craftingwithcoco posts
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Back from NYC! I had such a wonderful time and left feeling..
Back from NYC! I had such a wonderful time and left feeling so inspired and in awe. I’m gonna post about some of the art I got to see. :-) here’s my first little dump.. I’m gonna start with my favorite show I saw at Dia: Chelsea. It was a show by an artist named Delcy Morelos, called “El A...
Unfortunately most galleries and museums in NY don’t open un..
Unfortunately most galleries and museums in NY don’t open until Wednesday. So I’ve been resting and reading and dreaming 🥲 I just started this book and it opened up with a quote from one of my favorite artists, Louis Bourgeois. What are you reading right now?
I took a little break and decided to go to New York! It’s on..
I took a little break and decided to go to New York! It’s one of my favorite places to see art in the world, there’s so much of it to see here always. Sometimes when I get bogged down with work, looking at art keeps me inspired. 🩵
The stencil in question 😳 it’s taken me days to hand cut it!..
The stencil in question 😳 it’s taken me days to hand cut it! My hands hurt. I’m going to use this to print something through it :-)
Sketching and working on something new! It involves paper cu..
Sketching and working on something new! It involves paper cutting and making stencils 🔪
Progress 🥹✨ Making lots of progress on this drawing! Feels ..
Progress 🥹✨ Making lots of progress on this drawing! Feels so good to take a step back and see all the work adding up and getting the spaces filled in. It’s almost done…. Just need a couple of more flowers and to finesse some details…💙 Patience and perseverance is everything! What ho...
Tea time 🫖 ! Taking a little break from working to make some..
Tea time 🫖 ! Taking a little break from working to make some tea. It’s a ritual I love to do when I’m making art or crafting. I must always have tea by my side! I’m obsessed with tea. It helps me relax and get in the zone. I made a blend with jujubes, goji berries, ginger, and honey. Very...
Oops, I forgot to show the dyed piece after I took it out of..
Oops, I forgot to show the dyed piece after I took it out of the dye bath! Here's what it looks like before I started drawing on it. I tried so many new shibori techniques! The white spaces will eventually get filled in with drawings. (refer to the earlier post where I talk about using pine soot...
One of my favorite feelings is losing myself in the studio a..
One of my favorite feelings is losing myself in the studio and losing all track of time <3 Nothing compares to that floaty feeling of getting lost in my imagination... Working more on the drawing :-)
Now once all the shapes are masked off and cover in plastic,..
Now once all the shapes are masked off and cover in plastic, I soak the fabric in water. Whenever you dye something, the fabric must be wet before it gets dyed. This ensures that the fabric gets evenly dyed 💙 There is a common misconception that indigo is already a dark blue. But what most peopl...
Next, I soak newspaper in water and cover with plastic, then..
Next, I soak newspaper in water and cover with plastic, then tightly bound it with thread. I make multiple of these cylinders, and they are used to stuff the shapes of the drawing. They work like little blockers to prevent the dye from dying the shapes I drew. Does that make sense? 😝 Once the ne...
So when I started the drawing in the previous post, I sketch..
So when I started the drawing in the previous post, I sketched out the white shapes on this large piece of cotton fabric. Then, I did a running stitch all around the various shapes. It was a long, laborious process. This is part of a shibori technique called “Boshi” which means “hat”. It...
Good morning! How is everyone doing today? 💙 I’ve been getti..
Good morning! How is everyone doing today? 💙 I’ve been getting so lost in drawing world. Time really flies when I’m in the zone. I can’t wait to show you when it’s finished. 😊 and yes, I will explain how I made the background using indigo!
The rain in LA is going to be relentless the next couple of ..
The rain in LA is going to be relentless the next couple of days 🥲🌧️ so I am going to stay inside and draw and do some rainy day activities. I’ve been working on this drawing and staying inside will help me finish it I hope 🤞! I am doing a process called “Tsujigahana”, which means...
After I glued the spokes on, I added a tail using a found gi..
After I glued the spokes on, I added a tail using a found gingham ribbon :3 the tail of the kite helps it balance the weight. It’s been so rainy lately but I finally got a chance to test drive the kite because it was a beautiful breezy sunny day and she WORKS! It was so fun flying her at the par...
