Anti-Fashion League

The Mexican Pointy Boots

2011-05-18T13:59:00.000-07:00

Well, Hiya AFL fans.
Sorry it's been a while..yeah, about two years.
Finally found something blog worthy.

The mexican Pointy Boots

take care possums and rug up warm for the winter.

Rhondah xx

The Broccoli Frock

2009-07-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

Another new embroidery..but what do I do with them?

New AFL Catalogue!

2009-06-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

Open publication - Free publishing - More knitting

hello kitty is onto it!

2009-06-27T20:20:00.000-07:00

Found by a friend in an auckland toy-grabber.
Freaky coincidence, or WHAT?

Poppyseed embroidery

2009-06-21T18:57:00.000-07:00

Any ideas on what to do with my new embroidery?

Congratulations Toby..and..MINI project runway

2009-06-07T23:15:00.000-07:00

Toby is officially NZ's dreamiest man..who knows, perhaps the world's dreamiest man to be put on a t-shirt.

Craftbomb was a lovely big success and thanks for popping by all those who did..
Rhondah will be there next time most certainly!

Whilst the larger version of Project Runway is yet to make it to NZ, Rhondah and friends created their own
mini-edition.. complete with catwalk on coffee table and paper clothes..

Check it out and rate!

12 dreamy men, you decide the winner!

2009-05-18T11:08:00.000-07:00

Hello Punters,
I present to you a unique opportunity to have your say in the next anti-fashion new and improved edition PJ tee! Yes..now try not to wet yourselves with excitement..
You get to judge who the dreamiest man is.. just vote in the poll on the left by midnight thursday (that gives you two days so hurry!) and I will let you know who wins.

THEN, you will then be able to buy a tshirt with the dreamiest man on it in the NEXT KRAFTBOMB market, which is May 31st, next next sunday!! 11-2pm at Grey Lynn Community hall. Bargain prices and some old favourites available!

See you there!
xxx
Rhondah

PS: Any resemblance to real men I know is entirely unintentional yet completely inavoidable. Be flattered, you know who you are.

AFL blog Paper edition

2009-04-28T15:49:00.001-07:00

{not be as time consuming as we expect...but nothing's ever simple..}

Firstly, some lovely mumu ideas to spice up your autumnal wardrobe.

Some lovely Nat Geo scans..
Hey..last year's 48hour stars are trying to get a piece of the action..!

Hiatus is over!

2009-04-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

Hello punters.
We have well and truely entered the lull before the anti-fashion storm. Reasons for the lull are 3 fold.
fold one: Rhondah has been jetsetting around the planet and has been avoiding the fashion police
fold two: Rhondah has been hard at work developing the 2009 catalogue
fold three: Having an antifashion league fermata before the release of the new designs will only make their arrival all the more exciting!

Here's the plan:
Once the catalogue is completed, it will be sent to NZ's art galleries and orders will be taken. From here we will gage the popular designs and get extras done of these, -that's when YOU dear public, will have the chance to order the designs and wear them all day every day.

Here is a sneak peak at the catalogue's opening page.

Designs will still follow the anti-fashion aesthetic:

-Plain black line drawings on plain t-shirts
-Plain quality printing

Differences will be:

-One stable price of $40 per tee. Specials will appear from time to time.
-Occasional super-limited runs of hand-printed tees. (Rhondah has her own screen now!)

Anti-fashion league still would like to have a market presence, and will be registering for Craftbomb and the next available Craftwerk. Craftbomb happens every 4th sunday of the month at Grey Lynn Community hall. Last time I was there I purchased a fabulous wallet from Luxford ST which I use every day.

In a few weeks, Rampion Productions will be entering the 48hrs film making competition, for the third time. This is going to be the best yet, I can feel it in my waters! (quote unquote kath and kim for those who have no idea.)

So, back to work for me, having just settled into the new flat I am just re-organizing my systems for everything so things are fairly slow..
but I promise to blog a bit more often now!!
Doesn't help that i've lost the lead from my digital camera so can only scan things in now..
maybe that's a good thing. Scanned delights to follow me thinks.

~Rhondah~

Lists of things

2009-01-27T11:58:00.000-08:00

I'm always surrounded by lists of things. Sometimes they're grocery lists,

more often they're things I need to get done, sometimes labelled in order of

importance, or difficulty, or the order in which i should do them.

Just a few lists I'd like to share with you:

Things i've been eating lately:

everything bagels

muesli with grated apple

jelly cake

cupcakes

hot chocolate

cheese pizza (hey, it's cheap in billyburg)

Oasis falafel sandwhich with extra beets and cucumber salad..no onions.

smoothie with mini marshmallows. (try it it's great.)

Things I'm looking forward to:

my trip to london/barcelona/japan.

nz summer weather

Things that are minorly annoying right now.

people not understanding my accent, hence

repeating myself constantly

ice on the footpath

cold weather in general

having to wear so many layers look like michelin man

$5 US for a coke at galapagos. Daylight robbery!

Tipping. It sucks..

stinky subways

having dreams about rats quite often. (there's one living in our

cupboard but it can't get out into the house cos we taped it shut.)

Things I'm planning when I get back to nz:

Lots of secret plans i cannot disclose right now

Things that scare me right now:

travelling with a trillion kgs of luggage to japan..

imagine one person carrying a cello on back, two suitcases in hands,

hand bag and guitar? just not enough limbs.

Portishead. Actually it's always freaked me out.

Things that are cool in new york right now:

rainboots (these are what we call gumboots)

hot apple cider

uniqlo heattech! so cheap, so necessary.

Cool songs to check out:

'Beast for thee' Bonnie Prince Billy

'Faded from the winter' Iron and Wine

'Each Coming Night' Iron and Wine

'Hang Gliding' Maria Schneider

'Gobbledigook' Sigur Ros

'Ragged Wood' Fleet foxes

'River man' Nick Drake

Bye for now..

