Ya, I'm Into High Class Stuff.

This past week a huge tent has been erected in the middle of Union Square down here in San Francisco  for an amazing event: Le Festival des Métiers, A Rendez-Vous with Hermès Craftsmen.

My mind was blown.

Now, I'm a fan of Hermès, but this event really threw them to the top of my list of inspiring métiers. I knew what they did, how they did it, and the general mentality of how they view their craft. But seeing it in person? Amazing. I was honestly taken aback by the artistry and the craftsmanship. And let's just be honest: I know that the brand is expensive and super famous and they're HIGH FASHION, but that isn't what attracts me to it. It's the fact that it's a small company and everything is made using the traditional techniques they've been using for over a hundred years. That tradition is so much more of an allure to me-- I can only hope to aspire to be a part of that sort of legacy!

Each button hole is made by hand by a sharpened tool. It takes 12 minutes to sew EACH button hole by hand. Most of the buttons pictured above are mother of pearl that has been hand dyed. Watching this seamstress work was super interesting. She said she'd been working with Hermès for over 25 years and had been sewing couture for years before she started with the company. The buttons she was sewing on had "H" designs on them... it takes 6 button holes to sew in that design.

Green work means beautiful origami to me.

Lack of posts definitely doesn't equal lack of creative action, I'm glad to report. I've actually been busy every single day working on projects. I've been inspired by browsing Craftgawker during my breaks at work and combining some of those projects with things I can all ready do. I can't wait to take on more mini projects.

The items that took the longest have been my book paper wreaths. I was inspired by seeing a tutorial at Living with Lindsay and figured I could make one for my room which while cluttered, doesn't have much decoration. 

I received a company book a couple weeks back and really had no intention of reading it. I thought I should re-purpose it into something cool.

This step was actually the most annoying. I all ready dislike styrofoam-- cutting it is even worse! Not only is it messy, but pushing anything through it sounds like nails on a chalkboard. Glad I put up with it, though-- a regular styrofoam wreath form costs nearly 6USD; I purchased this flat circle for 1USD.

This step was the most time consuming. I was able to watch the entirety of Gone with the Wind during the rolling and gluing process. And by the entirety, I mean the entire four hours and then some.

I'm actually extremely happy and proud with how these came out! They look amazing on my wall and definitely make the room look lighter. I used the center circle I cut out to make a matching little star wreath; I didn't feel like making waste was a good idea. Plus sixty pages left in the book needed a home.


Also inspired by Living with Lindsay, I made a holder for yarn balls as I knit. I have tons of little tins from the tea I drink and have been struggling to come up with ideas to re-purpose them-- a yarn holder, especially with my current knitting project, was perfect. I used Lindsay's rosette tutorial to create a rosette out of ribbon to decorate my tin.

 

The top of the tin looks a little wacked out but there's really nothing I can do about that... I'm just happy it has a hole in the top that my yarn doesn't get caught to! I have to thank Kyle for being able to drive a nail through it because my weak wrists wouldn't be able to handle it!

Lastly, I went out to the local Goodwill the other day to donate things and also pick up a couple frames. In a continuing effort to decorate my room I figured an inspiration board should probably go up at my desk. I brought the frames home, sanded them down to make them look a bit more vintage, and then proceeded to print out images I love.

Love it! Waiting for Kyle to get home so he can put a nail into the wall for me to hang it. I'd also like to buy some dry erase markers so I can write on the glass. I'm actually very surprised I didn't think of frames before for inspiration boards-- I can take the images out and put new ones in without having to throw out poster board over and over again.