CREATIVITY + INNOVATION Page 11 of 22

In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities

Posted on 2013-01-12 at 9:00 am.

From the moment he proposed I knew that I wanted to make our wedding cosy, handmade, special. And one of the most exciting parts of that for me – a paper lover and stationery addict – was the design of the wedding invitations.

We have opted for a very tiny wedding – only around 35 people – which is hard in one way (as we’d love to have all our friends there) but perfect in another – because it can be intimate and friendly, and because we can enjoy spending time with everyone there. And having just a few guests leaves room for more unusual invitations, and more time to spend on each. Although I wasn’t quite expecting it to take me two months…!

Adventure is a massive part of the life my man and I share, and it was one of our years for 2012 when we got engaged (in the middle of a big adventure in Japan), so it seemed appropriate to use that as inspiration for the invitations. In the end we decided to make each one a message in a bottle, with the invitation wrapped up inside the glass.

The invitations can be pulled out of the bottles using string with a key attached – a key which looks medieval, like the building where we will get married later this year. I made the invitations using paper I made myself at the Awagami paper factory in rural Japan.

The front of the invite itself is an illustration that I commissioned from talented designer Libby McMullin, using one of my favourite quotes: “In dreams and in love there are no impossibilities”. I hope we continue to believe that every day of our married lives.

Wrapped around each bottle was a mini paper book, hand stitched, containing details of the day’s logistics. The cover of this book was a piece of exquisite paper from my favourite paper shop in Paris.

I loved every moment of making them, and never stopped to think that the RSVPs might also be made with care.

Here is the one my parents sent back to us – a gorgeous tiny envelope reply tied with ribbon inside a delicate bird cage. What a precious gift.

Ahhh weddings are so special…

***

Are you married? What were your invitations like? What did they mean to you?

The finished product – a very special business sign

Posted on 2013-01-10 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Noren are beautiful, functional curtains traditionally used outside business premises in Kyoto to show that they are open, and also to provide a simple divider between ‘inside’ and ‘outside’. In yesterday’s post I shared a glimpse into the special 1-1 workshop I had with kimono designer Miura-san, who taught me how to make my very own noren for Do What You Love.

Today I want to share the finishing touches – which were added with the help of an artisan who makes her living adding the gold and silver flourishes to hand made silk kimonos (see above), from her attic studio at the top of her narrow wooden Kyoto house. It was a true privilege to see inside this cottage industry, and be shown the ropes by a veteran of 50+ years.

Firstly I was shown how to create a stencil of my design using sticky back plastic…

… then we added a kind of glue and carefully laid the silver leaf in place.

This was hoovered off…

and left my design, precisely outlined in silver. The long strip of linen was then cut into the original three panels which were sewn together and looped at the top to allow the curtain to hang from bamboo.

And here is the final result! The two birds flying towards the moon represent possibility, support and freedom.

In the bottom right hand corner the letters ‘DWYL’ are written in the style of a Japanese hanko-seal.

It is my very own handmade noren from Kyoto and I love it!

The magic of noren

Posted on 2013-01-09 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Making my own noren in a Kyoto studio

One of my most precious experiences in Japan was designing and making a ‘noren’ curtain under the watchful eye of the brilliant designer Miura-san in Nishijin, the traditional textile district of Kyoto. I started writing about this some time back in this post (‘Behind the scenes’) and this post (‘Sketching out’), but did not get round to finishing my story. However I really want to show you the rest of it, so here we go…

A noren is a fabric divider which hangs across the entrance of businesses all across Kyoto, providing a layer of privacy when the door is open, as well as protection from the sun and wind, and advertising space to announce what the shop or business sells. They are hung up at the beginning of the day to show a shop is open for business. Often made of linen and strung from bamboo, they usually feature delicate ink paintings or beautifully drawn Chinese characters. They are at once mysterious and inviting. And I really wanted to learn how to make one. So I asked Miura-san if he would teach me, and I made one for Do What You Love.

First I sketched it out, then I stretched the linen onto a genius contraption (below)…

We mixed up some rice wine ‘neri’ (a gluey solution which isn’t actually glue, but blocks the colour penetrating the fabric)…

…spread it over the areas of the design I wanted to keep the colour of the linen…

…and then brushed a sandy substance over it

Once that was dry, we brushed off the excess sand and were left with a perfectly masked version of my design…

The next stage was the part which saw the most stunning transformation – dyeing the linen in indigo dye. We cooked up the dye in the little kitchen at the back of the studio…

Painted it on with a wide bristle brush (note the bare feet – no shoes allowed inside in Japanese studios!)