Rhondah in NYC

Horse Cakes

2009-01-02T15:25:00.000-08:00

In honour of Philip the horseman, I baked these vanilla/chocolate cupcakes.

Philip will make an appearance on this blog very shortly, after his new york debut.

Merry Christmas from Rhondah

2008-12-22T15:34:00.000-08:00

Twas the night before Christmas,

and all through the flat,

not a creature was stirring,

not even a rat.

The stockings were hung up, tattered and torn
in hope that the soggy toes'll dry before morn.

the children (rory and leonard) are snug in their beds,
while visions of pavlovas danced in their heads.

And Rhondah in her pudding hat,
and John in his Pjs
play sitar and cello
to the noise of the freeway.

The christmas tree sits
in the corner aglow
with cardboard limbs
and fake silver snow

This christmas is colder
than ever before
Snow, ice and rain,
no sun and seashore.

Parcels from home
lie under the tree
wherever we roam
we can still be

ONE BIG HAPPY
AFL FAMILY

Love from Rhondah, John, Rory, Leonard, and Claire.

And I'm not joking about the cardboard tree. This may just be the only one of it's kind in the world.
We love brown cardboard, and cheery UPS delivery people who provide us with most of it.

Bright lights and cupcakes of a big city

2008-12-01T12:06:00.001-08:00

Today I was walking down bedford ave past one of my favourite stores, Pennylicks.
It's a vegan/vegetarian bakery and icecream parlour. You can get tiny miniature icecream
cones for $1. They don't have many flavours but they do have some very good ones, like
choco-hazelnut and chocomint.

Today I walked past with my roommate Sena, and we saw a sign:
TODAY IS CUPCAKE DAY! So of course, I went in.

We enquired about the sign and were introduced to a range of delicacies flavoured with various holiday and christmas flavours. We went for the red/green velvet cake with peperment ball and sprinkles. SOO good.

Sena got one too.

Vegan food has never looked so good..

I have printed a few 'knit me a dream' tshirts and other designs, but screenprinting is proving extremely tricky to get right every time, especially with the large amount of detail I have in my sketches.. But anyway, on a recent trip to MoMA I found this in the window display. All the neon lights and wool of your dreams!

The wool is really thick, like rope, if you can imagine.

with neon lights flashing through it..

So, I tried to make some gnocchi, with purple potatoes. It turned out pretty average, slightly edible but I chucked most of it out. It took me 3 hours.

Goopy, gluggy sticky potatoes..

I found these life size anti-fashion models at Moma.

Some of my favourite MoMa art:

Chair on wall.

cornered man.
people city..still from video animation about new york from 1970s.

view from my bedroom window, at sunset in williamsburg. Beautiful brickwork.

Williamsburg street art.
My brother sent me 50 crayola washable markers for my birthday..doodles ensued..and now
is taped to the fridge.
Happy birthday to meee...Rhondah's birthday was a great affair, with two kiwi pavs and many new
american pavlova fans!

Byeee now.

8 most underrated muppets

2008-11-24T08:48:00.000-08:00

Hi peeps.

Well as most of you know who survived the 80s, Jim Hensons muppets originated in new york city. Before the insanely annoying Elmo, there were muppets with substance, with real personality. Here, you can explore the 8 Most Underrated Muppets and view videos and pictures of them.

Tonight I am puppeteering in a work in progress showing of David Michael Friend's EGO. Check it out here.

Bye for now..and don't forget to check out our vice-president's blog here. It gets updated much more regularly...

~Rhondah

Ok, So like, NEW YORK!

2008-11-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

Punters, I am so sorry I have neglected thee over the past few months.
You see, I have moved to the big dirty old USA. I will be based here for the next 6 months,
and so, when I left in september, I had a lot of settling in and music shiz to deal with, but now,
I have quite a few posts to fill you in on anti-fashion league happenings in brooklyn and new york.

Firstly, I have to be slightly undercover, as my flat mate is a fashion designer who works in midtown
manhattan..I think she suspects something..

I now live here, in williamsburg, brooklyn.

View Larger Map
The people in williamsburg:
1. Hipsters (kind of like emos but with pointier shoes, less black, and MUST HAVE oversized glasses and a macbook of some sort with them at all times.

hipster A

Hipster B

Hipster C

Now, in williamsburg, hipsters are everywhere, so it confuses me why people are so negative towards them..they are trying to be different, so they are all the same, if you know what I mean.. I think they make it a colourful place, and a lot of them wear second hand clothes, which is nice and green and friendly..

This is the subway stop closest to my house. Some unfriendly person has tagged it..

So anyway, the Anti-fashion league is slowly starting to come to fruition in williamsburg. I have decided to do all the printing myself, and after several failed attempts to expose using the sun, and a squeegee to apply the emulsion, I forked out for some essential tools of the trade, -and emulsion scoop coater $23, a fabric squeegee $7, a 250w light bulb $8, rubber gloves $2 and lots of second hand silk screens and ink, sellotape, emulsion, screen cleaner, activator, photocopies, mylar copies, masking tape, pieces of glass.. the list goes on and on and on..

It's finally working properly now, and I've got the exposure time down to 25minutes. This is pretty cool. The only problem I have now is I stained the bathtub black with ink the first time I washed out my screen. So I need to figure out a cleaner way to wash out my screens. I could do it outside with the hose possibly, but it'll be snowing here soon and not so pleasant to be hosing outside. Big plastic tub methinks.

So, some new designs and improvements on old designs are in the making.

The Cornsuit, new and improved.

Knit me a dream. The new knitting enthusiast tee.

Gnomey... societial outcast - where does he belong?

The new poppyseed bikini (and the heads that didn't make it.Still up for comments on which head might be the best model..

''wrinkles are cool?" Ok so I just want an elephant print, so I drew one.

The new designs will be available soon in a variety of colours on tees AND sweatshirts, in the new etsy shop. News and a link to that soon when it's well stocked.

