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When Peacocks Inspire Unique Textile Design and Help You Shine As You Go About Your Day

11/29/2017

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I believe pretty much anything can be an inspiration for creative endeavors. So, it comes as no surprise that a peacock I encountered on a walk through a park in Prague inspired one of my latest textiles called "Show Off Like a Peacock".  

My family lives in Prague and I am fortunate to visit with them every summer. My mom and I love history and stroll through the city searching for interesting places and stories. One of my favorite places is the Wallenstein Garden right under the Prague Castle. Filled with statues and greenery, it is also home to free roaming peacocks. I snapped a photo of one of them and when I got home, I painted it in watercolors. A few days later I came back to it, thinking about these unique birds and their outlandishly beautiful feathers. And now, here we are with a fabric that celebrates this beauty. 
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All of my designs have names and comes with short stories of inspiration. So, here is the story of this fabric turned into a scarf ... "Peacocks are stunning birds with their impressively colorful feathers and proud strut. They inspired this textile pattern: I painted a watercolor peacock in the loveliest of greens and blues. And shouldn’t we all be a little like peacocks? How about we show off our colorful souls and intricate uniqueness? May this scarf make you and your inner joy glow."
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I am looking forward to another trip to Prague, to the exploration of my hometown, and to finds that will reflect themselves in my future textile designs. Inspiration can indeed come from anything.
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Monday Dose of RADOST

11/27/2017

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Isn't it lovely to just have a quiet moment and to create something that hasn't existed before? That's what I enjoy about painting. I find a comfy spot, forget about what I need to do or where I need to be, grab a brush and relax into the white paper in front of me. So, may this week bring you a moment or two of creative relaxation. 
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The word RADOST is the Czech word for JOY. Every Monday I share with you a photo and a thought or two to bring joy into your week. Check back as those Mondays just keep coming up and up ... 
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Textile of the Week: Colorful Mandala

11/17/2017

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I teach mandala coloring classes and like to work alongside my students. One of the mandalas ended up being just so wonderfully vibrant that I decided to use sections as a basis for textile patterns. Scroll below and see for yourself how the different areas lead to a completely different color scheme and repeat print. Which one appeals to you the most? 
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Do you like what you see? Contact me so we can make a custom #scarf or another item for you from one of these #textile prints. ​​​​​​​
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Oh, Copenhagen ... You stole My Heart!

11/15/2017

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My mom and I travel together once a year. We pick a random place on the map and head there for a week of relaxing. We see each other every August only as I live in the United States and she resides in the Czech Republic. This year we strolled through the streets of Copenhagen, Denmark, and one of  these strolls led to an addition to my colorful textile designs. 

Copenhagen is quite lovely and I bet you already know about most of its tourist draws ... And yes, we stopped by the statue of Little Mermaid. But what I enjoyed the most was strolling through our neighborhood - a quiet residential area - late in the day when the sun was setting on a lovely sunny day. One evening I head out by myself as my mom announced that she wouldn't take one more step that day ... As I bathed in the setting sun, I looked up and saw this lovely simple home. I mean, look at this amazing color! An orange house. How refreshing. And then see the clear sky! So lovely. There was something about those two colors that kept coming back to me and I ended up painting a watercolor exploring the relationship of this visually striking combo. 
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The painting took place the morning after my walk. I had a cup of coffee and munches on lunch. My mom was studying a map and looked excited about our day's adventures. When we got back home, I came back to a lovely texture - the paint cracked and the orange revealed streaks of intense blue. And since I turn pretty much anything I see or create into a textile pattern, I had to do just that with this painting. So here we go ... this print is called "Nature's Glory" and is the perfect marriage of the sky and the sun reflecting on the facade of this home. 
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As soon as we come back from our trips, my mom asks about where we would be going the following year. No decision has been made yet for 2018 but I am already excited about what the new place may inspire in my design work. 
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Monday Dose of RADOST

11/13/2017

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There is something mystical about windows, isn't there? They protect the inside from the elements, yet they let us peek in. I took this photo at a cabin built in 1871 in the Catoctin Mountains a week or two ago. I bet this window could tell stories. So, this week, may you come across a moment that like a window to a house - a moment that's safe yet open to what's around ... 
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The word RADOST is the Czech word for JOY. Every Monday I share with you a photo and a thought or two to bring joy into your week. Check back as those Mondays just keep coming up and up ... ​
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Textile of The Week: Emotional Landscape

11/10/2017

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I love painting within a circle. There is something calming and meditative about the shape; as if everything makes sense within it. Here is a watercolor painting I did a few weeks ago. It's an abstract piece reflecting my mood that day. I almost see a landscape in it with land, fields of grass, and sky. The painting sat on my desk for some time until I used sections of it to create two textile patterns. They express clearly the original mood, yet they are unique in their own right. What do you think?  
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Do you like what you see? Contact me so we can make a custom #scarf or another item for you from one of these #textile prints. ​​​​​​
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Great Events in November and December: Join Me!

11/8/2017

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While it may be colder and darker outside, November and December are a great time of the year for getting together! I am so excited to participate in a variety of interesting events and believe you may enjoy them too. Take a look at the list below and stop by to chat with me about my colorful designs and to meet great local crafters! You will have fun. I promise!

