Ways to Wear a Scarf -- Part 2

  So I am back, as promised to do the second part of Ways to Wear a Scarf.  First I will show you how to braid a scarf, then we will get into inventive ways to wear scarves.  I think I actually discovered this technique on  pinterest. So you start with the choker scarf, (see part 1, the previous blog if unsure how to do this).  Pull the center loop down so that it is even with the two tails, make a single twist in the center loop as shown in the picture to the left.  Then tuck one tail over and through the bottom loop as shown in the picture to the right.  Next, tuck the other tail under and through the bottom loop.
      You must make sure that one tail goes over and the other goes under, otherwise it will not come out right.  Pull down slightly on the two tails then on the center loop to tighten and pull it all together.  If you have a nice long scarf, this can be done twice, just make sure the center loop is pulled down far enough when you start to be able to twist, pull the tails through and twist again to pull the tails through a second time.  Some scarf patterns really look amazing with this braiding technique as you can see by the pictures below.  See more hand painted silk scarves in my store.

      Now for some of the other fun ways to use a scarf besides around your neck =).  I sometimes use a small scarf as a bracelet.  This allows me to dress up an outfit with a scarf, without having to worry about the scarf being a encumbrance if I am doing something active or with a lot of bending.  This is very simple to do, Hold the end of the scarf in the hand you plan on wearing the bracelet, wrap the scarf around your wrist until you have a small tail left, tie a single knot with the two tails and tuck remaining tails up under itself.  Or if you want something more eye catching leave long enough tails to tie a beautiful bow.  You can use this same technique to dress up a wrist cast or brace.
     A tried and true method of dressing up an outfit with a scarf is to use it in your hair.  Tie it around a ponytail, use it as a headband, or do a head wrap.  This last way can be done a couple different ways.  Your scarf must be wide enough to reach from your forehead to the base of your neck, if it is wider than that, just fold it in half to make it narrower.  Wrap the scarf around your entire head, tie a double knot at the base of your scull.  Twist the entire thing so that the knot is just behind one of your ears, pull the tails over your shoulder so that they hang down your chest.  Don't want the tails hanging??  Just twist them tight until they start wrapping into themselves, leaving enough at the end that is not twisted to fully wrap around the twisted up knot, making what looks like a ball just behind your ear.  Tuck the remaining tails up into your scalp.

      Want to know how to wear scarves as soleless sandals??  Stay tuned for my next blog.  Have a question or want to have a scarf hand painted just for you??  You can contact me via my website  www.pianobycheri.com

Ways to Wear a Scarf -- Part 1

 

       So I just recently started painting silk scarves, and it has come to my attention, that many people are unaware of how many different ways a scarf can be worn.  So here are a few basic ways, and my next blog will cover a few more ways.
     There is the one that everyone knows, just simply around your next, or tucked under a collar.  This, while easy, displays the scarf beautifully down your chest, but the scarf must be fairly short to do this one.  The next basic one is a single tie as shown in the picture to the left. Probably the most common way to wear a scarf, simple yet beautiful, and can be done with any length scarf.
   
The next way, I wear a lot.  I love the feel of the scarf up around my neck and because I don't wear a lot of jewelry, this works as a choker, as you can see with the picture just above.  This is also quite simple.  Hold the center of the scarf up to the front of your throat, put the two ends of it behind you so that they are hanging down your back.  Crisscross the two ends behind your head and bring them back over your shoulders.  This can be worn two ways, as a choker in the picture above or you can pull the loop that is around your neck down, shortening the two tails to as far as you would like.  As you can see from the picture to your left, to do this the scarf needs to be fairly long.  The scarf pictured is a 72" scarf.
      We are going to talk about one more way in this blog, but my next blog will discuss a few more ways, including braiding your scarf.
     So this next way is also very simple to do.  I wear this with my winter scarves a lot, because you can pull it tight and have a lot of the fabric up by your throat keeping you extra warm.  For this one, you are going to fold the scarf in half and put it around your neck, see picture to the left.  Then you will tuck the tails through the loop, picture below, then pull the tails down as far as you would like, you can tighten it all the way up to your neck, or keep it loose.  As you can tell by how short the tails are, you can not do this one with a short scarf.  Find your favorite scarf now, and go experiment with it.  =)