Putting the spokes on now! The spokes are made out of bamboo..
Putting the spokes on now! The spokes are made out of bamboo and gives it structure ❤️
Once I cut out the shape, it’s time to glue about a half inc..
Once I cut out the shape, it’s time to glue about a half inch around the border. This is going to make the kite a lot stronger by reinforcing the edges. 😊 the paper I used is a Mulberry paper- it’s super lightweight and strong and perfect for kite making!
One of my favorite things in the world to do is to fly kites..
One of my favorite things in the world to do is to fly kites! 🪁🪽 I recently became more interested in making my own kites, and today I woke up feeling compelled to make a new one. I envisioned a hexagon kite my mind. I haven’t tried that shape out before so I gave it a try! So many differ...
Check it out ;.) !!! I love spiderwebs so I wanted to make ..
Check it out ;.) !!! I love spiderwebs so I wanted to make a spiderweb design! 🕸️ all naturally dyed with indigo 💙
Slowly opening it up … I really relish this part of undoing..
Slowly opening it up … I really relish this part of undoing the threads and unveiling the pattern. Do you see what I mean? :) It will look completely different once I open it all up!
Spent A LONG time sewing this shibori dyed piece. The sewing..
Spent A LONG time sewing this shibori dyed piece. The sewing is used as a resist, sort of like tie dyeing but without rubber bands. Once I finish sewing, I dye the piece in indigo, then I undo the stitching to reveal the design. All of that work only to undo it! I wonder if you can tell what the d...
This is some of my indigo harvest from last year! :-) As you..
This is some of my indigo harvest from last year! :-) As you can see, the indigo pigment is stored in the leaves ;.) It becomes more apparent when the leaves are dried/oxidized. It's magic. I'm going to make a series of posts to talk about it's chemistry and how I extract the pigment f...
My indigo plants are getting so much bigger now -- it's almo..
My indigo plants are getting so much bigger now -- it's almost time to put them in the ground. I'm going to wait til the last frost is over...
So I love composting because of it's sustainability and also..
So I love composting because of it's sustainability and also because it's great fertilizer for my plants. And... I love PLANTS! Specifically, dye plants. The majority of plants I grow are used to make natural dyes which I use for my art work. This plant right here is a really, really spec...
And that's it! :-) I tore up a paper bag to use as a coveri..
And that's it! :-) I tore up a paper bag to use as a covering. It will provide even more shade and moisture retention. It also will prevent any worms from trying to leave, should there be any escape artists in there :-P I'll make another post later about harvesting the worm castings in a f...
Check it out! I got me a handful of red wigglers (this isn't..
Check it out! I got me a handful of red wigglers (this isn't all of them, I have a bucket full!) Aren't they so cute? I usually am not wearing gloves but I have a cut on my hand so best to keep it sanitary for now :-P I just added them to the mixed bed! After adding them, I put some of my k...
So far I put a mix of dried leaves, shredded brown papers, a..
So far I put a mix of dried leaves, shredded brown papers, and now I am going to add some of my native soil to complete the bedding! I am just directly shoveling some soil from my garden right into my bed.... then I am going to mix, mix, mix it all together. After mixing, I will add the worms to the...
As I was walking on my way home from the park, a neighbor ga..
As I was walking on my way home from the park, a neighbor gave me some citrus she was picking. I swear, whenever I work with mother nature, she always provides with more abundance. True story <3
When I say I like circular processes I really mean it! ;.) ..
When I say I like circular processes I really mean it! ;.) Coco, do you really have to save all this "trash"? Why on earth are you hoarding toilet paper rolls and your brown paper bags your take out came in? Because I love making dirt and fertilizer so much! Instead of throwing these valua...
Next step is to make 'bedding' for the worms. Bedding is wha..
Next step is to make 'bedding' for the worms. Bedding is what the worms live in. The worms feed on the bedding and break it down into nutrient-rich castings. The bedding also provides a space for the worms to move around and burrow, which is crucial for their overall health. So, it’s defin...
