A Special Sunday

Some days are just more special than others.

Today, I woke up to 2 e-mails letting me know items of mine were featured in two different treasuries. Surprisingly, their theme was the same, but my items were different.

Thank you, Luiza and Susan, for featuring me among such talented artists.

Tying everything together

I live in a tiny coastal town in the middle of nowhere, right at the beach. The fanciest clothes we wear around here are the occasional Bermuda shorts with some embroidery in it. Usually, it is just a bathing suit, thank you very much!

When I had my stepdaughter’s wedding to attend to in New Jersey, I immediately thought about getting a new dress, which would be a major deal. The shops in my town only sell beachwear; the closest city where I could buy something nice is a 1 hour drive plus 40 min airplane trip. Buying on-line? Not in Brazil! too complicated to return it if you don’t like it.

It was a morning wedding, informal affair. After dealing with the dress question for some time, I decided to shop at my closet. I found out I already had the perfect dress. Made in a textured silk, in a fuchsia tone it was simple, yet very elegant, AND it still fitted. So, I decided this would be it. I also had the shoes and the jewelry to go with it. The only thing missing was the purse.

That was when I decided to make a clutch to tie it all together. I make hand painted silk clutches for my etsy shop, so I knew what I wanted. I painted the silk using the same fuchsia as the dress as the background, with some caramel and soft pink accents.

I really liked the result, and you can judge it for yourself. Bottom line, I felt good about the way I was dressed, I spent very little, and I didn’t end up with a fancy, expensive dress that wouldn’t match any of my bathing suits!

Chita: Brazil's Beloved Fabric

Chita (shee-tah) is a cotton fabric beloved in Brazil and now you’ll know why.

It has been manufactured Brazil since the 19th century using second line cotton and a very basic weave technique. Because of its price, it used to be associated with the lower classes. They were used as curtains, table cloth, for clothing, you name it. Not anymore! We’ve all embraced chita both in accessories and home décor. Even  Phillipe Stark Mademoiselle chair has been upholstered with chita.   

The patterns evolved over time and nowadays they are typically primary color backgrounds with large floral designs.

I have made all kinds of things with chita, from lamps to trays, passing through boxes, bookbiding. The bold patterns and the strong colors just make anything look beautiful.

Silk Clock Update

Thanks God for good (and handy) husbands. I got mine to make a little frame for the silk clock and I really like the result. So, the clock project is moving right along! 

What??? A Silk Clock?

My friend Monica is on the board of directors of a NGO. As a fund raising effort, every year they develop a product to be sold  in few and well positioned sales venues. As an example, last year they sold a tote bag with a Romero Brito's (high profile Brazilian painter) painting silk screened on it.

We've briefly spoken about having something developed for this year's tournament. So, my partner in crime Beatriz and I brain stormed about what it could be, considering it had to be something that more or less would atract both male and female buyers. We also talked to Beatriz's son-in-law, who is a graphical designer snd suggested a clock. Hummmm.... a clock???? That's actually a pretty good idea.

These are my first 2 prototypes, still without a frame (working on that!) It is still a work in progress, so if you have any suggestions, please, pleeease, drop me a line!!!

How To Make a Silk Bookmark

You know me... I am always looking for ways to use those pieces of hand painted silk that are too small to do something with, yet too pretty to be thrown away. So I came up with these pretty, stylish bookmarks that would be perfect as a..... valentine!!! Darn! I wish I had posted this how-to last week...

I do love my Kindle, but I still enjoy a (borrowed) paper book every now and then, and I will read more in paper just to use these babies.They are really easy to make. I made them with silk because that's what I do, but you can use any fabric or paper. I have to admit, cotton is much easier to work with, but doesn't have the sheen and touch only silk has.


Material:

1 6"x2" piece of thin cardboard (even shoebox cardboard will do)

1 7"x3" piece of silk
1 7" piece of ribbon
double sided tape
1 5 3/4" x 1 3/4" piece of paper for the back (a sturdy one, scrapbooking style is better)

1 bead




1) Start by taping the doubled sided tape all around the cardboard

2) Put the fabric (wrong face up) under the cardboard and clip the four fabric corners, but not too close to the cardboard corners

 
3) Fold the 2 longer sides of the silk over the taped cardboard. You should stretch the fabric when sticking the second side, so the bookmark's front will be nice and without any wrinkles 

4) Now for the corners. Place a piece of tape over the two shorter sides of the cardboard. Then, with your scissors, tuck in the fabric on the very corner, as I am doing in the picture. Fold the fabric over.

5) Put double sided tape in one of the ribbon's end and tape to the cardboard.

6) Tape the wrong side of the paper all around and stick to the bookmark's back.

 

7) Tie a bead to the other end of the tape and voila'! your bookmark is done.

So I decided to show...

what I am working on because I haven't blogged very often... In the beginning I wasn't sure, but then it is growing on me.

Now,  I have to steam it. Then, I will decide whether I need to add something, which would probably be some texture with Shiva Paintstiks, or if this is it. In this case, I will list it and you can run to etsy and buy a brand new hand painted silk scarf.

