Art Prints by Natalie Cannon

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I (Merlin) have always been partial to real skills instead of mimicked skills. In my defense I have to say that I tried to apply that to myself as well, even though there have been times when I succumbed to the temptation to make shortcuts.

One of the shortcuts I remember trying was playing music. I have been always fascinated by the keyboard but never had any piano lessons to speak of. Then came computers and midi interfaces and I got myself a Roland synthesizer – good and expensive at that time. I was good with computer (still am, but the way) and in no time I had a nice setup with which I could pretend to be able to play music. I am glad to report that I found my integrity and dismantled that setup soon thereafter and went back teaching myself some songs the real way.

In my early days I also rejected photography because it seemed too easy to make pictures, until I discovered that there was a whole other set of skills to master and that it was an art form in its own right.

For the same reason I have not embraced computer art for a long time. But I think now the computer with it’s tools in graphics has developed to a stage where one can create amazing visuals after mastering those tools and distinguish oneself from the many with little skills.

I myself am tempted but just have not been able to invest the time to develop the necessary skill. But I believe I can recognize a skilled and inspired artist when I see one.

And the reason for this article is that I have encountered one.

Check out Natalie’s MAGES: bold original Art & Jewelry. Just notice these two little examples of what Natalie can do…

There are much bigger views of her art, which she offers as pedants, art tiles and art prints, on her web site. Especially the pendants are a “have to check out” item as we are soon heading into the holiday season.

(in case you wonder – I never got very far with my piano skills.)

Using Tie-dye Scraps Most Creatively

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Ain’t it great when even scraps of your products are considered to be valuable enough to be used – and then so creatively?

We got this email from Jan, the mind and spirit behind the Hungry Holler:

Hey Merlin:

Got back to the Holler today and found my fabulous scarf in the mailbox. I LOVE it! It’s so l o n g. Just what I like.I’ve been meaning to send you the photos attached. I have a huge sombrero. A girl can’t have enough shade…I never liked the cheesy hatband on the hat. Never could figure out why they would use such a silly thing on what is otherwise a VERY GOOD hat. It finally came apart and I made my own hatband. It may look familiar to you: I have one of your wrap-around skirts. It’s lovely but TOO long, story of my life. I like my scarves long, but need my skirts less so. I cut off the skirt and had a good bunch of fabric left. I used some of that fabric to make my hatband.

I plan to order more scarves for Christmas gifts.

Peace and best wishes,
Jan Mohr Meng

And here is that sombrero…

And speaking of Hungry Holler – what I so much like about Jan’s creations is the ingenuity of her creations: concrete art, using gourds as the last resting place for your pet, and bottle cap art – amongst many other interesting ideas on how to use every day objects in a new way.

Have you ever even gotten the idea of using paper to do your floor?

Women’s Health featuring the JustZen Buddha Bag

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JustZen got a chance to play with the big kids – a few weeks ago they got a message from somebody at Women’s Health Magazine offering to shoot some footage of their shoulder and buddha bags for possible inclusion in one of their upcoming editions.

Obviously JustZen was fast to get some samples out to New York. Soon thereafter it became obvious that the next round had been reached when the request for the official name, web site and contact info came in.

And then it really happened – the June issue 2010 featured Iron Man 2 actress Kate Mara, modeling “8 Easy Pieces – This Summer’s Essentials” and they are pretty, relaxed, and ready for a good time – Just like you! (Women’s Health’s words – not mine!)

In case you wonder what these 8 Easy pieces are – here you go…

  1. Peasant Blouse
  2. Skinny Cargos
  3. Corset Sundress
  4. Raffia Accessories
  5. Paper Bag Shorts
  6. Tie-Dyed Bag
  7. Tiered Skirt
  8. Safari Vest

And indeed, this point #6 introduces JustZen’s buddha bags to the world of fashion, playing with the big kids.

What I mean by “playing with the big kids”?

It is standard operating procedure that the magazine lists all the item the model is wearing in these fashion shots. Look what Kate presents…

  • Just Zen bag, $29, JustZen.com
  • Etro blouse, 212-317-9096
  • Textile Elizabeth and James jeans, $245, at Neiman Marcus,877-777-5321
  • Stuart Weitzman shoes, $345, stuartweitzman.com
  • Miguel Ases earrings, $345, fragments.com
  • Lena Skategard agate necklace, $180, fragments.com
  • Chan Luu beaded necklace, $190, chanluu.com
  • Arrows & Hearts ring, $29, at Callalilai, 212-219-2645

Gotta tell JustZen that they steep-up their prices, don’t you think?

The Future of Shopping for Cloths

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Shopping for clothes online has this one very big disadvantage – you can’t try it on and look at yourself in the mirror!

Getting a feel for the fabric is another point that still needs to be overcome; but with close-up images and a good description, maybe comparing it to other fabrics the customer likely will know, that does not appear to be the biggest problem.

