Mafe Maria: A Creative Playground by Maria Q. Stultz
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(47 entries)
A few days ago I went through one of my recurring “I suck” lows. I won’t bore you with the details; I’ll just say that this latest episode, combined with some lingering thoughts after writing about my style as an artisan, made me think a lot over something I have put away for about a [...]
So, for those of you who may read this site and may not have relationships with me on Flickr or Facebook… Anybody left?… … For you, I feel the need to complete the story of my recent outburst and finish it with a happy ending. But to get here, first I… Drowned my pain with [...]
Oh dear… Anabel Sousa, creator behind the super chic “Crear es Creer”, has honored me throwing this challenge my way… She’s figured out hers, and now asks me to define which of my artisan works can be considered my “sello personal”. Meaning — as I understand it — which item (or collection of items) has [...]
Mmmmmmhhhh… mmmpgh… hmmmm… ack… GRRRRRR!… Mmmpgh!!! Grrrrr!… Sun of a mother!… &#@#&%@!!!… … Piece of festering marsupial-pleasing orc!… Aghhhhhhhhh… I…. HATE!… MAKING!… BAGS!!! Angry words, courtesy of the Cuss-o-Matic.
A future clutch! Remember this fabric I handprinted like seven centuries ago? Well, you may have forgotten. But I?… I have spent the last seven months since I printed it watching it laying on my craft table. Every day. Right there, staring at me like “you pussy, I bet you’re not going to make anything [...]
I have to confess… If I had known that giveaways were this fun, I would’ve started running them a long time ago. Thank you so much to everyone!… I loved every single one of your comments, and wanted to reply to each one so badly. I learned a lot about what’s working at my shop. [...]
Welcome giveaway lovers! A beautiful Florencia textile ring is up for grabs, and it will travel with its cute little bag wherever its lucky winner lives; shipping is on me. The ring will be custom built to your approximate ring size, but don’t worry about figuring that out yet. I’ll work it out with you, [...]
Interrupting my recent rampage of jewelry making projects, about a week ago I discovered with horror that Joaquin’s cow sleep sack has become too tight for his 19–month–old growing legs. As I free Kiki out of it and the crib, I tell him about the problem… Sozo doesn’t make any bigger sizes of their adorable [...]
While some people work hard to rip their jeans many wears ahead of schedule, my favorite pair got ripped at both knees the natural way. Forget the razors and pumice stones! Just get an active infant and start spending your days on the floor, constantly standing and crawling on your knees chasing his butt, and [...]
Here’s something I have come to know about myself over time… I need recognition. I hate to admit it to myself, but it’s the truth. On my first jobs out of college, and then, out of Business School, I got plenty of recognition from all of my bosses, and bosses’ bosses. Life was great and [...]
My playgroup friends had to explain it all to me… You see, where I come from, Easter is not called “Easter”. It’s “Semana Santa” (Holly Week), a time to reflect on Christ’s sacrifice and perhaps do some sacrifices of our own. Not a time to be running wild and crazy, looking for eggs filled with [...]
So you are an independent designer/artisan who’s perfected her craft over several years. You’ve documented your creative process through your blog and online photos, and have been blessed with achieving a lot of recognition for your beautiful handmade products. And one day you realize that a large company has “borrowed” one of your original designs, [...]
For ever since I can remember, my biggest passion has been to design and create products with my hands. I was very prolific as a child and young college student, and then I started working in the real world and my craft went to sleep. It took something as dramatic as becoming a stay at home mom for it to come back. And it really came back!… This time I want to make it a bigger part of my life. I want to make things not only as a hobby, but as a living. I think it’s a good plan. It’s a good time to try it…
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