Sustain & Heal

Sustain & Heal has moved

2011-08-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Sustain & Heal blog has moved to a new location. De Milo Design's latest fair trade and eco happenings are now posted at

www.demilodesign.com/sustainandheal

Clifton’s: Printing a Landmark

2011-06-14T09:34:00.000-07:00

Clifton’s Cafeteria is a historical landmark in Los Angeles. Recently designer Ramiro Fauve discovered an old magnesium plate in the basement. It was fun to print a little bit of history.

National Stationery Show: Marble Paper is Hot

2011-05-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

De Milo's booth at the National Stationery Show in New York seemed to be full of folks who love marble paper. Maybe I should pack in the letterpress and become a paper purveyor! Swatchbooks and 21x31" sheets can be purchased online or come to the studio at 1401 Mission Street, South Pasadena, California and browse the selection of over 50 colors and styles.

De Milo Design—Booth 2040, National Stationery Show 2011

Grand Opening

2011-04-21T13:50:00.000-07:00

Today De Milo Design opens and I hope you can come to our party. I've spammed a whole lot of people in rather haphazard fashion. All that's left is to wait for the energy to come. I feel so fortunate to have friends and customers who understand and support what I do with so much enthusiasm. Thank you! My friend Margie (who helped me sort and hang all that paper on the wall) sent me this poem today. Perfect.

Truth in Advertising

by Andrea Cohen

If we'd moved her,
she'd still have 'em,

the ad for Acme
Moving says, with a photo

of Venus de Milo.
But who, intact,

would Venus be?
Some standard-issue

ingénue. Give me
a woman who's lived

a little, who's wrapped
her arms around the ages

and come up lacking: that's
the stone that can move me.

Birds and Bzzz

2011-04-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

This is a cute one that flew off the press this week. Love that Jute paper!

Master of Letters: Doyald Young

2011-03-24T09:22:00.000-07:00

Master typographer Doyald Young died last Thursday. I was not fortunate enough to study under this giant of design. My academic timing was off. He taught at Art Center pre and post me. But I did learn from his students. My first weeks at Art Center in 1992 are a blur save for one day that is clear in my memory. Dana Herkelrath invited her mentor to speak to her (very green) design students. Doyald’s reverence for the letterform and his eagerness to impart his knowledge opened my eyes to a new kind of beauty. Fifteen years later one of his typefaces, with its narrow bold strokes, became the inspiration for my “Sustain & Heal” logotype. A memorial will be held April 10 at Art Center College of Design. And meet with Doyald on youtube.com.

South Pasadena Patch features the new space

2011-03-03T09:48:00.000-08:00

This move is kicking my butt! But things will start looking better this weekend after installing a desk. Meanwhile, Jennifer Smith of South Pasadena Patch met me at the new space and wrote a few words here about Sustain & Heal. Thanks, Jennifer, for the good word!

Practicing Bling

2011-01-31T14:26:00.000-08:00

I've always maintained I couldn't put a feather on an invitation to save my life. But my friend Caroline at Carciofi Design is great at all that bling. She's inspired me to give the jewels, feathers, buckles and bows a run. First out of the gate is a few Swarovski Rhinestones mixed with both letterpress and digital printing. “Digital” means “cheaper” so will also be exploring how that can fit with letterpress this season. Thanks, Joanna Lenck, at The Wedding Salon for the shout out to this design on her blog.

A New Beginning

2011-01-25T16:56:00.000-08:00

Escrow closed! Now it's got to look worse before it looks better—see Brian getting busy on the floor below. But we're close to having a new home for the presses...and that huge fair trade order that's winging its way over from Bangladesh.

The New Brown

2011-01-11T14:39:00.000-08:00

My new year’s resolution is to not get stuck in a color rut. Since beginning Sustain & Heal in 2007 I’ve printed through two pounds of soy based dark espresso brown ink. But last year two customers declined my brown suggestion and went their own way. I’m glad they ignored me.
David and Mark chose dark olive ink over brown for their Rosetti invitation.

Carin and Michael were married under a grove of Aspen trees. Their custom invitation is printed in warm Pewter on real Aspen wood.

