Lisa Frank:
The Phraseology Project
“The idea is simple — You submit a letter, word or phrase and we’ll make it look beautiful with type.”
I love type websites like this one, especially when you can buy prints of the type online. The idea was made-up by Drew Melton, in his own words he says:
“In addition to wanting to create work based on community submissions Drew wanted a framework to explore typography further. Up to this point the designs are purely typographic — sometimes diving into a mix of illustration and type.”
CK Girls
Graff to make you feel good
Champagne + Graffiti = Love
You know graffiti is mainstream when the best champagne manufacturers use it for their new Valentine’s Day gift box. Moët & Chandon’s Message On A Bottle gift set is beautiful, with a little edge, kindly provided by the gold graff marker that comes with it. Although I’m not a fan of “graffiti-make-overs” (as I call it) to sell products, I must say this is very cute. And obviously I wouldn’t be mad if someone got it for me… ahem…
Nail Art Exhibition
It’s mental how massive nail art is getting now. On top of all the blogs, youtube tutorials and photo-shoots, there is now London’s first ever Nail Art Exhibition: NailPhilia. I’ve not been yet, but plan to go as soon as.
Peep details below, and see you there! 
Exhibition Runs: September 1st – 26th 12 – 6pm Daily Location: DegreeArt.com’s Execution Room 12A Vyner St, London. E2 9DG
Artists Exhibiting:
The Illustrated Nail – Sophie Harris-Greenslade in collaboration with:
Duncan Brannan
Sophie Derrick
Kostas Georgiou
Hannah Biscombe
Andy Owen
Moses Powers
Sophie Hanson
Marian Newman – Films directed by Nick Knight and SHOWstudio
Sophy Robson – Installation
Jenny Longworth – Installation (TBC)
Sam Biddle – Installation
Megumi Mizuno – Photography and Installation
Antony Buckley – Installation
Mike Pocock – Installation
Minx – Installation
Sue Marsh – Installation
Kirsty Meakin – Installation
Andrea Fulerton – Photography
Free PUSSY at Girls+Zines!
Not only that, but there is a Zine Exchange box where you can take a free zine if you deposit one:
A great zine dedicated to drawings of Katie Price to colour in:
I took down a few copies of PUSSY for some lucky ladies to be able to pick up a free one!
make sure you check out this great event and follow the Facebook event page here. xx
Polka Dot Punks
“Polka Dot Punks is a pop-up art and design gallery born out of our frustration at the lack of exhibition spaces and opportunities for emerging artists. We are passionate about promoting affordable contemporary art and design in welcoming, quirky spaces in and around Glasgow.”
We love their tag-line: “Buy local, save an Artist!” and we love their philosophy, so this is one group we’ll be keeping a close eye on, and hopefully working with in the near future!
In the mean time, to all out Glasgow readers, get yourself down to their event tomorrow night (Thursday 1st September) at Universal Bar, details below. Not only will you see amazing art, listen to great music and have drinks, but you’ll also see some of the founder of PUSSY Magazine, Hells’ work.
Get yourself down there and save and Artist! xxx
Awesome People Hanging Out Together
Jay-Z and Will Smith
I just came across this great little blog of photos of awesome people hanging out together. Really, it should be called “famous people hanging out together”, but because famous people are awesome, it doesn’t really matter. Check out the rest of the blog for other awesomeness: www.awesomepeoplehangingouttogether.tumblr.com
Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
Danny DeVito, Patti Smith and Johnny Depp
Dave Grohl, RuPaul and Kurt Cobain
James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor
Jim Carrey and Stephen Hawking
Dolly Parton & Mick Jagger
Princes Diana dancing with John Travolta
Yoko Ono, John Lennon and Salvador Dali
Danny Devito and RuPaul
Jack White, Amy Winehouse and Jay-Z
Marilyn Monroe and Ella Fitzgerald
Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash
Master Class
You’ve probably noticed that one of the main trends for Autumn fashion is fetish, and it’s not for the fainthearted – lots of latex, PVC and leather! Whilst flicking through the September issue I instantly fell in love with the styling of this shoot by Lucinda Chambers – photographed by Mario Testino, it shows Freja Beha Erichsen (major girl crush) and Arizona Muse (doubting that’s her real name!) in all these outfits straight from the catwalks but interpreted into a completely different context.
