I now has teh Blog. Clickity click!





Feel free to leave a comment with a link to your blog/any you think I should check out! ^-^

I just came across this photo of hurtmeso , ruby_redxxx  and queen_tea  on my phone from my trip to London that I never actually wrote about. I like it, it makes me smile ^-^ 3 of my favourite ladies, and a groovy bar, in one of my favourite places

I finally got these finished, they took a LOT of work! The series is based on some preliminary drawings queen_tea  has done for a series on she wants to draw/paint, I saw them and asked if she'd like to make it into a photographic series too...and here they are!
The basic story is that these 3 are in fact identical triplets who have all been seriously wronged and have made a pact to get revenge on their attackers. The framed portraits on the wall serve as a 'before' whereas the main picture is an 'after' showing them with their healing injuries and the tools with which they intend to bring about the miserable demise of those who harmed them. They are Sisters in Death






Model - queen_tea 
Corset = Elle Corsets
Top and Skirt - Black Mirror Design

 I've decided to just say fuck it and spend some time/money pampering myself. So in December I'm going to go to London and stay in a hotel for a few days. Whilst I'm there I'm going to use a spa day voucher I got as a graduation present last year, see Placebo (my favourite band) and Eddie Izzard (my favourite comedian) all on my own. But it will be nice. I'm looking for a cheap central hotel that has a bath as opposed to a shower in the rooms, but they're all too expensive. I will probably end up staying in the Hotel Pasha like last time. They were pretty friendly and the Hotel was actually rather nice, except for being in a bit of a seedy area, although the shower did leak.

I'm not too sure what I'll do during the days, lots of wandering about I expect, maybe some Christmas shopping too. If anyone is about in London between 7th and 9th and fancy meeting up for drinks/tea/sushi/museums/whatever then give me a shout! I'm mainly looking at sohui , queen_tea , ruby_redxxx , ulorin_vex  and roswellivory  here as they're the people I know that are most often in London, but if anyone else happens to be going in and want to do stuff, hit me up yo...or something along those lines.

EDIT: I've just spent a small fortune on a ticket for Eddie. I will be sitting here...

 

 

Which is pretty fecking good. Although I'm mildly annoyed and frustrated because when i first checked for tickets a couple of hours ago, Ticketmaster were selling them in A2 for the normal ticket price. And then like a knob I waited to see if anyone wanted to come too, and then decided to go on my own anyway, and by then the best seats available via Ticketmasrer were in the Upper tier and I want front floor damnit! I've waited too damn long for this. Plus when seeing eddie you really need to see his face. His expressions are as important as the words. So I paid double on Viagogo. I don't care where I sit when I see Placebo, I'm happy just chilling and letting the gorgeousness take over my ears ^-^

Tea and I had a long natter last night, and were talking about the DSI gig we're going to in November (I couldn't be any more excited if I tried!) and it's got me thinking about all the gigs I want to go to, so I had a search around various ticket websites and found a bunch of upcoming shows that have taken my fancy. Some I'm not going to go to out of sheer ridiculousness of price/too short notice etc, but some I need some buddies to go with, hands up!


Music

Fightstar - 31st October - London - can't go, too short notice :(

30 Seconds To Mars - 16th November - London - Sold Out 
Dope Stars Inc -  13th November - London - Tickets bought, arrived and going with queen_tea  :D
Elliot Minor - 20th November - London - £13.25
The Sounds - 24th November - London - £15

Placebo - 9th December - London - £29.15 - I'm just trying to fid someone to go with/stay with/a cheap b&b to stay in if I go on my own

Nicklbeback - 19th January - London - £44.50 - They're a guilty pleasure, but screw that price for teenage memories!

Rammstein - 2nd February - Machester / 3rd February - Birmingham - £44 - *WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT* Who wants to come??
Lacuna Coil - 5th February - London - £19 - *WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT* Who wants to come??
Imogen Heap - February - Birmingham/Oxford/London - Not on sale yet
Lost Prophets - February - London - Not on sale yet

69 Eyes - 9th March - London - £14.30 - *WANT WANT WANT WANT WANT* Who wants to come??


Comedy

Eddie Izzard - 3/4/5/6/7th December - London - There are front centre tickets available for £35, does anyone want to come with me??!!

