventure. i finally finished and the bags turned out to be quite beautiful. this collection of seven bridesmaid bags was made with handpainted canvas in black, silver and bronzy gold with black satin and blingy brooches (each one different). the wedding is in vegas this weekend, so she'll be sending me photos of the bridesmaids with the bags soon after... but here are a few of my own photos.

Adina Mills wearable art jewelry

2008-09-10T11:57:00.001-07:00

So, i want to talk more about the earrings that i bought at the Thread Show this past weekend in LA. As i mentioned in the last post, i always have to buy something when i show at one of these shows since there is so much unique stuff. I would like to buy EVERYTHING there, but I always allow myself to buy one thing. So i was having trouble deciding between a few items because there was so much cool stuff, but I kept being drawn back to Adina Mills' booth - her jewelry was just so amazing and like nothing that i had ever seen before - it is truly wearable art! It is handmade from resin and then handpainted sometimes with beautiful embedded stones. So check out the images below and also at her website www.adinamills.com

thread show was fun...

2008-09-09T12:09:00.000-07:00

so the thread show in LA was fun times as always, but not enough foot traffic this time around. i don't know if maybe it was because it was a new show - first time in LA, or if it is just a sign of the times (who wants to pay to shop?!)... although it is amazing stuff that you can't buy at the mall. i must say that everytime i show at one of these shows i buy something totally amazing. this time i got some super rad earrings that are made from some kind of resin. i don't know the name of the company right now, but i have a postcard so i will make SURE to put it up because it is amazing!

my friend amishi started making jewelry and came with me to help for the day and shared the booth space with me. it was lots of fun adding another layer of accessories to my wearable art goodies. her stuff is very cool - simple and clean... and inexpensive! check her out on etsy!
www.amishi.etsy.com

here is one of her beautiful beaded rings...

THREAD show lux - LosAngeles! at Smashbox Studios SAT 9/6/08

2008-09-03T11:43:00.000-07:00

check out the latest goods from maxine orange and other amazing and creative one of a kind indie designers at the 1st ever ThreadShow lux in LA at Smashbox Studios this Saturday September 6th from 11am - 6pm.

maxine orange on ART ROCKS! radio

2008-07-28T11:19:00.000-07:00

i was recently interviewed on ART ROCKS! radio, and internet radio show with hosts Ally Bling Bling and Philly Joe Swendoza! check it out at the link below!

03 Turning Canvas into Haute Couture - MAXINE ORANGE

buy maxine orange prints online at imagekind.com

2008-06-18T20:18:00.000-07:00

NOW you can buy framed prints of maxine orange paintings online!
check it out at http://maxineorange.imagekind.com/paintings
it is pretty cool... here is some more info about the imagekind website.

Imagekind is one community for creating, buying and selling high end framed artwork. We offer giclee art prints of all types for sale. From customers decorating their homes to professional interior designers shopping artwork for clients, Imagekind offers one of the widest selections of art for sale online. Visitors can shop from over 50,000 unique and independent artists or choose from the classics in our Masters of Art collection. Artists from all disciplines, including traditional and digital photographers, painters, digital artists and illustrators sell their artwork on Imagekind. Shop our selection of high end wall art, framed art, canvas artwork, custom greeting cards, photography and poster art prints. Or choose to create your own high end work of art with your personal digital images. Discover why Imagekind is one of the fastest growing online art sites.

more bags at meleesa the salon

2008-06-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

meleesa the salon in downtown huntington beach now has MORE maxine orange handbags in stock! meleesa is a one of a kind salon with the most amazing vibe and of course amazing hairstylists. stop by to check out the latest maxine orange bags and other great retail items... and check out their hair and beauty services while you are there!

www.meleesathesalon.com

whitney's bridal bag 1

2008-05-17T19:15:00.000-07:00

one of my latest exciting projects... bridesmaid bags.

check out the holla walla widget

2008-04-29T17:02:00.001-07:00

I just added the new holla-walla widget - it's from one of my favorite websites SEEQPOD.com - where you can listen to any music from the internet without having to download it. You can create and save your own playlists, and discover amazing new tunes. I LOVE it... so i'm sharing it with the world through their new holla-walla widget. Scroll down to check it out and see what you think!

thread show

2008-04-25T17:53:00.000-07:00

The past two weekends I was a vendor at the THREAD SHOW in SAN DIEGO and SAN FRANCISCO... slingin' the bags. Met tons of cool people and had a great time! Thread is always a great show with a great vibe and it just seems to be getting better and better each time around. Check out some of my cool pics...

