Florcita

Come on over!

2009-12-17T14:24:00.002+01:00

I see that there is people still coming to this blog daily or adding themselves as "friends" down there on the right side. I invite you all to follow us to the NEW website where the blog has carried on: www.florcita.eu is all you have to type!

There is room there to sign up for a newsletter with tips, links, give aways, sales, discounts and the rest.... so do please update your faves and add www.florcita.eu

I will be waiting for you!

xox Mariana

New website

2009-10-26T18:33:00.002+01:00

Starting tomorrow Tuesday 27th October, 2009; I will be posting at www.florcita.eu
Clicking there will take you to a whole new website where my current website and this blog have merged.
So, just this time -pleaseprettyplease- update your Bloglines/favorites, etc and join me on the other site. Lots of new things going on there. Still working on some stuff but we are ready to roll...

We've moved! ---> www.florcita.eu

Monday

2009-10-26T10:39:00.004+01:00

Hello all!
Im busy finishing some orders and the website. I think this is the last week that you will come here. Soon, just typing www.florcita.eu you will land in the blog/website/shop. Much easier. I just need to fine tune the last details. I'm importing all the posts from this blog to the new one. Hopefully it will be done soon so we can have a give away to inaugurate the other "home". All these has to happen relatively soon since I'm leaving in a couple of weeks. Worry not, you won't have to miss me. I will be typing but from the southern hemisphere. Might even turn out to be entertaining and interesting. Different adventures.

Ok so... back to work. Have a nice monday everyone.

Remember, soon: www.florcita.eu for the blog/website/shop too!

Friday' s links

2009-10-23T09:43:00.002+02:00

This blog has been quiet this week, but not because I haven't been working. In fact, I've been editting, resizing pictures, learning HTML, discussing with the desginer (aka my husband) and that sort of stuff because I've decided to unify all the blogs and websites I have into one thing. Intead of having Florcita's art blog (this one), plus florcita'news blog which comes attached to my website; I've moved everything to one place where there are sections with info, galleries...etc. So everything together, easy to navigate. Otherwise I spend so much time updating everything (or neglecting it) that... better get organized.

It's Friday again so here is a link for you all to enjoy. This is the trailer of a BBC/Disney nature documentary turned into a film. I saw it on tv when the documentary came out (2007 I think it was) and we loooooved it. We later bought the movie because it has great photography, beautiful scenery of the most far away corners of the world, my kid loves looking at the animals and most importantly it reminds us that we humans are not alone here. We are also part of an ecosystem we need to care for...because we depend on it.
I don't know if I'm the only one who cries with this nature documentaries but sometimes as the camera shoots a mama bear with her cub, I feel close to that female. I know, I sound a bit crazy. But we all look at our cubs with the same eyes.

Have a nice weekend...

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: Azul

2009-10-20T10:33:00.003+02:00

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: Azul
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Azul:Blue.

Where I come from, in Argentina, people like painting their houses in bright colors. I could voice different theories such as "that helps bright up your city in winter when everything is dark and grey", "it's a way to show your individuality/creativity", "you are just showing off" .... :)
I don't know. What I do think is that -at least here in The Netherlands- life would be so much brighter in the long months of winter if there was some color on the streets other than the brown of bricks and the grey of the sky.
So I looked around in Flickr for some blue houses (the one on the top left corner, is Frida Khalo's "La casa azul"). And these were my favorites.

All the credit to the photographers who took these pictures. If you want to see the photos larger in with credits, click on the mosaic.

If you want to join the mosaic fun, follow the link to Mitsy's blog.

Remember that DaWanda has a discount week which I am joining. So from today until Sunday, there will be a 15% discount on all shops were you haven't purchased before. If you haven't shoped at Florcita now is the time!

Magnum Wrap and Dawanda discount

2009-10-19T13:39:00.002+02:00

I've been busy this weekend. All of a sudden everyone is celebrating their birthdays around here so we are jumping from party to party... which is fun.
I did manage to squeeze in some work and I tried this gorgeous merino Kap I recently bought. Soft and warm...but really really soft. I wanted to make something simple... a few flowers in a field... just white and red and some accents on grey. That's it. It ended up being way bigger than I thought it'd be and it's a mix I think between a warm wrap for you and a throw for home decoration.

More pics here.

On other news, DaWanda has a discount week which I am joining. So from today until Sunday, there will be a 15% discount on all shops were you haven't purchased before. The discount price is already set on the webpage so what you see is what you pay. If you've never purchased from me and were waiting for lower prices...well, here is your chance. And if you did purchase from me and you are looking for something... just contact me: info@florcita.eu Returning costumers are favorites :)

Anyway, another week comences... hope everyone is healthy and ready to roll :)

--------------------------------------------------------------------

The DaWanda "Wall Fall Sale" will run from Monday 19.10 at 12:00 CEST until Sunday, 25.10 at 23:59 CET.
In all participating shops (where products will be marked with a little flag icon), in which you are shopping for the first time, you will receive a 15% Discount off the original price during the sale period! The reduced price will be calculated and displayed during the order process, and in your shopping basket. Please note - the discount will only apply for your first purchase, so it's best to pack a few things into your shopping basket at once!
Have you told your friends about the Wall Fall Sale yet? New users receive a 15% discount on their first purchase in all participating shops!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------that's the official announcement.

Friday' s links

2009-10-16T15:20:00.002+02:00

Love the drawing in this one. Another simple and to the point from www.wwf.org

Details and tips for those who asked.

2009-10-14T12:31:00.004+02:00

Last week I presented in this post a group of wraps (for you) or throws (for your house) called "Retazos", which in spanish means "Scraps". After listing them in my shop I was too tired from editing pictures, so I just added a mosaic here. Well, as there were some questions sent to me, I thought I would show some details of each.

1- Purple Poppies in the Field: I actually really like the pictures I took with this wrap. Not because of me modeling...ahahah nonono... but because we are in a pretty medow, a bit windy, with autumn light and horses in the back... nice mood.

I used some hand spun yarn, different shades of purple, bamboo and a blend of hand dyed merino + silk for the poppies which make the flowers soft and with a little bit of a shimer. It is all wet felted which meant that I worked each piece of surface design with my fingers (and water and soap...).

2-Wrapped in gold: This one demanded lots more work (days) because I worked each individual square separately, and then felted them together. There are over 25 different pieces that make the whole wrap. It has an autumn palette with lots of browns, orange and a bit of gold...

I used merino, linen, bamboo, silk, silk rods, hand dyed and hand spun yarns, hand carded wool, prefelts I made myself, and even some stitching for decoration. A whooole lotta work. And I love it. But I can't keep everything, can I?... can I?

3-Wrapped in Red Cherries: Red, pink, fuchsia and white are the colors. For this one I had a different approach since I layed the whole design at once and then felted it (as opposed to working on each panel individually).

Again lots of different fibres: silk, wool, linen, hand spun and hand dyed yarn, bamboo, prefelt (made by me again), hand carded wool. If you see on the bottom right picture, there is a ceramic heart like this added as a pin (or better seen on this other simple neckwarmer in my shop, although this last one is much bigger), which comes as a gift if you order this wrap THIS week (which already has free shipping!).

*For all those felters that asked me if I used needle felting for the designs, the aswer is no. I rarely use needles in my felting. Sometimes for a small detail but I always do everything "by hand". However, needle felting is an option for whomever wants to use them.
*Prefelts, which I use quite often when I want a defined shape on my design, I make myself ...and it is no science to do so. I wrote a post about it here.
*The use of yarns in felting is a good, simple addition which can bring a whole new texture to your piece. Felt provides a very tactile experience. I repeat that while working you have to "look with your hands". Whether you use commercial yarns or your own hand spun, it doesn't matter. Just remember that the more "acrylic" the yarn has, the harder it will be to get "attached" to the wool you are felting. I always try to use yarns with at least 40% wool in them (and a blend with bamboo or silk if they are my own). But a whole world opens up for you because nowadays there are such gorgeous yarns out there in the shops.

Well, this is already too long. If there are more questions don't hesitate to ask in the comments or email me at info@florcita.eu I don't mind replying and sharing. I don't have secrets really, this is all the product of my own experimentation (which I always highly recommend... ).

Don't forget that this week there is FREE SHIPPING FOR ALL ORDERS, if you are looking for gifts... now is the time! Check out this post with more details if you rather a private order instead of using e-commerce platforms.

And now back to work...

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: suitcases

2009-10-13T12:02:00.003+02:00

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: suitcases
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Where are mine? Has anybody been to the attic lately? How many can I take? how many kilos in each??
Yes, suitcases are already starting to cross my mind although Im not doing much about it yet... It always happens to me when Im about to go on a big trip... I start thinking about it, I pack in my head a few times and just a day before the trip I get it all together...
For now, beautiful shoots of vintage suitcases. All the credit to the photographers who took these pictures. For more info, click on the mosaic.
If you want to join Flickr favorites, hop on to Mitsy's blog!

Don't forget about this week's FREE SHIPPING FOR ALL ORDERS. Keep reading the post bellow for more info on private orders or check out my shop (don't forget to add "red tanseys" on the message to seller so I substract the shipping costs from the final price).

A bag for me and FREE SHIPPING!

2009-10-12T15:50:00.003+02:00

I've been working on several custom orders over the weekend. As time goes by and my departure day grows closer, I seem to get more work instead of aliviate the agenda. But I did manage to squeeze in making a bag just for myself. I never seem to keep anything I make...
Since red is my favorite colour -in case you hadn't heard :) I made a seed bag like those in my shop, all red with some tanseys designed in grey on top, lined with a fantastic red Harris Tweed. Simple, but just what the doctor ordered ....

And here comes the big announcement: All week this week there will be FREE SHIPPING on all orders.
*For orders via my Dawanda shop , just add: "red tanseys" on the note to seller while checking out (easier than having to go product per product changing the shipping costs...thanks!).
*Private order? you ask... well, checking out my website or shop you can see my work. You just have to drop me a line: info@florcita.eu saying what you wish and I will send you a money request via paypal. Simple.

It all comes wrapped with silk paper and with a nice ceramic tag included.

Hope everybody is doing alright!

Friday' s links

2009-10-09T09:37:00.003+02:00

Because life is not just about felting... well, my life at least. In this household we do a lot of things to try to change the way we think about our life and how it affects the planet. I could list numerous things that we have slowly implemented and included in our daily life like recycling, making compost, growing our own food, harvesting water, reducing the amount of plastic we buy (as per wrappings, bags...), etc. But instead, I want to do something else that I think is very important: sharing information. So every friday I will add a book, articles, links... Because the first step is to understand and believe that change is needed. For our children.

Short, to the point... video from WWF:

Felting...by mistake

2009-10-07T10:46:00.002+02:00

A few weeks ago I made this handbag in a grey coarse wool (steinschafwolle) which I made especifically to be HUGE. Not a middle sized bag... nono... HUGE. My 15" laptop fit in there. I felted the straps in by using some metallic props I had. So, all ready I used it a couple of times with great success and admiration (mwaahhahahaaaa...).
Looked like this:

It' s hanging a bit croocked... I know. And there is not much to compare with when it comes to sizes. Maybe only the very trained felting eye can see the difference with the next set of pictures. The stripes are the outside of an embedded LARGE outside pocket.

What happened is that one day last week, I came home... it was raining outside, I had groceries... one of those messy days. I left my handbag on top of a pile of laundry in the laundry room where I took off my coat and shoes and kept going with groceries, kid, dog ...dinner... you know...the rest.
Next morning I was feeling a bit under the weather and my husband thought...hmmm Im going to give her a hand... Dread those moments, ladies! So he diligentely took everything out of my handbag -which was still hanging around the laundry room- and put it in the washer along with other clothes. When I heard the beeep beeeep beeeeeeep announcing that the washer was done I went and started to take things out and then I saw it... the bag... which had shrunk 1/3 of its size. We wash our clothes in a cold cycle always (green option)... but still... soap, friction and water (even cold water) kept felting the handbag. This particular wool felts very easily, so I ended up with a yet sturdier than before, compacted fibres...and a bit smaller handbag :

Laptop doesn' t fit in there anymore... but put a melon in there, handbag won' t break!
So, to those whom aren't felters: the same thing happens when you put a pure wool sweater in the washer... it shrinks... it felts. That is why, unless you want to pass it onto your kids, we wash wool by hand. Now, if you are a felter, and you got bored and tired and don' t feel like finishing the job (and don' t care to roll it up and continue later) throw it in the washer. Only (HUGE) disadvantage is that you can't control the process... so if it got croocked in the washer and it felts like that...it stays like that. And Im not to blame if a sock gets felted onto it... well, call it nuno felt!

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: Rainy days

2009-10-06T15:19:00.002+02:00

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: Rainy days
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Rainy days indeed... rainy weeks I should say. It's a very wet autumn so far. Previous years we' ve had fabulous autumns with warm afternoons and soft lights. Not this year it seems.
Wet and all I kinda enjoy these first weeks of autumn. A blanket, a cuddly afternoon with tea and cake... not so enamoured of chores and long queues at the post office though...

All the credit to the fantastic photographs whom took these pics. Click on the mosaic for a larger view and the name of said photographs.
If you want to join the Flickr Faves, hop on to Mitsy' s blog to sign up!