*wish list*
Ricky Gervais
Jack Dee
Ross Noble

So I posted an entry about the fun I had in the studio having a spider on my face here for the cover of a forthcoming EP for a new band called Cassini, and the artwork is all done! Here it is....obviously...





Photographer - Matt Frederick
Model - Me (lol..."model" *sniggers*)
Spider - Boris
I've linked the image to Matt's DA, so go leave him some feedback, I'm sure he'd appreciate it!

I quite like the plughole for an eye. I may get that done as my next modification :p
The band is currently (or have been) recording in Finland, and the EP will be released in the UK at some point, I have no idea when. They're a brand new band and don't exist in the land of the internet yet, but I'll post a link when they are. I've only heard part of one of their tracks and I can't even remember if I liked them or not haha. Oh well, it's groovy to have part of my face on an album cover *shrug*

Model - queen_tea
Harness - Steampunk Couture

Based on this drawing by tea. I'm working on another one that's going to be a mix of another photo from the shoot and the drawing itself, which will hopefully turn out to be good.

 I saw this and thought of several of you :p
Look at how happy the child is! o.0

 Lol, end.

Today my piercer massacred me...


(Please excuse my messy hand, I use it as a notebook, and was also trying out makeup on it lol)

Nah, she did an awesome job. I'm just massively awkward! The blood you see isn't actually flowing, it's a cut and a huge scratch that carries on all the way under my boob! I'm also massively bruised like hell, but that's only showing up as a bit of redness at the top of the photo haha. My injuries don't like to come out in photos very well lol :p

I used to have a staple bar  on my sternum (cleavage, between boobies, whatever, I just like the word sternum :p) but it grew out about 4 years ago, so I decided to cheat and get it re done but with microdermals instead, as surface piercings are rubbish at staying put. We decided to have them put exactly where the exit holes for the staple bar had been, so for ease of marking up etc, and I thought it would be easier, but hell no! there was SO MUCH scar tissue! The top one was especially a little bitch to get in, and Elsie accidentally slipped a couple of times with the pliers she was using to push the dermals in, which is how I ended up cut and scratched. The poor lady kept apologising but I found it funny haha. It took about 20mins-half an hour for them to get done, which is a l-o-n-g time for dermals, and I had to stay lying down for ages afterwards as I was incredibly faint/cold/dizzy/nauseous, even more than normal lol! I stayed in the shop for a couple of hours and hung out with Elsie which was really nice, as usually she's just poking holes in me haha :) When I got home I had a total adrenaline crash and fell asleep for about 3 hours haha.

Ahh I'm so self destructive! I've decided I like things in sets of threes, so on thursday I'm going to get another one underneath the bottom one :) Hopefully the scratches will be gone by the weekend, as I'm going to TG and will be wearing this lovely top so the new dermals will be on full view (hopefully my boobs will stay hidden! Nobody needs to see those >_<) and I don't fancy having to try and cover up wounds with makeup when the dermals are trying to heal! The bruising will probably still be there, but I can live with that.

I had a chat with another member of staff at the Uni yesterday, and she had some pretty interesting theories about my addiction to getting pierced, and i reckon she's probably right, it's given me quite a bit to think about really. I may babble on about it at some point later. She also told me that I'm very odd, but in a good way. I suppose I can live with that! She also called me gregarious, which I've never really thought of myself as being, but actually, I suppose I am. I'm usually really rather shy and introverted until I really get to know people, and then when I'm comfortable with them I'm always seeking out their company and feel happiest when I'm with them. I thought it was just me being annoying ;)

I have a lot of things whizzing around in my head right now, and I'm starting to ramble, so I'm going to stop now!

Oooh look at my spooky eye! This is part of the dead bugs shoot from the other day with Matt Frederick. No retouching has been done to my eye itself, it just looks this way due to layers over my face. In fact in the final image my eye isn't even going to be there! :D My eyelashes look metallic for some reason, even though they were uber black! o.0

I don't really fancy talking much as I'm feeling ill...AGAIN! I am really incredibly rubbish at looking after my anemia, especially since it got worse. *sigh* I'm no good at keeping my temperature right and getting proper food at proper times, it's just not something I've ever done.

