First off a few dates to keep in mind… on what those kids at Knuckle Rumbler will be up to…so what you should attend, like mandatorily. (stars have been placed by my personal favs):

*SEPTEMBER 10 – ADI FEST 3: CLONE WARS @ BEAUTY BAR: Info | RSVP
*SEPTEMBER 16 – DESIGNER DRUGS: LIVE IN AUSTIN @ REPUBLIC LIVE: Info | Advanced Tickets
*OCTOBER 8 – AMANDA BLANK: THE RUMBLER LOUNGE DAY 1 @ THE SCOOT INN: Info |Advanced Tickets

TONIGHT: WONDER TANG + 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Re-posted from http://knucklerumbler.com:
We are keeping it moving over here at KR. This Friday, August 27, is the one year anniversary of our versus events at The Scoot Inn!! We have been through the musical sands of time with Prince Klassen and DJ Orion, starting just over a year ago with MJ and The Purple One. From there we werehypnotized in a man’s world, threw a southern Icelandic ball, danced with the material girl, found Jigga’s stardust and inhaled Dre’s chronic vibrations.

So without further ado, we bring you:

TONIGHT, AUGUST 27 AT THE SCOOT INN (1308 E. 4TH STREET)

WONDER TANG: STEVIE WONDER VS WU-TANG CLAN

WITH PRINCE KLASSEN AND DJ ORION

FREE WITH BRAIDS OR TIMBALANDS

PHOTOBOOTH BY ANNIE RAY

DOORS AT 9PM, 21+ WELCOME

TRAVELING HOOKAH WILL BE ON SITE WITH DISCOUNTED HOOKAH SESSIONS

RSVP HERE FOR $3 ENTRY

 reposted from launch787.com

Local jewelry designer/enamel artist opens up her own little boutique. Beloved Austin jewelry designer Leigh Elena Navarro of leighelena recently launched her new store at 1215 Corona Drive, located next to Nomads off Cameron Road. After years of selling her colorful and trendy pieces in retail establishments throughout the United States, including notable outlets such as Fred Segal and over 100 more high-end boutiques across the country, this talented entrepreneur expands her skill set by opening up shop right here in Austin.

Designer leighelena makes all of her jewelry and accessories by hand.

Mixing her own whimsical and bold pieces with other locally made items, this shop contains an absolute treasure chest of amazing goodies. DON’T MISS OUT! This boutique is a true showcase of color, where shoppers can peruse an array of her handcrafted enamel pieces including layered necklaces, a vast variety of pendants, cuffs, rings, and belts galore. Admittedly the favorite accessory in my arsenal of adornment is my very own vegan-leather belt with vivid lime green buckle. Plus, Leigh (with her fabulous eye for style) has hand-picked some of the most amazing jewelry from designers across the country, to fill the small store. In addition to jewelry, this quaint boutique carries all sorts of lovely gifts such as scarves, hand-embroidered tops, candles, organic body care, art, and home accents with the primary focus on only selling hand-crafted items.  Leigh strives to carry lines of product that are exclusive only to her shop. Making this little treasure trove truly a place to unearth some very unique and precious gems.

Leigh adopted this process from her mother who she credits for influencing her decision to become a jewelry designer and also assists Leigh in enameling the pieces. As an endearing and deeply personal touch, Leigh adds a stamp from the collection her grandfather started for her as a child to the back of each piece large enough to accommodate one — making each piece truly unique and one-of-a-kind.

Leigh plans to carry her work over into gallery-inspired wall hangings in the near future, perhaps even selling them exclusively in her shop? For more information or to buy online please visit: www.leighelena.com

 reposted from launch787.com

Living in a seriously laid back town, flip-flops have very much become a staple to the modern closet. It is refreshing to find a product that is so much more…that it literally brings new meaning to, “the soul of your feet.”

