Kate Alexis Loves...

Interviews and Social Networking

2012-01-31T23:21:00.000-08:00

I was recently interviewed for the website/blog, Zavvi Rodaine. It was a total surprise and I was and still am honored to have been thought of highly enough to be included with the women who Yolanda Smith has previously interviewed for Zavvi Rodaine. Kate Betts of the New York Times is one of the women she has interviewed previously as well as Helene from one of my favorite blogs, The Luxe Chronicles.

Yolanda really did her research, reading all about me on my website and looking through my blog. As a result her questions were thorough and a joy for me to answer.

On a social networking note she found me because I have a link to Zavvi Rodaine here on my blog. I love what technology has done for bringing people together. If you'd like to read the interview here is the link. ENJOY!!!

Spring 2012 - Part 6

2012-01-25T21:32:00.000-08:00

Today was a beautiful blue sky day here in Central Oregon. Mostly for about 10 days it has been pouring rain and dumping snow. It was so gloomy and my normal happy go lucky self has been taking on a tinge of the climate, really more of a coating as if I was being rained on inside of my brain. The sun was stunning today and I loved every moment I spent in it. Days like these are one of the reasons I live in the high desert. It does get gloomy but eventually the sunny days seem to go on forever. Like in the Spring time! 2012 Spring is going to be a good time! Time to plan some outfits using a little visual stimulation.

Hermes

This feels so late 90s and I love it!

Lacoste

yes, I would like that in my size please.

Lela Rose

Matthew Williamson

Michael Kors

Monique Lhuillier

Zero Maria

Until next time...

Reading Outside

2012-01-22T14:28:00.000-08:00

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. - Cicero

- photos pilfered from tumblr, mostly.

Still Dreaming of Spring 2012 - Part 5

2012-01-16T15:49:00.000-08:00

Pre-Fall and Fall looks are already appearing on the runways and I'm sitting here in Oregon freezing. For a while we were having amazing Spring like weather but just last weekend temperatures dropped. So today I bought 2 new winter coats and yesterday some really cute duckie boot inspired brown and dark blue heels because I can no longer get away with my heavy sweaters and penny loafers wandering around campus. I enjoy winter but not nearly as much as I enjoy Spring, Summer and Fall.

In the spirit of warmer days, springing forward and less layers let's look at 5 looks from the 2012 Spring lines of BCBG Max Azaria, Oscar de la Renta, Luca Luca and Carolina Herrera.

First up Oscar de la Renta. I love the sophistication of the shapes and the colors are beautiful. The blue dress at the end is a walking dream.

BCBG Max Azaria

Luca Luca, fresh and clean and comfy and SEXY.

Yes, please.

Show Stopper

Carolina Herrera

Stunning!

LOVE!

All images from style.com.

it's a love hate relationship but I do love New Mexico.

2012-01-14T15:33:00.000-08:00

Reason to LOVE New Mexico, just view these old black and whites I found that I took Easter Weekend in 2000. This is why I loved it there. The wide open expanses, the amazing clouds, vistas for days, rainbows, thunder and lightening storms off in the distance, the wilderness is a romantic place.

I lived in Santa Fe just short of seven years and it was a damn good crazy time, but there was always something going on where you end up getting stressed out on someone else's drama... So I try to remember the landscape and when I go for a visit in March I'll try to mind my own business and stare into the sky and absorb the beauty.

Happy New Year - A Catch Up...

2012-01-09T18:17:00.000-08:00

So, here we are, 2012. WOW! How did that happen? I feel as if 2011 just got away from me. I did have a wonderful time though... I traveled to Portland a lot. Spent 10 days on the East Coast split between time at the beach in Lewes, Delaware with one of my best friends, Jenny Rose and time wandering NYC with nights spent in Westport, CT with my amazing cousin Diana and her husband, Chris. I went to San Francisco TWICE and fell SO in love with the city that it rivals my love for Paris now... but not enough to take top billing. The second trip there was revelation upon revelation, on how to love myself more, on how much I value my beautiful relationship with Zoi of The Harlequin Sessions, on what really is important to me in LOVE and how I have been selling myself short in that department, etc., etc., etc. That was the best trip this year.

I went to Tuscany, Italy spending time in Pisa and Firenze in November. It was a great trip and I experienced the most beautiful cappuccinos ever... though, I'd never had one before... learned that I don't care for gelato and that while so many French people speak many different languages, Italians DON'T, so my français was of NO help to me there and I returned saying "si" instead of "oui" which got some strange looks from my classmates in French 101. HA! I went there to visit my friend Linda who had just moved to Pisa with her family, as her husband is now working in Astro-Physics at the University there. We kept it a relaxed trip and had a wonderful time. I was also doubly lucky because Jenny Rose was in Firenze studying painting and we spent a lot of time together, a blessing to be able to see her twice in one year! Besides the wonderful quality time with friends, the best part was the Picasso exhibit in Pisa. A ton of his linoleum cut prints and the whole of his bull study sketches were up for viewing and I was SO happy to have that experience. I will share some photos from that trip at the end of this post.

Since returning home I have been concentrating on me, my work, school, my health and my mother and father. It has proved to help keep me in good spirits. I updated my website and am looking forward to see what this year will bring as I put forward what I can that is best towards others and the universe at large. So far things are looking really good. On the agenda for this year: A trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico in March to see Zoi and I will be spending a large amount of the summer in Clear Lake, Iowa. Hopefully I can also figure out how to make it to Sun Valley, Idaho and a few other places, but I have a feeling I will mostly be local this year. As long as I can go to Portland tons and see at least one concert everything will be okay. And maybe I will fall in love...

