A 34-year old artist who goes by the name Lito has been living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) his entire life. Lito had been searching for an outlet where he could channel his above-normal levels of concentration and obsessiveness when he discovered the Japanese art of kirie (切り絵, literally ‘cut picture’). Earlier this year in January he began experimenting, not with paper, but with leaves.
“My Father’s Dragon”
According to a recent interview, leaves turned out to be an ideal medium for Lito as their decomposing nature forced him to work quickly. Over time he got faster and his daily creations, which he began posting to social media, became more intricate.
Following the standard kirie practice, each piece is always cut from a single leaf. But Lito always leaves traces of the leaf’s midrib, perhaps a sign of respect towards the leaf. Lito also always manages to imbue his creations with a playful narrative, one that is either inspired by film or books, or plucked from the artist’s own imagination.
“Swimmy by Leo Lionni”“Autumn Harvest Festival”“Night sky, moon and bicycle” (a tribute to E.T.)“Forest Librarian”“Ghost Parade”
“Even graffiti is a fine art – As drawing time begins, the colorful crayons start to move in unison. What a wonderful world is being created today.”
“Lunch is coming soon.” (a tribute to Peter Rabit)
We live in a time where nothing is new, and yet everything is new. We do new things in old ways and we use old technologies in new ways. We see trends that are new yet familiar. With the latest colour, design and material trends for 21/22, we encourage you to rethink, redo and remake to make your business fit for the future.
Extensive visual material and composed colour palettes, including exact colour values, allow you to apply the trends specifically to your own collection.- Heimtextil
Sustainable fashion label Archivist is turning discarded luxury hotel bed linen and turning them into timeless shirts. The project, from Dutch designers Eugenie Haitsma and Johannes Offerhaus, started life when the pair acquired 200 kilos of Egyptian cotton bed linen from a luxury hotel in London’s Mayfair. The designers said: “We asked ourselves the question […]
While visiting the Yale University Art gallery (03/20/16) I came across a Yoruba door with four panels. The third panel showed four characters, a tortoise, a man, and a small antelope. I disagreed with the following description, “… a coiled snake seizes an antelope while a small kneeling figure strikes the snake with an axe, […]
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Hintercabin, a Scandinavian-inspired lakefront cabin in Quebec, is enabling guests to connect with nature and minimalism while also helping to save the planet, given that for every booking made at the sustainable cabin, the company plant 10 trees.
The cabin, which is located in La Conception, was created with simplicity or “hygge” in mind, encouraging living simply and minimally. A modular design, with bare wooden floors and a neutral colour scheme, it is sparsely furnished but simultaneously offers everything needed for a comfortable stay.
Hinter, who designed the sustainable cabin, said the minimalist cabin is their “take on what a hotel ‘room’ should be. The floor-to-ceiling windows that wrap around the house invite nature in as much as it serves as an “open window” for guests to connect with nature.
A 15-minute drive from the well-known ski resort of Mont-Tremblant, Hintercabin’s remote location is close to many nature parks and trails. The cabin, which sleeps up to four people, also features a private dock and access to the lake, as well as a canoe available mid-spring to mid-fall.
Hinter, who describe their purpose as the creation of “spaces where design, architecture, and nature become one”, also sell minimalist-style interior and furniture products via their website, all created with simplicity and sustainability in mind using sustainable wood. As with every booking made at Hintercabin, Hinter also plant 10 trees for every interior product it sells via its website.
Hinter say: “While your wellness is a high priority, we recognise that our planet needs help. Neutrality is not enough. We want to set a new norm on sustainability by giving more than what we take. Companies should be giving more than they take. That in mind, we plant 10 trees for every booking, for every object sold and we work only with companies that have the environment as their number one priority. We seek like-minded companies that share our beliefs so we can run eco-friendly spaces with sustainably-made products.”
In addition to Hintercabin, Hinter’s roster of spaces also includes Hinterhouse. Inspired by cabins in the Norwegian mountains and using Japanese design cues and minimalism philosophy, Hinterhouse is made of 60% glass to ensure that whether guests are outside in the woods or taking comfort inside, they remain close to nature.
Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyle including sustainable and green living. She also offers content services to businesses and individuals at Rosamedea.com
We take this opportunity to introduce to you our finest- quality, natural fiber handmade carpets and rugs. All our carpets and rugs are hand woven under environmentally friendly conditions.
From concept to execution, our expertise provides a complete array of services necessary for successful project completion i.e. Spinning, Dyeing, Weaving, In-house Washing, Finishing, Inspection, Packing and Dispatch of final products.
