Silk Is A Health Benefit To You!, BY Mysticsilks

If you think owning a silk scarf is frivolity please read the following article I wish to share with you by: Elizabeth Shimer Bowers:

"Silk underwear — or silk anything, really — is a small luxury, but it has big benefits. The soft, strong substance not only makes great protection for a silkworm’s pupal stage but also has tremendous effects on women’s health. When spun into sheets, pajamas, and scarves, silk may help ease menopausal hot flashes, prevent the effects of aging, and relieve certain skin conditions. Read on to find out more about why silk may be the other fabric of our lives."


Please visit : http://mysticsilks.etsy.com

Gingerbread Men, By Mysticsilks

Please read the blog that talks about these cookie, gingerbread men.

Spring and Winter--Can They Live Together? , By MysticSilks

I wish not to take anything from winter. In fact when it gets close to Christmas, I am all for Ho, Hoing, and merrily ringing bells while dashing through tropical sands, oops, snow.

During the end of November, I began a spring painting;seems like fall had just ended,and I was wistfully looking forward to spring. So I painted a spring garden scene:
I love a garden filled with hyacinth, golden daffodils, and red tulips. In this painting I added an old apple tree just beginning to get its leaves.
http://www.etsy.com/listing/88678065/art-original-paintingacrylic-fine

Now, don't think me related to the green Grinch or anything such as that. Last Saturday, I hunted up my handed down through the generations gingerbread recipe.
This is a complex culinary concoction. The wet ingredients consisting of molasses, applesauce,brown sugar, butter, are brought to a boil then simmered for 5 minutes.
After letting it cool, you add this to dry ingredients of flour, ginger, cloves(ground),cinnamon, and dash of baking soda. You have to cover it and let stand in the fridge over night, or you wouldn't be able to handle the dough. But, if you have an acquaintance or family member you are not fond of you can let that important piece of info out of the written recipe. It'll be weeks before they get the goo off their hands, to be able to call you and ask what they missed in the recipe--Oh, am I a scamp or what?
OK, the next day you dust the area you're rolling the dough out with flour,cut your gingerbread men out, (have to have a gingerbread cookie cutter). Now you can also make lady gingerbread by only pressing the upper part of the cookie cutter, then use a sharp knife to cut an upside down triangle where the legs of the boys would have been.
It then looks like the bottom of a dress: Mind you , not a flirty mod dress, but the old fashion dress of days gone by.

OK, Guess this post won't upload the photos of the gingerbread.
I will begin another post . So look for the photos there!

Happy Holiday, and Merry Christmas all!

MysticSilks

http:mysticsilks.etsy.com

For The Holiday Season`Five New Silk Scarves: By MysticSilks

Every time I am in the midst of creating a new selection of silk scarves,after spending hours on my feet hand dying the silk, I swear to myself, this is the last time.
But the process does not start with the dying,it really begins with the designing of what pattern I want seen on the silk.
With this selection of new silk scarves, I drew templates for each scarf.

The first one was the pattern I call Stained Glass Silk( that'is the scarf in the upper left side. .......... After I drew the template/s( and this applies to all the scarves shown today) I placed waxy tracing paper over the template. I did this to prevent the water based resist( the liquid I use to draw the pattern onto the silk) from sticking to and runing the template/s.

You can look at the templates and tell which scarf it was used for.

The silk scarf next to" Stained Glass on Silk", is "The Cosmos". I did not use a template for this one.--:)

The Third scarf on the left is " Pinwheels". The template for that one is right above the finished scarf.

The next one " Sunshine and Lollipops" and for some reasons you can see two templates used for that scarf.--:)

Then last but not least is "And all That Jazz". You can see its template right below the scarf.

I never seem to be able to upload my photos to my liking on blogger.com. And I have too much 'attention deficit disorder' to read in depth on how to upload photos, or to at least re-arrange photois once uploaded.