On the way to Linda's house in Pisa.

Pisa, Italy

Family Dinner

Pisa, Italy

Shopping at Hermes with Jenny Rose


Firenze

Up next: more Spring fashion looks!

Spring Fashion 2012 - Part 4

2011-11-16T19:35:00.001-08:00

Another long break in between my fashion posts. Sorry, I had to go to Italy (blog post soon). Being back in Oregon it's a lot colder than Tuscany is right now. So let's look at some spring fashion and day dream of patios and starry, balmy nights listening to Billie Holiday and M83. Continuing on trend I will be showing designers where I like 4 of their looks for Spring/Summer 2012. First up:

Bill Blass
- The shapes are beautiful and there is nothing wrong with that RED!

Chanel

Custo Barcelona

Givenchy

Rachel Zoe

Bon Nuit!

Spring Fashion 2012 - Part 3

2011-10-30T20:35:00.000-07:00

Okay, so midterms got in the way of fashion posting... but I'm back! So, on trend I will be showing you the designers that had three top looks... Starting with Alice and Olivia.

Badgley Mischka

Blumarine

L.A.M.B. - Gwen Stefani

Lanvin

Nicole Miller

PUCCI

This is my favorite!

Stella McCartney

Tracey Reese

Versace

Zac Posen

nobody does it better than Zac!!!

Spring Fashion 2012 - Part 2

2011-10-19T21:24:00.000-07:00

Since this is part 2 of my Spring 2012 Fashion series I will be sharing the designers that I only ended up really loving two outfits from their latest collections.

Starting with Alexander McQueen. He was a genius and can never be replaced. Sarah Burton doesn't impress me, and I know loads of people like her work... I liked these two pieces:

Next up Calvin Klein, simple elegance:

Carven:

Cynthia Rowley:

Diesel Black Gold


Love those green pants!!!

Jil Sander, both pieces are just genius! What could be better than that green dress as well as that art piece of sweater paired with such a yummy full midi skirt!:

Marchesa:

I think strapless is overdone, but I would love to sparkle in this!

Tory Burch, I was surprised I didn't like more of what she put out:

Sigh, I'm super tired, but more tomorrow. Hope everybody enjoys looking at the clothes!

Spring Fashion 2012 - Part 1

2011-10-19T04:10:00.000-07:00

So I spent a portion of today on Style.com looking through the RTW shows from the recent fashion weeks. I went a little crazy and ended up with almost 200 looks that I like. So, I'm thinking I need to split them up into separate blog entries. I probably won't theme them or anything, I will just go with what I like. To start off I really wanted to show the Temperley London pieces that I liked. They have serious sophistication coupled with great youth. The colors are different and still very Spring Summer. I picked 7 total from the show.

LOVE!

I was surprised by the simplicity involved in Christian Siriano's Spring 2012 collection and I really like the following 3 looks from the show. Two are admittedly very similar, but I just couldn't choose:

Don't you just love the stripes on the top of this?? So chic.

Jean-Paul Gaultier was a bit more wild than what is featured above. There is a definite 50s vibe to the collection, but I immediately saw PIRATES, the best dressed female pirates EVER. Get these clothes in my closet now!

AH-MAZING! So sexy!

Double Fabulous and I want to wear it every day!

I think for now, being 4 AM here in Bend, Oregon, that I will take a break from the fashion world and dream of trying to find amazing affordable versions of these clothes for the upcoming spring and summer. 40 more shows to go...

I Love You, but...

2011-10-16T14:15:00.000-07:00

I'm done. I will no longer be your second fiddle. You don't see what is right in front of you, that I would love and do for you forever. Even if we're not right for one another, which is the truth you still don't treat me right as a person, as a friend. It hurts me so much to be put by the wayside when you think you've found someone better. Why would I treat myself that way? I am a sweet, loving, kind, generous and honest woman. I deserve better.

You are not that man. You enter relationships with hope and then push and push and push until you push your love interest away and then you end up in tears on the phone with me trying to understand why the latest lady didn't stick with you. I have been putting up with it for 9 years.

When we met you were sweet and kind and I thought, "Wow! I have found such a wonderful, adventurous, kind and smart man!" Then one night you're screaming in my face that I don't really want to know you, to understand your life and what you've been through. I should have run far, far away, never talked to you again. That isn't me though. Now I know you, what you've been through. The trials that you have endured are many, and yet you live life and lately have seemed to come out of a lot of it, but you still don't see me standing by you, supporting you. I can't be invisible anymore.

I finally have my life figured out. I'm in school again, doing better than I ever have before. I know what I want and I am out to get it. Through these actions I am bettering myself and learning to love yourself is what makes others love you. So I am asking the universe to help my match find me and to help me find him, a man where I am his match and he is mine. A man who will love me, be kind to me, support me and want to live this blessing that is life with me, full of adventure, hope and endless possibilities made more fathomable by our love. I hope that your latest relationship is what works for you, and you end up in love forever, because I want for you to be happy. For me though, Josh, I am done, finished and moving on.

San Francisco - Where My Heart Lives

2011-08-20T16:04:00.000-07:00

Oh Jeez, I love going to San Francisco! From August 11-14 I was there with my best friend, Zoi, her husband, Dobh and our friend Kit. I drove my butt down there from Bend and it took me about 9 hours. It's a really easy drive in the Prius. 3 tanks of gas total. WAY cheaper than flying or taking the train. We stayed in the Tenderloin at the Wyndham Canterbury, which is always so nice. It is a beautiful old hotel that was refurbished and taken over as time share and my family has points through there. It's right smack dab in the middle of everything.

