There's so much controversy and confusion in the marketplace about what makes a product "green" or even "Made in the USA." It's enough to make your head spin.
Here's a good article about what we're up against looking for truly eco-friendly textiles. The search continues!
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The October 2014 issue of the "what's up Houston?" mag, 002, shined a spotlight on Beyond Her bandanas in the "Things I Love" section. And I quote: " I love these bandanas from the Beyond Her booth that I discovered at the 002Summer Market. My husband always carries a bandana so I bought these for his birthday. I also love her totes and shawls. Artist Paule Hewlett works in pen and ink, converting her botanical and animal images into silk screens, creating a modern line of quality housewares and fashion accessories. Working with her husband Michael, Paule prints most of the artisan textiles and paper products in her Houston studio. All dyeing, sewing, cutting, packaging and tweaking is done in-house. www.beyondher.com – Gabriella Nissen, Creative Director For the full scoop, go here. So, here was the problem: a solid back door connecting to our garage from a multi-functional, very busy alcove in the house. You see the washer/dryer combo on the right; on the left is the panty that holds pretty much all dry foodstuffs. Morning, noon and night, when people were coming and going, doing laundry, and preparing a meal, that's when it would happen. BAM!! Sometimes two but often three doors would bang into each other, along with the people manipulating them. We lived this way for seven years. The Solution: Visibility The obvious solution would be to install some sort of a glass door, right? But we had to be careful. We keep a clean garage, but in the end it is a garage. A clear pane of glass would give way to a beautiful vista onto . . . my car. So we had to come up with a screen of some sort. We had used rice paper on a solid pane front door in the past , so we had some left over -- just enough for the classic nine-pane half-door we found at Lowe's, in fact. (A little aside: fire code says that the doors leading to a garage must be metal and fireproof. Obviously, we opted to ignore this precaution, since our master bedroom is right over the garage of our townhome. Our notion is, if there's a fire, we're goners anyway. We did keep the metal door for the next owners.) The Installation: Simple as 1-2-3 The first step was to cut nine rectangles the size of the individual panes. I measured, and cut a bit large -- there's time for trimming and other adjust ments later. The next step was deciding on a design pattern. I knew I wanted something that let light in, but obscured the view. I wanted to be able to see, not full figures, but shadows -- enough to keep from getting my head knocked one more time. I also liked the idea of being able to use a lamp in the garage at night to shed some light on the darkish alcove. I used a freeform design I've used before. It's really lines and globules cut out of the center of the rectangle. For me, it has enough repeat to look purposeful and enough variety to look creative. After cutting, I fitted paper to the panes using cello tape temporarily, adjusting the design and matching the centers. The Miracle of Fabric Starch Here's the really easy part: Any grocery store carries regular old liquid starch -- or at least they do in my part of the country, where pinatas are plentiful. A gallon jug is inexpensive and goes a long way. I used to dilute the starch for projects like this, but now I just use it straight up. As you can see, I pour a quantity into a shallow flat pan, then just drag the pre-cut pieces through the starch. It is messy, but cleans up with water, whether on your hands, your floor, or the window itself. I work from a laid-out version of the pieces in the right position, so that there's no confusion. One piece at a time, I apply the soaked rice paper piece to the inside of the window. You'll be glad to know there's a little "give" to the paper, and you can adjust it for a while. Don't worry about any overage on the edges -- you can go back with a straight edge razor once it dries and clean up.