Holiday Sprites Photo Frames

2010-12-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

A slower November than usual was a chance to concoct a really challenging print project. The more color runs, tight registration, die-cutting, and hand-gluing the better. The many production hours provided a good distraction while I waited for the bank to approve my Small Business Loan (they did) and for the seller of a foreclosed studio space to honor our contract signed way back in July (they didn’t). More to come later about the space issue. For now let’s just be merry!

Holiday Sprites Photo Frame—This labor of love is printed on fair trade jute paper and available online.

Unique LA

2010-12-13T09:17:00.000-08:00

Overheard yesterday at the California Market Center: “I usually hate shopping, but this is fun!” Unique LA lives up to its name and brings out the best of local California artisans. Letterpress, of course, is very much at home in this creatively charged venue. I had fun yakking it up with letterpress friends old and new.

Of the four printers here I've known Sharon from Papermum Press the longest. We met way back in 2000 when she was just across the street from De Milo in Old Town Pasadena as the manager for Mimio Papers.

Mabel “Master-of-the-Heidelburg” from Dee & LaLa

Tina from Joie Studio does all this beautiful work with an 18-month-old tagging along. How do you manage it?!

Tianyi from Tiselle is getting married this year. Can’t wait to see her invitation!

Remembering Regis...and my mistakes!

2010-12-06T07:40:00.000-08:00

December 6, 2010 marks five years since letterpress printer/mentor Regis Graden passed away. The news of his Cancer early in 2005 hit me like a pressful of bricks and I tried to write that out in a 2005 blog post. He assured me then that he was carrying out a “serious argument” with the disease. Today I still miss him and am still carrying on that same argument. I started this cobbled together letterpress business during the dot.com bust of the mid-late 90's when my once-hot art school web design services had cooled. I made so many mistakes. Killer Mistakes. Embarrassing Mistakes. Unforgivable Mistakes. And he had a response to every one of them. My remembered favorites:

“You made a mistake?! That’s unheard of. Why, the last time I made a mistake was [long pause while he computes]...ten o’clock this morning.”

and

“The only way to never make a mistake is to never do anything.”

Thankfully, my mistakes are much fewer now. But, ironically, I treasure my mistake history (now that it's mostly...hopefully...over). And when I have the chance to teach new printers you'll hear Regis'isms spewing forth loud and plentiful. Thank you, Regis.

Letterpress Artists for a Day

2010-11-28T13:44:00.000-08:00

A College Professor, an Advertising Manager, and an Uptight Letterpress Printer walk into a bar...wait, no, that happens later... Earlier they walked into the alchemy of friends together, three inked up presses, and plentiful fair trade paper that made for a fun day thriving with shared creative energy. Thanks, Friends!

The College Professor and Ad Manager quickly got the hang of platen press printing
while the uptight Letterpress printer relaxed and took photos.

Carol's classic stationery and Karen's modern holiday complete with snoozing feline.
Both printed on fair trade jute and paired with fair trade marble papers.

Memories: Bonoful Handmade Paper

2010-11-27T10:01:00.000-08:00

It was exactly a year ago that I visited Bonoful Handmade Paper in Muktagacha, Bangladesh. I am still inspired by the industrious creativity of the women there. These women are the primary wage earners for their families. Prior to arriving at Bonoful they were unskilled and had little opportunity for employment. Seeing them work puts a face on fair trade and reminds me that it's possible in my isolated western culture to make choices that have a positive effect on their families on the other side of the world.


dipping paper sheets


Busy Workroom

Feeling paper pulp fibers.

Photos by Maebird

Stacks

2010-10-27T16:12:00.000-07:00

Usually it’s small jobs that run through my presses. But occasionally I get the satisfaction of watching tall stacks of letterpress accumulate.

