Quick snapshots of a Sunday

at home.
Did I say mini-vacation from the shops and organizing?
Well, it was over 100F and I skipped on physical labor of moving boxes around. I did crochet though, just whatever I was inspired to do.
Started my day with a little meditation & burning cedar on my mini charcoals in a soap stone holder.

New way to dry hand washed hats in hemp and other fibers that won't stretch out: stuffed with a towel inside they dry quickly in the warm wind, like cool little wind sockets.

I stayed in my kaftan all day long...so comfy and free.

Altered Couture, can't wait to get into my sewing studio

I am antsy to move my sewing machines, tables and yarn boxes into the studio, right next to our home.
I have been drooling over "Altered Couture"magazines and want to sew so bad. While crocheting can be done anywhere (living room, patio, travel:) sewing requires room, and the more cramped a work space is, the more the stress level rises and perspective gets narrowed down. There is nothing better than draping ideas on the dress form and stepping back for a different view.
Homepage of Altered Couture 

Summer solstice went by, and half of 2011 has already passed. Is time on high speed or is it just my lifestyle of working 7 days a week that makes a week just browse by in no time?
It sure seemed a long work week from Mondays to Friday while I was still employed at a day job. Does time fly by faster when you actually have fun working? Must be a strong YES:)

I'll close my Etsy shop and Artfire shop for this weekend to catch a bit of creative freedom and organize my crocheting and sewing inventory for the upcoming move.
But I will update my own website Purple Sage Designz with some new goodies that I had stitched up over the last week and never got around to list.
Hemp wool tams...so watch out if you love this particular hat material as much as I enjoy working with it. A sneak peak below

Old home country Regalia...history and inspiration from the Oberpfalz, Bavaria, Germany

(Source of regalia pictures)   

I love embroidery, patterns and coin embellishments on outfits, and did a little google research of authentic Oberpfaelzer Trachten (traditional clothing). Even though I like the contemporary Trachten sold in specialty stores, the originals are truly fascinating. These online picture finds are a true inspiration and my own interpretation will definitely find a way into my handmade clothing in one way or another.
The Oberplaelzer forest was once considered part of the Bohemian forest  before the borders between the Czech Republic and Bavaria (Germany) were divided by the Iron curtain, Bavaria and Bohemia are said to have had common tribal heritage way back in history when migrations and wars redefined the tribal lands on a regular basis.
I love the Bohemianism as it had become a free-thinking lifestyle and fashion trend all throughout the world. The Oberpfalz has a very distinct dialect and landscape, a fairytale land of hills, forests, rough edges and rich history. One of Bohemia's larger cities Cheb (in German Eger) is perhaps an hour drive away and the charm of their former spa and healing water resort architecture is still a sight to see. Even though Czecia had been a socialistic country for many years, the Kaffeehaus charm (coffee houses, cafes, restaurants) had survived with their typical ornate and artful design and I was fascinated to visit the country in the early Nineties when the Iron curtain had been removed, but the country still had not opened yet completely to Western modernization and capitalism which will always change the face of towns and villages.

above:
Festtagsmieder, um 1850, vermutl. Regensburg...special occasions bustier, approx. 1850, most likely Regensburg area (capital of Oberpfalz region, located at the Danube, Northeast Bavaria)

 

Festlicher Seidenschalk/Ärmelmieder, um 1850/60, vermutlich Regensburg...wow, this has to be one of my favorites, a silken sleeve-top in shrug style, cut like a bustier with sleeves added, approx. 1850/60 and possibly worn in Regensburg.

Festliches Miederleibchen, um 1820/30; 

Fundort Beratzhausen

Special occasion bustier shirt, found in Beratzhausen, approx. from 1820/30

Going to continue with 

http://www.br-online.de/bayerisches-fernsehen/abendschau/kult-ums-gwand-DID1195677546437179/index.xml

Okay, I gave in to buy a smart phone

I traded my little pink "buy minutes pay as you go" trackfone mobile phone for an evo htc 4G.
Still learning the ropes. I decided to go with the flow of innovation and upgrade to a better device including all the internet possibilities while on the go. I am still not convinced it's a must, but I'll find out soon if it will make life and biz easier. Since I am very protective of my offline time, I am still a bit skeptical, but I am trying to have an open mind:)

The Heat Is On!

Did you know that you can wear
hemp and even wool all year around?
In that sense 2 new tams and 1 skullcap:
all ready to ship:)
Click on the titles under the pictures to see the listings.
When items sell out they won't show up anymore on the sales page
but are still visible here.
Peace and love!
Angelika
One more message to new buyers:
I monitor my website daily, so you can order with confidence:)

beekeeper wool tam

siouxsie purple hemp tam
organic yarn in hemp and silk blend

Self Empowerment

(picture borrowed from here)

If you followed my blog lately, then you probably got a sense of many happenings surrounding my normal full-time routine of running a small handmade business without any additional helping hands.
It has been frustrating at times to work around appointments and other obligations. One of the theories of depression is based on helplessness in the face of foreign-administered measurements and their outcome. I am not depressed but have felt a certain amount of frustration and overwhelmed sensations lately.
Today I paused and this thought hit me:
Create your own day life/week/business/...fill in the blanks), don't let someone else, their actions, or non-actions, ..... (fill in the blanks) effect your happiness. Your thoughts will be mirrors of what you will receive from the universe and the Creator. 
Easy folk wisdom, no rocket science, even when it comes in a big word like "self empowerment" these days.