~Rhondah

Down with fashion

2008-08-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

I am wanting to create my own version of this, as a poster, with the words 'down with fashion' accompanying..
but it's proving hard to find a photography space that looks like a runway, but isn't a runway.. I shall keep trying though.
this is pretty entertaining, cringe-worthy.. but it certainly shows you the stupidness and HAZARDS of silly footwear the poor models have to wear.

Art Spam

2008-07-29T05:12:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone.
I haven't blogged for a while as this month has been extremely chaotic in my other life. However, I wanted to share this piece of spam I received, it stood out for me as being truely unique and a fine piece of junk.

So thankyou, Rasim Kabi, or, indeed Mr Nob..

CHAMILLION GALLERY INC .
MOTTO : IN GOD WE TRUST ALL THE TIME .
Hello ,
My name is Nob , i am a talented artist . i can create a world ( MONDE ) as pronounced in french for you inside a painting .
I base in NIGERIA and i have a gallery called ( CHAMILLION GALLERY INC . ) , i like to paint and also like chilling alone .
I believe you will like to have a piece of my artwork , like making an order for a portrait of your ownself , the moment you see this mail .PLEASE FORGIVE MY IGNORANCE , AM NOT TRYING TO BE RUDE . I JUST BELIEVE YOU WILL LIKE TO HAVE A PIECE OF MY ART - CREATIVE , AM SERIOUS .
Nevertheless , i like beautiful girls with skill and style that can be usefull to me and the world . I am single , 21years in age . I school in ghana . I have been painting for 5years now , am good in it and i really love the act of painting in general .
it's a world of my own . We only got one life , i want let you fall...
I need you and you need me too . I KNOW THE WAY I FEEL WITH YOU ... Don't be afraid to move a little closer . I want to be were you are , i am made to be creative and usefull .
Please don't hesitate to call my HOT LINE , if you see my mail as a usefull information ; + 234 705 666 1910 , ghana branch number + 223 247 243 319 .
NOTE ; This is not a scam or false , i pray you understand my mail . Is like moving mountain , just live it .
The moment you reply to this mail , i will send you picture piece of myself . So you will be able to know who you are dealing with in person .
Make an order for your portrait now . My mail address is carme_art@yahoo.com , don't fail to mail me .
Well wishes from CHAMILLION GALLERY INC . ONE LOVE ...
Lots Of Love ,
Nob
CEO,
CHAMILLION GALLERY INC .

So, I'm sure you'll agree this is an outstanding piece of spam and should be applauded in a slow, two hand, full bodied, trembling clap. The sort where you clasp your hands together after the sound has died, and sort of shake it back and forth before beginning the next clap.. you get my drift?

So, my AFL display at te-tuhi has dramatically reduced, but the manny and barbies are still there, albeit shoved into a corner to make way for the new painter's t-shirts.. who's exchibition by peter stichbury is quite cool. I particularly like his tom-hanks inspired shotput paintings. They are like little portraits on shotputs, all perfectly round and lovingly detailed.

On trademe I am buying up woolly jumpers..in the shops it is hard to find real wool! So many crappy synthetic jumpers that end up not keeping you warm at all.

I have however found a nz brand of down jacket which is quite cheap and very snug.. www.core-3.co.nz
These are not fashion jackets by the way..pure necessity keeping warm.

IF you are reading this blog, drop me a line or a comment, It will make my day, and fuel my addiction to electronic mail delivery..

Has anyone seen batman? Is it good?

~Rhondah~ in winter woollies.

I bought these slippers from the 'friends of the earth' shop in melbourne. Aren't they just adorable?

AFL visits Melbourne

2008-07-06T03:59:00.000-07:00

Hello again. Two posts in one night. Well aren't you lucky.

I thought I'd better report back on my melbourne adventure, before I can't be bothered.
My sister emma lives in melbourne, so periodically I feel an urge to travel the ditch and be completely spoilt by her wonderful cooking and generally having a wonderful crafty arty yummy time. I love this city.

I knew I was in Australia when I saw this man on the airport bus to southern cross.
My sister assures me he is from the gold coast. By the look of his attire (it is WINTER HELLOOO)..I think he thinks the rest of australia is that warm. Well at least his mullet will keep his neck warm.

We visited Sticky, an artists platform for zines and other things. It's actually in a subway tunnel. They have this cardboard box by the door which you can take anything you want as long as you swap it for something. We took that triangular book thing in exchange for a badge that we'd just made. (you can go in and make badges there.)
Me and my brother visited the Melbourne centre for contemporary art. Didnt think much of the show but the toilets were choice.

We found this in a train underpass. We think it's art. It's filled with rocks from somewhere, leaning casually on the wall, for people who are running to the train to completely ignore. But Emma noticed.

Here, somebody wants to sell some fish. I wonder if they sold any. Pretty good marketing words.

The little cupcake shop. One chocolate and one strawberry. delish.

I wanted to make a chocolate cake with raspberry coulis. Here's how it's done. MMMMM

Cook up some raspberries.

Moosh them with a fork. Add the juice and a few pieces of mandarin.

Serve over your chocolate cake.. which i'm sure you can find a recipe for..add lots more chocolate than reccomended and make it DARK.

OH OH OH so good..and still warm.
the next morning, add some blueberries to the coulis and make pancakes to go with it. Some Agave syrup also is good. mmm.

Made this scarf with some fabric from the op shop. The little green scraps were emmas though. She collects them and folds them neatly on her craft supply shelf. She has a whole floor of her house for art and craft supplies. OH the wonders.
Here are the badges we made at sticky.

In a set here. Alphabet. Banana. Bird.

Fabric badges. The few that turned out. damn it.

Misc. badges.

I made emma a scarf with a donkey on it. She is donkey crazy.
I am wearing my bird one now. It is very warm.

Some things that make Melbourne cooler than Auckland:

-They have a transport system
-They have dedicated cupcake stores
-They have camper stores everywhere.
-They have lots of specialist chocolate shops.
-People know what good food is.
-They're not all wanky like sydney types.

