Monday, July 9, 2012

Sexy Skins Does Little Lambo in LA

On June 26, 2012, my assistant, Cristina Barbaresi, and I flew out to sunny California to begin our work on the interior of a 1973 Lamborghini Lp420 SVM Urraco, better known as "Twice Baked". What an adventure for the Bull, its owner, and Sexy Skins!


We began with a shopping spree and returned to set up our make-shift Sexy Skins studio.


Next, we began to drape our recently purchased muslin, and transferred to paper to make a pattern for Little Lambo's seats.


Cristina and I enjoying Starbucks before she begins to cut.


And, the sewing begins!

             
Stopping to check out our work.  Looking Good!


Working hard means we need to play hard. Lake Arrowhead on July 4th.


LA trip Numero Uno is complete, and Cristina and I fly home to Sexy Skins studios in New Hampshire. But we WILL be back soon to finish creating Little Lambo's Sexy Skins!


To view more photographs: Sexy Skins does Little Lambo in LA
The story of our Twice Baked Little Lambo:  eBay Motors




Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Twice Baked Little Lambo


Twice Baked, by Karlton Spindle

What I would like to attempt to do is have my show car on display in the ebay motors booth / tent at this years Concorso Italiano where ebay motors is a sponsor.  The "mark" this year is Bertone in celebration of 100 years of Bertone. My car is a 40 year Homage to the Bertone Lamborghini lines.

Back story straight out of an ebay ad but all true. Fact is there is a documentary being filmed on the car history.

1973 a Little green P250 Urraco made its way from Bertone to Lamborghini then off to California where, Paul Spencer III bought the little Bull (Urraco is a little Bull).   Paul resided in Upland California.  He also had a home in Lake Arrowhead where the car was for the fun mountain drive up Hwy 18.
197X (77 or 78) Paul had a motor fire on his way up the mountain HWY 18, and the car was taken by the insurance company for disposal.

1978 The car was presented at auction in Los Angeles as a tow through parts car; it showed minor fire damage.  Well, at least to me, a high school kid, saw a lamborghini in a price range that worked. I called my Father who made me a deal; I could bid up to I think $10,000 for the car, but the car had to be able to be re-built, and I had to put the money back in to my collage fund, or, sell the car when it came time to go to Loma Linda University in fall of 1979. It was a BIG gamble, and he backed the bet. The car was bought for $6,000, and we put $3,000 into it that summer / winter.  By Spring, we had it ready for my high school senior banquet (we did not have prom). It was a magical time as the car made its debut at the banquet. That summer I drove the car up to our home in Lake Arrowhead, and parked it at (NO LAUGHING) the Lake Arrowhead Yacht Club.  We race small boats there, yet we call it a yacht club, so dont think its some high-fallotin joint. When I parked the car a good friend of mine, whose son I raced Hobie cats with, came up and said, "Hey that's my car!".  Yes, it was Paul Spencer. Proudly, I said, "No, its mine now".  The summer was off the chart fun with the little green bull up and down hwy 18.

1979 at the end of an amazing summer my father called in the deal.  Yes, a deal is a deal - honor it.  The car was sold to a friend of his, who in actuality, did most of the work on the car with me. Chuck took the car to Long Beach Ca. where he lived.  He painted it red like every other Italian car, but I digress. That was the last I saw of the car or so I thought.

2011 My mother passed away, then a few months later, my father passed away. About a week or so after the passing of my father, I was thinking of all the really cool things he had done for all of his kids, friends and other family members. I was honored to help him pass with honor - a deal is a deal. The Little Green Lamborghini saga has always been with me. You can check my ebay searches and see I had an active search going for anything Urraco. But when I looked for the first time after the service for my father, low and behold on ebay motors, a 1973 P250 Lamborghini Urraco BURNED to the ground a rusty hulk. Looking at the photos in disbelief, I could see the car started life Green, repainted Red, plus, it was for sale very close to Long Beach, California, just next door in Torrance. I worked a deal with the seller, bought the little hulk off ebay and went to see my new old friend. To say the car should have long ago been hauled off to the junk yard was a masterpiece of an understatement. No motor or transmission (I did not win that auction as they were sold off in a separate auction) .