Tomorrow, more goodies... :)

International Year of Natural Fibres- Day of Felt

2009-10-03T13:47:00.004+02:00

I don' t know if you' ve heard already that this year, 2009, has been declared by the UN as the International Year of Natural Fibres. The goal here is to bring back attention to the 15 most used Natural fibres and their characteristics, and the fact that by supporting these fibres you are supporting some of the poorest farmers and herders in the world.
Those fibres, such as wool, silk, mohair, alpaca, Angora, camel...etc, I use for felting and spinning. So they are very important in my work and by extension, daily life.

On adittion, 3rd October was named "Day of Felt". On this day, feltmakers from all around the world will gather and produce a piece of handmade felt and later show it for their neighbourhood, town, city, family and friends to see, apreciate and learn about it.
Felt United is an effort started and directed by Ellis Vermeule and Cynthia Reynolds, to gather, organize and expose felt pieces produced this day around the world. The idea is that on artisans will make a piece following a theme (color wheel portion: red, orange and yellow) and later submit it (pictures) to be exhibited in a multimedia library of woolly works.

So, I started working on the piece I am submitting, not thinking especifically on this day, but because this portion of the color wheel -red, orange and yellow- is one that I like very much using. Just another work I thought, and if it works out, I will submit it.
I gathered all my reds, oranges, yellows (a bit of pink and fuchsia too). Merino, silk, silk rods, bamboo, linen, locks. Hand dyed wool, hand spun yarn. A large piece of cotton fabric for the base and a whole lot of time... My idea was just to paint with the whool. To build a huge piece of fabric with colors that merge into one and other. The starting piece was long and wide: 2,50m long by 80cm wide... ending up, after days of felting, at 1.90cm long x 50cm wide. It took a whole lot of felting. But the result is a very compact, even nuno felt with windows into the fabric, and on the wrong side (although both sides are worth showing) a myriad of waves made by the rouches and gatherings in the fabric, product of the fibres going through its weave with the felting motions. I find it beautiful and bright. It livens up the grey autumn sky.

Some details:

This is the best way I found to photograph it' s entirety:

...hanging from the clothes line...

It will make a fantastic warm yet light wrap for the coming months. Or a throw for the couch... While I was running around in the -already very sad looking- garden to take pictures, my neighbour followed me down the fence asking me how much it costed, if she could have it, what was it made of...and I got to tell the story, so I guess my part has been done. This one stays with me though...
Do visit those links up there: UN' s page on Natural Fibres. Lots to read and learn. Felt United' s page for a lot of interesting work from around the world.

Happy day Felters...

What have I listed today? Retazos

2009-10-01T18:04:00.001+02:00

What have I listed today?
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

All of these wraps! No more photo editing today,. No more cropping and light balancing... and listing! Everything is in the shop now.
Tomorrow, with more time, I will post individual pictures and tell you the story of this new line, Retazos... spanish for "scraps".

If you click on the mosaic you can see bigger pictures and on the shop there are more detailed pictures as well.

Enough computer work for today!

Dyeing adventures...

2009-09-30T15:27:00.003+02:00

A few months ago I received from Monika from Red2White a little package in return for a package with wooden and ceramic buttons I sent her. Among other goodies, she included a bag of 100gr of logwood (Haematoxylum campechianum) and alum. Coincidentaly, as if the universe was trying to tell me something, the next day I received a book called "Colors from Nature - A dyer' s handbook" from Jenny Dean, the book' s author and all around dyeing guru.
Months passed by before I got around to put it all to work. I read Jenny's book which comes with all sorts of recipes and instructions for safety, extracting color from dyestuff, preparing dyebaths and applying it as well as mordants and its percentages. And the recipes are separated by colour in case you thought this was too complicated.
So, I presoaked and mordated 100gr of merino, 100gr of cotton, 100gr of bamboo and 100 gr of a blend of silk and merino. I later added 2 t-shirts and a few pieces of cotton fabric and lace I had laying around.

Clockwise: Jenny's book - logwood chips - logwood chips soaking - logwood chips dryingto be used another time...

Left: fibres soaking. Right, first dip of merino into the dyebath.

Clockwise: cotton, bamboo, merino, cotton fabric, merino + silk blend, t-shirts, some poly-something old curtain with lace and the last picture it' s the whole thing drying outside. On my Flickr you can see bigger pictures and the color in all it' s glory.

I was amazed at the depth of the color. I was expecting much lighter shades... but nope! Deep purple. I heard later from Jenny -when I emailed her half way through the whole thing- that logwood does bleed a lot and it takes a lot of rinsing before you stop seeing purple down your drain. However, as much as it was bleeding, the color on the fibres was and is still very strong. I didn' t care much for the merino and bamboo because their fate has been decided already and they shall be felted soon... I guess with all the water used in felting I will have a purple mess but it doesn' t necessarily have to be bad... I see an experiment aproaching! hahaha The cotton I will spin first even If I get purple fingers, and later rinse thoroughly. I find it easier to rinse once a fibre is spun.
I saved most of the dyebath and the purple water coming out of the fibres when I was rinsing them. According to Jenny' s book (did I mention she was the dyeing sensei...?) both dyebath and dyestuff can be stored for later use.

All these months reading books, blogs about dyeing. Talking to Monika and other fibre artists who are experimenting as well, I felt a bit daunted... overwhelmed. Words like Alum and dyebath and percentages scared me a bit. The safety aspect as well considering I don' t -yet- have a separate space where to try this, so its the family's kitchen.
I did realize that if one reads all the material, if one takes the time to "study" the moves and take simple precautions (like buying good, thick rubber gloves, having separate buckets, and cooking implements as well as putting some newspapers in case you are messy), it doesn' t have to be a difficult thing... and the results are marvellous.
One thing I keep repeating to whomever wants to hear me when we talk about natural dyeing is that when you go research about dyestuff you learn about a lot of things, not just colors: botanics, history, anthropology... you follow accounts of merchants in centuries past and learn about Europe' s trips around the world in search for the good stuff (like dyes and spices) as well as learning what people aroung the world were already using (and still do)... I find it fascinating to realize that those plants in the field which we all consider weeds, are actually plants that were used for dyes in the 16th century...
Anyway, if anybody is interested in giving natural dyeing a try, I suggest you get a hold of any of Jenny Dean' s books, or visit her blog and talk to her personally. She is incredibly kind with her knowledge. Never holds back.

And this is just the beginning....

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: Dyeing

2009-09-29T11:17:00.002+02:00

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: Dyeing
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Pots of colors, bright skeins og hand spun wool hanging to dry... hand dyed silk...red red red... the exciting world of hand dyeing with natural pigments. These pictures are from photographers that have been travelling to Nepal, India and Marokko... when I think about those places, color and spices arethe first things that come to my mind.
I haven't had time to finish working on the pictures from my dyeing adventures yesterday, but I am thrilled!
I have been working on so many things, so much stuff to upload to the shop and show you here... maybe I manage this week.

Do click on the mosaic to see the pictures in their larger version and to get the info on the talented photographers/travelers who took them.
if you want to join the mosaic fun, hop to Mitsy' s blog.

While I'm dyeing...

2009-09-28T09:41:00.003+02:00

I' m in the middle of some natural dyeing... so, while I wait (and nervously run back and forth checking that everything is going well), I wanted to show you this little matchbox books I made over the weekend, to include in every order that is going out now:

For the gods of crafting! hahaaha I just took out the first batch of wool... DEEEEP PURPLE! hahahaha smoooke on the waaater....chanchan chaaan chan...ok...
Anyway, the little books were fun to make and add some color to the package. I see that the ceramic tags that go with the orders are a success too...

I have a second type of tags which just came out of the oven, but they have to do with a bit of rearranging the logo/marketing side of this little biz (yes, I know... it' s taking me a while, uh? Well... I'm learning!):

These are also ceramic tags where I' ve drawn with a glazing pencil. I wanted the scratchy, pencil look on them... as if a little kid had been drawing. They were later fired a second time with a cover of transparent glazing just for a bit of protection and shine...

Well, you see..tags I have! hahahaa
And now I also have some cotton and bamboo dyeing... intrigued. Will show you latet this week how it looks.

So, happy monday.

Easterya -

2009-09-27T11:18:00.002+02:00

Months ago I started thinking about presents I could take with me to my family... hand made, of course. I've made some myself but I really wanted to take other stuff as well.
I' ve purchased from Easterya a couple of times. Love her jewellery and she is a good friend; so I thought... the women in my family would like something from her too. I think Fab's creations are bright and beautiful and for the type of woman who likes earthy (all natural stones), refined and stricking pieces of jewellery. In my case, whether that is gold, diamonds or just wire and turquoises... I don' t care. A piece has to impress me by it' s design not it's price tag.
So, I told Fabs what I wanted and she put up with me going back and forth, trying to imagine my Mom, sis and sister in law wearing her creations... how big, what colors... all of that. What a patient woman!
Eventually Fabienne suggested a swap, which I love doing (because it isn' t all about money, right?) especially if we both know already that we like what the other makes. Sometimes swaps are tricky if someone suggests it and you like what they make but maybe not for yourself... however, this was not the case. Honestly should reign when it comes to swaps. So, she chose an item from my shop involving silk and soft colors and beading... and I got these:

And a gift for me! :

this is not the time for my family to start reading this blog! ahhahaha I promise a picture with the gifted ladies wearing these beauties.... and I promise you, you will find lots of goodies at Fab' s shop...

Merry Go round- What's next?

2009-09-25T15:51:00.003+02:00

It' s time for our Merry-go-round, and this month' s topic is: "What's your next chapter"... well, I have different length answers:

Short Version: lots of projects. I've realized that, whether one goes through with projects or not, having them alone is a strong motivator for improving your own life and work. Lack of projects in your life I think sinks you in a bit of a grey desperation. Been there, not going back.

Long Version: in the short term, I'm leaving to Argentina in a month (as if you haven't read about that yet...). I'm not just going to sit around catching up with family and friends, laying on the beach and doing tourism. I'm going to be teaching, researching the world of wool and different autoctonous fibres over there (like guanaco and llama). Maybe catch a few (more) classes with my old weaving teacher, some stuff about writing books, and a lot of research about dyeing, weaving and design of the orginal peoples (yes, plural) that populated that area, Patagonia, before the europeans arrived. I'm very excited about it. I want to include more of the patterns and designs of the people from my land in my future work.

A middle- length term ahahaha... while Im gone there will be some construction being done for a mini Studio for me, in the garden... with a big fireplace, thank you! I'm tired of moving around the house not ever having enough room for all my tools and materials. I also want to have my own place where I can put a ceramic oven because I'm tired of turning down people who want to buy ceramic pieces from me, but I have nowhere where to make them... I love clay. I've been claying (with more or less success) since I was 5... and I enjoy the combination of clay and wool. Very earthy and natural. I would also like to combine both a bit more.

Long term... well, world domination, obviously! What else? From my Studio/bunker I shall conquer the world of arts and crafts... no? :) Well, this past year I have discovered that the universe had a tricky way of telling me and pushing me down this path. However, this is really what I love doing. I'm happy. I have lots to learn and do... but Im on the right path, I think. I sometimes wish I had a partner in crime because I have loads of projects in my head and when you work on your own sometimes you get no feedback or incentivation...but, oh well... we'll see.

Do read the rest of the entries from the girls in this group. Interesting read Im sure.

Jenny at Jenny Karlsson design
Wendren at Wren
Sara at Sara's Texture Crafts
Charlotte at Fancy Picnic
Agathe at Le Bar du Vent
Fabienne at Easterya
Ruth at Birdland Creation
Lily at LilyPang Art and Design

autumn leaves wrap

2009-09-23T22:28:00.002+02:00

autumn leaves wrap
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Autumn... best thing it has: soft light, afternoons in a sunny spot outside, wrapped with your favourite woolly shawl. A cup of tea, a book.... lovely.
Note those huge clogs there... my husband's... who actually - like a true Dutch man - uses them for gardening, going for walks with the dog or just sitting there on that spot doing some wood carving, That half trunk there is his "carving table"... quite handy for my tea.

Anyway, lots going on backstage here but I wanted to remind you of the weekly free shipping offer for the pendants and some yarn. Just contact me if you rather have a private order. You can always use the contact button on my website: www.florcita.eu Website which will get a re-designing job soon as well (as soon as I finish resizing a ton of pictures!).

Back to my movie... how many times can I watch "Four weddings and a funeral" and actually laugh....?

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: Delights of Autumn

2009-09-22T10:39:00.002+02:00

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: Delights of Autumn
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

I drink tea more than coffee... although I do like a nice ristretto every now and then. To me, one of the joys of autumn is to be able to take your steamy cup of tea to the bench in the garden, maybe a blanket of a big shawl too... and enjoy the soft light of this time of the year.

All the credit to the talented photograhers who took these pictures. Click on the mosaic for a larger view and their names! If you want to play along, go visit Mitsy' s blog!

Lastly, scrool down a bit to the previous post, and remember all those pendants have free shipping this week!

Glass and Wool -Pendants

2009-09-21T15:38:00.002+02:00

A new week. New surprises... new work. For those of you who like to make a statement with your jewelley, who aren' t afraid to wear bold pieces...Voila! A new series of "Glass and wool pieces~ pendants".

