The Rest (Best) of 2026~
In the past bit of time I have become a big advocate of creating mini alters! This is a way to bring to fruition the things that you desire most and can be as simple as putting a seashell and a piece of driftwood and a Chinese fortune cookie proverb on your desk or the console of your car or as elaborate as setting up a pile of driftwood with shells from your world travels to help inspire you and motivate you to take your next trip… I have been doing this for the past couple of years and really feel that it’s making magical things happen!
I have been on a hiatus from doing my Felt art and traveling a lot, looking for inspiration to rekindle my passion for that medium. This summer, I will be traveling with Phish again and will be releasing the Bathtub Gin Glass, created from the resin art I’ve been studying filled with all kinds of goodies & a mini Bombay Sapphire 4 my phavorite phans!
In July I will be participating in a boot camp with my favorite winner of Project runway, Christian Siriano & I’m very excited to share with him the sketches and collages I’m creating. I am currently studying the work of Ronaldo Fraga, a fabulous Brazilian fashion designer and illustrator, just learning the art of drawing, psychography and finding inspiration in every moment I visualize and texture I feel.
The focus is building a collection created from a variety of mediums to give people an option when they will be spending time, outdoors, particularly in the sun in the summertime. I have dealt with skin cancers over the last couple of years, and would like to be an advocate for those who want to protect their delicate skin, especially from the shoulder down.
In the summertime, we tend to wear things that are exposing the arm, wrist and hand, and these areas can become subject to cancers and wrinkles if they are not protected. I am not a fan of wearing sunscreen and I don’t even know if it’s effective …that is what is stimulating this idea.
This collection of Shade Shields will be based on medieval period arm guards & Renaissance garb. The first I am calling a Gauntlet, a soft but protective armor made from felt decorated with lace, beads, and buttons with many sizes & styles that may will cover the forearm, wrist and/ hand. A longer Pauldron made of layers of lightweight, breathable fabrics will provide coverage from the shoulder to the hand with a Velcro elastic band that can be adjusted, allowing one to control how much sun they receive on different areas of the arm while also providing the comfort of knowing there will be no tan lines!
I do intend to make items for men as well because I believe that you all need items to finish your look also! There will be samples in pics in the Lookbook and listed for sale soon! I intend to send custom orders out as quickly as possible, especially to those people who were involved in the Renaissance circuit. My entire motivation is to offer people alternative options for sun protection and items that will add joy to their wardrobe and life!
You see, just by writing this blog, I am creating a sort of lil altar. Stating my intention and putting it out there is a very effective means of getting things accomplished…Make it work!