March 9

Back from India and Thailand and have been adding new designs like mad! We've updated the site with lots of new handbags, and I've also added many new bracelets, necklaces and pendants to the Tucson Blowout that I wasn't able to get up before I left for Asia.

More will follow later this week, including new star lamps, jewelry with shell made of Tiger Cowry from Thailand, and more!

February 29

Right now I am in India working a major textile and handicraft exhibition. It is the largest (and often most disorganized) show I have seen of this type. There are vendors from all over India selling everything from bamboo beds to metal objets d'art to textiles of every shape and size.

In true Indian fashion, each hall has a metal detector that one must walk through to gain entry. It goes off for each person that walks through, because we all have cameras and coins and laptops and who knows what else. Interestingly, and very Indian, is the reaction of the olive drab clad security force: they just move everyone along. I could carry a bazooka in with me, and as long as I don't disrupt the traffic flow, harmony is maintained.

Yesterday I ordered some great new items that I know will be a hit. I found a vendor with some very clean products like lotus pattern lanterns and matching curtains, as well as some great pillows. In addition I found some great new star lamps that will be along in about a month.

Today I will be adding to the line in the form of household textile products. I'm hoping to order some more curtains in duplion, a nice raw silk looking synthetic material, as well as some duvet covers and shams. The colors I'm aiming for will be spice or citrus in tone.

One thing I am very excited about is a new statue to put in the yard in front of my new house. It's a very cool Shiva statue carved from stone with three faces seated in a lotus posture. He is displaying the mudra or hand gesture for fearlessness.

February 26

I landed in Thailand last night and was awoken after about 4 hours heavy sleep by my traveling mate, Brendan. We walked the gem and jewelry show all day until I thought my legs would give out. At several points I got very dizzy from lack of sleep/jet lag. Damn you Brendan!

We met up with our old friend Ronnie and we just had to take this picture. That Ronnie is become so Thai...

One thing I did manage to find in my stupor was a new vendor for some fun new jewelry using silver and resin. They bend silver wire into a shape like a flower or a circle and then fill it with a resin in bright colors. The result is an earring or pendant that looks like a piece of psychedelic stained glass.

This same vendor also had taken some images from art masters like DaVinci, Botticelli, Matisse, etc., and placed them in cute silver frames. To keep them in the frames, a clear resin is poured over the image. This makes the image jump out and protects it from moisture. I got some matching pendant and earring sets in both these styles.

Beyond that, I also got some great mosaic and inlay jewelry made from Tiger Cowry shell. It has an earthy, mother of pearl look to it that I have not seen before. Other than that, there was not much new to report. I tried to find more new things, but the pickins are slim and there doesn't appear to be much innovation. Ironically, the vendors I deal with were busier than ever, despite not having anything really new or exciting.

February 23

This blog has fallen by the wayside a bit during Tucson and the ensuing madness. We have been trying to get all the new designs on the site, but to date have only about half of the items up. The rest will have to wait because tomorrow I am leaving on a buying trip to Thailand and India.

During my trip I'll try to keep up better with this blog. Travel is always fun and interesting and sometimes hard, so I hope to keep any readers in the loop with the goings on as I go on...

Aloha,

Mike

Read the blog from January.