Safiya Mitchell



Know Thyself


Greetings,


I have found another crocheter!!!! Wooo hooo!!!!  I was browsing etsy and ran across some great pieces from Safiya Mitchell.  I will share her bio with you and also check out her etsy page: www.etsy.com/shop/fiyamitch.


Here is some info that she shared with me.


    
Safiya was born and raised in NYC and currently resides in Brooklyn!!!!  My peeps in NYC, show Safiya some love!!

Here is her bio written in her own words:

     My interest in crochet is rooted in my appreciation for all things afro-centric, particularly, Rastafarian culture and natural locks.  I was very fascinated with how beautiful a woman could be with her hair wrapped in a turban or covered in a tam.  I thought, wow… how innovative, how liberating…  It was a movement/lifestyle that I had to be a part of.  

            I began crocheting almost two and half years ago, while on maternity leave with my son.  I came across some wonderful tutorials by tjw on youtube.com and some great starter patterns by Double Stitch Twins.  To my surprise, I picked up fairly quickly and took a genuine liking to the craft.  Fortunately, as time progressed, so did my skill.

            What keeps me motivated to create is being able to express my inner happenings outwardly through my hands.  It’s therapeutic, spiritual, and a reward from GOD!  Every color reflects my mood at the time of creation, and every finished product represents that which has been influential throughout my journey thus far.  What I love the most is being able to connect with others through art.  A sold item to me speaks volumes, stating that I have created something special for someone that I don’t even know.  Such a connection preserves my inspiration to offer to you the “Fruits” of my labor…

Peace…

Safiya

Fruits Boutique

Stay creative and enjoy!!!

Charmel


Safiya has so many wonderful pieces, that I am going to have to do another blog on her and post some of her pics!!! Stay tuned for more of her work.
Now take a look at some of her pieces:




flower earrings





Iylah



tropical pearls

Charmel's Creative Corner: Orese Marketing - jewelry

Charmel's Creative Corner: Orese Marketing - jewelry: " Curvature  Greetings, Take a look at this gorgeous jewelry that I came across once again, on etsy. This sista does some amazing wo..."

Orese Marketing - jewelry



Curvature

 Greetings,

Take a look at this gorgeous jewelry that I came across once again, on etsy.  This sista does some amazing work and you all need to support her.  Here is a short write-up that she sent me regarding her pieces. She resides in Canada!!!!


 I was inspired to start Orese in August 2010, after vacationing in Barbados.  I've been making "play" jewelry for years and years, but this was my first time actually making something serious (and pretty lol).  The feedback to my first earrings was huge, so I decided to start making them for sale.  I found Etsy, and continued on from there :)
 I am of African descent, so I really love to create adornments that tell a story that reflects the beauty, intricacies, and the drama of my homeland.  I own an ridiculous amount of fabric, beads, semi-precious stones, and wire, so I like to create things that are different and fun to wear, especially for summer.  I love bold, bright colors so that is also a must for any Orese design.


 I'm hoping to soon expand Orese to include items for men, and will soon start incorporating more materials into my work for added dimension and texture.

 You can stay updated at my blog: http://www.orese.wordpress.com/, twitter: @OreseJewelry, and facebook: Facebook.com/OreseJewelry

Take a look at these pieces and support this great work!!!

