FUSION! Marta Carmela

I was so tempted to use this image as my blog header. The necklaces crafted by Marta Carmela are made from recycled t-shirts and wrapped with string until they resemble something truly stunning. As you can tell, I doctored the image quite a bit, but the essence of the necklaces comes through beautifully.

These are made from recycled jeans.

Her crocheted wire forms are structured yet soft. I'd seen them before in a boutique and marveled at the simplicity & complexity. The idea of using fine wire to crochet a permeable egg shape speaks to the strength of that which is feminine. Perhaps it's the duality that attracts me to them. I adore this designer.

Rings.

I saw a woman wearing the one of these necklaces and chased her through the fair to ask her where she got it. They look STUNNING on!

You can visit Marta Carmela online to learn about these and her other artistic works. Her items can be purchased at Habito on Masaryk in Polanco.

Thank you for joining me on my tour through Fusion Bazaar. I hope you've been as inspired by these local artisans as I have.

FUSION! Claudia Cornew

Some of us know how long it must have taken to crochet these bags. Some of us understand how BIG they were before they were felted. We know how hot it must have been to have that puppy on your lap. To everyone else, these are just pretty bags, but to us, they represent an incredible feat of labor.

I've noticed that felting hasn't really caught on here in Mexico. There are a few people doing it, but Claudia told me she was the first to design in felt here. She also shared the incredible journey from sheep to bag. She imports roving from Australia, has it spun into yarn here in Mexico, designs and crochets big bags, then shrinks them down to size (which is STILL oversized!) Then they are dyed to perfection.

The artist herself!

In addition to the a-mazing felted bags, she also carries wet-felted flowers. Elaine got away with only one, although she almost absconded with the entire basket! My favorite was the little greenie you see above.

You can catch up with Claudia on her website. You should definitely pay her a visit!

FUSION! Gabriela Canaan

I'm a sucker for a rose, but when I learned that these roses were made of paper mache, I took a second look. Gabriela Canaan works the paper into sturdy, stylish brooches & baubles. I was coveting but I couldn't buy. :(

Keep an eye out for Gabriela at future Fusion bazaars. I see these roses in my future!

FUSION! Adriana Lozada of Tita Capotita

Soft, silken petals, alight on your neck like butterflies when you don one of these inspired creations. Adriana Lozada has taken a basic form and worked through many beautiful variations on this form. Her Fusion display was like a shabby chic boudoir, with a dressing table full of sensuous decorations to adorn the body.

I snagged this long & sexy necklace for myself. I adore it!

Adriana blogs at Tita Capotita. Check it out to see where she'll be next.

FUSION! Aline Masson, Glass Designer

The first time I attended Fusion back in December of 2009, I was taken aback by the breathtakingly gorgeous classwork by Aline Masson. I bought one of those tiny oil lamps for my sister for Christmas. It was a hit!

This. Is what her booth looks like. Swoon.

And they even had wearable art.

You can catch up with Aline Masson at the next FUSION bazaar, or at the Saturday market at San Angel.

FUSION! J. Musi, Jeweler at MusiBatty

J. Musi is one of the nicest, most generous people I've met here in Mexico. And she also happens to be a brilliant jewelry designer. She crafts gorgeous rings, earrings, and necklaces. The first time I met her, I found a perfect ring for my mother and the earrings of my dreams, which remain in my collection.

This ring guarantees a good day.

See? I told you she was nice!

I like the way the two earrings form a pair but are not identical.

The friendly competition for these rare beauties was fierce! :)
My friend snagged the one-of-a-kind skull pendant before Michelle, another artist displaying at Fusion!

A garden of luxury.

Visit J. Musi, artist and designer for MusiBatty online at http://www.etsy.com/shop/musibatty .

FUSION! faceta

These knitted and crocheted flores can be worn as brooches or necklaces.

I've been aware of Gabriela Campo's fine work ever since I moved to Mexico. Her items can be found in boutiques around the country, including in Mexico City's posh Polanco.

They carry this one at Habito boutique on Masaryk in Polanco!

Bead crochet! These little earrings hold a lot of stitches. It's painstaking work.

faceta is innovative design. It's wearable art.

Please visit faceta online for store information, collections, and information about the designer.

FUSION! Las Bolsas de Uxmal

Although I wanted to capture every little thing about this booth, I settled for one picture from Las Bolsas de Uxmal. They're pretty quiet on the web, but seem to get to Fusion pretty often. Bring $$$! These well-made, gorgeous bags are impeccably sewn and would probably last forever. Alas, they don't come cheap.

FUSION! Michelle Westholm

Michelle Westholm sees beauty in the ordinary. Images we see every day are captured and elevated into works of art. Her eye is amazing, and as you can see, the composition is excellent. Each 4x6 is mounted on wood and sealed with acrylic for a durable and good-looking wall hanging. Michelle also offers larger works and exhibits around the city. You can find her online at http://www.mwestholm.com/ .

