time & energy

My sketch for today. She is one of my favorite style bloggers, Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere. I want to meet her one day. She is such an inspiration and all the goodies she cooks makes me drool... and I love her style. Another week flies by! Another great one too! Since having this new job I've been pretty impressed with the atmosphere of the company and its professionalism. You must be wondering why I'm saying that lol, but in case you didn't know, the fashion industry is crazy. It is actually like what you see on Project Runway.. and I think it's sooo stupid. It's why I decided to take a year long break. I was around crazy people every day and it ate up my energy even though I had the tools and knowledge to block negative people. I was just falling apart. And there wasn't enough of me to intend for this type of prevention. I was a robot with no heart. But now that I'm back I've been enjoying the design team I'm working with. This week I experienced my first company meeting among 500 co-workers which took place at the Beverly Hilton which was pretty impressive. That whole event might as well have been a company holiday party because it was just so fancy! I loved it. There was a runway show for the new direction of the brand which looked pretty cool. I can't wait to own some!

I had a fancy coffee and I don't like coffee.

I had a couple of minutes to spare in the morning after I made myself some green tea. I think this'll be a new routine. :) I've been illustrating Blair from Atlantic-Pacific. I love her style and the way she poses. She's perfect for practicing.

I've been so tired this entire week but I made an effort to attend my second six-sensory class. It's pretty intense and my teacher says it's going to be like boot camp now moving forward. I'm excited.

Great moments this week. My energy is low right now because I haven't had much sleep since I've been trying to adjust to my new sleeping schedule. Sleeping in is one thing I do miss. I'll admit that I did have my moments during the week where I was unsure why I was working again, but every time that happened I pulled out my sketchbook and sketched away or opened one of my happy books that my amazing friends got me for my birthday to remind myself not to over think things, and just keep practicing what I love doing. And I would also find things to make me laugh until I cried. And on the weekends I'm playing with some yoga moves. Playing is important. Ask Albert Einstein.

xx ss

And lastly, I'm so happy for my mom. I love her and my sisters so much and after dealing with 3 years of trying to piece ourselves back together after her devastating split up with my dad, the divorce is now finalized. I'm so grateful. She made it without losing her mind because she had me and my sisters and my aunt to balance her out. No pills, medication, and all that stupid shit. She's a fuckin fighter. I love her.

Thanks mama for your continued and loving support <3

girl talk

I had such a lovely Sunday yesterday sharing yummy lattes with a bestie at Urth Caffe. I got much too much green tea goodies though. But I was craving it.. I love catching up with a friend.. love, love. I just get great advice. We shared lots of great stories, laughs, major goals for the year, and marketing tips for business which made our conversation more worthwhile. Yesterday she inspired and motivated me to rework my illustration style. And that's today's scribble.

Thanks, Brenda <3

xx ss

Musing Mugs: Sophia Amoruso

I decided to take my muse to my mug.

Every morning I like to start my day having Yogi Tea with lemon before getting into my work. While I drink I like reading their well-wished messages attached to the opposite end of the teabag. There are some I like, and others that don't make sense to me. But overall, it's a fun read. Last week I realized how much I hate the mugs I use to drink my tea in. And I don't even have a favorite.. and everyone has a favorite mug! So, funny timing, Society6 was just promoting mugs for artists to place their artwork on. It was perfect! I decided to come up with my own.

I wanted my mug to inspire me every day. So I decided to use my favorite muse, Sophia Amoruso {once again}, because her success story always, ALWAYS amazes me. Then I adopted Yogi Tea's message concept and used an affirmation of my own. Then voila! Perfection...! i have created my own favorite mug!

...and you can have one of your own too! The print & mug are available for purchase here! I will create more, so stay tuned!

xx,

ss

A Lovely Sort of Pause

"I have been walking, without having to be anywhere on time. I have been up late, without having to go to bed early. I have been sleeping late, without setting an alarm and I have been reading without having to put down my book. A lovely sort of pause. But now I'm building again..." - malin koort

my weekend.

xx, ss

Muse: Betty

BETTY

is such a cutie and one of my favorite style bloggers. I'll be doing a series of illustrations like I did with Sophia Amoruso pretty soon, just thought I'd get started with one because this picture resembles the perfect feeling of summer vacation. Now that it's getting colder, I feel I'm already missing the hot season. The weather is already transitioning...

For you!