This is all for now. Have fun making raspberry coulis. I HIGHLY reccomend you doing that right now.

~Rhondah~

Chocolate reccomendations

2008-07-06T03:47:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you punters but I think the food pyramid should be turned upside down.

That little triangle at the top reserved for sweets and chocolate is just too small to fit in all the amounts of incredible chocolate one can eat each day.

AND, most importantly, all the way at the top of that food pyramid, they are much closer to the sun, and, as all egyptians know, the power of the sun is SO immense, it melts chocolate, making it messy and slightly slightly less enjoyable.

Here are AFL's chocolate and sweet things endorsements, for no particular reason other than I seem to be eating a lot of it lately. Hmm.

The Peppermint Flake. Actually green on the inside. Martian-ic.

The Curly Wurly - cheap and chewy. Only let down is that it looks long and big but its over too quick.

Wonka's fizzy tablets - cheap and zesty.

Crunchie bars - can't get by without one of these every now and then.

Annonomous weird asian 'every burgers' from the asian grocer. Yes, they are miniature chocolate burgers! Claire bought some and forced me to eat them.

Pankies. Also from asian grocer, a variation on the favourite 'pocky sticks' we all know and love.

Mens pocky. For that man in your life.

Pineapple lumps. to go with your pineapple t.

I wish I had photos of these little morsels, but i've eaten them all.

Sorry.

~Rhondah

Anti-Fashion as Art

2008-06-26T18:00:00.000-07:00

The Anti-fashion league now has a wonderful display at Te-tuhi gallery, where you can purchase ALL the t-shirts you want for only $40 each! that's right.. and because the gallery is
SO cool, they've allowed us to put Manny-kin up in the window, and the real life pineapple warhelmet for you to salivate over.

Here are some pics of Claire installing the display..

Matthew, the original model for the pineapple war helmet T..all the way from Newcastle.

Claire puts the spotty belt on the stripey skirt.

Hanging things and lots of pineapples.

See those photos on the glass? They took them off after we left.

A pity I didnt get a photo of the otherside of this - it's my AFL TV set with a handy shelf inside.

Manny-kin, mahogony Tv and other assorted goods. There are now tshirts in a suitcase and a lovely pineapple lamp hanging up, which were done on second installment the next day.
So , what are you waiting for? Get down to Tetuhi and check it out..
it'll be right there assulting you as you walk in..Mannykin in all her pineapple glory.

I know I haven't posted for a while so I'll do another post very soon I promise.

X Rhondah X

Gallery of Glamore

2008-05-30T22:10:00.000-07:00

Wow! You must check this out!

Sorry I haven't posted for a few weeks.. have been awfully awfully busy..
I am currently working on a fantastic cardboard shelving unit for my display
at te-tuhi..thinking of making it like an old TV, since the display area has glass
walls, so you see it from both sides.. on the inside of the tv is the shelves with
the t-shirts..maybe it will work and maybe not but I'm gonna try.

Click here to change your life

Bye for now,

rhondah

Anti-fashion goes technicolour

2008-05-13T20:54:00.000-07:00

The Anti-fashion league has this week gone COLOUR for two special
ONE OFF t-shirts. These were only ever designed as one off t-shirts,
so whoever buys them is one lucky person..
They are listed as Men's size little, but would probably be a women's large or average aswell. They are more guy-style than girl though.

Here are the two little beauties.

The BOYCOTT DOTS design began it's life differently, as a badge. But now for a limited time it is a T-shirt.

And the timeless classic, the CORNSUIT in beautiful technicolour..
Both now available from the shop.
Now this weekend is going to be crazy.. I am entering my own team into the 48hour film competition! Official 48 Hours site.
I also entered last year and it was great fun. This year we are planning on a slight variation to last year's 'paper actors' theme.. this year our actors are made from fluff and oven-bake clay.

A little set back with some of our characters being burnt to a crisp..or melting altogether.. but we have made do. It's 'character building' to have a black-tipped nose isn't it?

Soon, Antifashion league will be setting up a shop on toggle.co.nz which we are very excited about. if you've never been to Toggle, I suggest going there toot suite. It has free shipping throughout NZ!

Also, the pineaapple war helmet and manny-kin will be finding a new home at Te-tuhi gallery shop in pakuranga, on their very own platform to showcase Anti-fashion to the world!

Barbara may get a little shelf also to perch on.

I will post the 48hour film here early next week so be looking out for it! If I'm still awake.. usually I could sleep for a week after those weekends.

~tootles, Rhondah xx

The inspiration suitcase, that's so heavy it hurts my back.

2008-04-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

Hi peeps.

Well today was the day (and i'm still in the midst of it) of cleaning out my bedroom to make way for some new furniture and a more efficient work/sleep environment. Yes.. since my computer is in my bedroom it's all I do in here. working and sleeping.

I have a giant paper recycling bin because I accumulate a lot of useless paper.. I was going through a big stash of magazines that I got sent but haven't opened (I went to a conference and apparently that gives me no option but to be sent a giant magazine every two weeks.) And instead of just chucking them out I decided to go through and salvage any pretty pictures or illustrations that might be part of ads. Who knows what I might find..

Well I only found a few pages I wanted out of about 8 mags, but I suppose it was worth it.

I immediately cut some pictures out and used them to make these plain brown notepads a bit more fun..
I am slightly addicted to little notepads, anything I can put in my bag and take everywhere. No#1 lesson as a creative person is, you NEVER know when inspiration can strike. Also like to carry around my black ink pen. If not for inspiration, it's useful for making lists. I make lists constantly. I would just sit here and find it all too overwhelming and get nothing done if I didn't make lists.

A great place to buy these notepads is at $3 Japan, on Queen st in auckland, next to Burger Fuel. They sell all sorts of useful things, including rolls of coloured felt. Irresistable to the crafter in you. The great thing is, I'm usually in town at night, and they're open to 10pm! Yes..that's an idea for all you other auckland shops! Everything closes early it seems in Auckland. Anyway..

