Just spent 5 days inside the Javits Center, exhibiting Creative Women's hand-woven textiles, at the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF). Each day I walked to the Javits, about 1.5 miles, mostly along the the High Line, the park in the sky that was once an elevated train line and is now the talk of NY. Good design abounds on the High Line.

HighLine

I would climb two flights of stairs and as I reached the top steps, started smiling as I saw this view.  Natural plantings, chunky chaise lounges attached to the original train tracks, elegant drinking fountains, comfortable benches so you can watch the foot traffic on the High Line or the car traffic below you on 10th Avenue.  By the time I reached the end at 30th St and 11 Avenue, I was ready to spend the whole day inside (although I would have rather been outside).

Once inside, I rarely left my booth, even though I wanted to see what was new and good looking.  But I realized that I didn't have to go far to see some innovative and pleasing uses of something old ... or to see a new take on a traditional object.

Two aisles down, I met the women from Makaua,(MAKAUA in the ancient Nahuatl language
has two meanings:“hand to hand” or the act of “giving a hand”). 

Makaua

Makaua hires over 400 people to grow the palm fronds, dye their amazing and contemporary colors, weave the wonderfully shaped baskets, and market them around the world. They epitomize the concept of using tradtional skills to bring new life to craft.

At the end of the show I realized that I really hadn't spent much time looking around, so I looked across the aisle at BittersCo, the wholesale and retail general store, out of Seattle, and founded by sisters, Amy and Katie Carson. This is a booth filled with interesting reruns ... one product tweaked or reconfigured that becomes something new. Their set of tin boxes, nested within each other and perfect for storing kitchen and desk paraphernalia, are hand-made in Mexico from old oil barrels. Good looking, useful, "green" ...

bitters

And, how can I resist showing our Creative Women's new throws and blankets from Guatemala ... our contribution to the new and lovely at the NYIGF? 

Atitlan

The holidays are over and it's time to move on to the New York International Gift Fair. But I'm still thinking about the 6 days I spent in NY, with family and just looking. I always soak up cities ... great places for me to get new ideas for Ceative Women ... for our products, or re-designing our booth (again), and for understanding the beauty of hand-made items.

So, three places that stood out for me; each for different reasons:

Adelaide, a little gem in the West Village, on Greenwich Street. This shop oozes good taste, a fabulous sense of design and the best displays. This holiday, the store was all dressed up for a '40s cocktail party ... reminded me of my parents and very young days.

Adelaide, 702 Greenwich Street, New York

In SoHo, Kindred Spirits, Native American Influence on 20 Century Art, at the Peter Blum Gallery reinforced what I already know, but in such a beautiful and dramatic way ... the beauty of hand-made is in the imperfections, the reflections of the human hand that made the object. I spent much time looking at the hand-made rugs ... the variations in color create by hand-dying, the lines that were not straight and the designs that were slightly random. I now know how to answer customers who want to know about consistent dye lots.

Finally, I walked by Canvas, in SoHo (full disclosure, they are a customer of Creative Women). They were featuring a Creative Women runner in their window; I was flattered and proud. I was wishing that I could magically bring some of the weavers and artisans who made the products that Canvas (also now in Chelsea) buys from us. How sweet to share the excitement of success with them. 

Canvas, 199 Lafayette Street, New York

Now we're planning for the the NYIGF. I've taken some of the display ideas I saw in NY and am using them in our booth at the Fair.  Come visit us  ... BOOTH 6308. One last vision of the holidays ... my amaryllis which just keeps blooming and makes me smile.

amaryllis

Next week Creative Women is having an After Party (after our holiday sale) to thank some of the people in Vermont who have helped me start, stay with, and grow Creative Women. It was fun putting the guest list together and realizing how many people have been part of Creative Women. To them ... thanks.

Along the way (from beginning days until today) there's another group of supporters who have talked me through tough times, given me ideas/feedback (not always exactly what I've wanted to hear), even had enough faith in me, that they've asked me for feedback. That's great for the ego when someone you respect asks you for help. Can't invite all of you to our After Party, because you don't live around here, but thanks for all your time.

Today, I've been thinking about the media, and how much they have supported Creative Women. In the past week, three different magazines have featured us on their pages or sites. Over the years, it's been exciting to see our products selected by stylists with good taste ... and how helpful to our business.  So thanks,to all the media who has supported us. You've made a difference to me personally and to Creative Women.

LonnyGG

Then, they featured us, along with a number of other elegant objects, in a holiday room setting.  Take a look at Lonny.

and see our lovely Ethiopian table runner.

Today, Foam Magazine (from California) emailed to tell me that Creative Women is sharing space with other businesses that "care" in their Holiday Gift Guide. Take a little trip around Foam ... 