Le Blog de Betty

xx,

SS

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Work Mode

I've been building up a long list of muses of people to illustrate and it's about time I get to them! I don't profit much from my account on Society6, but I still want to keep that going because I love all the produce you can develop out of your artwork :) I'm trying to decide if I should get on the Etsy wagon...why not? I also decided I needed to revamp my illustrations each time I sketch. I'm taking this week off to do as much as I can and hopefully have a shop opened soon {gotta come up with a deadline!}

Hope you like what I have so far...! The first one is a series of one of my favorite style muses, Sophia Amoruso of Nasty Gal. She's such a doll.. I admire her so much especially after watching her interview about her success story! Watch it here! The second illustration is from a photograph I pulled from my Pinterest. A lot of the pictures I pin of dance, ballet, tribal looks, and yoga will most likely be included in my illustrations.

I'll update you guys as soon as a decision is made for an upcoming Etsy shop! <3

xx,

SS

1. Santa Ynez Falls Hike

So I've crossed out #1 on my list of Summer Adventures 2013 which was to go hiking at Santa Ynez Falls! It was so beautiful and very much needed! Sometimes you forget how the soothing sound of nature can free up your mind and inspire you with new ideas. When I'm in Hollywood my head is constantly congested with noise from all over the city. I hear crazy people yelling up and down the streets, traffic and cars honking angrily, helicopters surrounding the city for hours, terrible music {which is why music rarely appeals to me}, and so on. Being at Santa Ynez Falls Hike was the most peace and quiet I've had in a while.

We didn't come across too many people on our hike and without knowing our way, we easily got lost in the beginning {which always makes it even more fun!}. But we grew easily frustrated at trying to find the next part of the trail {which magically disappeared} and my boyfriend was ready to give up but I wanted to keep going. At this point we believed we weren't going to find our way any time soon so my boyfriend decided to wander off freely into the bushes looking for meteorites and dinosaur bones instead {like a little boy would do, awww!} while I just stood there making sure there were no hanging spiders near me, lol. I didn't leave my spot because I was afraid to get even more lost than we already were! Typical me...

I didn't think he was going to find anything, but to my surprise he found his meteorite looking rocks and also discovered the skeleton of a cat {our closest guess}. He was really fascinated by it {that's his dinosaur bone discovery for the day!} It was cool I guess.. but what really amazed me was that after we were done observing and poking around this skeleton we realized that straight ahead of us was the continuation of the trail!

If my boyfriend hadn't wandered off mindlessly, we probably would've ended our hike early, turned around, and drove all the way back home. Sometimes I forget to follow his example - to just stay present. He's such a natural at it, and it's the hardest thing for me to do. I just stood there because my ego wouldn't allow me to wander off. I was scared because it was way out of my comfort zone to walk further away from the trail. This was such a good example for me to see how the ego plays its role. My boyfriend switched that off in his head and instead of looking for the trail anymore, he decided to look for something else {an example of being present}, which ultimately lead us back on to the trail. And welps! Lesson learned.. don't follow my example!

Stay present, embrace what's around you and the world will embrace you ..with surprises :)

..And we made it! I've finished my hike with a lesson learned, and he got his meteorites and dinosaur bones! I think Jedbot wins explorer of the day for finding our way by doing whatever he "felt" like doing! :) Kudos!

In addition to this adventure, I also wanted to share other things I've done this summer!

Tons of vintage shopping in Hollywood at Iguana Vintage Clothing!

Date night - SUSHI!

Organic luncheon at Real Food Daily <3

Catching a movie at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery!

Auditions here and there...

Independence Day!

Allowed myself to enjoy icecream on National Icecream Day! {i'm lactose intolerant, but this was an exception.}

..and enjoying Indian food {curry!} at my new favorite place, Urban Masala. MmmMmmm...

i have to say, this summer has been the best.

xx,

SS

This article is part of the IFA Paris ifashion-blog.com summer campaign ‘My Hot Summer Looks’. IFA Paris, better known as IFA Paris, is a fashion education provider which offers students undergraduate courses in design and marketing, and postgraduate courses in business, communication and luxury in an environment of multidisciplinary collaboration. With more than 1,000 students located in Paris, Shanghai and Istanbul, IFA Paris is at the forefront of fashion and luxury education and offers courses that reflect the breadth of opportunity available in this vibrant industry. To follow up the blog campaign and check out other world fashion bloggers’ articles, please click here (ifashion-blog.com). To know more about IFA Paris, please click here (ifaparis.com).

Summer Surprises

CRAZY FUN TIMES...

I'm putting together a summary of my past week in my little design journal starting with: a surprise date night from the boyfriend at a Cyndi Lauper concert following a long Las Vegas birthday weekend with the boyfriend, his little sister, and her bf with friends.. along with fun-filled adventures. I'll just list the epic trip: First class round trip, rounds of Bloody Mary's {my faaaave}, free pool club admission at Hard Rock, sunbathing, getting lost, massive Italian birthday dinner, Encore pool club w/ Lil Jon, more Bloody Mary's, massive dinner #2, hanging on the set of Ninja Warrior, pool & sunbathing, walking the strip for as long as we could {it was HOT and dry out}, and last but not least - Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque du Soleil surprise!

