Enjoy creating art?

Looking for a unique opportunity?

Appreciate the beauty of the female form?

Hoping for a chance to photograph me?

The time has come! On Sunday, August 17th, I will be taking part in an Outdoor Fine Art Nude Photography Workshop. As a photographer, you will receive 2 hours of professional instruction and assistance. After training, you will have 3 hours to photograph me (and 3 other nude models) at a chic, earthy location.

As a nude model, I charge $100 an hour for photo shoots, so this is a spectacular deal!

Keep reading for details on how to sign up for the workshop and a sneak peak at my artistic nude portfolio.

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Sarah Zins didn’t start out in fashion, but her Barbie doll would beg to differ. Using scraps from her mom’s sewing basket, she pieced whatever she could into some sophisticated modern-art wonders for her first, tiny client. Later, as a broke English lit student, her work was more of a reworked vintage variety, and she branched out to make costumes for friends.

Sarah’s travels brought her to Kyrgyzstan after college, where scarcity of many things (including wardrobe choice) was the rule, as were long, cold winters and lots of time to sew. But it was in San Francisco that she started for real, taking City College classes and considering the design path.

She debuted in the 2006 GenArt Styles International Design Competition as a finalist and since then has been developing clothing that keeps in mind the scarcity of the world’s resources. Made from “only high-quality reused and remnant silk, wool, cotton, and cashmere,” Sarah’s self-titled clothing brand is a vital view into the future of fashion.

I recently had the pleasure of being Sarah’s first interviewer. Read on for our chat about disco, frivolity, big brand clothing and eco-activism.

Victoria Everman: What first drew you to fashion?

Sarah Zins: I think I’ve got this DIY mentality that maybe comes from my hippie parents. We should all know something about how to grow food, cook, build, and craft everyday necessities. I loved imagining and making all kinds of things, and making clothes just grew out of that. So when I didn’t have whatever crazy-ass outfit that I dreamt up to play dress-up in, I dug out my mom’s needles and pinking shears and tried to sew it. My Barbie got some very slick things to wear, too.

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Still reading environmental news from your local paper? Wake up! There is a new online home for sustainable metropolitan living - Greenopia. Starting with green ratings for Los Angeles biz, Greenopia now covers San Francisco and New York City. The ratings are available in book form and on their newly designed website.

Widely publicized green maven Starre Vartan (founder of Eco-Chick) has been hired Greenopia’s Editorial Director. She hired me, and a few others, to take Greenopia’s website to the next level!

Thanks to our continuing hard work, Greenopia is now the go-to source for local eco-living in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York City. Along with green ratings, you’ll find:

• National and Local Environmental News and Events
• Community Interactions: submit reviews, blogs, business listings, tips … and win prizes!
• Interviews with National and Local Eco-Celebrities
• How to be Greener Guides
• Green Gripes Blog: real solutions to everyday eco-living problems and challenges
  

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Wine, chips and salsa, ink, stencils, fabric scraps, heat guns, over 50 people you don’t know - either this is Martha Stewart’s bachelor party or an exciting event with Swedish design maven Lotta Jansdotter. Hosted by San Francisco’s Craft Gym this past Saturday, the printmaking party with Lotta Jansdotter was also a book release party for her latest tome from Chronicle Books, titled Lotta Prints (ah, how I love a play on words).

Now living with her husband and son in Brooklyn, Lotta lived in San Francisco for many years and seemed delighted to be back in the “City by the Bay.” With stencils, linoleum blocks, and potatoes stamps featuring designs from her new book, Lotta showed nearly 50 people how to add personality to plain textiles. I’ve never seen so many people crammed into the Craft Gym before, proving just how much Lotta is still loved on the West Coast.

I personally didn’t have a chance to give any of the printing a shot, but just by watching and listening to Lotta’s techniques, I gained valuable knowledge for an upcoming home decorating project. Of course, a few folks from Chronicle Books were on-hand to sell copies of Lotta Prints. The book is a bit different from Lotta’s well-known Simple Sewing. Instead of featuring expansive step-by-step instructions for specific projects and detailed patterns, readers are given the basics of each printing method, a few stencils and encouraged to play around.

As a person who has always been interested in printmaking, this book is a joy! Drawings, scrap prints, finished projects and photographs taken by Lotta herself accompany the book’s instructions, showing the reader that inspiration can come from anywhere. Whether you are looking to achieve something similar to Lotta’s signature style or hoping to develop a style of your own, Lotta Prints is the book for you. I’ll be using my copy as a reference for both printing instructions and stimulating visuals - as they say, “the sky’s the limit.”

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For penny pinchers and poor folks alike, Broke-Ass Stuart’s Guide to Living Cheaply in San Francisco has been an indispensable resource for affordable food and fun. After two volumes printed on his own dime, Stuart signed with NYC’s Falls Media to publish a full book of his Yelp-worthy suggestions and reviews. The original San Francisco book hit stores on the 6th and he is having one hell of a shin-dig this Thursday to celebrate its release.

When my boyfriend and I first moved to San Francisco in 2005, Stuart’s guide was a major resource for helping us navigate all the cheap and tasty foods the city by the Bay has to offer. Now, with over 200 pages and oodles of pictures, this new guide is a priceless tome for anyone living in, moving to, or visiting SF.

As part of his new book deal, Stuart has been living in New York City for over 6 months, working on a Broke-Ass Guide for the Big Apple (according to Amazon.com, it will be released in April of 2008).

Be there or be not square (wink); you know I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Looking for more info about Susie? Check out the interview I did with here recently right here on Victoria-E.com.