Coming Home for the 4th of July

So for the past several weeks I have been away from my computer. It has been a real time of reflection and growth for me. I have been working on branding myself and stabilizing the ideas that I have for who I am and what I want TheJulyStudio to stand for.
For years I have collected and kept pieces of fabric and trims from antique stores, rummage sales, and past projects. I have said summer after summer that I was going to make these remnants from my past into clothing that would embody the spirit and fun of the July season.
I don't just want it to be for the 4th of July, but the whole feel of summer. I want it to represent all the things that make us American. All the things that make us who we are as a nation. Each piece of clothing and jewelry is inspired by the fabric, or the place I was when I acquired it.

Each jumper, romper, or dress is crisp, clean, light, and a symbol of a time when summer moved slower. There is ice cream and fireworks. There are lazy days by the river. All in all, I want these clothes to be things that can be worn all year round, as a symbol of who we are as American's. Something that can be handed down and cherished, just like memories of the 4th of July.

Nothing to Wear/ Not a Cinderella Story

What do you do, if you are 8 years old and you can't go to school because you have nothing to wear? For thousands of Orphans or Vulnerable Children (OVC) in Africa this happens every single day.
Almost all of the available schooling requires a uniform, and if you don't have one, you don't go!
So how can you help? There is an amazing group of people called Common Theardz who have developed a non profit organization and by selling t-shirts and bracelets they help children get the uniforms they need to get them in school and on the road to a brighter future.

Created in 2008, every time you purchase a t-shirt or bracelet from their Shop to Help Store they provide one uniform for a child in need. Currently hundreds of uniforms have been provided to OVC's.
So go to www.commonthreadz.org and check them out. They also plan trips and have so many other amazing programs to help OVC's get what they need to face the future....
And the next time you face your closet full of clothes and ask your self what are you going to wear, just be thankful you get to choose.

Babies need dresses too!

I love when my friends post pictures of their adorable babies wearing things that I have made. It still instills a sense of wonderment and pride in me every time I see my own work. The time and effort I put into each piece comes alive when there is a child in it.
Getting noticed is a perk. It is the icing on an already amazingly good cake...
http://blog.craftsy.com/2011/06/spotlight-on-a-craftsy-crafter-casey-july-musser/
One of my favorite TheJulyStudio dresses was featured in the showcase of Craftsy. 

But the dress itself found a home with Naomi Towns...

Fig Leaves/ Why we wear clothes.

Ok, so one of my favorite things to stew about is how men can buy guns and trucks and 4 wheelers and motorcycles...but women get so much slack for buying shoes and purses!
Don't get me wrong, a motorcycle will probably get you farther than a pair of stilettos, because if your walkin, your carrying those high heals in your hands!

Remember in the movie, Romancing the Stone, with Kathleen Turner and Micheal Douglas? When they are walking in the jungle and he chops the heels off her shoes with a machete?
Anyway, here is what I am getting at... The Bible says: And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.- Genesis 3:7.  It is right there, in the bible, for everyone to read. Apron horders of the world unite! It is biblical baby!
Shoes, and aprons, are very much a part of our day to day life. They can be an amazing form of art and expression. They can represent craftmanship and dedication. They can protect us from the elements and be a form of personal style.

Granted, when they cost $1,000.00 a pair, they can be pricey and you can't walk in them. But really, is it not worth it?

Introdution/ Why the hell am I doing this?

Good Morning! Here I am, starting my blog on a Sunday morning. It is a turning point in my life because I have made the commitment to begin writing about all of the art that goes on in my life everyday.
This, I understand, is a huge undertaking. I am one of those HIGH OCTANE women that does not slow down for anything. I get pretty darn excited about everything and can't stand to not live life to the fullest. One of my favorite quotes/mottos is: "I want to be the kind of woman that when my feet hit the floor in the morning the Devil says, "OOOOO crap! CaseyJuly is up!"
I will be expressing my views about life, my understanding of the universe and my opinions about what makes the world go round. I do cuss, and I have some pretty strong convictions. I have realized that I am way too serious, thanks to Sarah Elizabeth, and have been focusing on on the crap that has been going on in my life instead of how strong I am and my amazing resilience (which is a priceless gift)!
I do have some college education and am in the process of getting that piece of paper to validate it, but I have a lot of experience in a lot of things and that makes all the difference most of the time. I face things head on and have learned to let the truth "burn off the fog" as Ernest Hemingway kind of put it.
I am open to comments, and am kind of excited about it! I love to hear what other people have to say and am pretty open to even negative criticism. I mean, we get so much of it these days from everybody...why not just get use to it?
Soooo, why the hell am I doing this? Ask me in a year, and I will answer you then!