Light is the key word here. We are not talking about weight but the reflection of light in the glass and how the wool changes it' s color slightly and the glass sparkles:

"Red window":

"Portal of Light"

"Green light"

All three of them are listed in my shop where you can also see more pictures of them, details and how they look on.
THIS WEEK, the shipping is free for all those who -in the message checking out- add the word LIGHT. It' s an offer for all those who come to this blog! Remember that I do take private orders as well! Just contact me: info@florcita.eu and add the word LIGHT on the message!
It' s not complicated, right??? :)

So... FREE SHIPPING for these pendants (writing LIGHT! in the message)
And still FREE SHIPPING on the "EAT YOUR GREENS" set of hand spun yarn! (described on this post).

So, there you go...

Give Away Winners!

2009-09-18T19:41:00.006+02:00

I know... you' ve been biting your nails all day! I know! Did I win, did I win? haahhaa Sorry... it was a nice autumny day here so we went for a hike... glorious! had a lot of fun.
But here are the winners. Remember these 3 pendants were in the pot:

I made a list with the names of all that entered attaching a number in the "order of appereance":
1-Kim
2Julie
3-Alison
4-Monika
5-Heidi
6-Eveli
7-Mariel
8-Lily
9-Sil
10-Jen
11-Weird
12-Mitsy
13-Carla
14-Inger
15-Carolyn
16-Barbara
17-Christie

...and then used the randomizer from random.org and drew 3 numbers:

So... 4) Monika, 15) Carolyn and 7)Mariel Congrats! You've won a pendant each!
Do contact me please through the contact button in my Website, with your address so I can send them to you as soon as possible!

To the rest, do not despare! More Give aways to come! Thanks for playing though... :)
A FREE SHIPPING WEEK for certain items is coming. Maybe it's an item you were thinking about purchasing? They will be announced on Monday! So, stay tunned.

Have a nice weekend!

mantita-dekken-blanket

2009-09-17T17:04:00.002+02:00

mantita1
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Just a lsat minute post to remind you that today is that last day to enter the Give away! Don' t forget to leave your name in this post if you want to participate.
Tomorrow we will announce the names!

And here my other blond guy :) my son with his new blanket, all handfelted (no sewing) in merino wool. Excellent for this coolish autumn days... on the couch, watching a movie, reading a book... aaaah the joys of autumn!

See you tomorrow!

Window Farms ...and almost "Give away day!"

2009-09-16T16:27:00.002+02:00

Hello all!

Besides felting and making ceramic goodies (running a house, biz, being a wife, mother, friend, volunteer...) I also take care of our 60m2 veggie garden. It' s actually a family venture and we are happy to say that every year (we are on our 4th year) we get more and better produce and a whole lot of knowledge. This year we' ve harvested tons of food: lettuce, spinach, beans (still today, more than 9kilos!), onions, garlic, carrots, pastinaak, tomatoes, aubergine/eggpplants, raspberries, strawberries, red currant, white currant, black currant, grapes, pears, courgettes, leak, aromatic herbs, broad beans, broccoli....and something more Im forgetting probably. We are now starting to gather the autumn fruits such as walnuts, apples and hazelnuts... and huge pumpkins! Our 2 freezers are FULL.

Many people say, " yeah well... lots of work! Lots of patience! I don' t have time, I don' t have room, knowledge...etc". We do have room because we bought this old house just because there was room enough for a garden. The knowledge we didn' t have but because we are slowly trying to turn to the eco/green path and do as much as we can to have a more self sustainable life; we've learnt. A bit of reading and a bit of empiric testing. And here we are, harvesting monster zuchinnis which in a shop cost fortunes... we harvest them by the bunch.

Anyway, for those of you who have always wanted to have a go at growing your own food but don' t have the room, or want to do it at a micro scale, this iniciative might provide info: www.windowfarms.org
And if you are into a more self-sustainable life and feel like learning, discussing the subject and others : www.forestoffood.wordpress.com That blond guy up there, aka Mr Husband, writes it.

Last days today and tomorrow thursday to enter the give away! Leave your names in a comment on that post. Friday we announce the three winners!

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: Autumn

2009-09-15T08:28:00.002+02:00

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: Autumn
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

It' s tuesday again and time for a mosaic with my favorites. It' s autumn. No denying it anymore. I' m wearing a cardigan and boots. I love the palette autumn brings... only it has been raining non stop here so, not so enjoyable.

There were no takers for the "Eat your greens" Free Shipping - Set of yarn. And that is cool. Will post soon something else that might be of more interest to others (explained here).
And now to drop off the little one at kindergarden and then some work.

If you want to join the Mosaic fun, visit Mitsy' s blog.

All the credit to the photographers whom took these gorgeous autumny pictures.

ONE LAST THING! Remember to sign up here for the GIVE AWAY! This friday (18th) we are drawing the names from a hat!

Eat your Greens SET- FREE SHIPPING!

2009-09-12T15:09:00.002+02:00

Wow, thanks for your support with the yarns. Two of them are already gone and will be travelling with a little gift each...

As you know, and if you don't ...here it is, I will be going back to my homeland for a visit in a few months. So, just because I feel generous (or I need to save as much as possible so I can spend it travelling in Argentina) I will be having prompt give aways, sales, free shipping type of "events" every week. They will be announced here, in the blog.
Now, one word about e-shops. I understand, as it has been mentioned to me via emails and comments, that people might not feel like opening new accounts on e-commerce platforms and that puts them off of a great offer. I totally understand. Most of my selling happens via private orders anyway, so if you would like something that you see on my website ( under NEWS you see all the new items!) or here, you just have to contact me and we arrange everything via paypal... no worries.

So, first up... FREE SHIPPING THIS WHOLE WEEKEND- 12/13 September- of the following items:

"Eat your Greens" set of hand dyed and hand spun cotton and bamboo yarns. The total quantity is of 120gr:

1-100 % Cotton in olive green (not fully solid). 38gr
2-100% Cotton. Soft greens and yellow...not solid. 25gr
3- 100% Bamboo yarn. Shinny and soft greens to yellow tones. 26gr
4-Soft green Cotton plyed with bright green thread 20gr
5-100% Cotton in olive green and shades of yellow 11gr

(bigger pics here)
120gr is not a whole lot but it is enough to combine with other yarns for weaving, crocheting, knitting... and bamboo can even be used for felting! And it goes for 14 euros only!!

It will be in the shop now, but you know where to find me otherwise :)

Have a good weekend!

Hand dyed and hand spun

2009-09-11T14:07:00.007+02:00

Remember a while back I had a couple of posts on my dyeing adventures ? And I had selected some fibres to spin during a weekend... Well, I don' t know about you but week after week have gone by and I haven't noticed. Or actually, I did notice but I haven't figured out yet how to stop time and fit all I want to do in a 24 hour day. So here we are with those fibres, all spun into some singles.

First up I have this set of 4 different fibres: cotton, silk+merino, bamboo and pure merino which I dyed all with the same dye in a scarlet color but with 4 different results:

Clicking on the links above will give you individual pictures.

The wooly ones I have used in felting projects for accents of lines and they work really well. Cotton, as far as I know, doesn't felt, but it's great for weaving, knitting, crochetting, etc.

Merino and Silk blends, unique skeins!

Caribbean waters:

Purple Dusk:

Spanish Spices:

Mandarinas y Cerezas (Tangerines and Cherries):

There are more to come that are already spun and ready to be transformed into something. These ones are all in my DaWanda shop now but remember that I do take private orders as well! Just contact me: info@florcita.eu

Remember to sign up for the Give Away of the three pendants next week. Which color next for the seed hand bags? So far turquoise seems to be leading the way... leave your comment here.

It' s movie time now!!!!

Give away x 3 -Which color next?

2009-09-09T16:04:00.004+02:00

Well, ones computer acting up and going on a strike is really not something one wants. How technology dependant we are! At least us at home.
While the technician tries to settle a deal with the bundle of chips and wires my laptop is; I go on working twice as much because I have more time with wool and less time in front of the screen!

It's been a while since I hosted a give away. It's not a demagogical move it's more of a "being grateful and showing it" move. It's not about how many sales, magazine/blog features and/or adulation I might receive. Naturally we all like those (especially the sales because they provide the cash for more supplies for more experiments and fun ...essential my dear Watson...); but this will be a give away to thank all of those who come here and comment a few lines every time I post something in an attempt to reach out to the big world out there. I don't want to get sappy (or silly) but you are my critics, my crafty support, knowledge source... and laughter fountain... many I've got to know outside the blog and into more friendly base via emails and it just makes ones world so much bigger to talk to people form different places and walks of life. Advantages of technology.

Anyway, without any (more) further blabla... here is the thing: You've all seen my -so far 7- Lily Seed handbags, all in my DaWanda shop now.

So, to participate in this give away, you just have to leave a comment on this post telling me which is the next color -or combination of colors- you would like to see or think would fit this type of bag.
Next week friday 18th, we will draw 3 names from a hat...and each will get one of this little pendants...

The bag resulting from this "collaboration" will also come with a surprise or two :) But that for later!

So...go on... which color is next?

retro gray seed handbag polaroid

2009-09-07T12:55:00.001+02:00

retro gray seed handbag polaroid
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

A new, sober and simple, comfortable and versatile seed handbag. It was hand felted with grey coarse wool and lines with a funky retro fabric. It closes with a vintage black and white button.
It's listed in the Dawanda shop now.

If you'd like to purchase this bag, or any bag from this new line, you can also contact me at: info@florcita.com.
If you' d like to place a custom order for a bag which better fits your colorway wishes or design, do not hesitate in contacting me. I like the challenge of a custom order. You can find me at: info@florcita.

Ceramic tags

2009-09-04T09:27:00.002+02:00

Production has been stopped for a few days as we juggle with the baking, the new windows for the house and a sewer problem... just because stress comes in three fold, right?

Just out of the oven are these ceramic tags in terracota and black clay. They go with each package that comes out of Florcita's headquarters :) Since I was already making these new batch, I spent some more hours making the same type of name tags but for gifts I'm taking to Argentina with me. So one for each of my family's members... crossed eyes after dealing with all the letters!

Will be back soon... when calamities go away! ahahaha Have a nice weekend!

macondo en ceramica

2009-09-02T15:45:00.001+02:00

macondo en ceramica
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Do you remember this post where I was making a sort of recap of the different versions of my interpretation of Macondo -the mytical town in Garcia Marquez "One Hundread years of Solitude"? Handfelted, drawn? Well, this is the ceramic version... what do you think?
It made it to Cuteable' s Flickr Fridays.
Click on the picture if you want to see a larger version.

This is a pretty busy week in this house. My husband is changing all the windows and frames of the house and...boy do I like dust and messy rooms. I'm not very fond of cleaning, but I' m not fond of living in a mess either!
Also, my husband' s grandmother is turning 90 years old this sunday and we are organizing a big party... and I'm in charge of baking for around 70 people. Sometimes I do not apreciate my own volunteering spirit! So, pretty busy.
With some luck tomorrow I can show you the last of the Seed bags I' ve made. A very sober one too...

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: hearts

2009-09-01T08:08:00.002+02:00

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: hearts
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Hearts hearts.... I love them red of course... if one could make a compendium of the amount of materials and artistic hearts interpretations the art' s world has to offer.... we would never end! But it would be quite interesting, wouldn' t it?

This mosaic I made to join in the fun at Mitsy' s blog. I was inspired on a heart that is coming my way... aaall the way from Argentina, made by the great Ceramist and mosaic artist Mariel Trill Guillot. You can see some of her work in her blog.

Gracias - Merci - Thank you - Dankjewel - Grazie! Isn' t it beautiful! Love it!!! Gracias!

Pastel Squares Seed hand bag

2009-08-30T21:49:00.001+02:00

Coarse russian wool in camel hair color for the base... merino wool for the squares in lila, light blue, green and white... brow yarn and a rainbow dyed yarn in blue hues make the lins around the squares. It is lined with cotton fabric and has two wonky straps...
The "Pastel Squares" Seed Handbag is already in my DaWanda shop where you can see more detailed pictures of this bag.

And there is one more to go before I hand it over to you guys....just stay tuned...!

Merry Go round: Summer

2009-08-28T15:55:00.005+02:00

It' s time for our Merry-go-round, and this month' s topic is Seasons...this season....Summer.

"Summertime, and the livin' is easy... fish are jumping and the cotton is high..." Well, there is no cotton around here but "livin is, indeed, easy". I' m going to fall again in a comparison between my life before and after I came to The Netherlands... sorry to bore you!

-Before I came here: I was lucky enough to live accross the street from a very clean and fresh river which carries waters for a thousand km, from up high in the Andes straight into the Atlantic ocean, only 30km away from our house. The "Rio Negro" was our playground in early summer, when we still had school. We would rush back, change into our swimmsuits, grab our canoe and barefoot run accross the street to go paddle around. Hours we would spend swimming there... and in the weekends we would wake up, grab some breakfast and just run accross the street. It was so comfortable to have such gorgeous large river right there in front of you. A luxury really.

By the time January came around (high summer in southern hemisphere), we would all move to the beach house which was designed especifically to host a large number of people. It' s a refuge from technology. No computers, no tv. Music comes from and old radio and an old turn table. And until cellphones became popular, no phone either. Books lay everywhere and you are encouraged to get up and go to the beach... and we would stay there until the late hours with friends and family... laying on the sand, walking, following waves for hours now as grown ups as we did when we were kids. Summer means total relax, taking it easy... socializing, dancing, dinner parties organized that same day on the beach... staying out late with friends until the sun comes up and you walk home barefoot, tired but happy...

