For your holiday shopping and gift giving---please don't forget to take a look at my Etsy shop for a unique, handmade creations.
An exploration of daily discoveries, travels and an exercise of gratitude for the little things in life that have a great and enduring power. This blog was originally titled poemsandtherapy which evolved into poemsandtherapypilatesandsimpleliving.The current name represents one of my exciting creative pursuit. Hope you checkout my shop at etsy.com/shop/rosalynvintage
Saturday, October 19, 2013
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Why Create and Upcycle?
I had been fine-crafting silk eye pillows, other pillows and origami crafts for three years now. I also upcycled or repurposed fabrics, bottles and dishware just this year. I sell or feature 60 percent of my creations at my Etsy shop named rosalynvintage and 40 percent I give as gift to friends and family.
Why Create?
I had always been antsy and creative--something will catch my imagination and always wondered how much fun would that be. But I had never found the time in my early 30's to nurture my creative endeavor. My energy was focused on achieving professional growth and relationship stability.
One December night I just decided I will make time and started creating my shadowboxes-memory boxes. I know its going to be fun but I had never gauge how much satisfying, calming and engrossing it is.
Now I understand why some experts uses art as therapy. It is definitely so much cheaper than a shrink, as expansive as travelling to places and as challenging as learning a new language. By creating pillows and crafting scarves I also learned how to use a sewing machine, create patterns, start an online store, register a small business, take or make good pictures and use relevant social medias. I had corresponded with people in continental U.S. and as far as New Zealand and London. I follow and being followed by artisans, crafters and Etsians all over the world.
Most of all, I had stopped focusing on people that are causing me problems and had stopped expecting from or hanging out with people that only makes me frustrated. However, being busy with my craft also made me less tolerant to other's inefficiency and other's self-created crisis. I had been more direct to the point and had called a spade a spade in most circumstance with friends and family. Ugh, and they don't really like that. It is sad how we can all be trapped by the need to cover up real issues with food, designer clothes, children, faux-success, air of affluence and religiosity --just to make it all nice--rather than facing our own, genuine process. And it can be very scary too when you look at these people and see that, that is all what is going for them, if they take away the expensive clothes, if children moves away and if success crumbles--they are left with an empty shell. I see these and had learned to just shut my mouth, just mind my own business (that's the thing) and occasionally blog about it.
Why Upcycle?
Call me nostalgic. I am infinitely curious about the history of my vintage finds and how it had spent its function in one place. Thrift stores with a cause to help the unemployed and the environment always draws me in and had been a good place to browse for these forgotten pieces. I usually hunt for silk scarves, silk kimonos and silk neckties. Too often I'll also find craft supplies like bags of buttons, bolts of cotton fabrics, box of unused threads and crafting papers. I usually find pre-loved items, almost in good condition or slightly used with a good energy in it. Then at home, I'll make a space for these new finds, clean it further physically and energetically then use it for my ongoing crafts. Sometimes I'll wait for months for the right timing and inspiration to use this materials. A renewed or salvaged material is reward itself in my crafting. Having it found a new home is always a dream come true.
My youngest sister and I had been checking on each other's stash of supplies and we always ask each other if we are using it or "hoarding" it. There is a fine line and its always good to have someone watching out for your back.
Upcycling had been part of me even before this vernacular went mainstream. As a kid I would use old magazine's glossy ads for my paper doll's clothes and cut colored pages to use in my art projects instead of buying a colored paper. I would also tack old milk boxes into the wall and use it as display holder for pencils and crayons. This drove my dad nuts though. When a school project on recycling came up while I was in fifth grade, my mom taught me how to dye fabrics and that begun mine and my brother's obsession on dyeing jeans and t-shirts in our high school years. We even tie-dyed several t-shirts in early 90's while we listened to Aerosmith.
Nowadays my adventure with upcycling always starts with "Oh, can I reuse this and make it more functional?" Mostly in the pragmatic line of thinking but once in a while I get really inspired and surprises myself.
Holiday Lavender Aromatherapy Gift Set--Silk Eye Pillow and Neck Pillow available at www.etsy.com/shop/rosalynvintage
Why Create?
I had always been antsy and creative--something will catch my imagination and always wondered how much fun would that be. But I had never found the time in my early 30's to nurture my creative endeavor. My energy was focused on achieving professional growth and relationship stability.
One December night I just decided I will make time and started creating my shadowboxes-memory boxes. I know its going to be fun but I had never gauge how much satisfying, calming and engrossing it is.
Now I understand why some experts uses art as therapy. It is definitely so much cheaper than a shrink, as expansive as travelling to places and as challenging as learning a new language. By creating pillows and crafting scarves I also learned how to use a sewing machine, create patterns, start an online store, register a small business, take or make good pictures and use relevant social medias. I had corresponded with people in continental U.S. and as far as New Zealand and London. I follow and being followed by artisans, crafters and Etsians all over the world.