When Kyle Berner, owner of Feelgoodz was 25, he decided to throw some clothes in a backpack and buy a one-way ticket to Thailand to embark upon his often now referred to as, “adventure of a lifetime.” He spent an entire year there, fully immersed, living just like the locals. He learned the difficult and beautiful language and unbeknownst to him at the time created the foundation for a brand new endeavor that would completely change his life. After his amazing year in Thailand ended, Berner decided that he wanted to find a way to give back. “We just had to…”

Kyle, being industrious learned that Thailand is the world’s leading exporter of natural rubber, and because of this vast natural rubber supply, there is excellent quality at an amazing value. Therefore Feelgoodz was able to create some of the most comfortable flip-flops quite possibly in the world at a pretty reasonable price. These flops are made from 100% eco-friendly natural latex rubber harvested from tropical Yang Para trees and come in a variety colors.

Recalling my experience with Kyle, first time meeting then new neighbor and young entrepreneur from New Orleans, almost seven years back while living in some apartments in South Austin, way too terrible to name. Admittedly, Kyle was a great neighbor, perhaps the kind you would want to borrow sugar from or help out building an easy to assemble furniture kit with. Kyle was ALWAYS full of ideas, all sorts of ideas. Little did I know his adventures would lead him down such a promising path.

Kyle along with his generous and hardworking staff at Feelgoodz have been kind enough to offer an amazing chance for you to WIN a few pairs of these sweet flops, as well as a chance to support an amazing cause.

In the true spirit of nourishment, Feelgoodz has launched The 5-5-5 Flip-Flop Feeding Fiesta campaign. For every pair of Flip-Flops sold, 5 children in Thailand will be fed for 1 day.  Feelgoodz is partnering with Green Coop Thailand to provide Fair Trade jasmine rice to children in rural villages.  In addition to providing this nourishment, customers receive $5 off their purchase as well as $5 flat rate shipping. Amazing deal, right?!

The 5-5-5 Flip-Flop Feeding Fiesta shows how a simple purchase can make a difference in the life of a child. Just enter the code FIESTA upon purchase to activate the Fiesta!

CONTEST: To enter to win a pair Feelgoodz flip-flops, simply go online and follow @feelgoodz on twitter and re-tweet this: (*Winners will be selected within the week!)

RT @launch787 – Spread the word: #555FlipFlopFeedingFiesta! Every pair @feelgoodz flip-flops sold, 5 children fed! http://tiny.cc/feelgoodz

Now for a little info on Feelgoodz from owner, Kyle Berner:

Kyle, why did you start FeelGoodz?  What’s your story?
I was a backpacker in Thailand.  I was walking around one of the local markets in Bangkok and my J Crew flops broke.  I stopped to buy new pair, had a lightbulb moment.  I knew I could use sales of flip-flops in the States to funnel margin percentages to support everyday needs in Thailand. And 2 years later, here we are.

Kyle Berner, Owner of Feelgoodz The Eureka Moment — “So, when I was 25, I threw some clothes in a backpack and bought a one-way ticket to Thailand to embark upon the adventure of a lifetime. I spent an entire year there, living like the locals. I ate the delicious local food, learned the difficult – but beautiful – language, and developed lifelong friendships. It was phenomenal…”

Where does the name FeelGoodz come from? What does it mean?
As soon as I put the flip-flops on my feet in that market in Bangkok, the first thing I thought to myself was, “Man, these feel good.”  And I paused for a moment… “They’re my feelgoodz.“  So it is in direct relation to how comfortable the flip-flops are.

What is your vision for the future of your company? Where do you see yourself in ten years?
To become a for-profit social enterprise that uses sales revenues of conscious products as a vehicle for global social empowerment initiatives.  I see us aiding in poverty alleviation, ridding of malaria, supporting micro-finance, encouraging youth entrepreneurship, ending starvation, supplying clean drinking water, etc.  All through sales of conscious products.

What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in starting your business? and how have you dealt with these challenges? anything you would like to note to other other young entrepreneurs just starting out?
The biggest challenge has been in working with our factory overseas.  Having a true understanding on extraction processes, manufacturing processes, and accurate timelines can be an issue.  My advice is to be as detailed as possible to truly understand your supply chain.