After the patterns were all drawn on the scarves,and the scarves were then pinned to my wooden dying frames,I began the process of doing just that, dying.Now, I want to share with you, That after I began dying " Stained Glass on Silk" I could have bitten my bottem lip off! Placing different colored dyes in each block, or space on that scarf took 3 hours of standing on my feet, on a cement floor. Whew!

But, it turned out so unique and beautiful, like giving birth, I had to say it was all worth it.

Just as an added thought, and it has not one thing to do with creating silk scarves. But have you ever wondered at how many times you handle an item you buy at the grocery store before you even pick it up to use it?

Eight times!! I counted this morning after coming home with the groceries.

I'll be looking foward to your visits to my etsy shop, at

http://mysticsilks.etsy.com

Until then, enjoy the day!

MysticSilks

MysticSilks Has Gone Bonanza!

Hi all.
Just wanted to let the world(friends) know that MysticSilks has taken a leap of luck, faith;whatever you call taking a chance and joined another online selling site, called Bonanza.
I saw a link on etsy in the forums, but it wasn't called Bonanza, it was called 1000markets.com. I clicked on that link and was taken to a place called Bonanza. I clicked my tongue, and clicked out of that place, still hell-bent on finding 1000markets.
Well after doing this procedure several times, I stopped and read that 1000markets sold out to Bonanza. OMG! OK, so I read through their set-up process and decided to join.

I'm going to see if I gain any more sales there. etsy has changed so many things, and the competition with folks from China who are now selling mass produced silk scarves on etsy, perhaps people are bypassing my shop. Who knows?

So come by and see me at http://www.bonanza.com/booths/mysticsilks1

Happy Feet Goes Silent~By MysticSilks

Remember Happy Feet , the emperor penguin, who washed up on a New Zealand beach in June with his belly full of sand. He was treated at Wellington's Zoo, and then released back into the ocean after his recuperation. He was fitted with a tracking device but has not been heard from in awhile since his release into the ocean:His tracking system has gone silent.
What really took place?

Well, Happy Feet was the Johnathan Livingston Seagull of the penguins. He knew that his chances of survival in the Arctic Ocean were near to nil. After all he had seen his mother, father, brothers and sisters, and probably some cousins get swallowed by Orca whales, or Great White sharks;penguins were on the daily menu for those big boys!
Happy Feet decided he wanted a different fate. He made up his mind to jump into the ocean and swim in a different direction , away from where his carnivorous enemies lived. He figured if he could beach himself in a place where humans would see him---well, they'd take pity on him and find a nice zoo in which to place him.

Humans are not always so smart. Yes, they did rescue him. Yes, they did nurse him back to health. Then what did they do? They tossed him back into an environment that could prove most disastrous to his well-being.

And, I think since they can no longer track Happy Feet, it might just mean that he ended up as dinner. So much for trying to find a different way of life.

But, nice try Happy Feet, nice try!


Visit http://mysticsilks.etsdy.com/

Remembering 9/11```By MysticSilks

It's September 9th, 2011: Ten years after the Twin Towers were attacked by an Islamic terrorist group; the towers went down and 3, 000 people were exterminated. Then the attack on the Pentagon, and the third attack plane headed for the White House taken down by a bunch of Oh ,so brave and unique Americans causing it to crash in Pennsylvania before it reached Washington. Then USA and other countries sent troops to Iran, and again Afghanistan. Having troops there were going to make us safer.
We've had military troops in those countries going on ten years now.
However, all this week and especially today I am listening to reports from our security advisers that we could be attacked this weekend by the terrorists use of bombs in subways, or tunnels: So once again we are on high alert. These terrorists supposedly made their way into the USA in August.
Why do we let these people into our country? During the war with Japan back in the 40's, we made sure any one who looked suspect was rounded up and put into interment camps. Yes, it was a shame that people who meant us no harm were also included in the round-up. WE didn't want to take any chances for attacks on the mainland, Hawaii was enough!

But it appears that the Islamic terrorists have no problem gaining entry in this country.