The first night we went out with Kit and some of his friends who live there. The Tempest is a sweet dive bar that was playing really bad music, but the 10 of us managed to get over that pretty easy. Zoi and I ended up on the curb out front of the hotel talking for hours and then hopped in a cab to some random locale for 3 am eggs.

We woke up, rallied (sort of) and went off to Outside Lands Music Festival at Golden Gate Park. The bus ride there was MAYHEM. The bus was packed so full that Zoi and I were up against the front window being smashed the whole way. Very Intense. We got to see like 3 or 5 songs by Foster the People, a GREAT band and the only one I wanted to see that day. We hung around just strolling in the park and then survived hell trying to get back to the hotel. NO CABS NO BUSES NO NOTHING. That helped us figure out travel issues for the next day though. We had sushi with the boys and went home to basically clean the room and crash while Dobh and Kit went to the bar.

Saturday was fabulous. We were well rested we got on a bus that was not super hell crazy crowded, got to the concert ate fried pickles and friend green tomatoes, people watched like crazy... and decided that ALL of the hipsters were at that concert. We saw The Black Keys which was the big deal that day and unfortunately one of the best bands had a HORRIBLE sound engineer so only some of the songs were mind blowing. Honestly they sound better on my stereo. Might have to give them a second chance live though as they are supposed to be amazing in person.

That night we went into the Castro district and Josh came out to meet us/me. He's from Santa Fe and has known Zoi way longer than I have. So it was cool to hang out the three of us again. I was so happy to see him. He always has the best energy and it permeates my skin. We hung out that night and the next day too. We went to a bar called Lucky 13 that has a photo booth, just chatting and being silly with friends, it has been too long and I need more of it in my life. I'm always sad to say good bye to Zoi but I will see her in OCTOBER!!!! Josh and I went shopping b/c he always makes me do that with him and then he said goodbye to me and I drove my very tired butt home. I HAD AN AMAZING TIME. Pictures:


Gold Rush on Powell


The Bus Ride

Stand in Line!!


Foster the People

Magical Couch @ Outside Lands

Zoi

Fried Green Tomatoes and Fried Pickles

Choco Lands

Man on the street

crosswalk

Beautiful Day


Dobh

In line for Fried Pickles AGAIN!!

So gorgeous!

The event was super organized and very GREEN.

Dobh and Zoi - love them!

FRICKLE MAN!

Lucky 13

Josh

Josh #2

ART

2011-06-05T16:24:00.000-07:00

This is a piece I have been working on for a LONG time, years actually. I finally finished it enough to where I feel ready to start the next stage. I scanned it so I can document the process of what it will become one day. I'm kind of in love with it. It doesn't look like this anymore as I have recently coated it in a fine layer of gesso and water and have begun painting the lines in with a tiny brush dipped in black acrylic. I have an idea of what it will look like when done and hope to finish by the end of the year. STAY TUNED, I will be posting more as I progress.

Columbia - MODA Program

2011-05-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

In pursuit of happiness I have made a decision to return to school. The hopeful end result being a Masters in Art History from Columbia in their MODA program. This program focuses on Modern Art and Curatorial Services. I am so excited for this next part of my journey. As I have never finished my Bachelor's Degree the path will be a long one. Such is my choice. I fully intend on continuing as a photographer, working to have my images seen by others in the hopes of selling my work to collectors. Photography is my love, but this whole starving artist thing is not working for me. I have always loved art history and have been blessed with what my mother calls visual/spacial genius so I believe I will be good at this. The most vital piece of all of this will be finding ways to supplement my resume through internships and part time jobs... so let the hard work begin, I am SO ready for it!!

San Francisco - 1.1.2011 - by Kate Alexis

Hillary Swank

2011-04-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

PRTLND - delayed post due to technical difficulties.

2011-04-08T16:01:00.000-07:00

3 hours + just west of beautiful, sunny, Bend, Oregon there is a place some people are referring to as "Portlandia" a wonderful, rainy, cooler than Seattle spot. Yup, that's what I said... Cooler than Seattle. I love going to Portland. The rain is for sure, intense, but three weekends ago the sun shone on the adventures I had with my cousins and friends.

The drive there was snowy and beautiful. I arrived at Becky's house, made myself at home (showering, sipping a beer) while I waited for her and baby Will to get home. We relaxed for a bit and then went to the Whiskey Soda Lounge (to meet up with Becky's friend Laramie from school and his girlfriend, Gina) where there is NOTHING on the menu that is vegan. Ok, that may be a stretch, as I had some very yummy fried papaya salad, but it is either meat or fried... ideally both is what I am thinking the staff's frames of mind are. I may have had a some fried pork ear... etc. as you can see from this picture we had no problems with what was being served.

On the drive home (the night before that super full bright bright moon) I spotted this and made my cousin Becky stop the car (and reverse) so I could capture it.

The next morning we made our way into The Pearl District so I could get my haricut at Glow and so we could go to Saturday Market and walk around.

We had a wonderful time walking around and eating street falafel... YUM and I took some pictures. Later that night after Will slept way longer than we expected him to Becky fed him dinner and I got this wonderful picture.

It's my favorite shot that I took. (This post would've been a bit better if I had just been able to figure out why blogger wouldn't accept my pictures earlier) Sigh. Enjoy the pictures anyways.

Spring Forward!