Over the last 12 months, I have had the car evaluated by car builders who all said it was too far gone. Alan Lee, who sold me the Little Bull body off ebay, said he could build it. So, we decided to build it as if it were a new 2013 car, with the same goals as the original but use all modern parts and freshen up the design to new design standards. Many of the new parts were bought off ebay motors.  We are still using eBay motors for the final parts of the build. The goal of this build is also to present the car at Concorso Italinio August 17th 2012, a lofty goal for any build. We are now in the final stages of having the car ready for this event where we would like to present the car for consideration to Bertone as an homage to the Bertone Lamborghini they built in 1973, as a 1973 P250 Urraco with the hope they will re-badge it as a 2013 LP420 SVM Lamborghini Urraco.

It would be fitting and an honor to place this car in the ebay motors tent display at Concorso. If you know who we can contact, I will do whatever it takes to make this happen as a tribute to my father, and prior to bringing the car to its home in Lake Arrowhead, California. A full circle as it were thanks to eBay motors.

My cell is 818-279-1049.  The event is August 17th 2012 http://www.concorso.com/.  I know there is some department at eBay working on this event please pass this email around so it might reach the proper persons) who I might be able to talk to about placing it with the ebay motors tent.

From the eBay listing photos, note the green paint under the red and near all the rust.

 To this in less than a year of work, we will be ready show quality state of the art in every aspect;
Arrowhead-20120310-00228.jpg image by mrmpxUrracorearviewConcorsoCatalog.jpg image by mrmpx

Little Lambo's Facebook Page:

Build photo blog,

We have a following, over 10,000 views of the blog;

Alan Lee the master builder and designer had hand crafted a true work of art that not only is a tribute to My father but a Tribute to Bertone and Lamborghini.

One last note the car has been built using as many VAG parts as we can as VAG owns Lamborghini now so the car will present at a true as we can representation of a Little daily driver Lamborghini as it was intended to be in the first place.

Hope to hear from someone at ebay motors soon.
--
Smooth Sailing,
Karlton Spindle
Concorso Italiano - A Celebration of Italian Style
www.concorso.com
Come and see the incredible, over the top concept car to be presented by Bertone at this year's Concorso Italiano where we will celebrate Bertone's Centennial Anniversary.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Sucker Punch and Sweet Pea

Below, is a testimonial from a client.  We recreated the Sweat Pea jacket from the Movie Sucker Punch, and here's what she had to say about her Sexy Skins experience:

 "When I contacted Lisa about recreating Sweet Pea’s jacket from the movie SuckerPunch I knew we were asking a lot, but Lisa was incredible and a pleasure to work with. Her attention to detail and workmanship is outstanding, but what really impressed me was how eager she was to work one-on-one with me, to make sure I got exactly what I wanted. I was beyond ecstatic when I saw the finished product and I can guarantee that I’ll be contacting Lisa in the future for any other custom leather work."
Illustration of Proposed Jacket
Jacket Front After Completion
Jacket Back after Completion
Anji Wearing Her Sweat Pea, and
Nathan Wearing His Sexy Skins Spirit Cuff

Saturday, June 2, 2012

The Confident & Sexy Man



































1.   Leather Shot Glass Koozies by Sexy Skins Leather Fashions
2.   Men's Silver Bangle  by Carly Anna Designs
3.  Men's Leather Boots by Ethos
4.  Upper Case cell phone case by Lisa M. Cantalupo
5.  Men's Black Onyx Ring by Arts Gallery
6.  Small Ring Cuff by Sexy Skins Leather Fashions
7.  Handmade Limited Edition Men's Denim by the Descending Nude
8.  Custom Leather Lambskin Jacket by Sexy Skins Leather Fashions
9.   The Trilogie Cuff by Sexy Skins Leather Fashions
10. Sterling Silver Men's Ruby Ring by Moonfer

Thursday, May 31, 2012

Sexy Skins Lovers from Around the World

A video of some lovers (customers) of Sexy Skins from all over the world strutting their Sexy Skins. Notice how Sexy Skins Lovers come in all different shapes and sizes!! ♥

Sexy Skins Celebrates Laconia Bike Week with a Sale!