Stay creative,

Charmel





Nova



Adiya



Ma'at



Memory Lane Inn



Footstool for baby Steven Thompson



Good evening all,


I hope everyone had a productive weekend.  I had a GREAT weekend because I was creative.  I went to Memory Lane Inn in Tyler TX, for a scrapbook retreat. I had a BLAST and made some really cool things!!!!  I learned about a lot of crafting techniques that I had never thought of.  I met a lot of crafty women that motivated me to broaden my creative horizons!!!!!  They made the most amazing pieces out of the most simple material.  One of my favorites was a wreath made from an old book and also a lamp shade made out of burlap!!!!  My friend Robin kept telling me that I was going to be inspired and boy was I.  I ONLY took my yarn and crochet hook, but left with 3 completed projects that didn't use yarn.  Let's just say Hobby Lobby and Michael's were glad that I was in town.  My newest obsession is the chipboard book.  The chipboard book is a cardboard like material that is like a blank canvas that is decorated with scrapbook paper and embellishments to suit the needs and theme of the book. Take a look at the book, they can be purchased at most craft stores in a variety of different themes and are a very fun project.  I also made a few other items but will post those after they are delivered to the appropriate parties.  I was able to finish a blanket and a scarf that I had been working on. 

The footstool that I made a few weeks ago, was delivered this past weekend, so now I can post a picture of that as well.

I encourage everyone to get creative if you would like to.  If you don't feel like you are creative, I am pretty sure that you can find something crafty that you enjoy doing.  I can't draw a straight line and I LOVE being creative!!!

Stay creative,

Charmel

chipboard book!!! My newest addiction!!

Just me

100% cotton scarf

Good friday afternoon everyone,

I decided that I will write a post about myself and share it with you all.  Let's see, I love, love, love to create things and come up with new projects.  At the present moment I am working on some crochet blankets and scarves.  I am working on  a blanket in particular for a mentor of mine that is ill.  She doesn't know that I am making it for her so it's a secret (shhhh!!!).  I just finished making a decorative footstool for someone, but I can't mention them either because they have not received it.  So, those are the projects so far, oh I learned how to make baby booties and am sooooo excited because they are quick and fun to do, crochet that is.  I will post some pics of them soon along with other items that I am working on.

Oh, next weekend I am going on a scrapbook retreat with a group of friends in Tyler, TX and I am really looking forward to that.  I have projects to take down there and work on as well.  I am not going to be scrapbooking, probably just crocheting.

I am going to an Etsy party tonight, it is like a world-wide craft party and one of the sites is here in Houston.  I can't wait to mingle and meet new crafters like myself.

I am getting a really positive response about the blog so far and am happy about that.  I usually search for my crafters on etsy, facebook and a few other sites and that is how I find people.  So, if you know of anyone that wants to be featured on the blog let me know.  I am going to post a few things that I have made now.

Have a good weekend and enjoy!!!!!

Stay creative,

Charmel






baby blanket



decorative footstool, you are looking down on the stool



Clementine Hunter

Clementine Hunter is a world-renowned folk artist from Louisiana.  Her artwork has had lasting impressions on my Louisiana natives.  If you have not heard of her, check out this bio and some of her pieces.


This excerpt was taken from: http://www.nadersgallery.com/ClementineBio.htm

Hunter was born on Hidden Hill Plantation near Cloutierville, Louisiana; a place so isolated and harsh that local legend claimed it was the real-life inspiration for Uncle Tom's Cabin. As a child, her family moved north to the Cane River area, eventually to Melrose Plantation near Natchitoches, where Hunter spent a lot of her life picking cotton. She attended school for just 10 days and never learned to read or write. Later, she cooked for the Big House, using her creative spirit to make dolls for the children, as well as quilts, baskets and lace curtains.