I have got there these felt pencil holders (and general junk holders) too. They are indispensable.

I also bought there once these novelty food erasers. Haven't used them very much yet they are too pretty. You can take them apart like puzzles.

So, Anywoo, once I have these scraps of pictures and things, sometimes bits of material (but only little, cos I have a different place to keep material) I put them in this massive leather old suitcase. I had to drag it out to the centre of my room today, this takes a lot of effort, i'm sure it's about 20kgs.

Here it is, the inspiration suitcase.

Inside, behold it's wonders.

The suitcase has a history, it was used by my mother, a midwife when she used to take it filled with 'delivery stuff' to people's home births. Yes..hippy home births! She still does these occasionally.. but she has a more nifty bag now.

And before I used it for pictures, my sister used it for pictures and stuff, and before that, I used it in a stage play of 'bugsy malone' when I played Blousey, leaving town with my suitcase packed..

One very useful item is my old National Geographics. I have had these ones for ages, and they have been well cut up, torn out, but STILL they produce gems of colour, pictures, expressions.

I have used this page to make a badge.

Choice wolf photos. Wolves are so cool eh.

Wolves kissing. Or something. I'm hoping it's affectionate.

Mutilated pages still hold fragments of goodness.

These men are playing chess in a swimming pool.

Interesting people from around the world. Brilliant photography. I use these for making cards sometimes, or wrapping paper.
Something about the old printing techniques that have a unique quality to them. Less glossy, more dotty, but better blues. my sister knows about this. You should check her blog if you haven't already. She's like, an artistic genius. And she can control the weather too. And she can feel colours. I think there's a word for that but it's escaped me. Oh yes.. synesthasia or something (spelt wrong I'm sure.) Oh and she's an ACE cook, and has LOTS of recipes for unusual things. She likes to cook with colour.

Some of the goodness I found in the magazines:

Owl woman.

Many many bunnies.

Monsters

An old scrap my friend gave me, from an old fairytale book.

On a completely different note, as I was going through these magazines I have since thrown out, I found an article on a girl who I thought looked interesting. I looked her up on itunes, and I have just bought her album. It's nice and good. I like the song 'A Bird's Song.' Her name is Ingrid Michaelson. She is 28 and from New york I think. Ahh new york. I'm going there for 6 months in september. Yeah! Hoping to find a house sitting job, all fingers and toes crossed. It's soo expensive to flat there.

Ok, fingers crossed about the threadless entry! Eeek!!

~Rhondah~

Anti-fashion league on threadless! vote 5!

2008-04-19T17:08:00.000-07:00

Hey my lovely AFL punters.

I have been slaving away to increase public awareness of the coolness of knitting.
Yes - the age old art of making something out of a piece of wool and two sticks..
So, what did I do? I made a threadless design (threadless is a website where graphic artists
submit ideas which are voted on and sometimes end up on t-shirts.) It's choice, so check
it out and please vote for my latest submission.

You might have to sign up but it's well worth it. the email updates are always cool too - featuring new designs weekly and bargain bin stuff. Please give me a 5 so that I get a high score after 7 days and then win some $2500! That'll keep the afl running a bit longer!

Meanwhile on the market stall front, keep May 3rd and 4th in your diary - planning to have a stall at craftwerk at te-tuhi, and possibly at the coatsville market aswell. That'll be a first.

Thanks peeps.

~Rhondah~ x x

Smoothie list of shame - and how to avoid geting on it

2008-04-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hello punters.

I don't know about you, but these days it's hard to get a decent smoothie around town. But you may be confused about exactly what I mean when I say smoothie. I mean - NOT some syrupy milk shake, or blended ice with syrupy milk. Nor do I mean anything made with 'sachets' or powder.
I mean, the real deal, Something real (take fruit, or nice chocolate sauce) blended up, and mixed with either icecream, milk or yoghurt, or a combo of all.

I cannot express how disappointed I am with many cafe's throughout Auckland listing smoothies on the menu, and then charging up to $6.50 for what turns out to be nothing more than a squirt of syrup and crushed ice. This, is called a 'frappe' or as I like to call 'crappe' and a sad substitute for the real thing.

I guess, some would argue that smoothie falls into two categories. One creamy, one icey. But if you ask me, the creamy variety is FAR more superior - unless you're alergic to dairy, in which case, I am sorry for you, and I thank my lucky stars that I am not. I would just die if I couldn't drink smoothies. Or eat cheese. Or milk chocolate.

Well I've written a good few paragraphs without any mention of the list of shame, so here it is.
The following cafe's in Auckland do NOT know how to make smoothies. - Bear in mind EVERY time I ask for a smoothie, I go to great lengths to spell it out - "Do you make it with icecream?" (if they don't I won't buy one) "yes" "Ok can I please have it really thick, like as thick as you can make it." "ok. sure." ((wait ensues)) [Smoothie delivered] ((smile fades as the straw is lying lazily against the edge of the glass, filled with a substance that reveals lightly frothed pink or brown milk.)) Then, one of two things happens. I either say "Oh, I'm sorry, there seems to be some mistake, I asked for it 'super super thick.' " They then say "Do you want me to re-do it?" then I say "Yes." This is usually followed by a short wait, then a re-delivery of what I swear is exactly the same smoothie, perhaps with some saliva or something added for the pesky customer (namely me) and me slowly loosing faith in Auckland's cafe staff. The other option is, I don't say anything at all and then spend the whole time complaining to whoever I'm at the cafe with that nobody knows how to make them like I do at home.

THE LIST OF SHAME:
Do NOT order a smoothie at:
Cezannes, Ponsonby Road. (they used to know how but now the owners have changed.) And, they are still harping on about how they got '2nd best cafe' in metro 2004.. Do something about winning it this year guys!

