I'm Not Afraid of Dyeing... Scarves, that is!

Ta daaaa! New Spring Line! Literally.

So this week, I have gone a little nutty with the scarves.

I dont really know if it was a mistake after this week's dyeing fiesta, but I washed a bunch of scarves a long time ago that were cream with black trim, and the trim ran (better to find out early!). What was the result? Dishrags! I washed them a few times. Light coloured dishrags. I tried to tell myself they were ivory. They certainly weren't looking cream. I got them to a point where I thought they weren't so bad, but the truth is, of that particular bunch, I haven't sold one.

Doesn't this look like an octopus stew? Note to self. Don't glue the evil eyes on until you are happy with the colour. One side effect of re-dying these is that I now have to replace all the evil eyes.

It's worth it for the new colours, though!

So I decided to dye them, because as we dwindle out of the other colours, we still had a mountain of these black and "ivory" scarves. In the spirit of spring and the fact that we have a major show coming up at Make It! Vancouver, I decided wanted burnt orange. I like missions. Off I went on my burnt orange mission.

New Cherry Red.

I drove my scooter to the sewing store, run by two sweet little old ladies who like to chat. I told them what I was doing. They showed me to the small selection of dye. Hmmm. No burnt orange. I'd try tangerine with a hint or bordeaux, mix it up. While I was at it, I could re-dye those other scarves that have the purple trim I wasn't crazy about.

I went home, borrowed a large stewing pot off the neighbour (It was in her garage sale pile) and I started cooking scarves. I don't know if you've ever moved home and lived with your parents and started dying things on your mother's shmancy stove. I wouldn't recommend it. Thank you mom, for being a good sport. I didn't dye anything any colour it wasn't supposed to be. Promise.

Tangerine and bordeaux!

I rinsed them out with cold water and hung them on the line to dry. I couldn't really tell what colour they were, because I put them out there at night. In the morning, I woke up to spring colours on my mother's clothes line. Ooooh! Like Easter eggs!

The new olive green and a mix of the hot shades.

So then I scootered the fourteen km to the next town and went back to the little sewing store. The old ladies were pretty intrigued when I bought "Old Gold" "Cherry Red" and "Olive Green." I got home and had most the scarves cooked before Mom and Dad came back from eating Chinese food. Phew!

Printed!

This morning, I did so much ironing, I felt like someone's wife. Or someone's maid. Good thing no one was home because I just turned up the music and sang while I did it. The dog didn't seem to mind.

Scarf tentacles.

Anyway, I have twenty dishrags left. They were supposed to be burnt orange but I forgot them on the counter. But it's okay, because I have decided I need more blue. It's a bit chilly for scooting today so I'll leave that project till tomorrow though I am really impatient when I get something in my head.

Scooters. In honour of my trek to the Sewing Store!

I think the old ladies will have the just colour I need!

XXMelanie

Scarves for Korakor

In French 'corps à corps literally means 'body to body.' Its art lies in human experiences along the road. It is spreading the love with simple things, images and poetry.

~from the Korakor Website.

Creative Caravan and Korakor cross paths yet again. This time in Cyberspace!

Welcome to Korakor!

One great thing about working for yourself is that you get to make all of the executive decisions about what you do, where you do it and who you support to help them achieve their goals as well. Making and selling my art and products is more than just putting food on the table, it's also about being able to support the causes that I feel connected to and want to support in creative ways.

Korakor is everywhere!

I read somewhere recently that a goal is just a dream with an end and a beginning. And when I think about people with passion to achieve their goals, Keveen Gabet is standing strong, on top of that list. In fact, he's got a Korakor flag, planted firmly in the tierra. But what's great about Keveen is that he's standing up there with a thousand or so of his loyal Korakor followers.

This is the man to watch. The one on the right, that is.

I met Keveen when I was working in Abu Dhabi. I met him again when he was working in Al Ain a year later, both of us criss-crossing on cross cultural/cross country journeys. Between teaching classes Keveen was busy translating poems and writings from French to English and back again. He was editing movies, keeping up correspondence, and thinking up new ways he could spread Love around the world. Yup, Spread Love. With capital letters.

Spread your Love!

He looks and sounds like a hippie, Keveen himself would never deny that. But ten minutes with the guy and you'll see he's got a serious, powerful message underneath it all. "I may look crazy, I'm no dummy," He once told me, and he isn't a dummy. He's actually a pretty amazing, creatively-driven philanthropist. He once told me about travelling through India on a bicycle and eighty euros. He lasted six months. That should tell you something about the power of Keveen and Korakor, spreading the message of love.

Just check out his website. http://keveen-korakor.blogspot.com/ and you will see what I am talking about.

That's me modelling the special edition Korakor Scarf.

One of Keveen's latest projects is in Oaxaca Mexico, where Keveen threw out a call for donations to help him start an English school there for kids. Twenty bucks a kid would get him started. Rene and I decided our contribution to Keveen would be some sky blue (fitting for Korakor) special edition scarves with Keveen's message and logo on them. Providing Korakor with special edition block-printed scarves should be able to support many more kids than if we were to hand over cash at this time. If Keveen can sell them, that is!

Keveen's special edition scarf advert!

If you are interested in getting a scarf and supporting Keveen's cause, (All proceeds go to Keveen's projects) Please contact him directly at kaikuart@gmail.com

Keveen in a classroom somewhere on this planet.

What I admire about Keveen is his boldness to go after his dream. You think it's a good idea? Do it. It's good for other people? Do it. You want to learn about this or that? Do it. You want to travel across the world on a bicycle spreading your message that this world is a fantastic place and can teach us everything we need to know and then some? Go for it.

Keveen spreading the stories, the songs, the images and the message of love.

Thank you for the inspiration, Keveen!

XXMelanie

Keveen's Website

Keveen's boutique where you can find our Special Edition Korakor scarves and more.

Creative Caravan is at the Penticton Art Gallery!

Just to let you know the Penticton Art Gallery is now carrying Creative Caravan Scarves! Stop by, check out the exhibitions (There are three on the go at the moment!) and check out the scarves in person in the gift shop and let us know what you think!

As for me, I'm easing off the computer and am madly working on a painting which hopefully will be done in a day or so, which I will be thrilled to post here- the first Canadian painting! I only have an hour or so of daylight left so I'm off!

xx Melanie