Most of all, I had stopped focusing on people that are causing me problems and had stopped expecting from or hanging out with people that only makes me frustrated. However, being busy with my craft also made me less tolerant to other's inefficiency and other's self-created crisis. I had been more direct to the point and had called a spade a spade in most circumstance with friends and family. Ugh, and they don't really like that. It is sad how we can all be trapped by the need to cover up real issues with food, designer clothes, children, faux-success, air of affluence and religiosity --just to make it all nice--rather than facing our own, genuine process. And it can be very scary too when you look at these people and see that, that is all what is going for them, if they take away the expensive clothes, if children moves away and if success crumbles--they are left with an empty shell. I see these and had learned to just shut my mouth, just mind my own business (that's the thing) and occasionally blog about it.
Why Upcycle?
Call me nostalgic. I am infinitely curious about the history of my vintage finds and how it had spent its function in one place. Thrift stores with a cause to help the unemployed and the environment always draws me in and had been a good place to browse for these forgotten pieces. I usually hunt for silk scarves, silk kimonos and silk neckties. Too often I'll also find craft supplies like bags of buttons, bolts of cotton fabrics, box of unused threads and crafting papers. I usually find pre-loved items, almost in good condition or slightly used with a good energy in it. Then at home, I'll make a space for these new finds, clean it further physically and energetically then use it for my ongoing crafts. Sometimes I'll wait for months for the right timing and inspiration to use this materials. A renewed or salvaged material is reward itself in my crafting. Having it found a new home is always a dream come true.
My youngest sister and I had been checking on each other's stash of supplies and we always ask each other if we are using it or "hoarding" it. There is a fine line and its always good to have someone watching out for your back.
Upcycling had been part of me even before this vernacular went mainstream. As a kid I would use old magazine's glossy ads for my paper doll's clothes and cut colored pages to use in my art projects instead of buying a colored paper. I would also tack old milk boxes into the wall and use it as display holder for pencils and crayons. This drove my dad nuts though. When a school project on recycling came up while I was in fifth grade, my mom taught me how to dye fabrics and that begun mine and my brother's obsession on dyeing jeans and t-shirts in our high school years. We even tie-dyed several t-shirts in early 90's while we listened to Aerosmith.
Nowadays my adventure with upcycling always starts with "Oh, can I reuse this and make it more functional?" Mostly in the pragmatic line of thinking but once in a while I get really inspired and surprises myself.
Holiday Lavender Aromatherapy Gift Set--Silk Eye Pillow and Neck Pillow available at www.etsy.com/shop/rosalynvintage
Sunday, January 27, 2013
1000 views of rosalynvintage shop at etsy
Thank you to all the clicks and views :)
Saturday, November 17, 2012
Why Lavender Silk Pillows?
French lavender fields have been fascinating me for a while, so much so that I started planting lavender around the mountain house. I hope to visit those fields one day but for now its all just a dream. But oh I love the lavender scent. And I thought of having that dream and scent transformed into a tangible, functional and luxurious piece that can be enjoyed in the now.
Hence, the lavender silk pilows. It started with one and my husband who had difficulty sleeping in one position used it, gave me feedback and asked for specific measurements not only to be used as neck pillows but also as body shims, bolster and shoulder stabilizer. Then a friend asked me to custom made lavender silk pillows for her to give as gifts on Holidays of 2011.
Then from that I continued collecting vintage silk scarf, cravat and vintage silk kimono fabrics as well as practice using a sewing machine. I also sourced the best dried lavender flowers and high quality flaxseeds. I experimented on different size and weight of lavender silk pillows. By October this year I'm ready to re-open my rosalynvintage shop at etsy http://www.etsy.com/shop/rosalynvintage?ref=si_shop with my created lavender silk pillows on sale. It carries, lavender eye silk pillows, lavender neck pillows, lavender body pillows and lavender drawer sachets.
Making this craft and sharing it out is very therapeutic from an artist/healer perspective. It is in a way a form of an art/craft therapy as well as my humble share in stimulating the economy. I am proud to say I am a small start up business. Currently I have one Creative Assistant, Melissa who comes once a week, twice a month. We are having fun most of the time while we sush out product labels and packaging, social media usage and fabric choices.
I hope that my pillows will bring a smile and will be of help to anyone who purchase to use it or recieves it as a gift. Its as functional and as luxurious as it is as affordable. After all, it is inspired by a field of dreamy lavender silk flowers that evoke luxurious escape to a faraway place in one breath now.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Leave It As Is
A Little Tip:
So I tried Dynamic view of Blogger for a few days, whew...I'm warning you guys; don't do it to yourself...save yourself from the spike of cortisol (the stress hormone.) First off, it was a hassle to sign back in because there was no sign in or log in button at the new format. I have to be creative to get back in.