Anyway, I've just got back from shooting with Matt Frederick for an album cover for a band called Cassini. I took a load of stuff on my phone, so here they are. The final photos are going to be completely different and stuff, so I'm allowed to post these :p

( There's a lot photos, I'm feeling nice so have a cut )

Clothing - Sample Remix
Model - aiko273 
MUA - Sammm
Photography - Errr...me!

Sadly this is the only 100% finished photo so far as I've been so busy with work and being ill lately, I normally don't take longer than a couple of days to get photos done :( *sob* 


C+P'd from the press release hehe

CONTACT Stacey Richards
07737 523 324
www.sampleremix.co.uk
sampleremix@gmail.com

PRESS RELEASE
Sample Remix has been commissioned to produce a bespoke collection to be premiered at the Festival of Sins this October 10th in Camden, North London.
She has gone beyond the expected scope of the performance resulting in a multi media audiovisual spectacle. With a custom made prequel film to be screened alongside the performance in association with makemassair and deadman dj.
This is her interpretation of Sloth and the journey of one girl experiencing the depth and depravity of the Sin.

SAMPLE REMIX
Sample Remix, the bespoke fashion label founded by Stacey Richards in 2007, is creating a storm in the underground fashion world.
Specialising in high quality, custom made and completely one off couture, the Sample Remix look and style is making waves with its fantastical creations.
Under Miss Richards’ guidance, Sample Remix has developed and refined a style all of its own in just 2 short years. As with all artistic endeavour, inspiration is taken from the world around her: from organic life to industrial sculpture, leading to intriguing, vibrant and, most importantly, wearable pieces.
Uniquely textured and creative designs are made incorporating soft leather, silks, tweed and utilizing old, new and custom developed fabric manipulation techniques. All without sacrificing the ability to wear these garments again and again. It may not be high street, it will be original, it will be wearable, meaning you will be sure to see the work of Sample Remix around for some time yet to come.
The creativity in Sample Remix has meant invitation and commissions to work on costumes for film productions, giving yet more room for her flare and imagination.

Sample Remix is a 100% UK made fashion label, designing, creating and making garments by hand in London.

WHEN October 10th 2009
WHERE Festival of Sins
Purple Turtle
65 Crowndale Road
Camden
London
NW1 1TN

TIME 20:00 – 03:00
CONTACT Stacey Richards
07737 523 324
www.sampleremix.co.uk
sampleremix@gmail.com

I would do a hell of a lot to see this performed live. I love Rammstein. I know they can be kinda iffy lyrics wise, but hell that music is incredible. Especially in this song, it's always given me a physical and emotional reaction, which is why I have the instrumental bit as my ring tone ;) Plus the passion when he sings Mein Herz Brennt is just awesome. It's how I'd be singing it if I could vocalise the burning feeling.



Tomorrow = having a big spider on my face
Friday = Getting some sparkley microdermals between my bewbs and then the funfair. And also maybe meeting up with a mate for movies and catching up and the such.

I just hope I'm feeling better in the morning, the past couple of days have been full of blah and being sick and disorientated and the such. I had to miss out on some work stuff that I was really looking forward to as well :( Boo.

I'm feeling a little blue today so I thought I'd make a list of things I'm looking forward to to help make me feel more positive :)

Today 
- Going home and getting my flat all clean and tidy and having a nice long hot shower. And not being sneezy anymore! As much as I love these dogs to pieces, my nose doesn't *sad face*

Sometime next week
- Being photographed with a big beetle on my face by Matt for a bands album cover (I forget what they're called) and also having my microdermals re-photographed

September 25th 
- Getting my nips re-pierced

September 29th
- Getting two microdermals on my sternum to replace the staple bar I used to have which rejected a few years ago

October 2nd
- Going to London to meet queen_tea if she can get the day off work, and maybe going to some museums with ulorin_vex .
- Having drinks in the evening with hurtmeso , ulorin_vex and ruby_redxxx - Going to stay with Ruby in Brighton

