Newly Listed: Long Coral Earrings

Long Coral Earrings, Sterling Silver Earrings Red Coral, Celtic Knot, Hand knotted Kazaziye woven Fine Silver by StaroftheEast
Gothic Portrait, Dramatic Photograph, Fine Art Photography, Red Lips, Dark Art, Decor, Large Wall Art by ellemoss
Boat photography, boat picture, nautical photography, seawater, Fine Art Photography by PortraitOfALand
Flower Print and Canvas, gallery wrap, Picture Photo, wall decor. artwork still life Scarlet Modern by HPaquinPhotography

Newly Listed: Japanese Embroidery Box Clutch Purse

Japanese Embroidery Box Clutch Purse - Clamshell Clutch with Vintage Embroidery by StarBags
Just As You Are japanese anemone photo, polaroid, cottage chic, garden flowers by SusannahTucker
White Prunus Mume - Bonsai Photograph -Nature Art - Wall Decor - Nature Photograph by LilyShihPhoto
Fine Art Print, Collage, Painted Photographs, The Story of Geisha Archival Giclee Print by ImagineStudio

Our Creative Space...

I've been meaning to try japanese mesh work for a while , and finally got to it. First I thought to use bias band, but I didn't trust the folds of the bias band to behave on the long run, since I wanted to use it for a bag without fear of it unraveling.

So, it had to be strips of fabric, cut 3 cm wide and sewn at 1cm with help of a guide on the machine.

Then the tunnels had to be turned with a thingy and Estella's help.

Ironed...

And pinned on the iron board on a piece of fusible interfacing. All this came from a japanese craft book, but after this first row, things got pretty unintelligible in the book, with only some schematic drawings. I'm sure the written instructions are great, but without that, you really have to put your mind to it.

Here is the first row all pinned. In the instruction drawings they let you mark lines on the interfacing, but they get all covered up, so not much help here.

This is a pattern for a 6 point star, btw, but countless patterns are possible. the second course has three different rows woven in a 60 degrees incline. It is now 1 up-2 under in three alternated rows.

An other detail of the second course.

I put the tape to make the surface smaller, because I run out of strips. This sucker surely eats a lot of fabric!

And than the third and last row. Estella had to come to my rescue because I got all confused. It is 2 up and 3 under in this row, again alternating. Hopefully the pictures will be of help if you try it.

The star pattern is a bit lopsided, I think that even a more accurate approach is needed, and thinner fabric. This sample, done with thin wool fabrics is really heavy.

This oval -it had to be an oval since I run out of material for the corners- took me the best part of the weekend. If you have lots of fabric, time and patience, the results are interesting for sure!

See more creative spaces at Our Creative Spaces.

My Friday Night Outfit

This complete outfit and many more beautiful items can be found at our teams shop, EuropeforCharity.
At the moment all proceeds will be going to Japan via Architecture for Humanity.
Shopping and helping people, it can't get better!

Have a great weekend everyone!

My Saturday Night Outfit

1. tagodesign 2. circularaccessories  3. staroftheeast  4. PassionFlowerVintage

It is no suprise that we all have Japan in our hearts these days. Again we are reminded how helpless we are in the hands of Mother Nature. Hoping that your loved ones are safe.
Wishing you a lovely weekend.

Nagasaki Night

Everything began with this riddle, what I saw by chance in the description of a pair of polymer clay earrings while wandering through the Etsy pages like you do. This shop owner, DIMATSU100, offered these earrings for free to the first person to solve the riddle. I am not much of a riddle solver, and the last time that I won something, was forty years ago (!!), but this particular verse reminded me of a Turkish riddle, in which a human face is described in a similar way, with night black hair, a forehead as a hill, nose and mouth as doors, well and the two beasts could be the ears.

Nagasaki Night,

Neon Lights,

But on this hill,

Everything is still.

Three ways you can enter,

It is guarded by two beast.

If you can solve this riddle,

Then these earrings will be free.

So I convo’ed this shop owner with my solution for the riddle: a face. It turned out that I was completely wrong; I told you, not much of a riddle solver, am I. But this lady, Diana is her name, had apparently already decided that she wanted to give me those earrings, because she gave me a hint that I couldn’t miss. The riddle referred to the famous Sofukuji temple in Nagasaki, the oldest Chinese temple in Japan, dating back to 1629. This temple has a triple gate, brightly painted (‘three ways you can enter’) guarded by two mythological beasts.

Diana told me that Nagasaki, the city that has suffered so much, is the place where her mother grew up, and that in order to get to her mother’s house you have to enter though this temple. What a wonderful, personal way to get acquainted with a valuable piece of history!

Yesterday, I received the parcel, and I am speechless!
Diana sent me not one, but two pair of earrings, and they are GORGEOUS! It can not get more generous than this.
The polymer clay beads, made by herself, are like diminutive chrysanthemums, every petal delicately sculpted, with an eastern grace and eye for detail. There are many more of those in her shop, and believe me, they are a thousand times more beautiful in person.

So, thanks to Etsy’s lovely world, a half Japanese and half American pre-school teacher and painter living in the USA and a Spanish crazy-lady-that-can-not-solve-any-riddle and lives in Turkey, bonded.

Thank you, Diana, we will cherish your art.