Tuesday, May 20th, 2008
Well we’re back with our new daughter Ming! This will be a short post since I am still scrambling to catch up with EVERYTHING, as well as juggle the daily routine with all the usual things that life throws at you .
On top of everything I’ve finally replaced my main Windows computer with a gloriously fast and elegant iMac. (Vista has crashed and I had te re-install it 3 time, uck!) As soon as I get Dreamweaver configured I’ll upload pictures.
Friday, February 8th, 2008
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For those with specific tastes, Artsfish Design Studio introduces two new artisan necklace, earring and anklet collections;
Classic Muse click to view collection
The Classic Muse collection evokes the idea of classic style, but with eclectic Artsfish flair. Pearls, gemstones, gold, and silver all combine to make a memorable statement.
Wanderlust click to view collection
The Wanderlust collection speaks of spices, temples, tribal peoples and ancient times. Hilltribe and Bali silver, ancient Roman glass and Tibetan handiwork create a sense of the faraway in time and place.
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Tuesday, February 5th, 2008
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My travels throughout Thailand were a great source of artistic inspiration for me. Wonderous colors, textures, smells and sensations permeate the landscape. The people are warm and welcoming - it is very hard to leave. On my list for my next sojourn to Thailand is the north, the land of the Hilltribe peoples - and the land of some of the most beautiful silver work in the world.
The Hilltribe people are actually composed of several tribal groups, including the Lahu, the Lisu, the Akha, the Hmong, and the Karen. Thai silver is often distinguished by the decorative details stamped into the silver. Hilltribe silver is .999% pure and has the highest silver content available. The manufacture and sale of silver is a major part of the economy of the Hilltribe people. I always try to buy directly from Thailand and as close to the source as possible to ensure that the artisans receive a fair price for their craft.
Notice the intricate details worked and stamped into the beads I’ve used in the Chalcedony necklace in the photo above. The stamped patterns are the signature feature of fine Hilltribe silver work, and they add an elegant and unique texture to the finished piece. The texture of the silver compliments the smooth luster of the pearls. Sorry, but I truly dislike a plain strand of pearls. Boring!
The tiniest Hilltribe beads are the most difficult to create and often require two artists to manufacture; the master for his or her skill, and the apprentice, for their sharp eyesight when working with very small beads. Note the tiny tube beads in the photo below. Each bead has a tiny floral patten and is completely created by hand.
You can find my jewelry at the Artsfish Design Studio.
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Tuesday, January 29th, 2008
Kai Dong’s referral picture from WACAP
When we began the process to adopt our first child from China, we decided that we didn’t want an infant. Every family, it seemed, wanted only infants - and many children past the bouncing baby stage were stuck in China’s social welfare institutes with a slim chance to find a family. This is changing now since the waiting time for infants can take up to 3 years in some cases. Many families are exploring other options, and if you are one of those families, I encourage you to read on. These wonderful kids need a home and their physical problems are small.
After the long process of the home study and other endless paperwork, we finally were able to request a referral for a child. We decided on a 2 year old boy with an inward twisting right foot. Kai Dong had been found abandoned near a police station in central China when he was about a month old. A few months after we accepted the referral we were surprised to learn that he had received an operation in China and was up and about! When we picked him up several months later, he was running, running, running! It’s still one of his favorite things to do. Though he still needed some additional treatment and a night brace, the major correction was taken care of.
Now we are in the final stages of the adoption process for our second child, Ming Qiao, who also has a clubfoot. Hers is on the left, Kai Dong’s on the right - bookends! We’re experienced and ready to go! Unfortunately we can’t show a photo of anything but her foot until the adoption is finalized when we pick her up in China, but until then, here is a picture!
Ming’s clubfoot. Click to zoom
Clubfoot occurs statistically in 1 out of every 1000 births, and is one of the most common (and treatable) forms of congenital birth defect. About 50% of the children born with clubfoot are bilateral (involving both feet). Ideally the child should undergo treatment as early as possible. The current mode of treatment is a series of casts that gradually correct the curvature of the foot.
Once the casting phase is over, the child is likely to get a night brace that he or she wears only when sleeping. Because Ming has gone without treatment, it is possible that it is too late to correct with casting alone, and she may need an operation like her big brother. The current schedule is for us to go to pick her up sometime mid-March of this year. We can’t wait!
Treatment has been extremely successful for Kai Dong as you can see in the recent photo below…..
Kai Dong is all better!
Friday, January 25th, 2008
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My other half works for an airline so I have often taken advantage of the low cost standby flights in order to feed my wanderlust. Below are a few thoughts from my wanderings……….