Second, the dynamic view has a flipcard where the content viewer of your blog has a choice to select if they want to see your blog in a Magazine style, etc. which is hello? why would you like to subject your viewer/reader to that? Third issue, is actually not about my Blogger account but also under google, I have another blog that I maintain for a dear family member's cybermemorial and an awareness hub, I clicked on g+ to share the hub's content to broader audience but that was a mistake because now this family member's name replaced my name at my gmail account-confusing my family & friends why they are recieving an email from our dearest departed brother and then when they open it, its from me--well that was awkward and disrespectful so deleted the g+ link/access and hopefully all goes back to the way it should be.
Lesson learned, if its not broken don't fix it--I was trying to be up to the pace but now my visceral fat have mutated.
So I tried Dynamic view of Blogger for a few days, whew...I'm warning you guys; don't do it to yourself...save yourself from the spike of cortisol (the stress hormone.) First off, it was a hassle to sign back in because there was no sign in or log in button at the new format. I have to be creative to get back in.
Second, the dynamic view has a flipcard where the content viewer of your blog has a choice to select if they want to see your blog in a Magazine style, etc. which is hello? why would you like to subject your viewer/reader to that? Third issue, is actually not about my Blogger account but also under google, I have another blog that I maintain for a dear family member's cybermemorial and an awareness hub, I clicked on g+ to share the hub's content to broader audience but that was a mistake because now this family member's name replaced my name at my gmail account-confusing my family & friends why they are recieving an email from our dearest departed brother and then when they open it, its from me--well that was awkward and disrespectful so deleted the g+ link/access and hopefully all goes back to the way it should be.
Lesson learned, if its not broken don't fix it--I was trying to be up to the pace but now my visceral fat have mutated.
Monday, October 22, 2012
why rosalynvintage?
rosalynvintage is the name of my re-opened shop at etsy.com, a community of artist and a creative marketplace with amazing handmade & vintage products. I am a member since 2010 and have been researching and playing with my arts & crafts all these time. Last June I started making my lavender pillows again and decided to set up shop at etsy after a warm reception and encouragement from my family and friends. Here are some photo of my featured items.
I must confess, I love silk and lavender. I dream of having a lavender fields one day. I think vintage silk are fab, may it be a vintage silk kimono, vintage silk scarf or cravat or a vintage neckties; they are all fun to create lavender pillows from. They have amazing prints and patterns. It could get pricey but still way much better than those overpriced, commercialized new silk in the fabric store. I would like to imagine that my silk fabrics finds from the thrift stores are well loved pieces and greatly cared for by its previous owner. They could have gone places or to family gatherings with this pieces and now that I have them I can transform it again to its new purpose and glory.
I offer free shipping for local orders (San Francisco) area. Custom made order are welcome, discount is available for orders of 5 pillows or more. If you have questions, ask me here or via my shop or email me at rosalynvintage@gmail.com, I would be happy to hear from you.
Sunday, April 8, 2012
Thank You Adrienne Rich
Your influential prose and poetry had profoundly helped me express the creative turmoil from my teenage years to current adult life. For years of my academic life I wrote poems every night, as form of therapy. All in free verse, as I abhorred the rhymes that mocks my predictable route; school-home-school-home. My poems were dismissed as lackadaisical, undisciplined. I did not care at all. Then one day in the library I found your book, Twenty-One Love Poems and my sister found another book of yours, Contradictions; these brought me comfort and assurance that poems can be as comfortable and fearless as yours. I never looked back.
As an adult, I always comes back to your numerous books of poetry to reconnect to that collective expressions of universal experience by your voice and words. Every time, it is a personal grounding experience and an exploration of possibilities in multiverse. In my daily life as therapist, artist, career & family woman the whirl of tasks and obligations had disintegrated my poetic ability to few words of expletives, leaving me drained and tired. But I know, if I pick up your book and read a poem or two, the day finds a deeper meaning and the morrows shines a hope of civility.
You will be missed and here, in this obscured spot and humble existence; I just want to say how grateful I am you wrote those poems, you powered through your life and you taught me courage through your works.
XVII
" No one's fated or doomed to love anyone.
The accidents happen, we're not heroines,
they happen in our lives, like car crashes,
books that change us, neighborhoods
we move into and come to love..."
- Excerpt from Adrienne Rich's Twenty-One Love Poems
Acknowledgments:
Photo of Ms. Rich by Corbis from www.autostraddle.com
Excerpt of Twenty-One Love Poems XVII ; Adrienne Rich's Poetry & Prose, Gelpi et al, W.W. Norton & Company, New York, c 1993 p.84
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