-FFWD to my summers in The Netherlands. For starters it doesn' t last 3 or 4 months but more like... a few weeks. I grew up so used to week after week of 30-40C that it took me some time to understand that summer in northern Europe... you don' t blink or you missed it! And there is not such a thing as total relax. Because the weather is so bleak and wet the rest of the year, in summer people rush to do all those projects they can't do the rest of the year. Fix the house, for example. Every spare minute is used in doing something productive... there is not much laying around yawning and walking in slow motion! I' m still in the process of adapting to this way of thinking. I see sun and just want to go outside and relax. My husband, on the contrary, runs around sweating, hammer in hand fixing stuff.
The very postive thing of summer now is that this is the season when we start harvesting lots of yummies from our veggie garden: berries, tomatoes, zuchinni, aubergines, beans, lettuce, rucula, spinach, carrots,peppers...and so much more. I think I apreciate summer more here and now than I used to do before. It' s shorter and, as with all those things that come in small rations, you try to prolongue it's taste.

*photos are both mine. Top photograph taken 3 yrs ago, last time I went to Argentina, of a sunset over the Atlantic. Bottom picture was taken this summer in Noord Holland on vacations...swans and an old ship. No retouches...just framing.

Please do visit the rest of the girls who take part in this Mery-go-round:

Jenny at Jenny Karlsson design
Wendren at Wren
Sara at Sara's Texture Crafts
Charlotte at Fancy Picnic
Agathe at Le Bar du Vent
Fabienne at Easterya
Ruth at Birdland Creation
Lily at LilyPang Art and Design

Tweed Delights

2009-08-26T09:54:00.005+02:00

A few weeks ago I entered a give away that Alison from Tweed Thoughts was having in her blog. I always read and comment on her posts. How surprised was I when I found out that I had won! yipiieee! It will sound as a cliche but I don' t ussually win anything ...but we all think that, don' t we?
Anyway, yesterday the mailman brought me this big but light package which my son insisted was for him...any packages that come through the door he insists are for him...he doesn' t claim ownership of bills and taxes...funnily enough... :)
Here it is! A lovely cushion made with REAL handwoven Harris Tweed... a luxury!

Thanks Alison for this! I invite you all to check her blog where there are links to her shops for hand crafted house wares but also for lovely harris tweed plushes. Worth the clicks!

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: hot air balloons

2009-08-25T08:04:00.003+02:00

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: hot ait balloons
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Before I die, I want to see everything from above from a hot air balloon... I see them so colorful floating on ths ky quite often around here and I wish I was there too...

All the credit for this photos to the talented people who took them. Click on the picture for a larger view and data on the artists.

If you want to join the Flickr Favorites fun, visit Mitsy' s blog!

Rubies in a spider web Seed handbag

2009-08-24T15:34:00.002+02:00

This one is for the brave women out there! The ones that like colorful bags! Red, fuchsia, orange, pink, yellow, white... silk, bamboo, wool, linen...acrylic beads, hand dyed and hand spun yarn.. stitches surrounding the "rubies" which are entangled in this most luscious spider web:

The " Rubies in a spiderweb" hand bag is already listed in my shop, where there are more pictures for you to see.

sweat shop?

2009-08-20T17:35:00.004+02:00

...pffffffffff...it's warm.... warm...warm. See how one complains about how cold it is, rainy and gray? and now it's 37C, sunny and.... all around sticky... and one still complains!
Anyway, hot or not I had to work on some orders. Someone asked me if I could show how flat the seed bags can be folded, so here it' s the Charcoal gray seed bag photographed flat for you to see:

So, pretty easy to store or take with you in your suitcase when you travel.

I wanted to show you too, these whimsical little tea cups I made a few months ago. I was cleaning up my photograph's folders and I found them:

Not like I' m going to go have warm tea right now...I would, however, like to be sitting on top of an glacier at the moment...

Coming soon:

-new bag
- hand dyed and hand spun cotton yarn sale
-Give away... (it' s been a while since I last hosted one!)

So, stay tuned...

Joy oh joy... it' s "cooking dinner" time. Comb your hair son, we are going out.

"Fun For Me" Seed Handbag

2009-08-18T15:59:00.001+02:00

And continuing with the Seed Handbags saga, here is a new one.

Colorful and fun...lots of bright colors. It is hand felted using merino wool and raibow dyed yarn for some details as well as stitched alongside the color bands just for a bit of texture. It looks as if it was quilted...
It is lined inside with bright orange cotton fabric which matches with the orange bands on the outside of the bag. The two straps aretwisted, strong and chunky so there is no problem in filling this bag with all those bits we women need when we are out in the town.

The "Fun For Me" Seed handbag is already listed on my shop!

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: coral reefs

2009-08-18T14:04:00.002+02:00

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: coral reefs
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Coral reefs... aren' t they beautiful...and just so fragile!
It' s sunny and warm here and I' m still spinning like mad and hopefully tomorrow I will be able to show you all. In the meantime... I dream with a coral reef. One day, I hope, I will be able to dive and look at them live and direct...that is if we humans get our act together and stop destroying them...right?

All the credit for this photos to the talented people who took them. Click on the picture for a larger view and data on the artists.

If you want to join the Flickr Favorites fun, visit Mitsy' s blog!

Productive weekend I

2009-08-17T10:41:00.002+02:00

My husband and I went to Craftparking yesterday. It was a craft fair in an old cement factory in Maastricht, in the south of The Netherlands. It had the added bonus of a summer festival right next to it, so not only did we see lots of interesting artisans and their goods, but heard some african music and ate wonderful food from Peru, Argentina and Indonesia. I really like this kind of international fairs where you get lots of arts minded people sharing a nice sunny afternoon... and a beer or two.

I met lots of artisans from the European Street Team of Etsy and later on we went for dinner at a nearby restaurant up in a hill where I guess we would still be, had it not been for the waiters politely throwing us out! If the personel starts cleaning around you... sign that you have worn out your welcome! haahaha
We continued in the parking lot for another half an hour or so... where goodbyes were delayed as much as possible. There weren't only friends from The Netherlands and Belgium whom could reach this fair pretty easily; but also Maria and her hubby from LeelaBijou who came all the way from The Canary Islands and Kerrie from Sigmosaics who came from Portugal!
I spoke spanish, english and dutch all night long which got a bit confusing after I ordered a cold beer expecting the ussual small glass, and instead I received a huge one with half a liter of beer in it!

Here are some goodies I got from Kim, from viltalakim; Mitsy from Artmind and Kerry from Sigmosaics.

Whilst I was chatting with the girls, my husband got me these gorgeous lampwork beads. I love glass beads and since last year when I took a weekend workshop, I've been meaning to try it out again...

And that was just sunday... there is a part II to this productove weekend post!

Fibres to spin

2009-08-15T13:09:00.002+02:00

Fibres to spin
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

I showed you the other day some of the fibres I dyed. Now this weekend I' m hoping to spin them. Bamboo, merino, silk and cotton.
And later tomorrow, Craftparking in Maastricht. A arts and craft market. I won' t have a stall but a couple of friends will... So, Kim and Mitsy...have fun and good luck to you! See you tomorrow.

And the rest of you...have a nice weekend!

xxMariana

Lily Seed Hand bag: Jewelled.

2009-08-13T10:58:00.002+02:00

Someone asked me, when I was introducing the Charcoal Gray Seed Handbag and the Natural Seed Handbag, where was the colour. I' m known for my very colorful creations... well... fear not. Here it is:

This "Jewelled Seed hand bag" was also hand felted with merino wool in different colors: yellow, green, blue. To create the sumptuous surface design, hand dyed and hand spun yarn (by mio) was used; as well as linen fibres and bamboo. The finnal touch, beads hand sewn around the bag creating pockets of sparkles!
It is linned with white, plain cotton fabric.
It has two handles which, as with the other handbags, are hand felted and machine sewn to create a bit of an irregular coil... more organic.

It's already in my shop where you can also see more pictures of the details of this Jewelled Seed Handbag. It is customizable, of course. You just have to contact me: www.florcita.eu

Hand dyed Fibres

2009-08-12T16:37:00.001+02:00

Hand dyed Fibres
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

This is what I' ve been up to: dyeing wool, cotton, silk and bamboo.

Last week a friend called me because she was going to dye some stuff for her kids and she wanted some help... so I came along with some wool...I thought...hey... let's try, why not? Even though we were using commercial dyes -and my goal is to learn to make my own dye baths with natural dye stuff, i.e: plants- I wanted to try.
Anything that involves colors leaves me amazed as if I were staring at a miracle! hahaha I know, like a little kid.
So happy I was, when I came home I had to try for myself. And now that they are dry...I' m spinning like there is no tomorrow! This is addictive!!!!

Click on the mosaic to see pictures with more detail.

Oh yes, and a new Lily Seed hand bag tomorrow!

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: Cotton

2009-08-11T09:05:00.002+02:00

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: Cotton
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

It' s tuesday again, and these are my Flickr Favorites, with Cotton as it' s theme. I loooove this fluffy looking flowers. Are they flowers? Well, it' s called a "boll" the fluffy stuff which surrounds the seeds. Either way, I like them.
My new obsession... and I will show you tomorrow why :)
Interestingly enough, whilst looking up information on cotton, I realized that this small little plant has been in the spotlight for hundreads of years. Native to tropical lands, like the Americas, India and Africa. Inhabitants from even pre-Inca times hand spun the cotton, dyed it and then weaved it into gorgeous tapestries which were found preserved, centuries later, in tombs.
It was part of what took the Dutch East Indies Company to India, it took part of the process of industralization of England...Industrial Revolution, it stood centre stage in the Civil war in The US, Mahatma Ghandi used to spin it all day as he was doing his peaceful protests...and much more.

It is the most used fiber these days in the world.
And I love these pictures of it.

If you want to participate in the Flickr Favorites game, hop to Mitsy' s blog

All the credit to the talented photographers who took these pictures.

Charcoal Grey Lily Seed Handbag

2009-08-08T11:27:00.005+02:00

I said there were more to come... well... here is another one:

"Charcoal Grey Lily Seed handbag" was wet felted with the softest, lightest merino wool. It is lined with a black cotton fabric.
What most women that have seen these bags have told me is that they are precisely the right size for when you want a medium size handbag. I was really thinking on myself when I designed it... when I'm running around town with my kid in tow and I want to have as less things as possible hanging from my shoulder. But it is still a good size to fit wallet, glasses, keys, a little moleskine and you know... all those bits we always carry around :)
I think this one is particularly versatile for night and also day use. You know... easy to combine.

The "Charcoal Grey Lily Seed Handbag" is listed in my shop now where you can see more pictures which will illustrate better what I' m trying to say with words!

And there are many more to come... :)

Color coordinating...

2009-08-07T07:38:00.004+02:00

I have a friend who is a graphic designer...and a bit crazy. We were talking a few days ago about colors and how I coordinate my colors and she confessed that sometimes, when she has to get dressed in the morning and is a bit lost for choices...she uses an online palette generator to decide which matching colors she will wear in that day.... I know... not normal! hahaha
But, intrigued, I thought I give it a go...
I tried with a picture of the Natural Seed Handbag:

I first tried DeGraeve, the link my friend gave me and I go this:

I then tried the palette generator I already knew, from FlickrToys:

Second one gives lots more choices but I had to resize the picture to fit it here and the names aren' t that legible, are they? Well, but the swatches you can see.
I really like this toy! I don' t think I will be deciding my daily outfit with it, but it could come in handy for my creations!

Give it a go!

"Semillas"- Lily Seeds Handbags

2009-08-05T13:55:00.009+02:00

"Semillas" means seeds in spanish. When you grow your own veggies, you deal with seeds almost daily. Buying them, seeding, taking care of the seedlingss, gathering seeds for the next year, etc. Besides the veggie patch, we also have a rather wild flower garden. Many of those flowers have now their seed pods hanging... waiting to fall and start the cycle again.
Well, they are the inspiration for this next line of bags, "Semillas - Seeds", on which I have been working for a while. Silently working out patterns and sizes. Color charts and felt designs.

I have a few already done and ready to be uploaded to my shop. And here to kick start this new line is the first one. Drum roll please!

"Natural":

This bag was handfelted using Russian, camel hair coloured, coarse wool for the base. Natural merino wool and merino handspun yarn were used for the seed/leaf designs on each of the 4 sides. All different. It is lined with off-white cotton canvas fabric and reinforced on each edge for extra sturdiness.
I fit my cell phone, wallet, reading glasses, keys, coin pouch and little moleskine in it... with space to spare. You can see on the botton right corner pic how it looks when you hang it on your shoulder. That ussually gives a better idea of an item's size than plain measurements.

The "Semillas- Lily Seed handbag . Natura l" is listed in my shop now where you can see more pictures and read more info. It is customizable, of course. You just have to contact me: www.florcita.eu

More colors and surface design in the days to come!

Merry Go round

2009-07-31T11:18:00.005+02:00

Jump on our merry go round and join a group of artists/crafts-women as they link hands around the world and tell you a little about their lives and art.

We are group of 10 women from all over the world. We choose a question and all of us have to answer it in our blogs. It will be very interesting to read what each of us
has to say, taking in account how much our lives and crafts differ.

