A january update

January 20th, 2012 Posted in baby love, henna, island living
No Comments

Its January. Time is flying! High season is flowing through and I am back at maho doing henna on Mondays and Wednesdays, which I adore. It is so fun to hang out there and doodle on people. Maho has the coolest tourists ever! It is fun to have that social element to an art, because otherwise i am alone doing it. It is an interesting way to hang out with people. Usually when I am Driving down from the mountain to go to Maho, I find myself inspired and so grateful to love my job so much (there is also a sense of freedom to be baby-free for a few hours). It is nice to know work can be like that. here are some photos of some island inspired maho henna’s:

Meanwhile, I am finding time here and there to sew prayer flags in my fabulous studio in the loft, where i enjoy being messy and throwing scraps on the floor. i love feeling so perched up on top of the top of the island in the middle of the ocean when i am up there (which we are). The breeze is inspiring too. It feels like I am getting energies from other parts of the world in the wind, that makes me feel more connected to the world, rather than stuck on a small island, which can be the case sometime.

i am selling my prayer flags and recent batch of batiks at now & zen in cruz bay at warfside village and in coral bay at now & zen and full moon cafe. my greeting cards are also available there as well as at the maho bay general store.

I am also in the process of switching my greeting card printer to one who offers recycled paper, which is very exciting, but means a lot of time in front of the computer. I have been drawin some new cards to add to the bunch. i feel sometimes like a butterfly fluttering from one project to another and sometimes. i will start with a thought process such ass: i need to order more cards>i need to find a printer who uses recycled paper>i want to make more cards!>and a rubber stamp>and notebooks… the further in you go, the bigger it gets (and perhaps no turning back) one tangent leads to another.. and eventually i just want to lay on the earth and be in silence. being in silence is a very important part of  healthy brain functioning for me and i am feeling like i need to do more of it.

one of my new years resolutions is to finish my unfinished projects. My list of unfinished personal projects include: (on island time) holiday cards, Christmas presents, brians year bday quilt, and a mini tipi for brian. Ah life, my list is always growing and time is always shortening, its silly. sometimes when i do find a moment, i feel rushed because I have a long overwhelming list of projects I want to do and feel like i don’t  have the time to do them, but then i like to listen to a little deepak chopra or eckart tolle audio book while working to remind me to be present in the moment.

i am thankful that a lot of people remind me that my son will only be young once and I should not worry about getting too much done, but rather enjoy my time with him. he really is so fun to hang out with and it is amazing to watch him grow. Being a good parent may be the most important job in the world. So, with that in mind, I let go of all my projects and go on adventures with him everyday. We usually go to the beach, where he can run free in the most amazing playground I can imagine. It is safe, clean, beautiful, dynamic, relaxing, inspiring, colorful, healing, and the ocean puts him to sleep so effortlessly. It is a magical gift!  We also go for little hikes in the national park and hang out with our amazing little friends (and great mamas).

 

I am so thankful for the nature we get to adventure in everyday. i think it is a cool environment for him to learn first about life in. i know when he gets older, this island will grow small for him, but right now it is a fun place to grow! and be.

 

, , , , ,
Read More

Boat studio

January 20th, 2012 Posted in Uncategorized
No Comments

When we lived on a boat this was what my painting sessions looked like. It was interesting to try and keep a steady hand with a rocky boat. Living on a small boat has really helped me to really appreciate space. now I feel like we live in a palace! Pics of our new spot to come ( fingers crossed this goes through)

Read More

an inspiring day in vientiene

October 18th, 2011 Posted in Uncategorized
No Comments

i came across this page out of my journal from a few years back in laos. this day was really inspiring one.

a day in vientien

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the light from everyone’s candle came from one first flame. whenever my candle went out, i turned to the person next to me for a relight and shared a smile.  it was like a moving river of light around this temple. i loved the festivities at the temple so much that i later made a holiday card inspired by it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared.” (buddha)

, ,
Read More

the batik process

September 21st, 2011 Posted in batik
No Comments

Here are some photos from this past few weeks when Avi and I got busy making some batik! It was the first time since our little Buddha was born, and it was really exciting to get to doodle Again with wax. ( thanks to Grammy and grandpa for hanging with Brian)

Ok so here is the wax heated up in an electric wok I picked up at the most fabulous thrift store in heber, Utah. It is a combination of paraffin and beeswax.