Dorothy's Sister, Ponsonby Road (I'm sorry chaps but this is probably the worst smoothie ever.)

Sealy Cafe, Thames (I ordered a chocolate smoothie here, after the second attempt I decided to give up. They know how to do 'iced chocolate' but not smoothie.)

The graduate lounge cafe, (Again, asked for it THICK but a crappy milk shake appeared.)

THE HIT AND MISS smoothie list:

Rakinos, High st (Depends who makes this and whether there are a lot of people there. Sometimes they put mint in with the berries which can be quite nice.)

The Auckland Library Cafe (The smoothies are expensive but you get HEAPS in the cup. However they make them in disposable cups which is probably not so necessary given you can't recycle the polystyrene. Also they are a little bit frappé ish but still pretty nice. Perhaps one would use the word 'juicy' rather than 'icy.'

THE ALWAYS SPOT ON list:

Rhondah's kitchen.

Some signs of a good smoothie include:

It has real Flavour, as opposed to really sweet syrupy flavour
The straw stands up by itself
There is quite a bit of tension when you take a sip..in that the stuff is getting
stuck in your straw. VERY good sign
There are no bubbles on top. (this indicates it has been shaken not blended.)
It takes a little while to get to you. (this indicates at least three real ingredients are used, not a 'rip the satchet, blend the ice job'.)

Ok Now I'm going to step you through it, with illustrations to make a 'chocoboys' smoothie. I have found boysenberries have the best flavour for smoothies. Raspberries are too sweet, strawberries too hard to blend. (we are talking frozen here.) and blueberries have annoying bits that get stuck in your teeth.

Ingredients to get:

Neopolitan icecream of a reasonably good brand. (signature range is ok, not Kiwi.)

boysenberries frozen

Yoghurt (plain greek or something)

Milk (not much.)

Put on your apron.

Get out the blender. Make sure there's not weird bits of vege in it from the soup you made the other night.

Blend in the blender about 10 boysenberries. Keep it going until they are in bits that look like scarlet rocksalt. You may notice a freaky white cloudy mist rising after blending. This is good.

Then add a few scoops of icecream of every stripe in the neopolitan. Or you can go with more chocolate.. but best to use up the vanilla too cos it's always left to last.

Then a splash of milk, and before you blend it, mix it over with a spoon.

Blend a few more times then stir each time if it's not mixing properly.

Don't add too much milk, keep it nice and thick.

Pour into a glass with a spoon. (If it's the right consistency it should go in big gloopy plops into the glass rather than pouring smoothly.)

Drinking from the glass can get messy..and frozen top lip, as Vice-president claire is demonstrating.

So eat with a spoon or a straw. IMMEDIATELY.

Perhaps drink it in the garden and wonder at nature's marvels. drink it slow. Or perhaps sit at the computer and blog whilst drinking sporadically.

Clean up the mess that looks like you've slaughtered a small animal.

Now that's how to make a good smoothie.
~ x x rhondah xx ~

Rory and Leonard - Anti-fashion mascots.

2008-03-29T17:51:00.000-07:00

Hello.
This post is entirely devoted to the idea behind Rory and Leonard, Anti-fashion league mascots. They got VERY jealous when Motorway Rooster got his own post, so it's about time they got their percentage of blog coverage. Firstly, I'll start with saying, Rhondah could not do her job without their constant support and inspiration..

A bit about the duo.

Rory:
Age: 13 years. That awkward age.
Hair: Reddy orange.
Face: freckly, slightly weird shape. Cute button nose.
Likes: Helping Rhondah at saving the world from fashion
Waffles with peaches. Cuddles with Leonard (but don't tell anyone.)
Dislikes: Asparagus. Being called 'carrot head.' Fashion.
Girlfriend: Don't ask.
Favourite game: Scrabble.
Future career: Anti-fashion President.
Sometimes worries about: Being crushed unexpectedly when the day comes when he finds the spot where the odd socks have gone to over the years.
Often worries about: The hazards of open toed footwear and the frequent requirements of many school children to wear these every day without exception.

Leonard:
Age: 12 years. But still furry.
Hair: brown
Face: Brown, with little rosy cheeks.
Likes: Riding in the supermarket trolley.
Dislikes: Washing machines. Feeling that he cannot solve all the world's problems with a little cuddle.
Girlfriend: Prefers to remain loyal to Rory to serve his emotional needs. feels a girlfriend would definitely come between them. Physically.
Sometimes worries about: The fact he's only a bear and the world won't take him seriously.
Is always amazed at: Rory always knows what he's thinking, even before he says something.
Last night dreamed about: Being trapped inside a handbag inside a washing machine.

The evolution of the mascots:

A page full of mascot development ideas.

A mock up of Leonard for the vip club mascot.

Doughy mascot. Looks like a weird unbaked cookie.

Even an older mascot was considered.. this appears to be tomato man, but he just wasn't cute enough.

An older Rory with quiff hairdo.

Original sketch for VIP club signup.

Current day Rory.
Rory's very own product. Never got off the ground. Although I did source some freckles from a map supplier in Chicago, they refused to send them for under $25 US postage so I opted out. (the freckles themselves cost $4.)

Leonard joins the campaign to stop bears in washing machines.

So now you know a bit more about the mascots, it's time they got sent some fan mail! All fan email can be sent to antifashionleague at gmail dot com and letters can be sent to the address included on the traders page of antifashionleague.com

~Time go go, Rory wants to check his email.

x x Rhondah x x

Super Hero Portraits

2008-03-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

With power comes responsibility. As any super hero will tell you, with any super power, there is always a downside. Sadly, this results in many stressed and gloomy heroes.
Take me for instance. Rhondah Rhombus, Anti-fashion activist and anti-fashion super hero. I have guided many a fashion-disaster to the light at the end of their wardrobe, which IS the anti-fashion league. But along that path, I've been harassed by the Paps, bitch-slapped by fashion heavy-weights, and tripped on the anti-fashion cat-walk of life. It is, the path less chosen, and Be warned. Super heroes have their troubles too.

