brokenfab

Brokenfab’s eye-catching hand-beaded bracelets, earrings and necklaces have been causing something of a stir in the fashion world of late. Influenced by club culture and African tribal design, the designs are both edgy and accessible, tapping into the frenzy for all things simultaneously retro and cutting-edge.

The label is the brainchild of Swiss designer Fabienne Morel, a professional textile designer who’s clients have included the high-end Ashish; her colourful designs have been profiled in his London Fashion Week shows since 2006. Morel has since gone on to pursue her life-long love of beading, developing Brokenfab to encompass her unique jewellery range..

The current Brokenfab collection – called Disco Beading Vol.1 – was inspired by London’s clubs and club-nights, such as Plastic People and Deviation. Musical influences as far-reaching as disco, boogie, synth, electro, dubstep, detroit, future soul and broken beats – as well as street style from the 1960s to the 1980s – have been represented in visual form, to create a jewellery range that’s a celebration of street culture, dancing and club aesthetics. Colour clashes, geometric patterns and asymmetrical shapes define the high-energy designs.

Created from a spirit of love and passion, Brokenfab is for everyone interested in contemporary popular culture, and is by nature inclusive, while at the same time avoiding any association with mass-market methods of production.

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Did I mention I made one of these during my mission to make as many avatars of myself as possible? It's a fun way for me to archive inspirational photos that I find will searching the web (like I did all day today because I had a snow day!) Check it out and be sure to follow me! I'll follow you back ;)

healing foods

After stumbling upon this article (if you can call BroBible a legitimate literary source...and no I'm not even sure how I came across this) about the 25 best foods to cure a hangover which, in my humble opinion are some of the worst foods in general, I began thinking about foods that heal. Between the holiday season, new years, and winter break coming to an end, I feel like there have had numerous opportunities in which I have been the test-subject in experimenting with foods that make you feel like you are undoing the results of over-doing it. For example, after downing a few too many glasses of $9.99-jug-wine last night, I awoke this morning feeling...you guessed it!...dehydrated and foggy and, as per usual, hungry. In my groggy-eyed, cotton-mouthed state, I managed to whip up a stir-fry by first sauteing garlic and onion with some sesame oil, then throwing in one grated carrot, grated daikon radish, sliced kale and stirred in some brown rice I (thankfully) had already cooked up before. When everything was cooked and heated, I added the juice of a 1" piece of ginger (grated the ginger, then squeezed and discarded the pulp) and a few splashes of Braggs Liquid Aminod to the mix. I topped the mountain of food-just the right combination of carby-salty goodness I was looking for- with sesame and pumpkin seeds for protein and iron! I considered making a quick miso-tahini dressing, but I was honestly too lazy to even do that. The results? I actually felt so much more clear headed by the time I finished my breakfast and a big tea. I was able to get to yoga and then straight to my internship without a problem. Don't you love food that actually makes you feel good?

this is a photo of the first meal I cooked for myself in Africa-"brown rice" with tomatoes and yam leaves (my African stand-in for kale) sauteed with tons of garlic and onion.

Also, I am intrigued by this whole FebFast idea, but maybe that's just because I'm still feeling the effects of last night. I also really want to check out this one day cooking workshop at 3rd ward.

Soup's On!

I've been back in New York for a few weeks now after spending an amazing and utterly life-changing four months in Ghana! And...it's cold as hell, so you know what that means? Time for soup. If you can imagine, cooking in Ghana was tough. Not only was there a lack in accessibility to the ingredients I needed, there was often times a lack of gas in the stove (or in the entire country for that matter). Even when we had gas on the stove, they were really janky. It was a boil to death/ burn or nothing situation. So, when I first got back to America and was staying at my mom's place with complete access to her fully-functional kitchen and wide array of ingredients, plus the painfully cold weather (hey, it was 103 degrees almost everyday before I left, ok!) equals tons of staying inside and cooking!

This recipe is adapted from The Gorgeously Green Diet's Turkey Chili. My changes are written in italics. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 tbsp olive oil (I used coconut oil because it has a higher smoking point than olive so it is healthier for cooking foods for longer periods of time)

1 yellow onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced (I double, maybe tripled this. I love me some garlic!)

