Silk & Chocolate - a delicious lesson for scarf lovers

Are you obsessed with chocolate? Have a weakness for silk?

My dear, this post is for you.

This entry was created in order to help my clients pick the right type of silk when placing a custom order. While musing over describing each lovely silk base, the similarities to chocolate just came naturally. The smooth, rich textures, the heavenly satisfying feeling, life's little indulgences.. it became clear that silk and chocolate are like peas in a pod. Have your glass of milk ready?

Muse Silk Paintings preferred

SILK QUALITIES

1.HABOTAI - Otherwise known as "China silk" is like the chocolate mousse of silks. The most economic base I work with, and like mousse, is smooth, flat, opaque and yummy. Habotai silk is the real deal, and just hits the spot.

I enjoy this base for painting detailed line work designs and is for your modern fashionista daily wear. Perfect with jeans or to dress up a work outfit. To shop Muse habotai silks, click here.

2.GEORGETTE - this is a sheer, beautiful silk and it has a little bit of a pebbly texture to the finish. Georgette is like a Plaisir Sucre with its light layers and interesting textures.. It's such a soft and romantic look, while still being reasonably priced.

Georgette is great for abstract, watercolor designs. It is for the lady who enjoys the translucent, ultra feminine touch of color! To shop Muse georgette silks, click here.

3.CREPE DE CHINE - sniff... do I smell a little more decadence in the air? Just a gorgeous fabric! Crepe de chine is like an fancy mousse with those extra flavors and toppings added in. Similar to habotai, except a softer, silkier, feeling with an understated shine. Drapes beautifully and my favorite to paint! To shop Muse crepe de chine silks, click here.

4.SAND-WASHED CREPE DE CHINE - Makes me melt. A heavier crepe fabric is washed with stones or rocks to achieve the most plush and ever-so-soft feel. It has a gorgeous drape, and is really something special. Enter The Chocolate Pistachio Kiss, a rich, irresistible morsel. The buttery nut toppings remind me of how luscious the sand washed crepe feels against my skin. The cocoa powder emulates the sumptuous matte finish of this silk. For the woman who wants nothing less than the creme de la creme, this is it! To shop Muse sand washed silks, click here.

5.CHARMEUSE - Aside from velvet, this is the most high end and luxurious silk. One side sleek like satin with lustrous shine, and the other side has a matte finish. I adore charmeuse for painting watercolors and "free" designs. Vibrancy of color is amplified by the magnificent luster of this silk. Like the famed Platinum Cake, which is literally laced with edible gold flecks. Charmeuse silk is for the elegant, illuminating lady of the hour who is not afraid to shine! To shop Muse charmeuse silks, click here.

5.SATIN BURNOUT - Also called "devore" is a blend of silk and rayon and comes in a variety of patterns. The scarf example here is a dot design, with a swirly dot imagery painted on top. Silk burnout is right up there with the finest of silks. Like assorted chocolate truffles, this base offers something different; a unique and special texture. It's mix of matte and opulence creates several shades of light and dark within hue and gives you just enough of a glamourous shine. So pretty! To shop Muse dot burnout silks, click here.

Now that this deliciously lesson is over, I suggest you go grab a chocolate treat, a glass of milk, and muse over which color and type of yummy silk suits you best . After all, you deserve a little indulgence once in a while!

announcing "Muse News" quarterly newsletter!

Dear Friends,

Announcing "Muse News" quarterly newsletter!

Muse News

Updates and Musings from Muse Silk Paintings

Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009

Autumn Edition

Today is the first day of Fall! For my fellow Southern California friends, it might not feel like it now, but sooner than you think, the cooler weather will be kicking in.

Muse of the Moment (brand spanking new!)

First giveaway! Unlike many artisans, I do not have little samples to give away for promotions/advertising. All my scarves are truly one of a kind, so I painted one especially for the Hip Handmaid contest. This feather scarf would make a fabulous accessory for your fall wardrobe or an excellent gift for the holiday for a special lady in your life! Entering to win the contest is easy. Click this link for details: http://hiphandmaids.blogspot.com/2009/09/hip-giveaway_21.html

Upcoming Musings (future events)

Save the date! Muse Silk Paintings will have a booth for a one-day holiday craft show in early December! I’m even musing over actually doing a live silk painting demonstration. For more details about Hip Handmaids click here: http://www.hiphandmaids.com/Home_Page.html

Location:

