Throw Down Your Heart

We've always loved the way Béla Fleck plays the banjo, but after seeing his film, Throw Down Your Heart, we are taken aback by the beauty of Béla's trip to Africa. In the documentary, Béla brings the banjo back to its' birthplace. It's so funny that we usually associate the banjo with a southern, country music sound when it's roots are in Africa. Once we heard the banjo accompanied by some of the best musicians in Africa, we could hear how well it fit in with these instruments that it's not typically played with in America. Béla even found a young man who plays the instrument that the banjo is believed to be derived from. Watching the reaction of the locals to Béla's playing, as well as his reaction to the different instrumentation and vocal range of the locals was so fun. The collaborations Béla has with musicians around the continent are jaw dropping. We were so moved by Béla's collaboration with Oumou Sangare that we were brought to tears. Watching 2 people communicate so clearly through music is so powerful! Check out a clip from the documentary above where Béla plays with Ruth, the only female thumb piano player in Jinja.

We've Taken to the Grass in our Nepali Dress

Be the Belle of the ball in our Nepali Dress. The striped patchwork flows as you spin around in circles, becoming the grooviest hooper in town. The music is 'The Chicken' by String Cheese Incident, performed on 2-21-2000. The entire show is available for free download at archive.org. String Cheese is on fire this tour, if you're on the West Coast, make sure to check them out before summer tour comes to a close.

Toubab Krewe

Based out of Asheville, North Carolina, Toubab Krewe is a festival regular with a very unique sound. They blend musical styles from Mali and America to create a sound completely their own. The groups instrumentation includes a kora, a kamelengoni, a Malian horsehair fiddle, two electric guitars, a bass guitar, a drum set and African percussion. Make sure to check them out next time you see them on a festival line up, and enjoy this video of them performing 'Hang Tan.'

Get That Look: Donna Pinciotti

image from googleimages

Ever wake up and think to yourself, "Today I need to look more like Hot Donna from That 70's Show?" Well, not to fear, we can help you get that look!

Bell Bottom Pants are a must!

You've got to have a loose fitting blouse with embroidered detail.

Top off the look with a matching bag, and you're looking pretty groovy!

How to make an item of clothing instantly more groovy!

Ever have a piece of clothing you got hand me down that fit well, but just wasn't funky enough to match the rest of your wardrobe? We had this pair of pair of shorts with an elastic waistband, how awesome! But quickly after we got them, we had a hole on the butt, and frankly we like things to be a little more groovy. We went to a thrift store to look for some cool fabric to maybe add a bit of detail onto the shorts. We were ecstatic when we found a groovy trim to sew onto the bottom edges of the shorts.

We began to pin the trim around the leg opening of the shorts for a much more fun, summer look.

We sewed along the bottom edge of the trim with an overcasting stitch and a bright green thread.

After we finished doing that, we sewed along the top edge of the trim to really secure it onto the shorts well. Then we repeated that process on the other side. We grabbed a groovy patch we had been holding onto for years, waiting for the right item of clothing to put it on.

And we went from drab to fab in an hour! We paired our new shorts with our Seersucker Patch Tank and we couldn't be happier!

Behind the Scenes at the Fall 2012 Photo Shoot

Here Comes Sunshine

Even on a cloudy day, you can be the headiest hooper around in our Sunshine Tank.

The music is Orgone - Easin' (Outro). Check out Orgone, they're from L.A. and they get funky! We had the pleasure of seeing them last week and can't stop listening to them.

Get The Look: Janis Joplin

image from wikia

In the 60's, Janis Joplin busted out on the music scene with a voice and look completely her own. She wasn't the cookie-cutter image of a beautiful and delicate young woman that we had been so used to. Her fashion sense was so awesome, so unique, that we find ourselves getting inspired by her looks all the time. 

Get the Look: Janis Joplin

Get the big bell sleeves in this blouse.

Layer your blouse with this velvet jacket.

Throw on a Glass Tooth necklace.

 Get groovy and layer your other necklace with this acai seed one.

Can't forget the hip hugging bell bottoms!

Feeling groovy yet?

DIY Complexion Mist

We love keeping our skin clean and hydrated, but we just can't stand using harsh chemicals! All of our products were getting bulky for traveling and we started thinking maybe there is a way to combine all of the oils we just can't live without into a daily, all-in-one face regimen. We needed something that didn't involve cotton balls or q-tips for when we are on the go, so what better than a face spray! We are hooked, our friends are hooked, you should get hooked too!

1 part diluted Tea Tree Oil (mix 1 part tea tree oil to 1 part filtered water) - Tea tree oil is great for blemishes and acts as a natural antibacterial disinfectant, but because it's an oil, it doesn't leave your skin dry.

1 part Vitamin E oil - Vitamin E oil is an amazing moisturizer. It is light weight which keeps it from clogging pores. Like aloe, it is great for after the sun when skin is left dried out.

