A Huge Congrats!!!

One of my fave images from a previous Shane/Bonzie Collaborative Shoot.

Location: Bonmahon Beach at Dusk!

Model: Shaz ( My Purty Sister)

Gals,

We wanted to extend our huge congrats to our home boy Shane O' Neill of Aspect Photography in Waterford who was recently placed in the Wedding Photo Journalist Awards. As many of you know, we are big fans of his work and have had the pleasure of working with Shane on many collaborative shoots here in Waterford. He is absolutely passionately engrossed in his Photography work and I know how much an award such as this would mean to him.

Congrats Shane, very well deserved!!!

Yvonne & Ger

~Bonzie~

If you're getting hitched in 2011 check out Shane's website for bridal bookings.

www.aspectphotography.net

Weekend Clothesline: Chicago Blogger Holiday Brunch

The terrible trio: Me, Kyla, and Emily

I'm long overdue in posting these, but I've been happily soaking up some rays in AZ, and plan to continue my un-plugged-ness for another week or so. Last weekend, however, Emily and I were the happy, lucky hosts to Kyla of Blue Collar Catwalk for a few days. She came to Chicago for the weekend to chill with our rad selves and attend the Chicago blogger holiday brunch, seamlessly planned and executed by the lovely Sabrina of Defying My Closet. I'll post more pictures from the weekend (someday!), but today I wanted to share a few favorites from the blogger brunch. It was a delicious reunion with old friends (and some new ones!) and I can't wait to do it again.

From top: what I wore - photo credit Amy of Chicago Streetstyle Scene; the table scene...mimosas, baby! -photo credit Kyla; feeling posh in the armchair at Orange - photo credit Kyla

Pretty representative of our massive gooberosity for the duration of the entire weekend

Bestest roomies EVAH - photo credit Kyla

I ruin everything: Kyla and Sabrina, the mastermind behind the awesomeness - photo credit Kyla

The attendees (minus Sabrina) with our free Sonsi mugs! Clockwise from top left: Nikia, Lindsey, Amy, Gina, Kyla, Emily, Lisa, me, Tabitha

It was a lovely, lovely time. Thanks to Sabrina for her mad organizational skillz, thanks to Orange for letting us invade their space for a few hours, and thanks to Sonsi, Affordable Scarves, and We Love Colors for the rad swag.

Bonzie's Hot List 2010

Gals, I figured since I'm creating a bonzie shaped indentation in my couch this Christmas that it would be a good opportunity to reflect back on the year and share with you guys some of our fave people/artists/moments and mover's and shakers over the year 2010

.

Warning: Picture Heavy Post! May need a Cuppa Coffee for this one folks!!!

Watching my Cousin Majella Louise Fitzgerald dancing on Xfactor 2010. Maj has been dancing with my Aunt's Dance Academy , On Your Toes since she was 2 years of age! She eats, sleeps and breathes dance and recently graduated from London College of Performing Arts. Her first professional gig dancing on Xfactor no less! I was so proud watching her it was like a dream come true seeing her doing what she loves and living her dream. For sure a highlight of 2010!

Irish Fashion Journalist: Georgina Heffernan (right of photo)

The lovely Georgina Heffernan for her support throughout the year. We are eternally grateful for your belief in our brand. xxxx

Love My Dress Blog

One of the hottest vintage bridal resources on the net folks! Seriously, this gal knows her stuff!

SMOKING LILY!!!

Couldn't possibly finish our hot list this year without mentioning our fave boutique and stylista hot spot Smoking Lily's. Sometimes in this industry you get to work with really gorgeous talented people and have a nice collaboration, sometimes those collaboration's blossom into something more and you become dear friends. Shona Neilson the stunning fashion forward amazonian creature has become one of our dearest friends and Bonzie supporters. If you haven't been to visit Smoking Lily yet you simply must stop by. A stunning loft floor style mecca of hidden gems and thrifted treasures. I Market Slip, Kilkenny!

