Everybody Loves A Deal

I know I do!

I'm having an impromptu sale on certain silks this weekend. Those certain silks would be the silk wraps (22" x 72") and silk dance veils. I'm feeling like a lucky number 7 today, so I'm taking $7 off these silks. I'll even call it my Lucky Number Seven Sale!

Anyways, drop on by today (or this weekend) and check them out. The sale price will be reflected in the listing price.

Escape To Exuma

If only I could escape right now. Only two days into my "me time" and I've already been pushed off the wagon! Didn't get any me time today and my head's about ready to explode . . . and I cannot find even a smidgen of chocolate in this house.

Tomorrow, I'm doubling up on my me time. Enough about me.

How about a little look at one of my newest silks? I call her Escape To Exuma, and if you read about her [click on the picture] you'll know why! Basically, the colors of the silk remind me of my little adventure there several years ago. Unfortunately it was not for vacation, but for work -- a site inspection for a reality based travel adventure. Wow, those were the days. Back in the day, I was heavily into (meaning work that I loved) the incentive travel industry.

I wish I could find a way to combine that dream job with my current love (and life) of silk painting. That would be my utopia!

Coming Up For a Bit of Air . . .

. . . and to show you a new silk (crepe de chine) scarf! You can check her out, in all her yumminess [is that even a word?] when you visit her on Etsy. Just click on the picture!

Also, be on the lookout for some older silk scarves going on SALE. You'll find them in the 'On Sale' section in my Etsy shop. The scarves will be listed starting Thursday, July 9.

She'll Go Anywhere With You

Just sharing some photos of my newest listing, Tropical Reef. I was very happy with how this one turned out. The colors - coralish red, golden tangerine and rosy pink - are super brilliant in the sunshine. You can click over to my Etsy shop (expressionsinsilk) for more photos and more info.

She is a hand painted silk sarong that will go with you most anywhere. She loves to go to the beach because she knows she looks smoking hot . . . and she loves to be stared at! She'll even go to the pool with you, but she doesn't like to get it. Chlorine and other chemicals are deadly to her.

She loves nothing more than wrapping herself around you (as a dress or skirt) and going out on the town. Whether it's dancing or shopping, she'll have a blast. She not all about the wild nightlife. She also loves to compliment your little black dress by draping herself around your shoulders, and spending a quiet evening with that special someone or close friends.

Sometimes she just likes to hang out at home, preferably decorating a piece of furniture or a blank wall.

A Little Ray of Sunshine

I thought I would share A Little Ray of Sunshine with everyone. Here (on the far left) she is while she was still drying. I used a muscadine wine in the center and faded out to a sunset orange and golden yellow.

Then I drew (with salt) a half sun on each end with some flaming rays. The idea was for the half suns to make one full sun. When you wear it, you'll be carrying around your own ray of sunshine!

By Saturday she was dry, so I steamed her along with several other silks. They all came through the steamer with no mishaps. Sometimes steaming is a "hold your breath and hope for the best" step in silk painting.

Yesterday, I was able to get a lot of silks photographed. The sun and lighting was just perfect! I hope to get her listed in my Etsy shop this afternoon.

Now, I'm plotting my next silk scarf. Do you think anybody will wear a lizard or a fish???

A Work in Progress

Showing one of the scarves I painted today. It's a crepe de chine silk scarf in some bold shades of deep turquoise and deep fuchsia with a butterfly design. As you can see, it still stretched out and drying. Hopefully it will be ready for the steamer by the end of the week, and will hit my Etsy shop next week.

So, what did you do today?

Enflamed

No, not me, but my new silk crepe de chine scarf. I got some sunshine today and was able to get a few silks photographed.

One of the ones photographed is Enflamed. She is a coppery coral, and I think she's "flaming fantastic"! Of course, I'm biased because I painted her and I love copper colors. You can see more pictures of her in my Etsy shop.