FUSION! Adriana Joffmy y Alejandro Diaz deCossio

Pottery is enchanting. I've been wanting to learn for about 10 years. Hm. Maybe it's time to follow that crafty dream. Alejandro Diaz deCoss takes earth, and shapes it into these.

Adriana Joffmy is a jewelry designer who combines clay, glaze, wire, beads, and beans in thick, earthy creations.

They don't have a strong web presence right now, but I'll update with any contact info I find. Alejandro's studio is in Coyoacan, a very cool neighborhood in Mexico City.

FUSION! Marca Reciclada Bags & Wallets

I wanted to share these hip and undeniably Mexican vinyl bags and wallets. They're made by MARCA RECICLADA, a new business that was founded on the concept of using recycled, durable materials. They are advancing the enviro-culture, and their wares can be found in stores all over the city. Visit their website for more information on purchasing.

This one is like a design ad cross-stitch pattern in one.

The beloved Angel of Mexico City. I love this.

Take your pick.

FUSION! fulanas & punto medio

You know that when I busted onto the scene at Fusion Bazar, I made a beeline straight for the CROCHET! It was cool to learn about PUNTO MEDIO, a company that was new to the fair. These crochet flowers are very popular in Mexico City, and I noticed that they were selling pretty rapidly! They have a beautiful blog, visit them here.

Beam me up, Scotty.

FULANAS!

You might already know fulanas, from my previous blog posting about them. Or perhaps you've seen their stuff in boutiques around Mexico City. Or maybe you're a crochet blog junkie, and have seen them written up in other blogs. Or maybe to you, they're new. Whatever the case, take a moment to drink in the luscious colors and fresh designs.

Who knew a circle could be so chic?

The sweet and talented designer.

Find fulanas on the web at http://fulanasfulanas.blogspot.com/ .

Project Fusion, June 18, 19, & 20, 2010

Project Fusion is a crafty hipster's dream.

This guy was nice enough to let me take a picture of him in his turquoise pants,
which perfectly coordinated with the water in the fountain. What a sweetie!

Located in Mexico City's trendiest neighborhoods, Project Fusion's main event, Fusion Bazar, is chock full of indie music, creative inspiration, and really good shopping! I felt like I'd found my niche there. I was amongst my people.

How clever to use such a large band to form

both the sides and the strap of this bag.

And Project Fusion is going on NOW, if you're in the city, stop by! It's June 18, 19, & 20th from 11 am to 7 pm in Plaza Luis Cabrera, near a gorgeous fountain in the heart of Roma. Click for a map of the location.

A curtain for your windows or your doors?
Every room deserves cheerful color.

Over the next few weeks, I'll be featuring a few artists from Fusion on my blog. Everyone there was so gracious and inviting. They allowed me to take pictures of their wonderful wares. My problem was that I didn't have any spare cash to buy (which is what I really wanted to do!)

Imagine falling to sleep underneath these stars.

If you enjoy these blog posts, please do me a favor and visit the websites of my featured artists. It's great and generous of them to put their work out there. And if you're in the area, BUY THEIR STUFF. It's awesome and really well made! Here's to a good few weeks of Fusion!!

I'm ba-ack!

I've come to a realization. It appears that as long as I am teaching, no blogging will get done during the first semester. If I were reeeallly organized, I would have a plan for this and pre-schedule a bunch of posts to appear automatically. But I'm not really organized. I'm a survival organizationalist. (Yes, I did just make up a word.)

It's not that I haven't been crafting- I have. A major thing happened- my camera was "lost". Therefore I have been unable to document many things in my life, not the least of which are my craft projects. I also missed documenting some important events at school, and some important holidays, including Dia de los Muertos, and the recent Posadas. :( Yet, I carry on.

I've been crocheting for the holidays! I have a couple of pairs of fingerless gloves in the making for some of my dear amigos. I also did another version of "The Garden Scarf" by Michelle Ameron from The Happy Hooker book. If I could somehow create a computer program that allowed you to download tactile feelings, I would send this scarf through the internet to you so you could feel it. It is luscious, gorgeous, and beautiful! I made it with Debbie Bliss' baby alpaca/silk blend. I got a great deal on the yarn, so I'm really happy with it! A friend has also enlisted me to crochet a long scarf from a single ball of alpaca/silk. She's a beginning knitter and she's found it frustrating. I was so happy to find out that she was getting into the yarn obessession! <3

Yesterday I went to an amazing craft fair called "Fusion" and I bought a few awesome items. Wanting to support my fellow crocheters, I bought an amazing cuff from a crafty pair called "fulanas". They were great- very intricate and professional work. Motifs were simple and modern. They used chains and circles to rock out some sophisticated and inspirational work.

And finally, I have been trolling the internet to feed my obession for craft projects, ideas, and products. I found this great blog through Threadbanger, and I wanted to pass it along to you. I'll be making a lot of the cute little crocheted accessories mentioned in the free patterns section. The blog is "Creative Yarn" out of Rome, Italy. Link directly to the free patterns here. Enjoy!