a rose by any other name

Last week, the lovely Mei Gui Designs featured my "love" notebook in her gray-themed treasury. It's always so sweet to get a little note in my Etsy conversations letting me know that one of my items has been picked for a Treasury. It's a great way to discover new artists and get to know other Etsians.

Meigui is the Chinese word for "rose" so I knew right away that we'd have this - interest in China - in common. Then I discovered her shop - wow! - what a great collection of jewelry. Her prices are a total steal for such lovely pieces.

Julie is the brains behind Meigui Designs, and is mama to two daughters adopted from China. Maybe one day it will be my turn to adopt from the country that has meant so much to me, but for now, I'm just so moved by the families that have pursued adoption. Way back many lifetimes ago, I lived and worked at an orphanage in the Amazon region of Brazil, and those children made such a cellular impression on me. Would that every single child in this world would have a family to call their own. What a crime that this is not the case.

I will definitely be supporting MeiGui Designs. I particularly like these October Again earrings:

Thanks, Julie - so nice to meet you and discover your shop!

child labor

Today on The World, there was a segment discussing child labor. Specifically, they were talking about exactly the issue that we're trying to deal with at Bamboo Village Educational Fund: children dropping out of school in their early teens to become migrant workers. Click here to read the transcript from today's broadcast. You can also check out their photo stream here.

This also prompts me to stop procrastinating and let you know that Zhang Lin has been accounted for! Daniel just returned from China on Sunday.

More Sichuan Coverage

Today on Talk of the Nation, they're interviewing NPR reporters who were actually in Sichuan when the earthquake struck.

After 6pm Eastern time, they'll have it uploaded so you can listen to it. Here's the link.

I've been looking for current blogs written by people on the ground in Sichuan, but am having a hard time finding any that are really talking about up-to-date issues. If anyone out there happens to have any links, I'd love it if you'd post them in the comments.

Daniel is leaving tomorrow for his trip to Chengdu, and of course I'm just longing to be on the trip with him. I hope he'll be able to take a lot of photos, and beyond that, I hope that he'll be able to help in some way. Maybe he'll come back with some new ideas for Bamboo Village and how we might be able to help from here.

Thank you for your comments - it really meant a lot to me, to feel like Bamboo Village is something more than just me posting random things about the Fund or the shop. I was also amazed yesterday to be contacted through Etsy by someone asking when the shop would be opening up again.

I'm not yet sure when I will be able to get the shop back up. It involves quite a bit of space, and of course, the physical ability to run the shop properly. The twins are due sometime between September 5 and October 10, so that last 6 weeks is probably out, though my sister has said she'd help me run the shop. I don't know... we're living out of boxes right now. Part of me really wants to get things rolling again, especially in light of current events in Sichuan. If anyone has any advice or ideas, I'd love to hear them!

Finally, we still haven't located Zhang Lin. Daniel is going to make sure to track her family down while he's there, and he's carrying her scholarship money for the next school year with him. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything.

介绍 - introduction - Field and Sea

It is with great pleasure that I announce a brand new Guest Artist at Bamboo Village Press. Field and Sea is an artist I've been admiring on Etsy for some time, and through a little bit of serendipity and lot of fortune on our part, she's joined the family!

Her contribution is a graceful bamboo notebook - offered to Bamboo Village Press as an exclusive design.

I had the chance to hear a little about Field and Sea. Here's what she had to say about her process and shop:

On an average day, I will: collect one peculiar texture; notice one shadow or sliver of light that takes my breathe away; walk twenty minutes, looking above eye level at least once; wonder why; think of cheese or chocolate, and most likely consume a piece; forget to defrost the fish; take a multivitamin; and use a semi-colon. Eating lima beans will never be a part of this list.

I decided to start Field and Sea as an outlet for the creation of all the art and jewelry and miscellaneous beautiful things that just can't be crammed into a day job.

As a result of a lucky set of fortunate circumstances, I met Celeste of BambooVillagePress and found out about this wonderful woman's inspiration for how all of us can help a little more.

