Silvia Hara weaves tapestries, paints and plays Bulgarian folk music.  Her life as an artist came naturally for her as her grandfather was an acclaimed textile designer who inspired her journey.  You can learn more about her on her profile, her website and on our sister site, Creative PlaceMakers, where you can zoom in and…

“Living well is an art that can be developed: a love of life and ability to take great pleasure from small offerings and assurance that the world owes you nothing and that every gift is exactly that, a gift. ” ― Maya Angelou   Click on the photos to visit our member websites.   It's…

Is the desire for adornment an innate human drive? Most cultures seem to express their identities through their clothing, jewelry and hair styles, often messaging to the public their roles in society with what they wear. They might signal marital status, wealth, professions, cultural identity, and even subcultures born out of rebellion against those same…

As the cold weather blows through the Northern Hemisphere, we pull out our scarves, shawls and warm clothing. Some of it is practical, a barrier against cool temps, but a lot of it is also fun. There are two reasons I like Fall and Winter: I can wear my woolens (and other favorites) and I…

Decorating for the holidays is a huge deal for many people, with many bringing out treasures that have been handed down for generations. Ornaments and stocking stuffers can be great small gifts that delight young and old. But, just because something might be small in size, it doesn't mean that it is necessarily "cheap". The…

Featured image:  carved gourds from Peru, Lucuma Designs   Many of us are living in stressful times: financial worries, political madness, climate change destruction, health challenges....  even figuring out what is true online gets harder and harder.  Several of our members live in war zones or areas where there is great poverty.  It can make…

Olena Vikarunova of FeltUA - Lviv, Ukraine white shawl By Olena Vinokurova Artizan Made member since February 2023 This is the first interview done by Olena and we hope that it will be one of many as she knows many creative women in Ukraine.   Olena sells beautiful nunofelt shawls and scarves on Etsy. Read…

When I was a kid, 50 years ago now, Halloween was a fun but strange time.  I grew up in Brazil where All Saints Day was celebrated with visits to the cemeteries, but people did not dress up. There were about 20 American and Canadian missionary families in our city and we went to a…

The Goldin Institute has two projects, both aimed at training community organizers at effectively creating change by amplifying assets that are already found there.  The first project is in Chicago, where Goldin is based, largely dedicated to peace building.  The second one has a Global focus. Both have 20 Fellows who go through a curriculum…