Neutrals with Gold - Etsy Style

Happy Fall to you!  Are you looking for ways to wear your colorful scarves without looking like a clown?  You don't always have to match the same scarf color to your blouse to keep it chic.  Today I have put together some great Etsy finds to create the perfect Fall outfit.  Inspired by this styled shot from the luxury site Netaporter, with its warm neutrals, cool blacks, and splashes of gold.  

This is a great way to wear a colorful scarf against complimentary solids and never look overdone.  Here are my favorite Etsy Finds together that you can create a similar look with!

 

1. Butterscotch Dream - hand painted silk scarf in yellows, golds, and browns by MuseSilkPaintings
2. Brass Ring Band - ultra chic, modern and simple  - by OneWorldTwoHands
3. Gladiator Cuff - 18K gold, strong, bold, and beautiful - by OSShop
4. Vintage fawn dotted silk blouse - neutral with tiny, feminine dot print by Silviawan
5. Vintage wool brown blazer - a great Fall piece over jeans, slacks, or a skirt by Nemres
6. Black Wool Shorts by YYStudio - alone or paired with sweater tights, these are fantastic
7. Leather Handbag Tote - with beautiful texture, (I'm drooling) by Dejou
8. Black leather pumps with gold beads - how hot are these!? by MyGmasCloset

All these pieces are so fantastic on their own and super versatile.  I can see those shoes with a red dress, or the blouse over a white skirt, or jeans even.  This is just one way to wear it all.  Because there are so many other great pieces on Etsy that you can mix and match to create this look, I also created a Treasury with more items to create this similar look as well.  Click HERE to Enjoy!

Musie 4,000 Give-away!

Dear Friends and Musies,

I just finished painting these two, gorgeous new scarves!  It took me a while, but I think they turned out beautifully.  The "Mint Rose Garden" melts from mint into emerald green near the edges and the golden and nectarine roses flow along the silk next to warm, olive leaves with metallic shimmering accents.  This is the perfect scarf for spring, or any festive occasion!  To see more photos of this scarf, click HERE.

"Mint Rose Garden" on silk crepe de chine

"Paper Mache Evergreens" on silk crepe de chine

 

And the "Paper Mache Evergreens" with it's super cool, marbled texture look and bold, geometric trees is such a wintery and fun fashion accessory.   The midnight black sky combined with electric greens feels so fresh and exciting - perfect for the holidays!  To see more photos of this scarf, click HERE.

And... despite the wishes of certain people....  I have decided to give them BOTH away... For FREE!  Would you like a chance to win? 

HOW TO WIN:

1. "like" the Muse Silk Paintings facebook fan page HERE

2. "share" our page with your friends that love art and fashion

 3. Leave a comment HERE on THIS BLOG in the comments section that says "SHARED" to be entered to the drawing

4. Once our fan page hits 4,000 fans (a.k.a Musies), I will be picking TWO lucky Musies at random and will send this each winner one of these gorgeous scarves to the winner as a FREE Thank You gift!  It could be YOU!

Thank you for participating in this give-away and helping me promote Muse Silk Paintings.  With just a few clicks, one of these hand painted scarves could be in your hot little hands soon!

Transitions Collection

In celebration of this special day, first day of the Chinese New Year (Year of the Rabbit), I am delighted to announce my first new Collection of 2011!  The year of the Rabbit promises that good taste and refinement will shine on everything.  It is also the year of recovery, and time to focus on relationships, home and family.  Translation:  Let's dress up and enjoy each others company!

This past year, I have faced many challenges, however I've just reached a major milestone and  I'm looking forward to moving towards balance, peace, and artistic growth.  This year will be about transitioning from dark to light, frustration to exhilaration, chaos to balance, and stagnation to fluidity.  My new Transitions Collection is inspired by this internal growth and optimism from unexpected changes in my life. 

Each hand painted scarf has gradating color variations wavering fluidly down the silk and topped off with glimmering metallic accents.  They whisper a similarity to a sliced gemstone or agate where you can see the layers have built up over time.  This collection is symbolic as each color transitions into dark, light, and unexpected hues...representing the process of change while the shimmering slivers add that extra sparkle of celebration and illustrate the beautiful notion of new horizons.

I am so inspired by this concept, that I asked my good friend Nancy to create a poem for the occasion!