Without further ado, here's the gorgeous notebook, designed and handmade by Field and Sea:


Learn more and check out all the elegant, stylish pieces at Field and Sea by visiting her shop:




A special thanks to Field and Sea, and to all of the other wonderful Guest Artists who have contributed to such an amazing first year at Bamboo Village Press and Bamboo Village Educational Fund!

下雪了- It's Snowing!

While many of us here in the US jump for joy over a snow day, we still know the destruction that unexpectedly heavy snow can bring. This morning, the BBC compared the current snow emergency in China to Katrina. Hundreds of thousands of travelers are stranded (two times the entire population of the USA), homes, crops, and greenhouses are being destroyed, and in 17 provinces, emergency blackouts are being enforced because of coal shortages.

China is a very fragile country in many ways. The infrastructure was, I'm sure, quite unprepared to handle this weather situation... in fact, this morning I read that China hasn't seen snow of this magnitude since 1954.

The situation is particularly challenging because Spring Festival starts next week. The national holiday that lasts for two weeks around Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) is well known to be the busiest travel time of the year in China. Migrant workers and workers in sweatshops travel back home to their far-off provinces by the cheapest means possible - mostly by slow train. This travel is brutally bare-bones and uncomfortable. The trains are incredibly crowded, smoky, cold, and dirty because of the sheer mass of people. People eat instant noodles and packaged foods like sausages, sunflower seeds, and cookies to the tolerance of their budgets along the way, using the only free service on the train: boiled water. Perhaps conditions have improved in the past 5 years I've been away, but I doubt they've changed that much, especially for the masses of travelers who are barely affording the travel.

Spring Festival is actually a 12-day event, with prescribed rituals for each day, beginning on the eve of the holiday, when everyone should be home. At least in Sichuan, it was considered bad luck to be traveling on the first day - Chinese New Year. After the insular first day of the festival, different visits are carried out to various family members and neighbors. Of course, I'm talking about celebrating in the countryside... I never actually spent a Spring Festival in the city. If there are any readers who have, please share!

My heart goes out now to all those stoic holiday travelers, longing and toiling to get home for a holiday that's probably more culturally dear than Christmas is in the West, if you can image that. I'm hoping for safety and protection for all those facing this unpredictable weather situation.

节日- Holidays - 冬至- Winter Solstice

I'm away and traveling for the holidays, (and so happy to be online, however briefly, after 4 days) but just read a nice summary of Chinese Winter Solstice and thought I'd share! Happy winter!

Wish me happy driving tomorrow, when I'll be making the 6-hour drive home. :o)

新年好 - Happy New Year Prep

As all the holiday revelers attend Christmas parties and wrap their presents, the gals in this house are in full preparation mode for 2008. As such, in the weeks to come, you'll be seeing some ideas being kicked around and new products emerge from my harried mind, which hopefully will be the cause of some good hubbub! Just to make things extra fun, Chinese New Year falls on February 7th this year, which means that basically I have to launch all my Valentine's Day -and- Chinese New Year stuff simultaneously. Fun for Celeste, I tell you!

新闻- News

Laurie wrote about this last night, but I had some excitement yesterday when I was contacted by the wonderful Linda Woods, telling me that she'd featured Bamboo Village Press on her blog! Sisters Linda and Karen write the Rev It Up list, a blog that introduces art and ideas to fuel your life and imagination. It's a fantastic new space, and I was so thrilled that one of our products was spotlit by these very talented and accomplished women. Thanks, ladies! Squee!

In other news, it's been quite a whirlwind these past 2 weeks. Last week I negotiated my very first contract work and began doing some consulting in the area of my "professional" expertise: marketing. I should clarify, since now running BVEF and BVP are both online, that I am not an Internet marketing professional... oh, no... I'm having to learn all of that as I go. Rather, I've been working for an ad agency, specializing in print marketing, art direction, and planning. I'm sure you can imagine how thrilling it is to be in the process of building my career in this new direction - it's awesome!

买卖- Business

It's been such an intense 6 weeks! Seriously, I have been astounded by the number of sales that have come through the shop. I sold out of my Happiness Fish floursack cotton towels, which was amazing after thinking that design wasn't going to move. The two new gocco designs: the cricket moleskine and the ancient compass moleskine, are actually close to being sold out, which was also a wonderful surprise.