And finally, Country Business highlighted our Beyond Burlap runner ... a great holiday alternative to the red and green theme.

BeyondBurlaps

Thanks media. Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving ... and know that Creative Women thanks you.

Ellen

I've never thought of Halloween as an opportunity to learn something about the design process, but looking back on last weekend, I now see Halloween differently.

I spent the weekend in Providence, RI with my grandkids. I volunteered to help the 3 kids cut their pumpkins.  From the start, I should have realized that pumpkin cutting had entered a new era. First, we went on line and got directions (I didn't tell them that I have been cutting pumpkins, annually, for the last 45+ years). Then we looked at pumpkin designing sites; there's been a lot of thinking outside the pumpkin in the last few years. Amazing designs ... way beyond a smiling or frowning face. And controversy ... do you cut off the top or make a whole in the back; do you scoop out the gook before or after you cut out your design?

Being a modern grandmother, and not wanting to infringe of their creativity, I suggested that each one create their own design and go about it anyway they wanted. So,

• one chose an oblong pumpkin (aren't round ones premiun?), laid it on its side, and carved a crescent moon, a star, and meteor;
• next one cut out three stars to light up the Halloween night;
• the third one, Mr. Retro, asked how I cut my pumpkins, when "you were young." I told him there was only one way ... triangle eyes and nose, and either a mean or happy, big mouth, with fangs hanging out of it. That suited his personality just fine.

Pumpkins10.11

I drove back to Vermont that night; at 10PM, I got out the pumpkin carving knife and got going. The kids had challenged my pumpkin carving rut ... my pumpkin had to have a face (it's tradition and makes me feel good), I scooped out the gook after I carved the face, and I created a pumpkin face without any triangles. How freeing ...

Pumpkin10.11

I go to Ethiopia, Mali, Senegal, Swaziland ... but why Iceland. Because we promised our grandchildren we would take them on a trip, minus siblings, when they turn 12. And the oldest chose Iceland. He loves science, is interested in the geothermal activity in Iceland and wanted to see, very badly, the Northern Lights. So did I.

I look for new products, new designs, inspiration, for Creative Women, my textile business. Glaciers, waterfalls, incredible vistas, folk musems? What a treat to be in a country that has both ... wonderful stores and young designers, a fantastic concert hall, lovely old metal clad houses, and the scenery that rivals my home state ... Vermont.

No words needed ... a few of the sites we enjoyed.

Awaterfall

ConcertHall2

CityHallPond

Geyser1

Gullfuss3

We saw so much, but we never saw the Northern Lights. Maybe I'll see them on my next trip to Ethiopia.

NYIGF time again ...

We've mailed our postcards, sent our Eblast, maxed out our marketing budget.  Just as I was trying to figure out some new, and inexpensive, way to reach new and old buyers, I got an email from Vianza, a social platform + marketplace for designers, indie retailers, & suppliers to buy, sell, source, & profit –free from geographic limits, asking me if they could interview me and include us on their blog.  The media goddess must have sent them to me!

My thanks to Vianza, for the interview and the space on their blog.  Take a look, at our story and their concept.  Very creative and interesting.

GreenwichSt

See you in NY;

Ellen

Creative Women, Booth 6308,
 

PurpleRunnerBean72511

New products, ( Beyond Burlap runners, Dots Tablecloths, Rattan Napkins and more) media kits, price lists, re-organizing our booth ... these seem to be the hot topics on my mind lately.  But, at the same time, I'm trying hard to make time to enjoy my garden (it's lovely this year except for the rabbits and the leek fungus), take a swim in the lake, walk before the birds stop singing in the morning, and watch the sun set each night.  I'm also trying to be "laid back" (I am a product of the 60s ad 70s.) by not counting how many days 'til August 13 and the beginning of the NYIGF.  Rather, this year I've created a contest between the NYIGF and my lovely purple runner bean.  I'm betting my runner bean will be at top of my pergola (see picture of runner bean and pergola above) before I leave for NY on August 10.  Certainly more fun than counting the days on the calendar.

In case you want to know who wins, come to Creative Women's booth at the Show ... 6308. You'll get to see our new products and find out the race results.

Ellen

Another unexpected alliance, Garden and Gun (the Soul of the the South magazine) and Creative Women. I met Haskell Harris, an associate editor, at the February New York Gift Show. She was interested in featuring a Creative Women Dots Beach Blanket in their summer edition. I was being my Vermont, somewhat reclusive self, and wondering if this was a good match. See for yourself; we both share a number of similar interests and values ... beautiful things for the home, healthy life styles and good food, well designed products, and Emmylou Harris (she's featured in the June/July edtion).