 
    You can see more of my beautiful hand painted scarves by visiting my online store www.etsy.com/shop/artbycheri  you can also keep an eye out for my new items by following my facebook page www.facebook.com/pianobycheri  and you can contact me for special orders via my website. www.pianobycheri.com

Female Form -- A Study

     So, I have decided to do a study in female form.  I have always been drawn to art that uses female form in some way.  Whether it is photography, realistic art, modern art, abstract art, it doesn't seem to matter if the female form is included at least in part.  Well, I decided I wanted to create art with female form.
    A couple winters ago I took a basic drawing class from adult education.  Having never had any art classes in school, I wasn't sure what to expect but I thought it could be useful with my watercolor paintings.  Well, I did discover one thing in that class, that I was miserably horrible at drawing people and faces.  So, I thought, I will just stick to landscapes and never draw human form again.  Now, we both know, that did not work out well for me.  I just kept being drawn to female art, and the more I saw the more I wanted to create it.
   

 But .... there was one HUGE problem with creating female art -- I couldn't draw human form!!  So a spent a couple years afraid of it, afraid of the thing I so loved.  Admiring the one thing I couldn't create myself.  UNTIL... I finally just said Fuck It!! I'm doing a study in Female Form!!
     A few weeks ago I took down one of my pieces of art that I love and decided to try to draw the woman in it.  It came out kinda like a ... well, very alien-esk.  But, I made it all the way through it, you can tell its a female ... mostly.  On to my next one.  That one came out much better, but I still cant do hands, had to hide the hands.  The next one, couldn't get the nose right for the life of me and had to cover it with her hair.
     So, I am still at the very beginning at my female form study, but already I have improved on the basic body.  The face, hands, and feet are proving to be more difficult than the rest of the body.  So far I have been able to be creative with hand and foot placement so that I don't have to draw them as much, but soon I will have to make point to just tackle them too.  You can find my art on Etsy or on my website.  Follow me on facebook to be the first to see my newest creations.

Tomato Kale Soup

     Living in Maine, the winter's can sometimes get to you, but when you walk in that door, to a delicious smell coming from the kitchen, all that cold just melts from your body.  Well, if you are like me, you are always on the search for yummy, easy recipes that give off that warm cozy fragrance through out the entire house.  About a month ago, I created this one out of pure accidents, having a big bunch of kale that needed to be used.  So I just dug through my cupboards to see what I could do with it, and Tomato Kale soup was born.  Well, stupidly, I didn't take any pictures of it, so I couldn't blog about it, but last night I made another batch and remembered the pictures this time =)

Tomato Kale Soup
 Prep Time: 30min  
Cook Time: 1hour

Ingredients:
4cups Tomato Soup I used Pacific tomato soup 32oz box
2cups Chicken Stock
1 big bunch Kale
1 med. onion
1 Lg Carrot
2 lg Tomatoes (or a can of tomatoes)
1can Chickpeas (Garbanzo beans)
1 heaping TBS diced garlic (4-6 cloves)
1/2 Green Pepper
1/4cup Olive Oil
2TBS dried Basil
1TBS dried cilantro
a Pinch of Ground Red Pepper (if you like it spicy use 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes)
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan Cheese (to top when served)

Directions:
In a med to large stock pot, put in olive oil and set on med high heat, add the diced onion and pepper.  Once soft, add the garlic, cook until the onions are translucent.  Turn heat down to med., add tomato soup, chicken stock, basil, cilantro, ground red pepper, salt and pepper.  Stir.  Add the carrot, it can be diced, I sliced it thin with a slicer.  Tear the Kale into bit size pieces and add.  If using canned tomatoes add now, if using fresh tomatoes, wait.  Put the cover on the pot, and turn down so that it is just simmering.  Let cook for about 40min, until kale is nice and tender.  Add diced tomatoes and chickpeas, let simmer another 10min.