THANKS to all the Thread peeps who made it totally rad and also for the free drinks in SF!

handbag designer 101 featured designer of the day

2008-04-18T12:55:00.001-07:00

i have been featured as the designer of the day on the HANDBAG DESIGNER 101 website! pretty cool... it is a great website that i found a few months ago -
it is full of great resources for handbag designers and they are having a great contest too that I have applied for! check me out today on their home page... http://www.handbagdesigner101.com
and i think you can always look back at it through their archives...
http://www.handbagdesigner101.com/designer/280/maxine_orange_orange_maxine

http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxineorange/

2008-04-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

my flickr site is growing... i've been adding some photos of my most recent paintings. here is one of my faves.

:)

check out the rest of them if you are bored. they will spice up your life a little bit.

there are a ton of pics from our photoshoot there too...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/maxineorange/

tango k design

2008-03-03T17:31:00.000-08:00

beautiful wearable art by tango K design... check out her new POD neclaces and rings - so cool!
tango k can be found at the tango K indie artist boutique in rockford, Illinois and at the following addresses...
http://tango.etsy.com
http://myspace.com/tangokdesign
http://tangok.blogspot.com/

mona lisa geisha fabulous!

2008-02-27T12:24:00.001-08:00

here is another fabulous designer of handmade amazingness... mona lisa designs these amazing floral hairclips (i have one in green) as well as beautiful headpieces that are great for bridal do's... and also these really fun new chunky neclaces and all kinds of other creatures and characters. her work is featured here locally (along with my bags!) in huntington beach at meleesa the salon downtown off of main street on olive, which is also a totally amazing salon by the way.

www.monalisadesign.com

well, this just makes me smile...

2008-02-21T11:50:00.000-08:00

i now have to watch this video at least once a day!
it is just so freaking cute.
i want my dog rascal to be able to do this! i think he can do it!

BRILLIANT! jen boaz jewelry

2008-02-17T17:56:00.000-08:00

when i started blogging, i had been hoping to feature my own work as well as other things that inspire me and other pieces of amazing wearable art that is all over the place. this is the first post featuring another designer! i am just happy to be finally doing it as i had planned...

this amazing designer... just happens to also be one of my best friends. her name is jennifer boaz - she makes beautiful jewelry in atlanta, georgia. her latest creation is the "brilliant" collection of neclaces. it was recently featured on atlanta's daily candy and last weekend on TBS movie and a makeover - so brilliant!

these neclaces are so cool because they are really sentimental little memory pieces (and they look super-duper cool), but of course my favorite thing about them... is that every single one is different from the next! you have to look through all of your jewelry boxes and stuff and gather up a bunch of stuff that you love, but you never really wear. everyone has that stuff junking up the drawer or wherever you keep all your jewelry - mine happens to be in more than one location. why? not so sure. i think the unorganizing fairy is trying to keep life exciting... (huh? wha?) all you other slobs out there know what i'm talking about. don't deny it...

so i'm getting one for my mom and for my sis for their february birthdays. jen made me one but i just gathered some other stuff together to send her to make me another one!

here are links to jen's website and jewelry blogs. oh yeah, all of her other jewelry is amazing too, check it out!!!
www.jenboaz.com
http://jenboazjewelry.blogspot.com/
http://www.jewelrystore247.com/

painting with the kids!!!

2008-01-20T20:43:00.001-08:00

my friend katie invited me to volunteer at the orange county interfaith shelter. she has an event planning company and she was helping out today with a great event, so i was excited to volunteer to be a part of it. they were having a day for the ladies and kids there - they had haircuts and their makeup done, and then they took family photos. i was a there to paint with some of the kids while the moms were in having their hair and make up done. we had lots of fun. here are a couple of the kids showing off their work.
:)

ok, so i did it.