Hot List Royalty!!! Vivienne Westwood, we love you...nuff said!!!

Eilis Boyle

No Hot List would be complete without sharing our fave Irish Designer of 2010! The uber talented Eilis Boyle gets our vote every time. An Irish Indie Designer who is one of Ireland's brightest stars at the moment. Eilis works with passion, integrity and creativity and her designs simply speak for themselves. Eilis also keeps a terrific blog www.silentstoryteller.typepad.com that is another Hot List must for any of you keeping an eye on fashion happenings in Ireland. In an industry that can be challenging and difficult at the best of times, we have a huge respect for Eilis and her dedication to passionate design and Irish creativity!

Gisele Scanlon.

If you haven't yet discovered the magic that is Gisele Scanlon's, The Goddess Guide and the The Goddess Experience you simply must rush out and stock up! Stunning publications simply crammed with gorgeousness, each page a veritable feast of what's hot in style,fashion and beauty. Basically a Goddess 101!!! A definite Hot List fave!

Blanaid Hennessey

If you don't already have a style crush on this stunning creature that is Blanaid Hennessey you will soon! Blanaid is an avid vintage style champion, super talented Interior Designer and fabulous style blogger with an all consuming appetite for all things vintage, edgy and just outright cool. We attended the launch of Shutterbug, Blanaid's latest venture based in Kilkenny. This stylish photography mecca simply screams cool and one can't help thinking that it could be perched effortlessly in the middle of Greenwich Village New York. Blanaid is safely secured in this year's hot list and will probably remain there for a very long time!!

Check out www.blanaid.com to confirm your crush too!!!

Irish Stylist: Roxanne Parker

Irish Stylist: Cathy O' Connor

Irish Stylist: Annmarie O' Connor

Irish Stylist and Editor: Tanya Grimson

You know gals, we think it's very important to thank those who have helped you continue in the job that you love. Those who have championed and supported your work throughout the year! We are so blessed and very grateful to have worked with some really wonderful Irish Stylist's this year who have shared our work with the world and believed in what we do. For this we are eternally grateful and couldn't complete our Hot List without mentioning and thanking, Roxanne Parker, Annmarie O'Connor, Cathy O'Connor, Georgina Heffernan and Maria Fusco for having our back!!! :) We wouldn't be able to do what we do without their support and willingness to share our work with their readers. xxx

Maria Fusco

I challenge anybody in fashion to curate a Hot List without including the effortlessly gorgeous stylista Maria Fusco!!! A dear friend and seriously talented stylist, blogger and Irish fashion royalty!!! Ger and I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon this year with Maria in Dublin musing over fashion, accessories and all things fabulous daarling! Maria is an avid supporter of Irish Indie designers and absolutely eats , sleeps and breathes Fashion! It's not a launch party in Dublin if Maria and her stunning array of turbans is not on the guest list!!!

Hot List Fave: Liaison

Simply a must for 2010 one of our buddies from etsy.com Kat Swank with her achingly beautiful Mucha inspired "Liaison" headwear pieces seen worn above by Courtney Love. Kat creates the most divine wearable art and she is always top of our list in the hotness stakes!! You can check out Kat's online store HERE to see more of this super talented designers work. We had an opportunity to work with Kat during 2010 and hope to collaborate again soon!

Kat also experienced a tragic personal loss at the end of 2010 and continues to heal through her art each and every day. We wish to send Kat our loving thoughts and hope that healing comes to her and her loved ones in the not so distant future. xxxx

Daphne Guinness

Hot List ALERT!! Daphne Guinness how I love thee!!! Gals, simply couldn't complete our Hot List without our style fave Daphne at the helm. A firm fave here, Daphne simply rocks our world. A veritable style feast!!! If ever there was a muse! You can check out more images of this Style dynamo here, quite the treat!! Meeting Daphne at some point in my career is securely tucked away on my bucket list..