But in the late 1940s, one of the many artists who visited the plantation left behind some tubes of paint. Plantation curator Francois Mignon encouraged Hunter to try her own hand at painting. During the next four decades, she created thousands of paintings. Hunter worked all day at the plantation Big House and took home washing and ironing to be returned the next day. Once home, she took care of her worthless husband.
It was often midnight before she was free to ''mark some pictures,'' as she once said for her painting; using cardboard, paper bags, lumber scraps, milk jugs, the insides of soap boxes and other throw-outs. Almost all of her works were ''memory paintings,'' showing plantation life as she remembered it: picking cotton, gathering figs, threshing pecans, weddings, baptisms, funerals and other scenes of everyday life. Her titles were often intriguing, too.
Some simple ones were selected by collectors and were merely descriptive of their content: Watermelon, Flowers, Ducks and etc. When collectors did asked for a title, Hunter gave her own, such as Trying to Keep the Baby Happy, She's Not Pretty But She's Strong and Saturday Night at the Honky Tonk. Visitors to the plantation would buy her paintings, starting at 25 cents and 50 cents in the 1940s. Contemporary collectors consider these early works her best. Eventually, her various patrons were able to get her work into shows, the first big one being the New Orleans Arts and Crafts Show in 1949.
A June 1953 article in Look magazine brought her to national attention. In 1957, some critics dubbed her ''the Black Grandma Moses.’’ And, in 1979, Robert Bishop, director of The Museum of American Folk Art in Washington, called the artist, then in her 90s, ''the most celebrated of all Southern contemporary painters.’’ By the 1970s, there were large public and private collections of Hunter's work, and by the 1980s, several important traveling exhibitions featured her paintings. The prices for her work had risen from 25 cents to several thousand dollars.
In the last years of her life, Hunter left her rented cabin and moved upriver, living in a trailer she bought with money from selling her paintings. She painted until the last few months of her life, dying at the age of 100 on January 1, 1988. Hunter was more modest about her abilities. ''God puts those pictures in my head and I just puts them on the canvas, like he wants me to,'' the artist said.


Reference:
Black Women in America An Historical Encyclopedia
Volumes 1 and 2, edited by Darlene Clark Hine
Copyright 1993, Carlson Publishing Inc., Brooklyn, New York
ISBN 0-926019-61-9


Here is another interesting tidbit I had found. She was illiterate so she couldn't sign her name to her paintings. She began to initial them by copying the initials of Cammy Henry, the owner of the plantation, but she worried that it would cause confusion, so she made a backwards C. Over the years the backward C worked its way across the H, until Hunter's identifying mark became uniquely her own.
Now for some of her artwork:


Washday, 1950s







Bowl of Zinnias, 1939



A funeral at Isle Brevelle, 1966

Here is a link for more information about Clementine Hunter: http://www.clementinehunterartist.com/index.html#anchor1487990

Gabby Girl Designs and Accessories



Greek organization pens




Greetings,

I ran across this fantastic designer on one of my friend's facebook pages and asked her to share her story with me.  I was going to re-type it but decided just to paste the email that she sent me regarding her start.  I feel as though reading it from her will give you a better perspective on her passion for her craft.  The name for the company is her daughter's name, Gabby.

Gabby Girl creator's words:
I am a mother of 2 girls, an  8 yr old and a 2 yr old. I am from Shreveport, LA.  I Love all things girly ...pink, zebra, bows, glitter, you name it!  In the past, I have always purchased my daughter's hairbows from custom places like boutiques or little girls specialty stores...money was never an issue for me in buying their bows...the issue for me was having to drive to the store, place my order & then come back later or another day to pick it up! I am the type of person that likes to go to the store, get what I need to get... AND GO!    ...the only time I ever really "order" anything is when I order online---and at least then I don't have to leave my house to place my order!  One day I decided to pick up some ribbon while I was at Hobby Lobby (one of my favorite stores--I LOVE to decorate!) to just experiment making some bows.  When I saw my final product, I thought to myself---"hey, I'm pretty good at this!"  I received lots of positive feedback from the pictures I shared of my bows, so I just continued to make them and tried to add more creativity to them as I went.  While I was making bows, I began to come up with other creative ideas...and began to put my thoughts into action   ---On my job, I have to wear an ID badge, so this is want led to the idea of decorating retractable ID badges...I decorated a few at first and got some positive feedback on those as well, so as with the bows, I continued to make more of them.  Many creative ideas just began to flourish when I sat down to make my bows and ID badges...this is what also led me to begin decorating flip flops, pens, t-shirts....etc.  Somehow, I feel as though I always try to challenge myself, because there are soooo many other creative people here in Northern Louisiana that make similar items...but the question is---what sets me apart from the rest????  I try to add a personal touch to all of my creations...