October 3rd
- Chilling out with Ruby
- Going to a pre TG party at Maxime Avet's (going to feel rather nevous and shy though!)  going to TG with Ruby and meeting Ulorin and both Sophies ^-^ and watching the HMSLatex show amongst others and also wearing latex for the first time in my life

October 4th
- Doing a portfolio session with Ruby as Hair/MUA 
- Faffing around in the studio with Ruby once the previous shoot is done

October 14th
- Going to the Tate Modern for the Photography Book Now meet up as a VIP and schmooze with the other winners hehe. That's going to feel really awesome, I'm a winner! I feel accomplished ^-^

October 18th
- Shoot with a fab young model, the wonderful and lovely Sian Davies and perhaps being filmed for the BBC

October the Something-th
- sohui  coming to see me, going out around Cheltenham and doing fun shoots

November 1st
- Shoot with a groovy model

November 13th
- Getting dolled up and going to see Dope Stars Inc at the Brixton Academy with Tea and maybe having a fun day out in London if we can both get the day off work

I also might be going to Alton Towers at some point soon, and am talking to a friend up north about going to go stay with them for a few days, which would be really nice :)

I think there's other things in there too, but my memory sucks haha. Going through all that has actually made me feel rather more chipper ^-^

So here's a video of me getting some more microdermals put in my chest. This is the 11th time I've had it done so I have a lot of scar tissue there (I got 6 all at once, 4 came out, I got the 4 replaced with skin divers, got 2 re done with microdermals a few weeks ago and this is the last 2 I got done today) which you can hear Elsie (my piercer) talking about as she was training someone.
I didn't bleed this time which is unusual as I usually bleed all over Elsie haha! I wanted to bleed, it's fun and I wanted to gross you all out *sad face* Oh well, enjoy anyway! I also didn't get my boobs out like Carrie (who was filming on my phone) suggested :p
It was a lot more painful than it looks, I was in agony all the way through it, but am so used to that pain that I just lie there and grin and giggle, haha I love it too much! Oh and ignore my double chin, I'm a fatty and it's also not a very flattering angle ;)



Oooh I well and truly have the piercing bug. I've now been pierced 41 times, but as I've taken most of them out I don't look like a pin cushion! Next week I'm getting some other piercings re-done, and the week after that I'm getting 2 more microdermals on my chest but in different placements, I shall post pics when they're done, hehe I'm excited already! And I'm trying to think of a more interesting project to get then my collarbone project, but I think I've set the bar too high! Anyone have any suggestions?
I think getting pierced is a fetish of mine :/ Fun times! :D

Yesterday I mentioned my shortage of blood and the such, Matt (a friend and colleague) just made me this, oh it did make me laugh :D

I found my Invader Zim Boxset after tearing apart my living room, and discovered it had been staring me in the face all the time haha. Organise the parades! :D

 I've felt rather disorientated for the majority of today. I was in bed for 12 last night, the majority of which I was asleep for which was much needed, but I woke up every few hours or so with nightmares. Once I woke up shaking, cold and drenched with sweat but so confused as the dream I'd just had was a good one! I did keep fainting in it though, which was bizarre as I felt the actual dizzyness and hitting the floor, an whenever my head hit the stone floor (no idea why it was always stone)  it rattled. Very odd.

I ambled my way to the studio to tidy up from the weekend and help get it in some sort of decent shape for all the students next week, and then realised I had a Drs appointment for some more blood tests. They've recently found out that my anemia has got really bad over the past 3 years, and my blood levels have dropped by 25% which is pure insanity. So they took more of it today to test it for various things. Hopefully they'll figure out what exactly is causing it and get it all fixed or something, I've not been enjoying it! It'll be nice to know what it's like to not be exhausted and drained all the time and other various things, but it's all I've known for the past 8 years! I looked up the type of anemia they think I have and I have pretty all the symptoms it gives, including heart palpatations and 'brain fog' haha. Fun! :D So anyway when the nurse lady was taking more blood out of my arm I started to get really dizzy and clammy and woozy, she took about a quarter of a pint, so considering I only have 9 pints in my body, that's a fair bit! I had to sit there for ages with a fan blasting my face lol. I still feel icky but I'm distracting myself with the backlog of photos that have built up that I need to get done. 