I think we should have a set-up for any admission into this country where the person/s who wish to enter this country have to give a written statement as to the reason for their visit, and also a contact address,phone number of where they can be reached.
Or in order to enter this country one has to wear a chip that will show where this person is no matter where they travel. They can only stay for a limited time and must check in with security officers daily via phone.

I really feel sad that we have to have armed security guards at every subway , at every major football game, in every airport to thwart any potential attack: Our lives have been changed so drastically by the threat of terrorists attacks, I wonder how we can still call this country "The Land Of the Free?" when we appear to walk in fear.
And I wonder will we ever feel the total freedom we once experienced in this great country called America?

United States in Debt. How Did That Happen?```MysticSilks

I was born right after the Great Depression. My Mother never forgot how it felt to be poor.She knew how to live and feed a family of five on meager food scraps; no such thing as eating out, and we never turned our noses up at left overs. Mom knew how to budget.
I grew up and managed a family of six on a limited income. If we wanted something, we saved for it;we lived on a budget. Why doesn't our government know how to live on a budget? Why is it, that the men and women we elected never take a pay cut, never have a freeze on their salaries? And in fact they continue to vote for increases in their salaries? Why is it that the Senate and Congressional representatives of 'we the people' live high on the hog, and have no idea what it is to live on a budget?
Is it because they have an unlimited income, the tax revenues of the American people?
How is it, that the President freezes Social Security for two years in a row, and he uses Air Force 1 like it was a local taxi service to the tune of a million smackeroos for each trip. His family fly's on vacation at the expense of 'we the people': I can't recall the last time my family had a vacation.
It seems like Washington , D.C. is the land of Oz. Everyone there lives in a world away from 'reality'---and we the people pay for their delusional thinking.
We, the average citizen work our butts off, and struggle from paycheck to paycheck, if we're fortunate enough to have a job. It's not 'our 'mismanagement of money that causes this country to be on the brink of financial default: It is the fault of those we've elected to run this country.

It's time for a new form of government, a real government that is truly 'a government for the people and by the people'.

Thank you for reading.

http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/

Disgruntled On Etsy~~MysticSilks

I was browsing the etsy forums this morning to see if there were any new changes coming up. I posted again to bring the thread alive, about etsy allowing feedback comments for buyers to be resurrected again. It does appear to be a lopsided system, when only the comments left for sellers are able to be viewed, but not comments left for buyers.
I am leaving the boosting up again of the thread regarding a petition for 'fine art' artists.
If you've read my previous blog you'll see what I am writing about.

I ran across another etsy customer, a seller, who is quite disgruntled and she wrote some valid comments in her post: I was impressed, so I requested her permission to copy and paste it here to share.
This is the question she posted:

Etsy admin, what is the seller's status/definition for you?

trinlayk says

Just for clarification:

Are we "customers", "clients", "employees" "assets" or "commodities"?

thank you.

She is asking etsy for an answer.

Etsy does reply:

lisajune says

Highlighted Post
Edited on Jul 24, 2011

We've referred to the people who use Etsy as 'members' for a long time. :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I personally disagreed in this posted thread, that we are not members. Members of anything have a vote, have a say in the policies and procedures of an organization.

This does not take place on etsy . We are customers. We pay a listing fee, then pay a commission to etsy for any sales.

This original poster of this thread posted another comment. Again I was in complete agreement:

trinlayk says Edited on Jul 25, 2011

Yelling, swearing and freaking out...

It's not going to happen, I have no yelling IN me at this point.
I think I've made myself free to speak lately because I JUST don't care if I'm muted or not. Heck, I'm doing better elsewhere, and soon I'll be selling in yet another location. So I don't even care if my shop is brickwalled anymore.

That's a sad thing to say, because I *used* to be ETSY's biggest cheerleader, I accepted that they were new, trying something no one had done before, and doing it better than ebay.... I knew there were flaws.

But recently the flaws and cracks have gotten so big, because there's too much new stuff in too short a time. the OLD problems have never been actually fixed... So the old problems continue to get worse as "new shiny but not really useful" get rolled out.