GardensGunss

Oh, I forgot to mention that the first day out, we got a phone call from a Texan, who wanted to get one of the Dots for his wife ... it was their 44th wedding anniversary. He told me, "haven't been to Vermont yet, but I hear it's beautiful." Then he commented, "I think that creating jobs in Ethiopia's a pretty darn good thing, too."

Thanks Haskell and Garden and Gun.  Come see us again at the NYIGF.

Ellen

It would be hard for a company like Creative Women — founded for the purpose of creating economic opportunities for women in countries like Ethiopia (and, okay, for getting our hands on those beautiful hand-woven textiles) — not to be a fan of a magazine like Hand/Eye, with its mission to "engender intelligent debate among artisans, exporters, designers, artists, wholesalers and importers, retailers, and consumers so that all may make smart, ethical, and inspired decisions about their activities."

And then, when they feature us on their blog, how could we not want to brag about that? Check out Annie Waterman's piece here.

Hand_Eye_05_26_11

~ Amy

It's Spring here in Vermont (with some record breaking flooding in the Champlain Islands where I live) and I'm thinking alpaca. In a few months I'll be back at the New York International Gift Fair, listening to our customers asking for something more wintery than our Ethiopian cotton and silk. So, I decided that it's time for Creative Women to branch out ... to another country(s) and another fiber. And since the Peruvian government offered to sponsor my trip, I traveled to Lima two weeks ago to attend the Peruvian Gift Show.

Floodsof2011

Lima is a bustling and interesting city. There are lovely areas for walking and looking at small shops, old architecture, and tucked away residential areas. There's also some wonderful small museums; Museo Amano, a private collection of pre-Columbian pottery and textiles and Museo Lorca with lovely gardens and a visual presentation through the display of sculpture, pottery and art, of the historical progression of the people of the Andes.

Stripes have always been popular.

LorcaCactus

LorcaGrounds

The food is terrific.  If we hadn't stayed in the 3B (a wonderful, friendly small hotel in Barranco) with their cooked to order breakfast everyday, we would have eaten out 3xday, sampling seafood, grilled meats, hip, au courant bistros, and Chifa (Chinese and Peruvian fused together into something delicious). Every morning there were lots of conversation about what/where we ate the night before.

Limalunch

And yes, I did go to the Peru Gift Show. Going to Peru (7+ hours by plane) made it possible for me to meet Bryant Archie, the founder of D.Bryant Archie, a creator of classic and contemporary textiles (throws, pillows, rugs) hand-woven in Peru. Of course, I could have met her in NY; now that we've met in Peru, we'll follow up in NY. Both our products reflect our admiration for traditional motifs, hand-woven textiles, and simply elegant contemporary style.

DBAcover

I also met very friendly and helpful Peruvian producers and designers who gave me an introduction to alpaca. I learned that there are differences between doing business in Ethiopia and Peru; Ethiopia is a "one-stop" shopping experience, where in Peru, often different businesses or coops specialize in different steps in the production process. But  I left Peru with ideas for 3 different collections of scarves and throws (all alpaca) and am now working on how to take my idea and turn it into a warm and cozy product that our buyers will wow over ... and buy.

I hope to have some prototypes to show you at the NYIGF in August.

Ellen

Almost two years ago, a man came to our Burlington, Vermont studio to have a first-hand look at our hand-woven textiles. He told us about his business, Vermont Farm Table, where he made wooden farmhouse furniture, mostly to order, and sold it on the web. He had heard about our Ethiopian cotton tablecloths and napkins, and thought that they would complement his tables.

He was right.

Now he's opened a storefront in Burlington, and it looks terrific. I had to snap a picture with my cell phone the first time I walked by and saw his beautiful tables in the window—with a selection of our beautiful napkins arranged on top. I sent it to Ellen right away, but unfortunately didn't save it to post here. So here's a screen capture from their homepage:

Vermont Farm Table's showroom in downtown Burlington. You can see one of our Silk and Cotton Throws over the table at the back, and a Stripe Napkin hanging over the box in front.

~ Amy

On the last day of my recent trip to Ethiopia, we had decided that it would be interesting for the staff (admin, weavers, sewers, fringers, dyers, tea lady ... everyone) to see what the products that they create look like in stores, on websites (some of them had never heard of a web site), in catalogs. So, I showed them the Creative Women website, links to Ochre and Anthropologie, (2 stores that carry our products), photos that I have taken, and our booth at the NYIGF. 

With each new photo, I started hearing whispering, but since the whispering was in Amharic, I didn't know what was being said. The fellow who was translating told me that one of the weavers was telling everyone that he made the towels that I was showing and that he'd never seen them look so good. His proud grin gave made me pretty proud, too.

Weaving with a smile.