The sun is hot in Anhui Province, China. Wandering through the winding passages of the Ming village, I glance at the cobbled path beneath my feet. Red-papered good fortune calligraphy graces the doors, left from the new year in February. Now, in August, they are slightly faded to pink, a testament to the attentive August sun. The uneven stones on the path below sometimes trick my feet as I wander, distracted by the magical quality of a village frozen in time some hundred years back. Entering glorious wooden carved courtyards, the illusion is occasionally and charmingly broken by a small appliance plugged into an innocuous outlet.
Gazing upward to countless but hopefully endless courtyards, I see intricate carvings of a complex and undeniably beautiful culture. I am an aesthetic voyeur, an intruder, but smiles welcome me wherever I turn.
Unexplainable to me, all or most of the carved faces are defaced, removed from the finely worked wood. The fragrance of the wood permeates the village, an incense of time trapped in limbo. Why, why are the faces gone, erased, removed by human hands? I see hundreds this way before I find someone who is able to tell me in my language; The villagers, ordered by Mao to destroy the beauty, could not. To save themselves, and their extraordinary carved panels - they took away only the faces and left the rest, telling the messengers to Mao that they had in fact, been good revolutionaries, destroying the old, welcoming the new. Thank you Anhui.
Thursday, January 24th, 2008
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Now that I’m a Mom of a little one and another on the way (not what you may think, these kids are sans the stretch marks) I have time to reminisce about recent past travels. One of my favorite solo travel experiences was to Siem Reap Cambodia to see the incredible Angkor Wat complex. For a pop culture reference think Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider.
Angkor Wat is impossible to describe in a post. Angkor Wat itself is the main temple and just THIS temple is the largest religious site in the world as well as a World Heritage Site. Unbelievably, the main temple is just a tiny portion of the complex which covers hundreds of square miles.
Solo travel is truly a hedonistic experience. I love traveling with friends and family too, but for truly special locations like Angkor, I want it all to myself. In my mind there is nothing like the chance to focus all of your attention on your surroundings and all your interaction with a culture so totally different from your own. I felt completely welcomed and safe in Cambodia. I would recommend it to anyone who is independent and self sufficient (or wants to be!). People often respond in amazement when they learn of the places I go by myself. I think that people are generally capable of more than they think they are and sometimes need to just go!
When I landed at the small unpretentious Siem Reap airport, I had my first introduction to the primary local mode of transport. A kind faced young man met me with a placard listing the name of the small hotel where I had reserved a room. “Is moto ok?” he asked. I was rather clueless as to what transport he might be referring to , but since I am not fussy (and tend towards reckless) of course I said yes. He led me to a small motorcycle, we jammed my large duffle in the front and pack on my back and we were off. I was in heaven. Wahoo!
Over the next several days I went everywhere I didn’t walk by “moto”. Don’t expect a helmet, no one wears one. Going through an intersection in Siem Reap is truly an experience; dozens of motorcycles (some of them piled with whole families), no traffic lights and generally no stopping. it’s almost music! Oh and occasionally you need to look out for monkeys.
You can travel by Tuk Tuk if you really don’t want to moto (open, 3 wheels, slow, bad fumes, makes a tremendous and unending”tuk,tuk,tuk” noise, hence the name) but that’s not my first choice! Forget about cars, they are few and far between.
My hotel arranged for a local named Na to serve as a combo guide and driver during my adventure around Angkor and Siem Reap. Na was fabulous and was happy to humor me even when I veered far from the beaten Angkor path. The fee? An embarrassing $5 a day USD. I felt so bad that I way, way overtipped him every day. He was worth so much more than $5! Of course with the favorable US exchange rate, my hotel room was also only $10/night.
Angkor is magical and overawing. I took hundreds of pictures. Even the parts that are rapidly being overrun by tourists are stupendous. But my favorite memories will always be standing in some of the more remote and completely abandoned temple ruins - just me, Na, and a moto.
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Wednesday, January 23rd, 2008
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From the sketchbook
For the jewelry I create for our shop (The Artsfish Design Studio) I often start a jewelry design with a sketch. I find it very satisfying to put my ideas down on paper. I sketch very quickly, first with a fine pencil and then finalize the drawing in ink and color pencil.
The sketch above was my conception of a necklace done with 18K gold, freshwater pearls and faceted honey tourmaline.
I love to work with tourmaline - it is a very versatile gemstone that comes in a wide range of beautiful shades.
The final result was very close to the sketch. Please click on the image on the bottom of the page for a close up of the finished product.
Some details about tourmaline;
Tourmaline is a complex aluminum borosilicate, the color in tourmaline is due to the presence of metal ions in its crystal structure.