Here is what they have to say about it:
“What started out on the catwalk as a provocative play with fetish chic (zips, feathers, leather!) translates on to Vogue‘s pages via the character of a seventeenth-century Flanders maiden. What’s the story? A high-necked demure silhouette played off with virginal cottons and votive-like jewellery.”
Images from Stylebrity:
Givenchy Fall 2011
Valentino Fall 2011
Giorgio Armarni Fall 2011
Giles Fall 2011
Marc Jacobs Fall 2011
Alexander McQueen Fall 2011
Salvatore Ferragamo Fall 2011
Alexander McQueen Fall 2011
xxx
Fashion Blogs / Bloggers
One thing I just don’t understand is this shy, coy, awkward body language that fashion bloggers seem to adopt. The simple fact that you spend your days photographing EVERY outfit you wear screams that you are anything but shy and awkward about yourself. If your blog is named after you, and the majority of your posts include you, then sweetheart, you are not a shy little wallflower.
Call me old fashioned (because I damn well am!), but what the hell is going on with boys fashion on these blogs?! Don’t get me wrong, the girls’ fashions are no better, but I can’t even be bothered to get in to that now… I don’t know when boys changed from dressing like normal people, to dressing like a cross between Kanye West and Edward Scissorhands (…just not half as sexy!). I have never had a wet dream (or even wanted to see) a boy in jeans that are skinnier than the leggings I’m wearing and tops that are baggier than the plus size section in New Look. It just doesn’t do it for me.
Now, let’s all be honest, the kids who run these blogs seem to go to the “cool” parties, have the newest “fashion items”, and an expensive camera to document it all with. So where do you think all this stuff comes from? I’m guessing by their perfectly manicured (but intentionally chipped) nails and their pre-worn, vintage, new clothes, that they have never done a day’s work in their lives. So, either they are making thousands of £££ through their blogging skills (ahem….) or they have a special bank that not many of us are lucky enough to have. The Bank of Mum & Dad. I’m not against kids who get money off their parents, hey, if you can go for it! But if that is the case, why the hell are these kids so intent on looking like they’re so hard up that they have to resort to looting Oxfam?! 
This world of fashion bloggers is not one I want to ever be involved in, and I’m getting pretty tired of seeing photos of kids who just don’t resemble anything that I find remotely interesting. Where the hell are all the old hip hop kids? The country girls? The lives-in-the-real-world-works-a-9-to-5-grafts-for-a-living-dresses-normally-honeys???
I’m sick of it.
Rant over.
Amy.
Now that the dust has settled, and Amy Winehouse’s death has sunk in, it seems a good time to talk about it. I’ve never known Amy, never met her, but I feel like I have. Maybe it’s her songs, or maybe it’s because she’s a Camden girl, like me. But as soon as I heard her I was convinced that she was a talented, beautiful genius. I first heard her in a car in Italy. My friend’s sister had made a mix-tape (yes, it was that long ago!), and we were playing it on the drive from the airport to their house. I was about 14 years old. I jotted down the words of the song, and googled them when I got back to England a week later. That’s when I found out all about Amy, and I’ve followed her ever since.
Her first album changed my life. Really. The songs stuck with me and I found a singer/song writer that sang EXACTLY how I was feeling. I also loved the way she looked; a strong, slightly plumpy jewish girl, who I thought was gorgeous.
When her second album came out I was shocked by her apperance, but still very much hooked on her songs. They were darker, but as I’d grown older, so had she and her music. So I was still an Amy-fan.
Now, in hindsight, we all know Amy’s downfalls, and we all have our 2-pennies-worth to put in. But I think out of all this there is a serious message.
For years Amy dealt with addictions; addiction to drugs, to drink, and to to the man she loved. Amy was a normal girl (with amazing talent). She loved like the rest of us, cried like the rest of us, and lived like the rest of us. It’s difficult to pass judgement on a girl who is very much like me, and every girl I’ve met. I’ve loved more than I should, and drunk more than I should, but in most circumstances, it’s because I’ve had a hard time with living in the world that is set up for me. It is said that Amy was “on the mend”, and perhaps she was, but how much mending is there to do for a young girl who has had to deal with the world around her?
So, maybe after all is said and done with Amy’s death, it will bring to light the difficulties with being not only a woman, but a person in today’s world. Her lyrics spoke the tragedy of a loved lost, while her life paralleled it.
Rest In Paradise Amy.
