I am in love with eccentrics in all their forms.

http://507movements.com/

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Kudos to Matt Keveney for his fantastic animations.

 

Indian Artisans Online

I'm not sure how I feel about this one: http://www.indianartisansonline.com/

While I love the idea that my money would be going to support craftsmanship, I wonder if the act of outsourcing craftsmanship is contributing to keeping artisans in another part of the world getting paid low wages...or at least getting paid fair wages, but in a country whose justice system is handicapped & whose citizens often don't have access to clean water.

In light of this, my question is: if I hire artists directly through a site like this, am I contributing to the problem? While I tend to think not, I can never be too certain & I actively try not to be part of the problem, when social justice is on the line.

I believe that Indian Artisans Online is more like Etsy for Indian artists trying to open themselves up to a new market.

Additionally, how does this globalization impact first-world artisans, trying to make a living through direct sales on Etsy?

Crafting An Oscar

How is the iconic Oscar statuette made? Here's a hint: It's #MadeInAmerica - via ABC World News Tonight with David Muir
Posted by Good Morning America on Thursday, February 19, 2015

Free maps!

Ugh...Embroidery

While trying to find a custom embroidery specialist to do yardage, I discovered how difficult it is to find an embroiderer, who does more than just embroider logos on uniforms.

"...with commercial embroidery created in Asia the likelihood of custom flexibility revolves around large quantities, if they entertain it at all. If you could find a mill that would do it, I could possibly digitize it for you, but I find that most mills will not take digitized files without reinterpreting them, keeping their own workers busy with a chargeable fee for the process."

If the client needed custom printed fabric, I'd go to Peter Fasano.

Even if it were quilting, it'd be easy to find a vendor, since the industry has exploded in size in the past 5 years, but embroidery is another beast.

Meditation on the Nature of Death in Action

Every once in a while, I am struck by the beauty of well-crafted words.


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Kudos to Larry Kirby, WWII veteran, who eloquently defined the nature of the sacrifice of those who gave their lives in action. Thank you for your service.

Green Curtains

As an curtain & interior design professional, with an interest in environmentally friendly living, I was researching living curtains today. Sadly, I can't find the original reference to Li Fan's invention, but I remain impressed by the ability to have indoor living curtains.

For more information on green curtains, check out Kyocera's suggestions on how to grow your own outdoor green curtain.