Anna Saccone

We met this stunning young lady at the Elite Model Launch Party in Dublin this year and she simply blew me away. Author of The Style Diet Book and Youtube Internet sensation with her Style Diet channel, Anna simply eats sleeps and breathes style/fashion and shares it all with her channel subscribers. A beautiful humble girl in person with a really positive message for young women about self esteem and self worth, we think this gal is simply wonderful and deserves every inch of the success coming her way!! You can check out Anna's Channel Here.

One to watch closely in 2011

Gabby Young

An ongoing fave here at Bonzie is our uber talented and achingly beautiful pal Gabby Young. We spent a weekend in London with Gabby and had an opportunity to catch her perform in concert with her band Gabby Young and the the other animals. We then spent the night at Gabby's in London with her gorgeous doggy Hobbes and equally gorgeous rockstar partner Stephen Ellis of London Band Revere, watching Coco before Chanel movie and munching on chinese take out! Gabby has been a keen supporter since we started and we adore her work. Gabby is one of the most talented songstresses I know and is quickly blazing a trail through the festival circuits and recently secured a recording deal! We are huge fans of Gabby and will continue to Hot List this stunning talented gal throughout her career! Gabby also writes a style blog, because well wonderful eccentricity like Gabby's simply must be documented!!! :) Check out Gabby's blog Here.

Dads work is dramatic, deep and sincere, I love how he views the world!

DAD!

Jim Crotty... Well Dad simply had to make the hotlist!! Ger's older brother and my Father, he is somewhat of a hero here at Bonzie Headquarters. A constant source of inspiration and neverending support. A keen artist and photographer himself with his first exhibition this year! One of the most proudest moments of 2010!!

Photographer: Rowynn Michelle Dumont

ROGER FOJAS

Known amongst the Lucent Dossier Clan as Ringmaster Roger! Roger Fojas is one of the most enigmatic, passionate, artistic people I have ever met. An avid photographer, artist and performer, Roger simply had to make the hot list of 2010!! We are really excited to be working on a collaboration in the New Year with Roger and can't wait to work with this artistic genius!

LUCENT DOSSIER

One of the highlights of the year: Working backstage at Electric Picnic with the guys and gals of Lucent Dossier. Absolutely incredible experience, magical performers and passionate artists!

Enter the World of Lucent Dossier!!! Go on I dare ya. :)

So there you have it gals, just some of our Hot List faves over 2010. Hope you find some new discoveries amongst the list and hope you enjoy perusing their hotness over 2011. Now, with pins and needles in my butt cheeks I bid you adieu. Time to get off the laptop and explore the real world again for another spell. :)

Hope you all have a wonderful New Year, we are looking forward to sharing ours with you all too.x

Be well

Yvonne & Ger

~bonzie~

Happy Holidays

Gals,

Ger and I would like to take a moment to Thank all of our loyal customers, family and friends for all of your kind support throughout the year. We both wish you all a very Happy Holiday and a Happy New Year. We hope wherever in the world you are tomorrow that you have an opportunity to spend some quality time with your loved ones and take a well deserved break.

We have been getting a lot of severe weather here in Ireland this year and we hope that everyone travelling home makes it to their destination without too much delay and hassle.

So put the feet up, put on your fluffiest pyjamas on and enjoy a few days of good food, warm company and high spirits.

Happy Holiday Everyone.

Lots of Love

Yvonne & Ger

~Bonzie~

We need your help blog pals....

Gals...

We have been shortlisted for the Irelands Top Designer awards! Absolutely blown away to be included in a list of such incredible designers, some of whom I idolized as a child! Top International Irish Model and Blogger Faye Dinsmore is curating the ultimate Irish Fashion movers and shakers with the finalists heading Paris bound!

Voting is open to the public for a few days and can be done daily so every vote will count!!! We are the second name on the shortlist of Irish Designers.