Tell us about how Feelgoodz gives back and your involvement in that?
Our current projects are two-fold.  We provide a means of revenue for Kenyan villagers through our Recycle your unFlops campaign, and we are feeding Thai children through our 5-5-5 Flip-Flop Feeding Fiesta.  The vision is to harness the power of the internet to turn everyday consumers into philanthropists.

Do you feel that the people who purchase your products are beginning to adopt the lifestyle that you have based your business mantra after?

Yes!  I’ll be the first to admit that I’m no environmentalist, but I think it is all about taking small steps in a responsible direction.  Our customers can understand and live the “small steps” approach.

Also would you mind listing a few of your favorite causes that you personally
support?
B Corp, 1% for the Planet, Ashoka

Reading about your “Zero Flip-Flop Waste World” mission has really piqued my interest.  What exactly does the FeelGoodz — “Recycle Your unFlop Campaign”entail and how can people get involved?
People can simply send ANY kind of flip-flops or sandals to our partners’ Alabama warehouse facility.  That partner is Soles4Souls.  They just need to mark their package with “Recycle your Unflops” and S4S will partition accordingly.  In return for their involvement, we offer a $5 recycling credit upon future purchases.

Recycle Your unFlop Campaign –”An unFlop is a flip-flop turned into a work of art, crafted by a Kenyan villager, transforming one man’s trash into another man’s treasure. how can you get involved? If you have some flip-flops you want to recycle, you can either send them to a Soles4Souls DC (www.soles4souls.com), or toss them in a Soles4Souls Collection Bin. Soles4Souls has generously agreed to house the flip-flops for up to one year, and at the end of the year, Feelgoodz will send them to Kenya (yes, Kenya!) to a company called UniquEco, the (flip-flop) recycling company. UniquEco (www.uniqueco-designs.com) will take the unFlops, distribute them to Kenyan villagers, and these villagers will make new eco-boutique items out of them to then use for resale. This creates a much needed source of revenue for Kenyan villagers! So, in essence, the unFlop you recycle will, in turn, provide employment for a Kenyan villager one day. Get involved! twitter — @feelgoodz, Facebook — Feelgoodz, or at http://www.feelgoodz.com!

Lastly, where can we find these fabulously soulful flops?
See a list of our stores online!

 

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Tolly Moseley, 530.908.8495, tollymoseley@hotmail.com

 

Love vintage? Austin-based online boutique attracts style-savvy customers

Launch of Magnolia Family Vintage site brings affordable, one-of-a-kind fashion to the masses

 

AUSTIN, Texas: First, she was a vintage clothing collector. Then, she sold off pieces of her collection on eBay to fund her habit. Next, photographers were calling her to style shoots, and suddenly, she’s styling the cover story for BOHO Magazine.

 

Just who is this woman, and how can we get in on her magic?

 

Meet Sarah Jessica Dean, founder of Magnolia Family Vintage. In a short time, what started out as a hobby has exploded into a successful eBay shop, a popular vintage fashion blog (The Year of Living Thriftily), and now, its own online boutique. The site goes live on Thursday, August 5.

 

“The web site is starting simple and small, an online boutique, but we’ll have lookbooks, a vintage lifestyle blog,
  and in the near future, a section of the site where you can buy not-vintage items that I find on my treasure

  hunts,” says Dean.“If I find a Marc Jacobs coat in a Goodwill, I can pass it along at a really fantastic price!”

 

Budget-minded fashionistas will be happy to hear MFV’s price point, too.

 

“Keeping the price points affordable is hugely important to me,”says Dean.“Customers will be able to find 

great dresses, tops, rompers, etc. for between $20 and $50 all the time.”

 

But what’s a girl to do if she loves a ’60s mod skirt, or a raging ’80s pair of acid-washed jeans, but has no idea how to wear them?

 

“The thing that sets MVF apart from other vintage stores is our very personal customer service,”says Dean.

“Because I got my start in this business styling shoots, I can help customers put together looks that work together

with stuff they already have, or with fresh finds they dig up elsewhere at our store.”

 

If you can’t wait to see what MFV has to offer, you don’t have to look far. An Austin-based business that is literally family operated, Dean already sells a vintage collection through fellow online boutique, BuyDefinition.com. In addition, MFV works with local vintage shop Laced With Romance, and will be selling alongside them at Cinema East screenings through August 2010.