PS: and pardon the mess in the photo's background!

Some days are just more special...

 
So, yesterday I woke up with two nice e-mails in my inbox: one telling me about a treasury a bracelet of mine was in, and the other one saying one of my scarves had been featured on a really nice blog as part of a posting regarding stores who are donating to Haiti.

Besides my personal donation, I am donating 10% of everything I sell until the end of February to Doctors Without Borders. I also donated a hand painted silk scarf  (which sold, yeeehhhh!) to Hearts for Haiti. It is an etsy store entirely of donations from other etsyans; thousands of beautiful items and 100% of the sales go to DWB as well. I bought something there as well; you shop and 100% go to DWB aid relief. What can be better?

Don't miss Hearts for Haiti... It is a real win/win situation!

  


 

Spring 2010 top 10 colors

With the Holidays sales and rush over, we start making the items for this Spring.

As I have done in the past, I went around etsy and chose some beautiful items already there to exemplify the Spring 2010 Pantone's top 10 colors.

Enjoy the view!!

1) Turquoise, a soothing hue from the blue-green family

2) Tomato Puree, this season's classic red

3) Fusion Coral, an inviting, pinkish orange

4) Violet, an intriguing purplish hue

5) Tuscany, one of the three neutrals, a warm beige hue

6) Aurora, a shimery, slightly greenish yellow

7) Amparo Blue, warmer than the typical spring navy

8) Pink Champagne, a delicate, wispy tint, is this season's newest neutral

9) Dried Herb, the ultimate green neutral

10) Eucalyptus, the eternal, practical gray

I like Christmas as much as the next guy but ...

Don't you get sick of Santas, bells and stars sometimes, or it is just me? I almost feel ashamed of saying it; it feels wrong and politically incorrect, but I do get sick of all this Christmas stuff.

To escalate the problem, here in Brazil we are at the doorstep of summer, thanks for being located in the South Hemisphere and that's why I am creating things that are the "oh... it is getting hot in here" kind. These clutches, for example, scream summer, don't they?


This one has interchangeable hand painted silk strips, so you get 2 clutches for the price of 1!

Lessons I learned from my first craft show

Meet your neighbors
Look to your right and left. Your fellow crafters are likely to be fun, supportive and probably know much more about participating in craft shows than you. They can give you advice on how to set up your space, how to get a customer’s attention, and so on. Observe the way they deal with their customers and ask questions; most of them will enjoy sharing their experience.


Move, move, move
Give the impression something is happening in your booth. Don’t just stay there, waiting for the customers to stop by; the customers will feel intimidated. Rearrange your display, move things around, and keep yourself busy, but not so busy you can’t stop at the moment a potential customer shows interest in your stuff.

Check the craft show history ahead of time
Ideally, you should have access to some history: how many customers, demographics, as well as who the other crafters are and what they sell, estimated revenue per booth, etc. With this information , you can plan much better which products to take and how to set up your booth.

Enlist a friend or share your booth
Like most things in life, it is much more fun sharing with somebody else. This person will help when you have that surge in number of customers, or when you need time for a “bio” break. And let me take this opportunity to tell you about eating: I don’t know about you, but I won’t stop by at a booth where the seller is eating. I just feel I am intruding. I mentioned this to some friends and they all feel the same way. So, you might want to let your friend take over and go eat somewhere else.
Above all, this friend will be another set of eyes and ears to gather information and learn what craft shows are all about.

Don’t get discouraged
It might take some time for things to pick up. My first 4 or 5 hours were really slow. I sold nothing, very few people gave me the time of the day, and my neighbor kept asking if I had lost my craft show virginity yet. But before the end of the day I made a few sales, one of them very substantial, and the second day was even better. If things are slow, refer to “Move, move, move”, above. !


Invite everybody you know
Really, I did and it worked wonderfully. A lot of people you relate to in your daily life don’t know you are an artist or never really cared to know more about your creations. This is a nice opportunity to show them what you’ve got. I invited lots of relations; some of them showed up and a couple even bought my stuff. One of them was my second best customer -- 18% of my craft show income.

Have your “elevator’s pitch” ready
In corporate lingo, an “elevator’s pitch” is those few seconds you are in the elevator with somebody and you can say something to get his attention, so he will want to know more about your stuff.You have a small window of opportunity to get a potential customer interested in your work. Tell him things he might find interesting and would help him to value your product. There are tons of examples: something is handmade, and/or an original design, the piece is one of a kind, the materials are eco-friendly, the african beads are bought through fair trade… You know the drill!

Know your prices
My prices were all over the place so I put a little tag on each product with the price. Big mistake! The customers always asked me how much the products costed and I had to look for the tiny little price tag. Boring!!! specially for the customer!
I am already preparing for the next craft show: I will have 4 or 5 price points and will use colored price tags, so I will know instantly how much each product costs.


Keep your packaging simple
Nice packaging makes your product more attractive; that’s a no brainer. However, you have to be able to pack the product really fast; the customer wants to move on and you want to move on to another customer. So, plan your packaging accordingly.