So paste it, send it, stuff the turkey with this link if you can!! Eternally grateful for your votes! xxxx

CLICK HERE TO VOTE

REMEMBER TO CLICK THE ARROW TO FIND OUR NAME SECOND ON THE LIST.

http://blog.fayedinsmore.com/irelands-top-designer/

I Could Have Flown

Shirt: Paix, remixed * Knit vest: thrifted * Jeans: Gap, remixed * Boots: c/o Sperry Top Sider, remixed * Belt: thrifted, remixed

Ready for an icy apocalypse??? Yup, okay! I've been massively silent here in the blogging world and internets lately because of tons of exciting awesomeness that has been happening in my non-computer-based life (i.e. in real life...). I'm actually currently writing this post from my parents' house in Arizona, and I couldn't be happier to spend almost two weeks in warm sunny weather with my family. But before that, Emily and I were happy hosts to the wonderful, beautiful, hilarious, and adorable Kyla of Blue Collar Catwalk. She came to Chicago to hang with us for the weekend and attend the Chicago Holiday Blogger Brunch, fabulously organized by Sabrina of Defying my Closet (loads of fantastic pictures to come soon). So, needless to say, I've been distracted by the awesomeness of hanging out with Kyla and loads of other stylish, sassy bloggers, exploring the city with new eyes, and stumbling across some batshit crazy ice formations along Lake Michigan. Intrigued? Read on...

Early last week, after a particularly rough blizzard, the conditions along the lake were so extreme that waves were coming up onto the coast and freezing immediately upon impact. I hadn't seen it yet, but Kyla and I decided to take a little stroll out to the water so that she could see Lake Michigan in all its big, blue glory. We stumbled upon these incredible, eerie, beautiful ice creations that had captured all the trees and shrubs and park benches along the water and frozen them in this crazy icy chokehold. It. was. awesome.

Kyla took these beautiful pictures, and waited patiently as I carefully walked across this ice into this little cave of icicles and branches. I feel like these are such beautifully wintry pictures, so extreme and so unique. And I love the outfit. I wore it for a day of walking through the city in the cold, and it was perfect. Kyla found this crazy vest thing at the thrift store the day before, and it was so warm and cozy and snuggly, and I just love how it popped out against all the ice and lake and sky.

I'm hoping to have another post up soon, with pictures from the blogger brunch, but I can't promise anything. I'm letting myself unplug, almost entirely, from the internets this week, so I won't be commenting much, if at all, or checking in on blog-related stuff. I'll be too busy stuffing my tiny face with cookies.

Title song: Tori Amos, "Icicle"

In the Meadow We Can Build a Dough(nut) Man

 

and pretend that he is Parson Brown.

If you click on the image (and then again with the magnifier), you'll see that I uploaded it large enough for a decent desktop background (it's a 1024x768 or whatever). It's been a good year for me and Bent Objects, so consider this a small kind of something in return. Thanks!

Laundry Day: Running in the Snow

It's Friday! I have a incredibly wonderful and happy-dance-inducing weekend ahead of me, so I'll leave you with this. Running and prancing with excitement in the snow. See you on the flip-side! Wheeeee!

Title song: Okkervil River, "Dead Dog Song"

Many Passionate Fans

 

Do you love chocolate? or is it simply lust? Hmmm?

-------

My friend Noah Scalin (famous for his  Herculean "Skull-A-Day" project) has a new book that is all about year long creative projects. Cool stuff, check it out!

Sustenance: You'll Be Right Half the Time

Nom.

I didn't take outfit pictures yesterday because I was too busy kicking ass in my performance review at work (hello, 2% raise, in keeping with inflation!) and celebrating with some hot pot in Chinatown with my friend (hi Jess! *waves*). Can you believe that after 3.5 years of living in Chicago, I'd only been to Chinatown twice, and never for dim sum or hot pot?!?? I learned the error of my ways last night, and came home full of as much deliciousness as I could stuff into my belly. A very merry Christmas, indeed.

Title song: Jets to Brazil, "Chinatown"