Old problems continue as the clicks between point A (thumbnail of item) to point B (page for the item) were increased. click on a shops icon and you land on the profile (at least for awhile I haven't kept up with that.) If people are saying: "i'm SHOPPING, I want to see the SHOP first, I'll go to the profile IF I want to..." no one cares.

So when features we desperately need are not working right after 4-5 years of us asking for them to be fixed, and we keep seeing new useless, and buggy features either being buggy or being abused... we're told to shut up.

When the MEDIA got hold of the privacy issue, Etsy's "fix" was to break the feedback system so that it's now easily used as an extortion tool on sellers.
The real privacy problem is STILL there and still not fixed and no one seems to care.
We've begged for a fully functional search since I signed up here 5 years ago, we've been begging for a direct phone number to get customer service we still can't directly, easily call Etsy, a function that SHOULD be in place with any business from the get go. If the business is serving clients globally that businesses needs to be able to be contacted BY PHONE 24/7/363 ... and if the business is global it needs to have that phone line available from the time it opens it's doors. A customer who can't get their log in to work can't contact you via chat.

I think it's way too late for ETSY to fix their spreading reputation as a buggy site with random rule enforcement....

I think it's way to late for ETSY to win back my trust.

When we've said "We need this problem/bug to be fixed" and get a reply that translates to "we'll get around to it eventually"

we feel like we're just employees with a boss that doesn't care, or worse "just the temp" or "just the intern", rather than customers/clients who rely on the services to support our businesses.

Posted at 9:51 am Jul 25, 2011 EDT -

As I stated, this etsy seller makes some great points!

PLease visit http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/

Fine Art on Etsy.com```Mysticsilks

I I started selling on etsy.com in 2007. At that time etsy was sort of new and growing everyday. Etsy admins, those in charge of the online selling site, would listen to their sellers, essentially etsy's customers.
Etsy, seemed to want to build a quality online site, that sold handmade creations like; jewelry, handbags,quilts,fashion items,etc.,.I use the etc., only because to try and name everything that is sold on etsy would take up an unbelievable amount of space in this blog post.
Back in 2007 they(etsy) wanted to know what the sellers wanted and what they thought would help their shops and items gain exposure on etsy. and the vast internet.
I create and sell silk scarves. In addition I also create and sell fine art in the form of silk paintings, acrylic paintings, and an occasional oil painting. or water-color.
I have been actively involved with other etsy fine art artists in encouraging etsy to add a fine art category: So many other online selling sites have a fine art category. It's really not rocket science!

We had been promised back in 2009, that they(etsy) had hired a taxonomist who was going to put together all that was required to add a fine art category, and in fact many of the fine art artists were asked for their input, which was generously given to the taxonomist. We waited, and we waited, and waited some more for a fine art category to be added to etsy's search.

We started a petition : We believe that the artists who took the time to sign our petition would love to see these changes take place.
www.ipetitions.com/petition/artonetsy/index.html

That petition has 872 signatures requesting more exposure for fine art on etsy, such as a fine art category.
In the meanwhile etsy has added more bells , whistles, giddgets, and gadgets, circles, and what-nots, that it makes your head spin! But not a word about adding a fine art category.

There's a new CEO, Chad. We're hoping that maybe Chad enjoys fine art , and will begin the process of adding a fine art category.

It sure would be great!

Please visit http:mysticsilks.etsy.com/

Thank you for reading!

Silk Head Candy(Silk Head Scarves)``Mysticsilks

This is the last four of the ten in my "Silk Head Candy series." I found I am going to have to retake some of the photos before posting on etsy.com.
I noticed while uploading the photos that ll the front views showed the scar in my 'prop girls' head. Not sure how that happened. But she did travel to many art fairs with me sometime ago, and with everything being stored in the van , and the carrying of a display tent, plus chair, paintings, and scarves, it's a wonder my scarves and painting remained whole and untouched.
So, I am thinking that's why 'prop girl' has the scar.
So I am waiting for the house to clear out again, to where I can focus with clarity on taking new photos.