The Claw is Back
CLAW x Nike Vandal – Black
$150.00
In 2007 Claw Money uped her game, and released 6 trainers in collaboration with Nike; Clawed Blazers and Clawed Vandals. Now, I’m not a fan of Nike Blazers, but Vandals are high on my list of favourite shoes. When Claw first released these in ’07 there was no way in hell I could afford them, but now they have been re-released perhaps I can start saving my pocket money to get my hands on a pair that I’ve been in love with for over 4 years…
CLAW x Nike Vandal – Blue
$150.00
CLAW x Nike Vandal – White
$150.00
CLAW x Nike Blazer – Black
$150.00
CLAW x Nike Blazer – White
$150.00
CLAW x Nike Blazer – Red
$150.00
S + M
Made Me X Stussy. 2 great clothing brands come together. The best bit about this capsule collection? The name: S + M. Get it? The collection’s not bad either, very 80’s inspired, with a heap of hippy chic thrown in. Ok, so I wouldn’t wear much of it, but I damn sure would be friends with anyone who did! Peep the look book Below: 
Hello Kitty Graffiti
I’m not fan of Hello Kitty, and never really have been, but that doesn’t mean I won’t report on new HK products if they catch my eye. Today, I came across the new HK collections for Sephora, which is a little different to other Kitty products I’ve seen in the past. The graffiti motif is cute, but I still wouldn’t rock it. however, incase any of you would, here is the collection:
Graffiti Bag, $28
Graffiti Compact Mirror, $18
Graffiti Rollergirl $18
Graffiti 5-Piece Brush Set, $49
Graffiti Eyeshadow and Blush Palette$35
Commonsense by Ellen Von Unwerth
Breaking News – Sexy is Successful
Honey Money: The Power of Erotic Capital by Catherine Hakim
Cosy-ing up to the telly last night, News Night caught my attention with a lovely buzzword- ‘erotic capital’.
Short of anything other than riots and economy to winge about they’d brought on Catherine Hakim, a ‘Senior Research Fellow of Sociology’, to talk about her new book “Honey Money: The power of Erotic Capital”.
According to Penguin:
Dr Catherine Hakim’s groundbreaking book reveals how erotic capital is just as influential in life as how rich, clever, educated or well-connected we are … She examines how women and men learn to exploit it, how it differs across cultures and how it affects all spheres of activity … Honey Money is a call for us to recognize the economic and social value of erotic capital. This will not only get women a better deal in … life – it could also revolutionize our power structures, big business, the sex industry, government … etc etc
In short: People like pretty people. Groundbreaking, indeed! Next you’ll be telling us it’s illegal to discriminate against the ugly or disabled.
But whatthehellis erotic capital?
A really fun word to throw about. Some clever man said your “erotic capital” is being bumped up by the quality and quantity of attributes you have that others can find sexy. So, I’m guessing it can varies from having big tits, big brains to even a big collection of frilly socks. Hakim herself divides erotic capital into seven areas, though.
So what’s new?
Well, as the nice lady joining her on News Night said, Catherine Hakim has successfully her PHD in writing a book stating the 
obvious.
I can’t say why they decided this book was breaking news either!
Still, if you’re up for reading old ideas written in our current downfalling age, here’s her book on how blowjobs get you a promotion, I think I’ll be ordering it into the library myself. Or perhaps you’d rather learn a more modern theory like, oh, gravity.
PUSSY’s Guide to Lingerie: Part I
Anyone who knows me, knows how passionate I am about badly fitting lingerie, it’s something I can not understand and will never tolerate. I firmly believe that all self-respecting women should know what is a good fit, unless you are super flat chested, a good fitting bra is non negotiable. Need I say more than ‘Charlie Dimmock, Ground Force, circa 1997’? (fig A)
fig. A Charlie Dimmock, sex goddess in the gardening world, but undeniably saggy tits
I would like to take this opportunity to give a comprehensive PUSSY guide to well fitting lingerie, addressing two major offenders and easy steps you can take to avoid them. Going bra shopping is a daunting task, there is no way on God’s green earth that all women’s breasts will fit into the standard sizes offered by most high street lingerie departments!
The main offenders:
1. The 4-boob Effect – You know exactly what I’m talking about, when the cup size is too small, an unattractive 4-boob effect is created (see fig B & C & F).
fig B Katie Holmes
fig C PUSSY still loves you Britney, but wtf?!