Hip Handmaids Holiday Craft Show

Dec. 5th Saturday from 9am-5pm
The Little White Chapel, 1711 N. Avon Street, Burbank, CA 91505

Muse Milestones (past events)

1. Muse Silk Paintings Blog! I created a blog last April as an outlet to share my musings and thoughts on my budding silk painting business. I love writing new entries and have been meaning to update it soon! The link: http://musesilkpainting.blogspot.com/

2. First Craft Show! This past May was the month of my official first show at the Studio City Arts and Crafts Show. It was scary, but an amazing experience, and I even won an Honorable Mention award! Read about it here: http://musesilkpainting.blogspot.com/2009/05/first-show-was-award-winning-success.html

3. Muse went online! May was a big month for me, as I also first opened my Muse Silk Paintings online store! I have recently listed almost 50 beautiful scarves. Come visit and see my new scarves: http://MuseSilkPaintings.etsy.com My store is up and running, and on a roll now! I even have worked on some custom orders. To see pictures of a few of these wonderful custom scarves, here are the links:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35308500@N08/sets/72157622008448003/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35308500@N08/sets/72157622202858514/

4. Muse on Facebook! Although my blog is great, it feels more like writing in a journal (which I do love). However I wanted a more up to date, frequent way to provide updates. Out of this need for a more organic and active interaction with fashionistas and art lovers everywhere, I created the Muse Silk Paintings facebook fan page, which has been a huge success. I love hearing fan feedback on everything! To become a fan, or just check out the site, click here: http://www.facebook.com/MuseSilkPaintings

5. Muse on Twitter! I am still very much learning how to use Twitter. All that I’ve managed to do is link it up to my facebook page so that it updates whenever there is a new posting. If you are twitter literate, and would like to follow Muse Silk Paintings, here is my link: http://twitter.com/Muse_Silk

There has been a lot going on at Muse Silk Paintings! I’d like to thank all my friends, family and wonderful clients for your ongoing support through this exciting adventure of my budding silk painting business. I don’t know yet if this will be a monthly edition or by the season, but stay tuned for updates and, as always, Happy Musings!!

A.R.

Muse Silk Paintings

arscarves@hotmail.com

http://MuseSilkPaintings.etsy.com

http://musesilkpainting.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/MuseSilkPaintings

http://twitter.com/Muse_Silk

Labor of Love - Silk Painting Process

Hope you had a lovely Labor Day weekend!

In response to the numerous requests from friends, today I want to share with you my basic silk painting process that is used when creating my silk paintings. When you scroll down to the end of this post, there is a flicker link where you can view more photos of each step. Sometimes people wonder why the prices are a bit more expensive, than say, a scarf you would find at Macy's. It depends on many things.. the type of silk (which I will explain in more detail my next entry) , size, and of course, the level of detail and time put into each piece. Each of my scarves truly are one of a kind artworks, and really are a labor of LOVE. Here are the stages:

1. Inspiration - from books, online images, my pictures of the sky, dreams and imagination, I first must come up with a design I'd like to express.

2. Preparing the silk - After learning the hard way, I now always pre-wash my silk before painting, to get rid of any unseen residues.

3. Stretching - I stretch the hand rolled, silk scarf blank with pins on a wooden frame so the silk becomes taught from all angles.

4. Resist - Usually I draw freehand with the water based resist

onto the silk. These lines act as a barrier later when painting, and keep the colors from spreading.

5. Paint - I use water based paints, unlike most professional silk painters who use spirit based dyes. I use a Japanese sumi brush to paint in the colors - my favorite part!

6. Heat set - Once dried, I iron the scarf so that the paint chemically bonds to the silk.

7. Washing/Ironing - I hand wash each scarf about 2 or 3 times with baby shampo, soak the scarf in a water/softener mixture for a while, lightly roll towel dry, and then lightly iron on the backside.

8. Viola! It is finished and ready for photos!

Recently I finished a custom order scarf for a wonderful client of mine and took pictures throughout the entire process. To view this picture gallery, click HERE.

Another earlier custom "Go Broncos" piece also has great step-by-step pictures in the album HERE.

All together from start to finish, one of my hand painted silk scarves could take anywhere from 3-12 hours! But of course, each minute I spend is a minute I simply cherish, as I have fallen completely love with the artistic medium of silk painting... and this Labor Day, I'll end with this quote, "Love what you do. Do what you love." - Wayne Dyer