The thing about this apparent success is that it's very encouraging to me as a designer. Being a technical crafter is very different from actually having some reliable sense for design work, and I'm keenly aware of my status as a novice in this arena. I know some will argue with that assessment, but really, it's different to create something and give it as a gift and create something, make as many of them as I can afford, and offer them for sale.

研究 - Research

Finally, I've been doing a bit of information gathering of late. In thinking about products for Bamboo Village Press for 2008, I've realized that I'm going to need a constant influx of ideas from the Asian realm. I've kind of painted myself into a corner by tying all of the Bamboo Villages together in the sense that for branding purposes, my work for Bamboo Village Press is going to have to be predominantly of Asian flair. You do all know that I'm not actually Chinese, right? So, the task might be a little challenging.

Today I received the latest addition to my library: Symbols and Rebuses in Chinese Art. If you're like me, you have no idea what rebuses means, so here you go:

rebus: n., pl. -bus·es.
A representation of words in the form of pictures or symbols,
often presented as a puzzle.

Pretty spiffy, eh?

I've also been reading quite a lot about Chinese New Year, so that I can write you a wonderful post about this most beloved Asian festival. I'm particularly excited about 2008, since it's the Year of the Rat, which is my animal. I have major plans for the year, so watch out world!

***

Well, there you have it! Another day, another blogger! Until next time, here's a happy dragon stack to make your day a little cheerier:

Who am I to blow against the wind?

One afternoon in 2002, while I was living in Chengdu, I had wandered into a restaurant and was sitting, looking out the window at this big, uncertain world around me. People were everywhere, like in so many cities, but especially characteristic in Chinese cities, and I remember thinking that I was so insignificant, so helpless to make any lasting change or impression on a world so troubled. At the time, I was in a relationship with He Zegang, the man who would the next year become my husband, and in that moment, I thought maybe 20 years down the road I would be able to look back on the life we made (thinking it would be in China) and you know, write a book like every good American should. And I thought I would title the book "Blowing Against the Wind."

produce market, Chengdu, Sichuan, China. 01/07

Tonight I have a heavy heart. It's been a couple of days of feeling the tidal wave of responsibilities and ambitions may overwhelm me, and I suppose it only made matters worse that Laurie and I watched A Mighty Heart, which my tender and susceptible heart could barely endure. If you haven't seen it, it's definitely worth a viewing. I'd also even more highly recommend Krista Tippett's interview with Mariane Pearl on Speaking of Faith.

Today I also learned that one of my sisters in infertility had a chemical pregnancy from her latest round of IVF, and my soul purely aches for her. I thought of her yesterday as I was dashing between projects, and said to myself "I'd like to live in a world where she finally gets her positive pregnancy test." Alas, it's not that kind of world, quite apparently.

It's just one of those times when it all feels so gruesome, so enormous, so beyond reach, you know?

shy girls in DaMiao Village, Sichuan. 05/01

I've been working on a post about sweatshops in China and how to find companies who engage in Fair Trade practices, but it's not done yet. So, in lieu of a completed post with carefully thought-out ideas, I'm just showing up as your fellow human tonight, sad and concerned about the state of our world. Do you think about these things in your daily life? How do your encounter the vastnes of our human experience? Care to share? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

little Meimei and her great grandmother. DaMiao Village., Sichuan. 01/07

mid-week

As everyone knows, I don't usually do mid-week posts. But I'm trying to be more communicative about the ole BV, so here we are!

First, in personal WIPs, we've made some progress on my current knitting project, the 103-1 Drops Jacket. May I say again how dearly I love this yarn??? Goodness gracious me, it is so soft, it just exudes the spirit of comfort, into my fingers, hands and then straight to my heart (where I need it these days!). Who knew a mere fiber could produce such wonderous effect? Why, every knitter on the planet who has worked with yarns other than acrylic and novelty yarn, of course! But this alpaca is special. I will say that Misti Alpaca is just as good. Bulky weight alpaca wonderfulness. ::sigh::


So, yeah. I've made some progress! I am done both sleeves! I settled after quite some back and forth on a size large, and I'm sure I won't regret it. It's going to be the embodiment of cozy, and this fabric has a lot of drape, but I wouldn't have been happy if it pulled at the top button. So there you have it. I'm one happy knitter.

