Well, I'vet finally joined the social networking crowd. I've discovered Pinterest. I started using it as a way to compensate for my limited memory. I created "boards" so that I had a place to keep track of photos and ideas that I found on the web. A board with ideas for the Creative Women booth; another for places I'd like to see; one for my travel photos; tabletop ideas, home decor ideas; and, since my lakefront flooded last year, one for ideas on how to "decorate" the shoreline after the flood.

Pinterest Board

In the past, I have created too many files with clippings of inspirational photos. I either forget about them or can't find them. Or I have too many computer files of urls that I never remember. These boards are the perfect way to quickly clip, organize and find ideas that I don't want to forget.

Once I pinned a few photos on my boards, I started receiving emails from Pinterest telling me that someone (or some 4 people) repinned my photos on their boards, or liked my pins, or were following me. I've never been sure that I liked the idea that someone is following me, in the traditional sense of following. But I learned that a friend from Ethiopia who now lives in Austria, and a friend in Swaziland, and one in Montpelier, VT were following me. And I like that idea that while I am enjoying organizing my thoughts, visually, they are able to get, just a glimpse of what I am thinking about. 

It's just the right amount of exposure for me ... and I can actually find these boards a week later.

I'm just back from a trip to Ethiopia. I finally took a few days to get out of Addis and visit Tigrai, up north and near the border with Eritrea. Amazing scenery, hot, dry, mountainous ... yet people are busy producing silk, farming, irrigating their land (part of the Millennium Development Project), and living their lives. I still think about the vistas, people, and projects I saw and wonder what are these people doing now ... what are they thinking about their lives?

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The road to the silk worm farm.

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Young spinner; every woman in Tigrai has this hair style.

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Hand-painted fan, shown to us by the young Orthodox priest.  I climbed 400 feet, over rocks to this church ... at an altitude over 1 mile high. 

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A view from the church ... what do you think about when you spend your time up here?

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" ...

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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? 

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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.

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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.

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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 ...

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