we'll go further back later...i'm from hawaii, love my family. after graduating kamehameha in 1986, i went to uc santa barbara and studied art and art history, from early on felt a lot of creative juices flowing through me. great art history program there, i learned a lot about art from many different times and places, and i'm thankful to have gotten that educational foundation. after graduating i lived in santa barbara and had a great time. nothing too wild and crazy, only just starting to think about who i was as a person. i had visited l.a. several times, my uncle and his wife lived here, and in 1991 they invited me to move and work with them in the beginnings of their antique business. there are certain element i'd rather not spend too much time reflecting on, such as waking up super early to work the weekend flea markets; that combined with clients coming to their house to look at items was how we did it in the beginning. at least i can say with a chuckle that i did it, waking up in the pitch of night to head to the rose bowl is no picnic.
it was at this time that i discovered sewing. the unusual element to my aunt & uncle's business was that she was from france and not only knew a lot about french/european antiques, but also about antique textiles and fabrics. little did i know then but it would open up a whole new world to me. i had mentioned somehow to my grandmother back on maui that i would be interested in learning how to sew, and it was at this same time that she bought me my first singer machine. i had no idea at the time how i was going to learn other than jumping right into it. that i was learning about and being exposed to antique fabrics at the same time created the perfect opportunity to learn how to sew. it started with very simple pillows working with scraps of 1950s fabrics (which i love!), and led to, well, you'll see... we're talking 1991, so wow this will be all sorts of crazy "flashbacking" over the last 17 years. this will i think, also be a good starting point to 'put myself out there.' as we are building our business i'm thinking that doing a blog at the same time will share what i have designed and made over the years. i hope for it to gain attention across the web and connect other creative minded people to us, and to what we have to offer.
my next several posts will revolve around my picasa portfolio of my designs. these are separated into six major categories:
1. pillows & bedding
2. window treatments
3. upholstery
4. mosaic & tilework
5. lampshades
6. bags
you can preview the portfolio here by clicking each category, and i will also go over each one in the following posts. keep in mind that this is a major sampling of what i have both designed and made, from all the sewing and tiling and upholstering etc. lovers of antique textiles will hopefully find some of this interesting, and i'll talk about several other very special projects as well, including an amazing shellwork commission!
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