In other excitements and acquisitions, I have some new books in my collection! I'm looking forward to some quiet time because I think they're going to be pretty inspiring.

Here's one: China: People, Place, Culture, History - it's a gorgeous coffee table book I've been eyeing at B&N, but saved a bundle on by buying online! It's typical DK Publishing style, with lots of terrific graphics. I'm looking for lots of inspiring ideas for design in this one.



The other one I got is The Chinese Calligraphy Bible. It's a nice spiral-bound number with lots of great ideas for mugs & other etched goods for BV Press.

That's all I've got, besides a steaming cup of Sleepytime tea ready for late night sippin'!

Summer End

With no Internet at home right now, it's been a challenging week, lemme tell ya! Here's a bit of what's happening in Bamboo Village, despite the lack of DSL...

1) We sent the money over to Zhang Lin! This is so exciting, I can't even bear it! I can't believe this really happened. Eight months ago I was meeting Lin for the first time, and now we're really sponsoring her high school education. This is such an unexpected turn in my life path, and I'm really thrilled to have it be happening!

2) Today I received some gorgeous earrings for Bamboo Village Press, donated by a new Guest Artist, Lori of Jealous Jewelry on Etsy. I'll fill you in on all the details either this afternoon or after the long weekend. As soon as my summer sale is over, I'll be putting her gorgeous earrings up in the shop along with some other brand new products.

3) Way on the other side of the world, the rice harvest is under way. Several years ago I got to be in DaMiao Village for the rice harvest, and I can tell you it's really an incredible process. There's absolutely no mechanization. I have some photos of the rice harvest and other DaMiao Village shots still residing in an old online album on Webshots. I hope to post more about it next week.

OK, my time is out for this morning! Just a reminder: several items are currently discounted for my summer sale through September 8th. Anything left from the sale section will be leaving the shop after the 8th, so get them while you can!

nei tian? what day is it??

Is today Wednesday? Thursday? Oh, yeah... it's Thursday. OK, so HI! Has it really been almost a week since I last checked in?

It's been a week of fantastic finds for Bamboo Village Press! I'd sold my last 2 single pitchers last week, and had none left! Now I've found some new ones, in several different sizes and styles, so I have 7 in stock and ready for etching. Yay! Also, I found these pretty little bottles, just the right size for table cream, or oil and vinegar bottles. I'm looking forward to figuring out which characters they want on them.

The most exciting news, though, is that I got my Gocco Printer delivered yesterday!!! It's a big ole press - with the largest dimensions available - 8.5 x 11. I've been taking notes on ideas and starting some sketches. So far, I only have ink for printing on paper, but soon I'll be getting some fabric ink, and that's when the fun is really going to begin! I haven't even taken it out of the box yet! My crafting room is such a disaster right now, I have to wait for the temp to be below 90 so I can get in there and clean up so the little guy can emerge. Can't wait!

I'm happy to say that I finally located all my letters and journals from China. I'm going to start posting a bit more about life there, (thanks for the question, Morrgan!), so it's helpful tobe able to look back at what was prominent in my experience at the time.

Meanwhile, my husband had a chance to call Zhang Lin's family and learn more about her situation. I have to say, it gets to be a more dismal story with every call we make. I'm just thankful to have a chance to help. Turns out, her uncle was one of the many, many thousands of parents who have had to face the decision to put a child (daughter) up for adoption. Can you imagine? My heart just breaks for him, and truly, for his wife. He said that he knew she'd been adopted... wouldn't it be incredible that, through this whole Bamboo Village thing, we learned that their daughter is living here in the US? Or in fact, anywhere that her adoptive parents might one day see this post and learn more about their daughter's family in China??? It's not difficult to imagine.

Wow, you know, things are just never simple... the story is always so much broader than you can imagine. I thought we'd just be telling you stories of Lin and perhaps her grandparents, but as we get to know her and her family, we'll have a lot to share with you. This should shed a lot of light on rural life in China! Could be really impactful!!

ps: lots of new photos on flickr

pondering

Greetings... it's Friday night and I'm relieved to be home, with my cozy bed waiting, the air conditioning cranking, and a weekend awaiting. I've been thinking a lot this week about Bamboo Village, and what my best approach will be to developing the fund. Bamboo Village Supply and Press are doing fairly well - every transaction means so much to me, and I compile each package with gratitude and humility. I'm astounded that suddenly I have not only an avenue for serving humanity, but also a place in which to share things of great beauty that I either make or find and bring to the shop for sale. This is a dream come true.