1 1/2lbs organic ground turkey (Obviously I omitted this entirely. I added another cup of kidley beans two cups of pinto beans)

1 tbsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 ground cinnamon (I would probably omit this next time I make this recipe. It made the chili a little sweet and I like mine with more of a spicy kick)

1 tsp salt

3 cups vegetable broth (I used a bit less as I like my chili chunky!)

2 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce (I've made this without before but it actually adds a very crucial, smokey flavor)

1 15-oz can kidney beans (or two cups of dried beans that you cook before hand. cheaper and healthier :)

1 15-oz can whole organic tomatoes

1 medium zucchini, cubed

2 medium carrots, grated

2 cups stemmed and chopped rainbow or swiss chard (I substituted kale for this because that is what I had and also because I love kale, hence the name of this blog!)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (Didn't do this because I don't really care for cilantro and did not have any of this. I just added more kale!!)

I also added about 2 small jalapeño peppers because I am a spice addict!

What I used:

You don't need these exact brands for this recipe, these are just some great kitchen staples that worked wonderfully for me!

Check out my sweet paper towel backdrop! I'm so professional.

From left to right: Trader Joe's Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, The Wizards Vegan Worcestershire Sauce, Imagine Organic No-Chicken Broth, Trader Joe's spices and Spectrum Organic Virgin Coconut Oil

What I did:

First I cooked up all the beans together. I soaked the beans overnight and then discarded the soaking water, covered them with fresh water and brought it all to a boil. I let them boil uncovered for about 5-10 minutes, skimming off the foam from the top of pot (that's the part that gives you gas. gross. Then I covered them and cooked them for about 40 more minutes.

Then I tossed in the veggies and spices and mixed it all together. I covered it all with broth and let it simmer until the veggies were fully cooked and the beans were nice and soft.

Then I tossed in the veggies and spices and mixed it all together.

I covered it all with broth and let it simmer until the veggies were fully cooked and the beans were nice and soft. Viola! Delicious, filling veggie chili! I froze half of it in small containers that I can just throw in a pot and re-heat when I don't have time to make dinner from scratch. I kept the rest in the fridge and ate it throughout the week as a soup, mixed into grains or rolled up in a brown rice wrap.

gurl power!

It's Women's Empowerment Week, so I decided to share with you some of the ladies who I find to be most inspiring:

-Oprah: I mean, the woman does everything and fixes everyone's problems. She is the shit!

-Alicia Silverstone: Inspires me to help myself by being healthy all while helping others and feeling great about it. She's showed me that even the little people can make a HUGE difference and that you don't have to be all fancy pants to be eco.

-Tina Fey: Proves that women can be smart and funny and extremely hard working and successful and a mother and a wife and still be real and down to earth. (She was my high school graduation speaker and the whole time I was squeezing my friend's hand and squealing because of how amazing she was. love her.)

-My mom: Well, first of all, this woman raised me, and my brother (mad props to that) and has dedicated her entire life to making sure I am happy and healthy. My mom is my best friend and I can only hope to be half as good a mom as she is :))

And...I'll send you off with a cute, pink quote...

First Linky-Links of 2011!

-Reasons to love New York 2010

-how to be a 20-something. very true.

-A new year rolls in: how 2011 is celebrated around the world

-20 pieces of advice from artists and photographer in 2010

-This is what kids around the world are eating for lunch at schools.

-So cool! A woman's life story told in intricate hand-stitched tapestry

-Miniature man-made landscapes. You'll never believe what these are made out of.

-Photo manipulation at its finest.

-I know, I'm ODing on this website, but these 3D photo sculptures are actually incredible!

-A weekend read: (IN)DECOROUS TASTE amazing photos//style//design//

All photos from www.indecoroustaste.com

p.s. sorry these pictures are HUGE but I think they are so beautiful!

a solution to my resolutions

So it’s 2011. My hangover has left the building, the beer cans are (mostly) cleared off my coffee table and I am feeling clear headed and ready for an efficient new year (I’m also currently on jury duty and have a TON of time to kill, so that helps) I am a big fan of resolutions, but there is nothing worse than setting a goal that is completely unattainable (like, do not get stressed in 2011. Ahhh I just got really stressed out!) I think it’s nice to outline things you already know you should do, but having something in writing helps me actually stick to it.