Come see the rest of the beautiful creations in mt etsy shop.
http://mysticsilks.etsy.com


Thank you for reading.

MysticSilks

Silk Head Candy(Silk Head Scarves)``Mysticsilks

I've downloaded three more of the series of ten " Silk Head Candy" silk head scarves.
For those having experienced just one of the side affects of chemotherapy, the loss of one's hair, the desire to feel pretty and feminine is strong! These scarves are mostly for you!

After I washed and rinsed each scarf a dozen or more times to remove excess dye, I ironed them.
And, while I was setting up the ironing board, an inspiration came to me: Put a drop of the 'Holy Water' from the Lourdes , on each scarf before you iron it.
Now, the story behind this 'holy water' is a mystery to me, in that it has lasted for 15 + years Some friends went to France and visited "Lourdes", the place that Mary, the Mother of Jesus visited many years ago. It was told, that she had blessed the water with healing properties.
Well these friends brought back a tiny vile of that water---by all rights the amount that was in that vile should have evaporated. But it hasn't, and so a drop of it went on each scarf.
My hope is that it blesses each person who wears a scarf.

There are four more scarves to post and I hope to do that tomorrow!

Thank you for reading.

Please visit :

http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/

Head Candy(Silk Head Scarves)~ Mysticsilks

Was at my homeopathic doctor's office about a month ago. His " gal Friday" Susan knew that I created silk art, from silk paintings to silk scarves. She asked me if I created silk head scarves for those who are going through chemotherapy. I said, " Susan, you've given me inspiration, I will do just that!"
So I ordered 10 blank silk pieces(22x22inches), plus some more French dyes.
I began the tacking of the blank silks on the wooden frames, then decided which color of dye to use on each silk head scarf.
It took a day to tac up 4 silk scarves,dye them and wait 24 hours before taking them down;I continued this process for 3 days. After all ten scarves were dyed, I had to special cut blank newspaper in which to pack each one, to prevent the dyes from running onto other scarves, then I carefully rolled them on my metal cylinder. And there they sat till after the 4th of July , for a time when the house was quieter:The kiddies had all come home from college, and there was company on the fourth.
On the 5th of July, I was up early , went out to the garage, where I have my steaming apparatus stored. I set up the hot plate,put my four bricks around the base of the plate to stabilize the pot when it started bubbling.
This time I added hot tap water to the pot, and I cut down on the waiting time for the water to get hot enough to begin steaming. I set the cylinder on top of the metal insert that keeps the cylinder of scarves out of the water: God forbid that water should touch the scarves till after they steam!!
After the cylinder was placed, I covered the top with heavy cotton sheets and towels to hold the steam in the pot: This is a three hour procedure from the time the water begins to simmer, and the two and a half hours for the steaming process.
Three hours later I pull the steaming cylinder of silk scarves from the pot, took them into the house and began to unfold the packet and pull each scarf from their paper cocoons.
There's a 24 hour wait before the silk scarves can be washed and rinsed to rid them of excess dyes.

Above you'll see the results of three of the ten silk head scarves.

To view more silk scarves , please visit
http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/

Thank you for reading.

"Wild Things " ``By Mysticsilks

OK. Here we are with the last three in my "Wild Things" six silk series.
As you may have heard the total large wild cat population is declining. And if the decline continues at the same rate as it currently is, the only large wild cats you'll see will be in a Zoo.
So, to represent the large cats I've used the King of Beasts, the lion. And how regal they are!

Next are the whales. And if you've been into the Discovery series, Whale Wars you'll know that their population is declining due to the killing of whales.


Thirdly, I've created the hummingbird, not because it is at risk , but because it is so wild and free.
Please enjoy!

http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/

Wild Things```by Mysticsilks

"Wild Things"

Loving the beauty of every creature on this awesome earth the way that I do,I wanted to honor and bring awareness to the fragility of all the 'wild things' that inhabit this planet.
So, in an inspirational moment, the idea of hand designing silk scarves with six of my favorite 'wild things' came to fruition.