This creative outlet is both a delight and a challenge. It's hard not to be outcome oriented when trying to put excellent, original and beautiful objects in my shops. Putting the time into Bamboo Village means that I'm working 2 jobs, and I'm really happy doing it, I'm just getting a little fried, and my "real" job is suffering. How do people do this?

What I'm exploring this weekend is where art used to sit in my life, and how to resurrect that comfortable, curious, regenerative approach to creating. After all, it's that approach that actually fills you up as an artist and brings more energy to your experience.

I'd also like to use this blog to share more with you about DaMiao - the village in China where we're focusing attention with Bamboo Village. I'd really love to respond to questions, since I've been facing a little writer's block. It's hard to translate such a life-changing experience as becoming part of DaMaio Village into concrete little vignettes, but I desperately want to share the story with you, and I'd love your help.

Bikes, Trikes, and Unicykes

I love bike treasuries. There's just something so iconic and even nostalgic about the image of those wheels, handlebars and spokes.








The photograph above was taken in 1995, outside the apartment I was living in. At that time in Beijing, foreigners couldn't just live anywhere, and this space was actually off-limits (oh I'm such a rebel!) . These bikes were standard issue at the time.

I was thrilled to be included in the list below with my photo card Revolutionary. I took the featured picture in Beijing during my first stint of China living in 1995. It was one of the office buildings for the Art Institute - actually situated on the grounds of one of the palaces from the Qing Dynasty. Can you imagine?? During the Cultural Revolution in the 60s and 70s, sites like these were taken over for the proletariat.

Hand Picked

Check this out! My "fish legs" photo is on the home page of etsy today!!

Now that's the best way to start off a Monday!

squee!

In the News

Please, please listen to this report from today's edition of The World. This story is so very relevant to Bamboo Village - in many ways, it is the story of myhusband, who, like the young man in this story, was the first university grad in his home village. This story will describe so much better than I am able the great sacrifice a community will make for its children, and also the immense expectation placed on that child.

I'd love to hear your reaction to this story!

Listen to The World

Read the Transcript

An Intro to Bamboo Village Educational Fund

Bamboo Village Educational Fund

HeJiaWan is a small rural village in a valley of rice paddies and seasonal croplands. The residents here practice farming much as they have for hundreds of years – with only the help of their water buffalos and the strength of their own backs to rely on. There is no running water, no refrigeration, and precious few machines for use in their labor-intensive subsistence farming.

Economic pressures in HeJiaWan are severe, as in so many areas of the developing world. While there are schools available for children from first grade through high school, many children do not stay enrolled past junior high school. Instead, their families take children out of school so they can start working. Inevitably, these children must move to far-flung provinces for work in dangerous sweatshops, as there are so few job opportunities for local adults. Parents facing financial pressure cannot afford to keep their children in school, but by short-circuiting their educations, the parents doom their children to subsistence living of one kind or another.

Ensuring just one more high school, or even college, graduate means quite a lot to this village. Education translates into many immediate and significant choices that open up to that individual and family. I have seen with my own eyes how the education of one person can transform the lives of many, many people.

Through scholarship and stipend programs, the Bamboo Village Educational Fund hopes to give families a viable option to keep children in school. As the Fund grows, we also hope to expand by opening a library, offering teacher training, and bringing computers to the school. There are many opportunities to make a significant impact.

Here is how you can participate in this special initiative, and help educate these children:

• Make purchases through Bamboo Village Press or Cafe Press
  
• Become a guest artist by offering handmade goods for sale in Bamboo Village Press
• Donate children's books in Simplified Chinese

By doing any of these simple things, you will be directly participating in the transformation of HeJiaWan though the Bamboo Village Educational Fund.

zao

What did your morning look like when you were a school child? My dear friend just returned from a research trip to Gansu, China, and posted this really telling video: