Ready-to-Ship!

Ever saw something you wanted to order online, but didn't get it because the lead-time was too long and you needed it, like, now! Up until now, all of my scarf designs have been hand painted one-at-a-time in my home studio with a lead-time of about 3 weeks. Well, I recently added a new section to my Etsy shop and it's filled with limited edition printed silk scarves that are in stock! These scarves are printed in batches, so when I have a new batch I am able to pack them up and ship them out right away. This first edition is based on my best selling design, the oblong skull scarf and comes in 10 rainbow-y colors. Stay tuned for some other in-stock designs to be added soon.

Don't get it twisted though, I am still lovingly painting silk scarves one-at-a-time, but this is a great option if you need a scarf quick, fast and in a hurry - you will have it in 3-4 days as opposed to 3-4 weeks. The crystal j. silk skull scarf is the perfect accessory for back-to-school, and it's never too early to start planning your outfit for all of the autumn and Halloween parties coming up.

If you have a boutique or shop that you would like to sell these (or any of my work for that matter) in, or know of one in your area that you think would be a good fit, I've recently added a few nifty little areas on the crystal j. silk website where you can request wholesale information or make suggestions. Please let me know! Right now, you can find these in New York at Old Hollywood in Brooklyn and I am beyond excited and pleased about it! If you're in Brooklyn, please stop by and take a peek.

Also, if you are into facebook, I have added a "like" button here at the bottom of each post {right beside the "tweet" button} so now you can easily tell your facebook friends all about it!

Ruffled Silk Aviator Scarves!

A few months ago I came across this tidbit of information that white silk scarves were worn by pilots back in the day to keep the exhaust smoke out of their lungs. I thought it was interesting, I even tweeted about it. Fast forward to now... and how cool is it that my newest creation is the ruffled silk aviator scarf. This scarf was inspired by a request for a gift for a bride that loves airplanes. A feminine take on the classic aviator scarf! I couldn't help but think I was making this scarf for Amelia Earhart. I felt that the stark, raw white of the silk, wasn't rich enough, so I chose to dye it a super pale ivory color. I'm so used to doing bright, saturated colors, it was quite a challenge not to get the color too dark, but the resulting subtle creamy color gives this scarf a vintage look. The ruffles are so very feminine and pretty, making this scarf the perfect accessory - for casual or dressy outfits - and because of the color I think this scarf would be a great bridal accessory too! Stay tuned for a few other sizes of the aviator scarf coming soon as well.

I am so excited about this new scarf and I added one to my space in the Richmond Craft Mafia Handmade Throwdown shop! If you are in the Richmond area, you can check it out along with a few other bright colored ruffled silk scarves as well. Fly on by.

New Ombre Scarves!

As promised, here's a peek at my new hand painted silk ombré scarves for Handmade Throwdown! Cupcakes, skulls and mushrooms, oh my!

om·bré (äm′brā′, äm brā′)

adjective

shaded or graduated in tone: said of a color

Origin: Fr, pp. of ombrer, to shade; L umbrare; umbra, shade

Handmade Throwdown!

Ever seen Donald Trump's show, The Apprentice? Take The Apprentice and add an arts and crafts spin to it and what you have is Handmade Throwdown: Art vs. Craft! The Richmond Craft Mafia squares off against the Real Small Art league in a battle for ultimate victory.

I will be showing my new ombre silk scarves {stay tuned for a sneak peak}, ruffled silk scarves and some of my classic silk scarf designs too!

Soooo, this Friday, July 16 is the opening and the RCM will be crashing the art party at the Crossroads Art Center! We'll infiltrate their Caboose Gallery & transform it into an emporium of ultimate handmade awesomeness. Be there or be square!

Opening Reception: Friday July 16th, 6pm - 9pm
Crossroads Art Center
2016 Staples Mill Rd

The Show runs through September 8th.

10% of opening night sales & 5% of sales thereafter benefit the Richmond SPCA.

Tell your friends about it on Facebook!

crystal j. silk on facebook!

crystal j. silk is on facebook now! Are you into facebook? If so then you no doubt have at least a few fanpages. If you haven't signed up for facebook yet, fanpages are areas on facebook where brands can connect with their customers and/or fans. I will be offering special sales events and promos exclusively for fans, plus I have been posting sneak peeks and also sharing interesting features and tidbits about crystal j. silk. It's all new and evolving, I would love to hear what you like about fanpages and what you would like to see and get out of being a fan. Some pages have fans that will post pictures of themselves wearing and using the products and that's one thing that I hope for the crystal j. silk page. So fun!

I made this little button to use for my icon on the fanpage. I decided to also offer it up here on the blog with some HTML so that it can be easily grab-able and paste-able on any blog or website. I'm gonna be doing a little website maintenance soon, so it will be available on my new site too.

Silk Ruffles!

ruffled silk scarf - orange aqua yellow 2, originally uploaded by crrysstall.

A new item has come to town - the crystal j. silk ruffle scarf! Bright, saturated hand-dyed silk with ruffles are sure to make a fun and feminine addition to your wardrobe. I've been having a blast making these, a bit of a departure from the silk painting, but still true to crystal j. - working with dye and color - and I am in love. Available in every color of the rainbow, these scarves are cool to wear all sorts of ways. At my shows this weekend, the ruffle scarf was the best seller and it was fantastic to see customers trying these on in all different ways. This is just one style, I will have other sizes and a circle version listed soon too. So far, I have listed the orange in my Etsy shop , but stayed tuned for the other lovely shades to come. Pink is next!

I have been on a dyeing craze, dyeing everything in sight looking all over for new things to dye and I have some more little hand-dyed surprises in store for you a bit later...

Watercolor Stripes!

silk scarf - blue and white stripes 3, originally uploaded by crrysstall.

Classic stripes are back. This version has a narrower stripe than the original. Hand painted blue stripes pop against the natural white of the silk and the tiny whale detail give this scarf a nautical flair. Perfect to tie around your fave sun hat!