Recently I returned from a trip to New York City. There I found to my great pleasure and surprise, a real-life SUPER HERO SUPPLY STORE. There you could get all the invisibility gum, lycra suits, lazer vision pills etc etc you could possibly want. It also doubles as a school for aspiring young writers, out the back, through the turning bookcase. TOO COOL.
super hero store.
Poor square man. Saving the world's square edges from becoming rounded, through routine wear and tear. Metaphorically square aswell as geometrically, Square man stands up for all the 'squares' of society, those that don't fit in, are unusual or hard to categorize. In my opinion, the more interesting folk in the community.

Atlas man. He can make time go faster or slower, by doing forwards and backwards rolls. It's basic gymnastics, but it could be very helpful in certain situations.

Carrot man. You all know we are vegetable friendly here at the Anti-fashion league. Carrot man is standing up for the rights of veges throughout the world!

Let's not be sexist. Carrot leg woman. Much the same function as Carrot man, except capable of much more because she's got arms. Also makes carrot man happy on lonely nights.

What about old super-heroes? Definately under represented in popular culture. Here is an artist's projection of Carrot leg woman in 50 years.

Onion man. In this heartless society, onion man is here to make you cry. Come on! it feels so good to let it out once in a while.
Every super-hero need's his or her "arch-nemisis." Maybe here is Rhondah's.

Lightening man. Despite his suit, Lightening man feels burdened by his ability to conjur up electricity. He feels his super power has prevented him from forming a proper relationship. He has too much 'positive energy' perhaps. And he can't take off his rubber boots for fear of shocking himself in his sleep. He is getting counselling.
Poor lightening man.

I sign off now, - very soon a new post on AFL's mascots, Rory and Leonard.

The Hazards of open toed footwear.

2008-03-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

My Friends,
Finally, the post you've all been waiting for!
I present to you, the highly educational, "HAZARDS OF OPEN TOED FOOTWEAR'' short film.
Please inform your family, friends, neighbours of the hazards by forwarding them this link.
I have spent WAY too much time on this for it to go unnoticed..

Many thanks to those Aucklander's whose toes unwittingly have starred in this film.
Yours ever hopefully,

Rhondah.

Mystery Cookies - Who stole the country from the cookie jar?

2008-03-08T13:49:00.000-08:00

My dear readers.
I am sorry to disappoint those waiting for the video post, but rest assured it is coming. In the meantime, I bring to you a pressing concern.
A friend of mine is currently in Belgium. When I heard this news, I promptly advised him to try and find the real authentic versions of my favourite biscuit - The belgian biscuit. Here in nz we can get them in most supermarkets and a few great cafes, like Agnes Curran on Ponsonby road. (Complete with a doily.)
A classic example of this delicious biscuit. For those who haven't tried - the biscuit bit tastes a bit like cinnamon and sweet spices. It's not particularly sweet though, that's why it's sandwiched with raspberry jam and layered with white icing and jelly crystals sprinkled on top. Take care not to sprinkle too early or they will just make the icing turn pink, and loose their crystally goodness.

Agnes Curran is a tiny cafe just on the corner of Franklin road and ponsonby road in Auckland. It used to be a french clothing outlet, now it's home to some of the finest china and teacozys auckland has to offer. The colour scheme is just brilliant, and the staff are friendly too. I once had a hot chocolate there, and before I had a chance to drink it, the guy took it away again cos he was worried it wasn't going tot be hot enough. Sweet heart. Another thing I like about Agnes is there is one big long table in the middle where people sit around, and a few tiny two seaters around the edges and in the window. All sorts of people hang out there. And there are usually lots of exotic dog breeds waiting outside for owners to finish their jammy scones. (pronounced as in 'cone' not 'on'.)Agne's homemade lammingtons.

So. I ask you dear reader. Where on earth to Belgium biscuits come from? Apparently not from Belgium. My friend Alex suggests we in NZ have been subject to another case of geographical misrepresentation, much like the cases of the 'french fry', the 'danish pastry' and the 'english charm.' Hmm.

Any comments or enlightenment would be MOST helpful.

Thankyou for taking the time to read this pressing concern,

~Rhondah

Art - where has the fun gone?

2008-03-06T15:06:00.000-08:00

Ever wandered around an art gallery thinking - I wish artists would take themselves less seriously?
Well the art genie has granted your wish. Now showing at Te-Tuhi the mark is the best bit of kiwi art I've seen in a while.
The Bouncy Marae! yes.. this is bringing together Art, Culture and FUN.. I had a good bounce.
Don't forget to take off your shoes.

I love the colour scheme, in Te Tuhi colours..

It was a bit dark inside, so I decided to use some flash.
I found several small children trapped inside.. They seemed happy enough.

Here is info on this brilliant arteest:

That's all for now. The next post will be a real stunner, I have been working on a video for you! That's right.. so sit tight until then..

love , Rhondah ~

The miraculous return of Motorway rooster!

2008-03-01T13:15:00.000-08:00

Many of you will not be familiar with Motor-way rooster, who has lived for years crossing the road between the entrance to the southern motorway from the south eastern motorway. Each day he would journey across the traffic to a small verge of grass between merging traffic and the motorway.

Mid-way through 2007, I had very low hopes that Motorway Rooster would ever be seen again, as giant diggers and men in orange vests errected barriers across both sides of the onramp, caging out Motorway Rooster from his home. On most of the grassy verge that he used to peck about happily, amongst the discarded coke cans and takeaway wrappers, there now stands a steep concrete verge.. and although many of the road-work barriers are still there for some reason..Motorway rooster HAS RETURNED!

Visit www.antifashionleague.com to read his very own Comic strip! More episodes coming soon..

This is a photo of motorway rooster taken before the road works.

The grass is a little dry, but he doesn't mind.

After three months leave, I snapped him again to my great relief.