20110921-093848.jpg

Once the wax is melted, I paint it on to clean ironed fabric in a design.

20110921-094046.jpg

The wax cools and seals itself around the fibers where I paint it. It is easiest to see it when you hold it up to the light. The lighter lines is the cooled wax.

20110921-094139.jpg

Once the waxing is done, Avi is mixing the dye while the fabric soaks in a soda ash solution. This allows the fibers to open up and become one with the dye.

20110921-094718.jpg

Then, the dye is applied to the fabric.

20110921-094517.jpg

The fibers that are coated by the wax remain in the original color of the shirt, while the rest takes on the new color.

20110921-095833.jpg

We leave the fabric soaking in dye overnight before we rinse out excess dye. Then the fabric is submerged in boiling water to melt the wax out and set the dye.

20110921-100147.jpg

Then The fabric is rinsed in cold water. This solidifies any bits of melted wax left on the fabric and rinses them off.

20110921-100723.jpg

Here is Avi brushing off the last bits of wax from the fabric revealing the design.

20110921-100946.jpg

Tadaaa!

20110921-101122.jpg

After this process us complete, the fabrics are washed and dried in the machine and we rejoice!!!

, ,
Read More

Summertime fun

August 31st, 2011 Posted in baby love, batik
No Comments

20110831-080123.jpg

Here is a glimpse from our summer hangout at my mom’s in Massachusetts . We have been visiting with family, having some adventures, and doing some batik. Here brian is sporting one of my favorites, which was inspired by petroglyphs of southern Utah. The neighbors have a huge collection of toys, which keep b busy with Grammy & gramps while I get some long awaited projects done.
Love and gorgeous weather from new England, caro

Read More

party hats

June 15th, 2011 Posted in Uncategorized
No Comments

hello again!

it has been a couple months since i have checked in here. time is flying! we have moved to a lovely new spot on top of the mountain, and have been busy settling in and having fun. my most fun recent creative adventure was home made party hats for my little brian’s first birthday. bi wanted to use watercolor paper, but ran out, so i painted the back side of posterboard with watercolor paints instead. i ripped up little pieces of batik scraps for the tassles, cut a little hole in the center top, wrapped it around my ttassle and closed it with scotch tape. i secured some elastic string to the sides for a chin stap and wa la!  party hats!

Read More

one love flags

April 12th, 2011 Posted in batik, island living
No Comments

this photo is from december when my mom came to visit. she came to play with brian so i could get some sewing done (thanks mom!). here, brian is blessing the one love flags with his peace wand, which also doubles as a chew toy for teething relief, before they were sewn into sets. he was very good at generating the love and peace needed to infuse the fabric with before they are sent off to spread in another place.  i still have a select few left from this batch for sale in my etsy shop (by clicking here) and will be making more this summer when we get our new studio up and running.

love, carolyn

, , , , , ,
Read More

our little shack

April 11th, 2011 Posted in inspiration, island living
No Comments

this is the entrance to the magic cottage we have called home for the last year. we moved here from sweetwater, avi’s boat, when i was about 6 months pregnant.  i was starting to go a little bit boat crazy from all of the swells that were rolling into the bay last winter and i was seriously craving some solid ground. we felt lucky to stumble upon this shack. it was the perfect enchanted spot to land on land. we were so inspired by it that we didn’t dwell on how much we missed the boat life.


