Japanese Temari

Japanese temari are little balls that are embroidered with different colored cloth. They started as balled up pieces of old kimonos that were wrapped in the silk threads pulled out of the kimono fabric. Today they still exist as a decorative art, and I stumbled across an Etsy seller making them today. I love seeing other shops that are using traditional textile arts as their inspiration, and I thought the colors and patterns were just too pretty...

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New Prints in the Shop!

On Friday, I spent six straight hours listing new items for the shop. That's a whole lot of new items. I'll give you a little sneak peek here, but make sure to head over to see all the new additions.First up, a new leaf print that will soon be popping up everywhere on coin purses. The next new print is a block printed version of a popular screen print I sold last year, with a few modifications. I wanted to do something similar to a very traditional...

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Around the Studio

I have been doing little else over the past week or so than working, so I don't have a lot of non-studio news to share with you. Luckily, during those times where I am waiting for something to dry or waiting for a file to load, I have been taking pictures of the things that now seem like everyday objects.Lots of printing, lots of sewing, lots of carving. Back to ...

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Miao Batik

While I was in Hong Kong, I saw this piece of batik fabric, blue with an intricate white pattern. I immediately wanted to experiment and see if I could create a batik-like effect with a linoleum print. I had no idea what the fabric was, just that it was from Beijing, and with a little research I found out that it is a hand-painted batik from the Miao people of Guizhou province.These pieces are all hand-painted with wax and then dyed a deep blue,...

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Best of DC Poll

Thanks to everyone who voted in the Best of DC Poll! The results are in, and I won third place in the Best Crafter competition! Not too shabby!You can see the full list of winners right he...

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Kilim Pillows

It's no secret that I love bright colors and textiles from around the world, so today I thought I would share some pillows that have been calling my name for the last few months. They are all made from old Turkish kilim carpets and are available right here. I could stare at the combination of natural neutral colors and bright pinks and oranges all day.All images via Suk...

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Carving Away

I'm in the middle of getting ready for the National Stationery Show right now, and I have a few more designs to finish to debut at the show. I'm working on four new blocks, and thought I would give you a little sneak peek.I'll give you a sneak peek at the other ones in the next few wee...

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Blue and White

There is some very intense coin purse production going on right now, so I thought I would share a few pictures of the prints I'm working on. I love the look of the bright white ink on the navy backgrou...

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Prison Studios

This weekend we used the sunshine and warm weather as the perfect opportunity to drive out to Virginia and visit the Workhouse Arts Center, an old minimum-security prison that has been converted into art studios. It was recommended by someone I met at an art show, but with no pictures on the website I had no idea what to expect.The last time I visited a prison was for a Halloween haunted house in Ohio. Being twenty years old at the time, I should...

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