Christmas Shopping for the Company

The Christmas markets have been in full swing for three weeks now. With eight trips under my belt; one could say I've been taking full advantage of the season.

It amazes me how much time Germans spend out of doors. Weather is, absolutely, not a factor. I am outside all of the time; for long periods of time. It's the only way to absorb the culture...and fresh air. It could be 10 degrees Celsius and raining; and there will still be crowds perched outside coffee shops enjoying a beverage (and perhaps a cigarette) at a table. They may be under a blanket; but that just makes the dedication even more apparent.

Luckily, I've got plenty of outdoor clothing. It is of the greatest necessity to always carry with you a hat, gloves, scarf and an umbrella. It doesn't matter what month, day, or time of day it is; in Germany you must be prepared for it to be cold and/or rainy. Being the cold freak that I am; I also carry two sets of Hot Hands. Sometimes I need more than Glühwein to encourage my blood to continuously circulate. 

With Christmas less than 10 days away I've definitely begun to hear the phrase, “You've seen one Christmas market, then you've seen them all. While in general I find this opinion a bit boring, I also found a Christmas market this Sunday to put that opinion to shame. (Try to stay with me here.) I attended a two-day Christmas market at Gut Wolfgangshof (an old farm estate, in Anwanden, hosted by the Schloss Hexenagger group. The website is www.winterzauberland.de You might want to bookmark it for next year. 

This was not your typical Christmas market. Yes, they had Glühwein and Lebkuchen. Yes, they had chocolate and bratwurst. But they also had organic, farm raised, lamb sausage with a most fantastic paprika seasoning. (and I don't even like lamb) They had lots of vendors from farms with fresh eggs, meats, pelts, preserves, jams, and jellies....so much of the land's bounty. Yes, many vendors there were selling Christmas ornaments and candles. But the ornaments were hand carved and the candles hand-dipped beeswax. I am also in love with how the Germans have not let the simple traditions of craftsmanship fall to the wayside. There was even a blacksmith present. He was doing demonstrations, but also letting children practice as well. It was cool. Even better; there was a camel. You could ride it. I didn't. Kids did.

Since the market was on a farm estate, the barn was full of crafters and vendors too. I found many beauty products I would have loved to purchase.There was a guy selling lotion made from potatoes (cool) and I couldn't keep from tripping over millions of delicious smelling soaps. On the ground floor of the barn they had a exhibit of the traditional biscuit ornaments. The biscuits are hand made in molds, then baked, then painted. Here you could buy them and paint them yourself. I bought two, of course, but I brought them home to paint with my own paint. I'm going to give them to my neighbors and landlords as gifts. There were also many fabulous jewelers present at this market. My sights and senses were overwhelmed with all of the beautiful possibilities of jewelry. I always take jewelers' business cards in hopes of contacting them and asking them to make me incredible buttons. Here, in Germany, I think I'm going to have great luck with that. The jewelers I have met so far seem quite personable and interested in custom work. For instance, wouldn't it be awesome to have buttons from this artist?...www.erdwind.de...

So what did I buy? Nothing for myself; I must admit. I bought more fur for Florida Scarf. I met these awesome dudes, from Leipzig. They traveled quite far with their outstanding collection. They had so many interesting, beautiful, high quality pieces. I wanted to buy them all. I chose to purchase the softest rabbit pelt I could find; just one. I don't want to go overboard with any one style. Florida Scarf, in fur, has been a hit here in Europe though. Seeing how much time we are all spending outside; now I understand. Fur keeps you incredibly comfortable and warm.

I could ramble on about my enchanting Sunday afternoon, at the Magic Winter Market that was terribly gorgeous and enchanting, and cold, and rainy, and muddy; but you would get bored and fall asleep, and it would leave me no time to mention Saturday.

Saturday was another cold and rainy (typical) day in Germany. I rode the train to Nürnberg and went to the Winterkiosk (www.winterkiosk.de) at the Kunsthaus (Art House) across the street from the train station. It was three floors of handmade wares, repurposed clothing, vegan food, glühwein, recycling, books, and basically everything else for the modern hippie. It was fun; but with an extremely different flair than the market on Sunday. Saturday was fun, and funky. I am happy to report that I found some buttons for Flo Sca on Saturday. I am slowly building an army of supplies born and bred in Deutschland. 

After the Winterkiosk I made another stop at the Nuremberg Christmas market. (I couldn't be in the city and not drop by) That place is crazy! On a Saturday. Crazy! In a good way. I really enjoy shopping once all of my normal Christmas shopping is over with. Like this weekend; the only people I bought things for were (technically me, but also for) Flo Sca customers...and I don't even know them yet. This means there is no pressure, and I get to hang on to the items for a while. I will use them (myself) to make the scarf with, then they will be purchased. It's like a double gift. Initially it makes me happy. Then, later, it makes another person happy.

German Supplies!

How dope are these buttons?