-This month we are taking a look at our sources of inspiration: notebooks, pinboards, scrapbooks, pictures, sites, books, etc.
I already mentioned in the previous merry go round a couple of books and websites that I like to check out quite often which are also a source of inspiration, not only knowledge.
When it comes to pinboards or journals I must admit that I have failed to keep them neat and up to date. I do yank pages out of magazines and cut out pictures. More than shapes what inspires me is ussually a certain color combination. If I cut out a magazine page with a promotion of Sardegna's beaches, it has more to do with the colorway depicted there (and an immense wish to go to the ocean, and Sardegna wouldn't be bad at all...).

I have three notebooks with sketches, little drawings, lots of notes in different languages which would make it very difficult for other people to read! Although it looks as if I was writing in code, it isn't done on purpose, it's just how my head works these days.
We buy a lot of books every month and art, photography or design books are always on the list. Even though I might not do something that directly relates to something I saw on a book, it just adds information to my head, I think.
I do take a lot of photographs, macros ussually, and I have lots of folders in my computer which I think would be my digital pinboards or scrapbooks. Example: I cooked some red beets a while back and as I was peeling them under running water (they were hothot!), deep red water filled the sink. Immediately I started to shoot that...silly...it's just red water... I know... but I came up with this:

Without a doubt, of all these pictures I'm constantly taking - mostly of my own garden; flowers are quite often my models. There is an appeal, from the design point of view, in staring at nature with it's wide range of regular patterns, shapes and bright colors. The challenge is there: try to reproduce those designs-

So, that's it. Books, colors, nature. I can not wait until I have my own studio (which miiiiiight happen next year) and I can have a whole wall with papers, drawings and photographs pinned to it. A dream! hahaha!

Do please check the posts of the other girls who take part of this merry go round:

Lily at http://lilypangart.blogspot.com

Jenny at http://designjennykarlsson.blogspot.com

Wendren at http://thewrendesign.com

Sara at http://sarastexturecrafts.blogspot.com

Agathe at http://lebarduvent.blogspot.com

Fabienne at http://easterya.blogspot.com

Charlotte at http://fancypicnic.blogspot.com

Nikki at http://beadedzen.blogspot.com/
Ruth at http://insidetheartisan.blogspot.com

Coming soon

2009-07-29T23:05:00.001+02:00

Coming soon
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Seed pods yellow green merino seed beads yarn hand dyed hand spun felting, water wool linen fibres blue bamboo shine yarn spinning wet felting florcita.... new.

Soon.

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: seed pods

2009-07-28T11:55:00.001+02:00

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: seed pods
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Seed pods...
As I've told you before, we keep a rather large veggie patch... well, large for a little house in a little country :) We also try to keep our own seeds so we can reseed the next year. We do a bit of natural selection by letting on the plant those fruits that have the best size and color so they later become seeds: peas, pumpkins, beans, etc. I also keep some flower seeds from zinnias, lilies and others. Seed pods have given me an idea... like a light bulb suddenly went on in my head. I did some sketches where we were on vacations and i couldn't wait to get back home to try them on...and since then I've been working like a maniac towards some new felted useful art inspired in a seed pod. But that will come later this week. Today, Flickr favorites... seed pods.

All the creit to the photographers who took this pictures. Click on the msoaic to see them larger and visit the artists.

If you want to join the mosaic fun, hop to Mitsy's : blog

Vacations in Noord Holland

2009-07-27T13:52:00.001+02:00

Vacaciones
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

We are back.
It was cold and it rained almost everyday. Windy especially by the sea where I especifically asked to go because I miss swimmig in the ocean. Thing is... I don't think I wore a short sleeves t-shirt more than once! hahaha
Well, it wasn't all missery. We had fun. I managed to start and finish a book. I took my drop spindle and some cotton and bamboo in case I got bored and well.. I did on those hours inside the tent hiding from the rain, so I even managed to spin some.
I took a load of pictures. I'm glad I was carrying the macro and tele lenses, although they were quite heavy. Not very easy to move around with all of that, but otherwise I wouldn't have been able to take the pic of the yacht and the swans, or the windmills way back in the horizon lost behind the furious sea on that top left picture.
Clik on the links if you want to see them bigger.

Well, lots of things coming up. I hope everybody is doing ok.

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: tents

2009-07-14T11:39:00.001+02:00

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: tents
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

We were supossed to go camping this week. Last thursday the car broke down, ended up in the shop the whole weekend + monday. Today we got it back with a huuuuuge bill obviously...
In the meantime, something got in my eye, couldn't get it out... this morning I went to the doctor to find out I have an eye infection...antibiotics and sun hypersesitivity...yay.
So, out teepee tent, the green one in this mosaic... is still packed waiting to be opened. My husband's vacation days are running out so we better shape up or no vacations at all!

All the credit to the photographers whom took these pics. Click on the mosaic to see it larger.
And if you want to join in the Flick favorites fun, visit Mitsy's blog! : http://artmind-etcetera.blogspot.com

balls for Seba's Birthday

2009-07-11T16:34:00.002+02:00

ballssebs
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Sebs is my son (short for Sebastián).
This week he turned 3 yrs old and this found me a bit shocked at how fast time passes but also juggling with a variety of task: birthday parties (at his kindergarden and at home), dinner with the family, preparations for our vacations and work. Anything else?? oh yeah, at the last minute the car broke down so, even though we should be leaving tomorrow on vacations...we won't be doing so until wednesday or so... hopefully.
It is tradition here in The Netherlands that when your birthday comes, you have to treat your friends with a cake or treats, little presents in the case of kids. Tired of all the cheap plastic stuff my son has received in these past months from some of his friends, I decided to make something myself. I do understand that not most parents are crafty and that it is indeed cheaper and faster to go and buy a bunch of plastic little cars or something like that (which will break within a few days and just add to the plastic waste in the world...) but I had no excuse. I could and wanted to make something.
For 3 yr old kids you don't have to go to extreme lengths. I made a batch of about 30 wet felted balls. Each with a different color combination and pattern. It was actually quite fun to make them and easy... it just took a couple of days...especially because wool has to dry and it does not stop raining here!

The balls were a success. Kids with eyes wide open rolling their colorfull balls and looking amazed at the swirls, dots and stripes. The teacher said to me that she hadn't seen this much excitment from the kids when treats were given, in a long time. Even happier.

I also made a few simple paper bags and labels with my son's name on it and an inscription on the back:
100% wool,
100% biodegradable,
100% enviorementally friendly...

We all have to work towards that, right?? what better opportunity to do so than on this ocassion, celebrating the life of my little son, who - I hope- will receive a better world...or at least I will try to make it better.

Whimsycal Ceramic bottles

2009-07-05T23:15:00.002+02:00

Whimsycal Ceramic bottles
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Unfortunately the ceramics studio where I go every week, is closing down. So we are all trying really hard to use up all rests of clay that we have with us so we can fire them up. I still have kilos left so I don't think I will be able to fire everything considering next week will be the last one.

These little bottles here, are some of the things I've been doing lately.
They were painted with slip or engobe and later glazed with transparent glazing on certain areas, so the texture of the surface changes. If you click on the picture it will take you to my flickr where in some of the macro pics of these bottles, you can see better all the cracks on the glazing. Pretty nice me thinks :)

While I was gone

2009-07-04T08:45:00.002+02:00

I was interviewed by Sara from Sara's Texture Crafts for DIY city mag, an online crafts magazine which always has lots of info on new artisans, suppliers and do it yourself stuff. It is worth your time to surf around its pages.
In the interview I talk a bit about what I am already working on for the next season, a new line called "Retazos" which in spanish means "scraps"... other things ...you have to go and read it.

Thanks Sara for making it happen....

We did go to The Hague and later to Wassenaar to the beach. Lovely day we had under the sun and even though we used up half a bottle of sun protection, we still woke up the next day in colors ranging from red to...bordeaux! My skin always gets brown immediately but that is the latin gen speaking, my husband was fluorescent red!
It was great to swimm in the ocean again. I'm half fish half human :)

Anyway, interview here... have a nice weekend!

Sand, salt and water. And sunscreen...

2009-07-02T06:10:00.004+02:00

I have to go visit the Argentinean Embassy here in The Netherlands today, which is in Den Haag (The Hague)...by the sea! If we survive the long and mean traffic jams and all the paperwork at the Embassy, we are spending the rest of the day at the beach. Sand on my feet, salt on my face.
Mr Husband is officially on vacations so I might be a bit gone. We have a few little trips -just around here- planned and naturally we have an agenda full with appointments and "things to do" for the next 3 weeks. Stressful vacations!
Oh yeah, I've been doing a whole lot of felting and for my son's birthday next week I'm planning to felt about 30 balls to give away as treats so... there is work being done after all! :)
Anyway, it might not be the pacific ocean or the caribean, but I'm going to the sea today. Sometimes you just have to wish for it, and things happen!

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: Where I want to be

2009-06-30T15:56:00.004+02:00

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: Where I want to be
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

It's warm...27C, finnally!
But, you know how we humans are...we are never completely content, we always want something more. And yes, now that the warmth I've been asking for came...I wish I were somewhere where there is water, ocean.
I grew up by the Argentinean Atlantic coast and our summers meant inequivocably...ocean. My parents have a beach house there where a few adults and a whole lot of children could fit... so sibblings, friends, relatives... we would all spend time in a mass of kids, sand, sunscreen and ice creams. We were so happy with so little.
I love warm weather as long as I have a place where to soak my feet. In the middle of the city, no thanks. Swimming pools and man made lakes don't do it for me either... the water has to be fresh and smell natural not like chlorine! I guess I'm spoiled with all the nature I had around me as I was growing up.
So, that's my Flickr faves for the week.... where I want to be.... by the sea.

All the credit to all the fantastic photographers who took the pics. Do click on the picture to see it larger and to find the link to their owners.

If you want to join the fun, visit Mitsy's blog .

Ceramics Market in Maaseik, Belgium

2009-06-29T16:50:00.001+02:00

Ceramics Market in Maaseik, Belgium
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Yesterday we woke up early, like every day... 3yr old son doesn't understand "it's sunday, what are you doing up at 6am!" ...anyway, we went to the Ceramics Market in Maaseik, which is the first belgian city accross the border from where I live. The good thing about going that early is that we found parking space and it was somewhat easy to walk and look. By the time we left at 11.30 it was packed full with people and looking at things was not an easy task.
I really liked seeing the variety of styles and methods peope in the area (Belgium, Netherlands and Germany) use. Big stuff, small stuff. Statues and also kitchenware. Raku, engobes, oxides, salt and sugar glazings; fire pit ovens, electrical ovens and so much more.
A very nice market, worth the visit if you are in the area.
The city of Maaseik ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maaseik) is a very nice one too. Very old. You can see in the architecture that this was a very rich city once. Of course it is also the birthplace of Hubert and Jan van Eyck (15thcentury) considered -especially the second- one of the best painters of the time. It is said that Jan van Eyck invented -or improved- the use of oil paints.

Anyway, a nice way to spend a sunday morning, topped with a yummy belgian beer before heading home.

Yes, beer in the morning... almost noon... it's Belgium, it is mandatory to drink beer there! :)

Merry Go round

2009-06-26T09:43:00.004+02:00

Jump on our merry go round and join a group of artists/crafts-women as they link hands around the world and tell you a little about their lives and art.

We are group of 10 women from all over the world. We choose a question and all of us have to answer it in our blogs. It will be very interesting to read what each of us has to say, taking in account how much our lives and crafts differ.

---------------

This month's question is: What is your favorite publication(s)? Is there a book, books, magazine, or website that has become the bible of your art/craft?

Well, apart from a one day workshop almost 2 yrs ago and the workshop I recently took with Karoliin Arvilomi, I am self taught. I've bought numerous amounts of books. Some helpful, some...just gather dust in my bookshelf.
I rarely check books these days. I make things that come to my head basically, but if I had to name one that I've found pretty interesting (although it isn't for amateurs, you have to have a basic understanding of felting) that'd be "Felt to stitch". It just gave me some cool ideas and insight into embellishing. I haven't done much with it, mind you. But I'm planning to.
Another book which is particularly interesting for me since I am starting to dye my own wool and I want to do it as eco-friendly as possible, is ¨The Craft of natural Dyeing" by Jenny Dean. Techniques are very well explained, the names of each "ingredient" needed, the chemistry, the fibers,etc. Jenny, who doesn't hold back, also has a blog (Jenny Dean's Wild Colour) where she publishes her latest experiments and very kindly answers questions. She is also a client, so I like her even more :)
There is also the great, complete website of India Flint with lots of ideas and interestin info on textile dyeing.She is the writer of the book "Eco Color" (which I haven't got yet, so I can't say much...).

As for blogs that inspire and whose authors I very much admire:
Monika's Red to White
Pam's Pam de Groot Fibre and Textile Art
Inger's Daily Felt

All three have very different, distinctive styles, not afraid to try new stuff, which in my book that rates very high. All colorful, interesting creations.

There is an international Felting Forum which has a lot of info for needle felting, wet felting, dyeing, and all around fiber preparation. I don't participate as actively as I'd like, but...ya know... one can not be everywhere.

There are always new sites and blogs. I have a huuuuge list of sites bookmarked. But these here are the ones that I most often check. Maybe they help inspire you too!