The 1st in a series of six silk scarves, and to the bottom right is my tropical fish, or as I like to call them(fishies) which make their home in the coral reef. And because of ocean pollution the coral reef around the world is declining.
The 2nd silk scarf , and to the upper left is the proud and powerful elephant. There is a decline in both the African and Indian elephants due to killing of these animals for their ivory tusks, and because human population has consumed great portions of the elephants territory for farming. Unfortunately elephants have traveled those particular areas for centuries, and now humans have taken over. The elephants on their age old journey simply walk over fences, power through barriers, eating and trampling farm crops along the way.
Humans always seem to have the right-of-way, and as a result many elephants are destroyed.

The 3rd 'wild thing' is the Amazon Tree Frog. That tiny ,pretty green frog sitting on a tree limb represents the 'rain forests' of the Amazon. Again , many acres of the rain tree forest have been cut down to create farm land, for mining, and the search for other natural resources :" The Amazon rainforest, also known as Amazonia, is one of the world's greatest natural resources. Because its vegetation continuously recycles carbon dioxide into oxygen, it has been described as the "Lungs of our Planet". About 20% of earth's oxygen is produced by the Amazon rainforest. Please read this article:http://rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon/amazon_destruction.html

I will post the 4th in my silk series on another day.
You can see the entire series of "Wild Things"awareness silk scarves at: http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/

Thank you for reading
Mysticsilks

In Flanders Field by John McCrae

In Flanders Field

In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. John McCrae

I Vote For iCraft.com````MysticSilks

I am slowly falling in love with iCraft.com.
Why? you ask.
Because of all the other online selling venues I sell on, and pay a hefty monthly fee for listing and sale's commission, I have never been a featured artist on their site. Nor have I seen any of my creations featured in any of their monthly sales newsletters.
And of the many treasuries I have created, not one has ever been picked to be on their front page.
And yet, although I do not have a paid monthly subscription on iCraft(which I am looking to upgrade shortly ), they have made me a featured artist, and I've seen my products often in their sales newsletters that are sent through-out the internet.

Thank you iCraft.
http://icraft.ca/index.php

MysticSilks
http://mysticsilks.icraft.ca
http://mysticsilks.etsy.com

What To Do When the Art Muses Go on Vacation~~~ Mystic Silks

What do you do when your spirit of creativity just seems to elude you?
You seem to lack any imagination;you're feeling a funk? This seemingly desertion of the artistic muses happens to many of us;it's happened to me.
Lets look at what could be taking place.
You're holding down a full-time job: You've got a home , children, and husband, that you devote much of your time to.
You walk into your workshop, studio, your office, wherever you create, and nothing happens. No new ideas come to you. That page of poetry, or the story you were writing sits blank, and glares back at you. That piece of canvas remains white;lacking images, bare of color. You heave a big sigh, leave the area, and go back to the kitchen to finish the dirty dishes.

Now here's a secret, be gentle with yourself. Do some self talk, like," this weekend, I am devoting 3 hours to my creative spirit. I will find someone to keep an eye on the kiddies." On the weekend let the dusting go till the evening: Who needs to sit in front of the boob-tube anyway.

When my four children were small, I used to get up early in the morning , at least an hour or two before I knew they would begin to stir. I'd brew my coffee, and get my paints out and work away right at the kitchen table. Oh, my those were the most inspirational time, the early morning hours. I discovered later in life, that the wee morning hours were the best for poetry, too.
Now, many of you may not find the wee hours your best time. OK, then you create your own best time, and stick to your guns!
Those art muses will return when they see you have set aside the time just for them! It just works out that way;trust me.

Thank you for reading!
Mysticsilks

http://mysticsilks.artfire.com
http://mysticsilks.etsy.com

The Other Three Silk Beauties For Summer``Mysticsilks

Here we have the remainder of the six summer silk scarves series.
"Purple Pansy" with a hand-painted embellishment on each side of the silk scarf.
This came about due to one of those mysteries in dying silk.
The entire scarf was dyed using pansy violet
and lavender French dyes. When the steaming process was complete and I unraveled the scarves from their metal cylinder , on one side of the scarf was a completely blue white demarcation. How this occurred is anybody's guess. It looked like a lightening strike!
So I used my French silk paints to add the seen embellishment to both sides of the scarf.

