tea for two

Mad Hatter: Would you like a little more tea?

Alice: Well, I haven't had any yet, so I can't very well take more.

March Hare: Ah, you mean you can't very well take less.

Mad Hatter: Yes. You can always take more than nothing.

charming Kata Golda tea sets here

the solution

'Women hold up half the sky' ~Chinese saying

A recent New York Times magazine dedicates nearly every spread to the crucial and 'seminal moral challenge of our time.' Carefully detailed here and here. And captured in a book by Pulitzer Prize winner authors Nicholas Kristof and his wife, Sheryl WuDunn, called 'Half the Sky - Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide'. This powerful call to action surely merits our attention as the authors suggest 'The oppression of women worldwide is the human rights cause of our time. And their liberation could help solve many of the world's problems, from poverty to child mortality to terrorism...'The world is awakening to a powerful truth: Women and girls aren't the problem; they're the solution.'

The numbers, from 08.23.09 edition of The New York Times Magazine:

100 Million women and girls are missing around the world
because of gender discrimination

2100 women die in childbirth for every 100,000 live births
in Sierra Leone

5000 women die a year in honor killings, the majority in the Muslim world,
according to U.N. estimates

1 percent of the world's landowners are women

21 percent of young women surveyed in Ghana reported that their
sexual initiation was by rape

130 Million women around the world have been subjected to genital cutting

39,000 baby girls died annually in China because parents didn't give
the same medical care

1 bride is burned almost every two hours in India - punishment for
an inadequate dowry or to make way for another wife

Please take a moment to investigate and consider this monumental issue. And, yes there are ways to help from across the globe via impossibly different circumstance.

understated

The 'statement' necklace for me says, timeless simplicity, delicate form, natural materials and well...understated. The bauble that tempts a closer look, a light stroke of the fingertip, a feminine drape and dangle, with a slightly raw handmade appeal. I've fallen in love with the work of lauren haupt who embodies these elements in her sculptural wares. Her interview here, speaks of 'creating art as a free pass to express herself' and by doing so she 'can share these little tangible expressions with others'. Beautifully said. Lauren's process is always informed by the world that surrounds her, and her hands rather than head, lead the way in creating, a fluid 'happening'. Her forms echo the process as ascending wings, droplets of rain and feathering leaves are captured in metals and wood. Understated with loads to say, her pieces wear well for all occasions and enhance the most dreamy of décolleté.

waste-not wares

Lovingly made of our organic and vintage scraps. Festive garland, approx 12 feet in length, stitched in red on cotton twill ribbon. Petit mouton, simple forms made of snuggly soft sherpa for all ages. The same warm sherpa drapes and bundles into lettuce-edged, contrast-stitched blankets. And mangle cloth satchels gently remind us to 'gather' found treasures, in small drawstring pouches or larger over the shoulder market style bags.

Happy weekend. And kindest thanks to Pia for featuring my autumn collection. Your space is a dream and I'm thrilled to be mentioned.

latest and layered

We’re happy to offer new and newly adorned pieces to complement our collection, created with care in small editions of organic and vintage fabrics, handsewn in the US. Natural hues, generous fit, lush texture and simple forms span the seasons, layer upon layer. And introducing, waste-not wares thoughtfully created to make use of our lovely scraps of 100% organic cottons and vintage fabrics. kind design worth handing down
In the shop or feel free to contact me at inquire@periwinklebloom.com.
warmest thanks to greg rannells photography and quintessential antiques

We are proud to participate in the nonprofit organization, Nest, which helps to provide microfinance loans to women artisans in the developing world. A percentage of all our sales will support this wonderful effort.

fading summer scent

Everything about this is a delicious dream. I can almost taste it!
Can't summer linger a tad bit longer?

tag

I've been tagged by the lovely Lotta of inleaf design and am happy to play a good game. A nice way to begin the holiday weekend, relaxing and honoring our collaborative labor. Hmmm, ten bits of minutia about me...

1. I was tagged long ago by Sharon and have this post to share from Spring of '08 regarding my small biz. Still a very slow labor of love.

2. I tend to overcommit and yet thrive on the chaos of it. I work best in whirlwinds but they aren't really settling. I'm a 'grass is greener' kind of person and always wishing I could learn to just be fully present. This all relates, yes?

3. I typically have three or four books going at a time and often don't finish them entirely. I do however love to read the Sunday Times in full with a big cappuccino.

4. I have a nest of curly hair that I have battled my whole life. Big apologies to my close girlfriends for enduring the drama.

5. I have weakness for the plight of baby harpseals and collected money around my neighborhood as a child to send to Jimmy Carter. I guess I thought he was in charge of all things at the time.

6. I hoard Japanese paper and vintage fabric with very good intentions of creating fabulous things for my home and friends'. Sigh, perhaps when my child leaves for college.

7. I love Mexican food and Latin guitar and wish I could speak Spanish.

8. I have a small handful of dear friends who make me buckle over in laughter (some for nearly 30+ years). You know who you are and you are essential to my well being.

9. I eat loads of honey (thank you, Greg).

10. And because I set out for this to be a business space of musings and news, I'm excited to announce I'm in a lovely new shop in Germany, Line + Liv. Updated collection online next week as well!

If you'd like to play, 'tag' you're it: Sharon, Mrs.French, Danica, Kristina and Julia.

'little guy' snuggled in periwinklebloom chambray gathered dress with bucket pocket

'more like a sculptor'

Heavenly bodies created by Sandra Backlund who investigates the human figure and reshapes the silhouette. Her work is rooted in basic handicraft, weaving and sculpting, then manifests in fantastical form. These bodies are 'built', sculpted versus tailored, and result in incredible transformation well beyond fashion industry par. The pageantry of her pieces is stunning, simple craft and high drama completely intertwined. A new cocoon, a skin of sorts, Backlund nearly creates another form of life. Ah, the burden of Pygmalion's plight.

'birdie parade'

Brilliant. A magical venue for children and their naturally clever penchant for story-telling. The rambling process of intertwining fantastical characters en route, you can count on a child to open your world. I'm often in awe of the mysterious details and endless winding in and out of scenes. Where does this go? This uninhibited journey of tall tales to anyone who will listen, 'authentic spontaneous imaginative play'. 'Birdie parades' and 'shadows' captured here by Little Creatures films, discovered via small magazine. Kristin B. Eno collaborates with young children and curious objects to prompt this world, 'unscripted and organic'. Described as 'poetic narratives [which] serve to archive “lost moments” of childhood and raise questions about the interconnectedness of all people, children’s thought-processes and relationship to the natural world, and the potential of children and adults to make art together', Eno has tapped into a treasure to be sure.

cub

A whimsical French atelier of sorts here full of sweet treasures.