Get contact info
Priceless! You know how you work yourself out trying to get people to sign up for your newsletter? Just ask them right there at the craft show. Most of them will say yes, and these are people who already admire your product, and might even have bought something from you.
The corolary here is to do some promotion: 10% off any item on your etsy store, free shipping, or whatever you can come up with.

Enjoy yourself
If this is your first or one of your first craft shows, consider it as an investment. You will learn a lot even if you don’t sell a lot. Keep your eyes and your mind open, and have fun!

My act is not together but...

I am having lots of fun.

I said back in September that I would have my act together by October, blogwise speaking, I mean. Wellllll, it hasn't happened that way I planed.

You see, I have decided to participate in this Craft Show that will benefit a NGO my friend Monica started a few years ago, and it just got way over my head. I have been creating and painting and sewing and labeling and pricing like a crazy woman. I have never participated in a craft show before so I am really excited. So excited, I haven't had time to blog but... I have created some new products for the craft show and thought I might give you a sneak peek:


Just look at this cutie! I am forgiving for not blogging, am I not?

Can we turn ourselves off for 10 minutes?

So, today I got this interesting e-mail; the subject was World of Darkness. The idea is that on Sept. 17th the whole world (yeap, that's right) will turn the lights off for 10 minutes: from 9:50 pm to 10:00 pm local time.

I can't help but think: can I do that? Of course, living in the sticks of Brazil, our electrical power supply is spotty to say the least. When that happens, my wonderful and practical husband turns the generator on and life resumes itself as before.

However, my doubts go further... I don't seem to be able to do "just" one thing at a time anymore. So, when I watch TV, I am also using laptop. Once a week, my husband takes my laptop to class because his is dead. When that happens, I watch TV and do crosswords. When I eat alone, I read a book while chewing I am not sure what.

When was it that we started multitasking full time AND by choice? when was it doing only one thing at a time became so dull? It seems we can't smell the flowers anymore, we have to smell and do something else. So, how am I going to turn the lights off for 10 minutes and do nothing? Oh, I know... when I am eating with my husband we don't do anything else. So, on Sept 17th, honey, dinner is going to be a little later.

Brazil's National Candy

If you have ever been to a Brazilian birthday party, you know brigadeiro (bree-gah-day-ro). There is no Brazilian party without it. It is the most delicious, luscious chocolate little candy. Still, it is so easy to make, Brazilian kids (12 and up) make them themselves even, or specially, if they are alone in the house. Something so good and so easy and quick to make, I don't know... it just seems wrong. Oh, yeah, it is fattening... that's the catch.

Anyway, if you can take a few more calories and bear the guilt, here goes the recipe. You can make it in less than 10 minutes AND enjoy it tonight!

You are going to need:

1. 1 can of sweetened condensed milk (not to be confused with evaporated milk)
2. 1 tablespoon of butter
3. 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder

Traditionally, Brazilians used to make brigadeiro in the pan but nowadays most people make them in the microware. In my opinion, you can't tell the difference.

Take a round and tall microwave-safe bowl and put all ingredients inside

1. Put in the microwave in high for 3 minutes
2. Stir
3. Put in the microwave for 4 more minutes
4. Stir vigorously until you get a shiny, homogeneous cream

At this point, the thing is done. You can serve in one of several ways:

• Just wait for the cream to get cold in its own bowl, take a spoon full of the cream and put in your mouth. The rest of the family can do the same. This is the way to serve on movie night with just your immediate family.
  
• Put in little, cute individual containers and wait until cold. Serve the individual container with little spoons.

• Roll them into little balls, Brazilian party style. The way to do this is to wait for the cream to cool down, smear some butter in your hands, take a little of the cream and roll into a little ball. You can put shredded nuts, shredded chocolate, or even unsweetened cocoa (truffle style) around the ball. Then, put the little ball into a paper container like the ones used for muffins, but much smaller (the ball should be the size of a Ferrero Roucher).

I know, I know...

You don't have to say anything, I know I have been a bad, bad blogger... my posts have been (very) few and far between, but what can I say???

Oh, wait a minute, I know!!! I can say:

1. Ana was home on vacation from college and I was nursing my baby OR
   
2. I am preparing a great soon to be posted tutorial on how to make a candle lamp out of a soda bottle and hand painted silk OR
3. I can say I have been very busy in my studio making myself a purse using a great and FREE pattern from Oh, Fransson!. My thanks to Elizabeth Hartman for the great tutorial. AND
4. I will try to be better in the future, even though my step-daughter Camille's wedding is coming up in 3 weeks, which means I will be away from home for 2 weeks, and I know it will be October before I can get my act together.

Textile Wonders

I love to look at new ways to use fabric and thread, and no better place than etsy to do that. Aroluna, one of the many talented etsy jewelers, put together this list of items I am proud to be part of. What a beautiful selection! Just take a look and if you can't live without one (or many) of this items, go to the etsy treasury page and you can access it from there.