This is silk crepe de chine, a very popular silk for scarves. Crepe de chine has a luxurious texture and a very soft and graceful drape. It doesn't have a super smooth texture like charmeuse or habotai, but a slightly "sanded" or "sandwashed" texture. If you've never tried a crepe de chine scarf (or crepe de chine anything), you don't know what you're missing!

FindIt Friday!

My sister and I put our brains together and decided to hosting a 'scavenger' hunt in our shops as a way of promotion. We decided to call it "FindIt Friday" because we think it's a catchy phrase, plus who doesn't love a little alliteration. Both of us have selected 5 items in our shop - that's 5 in her shop and 5 in my shop - that have a hidden phrase within the item's description. That hidden phrase is -- drum roll please -- "ʎɐpıɹɟ ʇıpuıɟ".

If you find the phrase AND you love the item AND you purchase the item, you'll get that item for 50% off! This scavenger hunt (promotion) starts today at 7 am (about 30 minutes ago) and ends at 7 pm tonight (that's Eastern Time).

So, how do you get you item for half off? Just add the item to your shopping cart and check out. Then, select 'other' for payment and place the phrase "FindIt Friday" in the note to seller (see no extra emails or convos to send). We'll then send you a PayPal invoice that reflects your 50% discount.

So, what are you waiting for . . . start hunting!

http://www.expressionsinsilk.etsy.com http://www.TheBeadedEdge.etsy.com

Strawberries, Muscadine & Bluebirds

I'm noshing on some strawberries as I write today. Chocolate was my first choice, but I decided on the healthier snack - fresh strawberries. I like my strawberries one way - straight from the field. Not smothered in sugar, or baked in pies, or in dumplings, or snuggled up to pound cake. Just plain strawberries with their natural sweetness. But this little batch (from the local fruit market) is extremely tart. I may have to search some chocolate out, after all.

Today I listed Muscadine. She's . . . unique. Her colors are a deep magenta and deep sapphire that appears almost purplish in some areas. I had a bit of an adventure while photographing her (and some others) this morning.

As I've mentioned before, I photograph my silks outside. I set up Daisy (she's my "model") in a prime location to take advantage of the extremely overcast morning sky. It just happened to be right by a bluebird house. (We have three bluebird houses around throughout the yard, and each have about 2 or 3 families raised each spring and early summer.)

I enjoy having them around. They're fun to watch and they eat bugs. I think they just tolerate us because the houses are such prime real estate :D They don't appreciate anyone hanging out around their homes, but sometimes it's necessary. They always show their displeasure by dive bombing me. I snapped a couple of shots as they went in and out of their home. They are so darn cute!

Well, it's back to Etsy. I need to list one more scarf. It's actually a relist. She is a silk and wool blend scarf that is a great mix of blues. Plus, she's on sale!

I'm So Easy

Well, I'm half way thru the week and there are several things on my 'to-do' list that is still not done. It's not that I'm procrastinating, I just had a really ambitious list to begin with (that's my story and I'm sticking to it). One thing that must be done by the end of next week: my wholesale price list. It's 99% done, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem to get it finished and sent out.

My problem is that I'm so easy! After my everyday routine of painting and managing my Etsy shop, I have time allocated to work on other business such as my wholesale price list. But, if I'm invited to lunch, or I hear the dog barking (begging for a walk), or any other fun distraction comes my way . . . well, let's just say I'm easily talked into the fun stuff!

Right now, more fun stuff is whispering in my ear. And since it's getting dark . . . after all, there is tomorrow . . .

The Sunny Side

I can't help but smile when I see yellow. I guess that's why I consider it my happy color. Paired with turquoise, it's just one big happy smile :D

I painted The Sunny Side a little over a week ago. Because I could not decide what to name her, I held her back from listing in Etsy. Today, the name just popped into my head. I think it might be because it's such a dreary and rainy day.

She is a flub (a silk that doesn't pass my quality control because of dye/paint errors or hemming errors). In this case, she is discounted because there are a few dropped stitches on the hem (machine rolled hem). I could fiddle around with the serger and fix it, but there is just too much to be done and not enough hours in the day. If you love silk scarves - especially in yellow, turquoise and cyan - then this is your lucky day!

