Project Tea Bag

Last Wednesday evening at the Roger Williams Park Botanical Gardens in Providence, RI, the Tea kimono (1000 Tea Bags) made its debut. Groundworks Providence, a non-profit grassroots organization that supports programs and public gardens in Providence held it's 7th annual fashion show fundraiser. Recycled Fashions were the stars of the evening, as volunteers modeled clothing out of alternative materials like bear tabs, magazines, shower curtains, and, you guessed it, old tea bags. The gala was well attended, including some local notables like Providence Mayor David Ciccolini and a handful of other celebs like Karen Adams from Channel 12 news. It was a fabulous evening and I give much credit to all the folks who worked so hard to organize and put the show together. I may just design something new for next year.....

Dampness is the Enemy or Tea Bags in the Wind

Last week while getting some work out of the basement to bring to the studio I detected a not-so-faint odor of mold on my tea quilt piece (Loss of Comfort) and decided to hang it on the line for a while. I am happy to report that it was not damaged in anyway and the moldy smell has faded. I was heart-sick at the prospect of never showing this piece again. It took 3-4 months of hard work to complete it and I was not ready to destroy it.

Open Studios

It was a very long weekend here at the Paper Girls Studio. Pawtucket Open Studios was this past weekend...3 days of showing work to the masses looking for decorative items and not much else. But, to give credit, I did have a few people come through who were genuinly interested in seeing and talking about ART. I even made a few connections...maybe something lucritive in the college-level teaching area....
Colleen and I decide not to stay open for Friday evening. She was at a wedding in neary Newport while I went home after a long day of teaching in Worcester then cleaning up and hanging work here. Needless to say, good buddy and neighbor Michael said he was open all Friday night and had a scant 6 visitors. So, it would appear that I made the right decision not to open.
Saturday was our best day...we had some friends stop in for coffee and., although sadly missing on the weekend were long lost friends and comrades Kerry and Justin. They were sadly sadly missed. I had an extra special caffine beverage for Justine....
Also missed were close friends and compatriots Rachel and John. Hmmmm...makes me wonder....have I offended anyone lately?
I don't know if I will repeat this next year...I'll have to wait and see.