2. The Band Riding Up – the position of the band around your back is very important, a lot of women make the easy mistake of wearing a bra with a much bigger band than required. (see fig D & E).
fig D
fig E: Where your band should be!
A well fitting bra needs to be right in quite a few places: let’s start with the band- the band should be level and not ride up at the back, if it is too loose this will happen. The first time I went for a proper bra fitting (more on this later!) I found out I was wearing a band 4 inches too big! You should have the band almost tight to your body, just enough space to slip two fingers under is right. The band should rest comfortably across the middle of your back (see fig E).
This girl was wearing a band 8 inches too big!
Look at the angle on that band!
Now lets talk cups, the underwire should lie flat against your ribcage at the front and should not dig in or rub. The wire should surround the breast tissue and the cups should be wrinkle-free (if they are wrinkly there’s not enough boob in there, so get a smaller cup size!) and you should have a smooth line where the fabric of the bra ends and meets your boobs. See fig F for a very disturbing before and after. You want to avoid the 4-boob effect I mentioned earlier, so check for unwanted bulging over the top and sides of the cups.
fig F
Going for a bra fitting, in my opinion, is a rite of passage for all young women. I remember pleading with my mama to let me go for a bra fitting, so she took me to Marks & Spencer to see a very butch lady with a very cold tape measure.
Anyway, they’re not all like that. A few years ago I made it my new years resolution to only buy bras that have been properly fitted. I went to this small specialist bra shop in my hometown, which was called ‘Sassy’s’ at the time. The lady who owns the place told me so much about lingerie that afternoon and quite possibly changed my life.
Now I’ve had a fair few bra fittings since then and I can tell you that they all have never used a tape measure (thank god!) and I have never felt uncomfortable. A proper bra fitting involves you stripping down to your bra so the lady can see what size you’re wearing and where it needs to be adjusted. She will then bring you a selection of bras for you to try, 9 times out of 10 they get it right first time! I have only had one bra fitting where the lady has actually taken the bras off for me- apparently flashing a stranger doesn’t bother me, but every other fitting I have had the shop either had a curtain for you to pull across or the lady has left the fitting room, I’ve always found a bra fitting to be like sisterhood in its truest form.
The Museum of Broken Relationships
The Museum of Broken Relationships, an exhibition that originated in Croatia, is a collection of objects donated by people from around the world, each object telling a story of a past relationship. The objects, which include a wedding dress, a crumbling garden gnome and a cast from a broken leg, are displayed alongside texts detailing the tales of passion, romance and heartbreak they symbolise. New items, donated by people living and working in Covent Garden, will be added to collection for the London show, which also takes place at 38 Earlham Street, WC2H 9LH and in store windows in the Seven Dials area. In addition, there are commissioned works made in response to the exhibition by artists, and a series of associated events.
What a brilliant idea for a museum! We’ve all been through it, and we’ve all got something we could give to the exhibition. So it’s nice to see what other people around the world have given, plus the stories are interesting, sometimes funny and more often than not, heart-breaking.
Below is a selection from the museum with stories of the past relationships. My favourite has got to be the phone, what a good idea to give your phone to your ex so they can’t call you!
An Ex Axe
1995
Berlin, Germany
She was the first woman that I let move in with me. All my friends thought I needed to learn to let people in more. A few months after she moved in, I was offered to travel to the US. She could not come along. At the airport we said goodbye in tears, and she was assuring me she could not survive three weeks without me. I returned after three weeks, and she said: “I fell in love with someone else. I have known her for just 4 days, but I know that she can give me everything that you cannot.”
I was banal and asked about her plans regarding our life together. The next day she still had no answer, so I kicked her out. She immediately went on holiday with her new girlfriend while her furniture stayed with me. Not knowing what to do with my anger, I finally bought this axe at Karstadt to blow off steam and to give her at least a small feeling of loss – which she obviously did not have after our break-up.
In the 14 days of her holiday, every day I axed one piece of her furniture. I kept the remains there, as an expression of my inner condition. The more her room filled with chopped furniture acquiring the look of my soul, the better I felt. Two weeks after she left, she came back for the furniture. It was neatly arranged into small heaps and fragments of wood. She took that trash and left my apartment for good. The axe was promoted to a therapy instrument.
A Cell Phone
July 12, 2003 – April 14, 2004
Zagreb, Croatia
It was 300 days too long. He gave me his cell phone so I couldn’t call him any more.
