{HOLIDAY CRAFT AFFAIRS!} Madam Chino travelling showcase

The holidays are a month-long roller coaster ride that speeds up right at the end, just so that we can enjoy the lull of a homestretch with greater appreciation in contrast to the growing tension of climbing and final crest of chaos. The car just sits there at the end a while until everyone comes back to homeostasis, before the "unfasten seatbelt" sign releases riders back to gravity. Part of this climb for me is a handful of events that I am so proud to take part in, and that make the bustle a real excitement!

{ART Vs. CRAFT} I was delighted to be a part of Art Vs. Craft again this year, held at Todd Wehr Hall on MSOE campus November 28th. My newest "invention" is the mason jar "QZ" that is crocheted around the jar with a handle! I was able to design and construct this perfect display for them! I used wood sticks, 1/2" dowels, a chop saw and couple screws, and a drill with a 1/2" burrow bit. The rest is history!


{HOVER CRAFT} Being on the team at Hover Craft is awesome. This (second) year it was held at Sweetwater Organics in Bay View on December 3rd. I was in charge of creating a Hover Craft Community Coupon, and the Make-n-Take Booth. Community Coupons are a way to get local businesses involved even if they can't have a booth! I found local businesses in supporting areas that were interested in proposing a week-long special, available explicitly to the first 100 people at Hover Craft. The Coupon acts like a scavenger hunt punch card, so it is returned to the customers to use elsewhere. Each coupon was also printed on special paper and validated with a specific symbol after print to ensure authenticity. HCCC in progress: HCCC in print: For Make-N-Take we made WOODALLIONS coined by Madam Chino for Craft Night, which are wooden coins that can be decorated and appropriated in any way! The fastening options were earrings, necklaces, brooches, ornaments, magnets, and wall hangings. I collected a lot of wood chopped these woodbits on 45 degrees with my chopsaw. We collaged them with matte medium and old Printers Ink books, drilled holes and used tiny eye screws as the main fasteners. There was a perfect room to create a little production area:

{MILWAUKEE ZINEFEST} This year I have spent a lot of time painting murals, developing new curriculums for an assortment of civic education instruction and renovating the LOOK NOOK showroom, which has taken a slice away from my passion to have a little stationary store. Penny Spencer INK! (the Madam Chino of papergoods) has much in brainstorm phase, as the office has converged in two new locations. I was able to put together some more interactive events for this years MKE ZINEFEST, held at Polish Falcon on December 10th, including a mini make-n-take "decorate a chubby notebook" collage stand at my booth, where i was able to trade notebooks to some kids for some homemade breakfast cookies made by their moms!!! River West is just sweet like that. I also put together a noon workshop for kids at the CCC, where we did "KITCHEN PRINTING" aka Plaitraits Running a small shop is so much fun. All of my interactions are so super personal and I love being able to meet up with people outside of my shop to hand deliver items to them if they can't make it in. I spent a bit of time wrapping up the shop renovations and winding down. My final week before the holidays consisted of throwing a shop party on New Years Eve Day, and hostessing a $10 dress sale. What a great turn out! I'm already on the hunt for next year. xx, madam chino!

{WCAP} Hero Mural Progress!

Since my original post about returning to Waukesha Community Art Project we have been very busy on our HERO MURAL! Here are some of the photos of our progress! First, our kids chose heroes/heroines based on a long list of significant social issues that we brainstormed together. After learning about their lives, we determined what their OBSTACLES and ACCOMPLISHMENTS were/are. Then, we converted these ideas into symbols. Our first project was to create a stamp using styrofoam plates and/or carved foam board as block prints of the heroes' accomplisments. Next we began a series of drawing projects on colorful paper using SYNECTICS a very interesting way of creative seeing, to create our own patterned paper, that we would thenceforth cut down to create quilted boarders for our portraits. Quilts have a symbolic significance that represents community! Not only do they visualize how the "whole is greater than the sum of its parts" (gestalt) but they take a whole lot of time to create and in the process invent the meaning of working for a greater good. Our students learned how quilt patterns are invented through a process of paper folding, and created their own inventive quilt squares in the corners of their final works. and finally we were able to use the process of decoupage to apply the newly formed quilts and apply the handmade colored paper synectics patterns in an interesting color scheme and pattern formation along the boarders of the wood. The kids have also been working on wallpaper patterning of their heros OBSTACLES, and we are exploring the ELEMENTS of art and PRINCIPLES of design to translate the pictures of our heros into legible areas of lights and darks for our portraits! Can't wait to see the final results! Stay Tuned! Best, Vanessa Devaki Andrew aka Madam Chino

{DANIELLE BOONE™} faux foxtail hunting cap designed by Madam Chino!