 

“Girls from high school to their thirties with a mind for standing out and an appreciation of quirky, feminine,

irreverent style will always be able to find a wardrobe staple from MFV,”says Dean.“MFV is very much about being yourself when you get dressed and I think wearing vintage pieces that no one else has is a perfect way to do that.”

 

To save 15% on ALL Magnolia Family Vintage items through August 31, head to www.austineavesdropper.com for a special discount code.

 

###

 

To schedule an interview or receive more information, contact Tolly Moseley at tollymoseley@hotmail.com. Follow us at www.twitter.com/magnoliafamily, and stop by our Facebook page.

 

posted from launch787.com

Andrew Warhola, known as Andy Warhol, born August 6, 1928, was described as the bellwether of the art market in his time. Warhol, a household name largely associated with modernism and commonly identified as a great American painter, was also considered to be a leading figure in the visual art movement known as Pop Art. Warhol became famous worldwide not just for his work as a painter, but also for being an avant-garde  filmmaker, record producer, author, and public figure known for his sorted membership to wildly diverse social groups, and consortium with distinguished intellectuals, and celebrities alike. In 1952, the artist debuted with his first individual show at the Hugo Gallery, exhibiting Fifteen Drawings Based on the eccentric writings of  Mr. Truman Capote. Not a bad start…

Warhol went on to create many paintings that remain icons of 20th-century art, such as the Campbell’s Soup Cans, and the Marilyns. Not to mention his underground 16mm film classics, such as Chelsea Girls, Blow Job, and Empire.

In honor this iconographic American Pop artist the kids at Massive Beacon, are hosting a giant Andy Warhol Birthday Bash on Friday, August 6th at the Mohawk. In the tradition of its previous all-out parties like ATX Emerge and Massive Art Attack, Massive Beacon has put together a true night of debauchery.  Those who come out to the event will be treated to a finely tuned sensory overload of bands, DJs, decorations, costumes, interactive art booths and tons of swag.

The event coordinators have taken every step to make sure that Warhol’s spirit is present.  ”We want this to look like a factory event from the old days, but updated, as though they had never stopped throwing parties,” says Clayton Armstrong.

Massive Beacon plans to transform the Mohawk’s upstairs patio into an immersive environment with a throwback to Pop era decor, a photo booth by Trevor Ray Thompson, and live stop-motion animation booth, called The Edge of Imagination Station, created by one of the most unique San Marcos-based inventors of recent years, Johnny Villarreal. In true factory-party form there will be live screen-printing by Austin’s arts enthusiast Twin Villain, in association with (th)ink Tank. In addition to having apparel for sale and printing on-site partygoers can also bring in their own clothing items to print on during the show. With performances from local psyche-rockers Ringo Deathstarr, Hatchet Wound, Politics, and Prayer For Animals, and a DJ set from the always perennially fashionable Team Fabrication.

Be sure to get in your “15 minutes of fame” (*Andy Warhol coined this ubiquitous phrase about each human’s ability to momentarily grasp the ephemeral brass ring of notoriety.) as there will be a factory-person look-a-like contest with a grip of prizes from our sponsors, judged by local socialite, Richard Gonzalez of the blog Ultra8201.

Plan to eat like Manhattanites, with free sausage bites and veggie treats from Frank, Austin’s premier venue for cold beer and artisan sausage.  Those provisions will last until 10:30 (so get there early!), but Massive Beacon will leave the first 250 people through the door with something to take home: $10 gift cards for Frank’s hot dogs. And to top it all off, the Mohawk will be adorned with the trimmings of Warhol’s legendary shindigs: red and silver balloons and stacks of reproduced Brillo boxes.

The party starts at 9 and is $7 with an RSVP at do512.com or $10 at the door. Sponsored by Frank Hot Dogs, Ultra8201, Birds Barbershop, and KVRX 91.7 FM, and is presented by Massive Beacon.

Andy Warhol’s Birthday @ The Mohawk on August 6th

Click here to watch an interview with Andy