2011-03-13T00:52:00.000-08:00

I see a lot of people who complain about losing an hour, but for me it is an exciting day because it heralds the oncoming summertime. Days that are never ending, warm afternoon walks, patio time with friends, Billie Holiday and Miles Davis on my stereo in the morning, watching the sunrise on my front porch, floating the river, Farmers' Market every Wednesday downtown featuring amazing local produce, getting to wear my new red, white and blue espadrilles, and every opportunity to take millions and millions of beautiful glowing photographs of life going on, flourishing under the sun. So, what is losing an hour, when there is so much to look forward to? After all time is just a social construct, and this part of it I welcome with open arms.

My first Holga roll - PDX, from my 30th Birthday vacation with Zoi

2011-03-10T01:08:00.000-08:00

8.2010

Gilt Club

PDX


Zoi in the Lobby

Bend, Oregon

2011-03-07T13:26:00.000-08:00

Bend, Oregon residents are nice... that is the straight up truth. People will say hi to you and you have no idea who they are. There is a genuine level of respect for others. When I first moved here it used to freak me out. Growing up on the east coast that is NOT how people behave. You don't know someone, you don't say hi, or smile or make eye contact. I had thought people were so nice in Santa Fe, NM while I lived there... nothing measures up to what people are like in Bend. In fact now when I go out of town and I behave how I behave at home, saying hi to random people I pass on the sidewalk they look at me as if I have lost my mind. It's really amusing.

Recently I have run into some newcomers to Bend. Namely, my new downstairs neighbors. A little over a week ago I was cooking dinner early (around 5pm) and I'm listening to Bon Jovi and dancing around the kitchen and I see a man in black out side my screen door. I had the cops called on my music. I have owned my condo for 17 months now and have never had an issue before. The new neighbors never even came upstairs to request I lower the volume. Fortunately for me the cop told me I was not at fault in any way but they were required to come speak to me. After he left about 20 minutes later as I was about to eat my dinner there was a different cop at my door claiming I had been jumping up and down on the floor... a complete fabrication. Since then, in the morning as I get ready, sans music, they have been pounding on the ceiling as I walk around making my whole floor shake. I feel as if I am being harassed in my own home. I did call the rental company that manages the units for rent in my building to try to sort it out. Hopefully this will fix the issue. If not I am considering taping this to my window facing out so that they will see it whenever they get into their car.

You can pick the stickers up at Velvet Lounge on Wall St. in Downtown Bend near the corner of Franklin. I want to take the higher road here. So I will continue to pray that my new neighbors will move soon and find a home that is quieter for their sensibilities. After all I can hear my upstairs neighbor opening and closing her dresser drawers as she gets ready in the morning. That is just condo/apt building living.

Thanks for listening to my rant people. I just had to get it out of me. Lots of Love.

the night light.

2011-01-19T19:13:00.000-08:00

by Kate Alexis Clausen

The End and The Beginning

2011-01-10T19:37:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time... so that must mean it's time to reflect.

2010 was a revealing year for me. I grew in leaps in bounds that I never thought possible. I spent the year dealing with many hardships, some long harbored in my head and one that I had no ability to control except with my hopes and my prayers for a positive outcome.

About fears and hardships that I was holding on to from the past I will simply say this: they are swiftly disintegrating and I feel as if my life is only going up and onward leaving the debris of poor choices behind me while embracing all of my talents and love for life and people. I know that faith in these blessings within myself will take me where I want to go and to places I never knew I wanted to be.

To touch upon what I cannot control, I began 2010 scared to death that I would not have one of the two people in my life who loves me the most for much longer. Of course I was wrong. My mother is a warrior (even though she hates the word, due to it's association with war) and a she has fought long and hard through a disease (Myleodysplatic Syndrome) that required a bone marrow transplant and the eradication of all of her own bone marrow before the transplant. Her positive spirits and constant smiles and uplifting love for others has made me more inspired by her than ever before and I strive to be as wonderful and strong a person as she is. She is doing well, and there is still a long road to full recovery ahead of her but I know that in the end things will be better than they have ever been before. Most of all this has taught me and many others that what is fundamentally key in staying healthy in life has to do with our bodies being treated as our temples because really that is all we have in this life and they should be cherished.

The best things about 2010:
- My dear cousin Becky gave birth to William Chance Peters, born one hundred years after his namesake, my maternal grandfather, Bill Lawrence, and I became an Aunt to an amazing little boy.
- I was lucky enough to be the sole photographer for my great uncle Fritz Clausen's 70th high school reunion in Clear Lake, Iowa where there were over 30 attendees from the class, an amazing turn out.
- I met Mona Klinger, my miracle. She used her medical intuitive skills to help me break down walls I had built up that would have taken years to break down through any other method. I am proud to call her my friend.
- My closest friend, Zoi came to Bend to celebrate my 30 years living this most recent life with me.
- I began to believe in myself again.
- I spent an amazing 4 days in San Francisco with my close friend, Josh, whom I will always love.
- Linda came to visit and it was like no time had ever passed, as I knew it would be.
- I found a negative scanner that didn't cost twenty five thousand dollars and preceded to scan ALL of my artistically relevant negatives and now have the ability to fulfill old promises to special people.
- I got a new computer and the most amazing camera that probably gives me more happiness than any object should be able to.
- I saw the Henri Cartier-Bresson exhibit at SFMOMA TWICE!
- My website works!!!! www.katealexis.com
- My understanding and respect of others has never been as clear as it is now.