These bamboo spreaders helped keep it taut as the linen dried. Love the stunning kimono backdrop – such an inspiring place to work.

We then covered it in a kind of resin to make the colour stay fast….

… and then left it to dry again.

The curtains are now nearly ready – they just need a bit of sparkly Kyoto magic, courtesy of an artisan who works from the attic of her tiny wooden house. Pop back tomorrow to see what we got up to, and what the final product looked like!

Where Women Create Business

Posted on 2013-01-08 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

Don’t you just wish there was a magazine which shared business insights from creative women, along with practical advice, real stories and inspiration… as well as being beautiful? Well now there is!

Where Women Create Editor-in-Chief Jo Packham and Stampington have just launched Where Women Create Business. I am thrilled to have been invited to co-author a column with Kelly Rae Roberts (featuring gorgeous photos from Tracey Clark). The first issue is out now, and our first column is in it!

You can download the first two pages of our six-page article for free here: hellosoul_WWB0113

In this first of our four-part series we talk about the importance of understanding WHY you are doing what you do. As it says in the opening paragraph:

“Just as our individual lives become soulful when filled with purpose and passion, we believe businesses are also living, breathing things that thrive when infused with these powerful elements. We believe in abundance — that you can achieve your dream, and when you do you’ll inspire every inch of your life and all those touched by it. Nurturing a successful, soulful business — however large or small — can transform you into an influential leader and make you a force for positive change in the world. It can be one of the most exciting and rewarding things you will ever do; however, it can also be one of the toughest. It can be stressful, complicated, frustrating, and risky, especially if you take a traditional approach. We are proposing a whole new way of building a smart, soul-based business, which is the opposite of how most businesses are shaped.”

The magazine is available from Barnes & Noble, Costco and other major magazine sellers across the US, or via international subscription direct from Stampington. This first issue features all sorts of fascinating articles, insight and entrepreneurial inspiration – from Amy Butler talking about working with your husband, to Nancy Soriano guiding you through the book publishing maze. I think you are going to love it!

The Simple Things

Posted on 2012-12-20 at 2:47 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

Have you discovered this beautiful magazine yet? I have been a subscriber since issue 2 and I absolutely love it. The magazine is a celebration of all simple things in life – from gathering round a bonfire to eating with friends, from making gifts by hand to exploring the countryside. There are delicious words, unusual stories, mouthwatering recipes and breathtaking photography. There are wise words, and things your grandparents knew about but have somehow got lost in time. It is a magazine that encourages you to pause for a moment, be grateful, and do something simple just because it is fun, beautiful, special.

I have a feeling you might like ‘The Simple Things’ too.

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Christmas is coming! (+ studio renovation!)

Posted on 2012-12-11 at 10:11 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… For me the Christmas music goes on from November 1 (along with some cheeky fairy lights), and then when December 1 comes round the tree goes up, the mince pies go in the oven and the merriment begins.

I love all the build up – the hours spent choosing the perfect presents and wrapping them, going for long walks in frosty nature, singing carols with gloved hands wrapped around hot mulled wine… Christmas is one of my very favourite times of year.

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DWYL birthday giveaway 2: Creative inspiration bundle from Japan!

Posted on 2012-11-27 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

***PLEASE NOTE THIS GIVEAWAY HAS NOW ENDED***

As the second giveaway this week in celebration of Do What You Love’s 2nd birthday, I have put together a bundle of creative inspiration from Japan where I recently spent six months having a fantastic adventure, learning traditional crafts and taking thousands of photos.

The winner of this giveaway will get:

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Teaching what I love: shared story by Eileen Nishi

Posted on 2012-11-12 at 3:00 pm.

Written by Beth Kempton

Today’s shared story comes from Eileen Nishi, a photographer based in the USA, who has made some bold choices to allow her to do what she loves. Eileen was one of the first people to share their story, back in March 2011 soon after we launched the series. You can read her original post here. She is back to tell us how her story has unfolded since then. This story is a testament to what can happen when you truly commit to something you are passionate about.

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Noren making 1: Sketching out

Posted on 2012-10-16 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

My workspace in Miura-san’s beautiful studio

As promised in yesterday’s ‘Behind the curtain’, this is the first in a series of posts sharing how to make a traditional noren curtain – something I learnt under the watchful eye of talented kimono designer Miura-san.

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Behind the curtain

Posted on 2012-10-15 at 9:00 am.

Written by Beth Kempton

People say it is hard to get under the skin of Japan as a foreigner, and this is even more the case in Kyoto, a proud city which highly values tradition and ancestry. Even though we were there for six months, and I can speak the language, it was not until the fifth month that something happened which made me feel like I had managed to peep behind the curtains.

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