"Gemstones build layers over time, before we see the glow,
 Bits of golden, dappled as sunlight, so lovely to behold.
 With gently layered hues painting stories of our lives
 Soft and bright rising out of dark and stormy skies
 Light for joy, dark for toil, moments from which to grow
 Transitioning so gracefully, planting hopes and dreams to sow"
- Nancy Beegle

A Transitions Collection scarf is the perfect accessory for traveling, easily transitioning from Day to Night,  and has such a range of colors that can be worn for Spring or Fall... or really any time of year.  Own a piece of this amazing moment and treat yourself to a one-of-a-kind scarf from Muse Silk Paintings.  SHOP the Transitions Collection TODAY!

Fairytale Forest Fall/Winter Collection by Muse Silk Paintings

We modern and savvy women go a mile a minute these days, emailing, texting, twittering, facebooking and just trying to keep up with life. Wouldn’t you just love to hit pause on the chaos?

Muse Silk Paintings invites you to take a deep breath and enter the Fairytale Forest…

Imagine a lilac mist rolling gently over sloping foothills and meadows of sweet-scented flowers. Delicate mushrooms nestle at the base of towering Redwoods in warm hues of peach and coral, gold and bright citron green. They are nearly enchanting enough to eat.

This is a place for magic, for wood nymphs and fairies.

Water ripples over the smooth rocks of a nearby stream and beyond that is a crystal blue waterfall, whose droplets mix with the sun rays to throw small rainbows along your path. It’s here, in a serene pool of water, that you catch a glimpse of your reflection. You are goddess of the forest.

As the sun begins to set in a blaze of pinks and orange, all the forest creatures—the sapphire caterpillar and the young butterfly emerging with its splendid new wings—begin to disappear into the dusk. The snails leave behind iridescent trails and the stars begin to shimmer and wink across the rich indigo sky.

Allow the Muse Silk Paintings Fall/Winter collection to remind you of your favorite childhood fairy tales and to escape into the flora and fauna of youth. Invest in a little treasure for yourself, adding both elegance and charm to your fall wardrobe.

The Fairytale Forest luxury collection is now available, so come discover all our brand new scarves today!

Behind the Name

Have you ever wondered why I have named my silk painting business “MUSE”? I suppose most would think – ah well, she has so many ideas that she must think SHE is the MUSE. (How egotistical) But, my friend, that was not really the intention behind the name. Today I just wanted to take some time to share why I decided to name my business “Muse Silk Paintings”. Well, the “Silk Paintings” part should be pretty obvious, but about the “Muse”, let’s start with the definition.

Definition of a Muse: The source of an artist’s inspiration.




A muse can be a person, place or thing. It can be a song, or a memory, the setting sun, a twinkling star that inspired you to wear your diamond earrings tonight, or to add some glimmering silver to that project you are working on.






Also accordingly to Greek mythology, the Muses were ethereal goddesses who would literally inspire artists, poets, writers, etc.. to create their masterpieces, sometimes by whispering to them in their dreams.





With these lovely notions in mind, it is my hope that my hand painted scarves in their uplifting colors, with fantastic, daydream imagery will inspire you to throw together an outfit that is really special and completely YOU.
As each piece is a unique, one of a kind artwork you can wear, it is meant to spark your imagination! Where will you wear it? What colors will you style it with? How will you fold it and swirl it around – as a neck scarf, a head-band, a belt? When you order a hand painted silk scarf from Muse Silk Paintings, I hope you will search and find your inner “fashion” Muse and have fun creating your own, special look. Because after all, you are a beautiful masterpiece yourself, so why not take a moment to dress it up and really shine!?

Thanks for reading about my intentions behind the name… and whether it comes to you in a dream, or in a pretty little package, I hope you find your inner Muse every day!

"Boutique for a Cause" was a huge success!

Wonderful Cause

This past show was only my second ever, and I really had no idea what to expect. I participated because of an invite from a dear friend and also because I really love the idea behind it. A large portion of all the sales went to this amazing foundation, and I think we raised quite a bit! There was a lovely article written about the event which you can read about here.

Beautiful Day

It turned out to be a simply beautiful on both days of the show. The sun played peek-a-boo with the clouds and just an ever so slight drizzling near the later afternoon. After we got our large coffees, we went to work setting up shop.

Great turnouts

While the mornings were quiet, the crowds grew to a healthy number by the afternoon. It was a healthy turnout over all, and there was a great selection of products from gorgeous jewelry to feather hair pieces, home baked goodies, and of course, beautiful hand painted scarves. A perfect one-stop-shop for early holiday shoppers.