The rest of this week is soo busy, Monday-Sunday includes going to Rosas, making student lunch type things and various other event type stuff, going to Carrie's, being at the Chaplaincy stall at the Freshers Fayre and talking none stop all day, going to the induction evening of a part time course I'm starting to fill in some time whilst I'm working here, looking for Psychology and Counselling modules to pick up and do to also make the most of working at the University,  holding a Pizza event for students to say Hi at one of the campuses and making various other posters, flyers and web stuff, as well as getting the final 2 microdermals on my collarbones done for some sort of piercing show event type thing or something, doing some prints for said piercer, dog sitting for my boss for the weekend and retouching photos of queen_tea and all the ones from Saturday as well as responding to emails and coming up with ideas for shoots and posting stuff, and there's also breathing, if I can fit that in at some point...

I shall leave you to your moosey fate...


19 year old me with clear skin, long hair and my Zim moose <3 Damn that was so long ago! o.0

I'm not mental, the title of this, is from this, enjoy.



I used to watch Foamy all the time, and I could understand every word they say, I just watched that and was like o.0 for the majority of it.


I just deleted all my written Uni work from my computer to clear up space. This makes me very happy ^-^

I have lots of stuff to ramble about, but I'm feeling rather disorientated after crashing out in bed at 9pm and waking up just now. The freshers are still all running around playing silly buggers which isn't as annoying as I thought it would be, but it's only the first night ;) It's making me feel all nostalgic about being in Uni so I guess I'm feeling all motherly about them all haha. It's a very surreal experience being here as a member of staff. I was giving everyone their keys today and met the girl who's in the room I was in when I was a first year, it made me grin with memories haha. Poor girl ;)

I'm still going through all the shots from Saturday's shoot with Sample Remix and a billion models (I'll post about this tomorrow....well, later today I guess o.0) which I really want to get on with but I'm sooooo sleepy. Stupid anemia *shakes fist at severe lack of blood* Anyone fancy giving me some of theirs?

I guess I'm gonna carry on clearing out my computer and try and crash out again if Mr Insomnia will let me, so I shall leave you with something sad, yet amusing.




This poor little guy was outside the window today, it was sad, but the amusing part is when I spotted this...



It's so much clearer in real life, you can see the feather marks and where his beak was and everything. It just looked so funny! I'm a bad person *hangs head in shame*

(It looks like I've put weird filters on these in Photoplop, I haven't, they were just taken on my camera phone with the digital zoom at full whack and also taken through thick glass. Honestly Officer!)

A few months ago I put together my book, Pretty Twisted, and entered it into the Photography Book Now awards that Blurb was running. They announced the winners officially today, and I have won an honorable mention for the commercial photography category! It may not be a position that wins an actual prize, but hell I'm proud!

Look at the little badge I get :p



Out of 2,400 entries there are 85 winners including the grand prize winner (who gets $25,000 the lucky so and so!) category winners, runners up and peoples choice awards. An honorable mention is pretty far down the list but hey, I'm one out of 85 entries! That's something :) So according to Mike Barash, the guy who announced the winners, I get...

"To honor this achievement, we’ll showcase your book in several venues over the coming months:

- On the Photography.Book.Now website at http://pbn.blurb.com
- In the Photography.Book.Now bookstore at www.blurb.com/bookstore/pbn
- At the Awards Ceremony and meet-up in New York on September 23 
- At other meet-ups in San Francisco, Chicago, and London 
- In press announcements and interviews
- In a meet-up in San Francisco at Gallery 291 on November 3"

I'm gutted I can't get to the Awards Ceremony, but I'll be going to the London meet up as a VIP haha! That should be fun ^-^

Again, I'm so grateful to everyone who helped put this together by shooting with me, especially the lovely sohui  who allowed me to plaster her on the cover :p

So anyway, that's that, now go give my book some love by buying it ;) (clicky picture)