Then one of the sewing women asked me (through the interpretor) if I would comment on the pillows ... how was the sewing. This was a particularly timely question, since our first pillows often arrived in VT and went straight to a local seamstress who inserted new zippers.  Today, the pillows arrive looking perfect; I showed her a photo that I took in my home, of the pillow collection. More whispering, laughing ...

Tsigist, one of Sabahar's sewers.

On of the weavers (a young man who comes to work in an ironed shirt, neat pants and loafers and changes into his weaving clothes before starting work) asked where I got my ideas for designs. I told him I look at magazines, work with Kathy on new ideas, and look around me a lot. I then suggested that he might have some good ideas for designs since he's an expert weaver, and should tell the production manager if he has any. I suspect that Sabahar has a undiscovered designer among the weavers.

The final comment came from one of the dyers ... a tall man who would smile and say hello to me each time I walked by the dyeing room.  That's as far as our conversations ever got. But, now he just said "I never thought about what happens to the things I dye.  eeing where they end up, I'm proud to make things that show the world that beautiful things come from Ethiopia." Wow.

.Dots Beach Blankets drying in Addis before being shipped to the US.   

I'm in Ethiopia now. Today (Sunday), thousands of women in Addis Ababa put on bright pink t-shirts and walked, danced, and ran through the city. (We did get a glimpse of some of the fantastic Ethiopian women runners.) Our shirts said it all; Ethiopian women, like women all over the world want "Choice". Plenty of men turned out to cheer  along the 5K course ... and some just came to gawk at women. Lots of fun to be with young women, kids, grandmothers, and to be in the warm sun (rather than the Vermont chill).

Take a look at a few photos; I tried to capture the women and the scene.

Walking for women.

Determined to be here.

Mother and daughter walkers.

Street along the route.

The beginning and the goal.

I love the creativity of our customers, from the buyer at this past NYIGF showing Ellen how—with a quick fold and some judicious draping—the item we had always thought of as a throw could also be worn as an elegant wrap, to helpful suggestions regarding color and design in our existing lines.

And then, every once in a while, someone comes up with something completely different.

Last November we got an email from a woman planning a baby gift for her sister-in-law, who was born in Ethiopia.

Your story caught my eye, because of the fact that the products you sell benefit the women and families of their respective countries. If I could find fabric to incorporate into the blanket that is from/reflects the Ethiopian culture and makes a difference in the peoples’ lives that would mean so much to her.

The quilt Sarah made for her new nephew.

After some emailing back and forth, we sent her a silk and cotton shawl from our discontinued GEO line; and see nicely how she's put it together to showcase the traditional tibeb design that was originally on the ends.

Her sister-in-law loved the gift (hard to imagine that she wouldn't), and wrote:

I worry that living in America all he'll want to be and know is about being American. It's not totally a bad thing, but makes me sad that my heritage might end up forgotten because of circumstances. Not being around Ethiopians and being so far away from my family are all things that can contribute to him not knowing enough about me. ·Being an immigrant is hard and raising a child in this country in a multicultural situation is even harder. So thank you for confirming that you understand and that you care about him knowing his maternal heritage. Right when I feel like all the duty of teaching my child my history and culture is all on me, you came along and gave us this extraordinary gift. Thank you for making me feel like I am not alone and that this is not just my family's responsibility.

It's pretty amazing for me to be part of a gift like that, and all I did was send her a shawl. One more great thing about working at Creative Women.

~ Amy

How does it happen? Before I even finish writing to all the people who visited our booth at the NY International Gift Fair, the show managers are asking for my (hefty) deposit for the next show.  But no complaints, this NYIGF (1/29-2/2) was an amazing show.

Creative Women had more buyers, first time lookers, media folks, friends, and sales than ever.  And, NY had another big snow storm.  We never lacked something to talk about ... what kind of boots do you wear in this weather (here I am, from VT, and I didn't have the right kind); what's it going to be like tomorrow; the reason it's quiet now is that everyone is afraid to come out in the snow; it's busy because the sun finally came out; you need a kayak to navigate the floods in the intersections.

But while everyone talked about winter, we listened to the oohs and ahs over our new Dotted towels and beach blankets.  More of that fabulous Ethiopian cotton, this time used for beach and picnic ware. 

Our new Dots Beach Blankets.

I found myself day dreaming about the waves at Montauk, the sand on the Vineyard, and the breeze and cliffs at Point Reyes.  I love NY, but ...

Back in VT, more snow, and more shipments to unpack with summer scarves, pillows.  And in just a few weeks, I'll be sending in our deposit for the Summer NYIGF ... where we'll be showing new wool/cotton scarves, cozy winter throws, maybe even some felt containers.  Better take some time to enjoy my summer daydreams.

Gauzy cotton from Ethiopia.

Ellen