Sneak Peek Red Dirt Art Festival

I'll be participating in the Red Dirt Art Festival in downtown Redlands again this year. I have a lot of new work to show!  I hope you can come out if you're in town. The weather forecast is clear and 72 degrees...a perfect day to be in the beautiful outdoors.

I've been focusing on scarves and have an entirely new collection. I've also designed several new cool weather garments. Maybe we'll finally experience some cool weather soon.

Red Dirt Festival in Redlands, California

I'll be participating in this year's show with many other local artists. It's a fun outdoor show in beautiful downtown Redlands and it always feels good to shop local and support small business and local artists. It looks as though the weather will be beautiful! I hope you can join us.

Red Dirt Art Festival

Saturday, November 18, 2017

10am to 4:30pm

Smiley Park

Corner of Cajon and Vine
Redlands, CA

Here's a sneak peek at some of my new work.
I've been busy designing clothing for Fall/Winter, new jewelry,
scarves, fun accessories, home decor and gifts. 

Ah...Hermeś

I received an Hermes gift card from Carl for Christmas this year.  This has been high on my bucket list since our first trip to Paris in 2006. I'll never forget the fabulous orange window display that nearly took my breath away. The selection of scarves was almost overwhelming in its beauty. I mentioned to Carl then and upon a couple of other occasions when passing a store, that someday I'd love to own an Hermes scarf.

And this year I had the opportunity to walk into the Beverly Hills store and select my own. It was so much fun. I began to realize that this experience was probably like Carl playing golf at Pebble Beach. I was in my happy place.

I thought it might be difficult to choose but I honed in on a couple almost immediately and then made my selection after trying them both on. The scarf I chose was designed by Filipe Jardim and is called "Modernisme Tropical." A riot of colors and patterns that made my heart sing. The beautiful box, ribbon and bag were the icing on the cake.

Here's a lovely little two minute video that shows how they're made. Such a fascinating process and done with so much precision and care.

Screen test

I wrote a little while back about experimenting with vinyl screen material. I made a little cosmetic bag for myself and carried it around to see how it would function. Well...I really like it. So I've made several more in various sizes. Each is embellished with a vintage textile remnant and a colorful spool zipper pull.

I will continue to look through Carl's trash to see what I can repurpose/recycle. Oh and

P.S. I've reopened my Etsy store and have added the Wanderlust handbag collection.

Wanderlust handbag series 2012

Wanderlust Handbag Series

I love to travel. I love being immersed in a different culture...looking closely at the way they dress, enjoying their local cuisine, admiring their architecture and art forms.  And I feel the same way about textiles. They have a history of their own, a connection to a culture of some sort. This new series of handbags celebrates a diversity of textiles and brings them together in a sort of United Nations of fabric.  I've designed a variety of styles- cross body, messenger, clutch, hobo- and several sizes to do everything from stow your makeup to accompany you on your own travels.  The textiles include saris from India, exotic trims from Afghanistan, kente cloth from Africa, humble American cross stitch, costume remnants from the Hmong tribe, Mexican and Guatemalan embroidery and weaving, a damaged vintage Italian quilted dress...and much more. I've trimmed them with recycled leather, Bakelite buttons, wooden game pieces and other unique embellishments. Each is one-of-a-kind.

I've been getting lots of questions about when they'll go on sale and I'll let you know when the collection is complete and available for purchase.  In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the photos I took today.

Serengeti- hobo style

El Ciclista- medium-double handled hobo

My Soul- large cross body messenger

Violet Femme- medium hobo

Mustard Fields- small cross body messenger

Indira- smallish leather cosmetic or pencil bag

Rosa- smallish leather cosmetic or pencil bag

Lorita- large cross body messenger bag

Nguyen- medium cosmetic bag

Eat Pray Love- smal cross body messenger bag

Chia- small double handled shoulder bag

Culture Clash- medium clutch

Tiempo- medium clutch

Kyoto- long skinny clutch

Pop-Up Sale!

When:

Thursday-Friday, December 15-16 from 11-4

Where:

              1603 West Olive Avenue, Redlands, CA

Last minute shopping?

  Come and see some unique one-of-a-kind jewelry and accessories! 

(Clothing available although not pictured.)

I will wrap your gifts while you wait

         

Ojai necklace $98

Falling Leaves necklace $78

Parma necklace $68

Van Gogh scarf $96

Tiburon scarf $58

Oxidation scarf $68

Earrings from $18 to $42

Travel pockets $24

New work- jewelry from vintage findings

Detritus- The Forest Floor

Today the impact of our native plant classes became apparent as I gathered up my most recent flock of scarves to think about names for them.  The contrasting greens, rust and chartreuse reminded me of the forest floor we walked on at the Rancho Santa Ana botanical gardens last weekend.  We were searching for inspiration from the mature native plants that grow so beautifully in the Claremont garden.  We had the whole place to ourselves and as we walked through a grove of trees,  I took this picture of a web of leaves and twigs suspended in a natural tapestry from a Coastal oak branch.

A bit later, we came across this beautiful large shrub in the Arctostaphylos family. We've decided to plant manzanitas in our backyard because we love their sculptural quality and the combination of burgundy colored bark and shiny green leaves.  After presenting our landscape plan to the instructor earlier that day, we knew we needed to get a better handle on their mature size.  This one took our breath away.

We've  immersed ourselves in the California native plant culture and there was even a night when Latin plant names swirled through my dreams. So, it should come as no surprise that my palette for fall incorporates these colors.

I've been working on scarves as a way to transition into the fall/winter season.  The weather has refused to acknowledge autumn so I've squirreled myself away in the studio, creating textile mounds, cutting and sewing. This collection brings to mind words like chaparral, coastal and woodland with specific nods to Vitus californica (red grapes) and  Eriogonum fasciculatum (California buckwheat).