We make all sorts of handmade Floor Coverings like Hand-knotted Carpets, Hand-tufted Carpets, Handloom Rugs, Indo-Tibetan Rugs, Woolen and Cotton Dhurries etc.
Artisans: We have a dedicated team of artisans with extensive experience in their field and knowledge of the industry. The work of our artisans is at the heart of what we do. Expert dyers, Quality analyst, Raw material experts, Tailors Weavers.
We work in custom rugs and can create one of a kind rugs based on the specifications of our buyers. For Hotel projects, we understand what “Quality and Time” mean. We ensure desired quality at all stages of production and timely updates on the progress of orders through images and videos.
If you have some designs and patterns in mind that you want us to create, please feel free to discuss these with us and we can create/make samples for you.
Quality- Our Prime Concern: We are keenly administered by sound management ethics at every stage of our process to ensure flawless production. The production is carried out under the strict supervision of our experienced professionals who have been working in this discipline for years together. We source the finest quality of yarn and other raw materials from reputed agents of the market.
We do it all:
Raw Material Experts
Dyeing & Spinning Plant
Artisans
Quality Analysts
Weavers
Washing and Dyeing
Finishing and Packing
Types of Order Undertaken: We cater to different requirements of our buyers such as:
Programmed Orders
Custom Orders
Express Orders
Sample Orders
Our Carpets and Rugs are tested for Fire Retardancy , Color Fastness, and Pill Pull Strength. If you have a special requirement we will get it tested for you.
If you desire for us to send you sample of different fibers please email us at nisha@nishadesigns.com or call 702.622.8321 for more information.
We take this opportunity to introduce to you our finest- quality, natural fiber handmade carpets and rugs. All our carpets and rugs are hand woven under environmentally friendly conditions.
From concept to execution, our expertise provides a complete array of services necessary for successful project completion i.e. Spinning, Dyeing, Weaving, In-house Washing, Finishing, Inspection, Packing and Dispatch of final products.
We make all sorts of handmade Floor Coverings like Hand-knotted Carpets, Hand-tufted Carpets, Handloom Rugs, Indo-Tibetan Rugs, Woolen and Cotton Dhurries etc.
Artisans: We have a dedicated team of artisans with extensive experience in their field and knowledge of the industry. The work of our artisans is at the heart of what we do. Expert dyers, Quality analyst, Raw material experts, Tailors Weavers.
We work in custom rugs and can create one of a kind rugs based on the specifications of our buyers. For Hotel projects, we understand what “Quality and Time” mean. We ensure desired quality at all stages of production and timely updates on the progress of orders through images and videos.
If you have some designs and patterns in mind that you want us to create, please feel free to discuss these with us and we can create/make samples for you.
Quality- Our Prime Concern: We are keenly administered by sound management ethics at every stage of our process to ensure flawless production. The production is carried out under the strict supervision of our experienced professionals who have been working in this discipline for years together. We source the finest quality of yarn and other raw materials from reputed agents of the market.
We do it all:
Raw Material Experts
Dyeing & Spinning Plant
Artisans
Quality Analysts
Weavers
Washing and Dyeing
Finishing and Packing
Types of Order Undertaken: We cater to different requirements of our buyers such as:
Programmed Orders
Custom Orders
Express Orders
Sample Orders
Our Carpets and Rugs are tested for Fire Retardancy , Color Fastness, and Pill Pull Strength. If you have a special requirement we will get it tested for you.
If you desire for us to send you sample of different fibers please email us at nisha@nishadesigns.com or call 702.622.8321 for more information.
Hotel Taselotzin, located in the Sierra Norte mountain range of Puebla in Mexico, is a sustainable hotel run by indigenous Nahua women.
Taselotzin, which in Nahuatl means “small plant or shoot”, started life as a hotel “with an indigenous heart” in 1995 as a result of the collective effort of the female-led organisation Masehual Siunamej Mosenyolchiacuani (“Indigenous women who support one another”).
Masehual Siunamej Mosenyolchiacuani was originally set up in 1985 to empower women within the community whilst protecting their indigenous heritage and traditions. Created and managed by more than 100 Nahua women of the region, many of whom are crafts people, the aim of the collective was to help indigenous women sell their crafts at fair prices and to improve their quality of life by creating jobs so to limit the number of community members needing to emigrate.
By 1987, the women’s collective realised that it was not enough to obtain income, and so on the advice of a student from the Autonomous Metropolitan University (UAM), who told the indigenous women that their embroidery could turn profitable beyond their home community of Cuetzalan, the idea of a community-owned hotel arose.
Cuetzalan, nestled in the northern mountains of Puebla, is a small village rich in indigenous history and heritage that is known for its coffee plantations, greenery, cobblestone streets, waterfalls, and caves.