I could go on and on... but most of all I'm so glad to have become more of an adult in 2010 while still staying a kid at heart.

2011 is already off to a wonderful start, I booked a job next week to work with Amsterdam, one half of Top Shelf a local hip hop duo here in Bend, OR and I'm very excited and nervous to be moving towards a career in music photography... etc.

My resolutions for the year are:
- to overcome all of my silly stupid fears.
- to find more balance in my life instead of embracing my extremist tendencies.
- to learn to like football
There are a few more but I'll leave it at that as, I'm already well on my way to following through with promises made to myself.

Happy New Year to all and I hope that it's the best one yet! In conclusion, some photos from my wonderful time spent in California at the beginning and end of December.

La Jolla

Hotel Del Coronado

Coronado

Otto, Amelia and Kyle's rescue Cat

Solana Beach

Pacific Beach

Amelia in Pacific Beach

FUN! Pacific Beach

Pedicures

Kyle, Amelia and Otto

Solana Beach

Pacific Beach

the ladies, selling their wares

Pacific Beach

Wyndham Canterbury Hotel Lobby in San Francisco

My Hotel Room

Romance at Night in San Francisco

Josh and I went Vesuvio's the old hangout of Ginsberg and Kerouac.. etc.

SF MOMA

Josh

Josh... again.

SUSHI!

Mmmm. that is good!

The Mission

Mmmm, Tad's Steaks on Powell

We went to Yoshi's to see Dianne Reeves perform on 1.1.11!

BRONWYN!

Buena Vista for Irish Coffees!

I just LOVE San Francisco!

Central Oregon - Bend is BEAUTIFUL!!!!

2010-09-13T19:59:00.000-07:00

Of course my favorite season is summer and late summer brings thunderstorms with the most gorgeous sunsets!!!

Menswear Inspired Fall 2010 Fashion Custom Earrings by Kate Alexis

2010-09-11T17:02:00.000-07:00

I recently made this pair of earrings. I think the color combination is reminiscent of a navy blue pinstriped suit with a burgundy pocket square and a paisley tie thrown in. Menswear for women is hot this Fall 2010 and I think these earrings reflect that while staying feminine.

Etsy listing for these earrings.

window shopping outside my budget.

2010-08-15T14:04:00.000-07:00

Honestly, designer stuff is OVER PRICED and I can NOT afford it. If I could afford it I'm not sure I could justify EVER spending what most ask for their wares. That being said I L-O-V-E clothes, shopping, and high fashion couturier clothing... YUM, like candy. I have the same problem walking by the M.A.C. Cosmetics counter, their eye shadows look like candy the way they are displayed... YUM. Unfortunately M.A.C. is affordable... better stop myself before I go off on a makeup tangent. The thing about designer clothing is details. They spend more money on more luxurious materials, and clothes turn into pieces of art. I'm NOT talking about the Louis Vuitton Bag EVERYONE has whether they're real or not (if you can't afford it, why don't you go buy something original instead of trying so hard... is that too blunt?), I'm talking about the show stopping pieces that a person wears that you never forget... I have a file of unforgettables in my brain... a lot of them from Sex and the City.

My mother raised me on Nordstrom and they used to play recordings of runway fashion shows on TVs in the high end section on the third floor and I would watch them while my mom shopped. Good times. She and I also used to watch Style with Elsa Klensch on CNN on the weekend together and after we would watch Fashion Television on E! Of course those shows aren't on anymore... there aren't any good fashion shows on TV anymore... unless you can stand watching The Rachel Zoe Project on Bravo, which I do... on mute, because while she is THE MOST ANNOYING PERSON ON EARTH, the woman has great clothes in her studio... she should wear some of them.

My favorite place to find clothes from the runway is style.com aka Vogue's Home on the Net!!! So I did a brief look over of the designers who do a pre-fall collection... not all of them, ones I like and a few new that I picked b/c I like the names... ha, but only Vionnet made the the new cut. Here are a few possible unforgettables:

Monique Lhullier

Emilio Pucci

Stella McCartney

Versace - loved the bright colors of the collection!

Viktor and Rolf

Vionnet

Yves Saint Laurent

Zac Posen

making jewelry and weddings...

2010-08-12T17:42:00.000-07:00

My friend Tia's sister got married last month in Coos Bay. Tia lends her beautiful face to my etsy store graciously and decided to buy identical earrings for the bridesmaids for Skia's wedding. The pictures that were shot are BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!! I'm so excited to see my earrings in such a beautiful light! Makes me excited to take pictures of new creations.

Don't they look fab?????

Photography NOT by ME

Meghan Byrnes is the BEES KNEES

2010-07-22T22:14:00.000-07:00

I met Meghan Byrnes the summer after my freshman year of college. She went to high school with my friend, Jenny that I had met at CSF. I liked a guy friend of Jenny's so that summer (and after) I was thrown in with all of her friends from high school b/c I spent a lot of time in Delaware. I haven't seen Meghan in years but we've come together again through facebook, and now etsy and our mutual love for art, beauty and LOVE.

She's married and lives with her love in a small town in Massachusetts near Harvard. She enjoys nature, art, animals, moss, stars, fabulous shoes and wonderful vintage clothing and jewelry, which she sells on etsy and I can't seem to stop buying... the jewelry. I bought this necklace from her recently and plan to wear it with the shoes also in the picture.

When she sends me what I order she always does something unique, this last time she wrote to me on vintage class photos, which is something that I love about old pictures lost or now irrelevant, to see how they can be used creatively and loved again in some small way. Nothing is forever.