1. Be a more productive/ functional human! This includes getting dressed EVERYDAY and actually pulling myself together more-planning nice outfits out, learning new ways the style to my hair (still trying to master the fishtail braid) and while I’m not the biggest proponent of painting your face with make up, lets be real, everyone looks better with a little swipe of mascara.

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2. Make healthy choices- only eat real, delicious food. No more processed fake shit in my body! And don’t let other people poorly influence me to eat things I don’t want at times I don’t want to eat (or drink, for that matter).

-carve out time to exercise and really push myself to do it. About 99% of the time I show up to the gym after thinking I’m too exhausted or stressed to go, I am so happy I forced myself to go.

-60/40 cooked to raw foods ratio (juices included esp. go for green juice!) Green juice makes me feel like a superhero.

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-Drink more water (start mornings with room temperature water with a squeeze of lemon) See! It’s good for your hair, skin, breath, appetite…

-Find better ways to wake up, sans caffeine. I already gave up coffee a year ago and was never really a soda drinker, but I’ll put this on here to make sure I stick with it this year and also feel accomplished for already making a healthier choice by sipping tea when I need a little jolt. That being said, I also want to get more into tea this year-like, have a variety of green and black teas for the morning, and delicious herbal teas for an after dinner treat!

-Upgrade my morning routine. This includes streamlining my a.m. habits and figuring out how long things actually take, and how I can be more efficient about them (like cooking my oatmeal while I wash up and get dressed) especially now that I have to rely on the subway to get to class/internship/work.

-Make my evenings more efficient too-do something calming before bed like reading or stretching (or perhaps a few crunches, those never hurt anyone!) rather than watching 30 Rock and snacking until I pass out. I am definitely more of a night owl, so I want to do what I can to make my mornings easier. These include picking out my outfit for the next day, making sure my bag has what I need in it for the day, having prepared meals to take with to avoid ravenous thoughtless eating, etc.

-Meditate, even if it’s just for the five spare minutes I have that day…on the subway.

-Absolutely no smoking- I started smoking when I was 14 and always thought that it was just “not cute when you’re old” so as my twentieth birthday present to myself, I gave ‘em up. They mess with my skin, they affect my physical abilities, my sleep, my anxiety, they cost $12 a pack…you get it, there just really is no to benefit of smoking cigarettes. I’ve slipped up a few times since quitting, but I want to make 2011 a smoke free year! *well, free from tobacco smoke ;)

Photo: My own

-Make and stick to a regular vitamin regime (multi, calcium, vitamin b12, skin/hair/nail formula..)

-Remember the little things-dry brushing, bubble baths, facemasks, sauna (the main reason I’m still paying for my gym membership) doing my nails, coating myself in shea butter, flossing…they really do make a BIG difference

3. Make time for me- don’t let other people dump all their baggage on you and stress you out, realize when you need to step away from other people or social plans and just do something on your own. I want to make more time to just sit with my own thoughts and visualize what I want to get done. I need to stop letting other people hold me back from being productive and stop being afraid to take risks and do things on my own.

4. Find some fabulous role model(s) and get inspired by their accomplishments and set my own goals to work towards

5. Be a doer-don’t get stuck in a cycle of school, come home, sit on ass…actually take advantage of living in the best city in the world and even take time to leave the city occasionally to see some nature and so I can really appreciate how great it is.

6. Be more confident- with my style, socially and in school.

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7.Work on many projects and actually finish things that I start. This year I have a bunch of things I will be working on-this blog, a series of vegan dinner parties/ artist collective, a jewelry line and more!

8. Educate myself! I have no doubt this will come hand in hand with that last resolution but there are so many things I want to learn this year-vegan baking, more sewing techniques like embroidery, about crystals, all about tea, vintage clothing, about music, jewelry making, food politics…Oh and I have about a million books I want to read

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9. Stop wasting time getting anxious/self-conscious/upset about things. Kick those toxic thoughts in the baby-maker the second they start infesting your mind. I won’t even waste more time thinking about how those thoughts make me feel.

10. Do what makes me feel happy and magical! (I think the first 9 resolutions do this, but I wanted to make ten resolutions to round it out)

What are your resolutions for 2011?