we are currently savoring our last few weeks living here as we will be moving on at the end of the month (luckily to another great spot). the things i will miss about it here include (in no particular order): the abundant aloe vera garden; the outside kitchen; washing dishes in front of a big grandfather cactus;a great view of the sunrise over coral bay to keep me company while feeding brian early morning in from bed;  the adorable steps down to the house with lots of little touches like heart shaped coral; the tribe of hummingbirds that live here: watching them feeding at the hibiscus flowers while in the
bathroom; the huge screen windows that make me feel like i am outside even when inside; the covered deck in the rain; the hammock that rocks our little baby to sleep; watching the lovely view (made even wider from hurricane earl); the feeling of being in a treehouse; the cozy smallness of being in a cottage.

i am happy to say though that we do have a lot to look forward to in our new magic spot: more space, an inspiring baby-friendly house; being on top of the mountain, passionfruit, garden space, lots of great neighbors, a cool breeze, outside fireplace, amazing view through tall trees, lots of positive vibrations flowing round. no trucks honking their horns while turning the corner nearby really loud while my baby is napping. and, i am very excited for crafting space! i look forward to being able to start a project and then not have to clean it up before bed (making a mess and shutting the door). yes! we are looking forward to the next phase :) more to come!

lots of love and happy days, carolyn



, , ,
Read More

the sword the tree the stone and the water

April 9th, 2011 Posted in inspiration
No Comments

here is one of my favorite stories. it has come up today in context of the overwhelming powers that be, and i thought i would share it here.  it comes from the zapatista revolution..

The Story of the Sword, the Tree, the Stone and the Water
Old Antonio chewed at the pipe. He chewed the words and gave them form and meaning. Old Antonio spoke, and the rain stopped to listen and the water and the darkness rested.
“Our oldest ancestors had to confront the stranger who came to conquer these lands. The strangers came to give us other ways, other words, other beliefs, other gods and another justice. It was his justice only so that he could have it and strip us of ours. Gold was his god. His superiority was his belief. Lies were his words. Cruelty was his way. Ours, the greatest fighters fought them, there were great battles between the aboriginal of these lands to defend the land from the foreigner’s hand. But great also were the forces that the foreign hand brought. Great and good soldiers fell fighting and died.
“The battles continued; there were few warriors left, and the women and the children took up the arms of those who fell.

“So, the wisest of the ancestors met and told the story of the sword, the tree, of the rock and the water. They told of the olden times and that far away in the mountains things that men need to work and defend themselves were brought together. The gods went around as it was their custom to do, which is to say that they were sleepy because the gods who were not the most powerful gods —those who birthed the world,  the first ones— were very lazy. It was the man and the woman spending their physical energies and growing in heart in one corner of the dawn. The night was silent. It was quiet because it knew that it had little time left. And so the sword spoke.
“A sword like this,” Old Antonio stopped and brandished a two-edged machete. The light of the fire created some sparks, just an instant, then the dark returned.Then Old Antonio continued: “So the sword spoke and said:
‘I am the strongest and I can destroy everything. My edge cuts and I give power to theperson who takes me and death to those who confront me.’
‘Liar!’ said the tree. ‘I am the strongest, I have  resisted the wind and the most
ferocious torment.’“The sword and the tree fought. The sword fought strong and hard, and confronted the sword. The sword struck and struck until it had chopped the trunk and felled the tree.
‘I am the strongest,’ the sword said again.
‘Liar!’ said the stone. ‘I am stronger because I am hard and old, I am heavy and full.’ “And so the sword and the stone fought. The stone fought hard and strong and confronted the sword. The sword beat and beat and could not destroy the stone but it broke it into many pieces. The sword was left without a sharp edge and the stone was in many small pieces.”
‘It is a draw!’ the sword and the stone said and the two cried because of the futility of their battle.
“Meanwhile, the water in the water in the arroyo only watched the battle and said nothing. The sword looked at it and said: ‘You are the weakest of all! You can’t do anything  to anyone! I am stronger than you!’ and the sword attacked the water in the ditch  with great force. It made a great scandal and noise; it shocked the fish and the water did not resist the blow of the sword.
“Little by little, without saying anything, the water returned to its original form, enveloping the sword. And it continued its path to the river that would take it to the great body of water that the gods made to heal their thirst.
“Time passed and the sword in the water began to grow old and rust, losing its edge, and the fish came near it without being afraid and made fun of it. With shame the sword withdrew from the water in the arroyo. Without an edge and defeated, it complained: I am stronger than it, but I couldn’t hurt it, and it, without fighting, has beaten me!

