HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

So thankful for my family and friends! And so thankful to be spending today with people I love. I hope everyone has a festive and delicious Thanksgiving.

FRENCH GENERAL SHOP

When trying to summarize how special French General is, I came across Natalie W's Yelp review.

"This off-the-beaten-path place is a little slice of crafty heaven here on Earth: a terra cotta colored cottage a bit off the beaten path smack in the middle of Echo Park. Knock on the door and Kaari, the owner, will come to greet you with a smile. This old Lasky studio is all the workings of Kaari and her husband, who once had this very same shop in New York on Crosby, and beforehand in the Hudson Valley. It's sweet touch of Provence, filled with antique linens and textiles, natural balms and lavender-filled sachets and pillows, and vintage notions. A communal table in the back houses Saturday workshops teaching you how to make a necklace or earrings out of these French-inspired materials. A pair of hand-dyed, handmade roller blinds are on my wish list here."

Quite lovely...indeed.

MORE SHIBORI!

Love all the different styles of Shibori, from Saturday's workshop at French General. From sewing and pleating to folding and dipping, we played with a vast array of Shibori dyeing techniques. I even attempted sewing and stitching, but realized that folding fabric is more my style.

FRENCH GENERAL: SHIBORI

Because I can't get enough of Indigo dyeing, I had to sign up for another workshop. This time, after searching all around Los Angeles for another chance to perfect by Shibori folding techniques, I managed to find French General. 

The French General workshop was the perfect beginning for a cool, fall morning. The french themed craft shop is warm and welcoming. The workshop started off with guava pastries and steaming coffee. We sat around the table preparing our fabrics, sewing, folding and chatting. I truly couldn't ask for a more ideal morning.

Kaari guided us through the process of creating intricate prints through the ancient art of Japanese Shibori and Indigo. Beautiful shades of blue were created through dipping the prepared fabric into Indigo vats, which were set up behind French General. By the ends of the day, we definitely turned the alley blue! I love the process of folding paper, dipping it into Indigo dye, and seeing what comes out! 

Thank You French General for such a magical day! 

UNIQUE SPACE

Had a blast over the weekend touring the new Unique Space in downtown LA. The Unique Space threw its grand unveiling party and my friend Jeanetta snagged one of their awesome workspaces. It was a fun night touring the offices, touching the wallpaper walls, admiring the fiddle leaf fig trees (everywhere!), as well as making new friends. Gold and black seemed to be the interior trends, with gold triangle patterns, Moroccan magenta rugs and even black toilets! Yes, we hung out in the bathrooms, snapping photos of the cool wallpaper.