Please do visit the blogs of the other women in this group:

Lily at http://lilypangart.blogspot.com

Jenny at http://designjennykarlsson.blogspot.com

Wendren at http://thewrendesign.com

Sara at http://sarastexturecrafts.blogspot.com

Agathe at http://lebarduvent.blogspot.com

Fabienne at http://easterya.blogspot.com

Charlotte at http://fancypicnic.blogspot.com

Nikki at http://beadedzen.blogspot.com/
Ruth at http://insidetheartisan.blogspot.com

GROW YOUR OWN FOOD- our garden:

2009-06-25T14:23:00.001+02:00

GROW YOUR OWN FOOD- our garden:
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

I've been working like mad... thankfully. Although I see the nice sunny days outside and I get a bit depressed because I am inside. Sometimes one wonders...is it all worth it? well, yeah... of course. I just want an excuse to stop working and enjoy the summer!
This here is a mosaic of some of the produce we've been harvesting from our little vegetable garden. Lots of eating to be done!

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: time

2009-06-23T15:19:00.002+02:00

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: time
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Time time time... never enough! Too many ideas in my head, so little time to work on them.
That's my main worry today... how can days go by so quickly!!!! ?

If you want to join Flickr Favorites, hop to Mitsy's blog.

Do please click on the pic for a larger view and for the list of talented photographers from whom I've borrowed these pics. All the credit to them, I didn't take the pics!

hand spun and knitted

2009-06-20T13:37:00.001+02:00

hand spun and knitted
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

I bought some new zealand lamb merino wool in natural colors a while back with the intention to spin it. Veeery soft! Right, first I had to learn how to spin wool. As you might remeber, I got a wheel for my birthday (I still have to take a pic of that one!) Well, since then I've been working on the spinning part and it is a bit more tricky than what I thought, but still a lot of fun. I am learning to make it as even as possible however, I really like those irregular yarns with thick chuncky bits and thin ones... I just like the texture.
I've been working on some stuff which combines different methods to work with wool: felting, knitting, crochet and weaving. I now have to put everything together........ scaaaary hahahaa

Anyway, spinning wool gives a brak everynow and then from the felting soapy hands. One can also watch a movie in the meantime... which is what I'm off to do.

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: bikes fietsen bicicletas

2009-06-16T11:10:00.003+02:00

Flickr Faverites Tuesday: bikes fietsen bicicletas
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

"I've got a bike
You can ride it if you like
It's got a basket
A bell that rings
And things to make it look good
I'd give it to you if I could ...."

"Bike"
Pink Floyd

Yes, i've got a new bike. The other one was too old and heavy and my bike is the one with the kid chair. So... you know, old bike + 3yrd old kid... it was heavy.
We like taking bike rides and stop in farms and buy fresh produce. For instance the asparagus with which we ate the bread in the post bellow, we bought in a farm as we were biking around on the wekend...
You can't live in The Netherlands and not have a bike. There are bike lanes almost everywhere so it is pretty safe, not to mention that as you take your course to learn to drive, future drivers are carefully instructed to look through every single mirror in the car (in an especific order and amount of times) to avoid crashing on a biker!
I admire dutch women whom you see biking with two kids, one in front and one on the back, and grocery bags hanging from the sides... wearing high heels... under the rain! Amazing. To me that is a balance act proper of a circus!

So, here a few bike pics I like from Flickr.
If you want to join Flickr Favorites, hop to Mitsy's blog.

Do please click on the pic for a larger view and for the list of talented photographers from whom I've borrowed these pics. All the credit to them, I didn't take the pics!

freshly baked bread

2009-06-15T12:32:00.002+02:00

freshlybakedbread
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Run out of bread this weekend. How could that happen, you ask... dunno. Life? :)
But we needed bread so I looked around in my culinary books, internet...to finnally end up calling my grandma (it was 8am down in Argentina) who said : "nena, muy fácil!" girl, very easy (as if she was telling me how to scratch my belly...eeeeasy!):

500gr of flour (I just used a common one I had home...)
salt, sugar and pepper.... a pinch of each (or "a gusto..." to your own taste)
3 soup spoons of olive oil
3 dl of lukewarm water
10gr of dry yeast

On a clean surface you put the flour, make a hole in the centre and add the dry ingredients (salt, pepper, yeast). If you want to add seeds, nuts and things like that, add them now too.
Mix it all up, make the hole in the centre again and start adding the liquids, slowly as you mix with your clean hands. You are supposed to make a ball with it. Not too dry not too sticky. If it is too sticky, add more flour. If it is too dry...add more liquids.
Put it on a bowl covered with a kitchen cloth and let it rest for at least 30 minutes in a warm place (sunny window sill, next to an oven...). It has to double it's size.
Then you cut that into 4 medium size breads or smaller ones or you just leave it as a big one. Put it in a medium oven (180C) for 15-20 minutes or until it has a nice color on top.

Take it out and even though you will burn your hands, slice it up, put on some cheese or home made garlic mayo, or strawberry jam... or just like that... EAT!

We ate it for lunch, sitting outside, with a nice dish we like to call : "put every veggie we have in the fridge in the wok and add salt and pepper, olive oil.. saute and then eat". Ahhhh the good life! Fantastic!

Asparagus, champignon, tomatoes, onion, spring onion, courgette, paprika, oregano, red pepper...

Happy monday!

it looked like autumn

2009-06-12T10:54:00.002+02:00

it looked like autumn
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Well, it did! For a whole week it rained and it was cold and a bit misserable really. I know the garden needed some water so it wasn't all bad... but I went into autumn mode: baking, wearing long sleeves, grabbing a blancky and watching movies and... using wool of warm colors and macking bowls.
The Lily pods are from our own garden. We have two enormous lily plants (wild ones...well, we didn't plant them!) and I ussually keep the seeds either for decoration or for other poeple whom might want some yellow lilies at home!
Three of these pics show bowls made with camel fleece. I got a bag a while back and now gave it a try. It's quite expensive but really nice. There are other types of wools which have this same sort of caramel/camel color -and are a bit cheaper- that are good for more structural pieces too.

So, sun is out and a friend is picking me up to go spend the afternoon in Maastricht, probably my favorite city in The Netherlands. Off I go! Have a nice weekend!

HOME by Yann Arthus-Bertrand

2009-06-10T08:39:00.002+02:00

Doing my blog round yesterday I came accross the link for the movie HOME at Julia's blog. I had been sent the link before but I hadn't had time to watch it. But now, with some time, a cup of tea and Mr Husband, we sat and watch it.
Home was directed by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, a french photographer author of the book "La Terre vue du ciel": " Earth from Above" (I think that was the english translation).

The first time I came to europe, I landed in Paris and the day after, whilst walking through the gardens of the Palace of Luxemburg, we bumped into these huge aereal pictures of the world. Fantastic pictures, beautifully taken and enlarged. There was a little video being shown and the photographer was somewhere around there and we talked for a few minutes in my very rudimentary french. Back home I bought the book and I was fascinated by it so I bought a couple of different versions and formats which became presents to friends.
This movie has not only beautiful images and fantastic music, but also a deep message that we all should learn, discuss, pass on and most importantly...act on it. The natural balance of the planet has been shattered by us, the homo sapiens, and there isn't too much time left to do something about it. It isn't a catastrophic, complot-like message... it's just a fact which can be checked by any of us.
Like the movie says, it isn't time to be a pessimist but to react... now.
The movie can be watched for free in its entirety online here until 14th June (different languages to chose on the top right corner). It is very much worth your time. For you and for your children.

New version of an old image

2009-06-08T15:56:00.009+02:00

You must be thinking that I am a bit obsessed with this simple "las casitas de Macondo" wall art. The truth is that I want to cover a couple of different mediums with it. It is indeed a simple image but I find it warm, welcoming and humble. It was the product of an afternoon of leisure in the garden and... I just like it.

The one that started it all was this, the paper version:

Then, the first hand felted simplified version came in:

The Etsy Easter Bunny gift exchange happened and I made especially for Ioulia another version of the wall hanging because these little houses where inspired in Macondo, the fantasy place where the book "A hundread years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, happens. And we both mentioned that book as one of our favorites.

A few days ago, trying to put some order to my closet with fabrics and wool and fibres of all sorts, I found a bag with a bunch of fabrics off cuts and wool. So this happened, "Las casitas, felt and fabric version":

I'm already working on two different clay versions of it too... question is... what else?

EDIT: sorry for the small pics. Bloglines is having one of those days I think and won't let me put anything bigger. Here a bigger pic.

workshop with Karoliin en Rod

2009-06-06T09:14:00.003+02:00

Well, it's taken me a bit (lots of things have happened this past week!) but here it is. I apologise for the quality of mostly the later pics because I dropped my pretty camera after the first day and it is kaput...dead. Yes, how could I drop a digital reflex...I know. Until next week when I buy a new one, I have no great pics of the finished thing...sorry!)

Karoliin Arvilommi is a textile artist, a weaver initially, who has been a felter for more than 20 years. As you can imagine, she has gathered a few tips in that time. Rod Welch, her partner, took up felting when they met. They both have different methods of felting and treating their designs -matching their own personalities, naturally- but both are 1-very creative, 2-very experienced, 3- very nice and most importantly, incredibly generous. Although this workshop was on hand felted tapestries and carpets; they did not mind at all talking about how they treat their finn wool, what dyes they use and why, different techniques they use for working with wool and felt in particular, machines Rod has developed, the state of the wool world these days, etc. That was for me the most important part of the workshop... the amount of tips one picks up here and there whilst talking to other felters.
The other 10 women whom joined the workshop were also a delight to have around. Many talented, creative felters whom have been working for a long time in this subject and of course that means that each person had a different way and tempo for doing things. But the results were equally stunning.
A special word goes to Annemie Koenen, who organized this workshop at her Atelier Wolwerkplaats MoerderAarde (dutch for "wool working place, Mother Earth") which is basically her home. Her warmth, laughter, advice and the general organization of the weekend was fantastic. The catering was delicious and abundant and boy... her atelier is like a candy store for wool lovers. Wool, silk, fabrics, linen... fibers hanging everywhere drying after being hand dyed or spun; a large library for inspiration and an equally large book selection for sale. Needless to say we all left with a few books and bags of fibers under our arms.

Now the workshop itself.

Karoliin and Rod working out how to deal the precious finnwool.

We started by talking about our ideas and designs for the weekend. What was feasible, what colors, etc. A word on finn wool: there are only a few thousand pure finn sheep left in Finland and their wool is...nothing like what I've worked with before. I've tried merino of different microns, camel hair, mongolian wool, Gotland, australian, new zealand, shetland, argentinean, bergschaap, etc... this wool was so soft and yet sturdy! Fantastic.
We first received a demonstration from Karoliin: how many layers (many!), working with prefelts or with lightly hand felted pieces of wool, edges...important for a neat finish, lightly spinning yarn with your hands for details, etc. The idea was that first we would make a small test to get a feel of the wool and practice what we had just received in form of theory. My "small" test wasn't that small..oops.... but I did realize that making this test, although not always necessary, is very useful... you can finish working your own design out before moving on to a much larger piece.

Karoliin en Annemie.

Armed with almost 2kl of finn wool I set up to lay layer upon layer of wool. It is -as always with felting- of crucial importance how well you lay your wool, how evenly and in which directions. I had decided that more than making a master piece, I wanted to be able to learn the technique and finish the piece. So "keeping it simple" was my motto. I then choose to -insted of working with prefelts- make the design by felting dry wool. Note that there is no use of needles or anything like that. This is all done by hand.

The first day went by working on this little test. I had to go home at 6pm (motherhood!) but many stayed at the studio working until late at night.

Next day I started on my big piece. It took some time and work to lay the background (imagine something like 1.5kl of wool...huge volume that is) . My rectangular piece ended up being 1m x50cm... that is after 2 full days of felting... initially it was not only much larger but also thick!I measured my layed wool before wetting, and it was 20cm high!
Hands rubbing until arms ached... and then some more. I think I spent all of saturday and half of sunday just working on my piece by rubbing it with my hands, nothing more. Rolling was at the very very end and it was intensive too. I came home feeling as if I had been at the gym the whole weekend! You need strong arms for this!

Rinsing was done by throwing liters upon liters of water onto the work and rolling it out with a rolling pin. I ussually do that myself because it also helps flattening your piece and in fact, you keep felting that way. But at this point in the weekend I was so tired I didn't want to roll anything else! Lucky for me, and for most of us, Rod was standing there all fresh and strong ready to take over and do it for us. Thanks for that.
So here the finished piece (sorry for the dark pic!).

I take from this weekend a whole lot of knowledge, but also warm memories of laughs, stories, faces of people with whom I learnt a lot. Not only from the fantastic Karo and Rod whom honoured us coming down here from Finland (which they don't ussually do); but also from the rest of the felters I met this weekend. Their opinnion, advice and help was invaluable.
I am most definetely signing up for another workshop at wolwerkplaats Moeder Aarde. (click on that link for some reviews of this workshop from other felters - in dutch- or a little bio from Rod and Karoliina in english).

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: Veggies

2009-06-02T12:12:00.002+02:00

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: Veggies
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

I'm settling back into my rutine and I will tell you all about the workshops tomorrow. But this will buy me one more day! It's Flickr Favorites Tuesday!
It's been sunny and warm here with the ocassional strong summer rains which are not bad at all because otherwise I would have to spend a lot of time watering our garden (especially the veggie garden).
we eat a lot of veggies and fruits. I go to a farm every week and buy fresh stuff, especially what we don't grow here at home.
Warm weather makes me even more hungry for veggies... a good tomate sliced in half with a bit of pepper and salt eaten with your hands... a juicy apple, red berries.... huge salads. So, for this Flickr favorites, a mosaic of my own photos ( a bit narcisistic today, allow me...) with fruits.

