renegade

It's finally here! Renegade Craft Fair Brooklyn is this weekend and I'm giving a little sneak peek at a few new hand dyed and hand printed items that will be in Untold Imprint's booth. 

From top: cotton gauze scarves, hemp napkins, hemp canvas and leather satchels, cotton wrist wraps with african brass beads. 

Stop by to see me, I'll be in booth 71 all day Saturday & Sunday.

bundling

I finally had a chance to do some bundle dyeing this weekend. It's so satisfying creating pattern and color from all natural materials. It was my first attempt and I'm completely hooked. Would love any tips or suggestions from more experienced natural dyers. 

Below are the simple steps that I took in order to create the fabric you see above.

Step 1: collect flower petals, leaves, berries, moss

Step 2: wet fabric and lay flat

Step 3: sprinkle or arrange your natural findings on the fabric.

Step 4: roll fabric tightly and wrap with twine

Step 5: let sit in a warm sunny spot for several days or steam in a pot for 1 - 1.5 hours (I steamed because I was eager to see the results)

Step 6: let stand and cool as long as possible (as long as possible for me was approximately 45 minutes)

Step 6: unroll, rinse and let fabric dry 

* You may also mordant the fabric prior to these steps in order to set the color and increase lightfastness.

old souls

Amara necklace

Akha necklaces

Esha necklace

 Dessa necklace

While naming my latest jewelry this week, I came across the name Amara, which means immortal in Sanskrit and eternal in Greek. I loved this. Since I had been thinking of one of the necklaces as being an 'old soul', I knew the name Amara would definitely be used. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I actually think of much of my work in this way. Old souls have an understanding of the world around them, they are intuitive, mindful, wise and gentle.

The necklaces above and many more are in my shop now...

may

 Gossypium Natural Towel

 Mai Natural Towel

 Kamma Natural Towel

Dew Natural Towel

New Spring / Summer collection is unfolding in the shop, just in time for my favorite month.

ludid ryu

Little happy house art print. Ludid Ryu

Life of threads wrap. Ludid Ryu

Hand painted card. Ludid Ryu

Hand painted bookmark. Ludid Ryu

A few weeks ago I learned of a Craft It Forward Project from artist Ludid Ryu’s inspiring blog. I immediately added my comment to her post and was thrilled when I received an email saying that I’d be one of the five to continue the project and receive something handmade from Ludid. A package of thoughtful creations arrived in my mailbox shortly thereafter– I’d been admiring Ludid’s Little happy house print since we met on Etsy last year and am now searching for a frame worthy to display it. Her Life of Threads wrap is already around a small vase on my desk and her handpainted cards and bookmark are tucked in several books by my bedside table. Her work is sincere and heartfelt, beautifully recognizing the inherent comfort that lives in handmade and at the same time her layers of paper, paint and thread are boldly raw and fearless. She is an artist who is truly authentic and she generously allows us to share in her discovery of self. Thank you, Ludid.

. . . . . 

So, now it's my turn to Craft It Forward! I will send something handmade to the first five

people who leave a comment below. Once you receive my package, you will write a blog

post about what you received and continue the project by sending something handmade to the first five who comment on your blog post. You may send anything at all as long as it is handmade by you and sent before the end of 2012.

what a difference a day makes

Settling into life outside of the city. A day of gardening, nature walks, sun printing, bike rides, badminton and a (feet) dip in the freezing lake definitely helps to ease the transition. I’m realizing what I think I’ve known all along- I’m a country girl at heart.

i ♥ ny

On Wednesday, I leave New York City, my home of almost seventeen years. It's still difficult to believe, even a day away. When I moved here for school in 1995, I swore I would never live anywhere else. As amazing as New York is, and is it ever amazing, it can take its toll. Over the past few years I've found myself yearning for a quieter and simpler life. The craziest part of this scenario is not my move, it’s that I don’t yet know where I’m moving to. I’ll be staying with family and friends for the next month or two while I search for a new place to call home.

This week as I marked my last visit to the market, and my last walk through Central Park (to leave my apple), I shed quite a few tears as I thought about what I’ll miss most. Here are a few big ones...

* The subway & subway musicians – most especially guitarist Desmond Ivey who plays Columbus Circle Uptown 1 platform quite a bit. He makes me cry every time I hear him.

* Salaam Café on 13^th Street. Coziest and most welcoming little tucked away place with my favorite dolmades & vegetable ouzi.

* Walking through Washington Square Park in the evening - esp in the rain or snow.

* Friday meditation with Raven.

* Metropolitan Opera House – regardless of whether I’m inside or outside.

* The endless and inspiring energy.

* Knowing that whenever my heart desires, I can hop on the train or walk across town and be standing in front of some of the greatest works of art in the world.

* Sunday Greenflea at 77th & Columbus. Vintage city treasures and the best pickles and jalapeno stuffed olives.

* Lastly and mostly, I’ll miss the people. Friends - new and old, teachers, acquaintances, fellow yogis, the receptionists at my gym, fruit sellers on my corner… I could write this list forever. Despite our reputation, New Yorkers are pretty awesome. My sister and niece top that list and leaving them will be the hardest of all.

Every once in a while I have a flash of panic and think that I’m making a terrible mistake and then my intuition seeps in, I see the life I want ahead of me, and that life is somewhere else. So, I’m following my intuition and trusting in myself. On to the next chapter. Thank you so much, New York! I really do love you.

life, real and imagined

Figures and Construction with Blue Border c. 1941 : Bill Traylor

Man with a Plow c.1939-42: Bill Traylor

I visited the American Folk Art Museum today for the first time. They’re celebrating their 50^th year and a new location. It’s a beautiful little museum, only three galleries, on Columbus Ave & 66^th St in Manhattan. Seems a fitting size to intimately view the deeply personal art displayed. The museum honors artists who were and are creating outside of the traditional art school or accepted mainstream art world. The current exhibit is Jubilation|Rumination: Life, Real and Imagined. 

My favorite works were by Bill Traylor. He was born into slavery in 1852 and spent most of his life on a plantation in Benton, Alabama, where he remained even after emancipation. At the age of eighty-four he moved to Montgomery and started creating drawings with found materials. In the course of three years he produced almost 1,500 works reflecting his life experiences.