I'm really excited about them, and can't wait to use them on some new scarves.

They are handmade from clay that is handmade...right here in Bavaria. 

The artist is practically my neighbor. Her name is Hana Simsa. I met her at a Ceramic Artist Craft Fair this weekend. In Germany we call it a Topfermarkt. 

Hana and her husband dig up the clay, clean it, and then combine the different colors to get these great patterns. A LOT of work goes into their production. They had many objects made out of this clay. I feel lucky that they made something I can use - Buttons! Reasonably priced clay buttons can be a rarity; so I jump on them when I find them. 

I also picked this up for my mom. She is a ceramic artist as well. She also makes mosaics. I thought this flower would be cool in one of her pieces. Let's hope it makes it across the ocean in one piece.

Treasure Buttons

Today is my first day in NJ visiting my mom. She found some new cool buttons for my scarves. I'm excited to get home and use them. The first bunch are these crazy, heavy, bronze casted masks from the other side of the world. She bought them at Earth Tones in Merchantville, NJ. The second set are handmade of clay. The woman that made them is Marcia Hovland, and you can find more from her at her etsy shop.

Thanks Mom!

TAGUA NUT BUTTONS

Hello All. I trust everyone had a great holiday.
This post will wrap up my features of new button retailers.

I bought a batch of buttons from my friend Isabel. They are handmade (and dyed) in Ecuador.

Isabel's Company is called Latin Art Jewelry. She specializes in Jewelry and accessories made from the tagua nut. These buttons are a Florida Scarf Exclusive, Lucky Me!

These earrings are a great example of the haindpainted designs. 

The tagua nut is actually a dried seed that comes from the tagua palm tree. You can see the process of the jewelry from tree to finished product on Isabel's site.

www.latinartjewelry.com

There are not two pieces of jewelry exactly alike, as they all have different designs and colors. Tagua nut jewelry is super resistant and the colors are just beautiful. All the jewelry comes directly from a little town located on the coast of Ecuador. The process of collecting the tagua nuts, designing, and selling the jewelry is the main economy for Isabel's hometown.

This is an example of how the jewelry can be purchase in gift sets.

I met Isabel here at Ft Rucker. We became great friends because I love her jewelry. I was super excited when she said her friends in Ecuador would make me buttons too. Isabel has since moved to Kennesaw, GA. Lucky you if you are in her area.

I have begun working with my tagua buttons already. In fact, I put one on the hoodie hat I made my mom for her birthday.

The butterfly in the center is tagua. cool, huh?

Popalicious Buttons

In a continued effort to share the suppliers of Florida Scarf with you, allow me to introduce another button lady. Her name is Andrea Cammarata and like me she is a Jersey Girl. Yay! Andrea has a few Etsy shops, but the one that I purchased from is www.popalicioustoo.etsy.com, A place where you can add POP to your art!

This small business owner is also a mother, wife, dog mommy and rescuer, friend, and animal advocate. Her full time job is ETSY. It’s no easy task, luckily for her it’s a family affair. Even her two rescue doxies are in the middle of everything.

One of the great things about shopping in any one of Andrea's shops is you can be a part of supporting a cause. Each Month Andrea's family donates money to have 15 trees planted. This is in an effort to offset their carbon footprint and to make their wood items sustainable. The donation is made to American Forests.

This is a sample of the buttons I got from popalicious. They have pin backs. I this this will be a cool new feature on the scarves. Now you will be able to adjust the fit of your scarf by moving the pin. I think it's pretty genius. Now these fashion scarves will be forever adjustable. You can even take the pin off and wear it on something else.

Andrea was great to work with. The items arrived in great condition in a timely fashion. I recommend shopping from any one of her locations. Here is a complete list of all of her shops.
www.popalicious.etsy.com
www.popalicioustoo.etsy.com
www.doxiedoodles.etsy.com
www.thecottagemarket.etsy.com
wwww.chipofchina.etsy.com
www.onaprettyplate.etsy.com
upcoming blog: onaprettyplate.com

Thanks for checking in with Florida Scarf. Have a killer day.

A Remark You Made, Buttons

This is another example of some of the incredible buttons I picked up for next season. They are from an etsy shop, www.aremarkyoumade.etsy.com
It's a husband and wife team from Ohio. They provide earthfriendly knitting supplies, jewelry, and sustainable products for "green" weddings. These buttons were handcrafted from the wood of down trees. Florida Scarf loves them for their rustic charm. They are going to give the scarves such simple style. Brenda, the wife in the duo, loves her product's natural beauty. She finds the honesty of nature most appealing.
The company was great to work with on this order. My buttons came in a timely fashion. They are even more delightful in person than they looked in the photos. Brenda and her husband did a wonderful job of developing this product. The buttons are sure to last. If your interested I think these buttons would be great on other things too, like pillows, journals, or purses. I will obviously be sticking to what I know....scarves.

Button, Button, Who's Got The Button?

