kissed by the sun with salt in my hair

What a trip! It was short trip to Croatia but so needed and much loved!

Towns, food and some of our favorite things...

• Moscenicka Draga: A small family friendly town with rocky beaches and fantastic seafood!
  
• Volosko: A quaint fishing town with few tourists and more great seafood! I definitely want to go back to this place. I would love to spend a week here-relaxing, taking on the view and swimming in the sea.
• Prosek: a tasty sweet wine served over ice. Great on a hot day!
• Zagreb: The capital and largest city in Croatia. Great Museums, shopping and nightlife.
  
• The Croatian Museum of Naive Art: I have so much to say about this museum that I will give it a post all of its own. Stay tuned!
• Mirogoj Cemetery: a beautiful cemetery 15 minutes out of the city by bus. Beautiful, calming and quiet.
• Seafood! We ate lots of calamari!
• Ćevapi: a delicious minced meat! Try the Rubelj Grill. They are everywhere and the quality and portions and prices can not be beat!!
  

The seasides of Moscenicka Draga & Volosko

The towns of Moscenicka Draga & VoloskoMirogoj Cemetery: 15 minutes by bus from downtown Zagreb

I lived in Seattle for over 12 years...the longer I am away, the more I see the impression it made on me. I crave salty air, the sound of waves hitting rocks and the attitude I have when I am by the sea. It really changes everything!

can you smell the salt in the air?

By the time this posts I will be laying on the beach smelling the salt air!

Steven and I are heading to Croatia with our friends Ed and Andi. We are going to Zagreb and Moscenicka Draga I am excited to come back with some great inspiring photos! I will be back on September 3! Here is a photo of where I am...

Moscenicka Draga

wet silk

Below are a few photos of me washing the silk after it has been painted. You can see why I was nervous soaking it in water. To my surprise some of the colors didn't come out at all! It is normal for some color to wash out the first time I was the silk. Maybe it the good Hungarian water.

trends I love!

Once a month I head to the magazine shop in the mall and buy my favorite home and fashion magazines. It is an expensive day as magazines in English are $$$$. I could buy American magazines, but why? They cost the same (if not more) than the British ones. And the British magazines are far better for print and pattern!
To give you an idea of cost: British Vogue $12, British Homes and Gardens $13.50. I fortunately have a subscription to Elle Decoration. So, the trip is usually an easy $25-$40 on magazines! It kills me to spend this much but I get so much inspiration from them.

September Elle Decoration has a great article about home trends. I find it so inspiring and right up my ally!! Click on the below image and it will enlarge so you can read it.

artist interview....with me

My friend and fellow surface designer Khristian Howell just posted an interview with me! Check out Parapluis et Soleil for the interview and more about Khristian!

Thank you Khristian!!

cooking silk

After a long holiday weekend here in Hungary, I find myself in need of a vacation. A real vacation! I leave on Friday for Croatia! YEAH! I miss the sea so much. I love living here in Hungary but I crave the salt air! So, for a few days I will swim in the sea and inhale the salty air! I cannot wait!

Back to work and reality....today I cooked and washed my silk! And it looks good. There are many different silk painting products out there and so many methods to setting dyes. I prefer Jacquard silk dyes and products. The colors turn out so vibrant! I did a test with some products I bought locally and they didn't turn out so well. So, I will keep shipping from the USA.

My process for setting the color is a bit lengthy but I find it works best for me. I have combined techniques I have read in books and techniques learned from professional silk painters. It has changed a bit over time, much like a recipe.

If your interested in hearing what my next steps are you can read below...

• I wrap the silk in paper, put it in a black garbage bag and set in in a dark spot for a three days. This gives the dyes time to bind with the silk.
• Next I cook the silk! Well, kind of. I steam the silk on the stove for 1-2 hours. Then I wash it in a chemical solution that ensures the dyes won't run and wash out. This step always makes me a little nervous. I am always waiting for the dyes to wash out and leave me with white fabric. (This has never happened by the way.)
• The next step is a final washing in detergent. I use a detergent like Woolight. Then I hang dry.
  

The whole process takes quit a few hours but the colors always look vibrant! Also, the resist always looks so dirty. After the washings, the white lines are bright white, which helps make the colors look extra happy!

Tomorrow I am heading to the art store to buy stretcher frames. I will stretch a piece of silk and see how it looks! Wish me luck! Photos coming soon....

If you are interested in learning how to silk paint I would highly recommend this book by Susan Louis Moyer. It is a fantastic book with step by step instructions and photos with recommendations on what products to use. I consider this book a silk painters bible.

color inspiration

I recently put togther a color board of inspiration. I really didn't know where it was going when I started. Once I finished I was a little surprised by how much pink I had pinned down. I just love the sea blue with the shades of pink.