1 part Witch Hazel (make sure not to get a witch hazel that has been mixed with alcohol, which is very common!) Witch hazel is a gentle astringent. Like the tea tree oil, it reduces bacteria on the face to help prevent the formation of blemishes.

1 part filtered water.

Combine these 4 ingredients (don't forget to dilute your tea tree oil!) in a spray bottle, and shake before every use to mix the oil and water. Spray 3-4 times on face and neck, and rub in any excess into your skin. Put it in the fridge in the summer for a refreshing complexion mist to hydrate your sun-kissed skin while cooling you off. Throw in your bag and take it to a festival for a very low maintenance way to stay as beautiful on the outside as you are on the inside. <3

Get the pants here.

Delfest 2012

Things could not have been more perfect this year at Delfest...beautiful weather, beautiful music, a beautiful landscape, and beautiful people all over the place! Thanks to all who helped put it together, and all of our wonderful customers who made it so fun for us to be there.

 We love Alex! Alex's voice may be familiar to some, as often times she is on the other end of the Blue Sky line sounding so cheerful and taking care of everyone's needs.

There's Erik putting the party booth together! We love Erik, too! He keeps everything orderly and takes care of business in the Blue Sky warehouse. Without Erik we'd be lost.

One of our favorite dresses in stock right now, Dupree's Diamonds, hugs this groovy gal in all the right places.

It's our blue haired helper, Free munching down! Our friends of the festival may recognize Free from helping out at the Blue Sky booth over the weekend. Thanks for everything, Free!!

Looking groovy, girlfriend! This Assymetrical Spinner looks like it was made for this beauty. Check out our travel dressing room behind her, we come prepared! :)

That smile lights up a room! One of our younger fans has everyone checking out how great she looks in our Girls Maxi Dress.

Always a party at the Blue Sky Booth! 

This rock star came by to check out some groovy clothes but decided he was better off without a shirt...

What a great look! We love her style, and were very happy that our Silk Pocket Passport could keep her hands free...better for dancing! :)

What a timeless look! Long skirts are so flattering and fun to spin around in.

And THAT is how you rock our It's A Cinch skirt!!

We love hoopers!

Between the Flare Foldover Pants and the Color Block Bucket Bag, this heady hooper has got the right idea!! :)

Another gorgeous assymetrical spinner in a different color this time.

What is one to do in a situation like this?? 2 equally awesome pairs of pants...we'll show you which pair she chooses later.

Fits perfect!

Our Party Time dress is no joke, as soon as you put it on, it's time to party!!! :)

Her 3rd eye jewelry looks pretty far out with our Maxi Tube dress.

What a beautiful smile on this lovely lady who is lovin' her Blue Sky skirt!

It looks like our Favorite Tie Dye Skirt may be her new favorite too!

Our customer from earlier who just didn't know which tie dye to go with came back to show us how awesome she looks in the color she chose. Babies, hoops and Blue sky, OH MY!

What a groovy group of gals!

She's looking too adorable in our Butterfly Dress.

As she is demonstrating above, this dress is great to have a beer in! :)

She is the Belle of the ball in our Bella Dress. That color is just perfect for her, it looks so great!

This future stylist for the stars just HAD to have this scarf to complete his ensemble.

Another gorgeous take on our Bella Dress...it looks so great on her, too! We are beginning to think that this dress makes women look like goddesses!

What a perfect festival look!

She's looking fabulous in our Vertically Aligned Dress. We love vertical stripes, they're funky and flattering!

We love the addition of a tail to these pants.

That is such a great color on her!

The face paint on this gorgeous girlfriend really takes this dress to a new level!

We love this shot of two lovely ladies in some Blue Sky tie dye skirts walking at sunset.

You may recognize these two cuties from our photos from Delfest last year. They're always rockin' the Blue Sky...we love you guys!

 We see you over there looking great in that skirt!

It wasn't all work though, we did get to check out some great music while we were there, too.

Hoops, hoops, and more hoops! We love seeing all the party people shakin' their tail feathers out there!

Thumbs up right back at ya, girlfriend!

Blue Sky everywhere!!! We love our kitty cat dress for young girls, it's so sweet! Can't leave out Mom though, who's in the background sporting the peace sign cargo bag.

Umm...can we go with you guys???

We were trying to catch Free in her natural habitat, selling the Blue Sky, but she totally caught us.

These pants were a hit this weekend!

We love seeing the vendors supporting the Blue Sky!

Such a gorgeous landscape in Cumberland, MD.

Some party people on the move.

Land of the free, home of the tie dye!

We love this tiered skirt, it makes us want to sit down and have a picnic! <3

Free's having a good time as the weekend comes to a close, looking great in one of our favorite dresses.

Thank you to everyone who supported us and hung out at the Blue Sky booth this weekend, it was great to party with the people and have some fun. We look forward to next year.