The scarf to the right of the "Purple Pansy", I called "Pink Cotton Candy." The color reminded me of that delicious pink cotton candy I watched them spin back in the good ole days of local carnivals and amusement parks.
Now the last one on the right I named " Light My Fire" It's a combination of French lemon dye, doted with just a tad of magenta. After the steaming process it reminded me of little flames of fire.

You can view all of these and more at: http:mysticsilks.etsy.com, or http:mysticsilks.artfire.com

Thank you for reading .
Mysticsilks

A Summer Selection of Silk Scarves`~MysticSilks

Here we are with three of the new summer
silk satin scarves selections offered at http://mysticsilks.etsy.com, and http://mysticsilks.artfire.com.

We began the process of creating them back in February when I ordered the blank white silks; I ordered twelve in all, only because the price of the silks continue to rise.
However, I washed and rinsed the silk worm residue from just six of them. Dealing with six is challenging enough!
You can see me in the upper right hand corner with several silk scarves that I had attached to my wooden frame in order to dye the scarves. I use only the finest of French dyes.
Once the dye has dried , an overnight process, I then take the scarves usually 6, wrap each one in blank newspaper sheets, then roll them onto a metal cylinder.
From there the silk scarves are lowered into a steaming container, and left to steam for 2-3 hours. Then the scarves are removed/ unrolled from the cylinder, and are allowed to dry overnight. Next day the silk scarves are washed in a special soap water and rinsed several time to eliminate residue dyes. Even with the numerous rinsing some dye will still wash out of the scarf at later washings.
Each scarf is ironed, and placed ready to photograph. I usually take 5-6 photos and pick from the best of those. I then edit each photo. Later I upload the photo, to my etsy , or artfire website. Fill out a full description ( each one different for both website), add the price, S&H.
I'd say from start to finish each scarf takes about 20 hours.

So please enjoy the wearing of these scarves.

Please visit http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/, or http://mysticsilks.artfire.com/

Thank you for reading.

Design Style Guide Features~~MysticSilks

Design Style Guide website is a great place to view when looking for ideas to decorate your home.

The talented artists who belong to this website offer so many beautiful handmade products from designer pillows to handmade furniture, and everything in between.

Take a look at the Design Style Guide front page, that will give you just a sample of the various handmade items offered on this site:
DesignStyleGuide


Thank you
Mytsicsilks
http://mysticsilks.etsy.com/

The Painting of a Chipping Sparrow```By MysticSilks

We began with a blank canvas, of course,covered it with white gesso.

Then I used a photo of a Chipping Sparrow perched on a branch of cherry blossoms.

Most of the background had been blurred,so that all the eye could see was a pink and green mist, then the sparrow perched upon the cherry branch.

I added a pale sun in the upper right hand corner of the painting: I seldom see a sun in a painting.

A strange idea crossed my mind in that there are plenty of paintings with a full moon, and different phases of the moon.

So in a thousand years , if people are still about, they will know of the moon. But perhaps they will wonder why so few paintings with a sun? So, I painted in the pale sun.

Painting the body of the bird was not as much of a challenge as painting the details of the head. You see in one photo where the head has yet to be painted on the body of the bird: I studied the photo of the head for many days and went back for five days adding a contrast here and there;making sure the eye had the light of life in it.

After I was pretty much finished, and I use that phrase, because I have the tendency to go back again and again, adding a touch of color , changing an angle, adding another leaf, or flower. I attached a real bird feather to the lower right hand corner of the painting, then photographed the painting. The feather looked so in its place, that I actually painted a feather in that corner.

I'd say I am pretty satisfied.

This painting is for sale on: http:mysticsilks.etsy.com/

Thank you for reading--:)