Serving:
I usually cook it early so that it can just sit on the stove with the cover on for 30-45min before serving.  Serve with some grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on the top.

As you can see from my picture, my honey, really likes it, the pot is almost empty this morning.  You can also make this gluten free if you use Pacific brand soups and stocks.
You can also find me on www.pianobycheri.com or
facebook or the online shopping center for hand made items Etsy

I hope you enjoy this delicious soup as much as we did!!

Move your Hands, Move your Feet, and Them some ...

     I have recently gotten involved with the local Dance Hall here in Kittery, Maine.  They offer classes such as tap, belly dance, ballroom, african dance, hoop dance, and others, as well as, hand drum classes.  And they also bring in wonderful music and dance artists to perform on the weekends.  thedancehallkittery.org
     I discovered the little venue from a Spot Light article in the local paper.  They were having a performance featuring Guinean dancers and drummers.  I love African sounds and dance, so I grabbed my friend and we went.  This was last October.  The performance was amazing, and on top of that I discovered that this little venue right around the corner from me offers great classes at a very reasonable price!
     Well, as I've been able, I have taken classes there.  The drumming class is so invigorating.  The teacher, Namory Keita, is very patient.  He is great at working with drummers from any level, and even as a beginner I felt like I was able to learn the song that was being taught to us.  What I underestimated was just how sore my hands would be after that first class.  WOW!  It really takes some getting used to.  I liken it to the first time you ride a bicycle as an adult or the first time you take a spin class.  Your butt is very sore when you get off, but after a few times you don't even notice it =).
     Now, I've never taken any dance classes, unless you count the zumba classes at the gym, but I love dance.  And, African dance intrigues me, in fact so much so that I finally decided to join a class.  I thankfully picked a good night to start, because there were several other first timers there.  The teacher, Liz Fowler, is amazing!  She is joyful and exuberant, and takes you through every little step.  She dances in a really great medium ground, so that you don't feel like you have to kill yourself to keep up with her.  I got to stomp my feet, flail my arms, shake my butt, play drums, connect with neighbors, scream and holler, and get my sweat on!!  How can you go wrong with that?
     So this past weekend they did another performance featuring Guinean dancers and drummers.  It becomes an all day event, because they also do drum and dance workshops throughout the day.  I said, why not, I might as well take advantage of the artists while they are here in town, so I signed up for ALL of them.  Now, in hindsight I may have been a little over zealous.  I don't think I put much thought into what my body would be saying to 2, hour and a half dance classes back to back.  And clearly I underestimated the amount of energy it would take to do all the work shops.
     But, I started the day gung ho, with a drum workshop.  Ismael Bangoura was our teacher, and he is so much fun!  Always smiling, making you forget you are concentrating, and making you smile too, his energy is contagious.  If I had had him as a teacher when I was little, I would have wanted to drum 24/7.  His son was there drumming too, and he was better than all of us in the circle.  Two amazing talents right here in little Kittery, Maine.

     My first dance class of the day was with Sidiki Sylla, Now, don't let his age affect what you think this man is capable of.  Ten minutes into the warm up and I'm already short of breath and sweat is poring off me in rivers!  OMG I still have 80 minutes left of this class!  Unfortunately for me, I was in a room filled with people that have been taking African dance classes for quite a while now.  They picked up this dance the first time every time!  That left me in the back row, flailing my arms in the completely wrong direction, going right when I should be going left, standing up when I should be squatted down, and completely lost, but still sweating my ass off!
     Well, needless to say, I did not make it to the last dance class.  But, I did come back for the performance that night.  And it was everything that was promised.  Liz Fowler's classes got to show off what they have been learning, the Guinean dancers and drummers got to give us a little taste of what the celebrations in Guinea would be like, and the audience got to participate with singing and dancing.  Overall, a very exciting, joyful evening in the Dance Hall, that I hope all the neighbors got to hear, because the drumming was spectacular! pianobycheri.com