2008-01-05T14:00:00.000-08:00

maxine orange finally has a myspace page along with the rest of the world...
visit and add me as your friend!

www.myspace.com/maxineorangehandbags

new website on the way

2007-12-29T15:37:00.000-08:00

2008 is on the way!!! it is about to be a new year, so i thought i'd kick it off with a new website!
yea - finally!!! it is going to be a great year!
it's currently under construction, but the new temporary page should be up shortly! so excited!

here is a little preview sneak peek!

PLEASE SEND PHOTOS OF YOU AND YOUR MAXINE ORANGE HANDBAG TO BE FEATURED ON THE NEW WEBSITE
email your photos with "photo for new site" as the subject to INFO@MAXINEORANGE.COM

inspiration!

2007-12-29T15:06:00.000-08:00

one of my latest faves is M.I.A. - i dont know if you know who she is but i just love this video for "boyz" - it is so crazy, and i love the fun beats, crazy graphics and of course how she is dressed like salt-n-pepa from back in the day...

check out her website - the video is on there.
www.miauk.com

the maxine orange photoshoot

2007-12-17T08:49:00.001-08:00

yesterday we had the first maxine orange photoshoot - we had an amazing model, professional hair and makeup, etc. it was a great time. here is a little movie sneak peek from the shoot. we were on a yacht in newport harbor, and it was a beautiful day. i think we got some great shots, looking forward to bringing it all to life!

buy handmade for the holidays!

2007-12-02T14:37:00.000-08:00

i took the handmade pledge! you should too - buy (or make!) handmade gifts for the holidays! this guy is planning to do the same...

pledge to buy handmade at buyhandmade.org

sights & sounds

2007-11-23T11:32:00.000-08:00

thanks to everyone who stopped by the "pre-holiday" events. check out some of the photos below... today begins the real holiday shopping! i will be posting some new bags on etsy, check them out later to get your holiday shopping moving... unless you were already out shopping at 4:00 AM today!

:)

smarty arty

2007-11-17T11:21:00.001-08:00

so i was invited to be a part of another exciting event... this one, called SMARTY ARTY is close to my hometown in alabama.
here is the invite (click on it to view larger). hope you can make it if you are in the area.

:)

"Pre-Holiday" shopping events

2007-11-14T20:49:00.001-08:00

I can't believe the holidays are already upon us! The year has absolutely flown by!
Thanksgiving is next week - whoa!

SO, what does that mean? lots of shopping is upon us! I like to call it pre-holiday shopping since i can't believe that the holidays are really here...

There are many exciting pre-holiday shopping events are coming up...
I have TWO this weekend!

My friend Meleesa's salon is turning 2 - this is a great spot with a great vibe and lots of positive energy, where I sell my bags, and of course I also get my curly locks cut and colored. I also help Meleesa with alot of graphic design projects - like the invite for the event this Saturday! I will be there to help her celebrate at the carnivale party! And will be selling my bags at discounted prices for the "pre-holiday" shopping! (see invite below - click to see in detail)

Another good friend of mine who I work with at Quiksilver is hosting a pre-holiday shopping bazaar at her home in Long Beach on Sunday 11/18. There will also be another jewelry designer there, Rachel Fernandes. Looking forward to checking out her one-of-a-kind jewelry, and hopefully we'll have some exciting guests at our bazaar!

Please join me at these exciting events for some one-of-a-kind pre-holiday shopping!

finally, a blogger!

2007-11-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

So, I've finally decided to join the rest of the world who is blogging.
can't wait to get started, although i'm not totally sure where to begin...

i will start with ETSY! my favorite place to shop, and sell...
etsy is an amazing community built of creative people from all over the world -
it's THE place to buy and sell all things handmade.
here is my etsy site - a great place to start if you are not familiar with etsy...
maxineorange.etsy.com

one of my favorite things on etsy right now is THE STORQUE
they always have amazing articles and interesting info about being crafty, which i love.