However, on reflection, i'm not sure if this is indeed motorway rooster, or a motorway hen? It's a bit hard to tell.

Anyway... apparently motorway rooster has a name! This showed up in the paper this
week:

For a long time I have wanted to put up a sign, and build motorwayrooster his own comic web site. But for now I just have the sign. I am waiting for all the road barriers to go down so I can pull over and stop to put it up.

Here is the sign:

So anyway, if you want a motorway rooster badge,
let me know!

Let's support this little bird to keep his patch of paradise,
albeit shrouded in vehicle emissions and discarded rubbish.
Not to mention half finished roadworks.
Poor little Rocky.

~ Rhondah ~

Having a tidy up? make sure your broom is up to it.

2008-02-10T16:44:00.000-08:00

Check out this inventive use of everyday brooms.. Cleaning can be fun! ? although in this case it's appearance before function I think.

thanks Mat for the link..
x
Rhondah

Anti-fashion league at Craftwerk

2008-02-09T17:32:00.000-08:00

I have just recieved word by homing pigeon,
that Anti-fashion league will be attending the Cross st carnival! This is fantastic news. Prepare for next saturday the 16th of feb, 2-7pm for a day of candy floss, weird clown things, entertainment and craftwerk goodness. There will be lots of cool bands including the shades.. who are cool.
Listen to their groovy music www.myspace.com/theshadescrew

Cross st is off mercury lane, which is off k'rd, near subway, central auckland. The whole road will be closed off, so park somewhere else and walk.

I have ordered some brand spanking new t-shirts to be printed, including women's pineapple war helmet t's at long last and by popular demand. If we are lucky maybe even some 'legalize lycras' in mens sizes. But don't hold your breath. Hand bag dogs will be in popular demand with a handbag dog pet store just around the corner (I will organize placards if you do the protesting!).. But of course you'll need your t-shirt on first.

Don't forget to vote for the poll (near the bottom of the page.) that's all for now..
See you saturday, 2pm
Feel free to cross dress - it isn't called cross st for no reason! :) Anti-fashion promotes fashion equality for both sexes..
Rhondah. xx

Rhondah promotes AFL at local gallery, and gets a golden pash.

2008-02-07T14:29:00.001-08:00

Hello AFL punters,
It's Rhondah again, back for more Anti-fashion blogging goodness.

Firstly, I would like to announce an alternative pronouncement of the commonly used word 'google.' The 'g' may now be prounced 'joo' as in 'gentleman'. Since this is a made up word, it seems many people are simply following the pronounciation trends without any real thought towards other alternative pronounciations. Ok, so "[Joo]-gil" it is. Feel free to spread the word.

Now, for some Anti-fashion neighbour hood market goodness. The AFL had it's first market stall to raise public awareness at Te-Tuhi the mark, in Pakuranga on saturday feb 2nd. A small but interesting market, AFL attracted many new league members. AND many people wanted to buy the pineapple war helmet. I'm sorry but it's not for sale - but feel free to make your own!

Other stall holders included http://www.anemonecrafts.blogspot.com Kimberlee who has a lovely little profile of lots of other stalls including AFL.

Rhondah womaning the AFL stall with the womaniquin

Annabel Rhondah's trusty sidekick modelling her beautiful don't litter tshirt.

A golden pash with rhondah..any league boy's dream.

Ok fingers crossed the Anti-fashion league will be appearing on FEB 16th at CROSS ST CARNIVAL! yay!
Craftwerk is holding stalls there and we've applied for that. So they better except us or we shall have to sulk for a while.

Ok pretties, I am going to do the next post in a while as I have a little special feature sorted on the hazards of open toed footwear. This is a pressing issue and prominently topical in this summer weather in NZ.

Bye sweets,

Ever hopefully,

Rhondah. xx

Rhondah gets down and dirty in the blog trough.

2008-01-20T18:41:00.000-08:00

Hi Anti-fashion leaguesters, and random stumblers.

You have found a blog that potentially will change your life! Yes that's right - you've finally found that light at the end of your tunnel/wardrobe, that will guide you through the murky haze of fashion confusion, crime and guilt, into the all embracing warmth, clarity and acceptance that is THE ANTI-FASHION LEAGUE.

The Anti-Fashion League (referred hereafter to as AFL) asserts your right to wear whatever you choose, whatever the
day, month, week, season, year it may be! It promotes freedom of choice for all you clothes wearing people (and all
you nudists too.) Lastly, it promotes respect for hand-bag sized dogs, who (except in some parts of canada and alaska)
usually have four legs that walk quite well. They do not need to be clothed with pink knitted goods. It's not their fault.

The Anti-Fashion league has big plans for 2008. Myself, Rhondah Rhombus, and my little helpers Rory, Leonard and Motorway rooster are planning to spread the word globaly about Anti-fashion league. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the Anti-fashion league website will soon offer world wide shipping for it's goods. www.antifashionleague.com

Top ten things that get up my nose about fashion: (as according to Rhondah Rhombus, president of AFL.)

1. hazardous open toed sandals (practically asking to be stubbed)
2. highly reflective sunglasses (so you can't tell where the person is looking)
3. hand bag dogs, and more recently, hand bag bunnies, (and dare not mention it..handbag babies.)
4. 'pre worn-in' clothing (takes all the fun out of doing it yourself)
5. clothes with 'two way' zips (was one way really not enough?)
6. clothes with sequins sewn in 'series circuit' (you loose one you loose em all.)
7. crocs. nuff said. I dont CARE how light and practical they may be.
8. fake retro. (new, but from 1978 surf club, evidently..)
9. shoes with no grip. (fresh rain +tiles = certain death)
10. clothes you screw up small and dont iron EVER (it's unnatural..chilling..and how much space does it really save?)

Keep poised for the next Anti-fashion blogspot. Together, we can make a difference.

Ever hopefully,

Rhondah Rhombus.
Anti-fashion Leage
PRESIDENT