{T-SHIRT RECLAMATION} UWM Green Fair

Here are a few fun pictures of our awesomely popular booth in the UWM Union Concourse for the Green Fair! I think we powered through nearly 25 dresses in the amount of 3 Hours! xx, v

{FLAURETTES} Look Nook Craft Night! Faux floral barrettes

Re-using old thrifted flowers and large "flippy-clip" fabric covered barrettes. Fabric covered barrettes are ideal for glueing onto because they still allow the barrette to bend while carrying the weight of the materials, and you do not need a felt interfacing between the barrette and the items! If larger stiffer items are glued directly to a flippy-clip barrette, it will no longer "flip," but the fabric cover allows it to move freely in place! Often times felt is used as an alternative separator and "bed" to glue items onto, but weight bearing is the issue on the size and strength of the barrette. Beauty supply stores are local distributors of a large variety of craft accessory items, and thrift stores are abundant in the incredible invention of faux flora. Strip the arrangements and categorize them! Cut down branches and mix-and-match the tips of the branch structures with your own arrangements. Hot glue, as pictured, in various colors by "Gloobies." This lovely piece was completed by Lisa Guckel of Vision Gear during Craft Night at Look Nook! **Remember the point of the barrette goes toward the back of your head and build the structures in the direction of your choice. Salut! xo, madam chino

{PLAITRAITS}© plate portraits!

Recollection of the recently past {PLAITRAITS}© at Madam Chino's LOOK NOOK Craft Night! First we drew portraits on styrofoam plates Then we rolled ink on them And printed them! *The tricky part is that the plate is actually a negative, so you have to print light on dark in order to see the same type of contrasts without inverting it. We printed silver on black with brayers and water soluble block printers ink spread on waxpaper, using multiple plates stacked up while braying for support, and spoons to print press. Print results depend on the amount of ink and pressure. Craft Night returns after a 2 week sabbatical. Get ready for {FLAURETTES}© floral aura barrettes Saturday October 1st, and {WINDWELLERS}© wind telling dwellers Saturday October 8th! Best, Madam Chino

{NINE WEST VINTAGE AMERICA!} Denim Customization Booth!

Come to Boston Store at Brookfield Square Mall this coming Saturday September 24th between 11am and 1pm for the {Nine West Vintage America Fashion Show}. Customers will be able to custom-ize (or have me execute based on their design ideas) their newly purchased denim with the following preparations provided by yours truly Madam Chino. The National Cafe is catering the event!

SHOW BILL:


PRECUT FLORAL APPLIQUES and PUFFY PAINTED EDGES:


PLAID, LACE, or VYNIL POCKET FILLS with BEDAZZLER STUDS or RIVETS:



PLAID, LACE, FLORAL or VYNIL KNEE PATCHES with BEDAZZLE STUDS or RIVETS




Also, LARGE SILVER DIAMOND STUDS using flathead screwdrivers to fold the prongs, and GROMMET/EYELETS with WHITE LEATHER LACING:


JOIN THE FUN! Learn new tools and techniques for NO-SEW transformation of your denim and other fabrics!



SEE YOU SOON!
xx, v

{WCAP} Waukesha Community Art Project!

I am excited to be teaching two afterschool courses this semester at WCAP!
WCAP is a non profit grant funded afterschool art program for Waukesha middle school students.

I will be leading 2 eight week programs that meet twice a week in consecutive terms!

The first 8 weeks are dedicated to creating a large mural in the space dedicated to Heros. We will not only be painting, but patchworking a quilt with paper, decoupaging, printing, drawing, making wallpaper, writing and doing math!

The second 8 weeks are all about Tshirt Reclamation, my favorite topic. We will be drawing, screen printing, fabric dying, pattern making, draping, and sewing.

Take a quick tour via my {WCAP SET} on flickr, or browse these couple of fav photos.

WCAP is in a storefront in Downtown Waukesha with lots of creative space






In addition to a healthy attitude towards recycling!


WCAP hostessed 'YARN BURST' a yarn graffiti project inspired by "Knitta Please" in downtown waukesha.


Don't forget our holiday craft sale! I will remind you :)


And stay tuned for progress reports on the mural and clothing designs!

x o, v