Page 1 - Cyndi Lauper!

Page 2 - Las Vegas!

I like to count my blessings every day to keep my energy high and consistent, but today I was looking at how unbelievably amazing my life overall has been since the beginning of this year. Things are definitely going the right way, finally! I have an incredible boyfriend who is just all about making me happy and loving me uncontrollably.. until I choke! And what makes me so grateful about us is that we've already gone on several fun and memorable trips together this year and each time always brought us closer. I'm so happy to share that with someone special.. It was something I've always wanted! And what's crazy is that if you saw how I was last summer, omg, total opposite! {no joke!} I was slaving away my entire summer with a full-time job that I was so bored of, would come home tired every day and go straight to bed hoping to get a text or a phone call for the week but instead would end up crying almost every night. I never went out with friends, never left town, and didn't visit the beach OR pool ONCE that entire summer! And now I'm going almost every weekend! My social life was a fail, and I was hardly ever inspired. I just wanted all that to change someday. And now, I'm doing all the things I never thought I'd be doing and it's only making me a happier gal! It's just insaaaaaane how the universe will surprise you in a matter of time! {i'm a huge believer in that sh*t}

These days I'm even more inspired to sketch and focus on my well-being, my work, hobbies, and trying new things as well. I've even had more time and energy to take my dance classes and focus on yogashmoga at home. It's where I've felt most content in a long time and also where I feel myself growing towards reaching my goals in life.

It's just crazy to think where I was last year..and how far I've come to be here now, feeling free. This is definitely a good year. And for those who don't agree and is experiencing the exact opposite, all I gotta say I stop, and start doing what feels right to you and I bet you'll end up getting what you want sooner or later. :)

xx,

SS

Finding Kefi

{spiritual geek mode here!} I've been jumping around from 4 Simple Things to 6 Things in my blog posts.. and now I'm onto 5 Things! I think I want to stick with this one.. After meditating this morning I came up with a fun idea of "Finding Kefi". Kefi means spirit in Greek. It's all about finding your spirit throughout your day. This is about listing all the love, surprises, and gratitude the universe has to offer you. I'd like to focus on surprises most of all because you never know what to expect! Seriously... if you start your day off right by putting your full trust into the universe - basically meaning not worrying about the past and future, you'd be surprised what your day can bring you. For example, maybe you finally found a piece of jewelry you've been looking all over for that's been lost for forever {omg, ME!}, or an answer to a question that you've been stressed out about for weeks or months even, running into an unexpected someone you've not seen or heard from in years, a surprise or gift from a loved one, finding a $20 bill on the street {it totally happens!}, annnnd the list goes on. Basically it's just all about being present. And I know we're all human and that we simply can't forget about our worries in our day-to-day lives. It's definitely something you have to work on though to keep your mind healthy and spirit happy. I like to start my day off meditating right before I roll outta bed or check my phone just so I can set the tone for my day by grounding myself and letting go all the energy, worries, stress, and people that don't serve me well. It works, trust me! And when I do, things or surprises pop-up when I least expect it! It's unbelievable sometimes.. :)

So below is my first day. I'm trying to decided if I should do a post daily.. we will see! Here is my first:

"Don't listen to the little voices - people who are telling you what to do and what not to do. Just don't fucking listen to them." - Cyndi Lauper

061313. 1. Waking up early to go to bellydance class! 2. Callback for an interview, project Miami? Uh, yes please! 3. Super cute envelope from the bf 4. CYNDI LAUPER concert! Her voice is UNbelievable 5. Advice from Cyndi to the audience {something I definitely needed to hear}.

You should definitely try this challenge and you'd be surprised at what you might come across! All you gotta do is list or photograph 5 things in one picture that have satisfied you, or surprised you, anything that happened that you least expected that turned out to be a blessing in disguise {it happens!}. And what helps to make that happen is by staying present. Try a little meditation in the morning. And by meditating, I don't mean you have to be in the OMmmmm zone. It may be a bit much. All you're doing is simply thinking about all the things that have been dragging you down lately, and then releasing them. I like to imagine all the negativity I have and set them on fire in my mind. :) It helps! So try it for a few days and see what happens! And what helps too most of all, is doing what feels right to you.

