New Video for Born To Die

Just when I couldn't get enough of the last Lana Del Rey video, she just launched another one! Yay, the tigers, the scene, the costumes, oh my...I can hardly wait for the album to come out soon!

I'm Back....

After a long and lovely summer, I am finally back in the mood to blog. So much to say, where to begin?

Finally free. Now it all begins...

My friend Anna Pryka and her Moms on an elephant.

The Handsome Furs New Album and Tour!

    Sometimes when I tell people I don't own a television and haven't for years, they think nothing of it. Others just look at me like I'm completely insane, baffled, like "what do you do then"? I love it when they actually say that. You don't play video games? No. You haven't seen Glee? No.  I only watch select television for market research, to laugh or occasionally for style or if someone suggests it as important. I work a lot. When I'm not working I like to be with friends or out in the world doing things. "Sure, but you have some leisure time, what do you do around the house"? A lot of different kinds of things, but lately I'm really into studying music and thinking.That involves, listening, watching and slightly obsessing. Then, hopefully, if anyone is listening, sharing it? It's impossible to keep up with everything that is cool these days because we are in the beginning of a creative revolution. So many awesome bands and art are taking over the internet, social media and the world. It's so much easier to share art with a wide audience, and be selective about what you post or share, it's so exciting! It's pretty much one of my favorite parts of life.

   I only have my opinion  and experience when it comes to music and art.  I don't play any instruments. I sing, alright if you have the proper editing tools.  I can't read music. I can't even isolate the sound of a base vs. some other instrument in many songs, unless I focus on just that. I tried to play the flute when I was in fifth grade. I sort of read the music to the most simple songs, but mostly I just remembered what each position felt like to my hands and memorized the order so I could look ahead and avoid making sense of all that rubbish. When it comes to most things, including music. I either like it or don't, some things I like a lot, some music makes me physically ill. I think it's important to ourselves to a lot of different forms and types of art and inspiration and explore our reactions. My nature has always been to spend lots of time by myself, listening to music while I work or do whatever. I get especially excited about Spring and Summer time because so many bands are on tour and you can see some awesome shows in and around PDX.

     One of my favorite bands, The Handsome Furs, recently came out with a new album, Sound Kapital, the third to be released on Subpop for this amazing collaboration. So far, I still can't decide which of the three is my favorite? They are all amazing. You can just tell how connected and real they are as individuals. Together, they are kind of genius.  Here is a cool video of them performing in China a couple of years ago. I do fancy those statement earrings Alexis is wearing. They are like part of the song.  She always wears cool big jewelry that moves around while she performs, it's hot. I can't wait to see them live again this summer! They don't have any shows scheduled for Portland, but hopefully that will change. If not, there is always Seattle in July at the Capitol Hill Block Party!

Handsome Furs live in Shanghai 2 from taiande on Vimeo.
The Handsome Furs
Live at Yuyintang, Shanghai

Photo of Three Girls on A Park Bench

                           Oaxaca City Mexico, 2007 by Brehan Todd

Karen Elson - Cruel Summer

            Karen Elson performing "Cruel Summer" (Live Acoustic) from Karen Elson on Vimeo.

Karen Elson is so talented and beautiful, I wish I could put her in my pocket and pull her out every once in awhile to have her sing me a song!  Her voice is sweet, girlish, and soft, with a tiny lisp. The way she plays the guitar, and sways timidly is delicate and charming. I find her style and artistic endeavors very inspiring, not to mention, her wardrobe. She wears a lot of feathers and nude tones, and has pretty, unearthly bright, red hair. Her clothes and shoes all look like they were made for dancing in the moonlight. She seems to glow from within and be part angel or forest nymph, mixed with clouds or cotton candy or something?  

This little video of her performing "The Ghost Who Walks", by a fire, in what looks like a castle or cozy cottage in Europe (?) is my favorite. The moody lyrics speak of loneliness and romance, and of the darkness that sometimes takes over our minds for a bit. Often, we feel this more during the final stages of winter, during these cold grey months as we wait for Spring.

The lyrics in this song, remind me a lot of how I felt as a child and a young girl, not always fitting in easily; "living" in my imagination of secret gardens, books and dolls and colored pencils.  I remember rushing home from school to see what had grown bigger or peeped out of the ground while I was away, in my garden bed.  I could hardly wait for the lilacs to bloom in the Spring, the pansies to pop up and the tulips to open! I loved to clip just enough flowers to make bouquets for the house and still leave my garden looking full and vivacious! I planted and tended my little menagerie of random plants so peacefully and happily at times. Some nights I would stay there digging, and playing with snails, until the sun started to go down. I think my parents began to think it was a bit strange when I decided to plant a single rose bush, strategically placed in the Southeast corner of the front yard, right in the middle of the lawn. "Why can't I dig a hole in the grass and plant my rose bush here, I asked my father?" I had it all planned out, in what I thought was a perfectly logical landscaping idea.  I planned to dig the hole deep enough for the roots to fit, remove the rocks and grasses and place the rocks around the circle to keep weeds from creeping in.  That way, the first thing people would see when they came up to our house, was this beautiful red and pink rosebush, something I felt was essential. There was no winning this argument with a determined twelve year old. Or, maybe my parents felt bad that I liked doing manual labor instead of normal child things? Anyhow, there I went, digging away and planting my roses, stretching the hose to it's limit to water it for the first time and feeling quite pleased with myself for my creativity and determination. 

