Volunteer

Going to lend a hand at a sales event for Build a Nest. They are a nonprofit organization that supports female artisans from around the world. The event is taking place at Shecky's. Visit www.buildanest.com to see how you can do your part.

Thank you for your support at the Creek

A great day with old and new friends at The Creek and Cave in Long Island City.  Thank you to Helen Ho and Karen Overton for hosting the Queens Green Drinks event at the Creek and Cave along with a craft fair. We had a great day making new friends and bringing our products to the public.

We premiered our company ICHCHA, wish, featuring our jewelry and home textile line. We are happy that everyone appreciated our products and helped with our cause. Thanks to the customers, 60% of the  proceeds from the jewelry line that included the Lucky seeds from Peru will be going towards assisting the mentally and physically challenged children of Anjo Gabrielle in Peru. To read up more on this charitable effort, you can click on blog to be led to my sister, Rachna Kumar's blog.

Lucky red seeds from the Anjo Gabrielle jewelry line

Hand block printed textiles using natural dyes

Our website is currently under construction but feel free to email us at info@ich-cha.com if you are interested in our products. We would love to hear your comments on our products and hope you are enjoying them as much as we enjoyed making them.

CRAFTED AT THE CREEK

 Hi everyone, the details for the Craft at the Creek are out. Join us on December 11 from 1-5 pm in Long Island City. See you there!

Wow

So, one website led to another and I came across two great inspirations. One is the blog by Vineeta Nair, called Artnlight. It has great write ups about designers and designs of India. So, once I signed up for updates on her website, I received an email about Mora Collection. I was stunned by the collection featured, the colors, the patterns. It's like nothing I've seen before and it seemed to raise the confidence in me, that different can work.

Follow the links to their appropriate sights and let me know if you feel as blown away by them as me. Here are a few images from the Mora website. Simply Amazing. The images on my website don't do justice, follow the link to see them in their appropriate setting.

Likes at One of a Kind Show

So I went to the One of a Kind show this Saturday, November 20 in New York City. It was just one floor of designers with their handcrafted products. After wandering the markets of London, I was a bit disappointed as to the creativity level featured in New York. However, a few did catch my eye and I picked up their business cards. Here is the list:

La Muse Kalliope - handcrafted characters. Follow the link to her Etsy shop. I wish I had more visuals, because that is what attracted me to her stall.

 Monkey Chow - illustrations, art, and design. Link leads to their etsy shop as well.

The Intuitive Garden - Handmade Wearable Art
Designs by Candace Mangin-Barnes

http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheIntuitiveGarden

Loved her jewelry!

F. Rock - sustainable carryalls for men

Amazing shape, fabrics, look of bags for men made from reclaimed fabrics! Totally sustainable! Say what?

http://www.frockbags.com

Chikahisa Studio - handcrafted jewelry

This little piece is the Happy Buddha Sapphire - I couldn't stop looking at it, wishing it was mine. 

http://chikahisastudio.com/

Anyways, I hope you enjoy these few finds.

In other news, my sister and I will be featuring a few products from our upcoming collection at the Queens Green Drink event in Long Island City on December 11, 2010. I will upload more info on the event in the coming week along with a preview of what we have to offer. Leave a note if you are able to attend. More info if you follow the link: http://www.greendrinks.org/index.php?country=USA&city=Queens. Also, you can find them on facebook: facebook.com/queens.drinks.

Till later!

Chelsea College of Art and Design

The website for the 2010 MA Textile Design graduates at the Chelsea College of Art and Design is up. Follow the link http://chelseamatextiles.com/2010-2/ruchika-kumar.
Leave a comment if you are interested in any of the works or email the appropriate person for more info.

Below are a few more pictures of the work in progress. I'll be uploading more images of final fabrics produced for those who are interested in purchasing.  

Inspiration

Inspiring images and color from pottery displayed at a museum in Jaipur

______________________________________________________________________

Also a link to an article by Elaine Lipson in the Handeye magazine. Follow the link for a great write up about Slow cloth and the ideal behind the slow design movement. http://www.handeyemagazine.com/content/slow-cloth

New Finds

The following were amazing finds on the internet. The first is Kantha Threads, by a woman in Bangladesh. Follow the link to an in-depth detail of her life and how she has inspired and supported women in their life through these threads. Her work is quite inspiration and very impressive.

"Holud" http://kanthathreads.com/

"reflection" http://kanthathreads.com/

Second, is a magazine called HandEye. This website brings the stories of craftsmen and women from around the world into our homes. It's a great way to know about different organizations, artists, and crafts. If you have the time, go through some of the articles, I've come across some great finds. Enjoy!

http://handeyemagazine.com/

I no longer wish for that Cheeseburger

Just finished reading Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I had attempted it awhile back but couldn't get interested. However, after being introduced to how un-sustainable we are leading our lives this year, I turned back to this book to see what it had in store. My sister, THE ENVIRONMENTALIST, is laughing her head off right now, now that she has finally converted her youngest to the cult of eco-friendly, sustainable, and anti-consumerism. However, she also regrets making me into the monster I have now become. :)

The book was very interesting, not necessarily biased, it tried to lay out the facts, which unfortunately were leaning towards one side. The side that big corporations have and are going to great lengths to get the consumer to buy buy buy and eat eat eat, in large proportions without consideration for the humans involved, environment exploited, or the future sacrificed. The read might be a little strong at times, because of the details of the injuries suffered by workers at meatpacking factories. I got a little queasy myself. However, we do need to be aware of where our food comes from and who it affects. The book gives you a good review of how it all started, how we have come to the position we are at now and also offers a means to resolve this problem. This can be and should be related to my post about The Story of Stuff, which gives a good explanation of how change is slow in happening in governments.

Anyways, this was a very serious post, but it doesn't necessarily have to be. We read, we learn, and move on with a better judgment about how to lead life. On that note, enjoy the video below.

Trade Fairs

Thinking of attending the ONE OF A KIND SHOW, 2010, in New York. To get a feel of the products that are out there and the artists that are on the same path of a handmade lifestyle.

See the link: http://www.oneofakindshowny.com/

It gives consumers to shop for one of a kind, hand made products directly from the artisan. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students, and free for children under 12 years of age.

It's taking place on the following dates:

November 11-14 and
November 18-21, 2010
 
Location: Midtown at 7 W 34th St. at 5th Ave.
Directly across from the Empire State Building

Drop a comment if you'll be attending!