Ellington

Chrissy Valentine, 31, grew up in south Jackson and graduated from Wingfield High School in 1996. Valentine was a serious tomboy growing up, and her grandfather was her best friend in the world.

"Most of my adolescent life was spent planting gardens, picking up bugs or playing in ditches, with frequent trips to the beach where I would sit and dig in the sand for sand fleas all day long," she says.

Valentine started designing and sewing because it was cheaper than buying new clothes, and she could have one-of-a-kind outfits.

"I started out making pillows, which, as you know, is basically sewing a square. I bought a dress pattern, and now I'm making my own patterns," Valentine says.

She has always been into art and has several pieces around town, most of them at the Ink Spot Gallery. Valentine describes her art as "morbidly beautiful," and while she's a dabbler in all kids of media, she likes to work with acrylics, wood burning and shadow boxes.

"I try to put a little "hard" and "soft" in all of my pieces with some rock ‘n' roll inspiration," she says. "I don't want them to be too feminine, and I love patterns. I like mixing them and putting colors together that you usually wouldn't."

"I suppose it was just a matter of time before I started working with fabric," she adds.

Some of Valentine's clothing was featured at the Chick Jam last December. She designs under the brand name Cupid's Angst and does custom work upon request.

Contact Valentine at 601-503-6655, or e-mail {encode="[email protected]" title="[email protected]"}. Also, click here to view some of Chrissy's designs