Moving Forward Now

 These are the last few photos I had left from my winter shoot with Jasmine! I wanted to re capture the retro yellow and purple dress on Jasmine to show it off a little better. The photos of me were taken by Jasmine and my look was widely based around the hat and fringe jacket. These looks can be seen in action in my short little vimeo video! If you have not seen it yet check it out! https://vimeo.com/63016232

Moving forward now we have finally entered spring and I could not be happier. I have been struggling with choosing my major and figuring out where I want to transfer to in the fall. I have came to the conclusion that Columbia is far too expensive and getting a degree in fashion design might bite me in the but in the end. So my research has lead me to Northeastern Illinois University and that is where I will be going. It's still in the city and I am going to major in marketing and minor in studio arts. Fashion is a great hobby of mine so I will continue to work on my designs and styling. My vintage collection is continuously growing and I have came to the point where I do not have much room to buy more. So I had this idea to become a vendor. I have a large enough collection so I might as well start selling. I will get my use out of the pieces I like take some styled photos of them and then sell them to the vintage lovers out there! My goal is to get a space at the next big sale at Vintage Heaven in Wicker park.

I am going to try and post a new outfit once a week and take advantage of my boyfriend ability to take great pictures of me modeling an outfit I have put together. We're are going to be getting a place together in the next few months and I am excited to say that I can not wait to be able to bounce creative ideas off of him since he is very talented. No worries though I will still be finding models to do photo shoots with myself. I already have spring shoots in mind and I can not wait to take all of my new ways of thinking about a photo and the look and produce some new work!

Thanks for all the support! Make sure to check out my Storenvy! As of right now I have all vintage jewelry available! ---> http://vanillajadeextract.storenvy.com/

Grand Opening!

Vanilla Jade Extract from Vanessa Riojas on Vimeo.

The day has come! My online store is now officially open!  As of right now there are only jewelry listings but I will be updating and posting more as it has taken a lot of work to get all of this together! I am very proud to say that I stuck to my deadline and I can't wait to see where this baby business takes me! Hope you can find a little something you like.

Special thanks to Jasmine Zepeda for helping me out with the video and being such a great little model.

Love, VanillaJade

Saying a Proper Goodbye to Winter with some Coat Appreciation.

Finally updating! This shoot was from my trip to Iowa with Jasmine Zepeda a couple weeks ago! The First two photos next to the icy Mississippi river show Jasmine in this vintage tweed coat I picked up from Broken Spokes Antique Mall in Clinton, IA. It was such a steal at only $17 so I had to throw it into a couple shots! In the last few photos the main piece is clearly the possum fur coat. I acquired such a piece from my grandmother. I think fur can be a hard thing to weave into a look or even into your wardrobe, so I try to challenge my self and see if I can incorporate my fur pieces as much as i possibly can. Even though I am not much of a fur buyer and I love animals I still think there is a classic thing to fur. Not only is it a sign of money but I think it shows a sense of confidence because it can make such a statement about who you are or who you want to be.
 Moving on to the dress and purse. This dress I got from Trash Can Annie's of Davenport, IA. I love how delicate the colors and the lace coming from the 50's era can be. Very cute and conservative. The clutch purse comes from the 40's. It's called a plastic flex purse which are pretty rare! I think it's a fun bag and it surprisingly can hold a lot.

I should be opening my store this week! THE TIME HAS COME!

Got to Move Around to Move Up

On Saturday 3/2 Jasmine & I made our way out to Camanche, Ia. My main reason for heading that way was to meet up with my ebay guru uncle to get some advice about my storenvy opening! Which should be at the end of this month by the way! While we were there I had to take advantage of some cool spots out on the Mississippi. I styled Jasmine up in a vintage 50's pink dress with a chunky taupe heel that I purchased off of Shoemint. I got the dress from Trash Can Annie's In Davenport, Ia. I matched this get up with a rabbit fur coat i picked up from Broken Spokes Antique Mall in Clinton, Ia. Also some mirrored sunnies and a cute little rose purse. This look specifically came into my mind because I knew that this piers white railing and the icy river would make the dress pop. The sun was amazing and the blue skies reflection in the water was too! All together a great day of shooting! It was bitterly cold out there on the river front though. I felt bad for making Jasmine suffer but she's a trooper and really helped me out because I would not have been able to get any work done with out her! This is only one look from the day! I'll be posting more shots leading up to the opening of my storenvy.

