Tuesday, May 27, 2014

Speaking of fires - Arde Lucus 2014


The annual Roman v.s. Celt festival in Lugo is set for June 13, 14, and 15 this year.  Over 200 activities scheduled, including the traditional Artisan Fair, Celtic weddings and a Roman Circus.


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Sunday, May 25, 2014

Close call



The Glasgow School of Art suffered a terrible fire Friday.  Fortunately, there were no injuries and everyone was evacuated safely.  The latest statement indicates that the damage wasn´t as bad as had been feared.
Assistant Chief Officer Dave Boyle, director of service delivery on the west, said: "Crews have been working absolutely flat out throughout this very challenging incident and it is clear their effort and skill has saved this treasured building and many of the items it housed.

The Mackintosh building is a Scottish cultural icon.  Charles Rennie Mackintosh (7 June 1868 – 10 December 1928) was a Scottish architect, designer, water colourist and artist. He was a designer in the post impressionist movement and also the main member of the Glasgow School art movement.  Relatively few of his architectural designs were built, making this structure even more important.


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As an Arts and Crafts fan, it´s a relief that the damage wasn´t as bad as it first appeared, and that no one was injured.  Congratulations to the firefighters on their great work.  Let´s hope there´s support for reconstructing as benefits such a treasure.

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Wednesday, May 21, 2014

Crazy idea #31

An Etsy empire.

 love this soft 100% cotton fabric

The little girl´s dress was such a huge hit with the family, I´ve decided to make a few more and try my hand at a Etsy store. I figure if they don´t sell, then the niece´s wardrobe is set for the next 2 years.


Still in the R&D phase - trying to remember to do A before B before C during construction as well as learning the Spanish vocabulary for bias tape and interfacing, etc. (Fabric shopping in Spain is a subject for another post.) The handmade trend really seems to be catching on, even here, where handmade is traditionally thought of as a sign of poverty. Go hipsters!! I´m all for spending one´s limited resources on local, quality craftsmanship that lasts.

something more urban



There are complaints among sellers that Etsy is succumbing to the wave of mass produced stuff being sold as ¨handcrafted¨, which seems both unfair and not very smart on Etsy´s part.  There are several other platforms for internet craft sales as well. Dawanda, a German platform, is popular. There´s also Artesanum, if you´re looking for Spanish/Latin American crafts. Those in the UK can browse Folksy.

 next . . .

Happy Shopping!