I've since learned to garden in a more traditional sense and I still find it so peaceful and relaxing to feel the soil on my hands. As I'm working on getting the Spring collection out and into the boutiques, I will be starting some lettuce and tomato seeds in the basement. The sun is already out and Spring will be here before we know it. Maybe I'll plant a rose, next to the blackberries this year?  I think that would be lovely if that was the first thing I saw each morning when I woke up.....aaahhh, day dreaming of Spring time! For now, back to work I go!

Welcome 2011!

I'm so excited for the New Year and all of the new and exciting possibilities for the future. I hear so many amazing stories about one person or a small group of people making a huge difference by making a small difference in their own lives. Volunteer work and charity is increasing, despite the period of economic difficulty.  Of course, we are not close to being out of the woods with the environment or stability of our future yet and many countries economies around the world are literally collapsing. I hope this new year brings more peace, by encouraging and forcing people to evolve with the new state of life on Earth. 

One of my favorite things about these days is how many amazing, talented and real musicians are  Because of technology changing at a faster rate than ever before, emerging artists and designers are able to become know without the help of large corporate record deals or contracts. One of my favorite little known folk singers plays under the, The Tallest Man On Earth.  I happened upon this video one day on my favorite French music site, La Blogotheque.  Iv'e really enjoyed his albums classic approach to music that has always been great with a modern ideology mixed in.  Here are a couple of my favorite videos, performed live in various interesting locations.

Tallest Man on Earth - The Gardener - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.


Tallest man on earth - These Days (Nico Cover) - A Take Away Show from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Exclusive line of luxury jewelry    
 by Brehan Todd for Eco1st Art.com

Aviary at Dawn Necklace by Brehan Todd-$1500.00

I am so excited to announce the launch of my exclusive line of one of a kind, luxury jewelry! The line is specially designed  for Eco1start.com, a brand new online, eco marketplace.  I was invited to participate this Spring by Janeen Swing, a well known interior designer in California, who has worked all over the world. She started the project in order to help provide "green" solutions for decorating and lifestyle for her conscious clients, while helping provide a marketplace for artists to reach the buyers. She told me that Jane Goodall and several celebrities were endorsing the site and the amazing philosophy behind the business.  The site includes artists from around the world and features innovative, sustainable design in art, furniture, lighting, jewelry, apparel, accessories (including shoes) and collectibles.  I'm beyond proud to be one of the first few jewelry designers that has been added to the, still under construction, website. Here is a look at the necklaces I've handmade from vintage and recycled materials inspired by the movement to save the environment in our world. Eco1start.com is scheduled to launch, officially in October, but you can check out the few artists featured so far and check back for updates. I'll be adding more new designs before the launch as well, including cuff bracelets and earrings. View the work so far at this link, or click on each photo caption to take you straight to the listing, http://eco1start.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=eco&Category_Code=NCK

Fit For a Queen Choker by Brehan Todd
price-$1050.00

Stowaway Statement Choker by Brehan Todd $1100.00

Under the Streelight Necklace by Brehan Todd-$1100.00

How High the Moon Necklace by Brehan Todd-$1100.00

Aviary At Dawn Necklace by Brehan Todd price-$1500.00

Hello Friends,

I just wanted to thank everyone who has supported my Etsy shop during this last couple of weeks. I've raised almost $200.00 so far and I will continue to donate 20% until Valentine's Day!  I've posted tons of new items for Spring and will be updating all week!  Please stop by my shop at this link,

http://www.brehanclaire.etsy.com/

Here are a few of my favorite things from the line so far,

New Fall Line by Brehan Todd at Narcisse

I am so excited to announce my new line of fall designs at Narcisse in Portland, Oregon! Narcisse, is a relatively new shop that I've blogged about in the past and is recently gaining a lot of attention for it's unique art direction. It's the only shop to carry the label, Noa Noa from Denmark and recently began stocking beautiful handmade corsets by Paloma Soledad. I happen to have the privilege of working with the lovely owners, Dawn Bush and Heidi Goldsmith, who have a talent for making you feel like your crawling into an old novel with a cup of tea and some cakes, on a rainy afternoon. I just love that feeling, so I was drawn to the shop one day and now, we have ourselves a soul mate connection, folks! We just really see eye to eye on what's cute and pretty and makes us feel like we are the heroine in our own movie, our life! If you haven't gone to the shops on Southwest Washinton, this one alone is worth the stop, but luckily there are lots of other charming businesses nearby. In the meanwhile, here are some of the new collection for Narcisse,

