A Sale on Silks

Now until CyberMonday (29-Nov) at midnight, get 20% off your entire purchase at http://www.expressionsinsilk.etsy.com/. Select from a variety of hand painted silks - scarves, wraps, sarongs, and bellydance veils. At check-out, enter coupon code THANKSGIVING10 to receive your discount.

Share the savings with your friends and family!

A Spicy Showing

Some of my fall silks came off the steamer Wednesday, and I'm so very happy with the results. Well, except for one. Her colors are rich and yummy . . loving the copper and burgundy colors . . . but she is the sole victim of a little steaming mishap. Thankfully, everything else came out perfect.

The problem? Small areas on the back side (the non-shiny side) along the rolled hem edge are too pale. Too pale meaning some of the color steamed out. I have no idea how it happened. My guess? She evidently touched the side of the steamer . . . it was a windy day. Until fully steam-set, even the smallest, tiniest droplet of water (or condensation) is damaging.

She is still very lovely. I would even say beautiful, but I'm biased. I listed her as a flub because of her tiny flaw. Just because she's not "Miss America" beautiful, she's still got a great personality. Plus, she's loyal and will do everything within her power to make you look great!

P.S. Want stats? Click on the picture.

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.

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?

Not What I Expected . . .

. . . but I still like her! I finished this silk scarf yesterday and I'm learning to love her. Before I ever started painting her, I had an image in my mind of how she would turn out. This is rare for me, as I usually don't know what I'm going to paint until I start pulling colors off the shelf.

I was aiming for a brighter finish, but she turned out deep and mysterious. Although, she does have a silvery gray finish on each end. I named her Summer Nights, and listed her on Etsy last night.

My pictures are not the greatest. As I was setting up to photograph, the storm clouds started rolling in so the lighting was not the best for my amateur skills. About the time I snapped the last picture, the rain started. We (meaning the silk, the camera and me) narrowly escaped getting soaked, but I had a silk and camera to protect so I was quick on my feet!

Well, it's time to get my Friday started. First there's silk to be painted, then I've got a steamer full waiting to be steamed.

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!

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

Who doesn't love a little bit of purple . . .

This one was a lot of fun to paint! I love to "draw" on my silks with salt to create subtle patterns. There are three freeform flowers connected by a curvy vine running lengthwise of the silk. This is a similar design I've done on bellydance veils, but the first time (successfully) on a silk scarf. There is just a lot more "canvas" when I'm painting on a veil or sarong. The smaller size of scarves makes some my designs are more challenging feat :)

I hope to get her listed later today . . .

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.

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 . . .

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!