Comite Noviembre Puerto Rican Artisan Fair 2012

I had a wonderful time at the Comite Noviembre Puerto Rican Artisan Fair last Saturday. Thank you all who came out to support me and a special thanks to Luis Cordero Santoni for organizing this event year after year. Luis designed the image of Pedro Albizu Campos that I print on my designs. You can find more of his great designs at www.cafepress.com/galeriacemi

This year I unveiled my new Pelo Bueno t-shirt design inspired by my curly, kinky hair. It was a big hit and I sold many.

My beautiful friend Felicia helped me set up. She is also an amazing hair stylist. I don't let anyone else touch my hair, she manages to get the whole curly/straight dichotomy that is my hair life. I will blog about her and my hair soon.




Felicia, wearing my Pelo Bueno shirt.

  

I met this beautiful lady, Leeanda, and very talented artist, Luis Pagan on Saturday. They had the table next to mine. Leeanda is truly a creative soul, she makes interesting bottle cap earrings, oranments, and these amazing tostone sculptures! I was going to eat them, they look so real! We also share a love for sewing. Luis is a great abstract painter, you can see his work in the picture and you can also "like" his fan page on facebook (Artist Luis Pagan) to see more!

  



Leeandra (Little Red Cart) and Luis Pagan. I bought some of her yummy candles!

This is Nanette. Her table was also near mine. She makes wearable art inspired by Mother Earth. I enjoyed talking to her. We also share a love for sewing! Check her out at www.oldearthcreates.com.  

Nanette makes beautiful leather belts, earrings and Tainoshikis, among other great items!

Halfway through the crafts fair, there was a wonderful Bomba y Plena dance presenatation. Bomba y Plena is a traditional form of Puerto Rican music and dance, featuring the use of the drum, other percussion instruments, and an African-derived call and response vocal style. 

The next two ladies bought Nelesc Designs wear in the past and were a special treat for me. The first is Wilda Gonzalez, a wonderful artist. She came to my table to show me the Pedro Albizu Campos cuff she bought from me last year. As I was leaving, I spotted this beautiful activist woman that I met last year at an event celebrating  Puerto Rican women. Her name is Esperanza Martorell and she was wearing my Julia de Burgos shirt. I would love for part of my legacy to be that I dressed poets, artists and activists!  I am glad I am on my way!

Wilda Gonzalez is a multimedia artist and painter




Esperanza Martorell is an activist, educator, and community organizer born in Bayamon, PR



My friend Sheila (on left) helps me every year but couldn't this time because she had to work. However, she surprised me by showing up at the tail end of the event. What a great show of  love. Thank you Sheila! Nydia (on right) has always encouraged me on this creative cultural journey and came with her cousins. She also drove me home! Thank you Nydia! I am truly blessed with great friends.

Sheila, me, and Nydia

All in all, it was a great night. I always have to give a shout out to my hubby who lets me be me and happily takes care of my kids while I participate in these events. He is such a treasure in my life and I am so grateful for him.

Can't wait for next year!  

Nelesc Designs 2011 Highlights

Stop Traffic Fashion Show

There were several reasons I was so silent on my blog from July on (besides wanting to concentrate on my shop more). My son was hospitalized for several days from an atypical case of strep, we were in a car accident, and my husband was injured at work. It was a critical time for my family and I had to let some things go in order to be there for them.

That said, there were some wonderful things that happened at the end of the year that I did not get a chance to share here. So here are some pictures from my first fashion show (October), my participation at the Comite Noviembre Puerto Rican Crafts Fair (November), and my first time participating in the Puerto Rican Crafts Fair at Boricua College (December).

I was invited by the Law Students for Reproductive Justice (LSRJ),   to participate in the first annual Stop Traffic fashion show on October 28,  to raise awareness of human trafficking within the fashion industry. The show took place at the YWCA of Brooklyn and also featured local designers Kate Goldwater, chromat, Moira Meltzer-Cohen, and Anthony Posada. It was a wonderful experience and I met some great designers. All the designs were available for a silent auction and the proceeds benefited LSRJ and Kamisetas, a women’s collective in Medellin, Colombia in support of labor and fair trade. If that is not meaningful fashion, I don't know what is! I was so happy to be part of it.  Check out the youtube video here. 

Tara, the organizer of the show, and I

Final walk through, wonderful models



Kiko and I, she was a great model and person!



Serena and Adri, beautiful ladies!

One of a kind dress I made just for the fashion show



Models showing off designs by Kate Goldwater. Check out her blog here.

 On November 19, I participated in the 6th Annual Comite Noviembre Puerto Rican Artisan Fair for the second time! It was so much fun! I consider myself to have a global sensibility who appreciates all cultures but it is also important to take time to be among your people to re-fuel and remember what makes you special. There's nothing like it!  I would like to thank Luis Cordero who makes this possible for me every year. Check out some of his great designs here.



Me and my table



As always, my friend Sheila helped me, I so appreciate her

I added tote bags this year and a new image, Sylvia Rexach!

I made a connection at the Comite Noviembre craft fair which lead me to the Puerto Rican Craft Fair at Boricua College in December! That was a blast too! I was in between Maria and Candida (Warixi) and we sold our stuff and laughed all day long. Maria makes beautiful pottery. You can check out her etsy site called Barro y Agua here. Warixi is a fascinating lady who is a martial artist, a Taino Bohike and a leader in Taino organizations. She makes taino dolls and jewelry, among other things. She can be reached at Shihan@rock.com. Arieana was across from us, a new friend, who has a company called Buttonpress, etc. However, she does so much more than buttons, she also sells mirrors, original paintings, and does face painting, among other things. Check out her site here.

Boricua College Puerto Rican Craft Fair

Not a pretty bad year for Nelesc Designs, huh? Thank you for allowing me to share all of this with you.