I always thought Kirigami, the art of cutting and folding paper into shapes, was very similar to apparel design, specifically pattern making. There is a lot of information and inspiration we can get from Kirigami, and when translated into textiles, jewelry, furniture, etc….magic will definitely happen. I made a quick google image search and here are some images that caught my eye:
Hope this gets some creative juices flowing! Happy Thursday everyone!
I spent this last weekend with my friend Michael Pace working on a collaboration. He wanted to photograph a friend and I needed a photographer for my new bridal line, it worked wonderfully. Here is a sneak preview of what happened, this is one of our three wedding dresses, handmade with 100% organic cotton knit. They are all hand appliqued and embroidered as well. All three dresses will be available online starting next week!
I just came back from spending several days in Oklahoma City, where one of my best friends got married over the weekend. She has been a beautiful, strong, and noble force in my life, and I am very thankful she has found the right person to share her life with. It was beautiful to witness their union in a traditional Muslim Indian ceremony, the way she had always wanted it to be.
Traditions can be a tricky subject, as ethical issues can be overlooked for the sake of doing what society deems as right, but if practiced mindfully, traditions can have an incredibly grounding effect, as it was the case for this wedding. There is something humbling and fulfilling about the slow finessing of ceremonial rituals and crafts, the coming together of family and friends, and the acknowledgement that there is something greater than our individual selves. This inspired me to research different wedding traditions, as I am working on a line of wedding dresses for this spring. I learned that in many Eastern cultures, the bride wears red, as a sign of good luck, auspiciousness, or sexual awakening. In traditional Arab, Turkish, Muslim, Hindu, and Jewish weddings, the bride’s hands and feet are decorated with henna in intricate patterns, also a sign of good luck and auspiciousness.
Bride in traditional Chinese wedding attire
Birdes at a mass Muslim wedding ceremony
Traditional henna decorations
Native American weddings are hard to categorize as they differ greatly from tribe to tribe. In Northern California traditions, the groom weaves the bride’s gown in symbolic colors: white for the east, blue for the south, yellow for the west, and black for the north. Jewelry is worn to prevent hunger and poverty.
Wishram Bride
In Meso American traditions, the bride wears a heavily embroidered huipil and a natural white cotton skirt, the groom wears an embroidered outfit as well. Family and friends wear simple natural white cotton outfits, and no shoes are worn to absorb the spiritual energy created by the ceremony.
Mayan Brides
The one thing in common that all these wedding traditions have is that they are performed to wish newlywed couples protection, health, auspiciousness, and abundance. Which is what I wish to my newlywed friend, and what I will be thinking of everytime I sit down to make a wedding dress.
One great thing about Etsy is that you stumble upon great talent all the time. I stumbled upon artist Cynthia Vardhan last week, and couldn’t stop looking through her work. I absolutely love how she painstakingly decorates each piece- all her pieces scream: I love what I do! I also appreciate how she uses pigmented clay to make the patterns raise above the surface, so you can both see and feel them. Inspiration for her patterns comes from various places, she says, “anywhere from European lace doilies and henna patterns from India to the traditional fabrics of West Africa & Bali.” Here are some pieces that caught my eye:
Happy Monday everyone!
One of my favorite sources of inspiration comes from hearing stories of individuals who do what they love and believe is right, against all odds. Sometimes doing what we love requires great will and creativity, a dynamic and unstoppable duo. Seeing this strength and courage in other people fills my body with hope and vitality. The story of Luis Humberto Soriano did just that. He is a teacher who goes to the smallest, hard to reach, violence-stricken towns of Colombia with his mobile donkey library to read stories and teach children how to read and write.
And here is a video with subtitles:
Don’t forget that we all have the potential to access this great strength and creativity to do what truly makes us happy in ways that also benefit those around us…
Will you be my Valentine : )
In appreciation for all the for the support and friendship we have received this year already, we are having a 10% discount on all items in our etsy store from now until 2/14. Coupon code: lovely
I have always dragged branches that seemed either interesting, useful, or simply beautiful into my home, my whole life. As of lately I have been seeing a lot of photos online of branches used in ingenious and beautiful ways, I feel relieved I’m not the only one with this obsession. When I say I have been seeing photos online, I mean in Pinterest, a online pinboard that I have been fascinated with the last few days. I made a search of branches and all these beautiful images and ideas came up…enjoy!