Tourmalines are precious stones, and appear in seemingly unlimited shades of color, including black. Ancient Egyptian lore tells that on the long way from the Earth’s heart up towards the sun, Tourmaline traveled along a rainbow, and on its way it collected all the colors. This is why nowadays it is called the “Rainbow gemstone”.
The name “Tourmaline” is borrowed from the Singhalese phrase “tura mali”, which translates as “stone of mixed colors.”
Tourmaline is a hard gemstone that is second to none in the realm of precious stones and needs no special care in jewelry.
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Monday, January 21st, 2008
A special thanks to Kelly at Flugpo for featuring Artsfish Design Studio and our fundraising campaign on their blog!
Thursday, January 10th, 2008
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I have a vice (ok, ok, vices, but we’ll stick to one for now) I LOVE beautiful things; the more original, culturally rich, and antique, the better. Of course such things come at a premium price - unless you develop an eye, are a little handy, and know where to look.
Absolute lack of funds is a good motivating factor as well.
The picture above is a rather typical tableaux in the Siebert household - Zoe (a rescue cat) sleeps atop a hand tooled copper platter from India on a table covered with a hand woven wool Persian Sumak rug. Behind her is a framed (genuine) 19th century Japanese woodblock print, tucked in the frame is a period postcard of Moulin Rouge Paris c. the late 1800’s. Hidden behind Zoe’s posterior is a wood reproduction Tibetan buddhist mask.
ALL of these items were bought at rock bottom prices.
When Claus and I bought our small Cape Cod home in 1997 and moved in, the house was mostly empty and we simply couldn’t go hog wild with shopping. Bare floors and empty walls stared at us. But, no fear! Ebay and thrift stores to the rescue!
Thrift stores are more hit and miss, though I’ve found some real treasures there; an antique Victorian clawfoot sofa for $200, and an antique mahogany dining table for $30 are two that come to mind. The sofa had the ugliest floral upholstery imaginable. I reupholstered it myself in $8 per yard deep purple brushed corduroy . The table had been an unfinished project - someone had stripped it and given up. I finished it and gold leafed the wonderful molded edge. I found 4 matching chairs at another thrift store for $25 each.
However, Ebay has been the best boon. Loving Chinese antique furniture, I searched to see if there were any sellers withing driving distance that allowed free pickup (shipping furniture is very expensive) . Bingo, I found 2 sellers and I became the Chinese furniture Ebay vulture, waiting for the juicy tidbits that others missed. As a result I was able to fill my house with some beautiful pieces; a double bed with hand carved headboard, no less than 3 antique and vintage carved cabinets, a glorious red bookcase with glass doors, a coat rack, plus various smaller cabinets, tables and benches. I never paid more than $250 for anything and the vast majority of furniture pieces were under $100. I’ve also covered my floors with some wonderful Persian rugs, and my walls with original art.
The trick to this kind of shopping on Ebay is learning how to search and follow the auctions. a few tips;
The above tips are just a basic introduction. Curiosity (and of course lack of available cash) is a very good teacher. Remember - search, watch & wait. Patience will reward you with some wonderful treasures. Enjoy!
Tuesday, January 8th, 2008
Our son Kai Dong came home with us at age 2 ½, and was tiny (20 lb) even for an Asian child. Our pediatrician, who is also Asian confirmed what we already felt – he is completely healthy but just a petite guy!
Most children from China are raised without diapers and potty training begins before they are walking. Our son had been toilet trained long before he came home with us and would tell us “Mama, Papa nyow nyow!(Mandarin for pee pee!) from our first day together. We soon discovered that Western clothing is sized for kids who are wearing diapers. We discovered that we had to get pants with an adjustable waist or sweatpants for a much younger child or they just fell down!
I have seen on other sites web postings from parents saying that their toddler screamed when forced in a diaper – perhaps they didn’t realize that the diaper was perhaps not needed! We didn’t even have any accident on the long plane trip home. I don’t think Kai has ever worn a diaper in his life.
We’re adopting our second child from the Fengxin SWI via WACAP, and will hopefully go to pick her up in March. She is listed at being 18 lbs at a little over 1 year. If this is true, she will be wearing the clothes that Kai wore at 2 ½!! We’ll see. At any rate, clothes are inexpensive and easily available in China. We’ll just make sure to take at least one set of really warm clothes and improvise from there.
And please, especially if you adopt a Toddler – don’t be in too much of a hurry to stuff them into diapers,and make sure that you ask the representatives from the SWI (Social Welfare Institute) about their toilet training.