More than 80% of the town’s inhabitants are of Náhuatl origin and live under customs of ancestral community management. These customs are based on conservation and respect towards nature, which have helped prevent the arrival of mining businesses into the area. The remote village has also become popular with conscious travellers looking to experience indigenous customs and traditions.
Hotel Taselotzin – which came about to provide work, preserve culture and halt migrations to big cities and other countries – is preserving the region’s indigenous way of life. Located a 10-minute walk from the city centre of Cuetzalan, Hotel Taselotzin offers basic accomodation decorated simply with Nahua symbols in the 14 bedrooms, a restaurant serving native dishes, traditonal crafts and herbal remedies sold at the hotel, and spa services which include a temazcal sweat lodge and massages.
Rufina Edith Villa, the Nahuatl leader who manages Hotel Taselotzin, said: “In a council meeting we considered this dream [Hotel Taselotzin]. What we wanted was to have our own resources, and not depend on any institution.”
More than 100 indigenous families benefit from the profits of the hotel, which enables indigenous women to be empowered. All profits are distributed among the community members, depending on their participation, during the annual meetings. The crafts are sold under a fair-trade policy and these profits are invested into a fund established to encourage continual product development. In addition, the hotel has its own microcredit system, which is accessible to all members in case of need.
The women say that each room at Hotel Taselotzin and each space is embedded in the pacha mama, the mystical earth mother. The spirit of the pacha mama is said to sip into the rooms, blessing the mountains and Cuetzalan.
Sustainability is a natural part of everything the women’s collective do at Hotel Taselotzin. The hotel participates in composting, and the women also support and partcipate in the conservation of green spaces.
Rufina Edith Villa added: “This place is rooted in nature and our hotel is like a plant, if we do not take care of it, it can wither. It is up to us.”
Hotel Taselotzin does not currently have its own website but rooms can be booked via Booking.com and other online travel companies
Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyles including sustainable and green living. She also offers content services to businesses and individuals at Rosamedea.com
Colorado is our new Faux Leather. It is available in 60 colours and due to its product properties it can be used in many different ways. Extreme durability is paired with a natural feel. The product is available from mid-January 2020.
Please contact Nisha Desai for further information at nisha@nishadesigns.com or 702.622.8321
May the Magick of Yule fill your heart, home and family with celebrations of love, joy, peace and hope this holiday season. And we wish you all Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays🎄🎁- Nisha Desai
“The Winter Solstice or Yule It begins on “Mother Night” and ends twelve days later, on “Yule Night”, hence the “Twelve Days of Christmas” tradition. Yule is a time of the Goddess of the Cold Darkness and the birth of the Divine Child, the reborn Sun God. It is a time of renewal and rebirth during Winter, and the turning of the Earth force tides.The Winter Solstice had been associated with the birth of a “Divine King” long before the rise of Christianity. Yule is about renewal, re-birth, returning hope and life.”- Ravenhawks Magazine
If you’ve ever dreamt of spending a night surrounded by your favorite cartoons you’re in luck — the Cartoon Network Hotel is (almost) open for business.
The Cartoon Network Hotel, located in Lancaster Pennsylvania, right next to Dutch Wonderland, is now accepting bookings for its June 2020 opening. The resort is just as over-the-top as you might expect from the people that brought you the Powerpuff Girls, Adventure Time, Johnny Bravo, and more.
COURTESY OF CARTOON NETWORKCOURTESY OF CARTOON NETWORK
“From the moment you enter the lobby, you’ll realize this is unlike any place your family has stayed before,” the hotel explains on its site.”With our character-themed guest rooms and Dream Suites, it’s like having a sleepover…in a cartoon.
The hotel will feature 165 rooms, an indoor pool, an outdoor water park, a play area, a game room, a cafe where guests can dine with characters, a Cartoon Network store, and more.
“The Cartoon Network Hotel will be unlike any other property in the region,” Rolf Paegert, chief operating officer of Palace Entertainment said in a statement. “Cartoon Network characters and theming will bring the property to life and offer magical, interactive experiences around every turn. This hotel is going to set the standard for guest-focused, themed lodging immersion.”
COURTESY OF CARTOON NETWORK
Beyond the rooms, the Cartoon Network Hotel will also partner with Dutch Wonderland, the amusement park next door, where guests of the hotel receive special admission discounts to the park and its 35 family-friendly rides.
Though the hotel’s precise opening date isn’t set just yet, cartoon fans can start planning their late summer vacations to the park now. Standard rooms start at $289 a night and the hotel’s Dream Suites start at $489 a night.- BY STACEY LEASCA