It's our Laconia Bike Week Sale!  Take 20% off all items in the Sexy Skins Leather Outlet shop on items like the ones pictured below.  Go to SS Leather Outlet.  At time of checkout, enter the code BIKEWEEK.  Offer good NOW until 6/17/12


Clockwise: Brown LOVE Pouch, LOVE Belt,
Dome/Coral Bracelet, and LOVE Purse

Clockwise: X-Cuffs, Silver Dominance Cuff,
Silver Dominion Cuff, and Swarovski Berry Cuff

Monday, May 28, 2012

The Rosa Collection of Leather Cuffs and Accessories Launch, May 25, 2012.


Enter Code ROSAFORU to save on any Rosa Collection purchase!



Created by hand, using top-grade leather in the most luxurious of finishes. Each petal is hand-cut, skived three times to obtain the right thickness, and then molded and formed to replicate the delicate petals on a rose. We sort through every petal searching for those which when assembled together, will perfectly create an exquisite leather rose. Because of the nature of creating these products, and the detail, workmanship, and time involved (one cuff can take up to 4 hours), no two roses or cuffs will ever be exactly alike.

Chopper Challenge Teaser and Sexy Skins

You can see Alan Lee wearing his Sexy Skins jacket in this video for the Chopper Challenge television series!


She's Sexy!

A video clip from a fashion show featuring Sexy Skins Leather Fashions.


Photographer:  Erik Ralston Imagery
Stylist:  Kit Cassidy
Models: Chelsea, Bethany, Megin, Jennifer, and Colleen

Music Title:  She's Sexy
Composer:  Dan Gautreau (PRS)
Publisher:  Lynne Publishing (PRS)

Friday, May 25, 2012

The Rosa Collection ~ The Story & Big Launch


Roses in December ~ And January through November!

I thought I was excited back in May when I first came up with the designs for our Rosa Collection of Leather Cuffs and Accessories, but now, I am doubly excited to be rolling them out the door! And this is why:

Once Upon a Time in a Studio in New Hampshire

White Pearl Lambskin Leather Purse with Leather Roses and Rose Swarovski Crystals. 
I wanted to make a gift for my Great Niece who was celebrating her First Communion. I had a vision of a little white leather purse with pink lining, and white ruffle trim. I instantly thought of my Mother, with her vast collection of trims, buttons, and zippers. Immediately, I felt Mom's presence as I began to rummage through her stash, searching for inspiration and design direction. I am not quite sure how the ruffles turned in to roses (perhaps my Mother's name had something to do with it?), but I found myself learning how to make roses out of leather, and my little white leather bag now had a special adornment; three small white leather roses, and in their center, Rose colored Swarovski Crystal rivets. And, I was in love!

My Love Affair Blossoms and Blooms Through the Night


I had so much fun making leather roses, and was so incredibly excited about the process, so much so, I decided to share my new found craft with our Sexy Skins fans on Facebook. I began to post photographs of the process, and my progress. The response was slightly overwhelming. Each time I posted a photograph, my fire was fueled by the response and the creative suggestion of our Facebook fans. The frenzy it stirred, began to inspire me even more, and making leather roses turned into making leather cuffs with roses. I could not stop!



True Love and Adoration

Is the way I am feeling about our new collection; the look, the style, the way I feel when I wear them, and how it all came to pass....an idea, my Mother's stash, along with a whole lot of love! I hope you enjoy our Rosa Collection as much as I do!



The Rosa Collection of Leather Cuffs and Accessories

All the items in the Rosa Collection are created by hand, using top-grade leather in the most luxurious of finishes. In our Autumn Rose Series, even the roses are made with the same leather as the band, 5-7 ounce Latigo leather; each petal is hand-cut, skived three times to obtain the right thickness, and then molded and formed to replicate the delicate petals on a rose. I sort through every petal searching for those which when assembled together, will perfectly create an exquisite leather rose.
Because of the nature of creating these products, and the detail, workmanship, and time involved (one cuff can take up to 4 hours), no two roses or cuffs will ever be exactly alike.

An Introductory Offer Especially for You

Begins today, May 25, 2012! Shop either on the Sexy Skins Website, or the Sexy Skins Shop on Etsy. Enter the Code ROSAFORU during checkout to receive 10% off your Rosa Collection Purchase! Offer is good in person too.

