Thursday, March 29, 2012

In the Closet


Jackalope Ranch did a piece on my closet.  It's the first in their new series, Closet Tours.  
The writer, Becky Bartkowski, was sweet and, most importantly, she was patient with my 
"there's a stranger in the house with a camera?!?" neurosis... 


 Rachel Malloy's Closet Tour 

First of all, noooooo, my closet is normally not that organized.  Honestly, I rescheduled the photo shoot 3 times just to avoid cleaning it!  
Though every once in awhile I do merchandise my own wardrobe.  I get quite a bit of satisfaction from the stacks and colors and textures.  Try it sometime...pretend your closet is your own personal boutique and not only will you find items you forgot you had (tags still on!), but you will fall in love with your favorite pieces all over again.
Closet Tours

Monday, March 26, 2012

yes, they play tennis in the mountains!


Montana State Women's Tennis visits 
Bunky Boutique
Cute outfits ~ I tried to get on the roster just for the skirts!


  My husband, Jim, and I spent this past weekend cheering on the Montana State Women's Tennis Team at their matches here in Phoenix and up in Flagstaff.  The competitive spirit was fun to be around and we reminisced about our sports days.
Which promptly made us feel old.  
When did college kids start looking so young?!?  
       
So I have 3 reasons to love this team:  

1.  Their coach is my beautiful Aunt Denise 

2.  Montana State is my alma mater

3.  The girls know how to curse in 6 different languages!

The team is super sweet and talented!  
They are from all over the globe...Columbia, Sweden, Mexico, Malaysia...and to have all found their way to Bozeman, Mt is quite amazing. 


My husband is his Montana State Tennis t-shirt and hat.  Or as he was called this weekend, Assistant Coach Malloy.

Aunt Denise and I
Follow the team's progress on their website or follow them on their facebook page.

The day trip was an adventure and we went early and spent the morning wandering around downtown Flagstaff.  We found a great coffee shop called Late For the Train.  Try the mate latte, I highly recommend it.  
The weather was lovely and cool and my husband got to see snow for only the 5th time in his life.  And he's 37.  
Sign of a true Phoenician.  
I even snagged a souvenir tennis ball. 

Watching the matches in the mountains of Flagstaff



Monday, March 19, 2012

CASA: bracelets for a cause

THE LEATHER 
BRACELET COLLECTION

by Lesa Wallace for CASA
                                                                                       
CASA for Children is a non-profit organization 
that trains community volunteers to serve as powerful advocates for our community's 
most abandoned and neglected children.  

These volunteers mentor children that are taken out of homes and placed in foster care. 

For every bracelet sold
$5.00 gets donated to CASA   

Bracelets are made from 
recycled leather and
LOTS OF LOVE!
 
 
Handmade 
 
Gold or Silver Hardware

Genuine Italian Leather
 
  
There is a CASA for every 
family member.

Check out the First Family of Bunky all wearing theirs at a recent Bunky event.

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Art Detour 24 is a free, two-day, self-guided tour of artist galleries, studios, and other art venues in downtown Phoenix organized by Artlink Phoenix.
Enjoy the spirit and culture of the city as you mingle with thousands of residents and visitors! 
 
 

Friday, March 16, 2012



Exclusive to bunky boutique 
first piece in our own line 
by against the grain

hand pierced brass, red enameled copper heart with a
sterling silver chain
own me


once sold out, please email rachel@bunkyboutique.com 
 to be added to the waiting list


Q &A with Ashley Weber, lead designer:


What was your design process? 
I originally had no set design plan for the piece, instead opting for a more organic approach.  After I cut out the heart, it all seemed to come together. I customized the font and then transferred it to a piece of brass where I carefully sawed it out by hand.    

Where did you find the font?
I am sucker for typography. One of my favorite fonts is Honey Script. I like it because it is simple, yet whimsical, which I felt was perfect for constructing this bunky design.


What do you think of the finished product? 
I love the combination of colors and materials.  It was an exciting piece to create because it is something very different than anything I have ever made. I feel it shows off a love for street art with a playful personality.   
 







Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Who Gives a Knit!


This past Sunday I had a knitting lesson.  To say I am a beginner is an understatement of epic proportions.  I brought along friends, Jessie and Sloane, for moral support.  And let's be honest, I was secretly hoping that I would be better at knitting than at least one of them. 

Why knitting you may ask? 
One reason:  I need a new hand occupation during relaxation/television time.  An activity that doesn't involve  racking up the high score on Bejeweled Blitz.  My i-phone is probably to blame, but it has become impossible  for me to watch a TV program without either being on my laptop, on my phone, or folding laundry (and we don't have a lot of laundry, we don't have kids).  Anyone with kids is more than welcome to bring over their clean laundry, I love folding!

Obviously this lack of television focus has it's merits, but when I've reorganized our wrapping paper tote for the third time and my husband is pleading for me to chill the bleep out..it's time to explore my crafty options.
  


I called Julie at a.ware and set up a knitting lesson.  Julie was amazing and super patient and I highly recommend her.  A.ware will be closing at the end of March, but she will continue to give lessons and will be setting up a pop up shop next fall so stay tuned. 
  
It turned out to be harder than I anticipated.  My hands were not functioning on a high level, they felt disconnected from my body and I was definitely lacking in mind-body connection.

But after a snack and some caffeine, we learned slip knots and how to cast-on and by the end of the class I was purlling with the best of them.  And I had decided on a project.  Throw pillows...gigantic throw pillows, like ridiculously big take over the whole couch throw pillows.  And bright!  I picked out hot pink thread.

A few more photos...


Jessie's finished practice piece on the left, mine on the right.  Notice any difference?!




All smiles ~  
We had just started.  The furrowed brows came later.


Sloane picked out Gucci needles.





 

A stellar knitter!  She left with a gold star.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Wedgie

I don't wear heels.  Anyone that knows me well knows this information.  Even my wedding shoes were a stunningly high 1.5 inches.  Having said that, I am turning 30 in a few months and being able to wear a shoe with some height seems like a skill that I should have learned by the end of my 20's.

So...today was the big day...
Granted they are a wedge and any woman will tell you that a wedge is the training bra of heels.  But to me, a wedge is a grand accomplishment!  I put on my "I do this all the time" attitude as I buckled them on and decided to take my own fashion advice, it's all about confidence. 
As a side story, a few years back I was standing behind the counter talking with a customer and the painting behind me fell on my head and when the customer was concerned that I was hurt (rightfully so, it was a very heavy painting), I said "I'm okay, it happens all the time!".  It was a totally absurd thing to say, but hey, I said it with confidence!

But I digress.  Back to today's shoe feat (get it??)....

I consider this both a professional and personal success.  I only rolled an ankle once...and luckily nobody saw.  Or at least they were kind enough to not let me know they saw.  So if you see me teeter tottering along, just offer a smile and a nod of support.  

Bring it on, 30's!  
 
Next up is the grown up girl high heel.  
That sounds too daunting for this decade, I'll master this wedge thing first.