Check her out at http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=24644645

The Spider Irises are in bloom! It's one of my favorite flowers, and it's the most beautiful shade of purple. I snapped this shot this afternoon when I finished photographing some jewelry for my sister. Last spring, I painted a silk scarf in this purple with some foliage green. It was awesome . . . I know, I'm biased!

Purple and green are two colors that I enjoy combining on silk. Every shade from a blue purple and kelly green to a red-purple (magenta) and emerald, it is a popular color combination and sells quickly. Although my all-time favorite color is turquoise, I love purple and green, too. One of my favorite combinations is turquoise, purple and kelly green - I even made it my company colors. Another favorite color combination is turquoise and sunshine yellow, but that's another story.

Now that my silk has arrived, I think I'll put the color combo on my to-do list!

I'm no expert . . .

. . . but I'm helping my sister get her Etsy shop spruced up. Mainly, I'm taking photos of all the jewelry. I spent about 4 hours yesterday afternoon (after I got The Playhouse cleaned and ready for Saturday) photographing various pieces. As I said, I'm no expert. But I think some of the pictures turned out Etsy-worthy.

Here is one of my "artistic" attempts. I personally like it, but the question is - will anyone else like it enough to buy it? And, yes, there will be 4 other photos with it showing the entire bracelet. Now, I just need to get them all downloaded from the camera and listed on Etsy.

Photographing jewelry is very different from photographing silk. Over the years, I've developed a 'look' with my silk that I'm pleased with (currently, anyways). I do not photograph my silks inside. I prefer the natural beauty that natural light gives the silk. I just cannot achieve that inside or with artificial light.

So, this is what I did for the jewelry for my sister's shop. I went outside. My sister and I tried the light box method, but only 1 of about 20 shots would be usable. When I use the beauty and light that God provides, then I start getting results I like. Hopefully, my sister will like them, too. I haven't let her see them yet. Once I get them listed on her Etsy shop, I'll share them with her. They always say it's easier to ask for forgiveness than permission . . .

Only 4 Available

With my silk to arriving next week, I am offering 4 silks at a deep discount. There are only 4 silks that will be available. They are . . .

Silk Habotai Scarf, 11" x 60" - $17.50
Silk Crepe de Chine Scarf, 11" x 60" - $19.60
Silk Charmeuse Scarf, 11" x 60" - $21.70
Silk Habotai Sarong, 45" x 72" - $31.50

The sizes are approximate. Silk tends to shrink a bit when it goes through the steaming process. The color of your silk will be your choice, along with the design/technique. The only exception is the hand drawn designs using resist. Those take much longer to paint and process.

Here are the rules:

• Only 1 silk per person
• Payment must be made at the time of your commitment
• Turnaround time for your silk will be approximately 2 weeks
• Each silk is on a first-come, first-serve basis
• Email me at expressions_in_silk@yahoo.com to reserve a silk (or you can convo me thru etsy)
• Making a comment here does not reserve your silk!
• Shipping is extra - USPS First Class
• If you purchase an item listed in my Etsy shop (http://www.expressionsinsilk.etsy.com/) at the same time you reserve a silk, shipping will be FREE

I think I've covered everything. Get yours before they're gone!

-sonya

To Keep or Not To Keep

I thought I would share one of my babies. This one is a favorite because of the colors. I simply love the color turquoise. I especially like it paired with kelly green and purple (I can hear the cries of 'yuk' but I like it). Now, the decision has to be made whether to keep it all to myself . . . or list it to sell. Decisions, decisions.

Well, enough wasting time. I've got a piles of silk scarves that need to be steamed. But, first I need to make a detour to the kitchen and try some of that Chocolate Pound Cake I made earlier. It's my dad's birthday, so I made his favorite cake early this morning. Now, the warm chocolate aroma is luring me to the kitchen. I'm such a chocolate slut . . .