The single most outstanding feature on any one of my scarves is the button. In seasons past I have worked hard ( as have a few of my friends) to gather unique buttons at flea markets, old coat factories, antique shops, grandma's basement......the list is endless. On occassions, I myself strayed from the sewing machine to the wood shop or clay studio to make some buttons of my own. This year I wanted to work cooperatively with more artists. To give Florida Scarf a new dimension the pieces will now be featuring handmade buttons from artists across the globe. I'm still early in the mission but you won't believe what I've found.

First I would lilke to introduce Elysium’s Beach Stone Supply of Battle Creek, Michigan.

 http://www.lhsblack.etsy.com/
This Etsy shop specializes in stone supplies from the shores of Lake Michigan. These stones are polished by the waves and sand over many years. The artist then conditions the stones with a little dab of unscented lotion which brings out their color and pattern.

A few words from the artist's profile are, "My favorite season is spring, and I love all water activities, horseback riding, traveling, spending time with my family, and creating."
I found this artist incredibly easy to work with. After a few conversations about what I needed she made me the exact kind of buttons I wanted. The order was produced and shipped in a timely manner. I was so excited for the package. When I opened it I realized this artist had taken the time to develope her product into something perfect for Florida Scarf. Every detail was taken into consideration. This is an important factor to me when dealing with customers. I'm glad Elysium was of the same mindset. I can't wait to put some of her stones to use.

Aren't you excited? I am. I can't wait to construct some new pieces. For these stones I'm thinking stormy scarves. I want fabrics rich in blues and grays. The texture is thick and warm, but silky too. Maybe even fabric that's delicate and feminine on the outside to complement the essence of the button.

Be sure to check out the artist's shop. There's more than just buttons. The artist also does links, pendants, key chains, and spacers. BONUS: She only charges $2.00 on shipping for multiple orders in the US!

Savage Dorothy

For every single piece I make there is inspiration. For this particular hood I really started to daydream...

What if, when Dorothy got knocked unconcious she didn't go to Oz? What if she went somewhere more exotic? Instead of ruby slippers she would wear this hood. It may be slightly less glamorous, but it is much more practicle. It helps her to blend in with her new environment. The inside bears the gingham of her former clothing, as well as a magenta leaf print to help her assimilate into the new culture. The brown sweatshirt keeps her warm. Since this wild, new world is mostly dirt and trees the color acts as a camoflage also. Pulling the hood up over her head hides her lovely feminine features. She must remain as hidden as possible for fear of being held prisoner. She will pull the drawstring tight. Not only does her hood have two buttons for secure fastening, but it also has mini nuts and berries that she can use as a food source. Eventually her adventure will wind down and Dorothy will be ready to go home. All she will have to do is wear her hood in the reverse. In doing this, the brown will be on the inside and her bright prints will be on the outside. Once the savages realize her identity she can teach them about both worlds through the fabric. She will be freed through the sharing of knowledge.

 "One should never underestimate the inspiration of eccentricity." 

I appologize for not knowing who said this line. But i am using it to end this post today since I feel a bit silly for what I have written. I had fun doing it though, and I hope you had fun reading it. If you love this hood it is for sale.

http://www.scgeraci.etsy.com/

I Spent My Time on Buttons

I just read an article about a blogger who spent hours and hours researching his latest posting. He investigated 68 years worth of microfilms at the Municipal Archives in NYC that mapped out Greenwich Village. He did this to try and locate the exact position of a diner depicted in an Edward Hopper painting. I think Nighthawks is captivating, but not deserving of such intense research. I am sorry to disappoint any reader who wants me to give any one posting that much attention. When would I sew?

I am just here today to inform everyone that another bunch of buttons has been created. This time they were made out of wood. My husband has been busy in the garage refinishing a dining set. I think I may have been a bit inspired by all of the sawdust everywhere. I decided to do a round of buttons in various sizes and shapes, with varying amounts of thread holes. I enjoy switching up the amount of holes for different looks on pieces. One of my favorite  things is to put extra holes in the buttons and attach smaller buttons as decoration. If you are lucky the next time you buy a Florida Scarf with a wooden button you will still be able to smell the stain.

Coffee and Cherries

My new thing is recycling old wool sweaters for hoodies. It's been really fun. They make me sad that it is only summer. I love winter, but only when it snows. I don't think I'm going to get much satisfaction out of an Alabama winter. None the less, it is only June and there is plenty to be thankful for in June. Most importantly there is a ton of great produce. I got crazy-inspired by a certain fruit last week, the rainier cherry. Don't you love it? Not only is it refreshing with just the right sweet/tart balance, but it has great color too. For anyone that isn't familiar the cherry is covered in pink and yellow hues. The two colors blend together and seperate, and the surface of the cherry is so adorable. Drinking dark roast coffee (with a touch of Ovaltine) and snacking on some cherries makes me happy. In my delight I was inspired to create this hoodie.