If you want to join Flickr Favorites, hop to Mitsy's blog

Merry Go round

2009-05-28T21:03:00.003+02:00

This month: Did you think you'd be doing what you re doing now (craft/selling) say 5 years ago? What has surprised you the most?

Five years ago I was still struggling with my new life. I moved to The Netherlands 7 yrs ago so, 5 yrs ago- the moment of our question- I was still trying to get a grip of my new reality. I had finished the mandatory language course in a national record time and although that made me a very promising candidate for a job, I was working in a mindless little job that had an ok paycheck but bored me to death. I had trained to be a psychologist so working on a desk shuffling papers around in a no future position was not my ideal life. And the mandatory steel toen/safety shoes did not help.
Five years ago too, we bought the house we live in now. An old house with a huge garden which we found just by chance. There was a lot to do: from changing all the electricity in the house, sanding massive wooden floors, a new bathroom to...painting... but the fact that the garden is twice the size of the house was enough for us.
Did I think then that I was going to be spending my days, 5 years later, crafting and trying to build a business? No. I had always done things one way or the other related to arts but I never thought- or had the confidence to- I could actually show it to the world. Lots of things happened in the middle that allowed me to be today where I am...
I've chosen the path of arts and crafts and decided to immerse myself in that world. To do that I had to say goodbye to my "old" self, and reinvente moi.
Today, on the eve of starting my first workshop with an internationally reknowned professor/artist/felter, I'd say that I have never been more content, satisfied and excited about what the future might bring. I did figure out during these past 5 years, that my life is in a large part, consequence of my own choices and that therefore I have to grab it and manouver it in whatever way I want....with mistakes and triumphs all along.
And now an early night because I'm dead nervous about tomorrow!!! I will tell you about this workshop with Karoliina Arvilommi and Roderick Welch later on.

For more interesting posts, do visit the blogs of the other girls in this merry-go-round:
Jenny at Jenny Karlsson design

Nikki at Beaded Zen
Wendren at Wren
Sara at Sara's Texture Crafts

Agathe at Le Bar du Vent

Fabienne at Easterya

Andreanna at Glamasaurus

Ruth at Birdland Creations

Flickr Favorites, Tuesday: Patagonia

2009-05-26T07:57:00.001+02:00

Flickr Favorites, Tuesday: Patagonia
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

I come from Patagonia, the southern part of Argentina. And this Flick favorites reflects today a sudden longing I have for the place. as you can see from the picture, nature and open spaces are two of the omnipresent characteristics of that place...something which lacks a bit in one of the most populated countries in Europe.

So, today, a little sample...

If you want to join Flickr Favorites, hop to Mitsy's blog: http://artmind-etcetera.blogspot.com/

Do please click on the pic for a larger view and for the list of talented photographers from whom I've borrowed these pics. All the credit to them, I didn't take the pics!

Texture experiments

2009-05-23T10:19:00.002+02:00

Texture experiments
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Have I mentioned my mantra lately? "experimenting, that is how we learn"... well... guess what... that's is what I've been doing.
I'm not sure what precisely will become of this textured bits, but it was interesting to practice the technique with them, learn a bit more about the materials and what my hands can make.

I have a couple more done but those will become cushions... as soon as I, first, find a torche...oh yeah... playing with (wool and ) fire now.

Have a nice weekend everyone!

orange ripples

2009-05-22T08:16:00.003+02:00

orange ripples1a
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

This year has been declared by the UN as the year of Natural Fibres. There is a whole lot going on in this respect. I think that the main objective of this is to recover the lost respect for this magnificent produce of nature.
Natural fibres are ussually a byproduct of keeping animals, they are biodegradable, very versatile in their use, easy to obtein and also clean in the sense that the producer/animal, doesn't have to die in the process.
In the last few decades with the development of synthetic fibres, natural fibres were left a bit to the side. However, as silly as it might sound, all those synthetic fibres always had natural fibres as their "role model" : the fact that they are maleable, fire and water resistant, anti bacterial, biodegradable, temperature regulators, dust repelent...and much more.
So, all in all a pretty good material.
October 3rd is the International Day of Felt. A group of artist got together and set up a group, Felt United, to organize an international event that day. All those who want to participate only have to take felt out of their houses and aterliers to the street... show your art to the world... take a pic and send it to the group. A multimedia gallery will be set up for the ocassion... and artists from around the world will be able to come "virtually" together honouring this ancient art form.

Do please check out the website. It has been translated to different languages (I did my bit with the spanish translation, although I must admit that being a spanish speaker who rarely speaks spanish anymore, the whole task became a tad difficult!) so scroll down and read it in your own language if you wish.

I hope you participate.

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: sheep

2009-05-19T22:40:00.003+02:00

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: sheep
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

And it's tuesday again! Here is my mosaic with Flickr Favorites for this week. Sheep! I was actually looking for pics to see how a merino sheep looks like, since I mostly use merino for my felted work and then I find all these pics and sheep are so funny looking... must be those skinny legs under a big curly coat... don't know, but these pictures made my day.

If you want to join in the fun, hoop to Mitsy's blog and sign up!

Do please click on the pic for a larger view and for the list of talented photographers from whom I've borrowed these pics. All the credit to them, I didn't take the pics!

Carolita hand bag - Línea Tierra

2009-05-16T19:45:00.002+02:00

Carolita hand bag
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Well, this is what I've been working on for a while. It took me some time because along the way I had to learn about measurements, wooden buttons, handsewing leather and a bit of design.
I name it after my sister, Carolina -Carolita is more of a pet name :) . She is a big executive woman at her tender 29yrs old, always running around with bags full of cell phones and daily planners, books and papers. And this bag is big, simple in its design, strong and -I think- chic.

The bag itself was made with Mongolische wool, which is dark brown and with a thick hair. It was handfelted without seams so it's very sturdy. I lined it with light cocoa brown cotton and added and inner pocket which closes with a handmade wooden button (one of those from the previous posts!). Outside, metallic rings are attached with hand sewn leather straps which hold the also handfelted handles.

This new line of handbags I'm working on (There are more to come) I call "Tierra" which means "Earth" in spanish. All basic elements like wood and leather, metal and wool... basic and pure.

Going bacl to nature but with style!

Click on the pic for a larger view... and it directs you to my Flickr!

33

2009-05-13T07:51:00.004+02:00

It's my birthday!!! 33 yrs old! WOW! Remember when you were a kid and thought that by 33 you were going to be a serious, well adjusted, busy adult?? Good thing I didn't turn into that! HA!

I must have gone a long way considering that today I'm seriously looking forward to celebrating my birthday. Years ago I wasn't so keen on it. I'm still partial on surprise birthday parties which save us, the birthday people, from spending the whole day cooking and baking for guests...but nonetheless...joy.

My husband and son gave me for my birthday a spinning wheel with a detachatble thingy on top for winding the spun wool, two carding brushes and 4 kilos of wool. YIPIIIIEEEEEEEE! Me happy. A few days ago, for mother's day, I got a pasta maker so I guess I will be busy in the coming days...months.

Without getting too sentimental, I must say that, looking back, I've had a great life and I am today happier than ever. I'm looking forward to this "new year". I just need an adventure now to shake the dust of the comfortable, safe and stable burgeois life I lead....hmmmmm........ideas?

Happy birthday me! :)

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: red

2009-05-12T12:45:00.002+02:00

Flickr Favorites Tuesday: red
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

A new feature, I hope I don' t forget. I'm joining the crowds for a tuesday feature posting a mosaic of my Flickr Favorites. Today, red pics...it ahd to be red!

If you want to join in the fun, hoop to Mitsy's blog and sign up!

Wooden Buttons

2009-05-12T12:20:00.002+02:00

Remember a few days ago I was talking about sneaking into Mr Husband's workshop to use his tools for making buttons?
Well, they are done. I needed to make fast a bunch for a friend, so I grabbed the hand saw and cut around 30 slices from a piece of wood laying around. I cut some square ones and some round ones.
Sanded them down a bit ...all by hand done this...ouch my fingers! And then went on to embellish some of them. Put a coar of lindseed oil, which is just natural oil taken from the flax plant so all very eco here!
Lastly I drilled some holes.

This is such a nice little project. So relaxing, simple and you can do so much to and with them!
If anybody wishes a more detailed step by step, say it!

Interviewed!

2009-05-10T15:13:00.003+02:00

Hey everyone!
I was interviewed by Anabel from "Crear es Creer", a very multitalentend and multilingual artisan from Argentina, residing in Paris at the moment.
The interview was done in spanish and english so you can choose which link to click on. You know I'm such an interesting person that you should click on thr links and head to the interview to find out all sorts of torrid details about my life... :) no, not really...but do click on it.
Whilst you are there, do check Anabel's shops on Etsy and DaWanda.

Hope everyone is having a good sunday!

Carboncitos

2009-05-08T14:50:00.001+02:00

grey clay beads
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

A coconut full of hand made clay beads.

I know, I haven't posted much this week. The thing is that with a couple of days of constant rain and sun, the veggie garden...well, the whole garden, have grown like crazy. So, there has been a lot of weed pulling and trimming and harvesting (about 3kg of spinach!!) and all around gardening. My fingers are indeed green...

I have also been busy with crafty stuff. I've been making some wooden buttons which I planned to show you today and pass on the easy way I found to make them, but the light is so bad that pictures are turning out very dark.
So instead, here are some beads I made with clay and then painted with engobe (which is clay slib). They have been fired once and as long as I don't put some transparent glazing on them, they will look like this...a bit like grey stones. Or coal... I call them "carboncitos" which means "little charcoals" in spanish... they look like that!

The idea is to mix them with wool somehow... I just have to get around doing it.

Anyway, another week is gone and next week is my birthday! Everyone keeps asking what it is that I want and all I can think of is wool... :) I think I overheard my husband talking to someone about a spinning wheel.............................joy!

Anyway, have a nice weekend everyone!

XX Mariana

2009-05-04T08:04:00.002+02:00

Woke up too early this morning, 6am, courtesy of my son. So I went on to surf blog-land and saw some pretty interesting things... this vid, pay attention to the lyrics, just made my day:

New header

2009-05-02T09:59:00.002+02:00

Mr Husband is sick, so while he lays in bed sweating his stomach flu away, I sneak into his workshop and steal some wood and make some things... all part of a bigger project. Will show you when it's done! aaaah the suspense :)
In the meantime, a new header. I was bored already with the other one.

Have a nice weekend!

Prefelts

2009-04-29T15:48:00.003+02:00

Prefelts are pieces of felt which one can buy or, if you are not too lazy, make your self. The difference with the normal felt is that these sheets of felt aren't fully felted. They are ussually used by felters whom especialize in wall art, tapestry or rugs; or indeed any felted work with lots of intricate designs in different colors. The advantage of prefelt is that you can cut a figure out from your pre- felted sheet, and add it to your design which later gets fully felted with the rest of your work. It's not difficult to use them but it doesn take a bit of practice. However, they do simplify your job and allow you to do more intricate designs.
So, I had to make some for a few projects I have in mind, and also because it is always handy to have some in stock.
Technically speaking, the thickness of your prefelt, if you wish to make them yourself, should take an account the thickness of the finnal project you have in mind... you have to think that if it is too thick it will take longer to felt, or stick out; but if they are too thin they might get lost in the background color. I made this pile of about 3 thin layers of wool. Solid, bright colors.
And now to work!

frutas congeladas

2009-04-27T13:17:00.001+02:00

frutas congeladas
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

The new season has started adn the first crops are in: spinach and lettuce. So, whilst cleaning and putting some order in the freezer, I did a bit of a census of what things are left from last year's harvest...not much, some broccoli, beans, leek and 1kl of frozen fruit...strawberriess, cherries, blueberries, red berries, cassis... a bit of everything.
Today, they have turned into a beautifully red, yummy jam... Nothing better than a nice toast with your home made jam (from home grown berries) for breakfast.

Have a nice week everyone!

Spring -Merry go round

2009-04-24T20:39:00.002+02:00

Spring -Merry go round
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

I had never taken so much notice in the change of seasons until I came here.
I come from the southern part of Argentina -Patagonia- where seasons are different: quite cold in winter, windy; and very warm in summer. But throught the whole year, almost always the sun shines.
Over here the lack of light during so many months in winter, makes it all die and turn to grey and brown colors in a moldy, sleepy image that seems to never end.
But all of a sudden, in March-April...things start to change, and much rapidly than I had never seen -and hence in a more notorious way- everything starts to change. Green starts to dominate the landscape, tulips and all those bulb flowers are the first to pop out and all of a sudden there is color everywhere.
We have a big garden and a little forest almost in our backyard, so spring to us means going for walks, working in the garden, bike rides, improvised BBQs, a little fire and a glass of wine and talks of how happy we are with so little... just the appereance of the sun makes us young, vital and happy again.
So spring is a less productive time for me in the bussisness sense. i'm always outdoors. I feel like I'm wasting sun otherwise!
And also it means that slowly I start changing from wool to clay. It's hard to wet felt outside because a little breeze can blow all your wool away. But I can do stuff with clay outside... so slowly I start getting more ideas for that.