Springtini

With the feel of Spring in the air (yay!), I decided to paint a silk in springy colors. Now I know some people don't like this shade of green, but I personally love it. Makes me think of Granny Smith apples . . . and that I would love some apple pie. Yum! Oops, I'm off track . . .

Anyways, I am happy with my colors on this scarf, but unhappy that it turned out a flub. A flub is one of my silks that has a dye error, and they are sold at a discount. Take a look at her in the store.

One Lazy Weekend

I spent my entire weekend being lazy. That would be Lazy with a capital "L." I had grand ideas that I would get a lot done over the weekend, but my lazy gene took over. Girl's gotta have a day (or two) off once in a while. What altered my oh-so-grand plans was a visit from my aunt and uncle Saturday morning. They were on their way out of town and need a refresher course on how to use their digital camera. Well, six hours later, I think they mastered some basics.

After that bit of fun, I desperately need a break. So, I'm off to hike the trails, but really feel I should paint at least one silk before I go. Something I learned about 20 years ago, but always think it doesn't apply to me -- never paint a silk quickly and expect it turn out like you want! I was aiming for a tropical rainbow, but it fell short (no purple). Crap! It's still pretty and vibrant, but a little dysfunctional as a rainbow.

Now, I need that break more than ever. So, I tug on my hiking boots, grab the dog and we're off. One thing that Mac loves is running free, especially with a stick. Here he is posing before we head out -- okay, he's really peeing, but with the tall grass you can't really tell. We had a blast. It's always relaxing when I'm around him. No matter how stressed I am, he can always make me smile. Here he is relaxing with one of his sticks after a great hike. We repeated the hike on Sunday afternoon. What a great way to spend Easter!

After a lazy weekend, it's hard to get back into the swing of life. Of course, it doesn't help that it's a rainy, dreary day. Maybe I need to take a dog break . . . Mac loves to hike in the rain . . .

Rainbow

Who doesn't love a rainbow? I know I do! They're colorful and bright and go with just about anything you own.

Over the years, I've tried different rainbows. With some, I used primary colors only and let the colors mix on the silk. With others, I pre-mixed all my colors before painting on the silk.

Some rainbows I've done in the past are non-traditional. One rainbow used earth-toned colors (rust, teal, gold) to create an autumn rainbow. To the left shows my tropical rainbow, where I used turquoise, hot pink, and sunshine yellow. I will say, this rainbow is probably my favorite. There is something about the vibrant colors that speaks to me.

I guess, when my silks start talking to me it's time to take a break . . .

A Little 'Bling' For Your Silk

I love painting on silk, but I also have an addiction to Swarovski crystals. Silk painting is my bread and butter and crystals are my little something on the side. I started using my crystals to make a little bling for my silk scarves. I call them scarf pendants, but they are really like a little bracelet for your scarf. In the past, I've made mini scarves to compliment the crystal scarf pendants, selling them as a set.

Coming soon (maybe even tonight) to my Etsy shop, I will start listing some crystal scarf pendants without the scarf. I'm so excited about this, because now I'll have a valid excuse to buy more crystals! In the near future, I also plan to make matching pieces (rings, earrings, etc.) to my crystal scarf pendants. These will either be listed in my Etsy shop or my sister's (her Etsy shop is beaded jewelry). I'll have to promote my sister one day soon, but I'll need to make sure her shop is ready first!

And I Shall Name It Dogwood

One of my favorite trees -- flowering tree -- is the dogwood. The blossoms are so pretty and delicate, so very feminine. The blossoms are just beginning to open up, so I snapped this picture while I was out today.

I must paint a silk scarf with these colors. Normally, I go for the vivid shades, but now and again I like to try my hand at subtle and soft. I love the new green and butter cream colors with a soft touch of blush pink on tips.

To give it a more ethereal feel, I think I'll paint on my extremely lightweight silk (the 5mm). The 5mm is super lightweight and sheer. It floats like a feather, and has a baby soft feel. I can't wait to get into the studio tomorrow!

Of course, once it's done it will show on etsy. So be on the look out!