Now comes a little video from Cisco – the networking equipment company – that puts big hope in the heart of all online clothing stores:

JustZen, the sponsor of this blog, so far did not have much trouble with returns but they still dream of a plugin for the web browser that turns on the web cam of the shopper’s computer after the shopper clicks ‘Preview’, and a friendly voice asks her to stand up, stand back three feet and just shows on screen how that wrap dress would look on her.

Combine that with the computer connected to the big-screen TV and we are nearly there.

The Philosophy of the people behind JustZen.com

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Today JustZen.com added a page to their web site laying out the underlying philosophy followed in running their business.

The main points are:

  1. 1. Giving back: At least 10% of the profits go the support children in the developing world.
  2. 2. Sustainable production: Where ever possible the switch has been done to natural fibers to produce the clothing.
  3. 3. Look for reasonable following of rules and regulations – no need to spend thousands to get government approval.
  4. 4. A sweat-shop free production environment, because happy people make happy product which make happy customers.

Miley Cyrus in our tie-Dye?

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Our whole family has watched Miley Cyrus’ Disney Show Hanna Montana pretty much from the  beginning and we all like it (especially our nine year old son) – even though I think the coolest person in the show is Daddy – sorry to all you Miley-only fans, but at least it’s the real daddy so the genes are right.

Recently I ran into a nice image of Miley, probably taken somewhere in the greater Los Angeles area – anybody know where exactly? – which I liked…

Miley Cyrus

…even though I think the t-shirt is a bit boring.

Allow me to dream my dream that all star, starlets and celebrities are eager to wear the mudmee tie-dye we offer the world.  I am sure that, if they would find out about us, would certainly be true anyways.

I have already started to dress one of our female astronauts properly for her accomplishments in space and so now it was Miley’s turn to be chiqued up.

Out came good old photoshop and suddenly we have some exquisitely dressed Miley Cyrus…

Miley Cyrus in tie-dye by JustZen

I would have loved to dress Miley in one of our all natural cotton skirts – but that would have taxed my photoshop abilities too much, so instead here you have Destinee modeling one of the mudmee skirts.

Destinee in JustZen-skirt

She looks a bit like Miley anyways and even is the same age. She and her friend actually came to us offering to model for us – cool, huh?

tie-dye 2.0

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In the good old days a product was created and then sold – and that was it. OK, in the car market new and better models came out every so often, but a new model year could not really be seen as different versions of the same car.

But with the advent of software this changed. Software was so fast in its development cycle that programs were released before they were actually ready for prime time. A software publisher could not possibly admit to the fact that he had released an unfinished product and so the version was invented.

Iterations like version 1.0, 1.1, 1.4 etc were common. Often, when the publisher finally got it right a major version step was introduced – version 2.0.

Tongue in cheek we now call the mudmee tie-dye from JustZen.com “Tie-dye 2.0” – indicating that the good old hippie tie-dye worked and got the job done, but that only now, with the arrival of “Tie-dye 2.0” we finally got it right.

Here is a little video that tells the story…

Inspirational T-Shirts

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From the blog post How to create real value on Steve Pavlina’s blog I learned about the young company Reflect Inc. with a very unique product that I can not help but telling you about.

Look at this…

mirror image t-shirt

Can you read the writing on the wall – uh – T-shirt? Tell you so much, it’s inspirational – – OK, get your mirror out and read it in the reflection, then it will be easy.

So, what’s the point you might say. I think it’s a great point, because this message (by the way, for all of you who did not bother to bring out the mirror – it says “I am greatful for all that I have”) is mostly for the wearer of the t-shirt, right? And when is it that you look at the front of your t-shirt – – right, when you are in the front of the mirror – So – here we go!

And beside this it’s a great conversation starter – and it’s OK to stare while you try to figure it out.

Tie-Dyers of the World – Unite!

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I have to report on a very interesting and courages project starting right now in the commercial world of tie-dye.

The idea is to have all the commercial tie-dyers come together under one (virtual) roof and present their offering to the world. Customarily business in the same area compete, but I came up with the idea that if we all work together and create a lot of momentum, we will create for us a much more solid position in the world of clothing and fashion.

I consider this more like a big trade show, and trade shows have brought together competing businesses under one roof in the past for all to benefit from. Physical trade shows are probably on the way out – with high costs of travel and the internet that can give you the ability to see more offerings under one roof that would be possible in a brick-and-mortar show – the virtual trade show will be the new way to connect vendors and customers.

The onlyu advantage the real-world trade show has is the fact that the visitor can experience the wares with more senses than is possible in a virtual trade show – but this is all a matter of time.

So, let’s get started now with our first tie-dye trade show at Tie-Dye-Shopping.com.

In the initial stages this virtual trade show has the advantage of being  free – compare that to the costs involved going to Magic in Las Vegas.

So, spread the word and let all tie-dyers congregate at the Tie-Dye Marketplace.