Now here are some pics of her items.  She can be reached at GabbyGirlDesign@aol.com for any questions or to order items.

Stay creative,

Charmel





ID badges



hairbow holder



personalized flip flops



 

adorable hair bows




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neon green and black hair bow









Xenobia Bailey - "funky" crochet

Greetings,

I am pleased to bring you this post about an extraordinary artist by the name of Xenobia Bailey.  When most people think of crocheting, they think of blankets, hats and scarves just to name a few items.  Take a look at her work and you will see that there is much more to crocheting.  I am going to post some pics of her work and also the link to her blog.

Originally from Seattle, Washington, and now living in Harlem, New York, Xenobia Bailey brings African American roots music into visual terms with vibrant room-sized installations of crocheted mandalas, tents, and costumes. Helping her parents with their cleaning business as a girl, Bailey realized from early on that the aesthetics of a given environment made all the difference in how she felt. Cleaning the restaurants that were nicely decorated felt rewarding while cleaning the "dumps" was just depressing. Her discovery of African aesthetics and culture, of jazz, blues, and fusion music in college contributed to her idea that the psyche was profoundly impacted by one's physical surroundings. She began to crochet her impression of these uplifting and empowering sounds, and soon began making enveloping installations that seek to uplift and inspire while establishing an African American aesthetic in everyday American culture.

Just wanted to give you a little Saturday funk!!!

Stay creative,

Charmel


Blog: http://xenba.blogspot.com/
Short bio info: http://www.answers.com/topic/xenobia-bailey

Now to the fun part...........pieces!!!

Romare Bearden

Jammin at the Savoy

Greetings,

Enjoy this informative work about the legendary Romare Bearden.


Romare Howard Bearden was born on September 2, 1911, to (Richard) Howard and Bessye Bearden in Charlotte, North Carolina, and died in New York City on March 12, 1988, at the age of 76. His life and art are marked by exceptional talent, encompassing a broad range of intellectual and scholarly interests, including music, performing arts, history, literature and world art. Bearden was also a celebrated humanist, as demonstrated by his lifelong support of young, emerging artists.

Romare Bearden began college at Lincoln University, transferred to Boston University and completed his studies at New York University (NYU), graduating with a degree in education. While at NYU, Bearden took extensive courses in art and was a lead cartoonist and then art editor for the monthly journal The Medley. He had also been art director of Beanpot, the student humor magazine of Boston University. Bearden published many journal covers during his university years and the first of numerous texts he would write on social and artistic issues. He also attended the Art Students League in New York and later, the Sorbonne in Paris. In 1935, Bearden became a weekly editorial cartoonist for the Baltimore Afro-American, which he continued doing until 1937.

After joining the Harlem Artists Guild, Bearden embarked on his lifelong study of art, gathering inspiration from Western masters ranging from Duccio, Giotto and de Hooch to Cezanne, Picasso and Matisse, as well as from African art (particularly sculpture, masks and textiles), Byzantine mosaics, Japanese prints and Chinese landscape paintings.

From the mid-1930s through 1960s, Bearden was a social worker with the New York City Department of Social Services, working on his art at night and on weekends. His success as an artist was recognized with his first solo exhibition in Harlem in 1940 and his first solo show in Washington, DC, in 1944. Bearden was a prolific artist whose works were exhibited during his lifetime throughout the United States and Europe. His collages, watercolors, oils, photomontages and prints are imbued with visual metaphors from his past in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Pittsburgh and Harlem and from a variety of historical, literary and musical sources.
In 1954, Bearden married Nanette Rohan, with whom he spent the rest of his life. In the early 1970s, he and Nanette established a second residence on the Caribbean island of St. Martin, his wife's ancestral home, and some of his later work reflected the island's lush landscapes. Among his many friends, Bearden had close associations with such distinguished artists, intellectuals and musicians as James Baldwin, Stuart Davis, Duke Ellington, Langston Hughes, Ralph Ellison, Joan Miró, George Grosz , Alvin Ailey and Jacob Lawrence.