“I love you” Teddy bear
2002
Zagreb, Croatia
„I love you“ – WHAT A LIE! LIES, DAMN LIES! Yes, it’s like that when you are young, naïve and in love. And you don’t realize your boyfriend started dating you just because he wanted to take you to bed! I got this teddy bear for Valentine’s. He survived on top of my closet in a plastic bag, because it wasn’t him who hurt me, but the idiot who left him behind.
A Glass Horse
1982-1997
Maribor, Slovenia
One day I was tidying up the bedroom. I opened the closet and found a small cash-box. I opened it. At the bottom of it I saw my wedding ring, and next to it a little glass horse. I took it in my hand. It was made in a workshop on the island of Murano, Venice.
Old memories – If I remember correctly, my husband and I took a trip to Venice. It was a splendid day, the sun was shining. I was young, I was in love. I had wonderful dreams about our future. Venice is a city of people in love. We walked slowly along the streets, across the squares and stone bridges. The streets were full of people, full of tourists. Young people were walking hand in hand. Everyone seemed happy. We soon arrived at the Canal Grande, a long narrow street full of beautiful palaces. The facades were bathing in the sun. We stopped at the place called Café Gondoliere and went in. Inside there was a group of tourists, older men reading newspapers, and smartly-dressed women eating cakes. We sat down to enjoy the scene. After some time I went to the women’s washroom and when I came back, my husband was paying the bill. We made a quick decision. We went to visit the glass-works of Murano.
I was admiring an artist who was making beautiful sculptures in glass. In front of us he was sculpting a beautiful horse. I said: Oh, I would be very happy if I had it. Then we returned to the city. It was a long walk back to our hotel. We didn’t talk a lot, but it was a peaceful time which both of us enjoyed. I was very happy. Just before we reached the hotel my husband kissed me on the cheek and gave me a small package. He said: Darling, I love you. I’ll never stop loving you. You are my life. I answered: Me too, dear. When we entered the room, I opened my gift and saw the little glass horse.
20 years later, I am divorced. His love disappeared like the wind. I put the glass horse into the box beside the wedding ring and shut it. I say to myself: Don’t cry! Tomorrow is a new day.
A “MIRA FURLAN” Bowl
Almost 3 years, January 2003 – September 2005
Ljubljana, Slovenia
You wanted me to bake bread. Because a woman kneading dough is so erotic, isn’t she? You probably thought I’d work up such a sweat that it would drip from my breasts directly into the bowl. One summer day I dressed up only in an apron, just for you and the bowl. In three years I made bread five times in this bowl. It never was any good, always hard as a rock. I don’t know why. Maybe it is because the bowl is too small for kneading, or because I sometimes forgot to put in the yeast. Do you put an egg in bread? You were always eyeing me suspiciously when I was “getting to work”. You wanted me to be like Mira Furlan in the film “Lepota poroka”. But I’m not Mira Furlan. Now I know that the bread was bad because I was afraid that you would – like it happened in the film – smash it on my head with a hammer, if I happened to look at another boy for a tad too long. After that I only ate salad from the bowl for a while. I lost 21 kilograms. And the Furlan woman is not such a babe anymore.
Underpants
2003 – 2005
Zagreb, Croatia
A size too small…but I didn’t mind at all.
A Wedding Dress
1994 – 1997
Berlin, Germany
We married in Greece and in Japan when we were just over 20. I wore this dress on August 20, 1994 in Kavala, Greece. We had 800 guests. A Greek magazine reported on the wedding of 3 countries. One radio station even had a special coverage.
Against our will, we became rather known there, which was followed by many nosy questions from different people pointing their fingers at us.
Our goal was a happy home with many children.
But Mother Nature did not deliver – and couldn’t children wait until the end of our studies?
It was very important to him, a very happy man from the beginning, to be a young father. Finally, nothing was missing…
Slowly, the page turned. Impatience tipped the scales and brought a dark gray sky over our initial happiness, built a thick white wall between our fields of vision that stifled each feeling in its embryo.
On the other hand, some things became clear on his side that moved me to separate and after a while to return to Germany, but not to my home town, Stuttgart. Berlin won me over and I am finding more and more in this town and in the people that love me.
I started to feel at home here and even have a family. It is the best moment- to be an independent grown up offering a safe thread of life to a small being, and thus not to be alone.