New Fall Location Shoot

Fall 2009 By Brehan Todd Hello again my friends, How is everyone this week? Thank you so much for all of the excitement and enthusiasm about the hats! Several lovely articles and blogs mentioned my work for Flutter and I was thrilled. Jen Mcabe did a lovely article on Oregonlive.com, thank you so much! Here is the link, http://blog.oregonlive.com/shoporegon/2009/10/new_brehan_todd_hats_at_flutte.html I'm excited to announce a lovely shoot I had with Dave(my boyfriend and housemate) at our new house in California! I wanted to have some nice, interesting photos for a lookbook on my website, www.brehantodd.com (posted soon)! We shot this in my new and hardly set up yet, studio, which has amazing light and will be coming along quickly. Here is a little preview of some of the line. Hand made from vintage buttons, materials and castoffs Made from a vintage pocket watch, recycled wool, hand raised hen feather This fall collection is something I'm really excited about and I hope is well received. These designs are a complete reflection of my life and what influences and inspires me as a designer. I've never felt more in transition in a way, but at the same time completely inspired. We were moving during production stages, so it was designed and constructed sort of half in Oregon, half in Santa Rosa. We've been feeling a lot of roller coaster emotions this past year as a country, not to mention overcoming hurdles personally and professionally. Through this process, always I find solace and passion in the work that I'm doing, no matter what else is going on in the background. I think it's so important, and I've really learned the value of that, for everyone to have a true passion that can provide comfort or escape and keep us well rounded in intense times.

Traveling Hands Timepiece necklace by Brehan Todd hand made from vintage floating hands, pocket watch and vintage beads and charm

I have things in my life that influence me and my design constantly, like politics, what's going on in the world, art, music, architecture, things that are constantly evolving. Some of these things I latch onto are classic, images of swooping swallows, timepieces, Alice and Wonderland, vintage hardware, anything to do with an old carnival or circus vibe. I launched my spring 2009 line with a heavy circus theme and I still love that look but I think it's evolving into something more modern. When times seems to stand still, as it did during the Bush administration, I found myself, holding my breath, thinking, "please do not blow up the world, please do not get elected again". I think now it's just starting to sink in that that part of history is over and there is potential now for change. I think this plays a role in why I find myself excited about design and art and music right now, more than last year. It's as if things were asleep for awhile, while we were waiting to feel ok again, and now there are some really interesting, innovative and exciting things happening in the art world as a whole. I'm thrilled to be whatever part of that I can be and to maintain a commitment to new ideas in sustainable design and supporting other designers with this as a mission, globally. Show Pony Necklace www.brehanclaire.etsy.com Acorn Choker by Brehan Todd brehanclaire.etsy.com I do find myself to be an emotional person and moreso than my first collection, this shows that very personal side of me. The focus is still on color but more emphasized in the variations in color of the metal and working with what can be done with that, or combining as many different colored metals as I can, with other organic elements, such as the acorn. This is my representation of the beauty and density in organic and animal matter in the forests of Oregon and Northern California. What kind of colors come from that, or the way I feel excited every time I see a deer, even if I've seen a hundred already, the vast bird varieties, all around this region, even all the crazy fungus that piles up on a stump . Again, I've carried over an emphasis on birds and feathers, as a constant element, as well as a use of bold, saturated color, with varied texture. Some of the lines are harder, more architectural and organic, combined with feminine detail, as well as some elements of a Rock and Roll influence, mixed with traditional Equestrian culture. I don't know exactly where I got these ideas right now, except to say that I've met more horses in the last year (and boarded two) than ever before in my life? I find them fascinating and so beautiful, mysterious and simple. I suppose, it's fair to say I have always been influenced by the fashion associated with that culture as well?. The other great source of influence, now and always, is music. To me the real music right now that's coming out, that really means something after a sea of pop nonsense for so long, is very easily translated into a combination of old school tradition, with an almost dreamy and preppy idealism, mixed with old fashioned rock elements. I couldn't know less about or be more influenced by this other art of music that I can' seem to participate in, except to listen and know what I like. To me this combination of horses and studs, leather and lace have always complimented each other. Birds of a Feather Cuff Links by Brehan Todd Handmade from vintage materials available on etsy.com Horse Meadow Choker handmade by Brehan Todd available on etsy.com and soon at Flutter Mad Hatter Rings by Brehan Todd Made from vintage, pewter monopoly game pieces -

Fini Photographs by Brehan Todd

Ultra PDX Photoshoot

Hello readers! I was so excited when one of my favorite Portland Stylists, Elianna Barel recently swung by Narcisse to borrow one of my statement necklaces and some lovely garments. As always she did an amazing job styling this eerily romantic photos shoot with Seattle photographer Howard Petrella. Photos for Ultrapdx.

Vintage Chandelier Statement Necklace by Brehan Todd-

available at Narcisse, Portland OR , Retail $284.00

This is my personal favorite photo of the shoot. Lovely belt, by Noa Noa, also available at Narcisse Jacket by Noa Noa, available at Narcisse

Vintage Headdress avialable at Flutter, Portland OR

All photos by Howard Petrella

http://www.petrellastudio.com/

Styling by Elianna Barel

http://eliannabarel.com/splash.html

Thanks come back soon!