Meghan is also an illustrator, and loves working in photoshop. She takes amazing photos and posts them on the internet:

I made Meghan a pair of earrings specifically designed for her personality. She is going to shoot a picture wearing them for me one of these days when she isn't super busy. Hopefully one day we can collaborate together directly. That would be the ULTIMATE Bees Knees.

Meghan's Etsy Store: Story Book Vintage

Meghan's Old Blog

Jon Hamm and Rebecca Hall

2010-07-19T21:17:00.000-07:00

How inspiring is this stuff?! Jon Hamm and Rebecca Hall photographed by Nathaniel Goldberg for this month's issue of W Magazine. The natural feel of the lighting gives it a very vintage feel, edgy, romantic, sophisticated.

I hope the images evoke what Director Ben Affleck's new movie, The Town will be like. Apparently it's supposed to be "the season's most adult film" but maybe I'm sick of tawdry sex scenes? Been there, done that, I know what happens and I pretty much think that heavy sex scenes are played out. Who knows, maybe there will be one, it will be great and I will eat my words. It's a cops and robbers thriller plot and I love that type of movie so I will definitely be seeing it. Maybe I will write a review...

Mad Men

2010-07-16T00:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I have to admit that I can't WAIT until the new season of Mad Men. Being that I don't own a television this is a big deal for me. Of course you don't need a television anymore to watch most everything. That being said, I love TV, which is why I don't own one. I've also watched a lot of TV in my life and not a lot surprises me anymore. I can predict plot lines easily. Most stuff I like gets canceled.

Oh they are so naughty on Mad Men... DRAMA, which is so much better on my computer screen than in my life. Last season ended with such a bang I think my jaw was on the ground for a full 10 seconds. Jon Hamm is so incredibly handsome. It's fascinating to watch the social standards and makes me grateful for the women who changed the way things were. I love the fashion from the early sixties and it's neat to hear my mom talk about her time working in advertising.

So, John Hamm is on the cover of the new issue of W magazine with Rebecca Hall from Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona, which is one of my all time favorite movies (awesome soundtrack too). My copy just came in the mail today and I will definitely be touching upon that at another time.

Packages

2010-06-27T19:59:00.000-07:00

All sorts of good things come in packages, bad things too, like at the end of the movie, SE7EN... that sucked. I'm here to concentrate on the good things... not to talk about the unabomber.

When a package comes to your door, either you or someone you live with probably ordered something. I live alone so I usually know what is coming to my door; food from medi-fast, beads, moo orders and the random things (TOMS Shoes, Amazon, Holga, etc.) I order to satiate my shopping appetite, which I should probably put that part of my brain on medi-fast too.

Besides receiving packages, I love sending them. I love sending packages to my friends. Of course most people don't respond the way I would like them to... with undying gratitude, but that isn't the point. The point is to brighten someone's day, to let them know that they are thought of. Currently I'm putting together a package for my best friend's son, Rafael. When I was in Minnesota two weeks ago I bought some legos for him at lego-land in The Mall of America, Usually I like to buy him educational stuff, but it is summer... and young boys need a break every once in a while, maybe I'll try to find him a mechanics learning manual for pre-teens, hahaha.

My long-time bestie, Linda loves chocolate, but she left the country for the summer, so a chocolate box from local store, Pegasus is in the works for the big 3-0 she has coming up in September.

I think more people should give randomly to others, make a mix CD and send it to your friend, whatever is clever for your situation... it makes the world a brighter place.

My Dad

2010-01-16T20:06:00.000-08:00

On wednesday my dad, Max Clausen came over to sit for a portrait at my house. I set up my studio lights and took a few pictures, realizing shortly that my bulbs were the wrong ones (I fully blame Philip for this) turning the light really yellow. Lucky for me I live in the high desert and it was sunny on wednesday, so I pulled open the blinds, let the light shine through and got this wonderful picture of my father.

On February 26th my dad will be entered in to Oregon State University's Engineering Hall of Fame! So we had to take a recent photo of him for the event. I'm so proud of him and all that he has accomplished and the negative energy that he has overcome in his life.

Artists' History

2009-05-03T20:40:00.000-07:00

I love to read about Artists' lives. I have several books that suggest this. I think the first time I ever read a book by an artist was when I read A Moveable Feast By Ernest Hemingway which is the story of his time in Paris and highly enjoyable. My father recommended it to me.

In college my photography professor, David Scheinbaum told my History of Photography class that two very important books to read for artists are Dear Theo, Vincent VanGogh's Letters to his brother and The Day Books of Edward Weston. I've never read Dear Theo, but in 2000-2001 I spent some serious time reading The Day Books of Edward Weston, and I loved them. Unfortunately I never finished reading about his time spent in Mexico... and never made it to knowing anything about California life for the man. It was imprinted on my mind so amazingly when I lost my page and could not find it again that it has taken many years for me to be ready to start it over. First I'm going to read another book...

Last Christmas I received Annie Leibovitz's autobiography, At Work, which is so extraordinary in appearance that it begs to be picked up and read. I'm finally tired of listening to it's begging me. I'm sure it will be great.

My absolute favorite book about Artists' History is called Bohemian Paris; Picasso, Modigliani, Matisse, and the Birth of Modern Art by Dan Franck. It also happens to be my favorite book of all time right now. I took it to Paris with me in 2007. While reading it I was so in love that I had to put it down for a bit because I didn't want it to end. While I was there I would read about a street and then the next day I would be walking down that street. It was great being in Montparnasse and having that happen every week or more. I also went to the Bateau Lavoir to see where all those historical characters started out. With every turn of page there was a new surprise. I recommend it to everyone but especially those who are lovers of modern art.