Then tag #findingkefi in your picture and post it on Instagram! Find me @stephaniesurtida ! :D

have a great day everyone! <3

xx,

ss

Burning Man Meeting

Attended my first meeting with friends for probably the biggest event for all of us this summer, Burning Man. Wow wow wow so much to plan in advance...! I mean, I've never been to major events like these, I haven't even done Coachella or EDC lol {what's that like?}. Apparently this is really taking it to the next level because I'll be spending a week in the middle of the desert living like a hippie.. literally! There's no hotels, no shops, convenience stores, roads, - just sand, people, music, and art. Oh, and you gotta educate yourself on Survival 101 because there's nothing and nowhere to spend your money on for supplies. Crazy, huh? So that's why we had this major meeting.

So of course it's a bit scary, but what an experience that would be! To be stripped from all of your connection to the world {no cellphones, minimal connection} and be stranded in the desert for days only to change your perspective on life and learn to be in the moment. It's a spiritual experience I think. Which is why I'm going :)

So I've jotted down a couple of notes that I thought were important. Just so you know, I had a much bigger list than this - 4 pages long! I just wanted to list the essentials, things I need to work towards.. especially COSTUMES! Weeee the best part! I was so excited after our meeting that I had to start sketching out some ideas and themes right away.

Thankfully I have costumes saved from my Bollywood and Bellydance classes that I can reuse again :) I've already started shopping for fun pieces to wear like my Triangl bathing suit and coin bras! Oh, another thing I've had to keep in mind was to bring anything and wear anything you don't mind getting f*cked up from the desert sand.. the sand texture is so fine that it will get into everything and anything you have.. so I gotta go light and cheap!

What I'm also looking forward to is all the art, activities, and theme camps to participate in! Apparently everyone there all dress up wildly and beyond which is so exciting for me because I'm going to document, photograph, and sketch everything that inspires me :)

"I'll be spending a week in the middle of the desert living like a hippie.. literally! There's no hotels, no shops, convenience stores, roads, - just sand, people, music, and art."

I've never looked forward to anything this big in forever. I know this experience is going to be epic. Here's to summer fun!

xx,

SS

Memorial Weekend

Spent the majority of my weekend sleeping in like a bear but left with enough time having lots of adventures with the Jedbot! Our first day out I accompanied my boyfriend at the March Against Monsanto Rally. If any of you know me, I really dislike food democracy.. I especially don't like food preachers {a huge turn-off!}. So naturally you wouldn't find me at one of these events. However, I am very open to learning and listening to new information about the food world. It's just good to be aware sometimes.. but in the end I rely on instinct.  

"...I am very open to learning and listening to new information about the food world. It's just good to be aware sometimes.. but in the end I rely on instinct."

As big as this event was all over Facebook, to our surprise only a few hundreds showed up. Or fewer.. I thought there was a myriad out there who were really against Monsanto? Even more surprising, there was no media coverage, no news vans around to shoot this rally. Sad.. Well I'm glad to have participated and witness this event, hopefully some kind of change will take place to make those who are heartfelt about this happy. Jedbot got some GMO stickers from a booth to use for labeling all the foods at grocery stores that contain GMO {he's definitely having fun with that}. With the help of this new app - Buycott, we've been scanning the bar codes on every product of food we buy to see if they're linked to Monsanto. We started at Ralph's.. sure enough there were plenty who got Jedbot's GMO warning sticker label.

For rest of the weekend we enjoyed a few movie nights and lovely lunch dates at Bottega Louie and Blu Jam Cafe. We hung around Melrose where I took pictures of a few art pieces I liked. The weather was definitely sunny, but cooler to the point where my thick jacket was needed :(. We also spent some time hanging out at Hermosa Beach enjoying the view of the ocean and the memorial weekend celebration they had at the pier. It was needed..

Now the start of another week! Or middle actually.. oh! -I have another audition this week and I'm effing excited and ready for it!

YAY! Staying positive <3

xx,

SS

SMS Doll Fashions

SMS Doll Fashions was a project started by me and my ex-boyfriend (high school sweetheart!) back in 2008. I was fresh out of college (20yrs old) graduating from FIDM, and was unemployed and uber bored because I was unable to find a stable job in the industry. This was also around the time when the economy started to collapse and everyone was losing their jobs.. (I know, perfect timing right?) So while I continued to patiently apply for jobs I decided I wanted to keep my brain fresh by designing my own clothes like my classmates were. I've never owned a dress form before because I couldn't afford it (and no job!), so I really couldn't make my own clothing unless I was awesome at patternmaking (and I'm not). So as practice I wanted to start small (literally!) before I ever decide to start sewing my own clothes.