FEMME FATALE DC POP UP SHOP

October 12 - December 24, 2017

​Femme Fatale DC 
​100 Florida Ave NE
Washington, DC 2002

Tuesday - Saturday
11am to 8pm 
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One House Project (Art Exhibition)

November 3 - 25, 2017

Touchstone Gallery
901 New York Ave NW
Washington, DC 20001

Wednesday - Friday (11am - 6pm)
Saturday - Sunday (12pm - 5pm)
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Museum Shop Holiday market

November 9 - 12, 2017

Strathmore Mansion
10701 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852

November 9 (10am - 8pm)
November 10 (10am - 6pm)
November 11 (10am - 6pm)
November 12 (10am - 5pm) ​
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Czech and Slovak Christmas bazaar

November 11, 2017

River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation
6301 River Road
Bethesda, MD 20817

12pm - 3pm
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NPR'S All Crafts Considered 

November 14, 2017

NPR Headquarters
1111 North Capitol St NE
Washington, DC 20002

3pm - 8pm
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Solo Feature at Strathmore Mansion

November 18, 2017 - January 8, 2018

Artists Library at Strathmore Mansion 
10701 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852

Tue/Thu/Fri/Sat (10am - 4pm)
Wednesday (10am - 9pm)
Sunday (12pm - 4pm)
Closed Monday
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Glen Echo Park Galleries' Holiday Art Show and Sale

November 24, 2017 - January 7, 2018

Glen Echo Park Partnership for Arts & Culture
7300 MacArthur Blvd
Glen Echo, MD 20812

Thu/Fri (10am - 2pm)
Sat/Sun (11am - 6pm)
December 24 (11am - 4pm)
December 31 (11am - 4pm)
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Greenbelt Festival of Lights

December 2 - 3, 2017

Greenbelt Community Center
15 Crescent Rd
Greenbelt, MD 20770



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Winterfest Art Fair by Difference Makers

December 16, 2017

Takoma Park Middle School
7611 Piney Branch Rd
Silver Spring, MD 20910

10am - 4pm

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Any questions? Contact me! 
#holiday #shopping #november2017 #december2017 #events #washingtondc #dmv #crafts #artisans #textiledesign #radostbyms #radostscarves #handmade #gifts 
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Monday dose of RADOST

11/6/2017

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Ooh, a new week ahead of us! Sometimes I think of the way we rush our days to accomplish much and then everything becomes a blur ... So, in this week's Dose of Radost, I wish for all of us a few moments of pause, of relaxation, of taking a minute to still and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us. 
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The word RADOST is the Czech word for JOY. Every Monday I bring you a photo to bring joy into your week. Check back as those Mondays just keep coming up and up ... 
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Textile of the Week: Burnt Paper

11/3/2017

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It's so incredibly fun to experiment with a variety of techniques to produce textile patterns. This week I am sharing with you a print created with burnt paper. Yes, burnt paper. I took small bits of paper and burned the edges. I then layered them to create a collage: a study in white, grey, and black. And then, of course, I had to add color! Check out the two textile patterns in vivid red and lovely purple. Which one do you like better? 
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Do you like what you see? Contact me so we can make a custom #scarf or another item for you from one of these #textile prints. ​​​​​
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The Box Project: Think Inside of The Box

11/1/2017

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I wrote about an interesting textile exhibition at the Textile Museum at the George Washington University in Washington DC recently. It's just such a great place to explore fabrics and their role in our history. And as another lovely show is on display, I am excited to bring you details about it and encourage you to see it. 

The show is called "The Box Project: Uncommon Threads". I bet you have heard 'think outside of the box' many times in your life. It's all about pushing ourselves to keep thinking beyond our usual patterns. Well, this show - I would say - calls for the opposite. Collector Lloyd Cotsen challenged thirty-six leading fiber artists worldwide to create a three-dimensional work to fit inside a standard box. Their 'thinking outside of the box' had to fit into a box. And what marvelous results! 

For example, artist Cynthia Schira created Variations II (2004) in which she used weaving to create three different horizontal patterns and put them into rectangles. The left photo shows her box interpretation; the right photo is the actual size of her artwork hanging from the walls of the museum exhibition hall. 

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As you make your way through the show, you will be invited to see how each artist fitted their textile project into the box and how they executed the idea large scale. There are stories of innovation and inspiration that will catch your attention and you will walk out of the show thinking about whatever creative activity you may be involved in and how to fit that particular activity into a box. The exhibition is that engaging! 
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As colder days are upon us, I invite you to make a trip to the Textile Museum and stroll through this show slowly. You will be surrounded by color and texture and will be amazed at the incredibly variety of thought that has gone into each box project. Enjoy!
"The Box Project: Uncommon Threads" is on display through January 29, 2018. Stop by the George Washington University Textile Museum at 701 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC 20052. Enjoy!

#boxproject #textiles #fabrics #textileart #fiberart #museum #exhibition #washingtondc
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    RADOST™ BLOG

    Welcome! My textile/fashion design brand RADOST™ (Czech) is all about JOY (English). 

    In the blogs, I bring you thoughts on textile and fashion design, art, and travel.

    Check back often, as creativity never sleeps (well, almost never) and surround yourself with joy!  ​​

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