“The dawn passed and the sun came to wake up the man and the woman who had slept together in order to renew themselves. The man and the woman found the sword in a dark corner, with the stone in pieces, the tree felled and the water in the ditch singing…
“The ancestors ended the telling of the history of the sword, the tree, the stone and the water and said:
‘There are times when we have to fight like we were the sword in the face of the animal; there are times when we have to fight like the tree in the face of the torment; there are times when we have to fight like stones in the face of time. But there are times when we have to fight like the water in the face of the sword, the tree and the stone. This is the hour to make ourselves like the water and to continue our path to the river which will take us to the great water where the great gods soothe their thirst, those who birthed
the world, the first ones.’

“That’s what our ancestors did,” said old Antonio. “They resisted like the water resisted the most fierce blows. The stranger came with his force, surprising all the weak ones, thinking that he had won and in time he started to become old and rusty. The stranger ended up in a dark corner full of shame and without understanding why, if he had won, he ended up lost.”
Old Antonio again lit his pipe and the firewood and added: “That’s how our oldest and wisest ancestors won the great war against the stranger. The stranger left. We are here, like the water in the arroyo, we continue to go towards the river that has to take us to the great water that soothes the thirst of the greatest gods, those who birthed the world, the first ones…”

,
Read More

island spirit flags

April 9th, 2011 Posted in batik, inspiration
1 Comment »

here is a picture of my island spirit flags hanging on my porch. you can see coral bay sunset in the backround (that are now available in my etsy shop).

i started making these flags while working as a artist at the textile department in the recycled art center of maho bay camps a few years ago. we were taking the old sheets, batiking them and sewing them into creations to sell in the gallery. since we had to cut around rips and stains in the sheets, we were oftentimes left with a lot of little scraps to work with.

it so happened that i had been thinking of making prayer flags for some years since getting inspired by their concept while hiking through the mountains of nepal. actually, all of the artwork of tibetan buddhism inspired me. it is so colorful and fun while telling stories of enlightenment through cosmic dramas, celebrating impermanence and beautiful scenery.  i also liked how artists remained nameless and claimed no ownership to the art that flowed through them and related to making art as a meditation.

i also remember a teacher at kripalu yoga center telling me the indian story of the elements. it went something like this: first there was just god in the universe…but then he became lonely and decided he wanted something else. in the moment he thought it(naturally, because he is god), “else” came into existence, which was space. then there became movement through space, which was wind. the movement of wind creates friction, which makes fire. fire condensed into water and water solidified into earth.

i once read about the meaning of the tibetan prayer flags. there are always 5 in a set, each representing one of these elements, which represent different aspects of creation. there are certain symbols and mantras printed on the different flags to bring particular energies to the element that flag represents, to then spread out into the world.  the idea is that as the wind passes through them, it releases the prayers upon them. I decided to make my island flags inspired by the elements of the islands..

Space (ether): white fluffy cloud parades drift through blue space.
Wind (air): a purple sailboat harnesses the wind in perfect balance to move through space.
Fire: the sun is shining!
Water: polka dotted turtles and schools of fish swim round in spiralling waters
Earth: Coconut palms and green gumdrop islands rise up from the turquoise sea.

each design is hand-painted with hot wax onto recycled cotton. then, the fabric is dyed and rinsed and the wax boiled out. then, they are sewn onto strings so we can hang them where the wind can reach and release the island vibes.

did i mention, babies love them? here is my little beloved babe helping me to raising them up:

may all beings be happy!


, , , , , , , , , , ,
Read More
Older Entries