WHO'S THAT GIRL: CEEDLING

This lovely lady needs no introduction- Celia Edell, the face behind the blog Ceedling has tens of thousands of followers on tumblr, 5,000+ subscribers on youtube, a successful blogspot, a bachelor's degree in philosophy and she's just barely 22. Known for her eloquence and knowledge when it comes to intersectional feminism, sense of style, kick ass hair and general bad bitch material, she is a familiar face in the world of the web. I asked Celia the... simple questions. Just read the interview, for gods sake.

Howdy, Celia! Tell us a bit about yourself?

Hi I'm Celia! I'm 22, and just finished my undergraduate degree in philosophy. I blog about fashion, feminism, and anxiety, mostly! 

How were you introduced to feminism?

I was introduced to the core beliefs of feminism from my mother, although she hardly pushed it on me. I didn't identify with feminism until first year university...it took a lot of unlearning of internalized notions and I am so much happier as a result.

Have you faced adversity or been criticized for your beliefs or personal choices (being so open, body hair, etc.)?

Yeah, I have. I've been criticized, but most of the criticism comes from ignorance or naivety. And, considering my privilege, I have it considerably easier than many - I can take the heat.

How did you respond to the negativity and what did you learn from the situations?

I learned that I'm stronger than I thought; that voicing my opinion will make people uncomfortable but that discomfort is a step toward change. I've also learned that sometimes the best response is no response (like in the case of nasty Youtube comments)

What inspired you to start blogging?

I started blogging in first year university too! I think that was a significant time for me, I was free from everything I tried to be in high school and started fresh as who I wanted to be from then on. I started blogging partially as a way to express my new sense of self, and partially to escape boring lectures I had to sit through..

If you were a dessert, what kind of dessert would you be?

I would be something ridiculously sweet like fudge. Basically just butter and sugar. I have the biggest sweet-tooth of anyone I know and I also think I'm not trying to be anything I'm not - I'm just sugar and butter, y'all. Nothin' nutritious about it.

Who are your style icons?

I am and always have been inspired by the fashion on the streets of Japan! But otherwise, my style icons include M.I.A, Rihanna, Julia Sarr-Jamois...

What are you favorite movies?

I love so many movies, it's always hard to pick favorites but I will never tired of The Shining, Lolita (the original), Blue Velvet, Taxi Driver, Fargo and Totoro.

What was the most embarrassing moment of your life (so far, that is)?

Oh god...That's hard because I think some of the things I thought were the most embarrassing at the time probably pale in comparison to some of the stuff I let slide of my back now-a-days. In grade 9 I shaved half of my eyebrows off by accident. It wasn't a cool look, either, it was the middle of my eyebrows...I was trying to shape them. That was pretty bad.

Any advice for people? Final words? Etc?

I think I'm better at giving advice to friends in a context than broad advice for everyone! But I guess my advice is to not take anything for granted. Don't take yourself or your friends for granted - treasure them - and don't take what you're taught for granted - question it, deconstruct it, and you'll be much better for it.

All photos and videos were taken from Celia's blog, ceedling.tumblr.com.

WHO'S THAT GIRL: MODERN GIRL BLITZ

Last fall, I was roaming around etsy, looking for some feminist-related pins that I could decorate my my new (AKA, stolen from my mum) jean jacket with. In no time, I discovered the majesty that is Modern Girl Blitz. Run by one rad lady, Midge, MGB bangs out incredible prints, buttons, stickers, zines, etc. After my first purchase of 4 buttons, I was hooked, so I thought who better to interview than this lovely lady? I'll tell you... No one. You can check out Midge's store here and her personal style blog here.

Hellooo Midge! Tell us a bit about your lovely self!
I'm Midge, it's short for Michelle-Claire (this is my real first name). I like to call my self a self employed career crafter. I feel thats the best way to describe what I do as my job. I make and craft things all day. I also run a style blog as a little side project that keeps me busy when the crafty portion of my time is slow. I love exploring with different style in both my work and my appearance so I'm constantly re-inventing and evolving with my day to day endeavors.

How did you get into art and craft-making? Have you always been this artistic? 

I've always been the "creative" kid, thats the only "award" I got in school, was for art. So i just kept on pushing art as a thing I want to do with my entire life, and never really looked back or considered other options. I'm lucky cause "art" is a very broad spectrum so I can do lots of things. But I chose being a crafty lady. 