Moving Quickly

2009-04-03T12:17:00.000-07:00

So, things have been moving along nicely for me for a while now. On a personal goal note I just reached 5 exercise goals, 2 of which were a 90 second plank and bench pressing 95lbs... which when I started the first week of February I could barely lift the bar that weighs 45lbs. So that was HUGE! I'm really excited about working out now and getting my body in tip top shape for the best way to experience Central Oregon/ West Coast living. Today I set new goals for myself, one of which is a 12 minute mile by May 1st, so that will be the most difficult, but I am sure I can accomplish it!

Professionally things are going VERY well. I'm now working for a web magazine called On the Go-Go! We serve Central Oregon, mainly Bend at the moment and provide an insiders view of things going on in Bend! Since we went live in late February we have had 21,180 page views and 15,594 unique views! That is one fourth of the Bend population! I'm shooting photographs for them as well as doing the photo editing and writing an art column, which is something I have always wanted to do.

In regards to my own business, Kate Alexis Image & Design I recently learned Flash animation and am in the process of building a bigger and better website with a lot more photos and information... link coming soon. I am also planning a west coast road trip down Highway 1 to San Diego and back home in 10 days or less for September or October, with many stops along the way, including San Francisco, Venice Beach/L.A., and of course San Diego. The pictures are going to be so great! Actual dates will be set once I have a better idea of my work schedule at that time. I have sacrificed my usual trip to the Gorge for 3 days of Dave Matthews Band in order to keep furthering my craft and I can't wait!

That is pretty much all for now, so make sure to go and check out the web magazine, On the Go-Go!

Road Trip

2009-02-18T15:03:00.000-08:00

I'm planning a road trip for this year. Late August - September... started out to be a two week thing, now it's three and I am seriously thinking about making it a whole month. I think I have all my stops picked out, but then I'll hear about some where else that I want to go and the trip just gets longer. I have no idea how I am going to afford this outing, but I need to do it. The plan is to drive coast highway from Oregon to San Diego, go east and end up in Santa Fe for fiestas and then back to LA and back up to San Francisco and then home, but now I'm thinking it might be wise to start in Seattle... although it will make the trip a lot longer, so I probably won't do that. I think I want to be in San Fran so bad that I won't really enjoy being in Seattle. So far the tentative plan turns out to be over 4 thousand miles!!! I didn't even put that many miles on my car last year! Anyhow, I know for sure that no matter how long it takes or where I end up that the pictures will be well worth it and so will the memories.

I Miss Paris.

2009-01-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

I miss seeing the Eiffel Tower from my balcony!

I even miss the darn greedy pigeons! These guys got lucky when someone dropped their baguette... hahaha.

I miss walking down the stairs and seeing a huge band playing in the metro tunnels or a lone musician. Whether the music was good or bad it was always a treat.

Enjoy the videos!

"But, Darling! I'm juicy NOW!"

2008-12-31T18:41:00.000-08:00

For Christmas I received a Citrus Juicer. YUM! I'm spending my NYE making juice for 2009! Forever I will only make my own juice and no longer purchase juice that may or may not have added sugar or other things to it. I love being vegan! I really enjoy how healthy I am. My favorite meal of the day is breakfast when I make my smoothies, but I've been wanting a juicer for a really long time, and unfortunately they are insanely expensive, so I'm gonna have to wait to be able to juice mangoes and cucumbers and asparagus until I can afford one or until I find one used for $6 like my friend, Myer did. He had a juicing party for his birthday in November which makes me think that on Nov. 2, 2008 his apartment in Seattle was the mecca of mixed drinks. So I took some pictures of my juicing and my meal of bagel and tofutti and tomato may show up in the pictures also...

Mmmm... bags and bags of fruit.

Grapefruit

ORANGE JUICE!!! I only did oranges and Grapefruits tonight.. tomorrow... limes, clementines and lemons!

My dinner was just SO fantastic that I thought there should be photos of it.

Needless to say... I LOVE juicing!

Clothing... lots of it...

2008-12-30T16:55:00.000-08:00

Sometime last week I spent 3 lost hours perusing style.com, something I should never do, but thanks to the lovely lady who writes The Luxe Chronicles, I couldn't resist visiting the site that posts pictures from all the shows at fashion week. This is what I found to LOVE about Spring 2009:

Badgley Mishka

BCBG

BlueMarine

Celine

Chloe

Dolce & Gabbana
I'm especially in love with the striped pants!

Diane VonFurstenberg or DVF

Can we just talk about gold sparkly bermuda shorts? AMAZING!!!!

Galliano

Givenchy

Just Cavalli (not to be mistaken for Roberto Cavalli)

Lacoste

Turns out I REALLY liked what Lacoste had to offer for Spring 2009:

Marchesa

The pictures from the Marchesa show are a bit different... seems the models were on podiums instead of a cat walk.

Nanette Lepore

When Jenny Rose and I lived together we would go to this shop in Santa Fe called Bodhi Bazaar and lust over the clothes and we found these silk pants by Nanette Lepore that were SOOO amazing, I think Jenny still has them too. YUMMY. Just like that red dress...

Philosophy

Proenza Shouler (maybe the hardest name in fashion to spell) I ♥ this dress HARDCORE!!!

PUCCI

Roberto Cavalli

I ♥ the 3rd and 4th looks the most.

