At the Artist and Fleas in Brooklyn

Let me just say, it was great walking into the Artist and Fleas market last Saturday. It was an awesome space full of creative designers that I have not come across yet in the city. They also had a truck outside selling coolhaus ice cream sandwiches!

image from www.eatcoolhaus.com

After staring at the truck and trying to figure out the ice cream between cookies bit, we walked into the market and suddenly I just wanted to shop shop shop! Lots of vintage stuff going around but also some interesting new ideas.

Take for example ASTALI. She had jewelry made out of gun casings! I took a postcard that had a sample gun casing attached to it. :) Now I can pretend to be dangerous.
 Next I had to stop at Webbedware by Courtney Webb. She had great looking cuffs covered in different types of fabrics. Check out her website for other awesome products.

 

product images from www.webbedware.com

The one that I couldn't walk away from! Leroysplace.

She had these handmade necklaces with different images put together. I can't describe it well but I can say I had to be pulled away from the stall. She also has these resurrected paintings with her own creatures creeping in to the frame to bring in a twist.

images for Leroysplace are from  her website WWW.LEROYSPLACE.COM

I  hope to be checking out a few more markets this weekend and hope to blog about the great finds! I think I tend to say great a lot. :)

A great article

So, I recently subscribed to the American Craft magazine and came across this article on CHEAP products and the downside of going for discounted items.
The article Shop Till We Drop is an interview by Shannon Sharpe of Ellen Ruppel Shell, the author of Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture (Penguin, 2009). Here are a few excerpts from the article:

"Cheap goods are an illusion, she discovered. While we tell ourselves, especially and understandably during hard times, that we need bargains to sustain our quality of life, in the long run these products aren't helping anyone - in any socio-economic bracket. To sell cheap goods, companies need cheap labor, which keeps wages low. Discount goods also entangle us in foreign manufacturing and labor practices, which may run counter to our ethics. There are environmental costs, both in how we produce cheap goods and how quickly we discard them. And bargains disguise the fact that, in recent decades, prices on housing, insurance, and childcare - what we spend most of our money on - have skyrocketed." (Sharpe, 2011)

Click here to read the rest of the article. 

This is just a reminder to us all that when we buy, we should think not only of our pockets but also of how a products weighs next to the initial cost. Look at the quality and pay for the life you want to have with that product. With the life long partnership you're also investing in the good practices that brought the product into being such as the craftsmanship of the maker, possible resource conservation and fair labor practices. As consumers, we do have the power to effect the quality of products and the quantity that is brought to us, thus decreasing the price tag.

Scarves and Pillows!

How I wish I could have such  pretty things. 

images from www.mattany.com and www.tulutextiles.com

Check out the products of Matta and Tulu Textiles. Such great prints and products.

Indian Handpainted Banners

An interesting watch :

http://www.handpaintedtype.com/http://www.handpaintedtype.com/

about the disappearing Hand painting artists in India. This is basically the problem everywhere. The old techniques that took time and talent are disappearing, being replaced by fast machinery. But, there are a few that realize the urgency to preserve and promote. Hopefully this awakening continues.

I would like to thank...

Check out the link for a brief statement featured in The Fashion Institute of Technology's Hue Magazine.

HUE MAGAZINE

Beeja

paper maiche products - photograph from beeja

 Another great find in India. We met up with Meghna Ajit of Beeja and instantly felt the connection with her and her philosophy behind Beeja.  She works with the local artisans in UP with the agenda to develop a environmentally conscious community.  Meghna designs awesome products that are environmentally friendly and use basic hand tools and skills. Check out her facebook page for images of her work.

photograph from beeja

photograph from beeja

What day is it? It's EARTH DAY!

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EARTH DAY IS EVERY DAY at Ich-cha, where we make a conscious decision to provide responsible products made with the environment, communities, and traditional forms of art in mind.  This mission allows us to be conscious individuals in our work and personal life, today, and every day.  Today, on the formal Earth Day, we present you with a challenge … should you choose to accept it. The biggest difference you can make in the world is by spreading the word – by educating and changing the consciousness of others. 

So, model good behavior to your friends by using reusable mugs instead of disposables (take your mugs to Starbucks or Caribou Coffee for some free coffee), turning off your computers AND monitors, and remembering to recycle. 

Send a reminder message to your family and friends (check out cute ecards on Care2.com).

See how businesses are getting into the spirit and what it means for you as a consumer:  Best Earth Day 2011 freebies, steals & deals - National Holidays | Examiner.com

 

To educate impressionable minds, be sure to visit Free Earth Day Coloring Pages and Crafts for Kids for a wide variety of Earth Day craft projects and coloring pages and Earth Day Fun and Games for the kiddies.

Whatever you choose to do – log it here (http://act.earthday.org/) and help reach the goal of “one billion acts of green”.

And please remember to pass it on…

This Blog was submitted by our guest blogger Monika Kumar. Thanks to Monika and her friends for contributing the information and helping to educate us!

I want!!

photo from www.specksandkeepings.com

I came across Specks & Keepings during my usual blog wanderings and oh how I love their things! The book bag made of upcycled fabrics is gorgeous and really contradicts the view of many that sustainable products are unattractive. Check out their website here.

photo from www.specksandkeepings.com

photo from www.specksandkeepings.com

Check it out!

Masala Baby is giving away a $100 gift certificate to mum's who post up photo's of their youngun's along with a word about their best MOM moment. I love their clothes and would love one for my wee one (If I had one). :)
Also don't forget to "Like" them on Facebook!

Great organizations

We came across two very great organizations during our trip, Sunder Rang and Khamir.
Both a pleasure to meet and learn more about.

Sunder Rang
Based half hour from Pipar City Block printers, we stopped on our way at this base camp of Art and Culture on our way to Ahmedabad. We had met the owner of The Chandelao Garh, at Yasin Bhai's block printing factory. As he heard us speak of our agenda, he told us of this small organization that is located by his heritage hotel and that if we are interested, we should drop by. And so, we did.

We were quite happy to come across such a small community of women working to make handcrafted items. We also met the project Coordinator, Radhika. She walked us through the facility and answered all our queries about the women from the community who come to this facility to work.

Khamir

Located in Bhuj, Khamir Craft Resource Centre works to preserve, sustain, and promote the arts and crafts of the Kachchh region. They work with designers from leading design institutes in India who work with Khamir to produce a wide range of products that incorporate the tradition techniques for contemporary products.

 We met with the trade manager who walked us through the facility. He spoke of the wide range of craft workers they associate with, such as embroidery, tie dye, block print, felt, leather work, copper belts, and silver jewelry. Khamir's agenda is to find market for these crafts and also to provide workshops for perfecting the techniques for high quality products. They currently sell to Handmade Expressions, Maiwa, and Feel good factor.

Another aspect that seemed to impress us was their take on payment. As in the case of a block printer who gets paid by the meter, Khamir believes in paying the block printer more money so that the printer takes his time printing the fabric instead of hurrying through so that he could get the most money in a day. This truly helps start the cycle where the artisans are getting the opportunity to respect their craft and still survive.