Your Esty shop is beyond amazing! How has the experience of running an online shop been for you?

Thank you! It's been going pretty smoothly thus far, to be honest! Things do get very hectic and busy at times, especially around the Holidays. But I love the business I'm in, and I love being kept extremely busy. I'm a good multi-tasker so i enjoy the workload. If I ever catch myself complaining about a ton of orders to pack where I'm up to my neck in bubble mailers, I just remind myself that that's all people that give a crap about my art, and that they give so much of a crap that they'll pay me for it.

As you may know, trying to hold an artistic career isn't very easy. Do you think an artist must formally train in order to achieve more success?

I did go to art school for Graphic Design, so I do use a lot of the technical skills I've learned there, like how to bind a book, using xacto knives, and things like that. Though I am a strong believer that you can't teach someone how to have their artistic process, and how to forma their vision and aesthetic, you can only teach yourself those things, because it's your unique voice and yours alone. And that should come naturally. But you can definitely teach someone how to use computer programs like photoshop and illustrator, as well as other hand-skills, so that person can better translate their ideas. 

What inspires you artistically? 

Things that inspire me are other art that I get to see on a daily basis thank to the interwebs, like on tumblr and rookie. I love taking things I've found like postcards and scraps of pretty paper up on bulletin boards on my walls so I always have something pretty to look at while I work. Right now I'm super into pastels and shiny things.

I'm also a big advocate on not forcing creativity and taking breaks. Stepping away from something you're stuck on is ways better than trying to force something mediocre. I've noticed that inspiration comes at the most unexpected times (happened just yesterday while packing orders!) and for me, I can't really set time away in my day saying "OK I'm going to be creative now!"

Who are your fashion idols? 

My fashion idols include: Tavi Gevingson, Agnes Deyn, Enid Coleslaw (do fiction characters count?), and Kate Nash (I definitely have more but I can't think of them right now, of course)

Do you any neat-o plans for the future? 

Yes! I'm currently working on a piece for a show my friend is hosting in Brooklyn on August 10th. I'll post about it when it nears closer :)

Any words of wisdom?

I like to borrow words of wisdom from RuPaul. 

 "What other people think of you is none of your goddamn business". 

All photos were taken from Midge's etsy and blogspot account.

D.I.Y. DAY

As some of you know, I had a "Treat Yo Self" day the other week. Last night, my package from Delish Beads came in! Since it was a snow day today, I decided on making this drizzly, grim afternoon into a craft day.

The finished rings.

The finished barrettes.

There is nothing better than a craft day. I can't wait to put all of these into use!

Thank you DELISH BEADS for throwing in extras!

TREAT YO SELF 2013

Best day of the year!

For those of you who don't watch the TV show Parks and Recreation, you are unfamiliar with the concept of "treat yo self day". The concept of treat yo self is simple; you treat yo self to whatever you want, whatever the calorie number, whatever the price, etc. It's pretty much the greatest idea of all time.

Yesterday was my version of treat yo self.

Here was my agenda for TREAT YO SELF 2013.

• 15 hours of sleep the night before.

• A 30-minute-long hot shower, complete with belting, hair mask, face mask and peppermint sugar scrub.

• Tamales for breakfast.

• 7+ hours of lounging on the couch and watching Breaking Bad. 

• An entire quiche for lunch.

• Going out with friends and making a music video.

• Hair dying party.

• Delicious green tea mochi while browsing through tumblr.

and of course

• ONLINE SHOPPING.

Internet princess necklace from yippywhippy.bigcartel.com/

Custom knitted hat from adarling.bigcartel.com 

(Mine's going to be light pink and turquoise and say "get bent")

And finally, multiple charms and cabochons from delishbeads.com

I plan on making rings and barrettes of of them.

Overall, I'd say Treat Yo Self 2013 was a success. Have y'all ever experienced Treat Yo Self? I highly recommend it.

HEY. HI. HELLO.

Hello blogosphere! (That's a word right?)

I have finally motivated myself to do something with this blog... It took a few tries and a few months but finally, it's gettin' some.

Ok, so about me?

My name's Bailey. I'm sweet sixteen and a liberal feminist. I live in Vermont, which would be great if I was a rich retiree or someone straight outta Woodstock. Sadly, I am neither, so my town is awful.

I don't really know what else to post... I love cats?

Okay, time to start posting pictures of clothes.