You will see me walking around with my camara with the macro lens on too in spring. I'm fascinated by the perfection in nature's designs...

For more spring, do visit the blogs of the other girls in this merry-go-round:

Jenny at Jenny Karlsson design

Nikki at Beaded Zen
Wendren at Wren
Sara at Sara's Texture Crafts

Charlotte at Fancy Picnic

Lily at Lily Pang Art

Agathe at Le Bar du Vent

Fabienne at Easterya

Andreanna at Glamasaurus

Ruth at Birdland Creations

Summer Flowers wall art

2009-04-24T16:15:00.003+02:00

Flowers are popping all around me. Spring is here and I can't but get inspired in all the color surrounding me.
Weekend is upon us and I'm hoping for good weather (that is dry...) for a BBQ... I just like the rituals of fires and a glass of wine with friends.

It's been a few weeks since I listed something on my shop. I have been working and now have loads to upload, especially wall art. Here a small handfelted piece done in merino wool and hand dyed silk (stems).

Have a nice weekend!

List of vegetables for dyeing

2009-04-22T09:18:00.006+02:00

Looking a bit more into this dyeing business, I found a list of vegetables with the possible colors one can get from them. The method itself, was the same. So here:

Light Purple: small quantity of grape juice
Violet blue: red onions skins
Blue: Canned blueberries, red cabage, purple grape juice
Green: spinach, grass
Yellow: orange or lemon peels, carrot tops, ground cumin, ground tumeric
Brown: strong coffee
Orange: yellow onion skins
Pink: beets, cranberries
Red: lots of red onions skins

And then I found another list of possible dyers but not the colors one would get... so if you try them, tell us!

Marigold flowers
Tansy flowers
Dahlia flowers
Walnuts
Apple leaves
Oak leaves
Crushed pomegranates
Onion skins
Corn husks
Walnuts

So there... if you know of anything else, we can add to the list!

Another interesting link from a website called Pioneer Thinking. There is a long list of plants and the colors you might get.
I suggest you check Jenny Dean' s website and books. She is a guru in natural dyeing and a very generous person. Wise and fun!

How to dye wool with veggies-Tutorial

2009-04-20T16:06:00.002+02:00

I've been meaning to do this for a while but I was always a bit scared, not sure of proportions and the rest. I read words like alum and creme of tartar...and froze not knowing precisely what that was (and couldn't figure out the proper translation to my mother language, spanish). So, while I was waiting to figure it out (hopefully in a workshop soon); last week I had to dye Eastern eggs. My husband said he was the expert and since we don't have the "egg hunt" in Argentina, little I knew about this whole egg situation. But then, when he was dyeing them with onion skins I thought...hmmm...this could work with wool as well... and grabbed some regular merino and threw it in the pot ...not with the eggs, don't worry. So, for those interested... keeping in mind I am an amateur experimenting and I didn't have an especific recipe but more of an informed guess (read a lot, mixed it all up).

First you have to make your dye... you can experiment with a lot of things. I'll use the golden onion skins as an example (I suppose one can use red onions too and achieve another color).
You use only the golden outter layers. Peel them off -about 5 onions- and then add them to a pot with water and about 5-10grms of salt/2 tablespoons.The salt helps fixate the dye to the yarn, wool, fabric, etc. Take that to a boil and then cook it for about 25minutes. Then strain it (the onion skins you can throw away).

In the meantine, pre soak what you will dye -wool in my case- in water and normal vinegar. Measurements? eeerrrm... a couple of glugs... nothing scientific here. For what I understand the vinegar helps the wool prepare and take the dye better. Let it soak while the dye is cooking. Rinse.
*If you are going to dye unspun wool (as in the wool you use for felting) try no to move it too much or rubb it because otherwise you will end with felted roving...remember: water, movement and wool are what make felt!

Once the dye was strained and the wool rinsed, gently dip the wool into the dye (*don't stir too much... remember: felt!) and "cook" -with the lid on or your dye will evaporate- for about 30minutes (or when the wool is a bit darker than what you want it to look when it is dry. Remember that with water, colors look brighter!).

When you think you have achieved the right color, take it off the fire, and let it cool. Then remove gently, rinse until you don't see any more color coming out ( I didn't have any!) and let it dry undisturbed!

*One last note for those whom might want to dye unspun wool: don't forget that if you "cook" it for too long, the wool will start felting too... warmth, water and the movement in the pot will make the fibers entangle and a bit stiff.

My other experiments...
-spinach: green
-spinach + tumeric: fluorescent green! :)
-carrot + orange peel + 1 spoon of cinamon: a pinkish-orangey... LOL looks likea cake recipe!
- beets: same steps as before...

Left: beets
right: onion skins.

Hope you give it a try and have fun!

Felt rug making

2009-04-19T08:09:00.003+02:00

I saw a link to this video in a forum I participate. It's from a company called Peace Industry which designs and makes felt rugs. Very pretty indeed. They have on their website a film of an iranian felt maker, demonstrating the traditional way of making felted rugs. Very intricate designs done by one man, in his small studio or working place, no modern stuff around... just his bare feets and hands, and a stamina to envy! Go roll like that for 3 hours or more!
If you have time and want to learn a bit more about felt making, do take a look: Here (click on the "15minute film" link).

There is here an essay written by Melina Raissnia "Felt Rugs from Iran" which is very interesting as well.

Sometimes, as a felter, I feel very proud and... warm inside when I realize that I am continuing an ancient tradition. And I feel quite anxious when I realize how much more I have to learn!

Couple of coco cups

2009-04-17T10:43:00.001+02:00

Couple of coco cups
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Some more ceramic work. Using a coconut as template I made a couple of cups painted with engobes (which are just a little paste made of colorful clay).
Summer aproaching and all the outdoorsy life...including BBQs and tapas and eating outside in the garden, I can only think of making little plates and bowls for dips and salsas and olives and yummy cheese and stuff like that.

Wooly amber

2009-04-15T13:21:00.001+02:00

Wooly amber
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

The combination of glass and wool... always fascinating how one provides structure and texture and the other one, light. I am in experimentation mode. I've been making jackets, dyeing, spinning... more soon.
The bad side of good weather is that I feel bad, almost guilty, If Im staying indoors while the sun shines. Sure, I could take the laptop outside but... it just doesn't feel right. This will be detrimental to blogging! or at least for my blogs.

Photos: macros of an abstract wall hanging.

Yurt Jacket

2009-04-10T19:44:00.002+02:00

Yurt Jacket
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

Here is my first attempt to felt a jacket...
I was not trained as a seamstress so when I found out that with handmade felt you could make garmets without sawing, I couldn't believe it! it still requires a certain degree of understanding of the wool...and practice... lots of practice.
I wanted a sort of Jackie O jacket: to the waist, 3/4 sleeves, simple, kinda trapezoid shape. I will add a button later (maybe one of those ceramic buttons I made some time ago). I have a problem or two with the comfort of the armpits (? dunno technical name in english... siza in spanish).

A yurt is a typical portable handfelted tent from Central Asia. When my husband saw my sketches and the first layer of wool, he thought I was going to make a tent... it was rather big!

I'm happy with it. Naturally I know I could do better... but this is a start. I have plans for more later!

Happy eastern to all of you! Have a nice weekend!

flores7

2009-04-09T08:41:00.001+02:00

flores7
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

So many flowers blooming, so many photos to take!
I jgave my first workshop on basic felting techniques on monday. They were all happy but I don't know if Im cut out for teaching...too stressful, too many people to look at, guide and so much wool to prevent from falling into buckets of water and be ruined for good...
It was a workshop for women of the family anyways, nothign "official", a test.
I'm working in a portable, easy to use loom... as soon as I can work out the whole thing, I'll post some pics and tips if anybody wants to try the same.
Gotta go to my ceramics class!

EST Secret Bunny

2009-04-03T10:52:00.003+02:00

Hello everyone! aaaaah SUN!!!!!!I'm afraid my lizard days are in and hybernating is out. I am outdoors all day and computers and work do not fit in my schedule! :)
I've been meaning to post, for a couple of days already, about the European Streen Team Secret Bunny.
Mevrouw Mitsy, from Artmind, took the time to organize the logistics of this event which was basically an international secret bunny swap. I am sure it was a lot of work, and she pulled it off perfectly. Not to mention that this happened in the midst of her come back and the presentation of her "99 feelings" work of art which I suggest you check out, because they mini feelings are glorious.

Anyway, a package with my name on it came all the way from Finland and it included the fabulous work of Ioulia, the mind and hands behind CloudberryLand.

Three pairs of earrings which are so pretty, well crafted and chic! I've been wearing them all these past days, alternating to give them eachsome time on my ears :) and I've got compliments everytime!

They are just beautiful and I am so happy I got this! I always use earrings and these are so unique and well done! I seriously suggest you visit Ioulia's shop... because these are pretty and affordable!

Oh yes, there was a huge chocolate in the package too... which dissapeared in a matter of...seconds I think. We are all seriously addicted to the stuff! :)

Thanks Ioulia for the earrings again, and thanks Mitsy for pulling this off!

Going back to the sun now :)

manitos ladronas

2009-04-01T10:22:00.001+02:00

manitos ladronas
Originally uploaded by Marian Florcita

I will be back soon. It's sunny outside, rare in this country. So, I'm soaking it up like a lizard...

Just as I was about to make a macro of the little flowers, a little thief gets in the frame and steals them!

Merry Go Round

2009-03-27T07:49:00.008+01:00

Jump on our merry go round and join a group of artists/crafts-women as they link hands around the world and tell you a little about their lives and art.

We are group of 10 women from all over the world, we have got together in what would constitute an example of peaceful idea exchange and diplomacy, and agreed to come to our blogs once a month and share a bit more about ourselves.
We choose a question and all of us have to answer it in our blogs. It will be very interesting to read what each of us has to say, taking in account how much our lives and crafts differ.

And this month something simple, a recipe... typical from our country or our kitchen... something easy and quick to make without being a chef!

I'm Argentinean and our cuisine is a mixture of italian and spanish cuisine with a local touch. This has to do with the fact that 70% of us argentineans have grandparents or great grandparents whom came from those countries or others around Europe. Something local and very typical would be an "asado" a huge BBQ where half a cow gets roasted.. "empanadas", "humitas" and other dishes ussually including meat are the typical thing. But they are a bit complicated to make and explain in a blog... so I thought i'd share with you a very easy recipe which is very often used in my kitchen... handy, easy and quick... and delish!...even though it ise not typical from neither the dutch nor the argentinean cuisine...as a matter of fact, it ressembles the Zwartswald german cake (must be my mom's german gen!)

"Torta de chocolate" or chocolate cake...

This is the cake I always make for birthdays. My mom has been using this recipe for ages...

2 coffee mugs of flour
1 cup (same cup) of sugar
6 table spoons of cacao
1/2 a teaspoon of bicarbonate
2 teaspoons of rising powder (or none if you are using self rising flour)
2 eggs
1 cup (the same you used above!) of milk
100gr of unsalted butter

Super easy now:

Put all the dry elements (sugar, cacao, rising powder, bicarbonate, flour) in a bowl.
On the side, melt the butter in the microwave (melt but don't cook!). Add the milk and the eggs. Mix together.
Now slowly, start adding the liquids to the dry bowl, mixing as you go. The more you mix (by hand or with a machine) the more air in the preparation...so the "fluffier" the cake will be.

Prepare your cake baking mould (baking paper or butter and flour around the walls of the tin), and put the cake in the oven for 25minutes in a moderate temperature (180C). At that time, and because all ovens are different really, do the "knife" test: introduce a clean knife in the centre of the cake. If it comes out clean, the cake is done, otherwise... back to the oven.

Once the cake is cold, cut it in half and add whatever you want. My husband's favorite: home made strawberry jam, halfed strawberries from our own garden and whipped cream (if there are no children, a bit of rhum soaks the bottom half of the cake). Close the cake, add some chocolate on top... and eat!!

And last, but not least, I would like to give a nice big welcome to out three new women in this merry-go-round: Wren, Jenny and Nikki. Hope you all have fun!!!

If you wish to read the entries from the other women in this group, here are the links!

Jenny at Jenny Karlsson design

Nikki at Beaded Zen
Wendren at Wren
Sara at Sara's Texture Crafts

Charlotte at Fancy Picnic

Lily at Lily Pang Art

Agathe at Le Bar du Vent

Fabienne at Easterya

Andreanna at Glamasaurus

Ruth at Birdland Creations

On my desk Wednesday...coasters

2009-03-25T14:58:00.002+01:00

Remember that little demonstration a few weeks ago, on how felt was made? I ended up with a piece of felt of multiple colors... well it had to be turned into something... coasters!

They are quite simple but I think funky and a nice addition to a table. Colorful, soft, washable, easy to put away.

*I made 4 with red hand made felt combined with polka dots and a chequered pattern:

*Two very fancy ones - I think- with deep red hand made felt and black cotton. The stitching is in grey.

* There are 6 which range from pink to red passing through fuchsia. The back is made with linen.

*Some weeks ago I was trying the "felt-ability" of this fabric I bought, and I mixed it with some merino wool, bamboo and loose threads from the fabric itself. A bit of a collage. The end result I turned into 4 coasters which are a bit bigger. A soup bowl fits perfectly on it, so like a mixture between coaster and placemat!

I've been busy working on several things but I realized that I haven't listed much this month. So all of these, plus some more I'm working on, are going to the shop!