Around that time I had an interest in Asian Ball Jointed Dolls. I call them the ultimate Barbie dolls. You can do anything with them! These dolls first started in Japan made for adult collectors and artists - you definitely can't play Babrbie and Ken with these! Their looks are influenced by anime, built with a height range of 16"-24" with movable joints and realistic customizable features. The popularity of these dolls eventually inspired Korea and China to design their own brands of ABJDs. Another thing about them is that they are ridiculously insanely expensive.. I could never have been able to afford a true Japanese Asian Ball Jointed Doll back then.. So my sweet boyfriend at the time bought me an affordable one from China instead, and I loved it. I worked on her and customized this gal to my liking: eyeballs, eyelashes, cheeks and lip stain.

Yes, these dolls also get their own set-in eyelash packages that are worth just as much or more than the kind we use.. unbelievable.

This doll came to me naked.. how rude! But that's the point of the doll; you spend $$$$ on one completely naked and maybe even one without eyeballs, so that you can spend more $$$ on accessories and sh*T. Ughh.. what an investment! Just like the American Girl doll today, which is even more ridiculous because I think those dolls are so ugly.

So, being broke, using my leftover pattern paper and muslin from school, I draped and drafted patterns right off the doll. I would then buy cheap fabric from school or tear pieces off of old clothing to use to design pieces of her outfit. My first and proud design was the Strawberry Babydoll Dress. After designing that cute old thang, my boyfriend came up with the idea of having a small business for designing Asian Ball Jointed Doll clothing. It was such a cute idea at the time and I loved it. It was definitely a motivator for me to design and be creative. It was also a great way to keep my skills fresh from school. So I designed as many pieces as I could while my boyfriend designed my website and store for me (how cute!). He decided to name the store by the first initials of my name, Stephanie Marie Surtida. And that's when SMS Doll Fashions came to life.

Eventually I got myself a doll-sized dress form to work off of so I didn't have to keep marking on my doll's expensive skin. My interest then grew more and found myself working non-stop all night every night.

This is a sweater dress with a lined hoodie I made out of my old fleece pants. I bought some heat transfer skulls and hearts prints and thought I'd try em out for this hoodie! She wears a heart on her sleeve :) !

This is another hoodie I made out of my Playgirl fleece pants. I cut out the area with the logo to use as the front body piece of this hoodie. I also have a grey version of the hoodie as well. I was pretty impressed with myself making a hoodie! Now if only I could just make me one... Below are all the other outfits I've made.. Unfortunately none of them have ever been sold. My relationship with the dude ended before this little business could ever get started. We were still kids too with no money.. The only small production I made was from one style and it was the Strawberry Babydoll Dress. Since that time, I've learned that being business partners with your lover, friend, or family never works out. But anyway, I'm proud of my work. I think I take more interest in making doll clothes than human clothes. It's less of a risk taker and the market is less demanding. What I also loved about doing this was that I could freely make anything I wanted without having to meet the needs of the current market or trends :)

[gallery link="file" ids="3638,3639,3640,3641,3642,3645,3646,3643,3644,3650,3720,3648,3653,3651,3652"]

Spring Lush

I love the furoshiki wrap cloths! I came across it while I was browsing one of my favorite blogs, Design Sponge. I thought, how good would it look on a maxi dress?! I decided to sketch out a girl and started playing with the design a bit based off of one of my favorite brands, Free People. I'm a huge fan of maxi dresses for the spring / summer season.. don't know why, but I'm craving them. I'm really looking forward to the launch of the JessicaLosAngeles line because I've see a preview of her maxi dresses, and they are. a. BEAUT! I'm obsessed..  

xx,

SS

10 Random Facts

1. I'd like to live near the beach one day. The fish in the ocean make me hungry...  

2. I love drying all the flowers given to me by my boyfriend and displaying them around my work area. I find it peaceful. <3

3. I really dislike food democracy; the hoity toity healthy attitude and the ego some yogis, vegans, or vegetarians have (..omg!) I listen to my body more than the health media, fads, and trends. I don't believe my lifespan or self-worth is depended on the food that I eat.

4. I'm willing to give up eating pork as soon as I own a pet piggy!

5. This is one of my favorite sketches I did while I studied at FIDM

6. I secretly studied with psychics for the past 2 1/2 years where I was at my lowest lows in life and felt very alone. I learned how they performed their work and ended up learning how to do it myself. That's where I first opened myself up to spirituality.

7. My horoscope once told me I was excellent in politics.. but I hate politics.

8. I am of Filipino, Spanish, and Japanese decent.

9. My spine needs to be stretched and cracked every day.

10. Dairy breaks out my skin.. and I'm lactose intolerant, but that doesn't stop me.

xx,

SS