As you can see, the finished application does just what we had hoped: lets light in and provides enough visibility to avoiding traffic collisions at the back door. Lord knows, we have enough run-ins as it is! A few days ago, I bought the third $30 case for my Iphone. Why? Because it was showing signs of wear and tear. And because my husband had remarked that it was pretty slick, referring to a problem I've had with these magical devices slipping out of my jeans and plunking into the toilet. Sad to say, I'm a repeat offender. I'm a big fan of Apple, and I am obsessed with my Iphone, but buying these cases always makes me mad. As I thumb through the racks of Iphone cases in the Apple store, there is never one that is, as we say, "compatible with my lifestyle," to quote an old friend. They're either too cheesy, too geeky, or too precious. Really, why do I have to go through this, after I've spent $500 (not really, but for the sake of argument) on the basic phone? One would think that, being the design geniuses that they are, Apple could find a way to make Iphones waterproof and batter resistant -- like a $100 camera, for Pete's sake. And if I were an Iphone designer, I would shudder to see this elegant, delicate piece of technology disguised and degraded in rubber bumpers and belt clips, stamped with college insignias, trivialized with Chanel-like quilting and wrist straps. When I remove even my usually minimal cases from the Iphone, I'm always struck by how truly beautiful it is. Impracticality is a big flaw, Apple. We've made our phones indispensable for everyday life-- but they're not tough enough for the real world. No wonder I'm steamed. I always thought design meant form + function. Why can't the Iphone just be? Whoever invented infinity scarves deserves a medal. I still love the Beyond Her jersey scarves, but there will always be the matter of the "tails." What to do -- tuck them under, let them hang, tie off? Even for an inveterate scarf-wearer like myself, it's an issue. Infinity scarves take the decision-making out of the equation. Otherwise known as "circle scarves," these rings of fabric can be worn in a long loop or wrapped repeatedly for more warmth or color near the face. My favorite image consultant told me years ago, when image consultants were the thing, that you can wear that color you love but that makes you look washed out -- just wear a good color scarf near your eyes. SUCH good advice. The Beyond Her scarves of late are made of the silkiest, softest rayon/bamboo blend. They hold their shape, overcome wrinkles and, being BH, they are washable. Wear them to add a signature statement to jeans, dresses, yoga gear -- even pajamas (ever noticed how a scarf takes the chill out of morning air?). You'll find that your love is infinite. Shop here This article in the LA Times says it all . . . I'm starting to think dish towels are the most undervalued household item around, when you think of all the things you can use them for. I'm so glad there are aficionados like myself who can't resist a new kitchen towel, and who continue to delight in seeing them anew, after a wash or a long time in the drawer. They're like old friends -- they brighten your day, no matter how long it's been, and you pick up right where you left off. Gotta love a feature about you and your work. This one is from Houston Makerspace, an ambitious idea now taking root here in town. Envisioned as a collective space where resources, equipment and talent are shared, this soon-to-be-here venue sounds like a little bit of heaven. See more on the website. In the meantime, here's a snazzy little article Marisa Brodie put together about Her: Meet Your Maker Monday: Paule Hewlett of Beyond Her November 18, 2013
Paule Hewlett is the artist behind Beyond Her, an independent design company with a modern line of quality products and fashion accessories. Using natural and heritage materials, Paule silkscreens her flora and fauna ink illustrations onto her textiles and paper products. We love that Beyond Her's products are eco-friendly and made to replace disposable items like napkins, bags and even office supplies. Read more . .. here It wasn't too long after Beyond Her was born that I started hearing the phrase "indie design." I was grateful, because I'd been wondering how to describe my new community. This seemed to sum it up: like indie films, indie design existed outside of the normal go-to-market channels. Most of us struggled to find suppliers, materials, and supporting artisans that could help our companies grow. Over the years that has changed. More and more "makers" have emerged, making more and more interesting creative products. As with Beyond Her, some of the items are not precisely "hand-made," but there is a distinct design, a story behind the manufacturing process, and a vision that people intrinsically seem to appreciate. Show & Tell If you are an artisan today, you have lots of options in terms of getting your products in front of viewers. Are they effective? Let's just say that Etsy, the hands-down winner of online handmade portals, sold $100.9 million of goods were sold (after refunds and cancellations) in July alone. That's a lot of DIY! So I was happy to read this recent article in Forbes magazine. "How the Maker Movement is Reinventing Retail" discusses the growth of Etsy, but also the effect of companies like Shapeways, an online 3D printer that allows anyone to cheaply manufacture their own designs, either to sell or for their own personal use Here's what this means to me: In an odd sort of way, we are going through another industrial revolution. We are using machines, not to stamp out millions of identical products, but to add diversity and choices, as opposed to just accepting what giant retailers tell us we should like. So. even for indie designers, technology has paid off, big time. And creativity is a democracy. Recently landed in Beyond Her's inbox: "Because I just moved to town from Tokyo, a person whom I had never met, brought me a gift -- a bamboo printed linen dish towel -- one that you made. Thank you so much for the reminder of the land I loved and left. I'm sure your handcrafted items touch people all the time without you even knowing... I wanted you to know today." So sweet. So thoughtful. Blush. It's one of those things you can hardly believe is true. How could this feather-light fabric do the work of a mammoth terry towel? But I'm here to tell you, linen towels are super-absorbent. It's the true luxe in bath linens. More advantages - natural linen is stronger than cotton, dries faster than terry, even in humid climates, and takes just 10 minutes in the dryer - making them much greener, all 'round. And look how little room they take in the cupboard! The Beyond Her bath sheet has a black leaf imprint on natural linen, approximately 36 by 60 inches (that's huge, yet it wraps up like a dream). The hand towel is 20 x 30 inches. Both have hooks for hanging. And both get even softer and more absorbent with each wash. You'll have them forever! Care & feeding: These towels can be machine washed using cold water and dried in the dryer on moderate heat. You can iron them if you want to. We never have and never will - and they look just peachy! To buy, proceed to our shop. |
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