Lots of Sales

As the day went on, more and more of my scarves were leaving my table and going home with happy, fashion savvy customers. We folded the 22" square scarves on the table, and many people bought these as gifts for the ladies in their lives that love to wear little neckerchiefs.

Love of Silk Painting

My longer silk paintings were all hung on a little rolling rack, organized by color so it looked like a shiny, silky rainbow from across the room. Very pretty! It was quite enjoyable for me to explain my silk painting process to those interested (and assure them that they were not made in India).

Family Matters

As if lovely weather, great press, great sales, and celebrity sightings weren't enough to make this a successful event, there is one more thing that made my day. I could not have pulled off this show with out the help of my brother Andrew, who came though with flying colors in every area. Thank you to all my family and friends for your continued support in my amazing adventure of Muse Silk Paintings!

Twilight Style - Friday Fashion Finds

Happy Friday the 13th! I thought it was only appropriate to dedicate this post to the "Twilight" trend.. well at least just a for one posting. After all, it's a spooky day, and who hasn't melted just a little with this story of vampire romance?So I've put styled two outfits for the Isabella admirers out there, with a little Muse touch!

"Too Cool for School"

She looks so bundled, cozy and warm, yet super cool in this outfit! Why not dress it up a little with this gorgeous, electric blue ruffled blouse, and long, yummy grey fingerless gloves, perfect for riding your bike or typing up that killer paper! Toss on some amazing vintage Versace skinny jeans and fabulous suede slouch boots. Now all you need are a few accessories... Rumple up this pretty silk scarf over a gorgeous pearl plated button necklace, and add this lovely wrapped ring to finish the look. I actually own this ring, and I wear it with everything - it's just so pretty! Oh, and of course don't forget your super chic, paisley lap top bag!

"Tryst in the Woods"

OK so maybe you wouldn't go camping in this outfit, but this is such a delicious collection that is definitely woodland inspired. This feminine, golden parchment blouse goes great with these perfect CK skinny jeans and HOT leather boots. The 70's qulited coat and snuggly fingerless, dark chocolate gloves warm up the outfit while the beautiful georgette scarf and lovely, gold filled acorn necklace really dress it up. I couldn't resist this vintage plaid book bag, and the eighties glasses, well, come on, you know you want them - they are beyond cool, and every vampire loving girl should own a pair ;)

Boutique for a Cause in Sherman Oaks

I'm so excited (and nervous) to announce that Muse Silk Paintings will be showing beautiful, hand painted scarves among many other talented artisans at this show. Please come out and support this worthy cause - would love to see you there! This Thurs and Fri 11am-3pm.

Happy Musings!

A

Friday Fashion Finds - Copper and Gold!

Can you believe it? The holidays are just around the corner! As you mark your calendars with all your social events and start musing over what to wear, remember this season is all about SHINE! Don't be afraid to mix coppers and golds to toss a little glimmer of fun holiday spirit!

These stone washed skinny jeans go with everything, a turtleneck, oversized sweater, or sexy tank, and just a MUST have. Toss on a gold and copper metallic, hand painted scarf with jeans, or a short grey dress for a super glamourous holiday entrance. The antiqued copper earrings are simply classic and gorgeous. They look both dressy and casual at the same time, a perfect winter accessory. The "Knot a Bow" gold ring is just darling, and don't even tell me you are not DYING over this over-the-top fabulous suede ankle boots. Put it all together in your own unique way. But whatever you do, don't leave home without your shiny piggy penny purse... in fact, you better snap it up before I do!

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

Faded but Friendly SALE!

So.. as I am still learning every step of the way with my silk paintings, there are bound to be bumps in the road along the way. Recently about a dozen of my finished scarves were either left soaking too long, or washed to harshly, or, I guess I'm still trying to figure out what happened, but the end result is that they lost a lot of their original color and now have visible crease marks (sniff sniff.. wiping a tear from my eye)..

SO as I rushed to re-shoot them, my devastation slowly began to wear off, as each one, while folded and scrunched on the model, didn't look half bad! Not to mention, they feel super extra soft now. So for those of us who enjoy a little distressing/creasing character in our accessories and a good bargain, this provides the perfect opportunity to snatch up a hand painted silk scarf, for half the price!

Take advantage of my little accident in this case. You'll notice each "faded" piece has been drastically reduced in price (most at 50%). Combine that with the free shipping and gift wrapping, and well, (reaching for a kleenex to dry my tears) it's practically highway robbery!

Happy Shopping!

http://www.etsy.com/sections_contents.php?section_id=6315346