Stella McCartney (you gotta ♥ "celebuspawn" that can design)

Tracy Reese

Tracey's work is so effortless this season. I love all the styles... and wish I could afford them.

Versace (I ♥ Versace, and I have forever. I think it's evident by how many looks I picked... 2nd to last folks!)

Zac Posen (A man without a parallel. In my opinion he is working his way to becoming as iconic as Karl Lagerfeld, Coco, Gianni Versace, and so many others... these 2 looks are from his "pre-spring" 2009 collection, unfortunately I didn't like his actual collection for Spring 2009, but I CRAVE both of these looks.)

i love these.

2008-12-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

I took them all in Chartres, France in August of 2007, but only just had the film developed. Without the use of a darkroom and chemicals my ability to work in black and white is very limited. I did scan these into the computer though and I am so pleased to see what they look like in positive form. I hope you enjoy.

My plates came today.

2008-10-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

My rich great uncle Max died August 24th. He lived in our ancestral home in Clear Lake, Iowa. My Great Great Grandfather Samuel built that house for his growing family when he went into grain. He and his wife Carrie had five children, Henry, Louise, Samuel Jr., Dora and Bertle. Henry married Leita Irish and they had 5 children, Cal (Carolyn), Harry (my grandfather), Max, Bob and Fritz (Fred). Leita's family were prominent doctors. One day Henry came home early from running his business at the grain elevator because he felt sick. Leita's brother and father decided that the pain was being caused by an intestinal blockage. Together the two men chose to try a new procedure of removing part of the bowel instead of massaging it (which is what they probably should've done). Henry went home fine after surgery but died because of infection complications. When Henry Clausen died Leita was shut out of the family even though Max, Bob and Fritz were still at home, because of her brother's and father's involvement with the surgery. Cal was married already and Harry was at the time of his father's death being trained to take over the family grain business. Everything changed when Henry died. The childrens' Aunt Louise took over and tried to protect. She chose Max as her protege and Harry ran off to Oregon. Max and Bob went to World War II and when they got back Bob married Peg who Louise didn't approve of and Max and she threw parties, and traveled together and practiced Christian Science together. They mostly made money together, and don't forget about the lakefront farm land. Also remember that this money is supposed to belong to the whole family. When Louise dies in 1954 she told Fritz and Bob on her deathbed that, "If she had known, she would have done things differently." When her will was executed by Max to his siblings, Bob and Fritz received 50 dollars and Harry and Cal each received 100 dollars because Louise had not paid for their college. The rest went to Max. This money was a fortune that their father had helped to make.

Max was a proud man, and a crazy man. In 1967 he petitioned the City of Clear Lake to have his trash service turned off, stating that he was, "a single man who ate most of his meals out and he couldn't possibly accumulate enough trash." I have heard small rumors and little stories of my father's side of the family my whole life; "Rich Uncle Max" and all those things people would say about him, and I just always thought it couldn't be that bad. But now I've seen pictures. 5 years ago he broke his hip and was out of the house for a whole year. Bob and Peg's daughter, Chris Ellen spent a large amount of that year cleaning up the family homestead. Rooms filled without any walking room 2 and a half feet tall with anything that you can possibly imagine. Sides of the steps with bundles of already paid bills placed back in their envelopes on both staircases. She cleaned the whole place out and he resented her for it... but that's OCD for you. Max always told everyone he was leaving his fortune to the girlscouts or the boyscouts. My cousin Sarah, Fritz's daughter got him to donate the lakefront farm land to the Nature Conservancy, January of 2008, right around his 93rd birthday. The land is now called Clausen's Cove, which is super rockstar. Max thought he was going to out live everyone... believed he would never die. His kidney failed on August 24th, 2008 and he died.

Without a will.

Out of all of my Grandfather's siblings only one is still alive, Fritz at 86. The estate is being split into 4. To Fritz, My Dad, Cal's son, and Bob's 3 daughters. I spent the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th of this month in Clear Lake, Iowa. The house was fantastic, still is. It was a fantastic mess of dust and trash and re accumulated bullshit. Now that it's being cleaned up and Fritz has decided to keep the house in the family it is a good kind of fantastic. The house was filled with a lot of treasures too. Old family photographs. Letters to and from Denmark in Danish, written in beautiful spidery penmanship. My Great Great Grandfather's spectacles. Probably about 4 sets of china. All of he beds upstairs are hand carved and they all match! It's an amazing place, but way over whelming. I chose a beautiful old bench, swoon, some Chinese framed tapestries, 1 photograph and the largest most complete set of china.

FINALLY!

2008-06-05T23:00:00.000-07:00

Yup, you guessed it, my website is up!!!!!!! Please go and click on the email address at the bottom of any page and send me some feedback! This is only the preliminary site so be ready to check out a new and improved one as soon as I master CSS and Flash in Dreamweaver! ENJOY!!! GO HERE!!!

Inspiration sets in.

2007-12-03T01:55:00.000-08:00

I'm not really a blogger, but every once in a while I will post something on myspace. Over the past summer I wrote a lot to people back home about my adventures in France and since I have returned I have been toying with the idea that now that I am actually moving forward with my life maybe I should be documenting it more thoroughly and for others to read. Of course these readers would have to put up with my constant run-on sentences, poor use of punctuation and occasionally grammar coupled with my love of big words. I also have a tendency to speak (write) in non-sequiturs, due to my not so lapsed now adult ADHD. To top it off, sometimes my writing can be more pretentious than what the content calls for... does that make sense?

So I have decided to become a blogger and share... I hope it works out for everyone.