Bearden was also a respected writer and an eloquent spokesman on artistic and social issues of the day. Active in many arts organizations, in 1964 Bearden was appointed the first art director of the newly established Harlem Cultural Council, a prominent African-American advocacy group. He was involved in founding several important art venues, such as The Studio Museum in Harlem and the Cinque Gallery. Initially funded by the Ford Foundation, Bearden and the artists Norman Lewis and Ernest Crichlow established Cinque to support younger minority artists. Bearden was also one of the founding members of the Black Academy of Arts and Letters in 1970 and was elected to the National Institute of Arts and Letters in 1972.

Recognized as one of the most creative and original visual artists of the twentieth century, Romare Bearden had a prolific and distinguished career. He experimented with many different mediums and artistic styles, but is best known for his richly textured collages, two of which appeared on the covers of Fortune and Time magazines, in 1968. An innovative artist with diverse interests, Bearden also designed costumes and sets for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, and programs, sets and designs for Nanette Bearden's Contemporary Dance Theatre.

Among Bearden's numerous publications are: A History of African American Artists: From 1792 to the Present, which was coauthored with Harry Henderson and published posthumously in 1993; The Caribbean Poetry of Derek Walcott and the Art of Romare Bearden (1983); Six Black Masters of American Art, coauthored with Harry Henderson (1972); The Painter's Mind: A Study of the Relations of Structure and Space in Painting, coauthored with Carl Holty (1969); and Li'l Dan, the Drummer Boy: A Civil War Story, a children's book published posthumously in September 2003.

Bearden's work is included in many important public collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and The Studio Museum in Harlem, among others. He has had retrospectives at the Mint Museum of Art (1980), the Detroit Institute of the Arts (1986), as well as numerous posthumous retrospectives, including The Studio Museum in Harlem (1991) and the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC (2003).

Bearden was the recipient of many awards and honors throughout his lifetime. Honorary doctorates were given by Pratt Institute, Carnegie Mellon University, Davidson College and Atlanta University, to name but a few. He received the Mayor's Award of Honor for Art and Culture in New York City in 1984 and the National Medal of Arts, presented by President Ronald Reagan, in 1987.

This is the link for the site: http://www.avisca.com/artists_biographies/artists_biographies.htm

Now for some of Mr. Bearden's pieces:



Pittsburgh Memories, 1984



The Piano





The Collage

 

Crochet by Numbers

Greetings,

Once again, as I was searching the web for crochet patterns I ran across this great article about an artist, Todd Paschall, that has developed a technique by crocheting with numbers.  I remember when I was little and there were books in the craft store called painting by numbers.  Read about him and take a look at some of his work.



Todd Paschall is an amazing crochet artist who has developed an equally amazing crochet technique he calls “Crochet by Numbers.” Pictured is one of his pieces, and yes, that is actually made by crocheting with yarn, simple ol’ Red Heart acrylic yarn in fact. On his web site, he has free patterns, a gallery with more fabulous work he and his students have done, and more information about how this method works.
In addition to selling finished work and teaching others his technique, he also creates custom patterns from photos. He has recently set up a group on Ravelry for those who want to learn, share, and of course, get help along the way. When you see his work, you realize how he is not only an artist but an innovator, taking crochet to a level way beyond your typical granny square to say the least!

Here is the link to his site: http://www.crochetbynumbers.com/

Here are some of his pieces....Enjoy!!!



black threads blog

Hello everyone,

I know it has been a while since I posted anything.  I ran across a blog the other day called black threads and wanted to share it with you all.  I am going to post the link and take a look at it.  The mediator is Kyra from Arlington, Va.  Take a look at it.  I am going to post the crochet part of the blog but look around at the other goodies that are on there.


http://blackthreads.blogspot.com/search/label/crochet

Stay creative,

Charmel