A Bright and Rosy Future

Not only will we be adding to our Rosa Collection in the near future, we also have some BIG news we will be sharing in the weeks to come! You can stay abreast by checking in with us on Facebook, reading our Blog, and signing up to receive our Newsletter. If you have a friend whom you feel would benefit from Sexy Skins, by all means, forward this email along!!

As always, I thank you for your love and support!

Lisa

Please Join our Mailing List!

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Sunday, May 13, 2012

The Rosa Collection of Leather Cuffs and Accessories

The Rosa Collection of Leather Cuffs and Accessories was inspired by my Mother, Rose.  She was an amazing woman who endured many tumultuous and life altering experiences and handled them with much courage, grace, and strength.  She was my rock and my supporter, always encouraging me to go after the impossible.  We lost Rose in 2007 but her memory and spirit lives on through those she loved.  Thank You, Mom for loving me!  This one is for you!! ♥
Each petal in the Rosa Collection is hand-cut, skived, and molded and formed to replicate the delicate petals on a rose.  We sort through every petal searching for the ones that when pieced together, will perfectly create an exquisite leather rose.  Because of the nature of creating this product and the detail and workmanship involved, no two roses or cuffs will ever be exactly alike.  
The Rosa Collection is due to release on May 25th.


Friday, April 20, 2012

Ruby Riches


1. "Fair & Square" Leather Cuff
3. Vintage Corset Glam Boots
4. Sterling Silver Bubble Ring by Tinken Jewelry
5. Vintage Baltic Amber Ring
6. Knot Fringe Jacket by Calyso St. Barth
7. Cranberry Bead Earrings by Katee Marie
8. Vintage Filagree Cuff
9. The Sequoyah Suede Deep Scoop by Sexy Skins Leather Fashions

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Bling & Bones



The Bling & Bones Black Leather Belt is a perfect combination of wrath and rapture. Love this belt and it's the only one I'll be making like it! ♥

The Bling & Bones Leather Studded Black Belt by Sexy Skins

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Infinite Eternity


"The brain may take advice, but not the heart, and love, having no geography, knows no boundaries..." Truman Capote

Unboundedness, the quality of being infinite; without bound or limit. In the English language, the term infinity derives from the Latin word, _Infinitas_. In philosophy and mathematics, infinity is used as an idea that refers to no end. In ancient Tibet and India, the symbol for infinity was considered to represent unity, perfection, and dualism. And for some, it symbolizes eternal love.


Introducing, The Infinity Floating Bracelet, created by Lisa Cantalupo from Sexy Skins Leather Fashions, and Kristina Backes from Tinken Jewelry. The Infinity Symbol, hand-forged Sterling Silver and polished to perfection, floats effortlessly on a handcrafted luxury leather band. The Floating Infinity Symbol is interchangeable, and the bands are available in four colors and two styles; thin, and a wide "Wrap" band. Each bracelet is handcrafted with love and made-to-order.

To make a purchase, click, Infinity Bracelets and Cuffs.

To take advantage of the introductory price, enter code **INFINITY** when checking out, and your order will be discounted 20%.

Read more about Lisa and Kristina's collection and collaboration here.

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Monday, January 2, 2012

Sexy Skins Leather and Tinken Jewelry Collaboration


I am very excited about the Sexy Skins collaboration with Kristina Backes from Tinken Jewelry! Kristina holds a degree in all areas of Goldsmithing and Jewelry Design from the Goldsmith Academy of Vicenza, Italy. Over the past 10 years, Kristina has worked in the jewelry field extensively in both Germany and Italy.

My relationship with the German born jeweler began with the collaboration on a custom piece for one of my clients. Kristina and I soon realized we had more in common than just sharing a passion for creating with our desired mediums, and we began to explore the possibilities of marrying metal with leather to create a collection of exquisite jewelry for both men and women.

The first design in our collection will utilize interchangeable leather bands to showcase Kristina's sterling silver sculptures which float gracefully in the center; each with its own special meaning, and with bands available in four different colors of very luxurious Aztec leather. Also as part of our collection, Kristina and I have designed Sterling Silver and White Gold “beads” which will adorn gorgeous handcrafted Kangaroo leather braided cuffs. Due for release in April.