P.s. I also shot some footage of our adventure! Multiple looks and accessories! I will be releasing the finished video on my store opening day! Hopefully it pumps you all up to purchase a little something from my shop! Some of the pieces shot will be available for purchase!

Much Love,
VanillaJade

Motivated!

I finally designed my business cards, ordered them, and received them! Currently my agenda consists of cleaning jewelry, bagging them, and finishing up product shoots for storenvy listings. I am very excited to say that I think I am actually going to do this and do it right! I am heading out to Iowa to meet up with my uncle and take some notes on how I am going to run my store efficiently with out overwhelming myself at the same time. While I am out there this weekend I plan to shoot a little promotional video for my store opening too. I have a lot in mind and I hope to get a decent following on what I have to offer. This should be fun!
Other than that I am also proud to say that I have been officially accepted to Columbia for the second time and I can get this show on the road.
Meanwhile while I wait for all this to go down I have been enjoying my last semester at JJC and really soaking in what knowledge my amazing professors have to offer. This drawing class has really reshaped the way I observe the human body on the regular basis. Hope you enjoy my little Instagram shots of in class life drawings! Can't wait for my next post, hopefully I can squeeze in some new shoots too.

Vine Charcoal Life Drawings by me Vanessa Riojas

Progress Is Being Made

I've been complaining a lot lately about not being able to shoot and get things done over the weekend because I'm never home and in Chicago instead. So I decided to bring my stuff to the city with me this weekend!
This red skirt started me in on this look. It's a 50's slim pencil skirt with pockets on the front. The fit is great and it made me feel sexy even though it's past knee in length. The Black sweater with the red ornate design makes this look so vintage. It's 100% virign wool made by Pendleton. I found her at an antique store in Clinton, IA.
Can we talk about this hat though? This hat is probably one of the most exciting finds I've had, found in Iowa where I got the sweater. I'm thinking it's from the 50s, made in New York designer Adele Claire. The form is out of the ordinary and the colors of the feathers are killer. There was a bow on the front but it was really damaged when i found it so I had to do a little repair work but she came out presentable! & Special thanks to my boyfriend Eric Miller for helping me shoot!

P.S.
My Storenvy is still on it's way! I need to go visit my uncle who is an online seller guru so he can teach me the ropes when it comes to managing an online store!

Love, VanillaJade

As of Right Now

 My last semester of Joliet Junior College has started and I feel really relieved that I can finally start doing something else beside general education. I'm in a figure drawing class which is an amazing experience. The atmosphere is relaxing and I have never felt more in tune with my ability to really look and understand the body and be able to recreate that on to a piece of paper with some vine charcoal. I think this was a great class to take for my final few months attending JJC. I am going to be transferring to Columbia College in Chicago for the Fall and I think I am just going to go for it and major in fashion design. I am a bit nervous because choosing this major was difficult and the money, yuck I can't even go there. I have faith that I won't let myself down though. I want this more than anything I have ever wanted.

Other than school I have been researching alternatives to etsy and found Storenvy! On my free time I have been building this online store where I will be selling vintage jewelry and clothing. I will also be selling handmade art, jewelry, and even clothes and bags I have designed. I have about 30 listings right now, all vintage jewelry but more will be coming! I have yet to open it though because I need to figure out how I am going to do shipping. So stay tuned for my store opening I am really excited!

Here's a little taste of what will be for sale when I open my store. Product shooting is actually pretty sweet too. I feel like I executed it pretty well!