(left) Samantha & Bryan’s wedding invitations — (right) New Holiday Photo Frames

Mr. Ellie Pooh “Poo Happens” cards

Meg Graves Turns Out a Feast for the Eyes

2010-10-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

Ty and I will celebrate a significant anniversary next year and in preparation I've been gradually relieving the cupboards of our 19 1/2 year old wedding dishes. They’re nice...too nice. And forty should be fun, not formal. Forty is also time for appropriately sized meal portions (ah-hem!) and I’m not a fan of this huge plate only being 1/4 full before I start eating. I found these cute rice bowls at a store in Pasadena. Then I met Meg Graves during a South Pasadena Art Walk in her workspace at SOPA Studios and knew she could solve my too-big-plate problem. I love what she turned out from her potter’s wheel. Meg mines old Hungarian tapestry and embroidery books for inspiration and brings her creations to market each Sunday at the Santa Barbara Arts Festival on Cabrillo Blvd. Email Meg at mdg79us@yahoo.com

Mr. Ellie Pooh and Fair Trade Pasadena

2010-10-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

Since October is National Fair Trade Month it is fitting that one of my favorite paper suppliers for Sustain & Heal, Mr. Ellie Pooh, is celebrating its brand new membership with the Fair Trade Federation. Sustain & Heal’s inaugural design in late 2007 (Florence pictured at right) is letterpress printed on Mr. Ellie Pooh elephant dung paper. Since then fair trade certification for pooh paper has long been on De Milo’s wish list. Congratulations, Karl Wald, on work well done!

Below are a few designs from Sustain & Heal that feature Mr. Ellie Pooh paper.

Holiday Jr. Mod Shapes

Spring Meadow

Bianco Invitation

Pasadena is well on its way to becoming a Fair Trade Town (read the Pasadena buzz on Facebook). Some upcoming local fair trade events in Pasadena

October 15, 7:30pm Fuller’s Travis Auditorium The documentary, “The Dark Side of Chocolate”

October 16, 12-4pm Ten Thousand Villages (496 S Lake Ave) Chocotoberfest fair trade chocolate tasting

October 23, 10:30am Vroman’s Book Store (695 E Colorado Blvd) Reading of children’s book, “Think Fair Trade First” about chocolate with brownies & milk following

Re-Inventing the Box

2010-07-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

Besides mostly containing a lot of sh@*%t, what do disposable diapers and traditional stationery boxes have in common? They both occupy more than their share of landfill space. I can get behind the convenience of Pampers and you'll hear no eco bad-mouthing directed at exhausted mommies from my corner. But finding a sustainable alternative to that awful plastic lid and coated cardboard box is my responsibility. It's long been on my to-tackle list. Recently my friend Don, who works with youth in LA's foster care program, brought over two enterprising young men who are interested in this project. We spent an afternoon together reinventing the box. It was fun. I think we're close to identifying an efficient, high quality process that results in a beautiful sustainable and 100% biodegradable product. Clear windows are made from biodegradable/compostable corn based material. Wood is from managed farms. Stain and glue are waterbased art products.

National Stationery Show 2010

2010-05-12T00:31:00.000-07:00

Time to bring this blog out of hibernation and urge a few fair trade ideas out of the incubator. They'll see the light of day on Sunday in New York. Hoping to find many meaningful connections for my Bangladesh artisans!

Bangladesh Day 7: Ty and Justin are Muslim now

2009-11-28T03:41:00.000-08:00

This afternoon we explored Old Dhaka. Ty wanted to visit Sitara Mosque but our driver didn't know where it was. We almost gave up finding it but it seemed to suddenly rise out of nowhere. We peered through the fence and saw dozens of barefoot men face down praying so we were content to watch from that distance. But a very friendly man named Bashir who spoke good English insisted we go in "after they stop praying." A minute later he said "OK we can go in" but the scene hadn't changed much and it looked like they were still mid-prayer. Whatever. He asked us to take off our shoes ("socks OK") and for Amanda and I to cover our heads. He was eager to tell us all about the beautiful tiles and also how peaceful Muslims are. "If I am cut, it bleeds red. If you are cut, it bleeds red. Not green or yellow." In the midst of this a cadre of clerics descended upon Ty and Justin gathering them into their circle. Bashir said they wanted to speak with them but when I stepped forward he stopped me with a kind smile "Gents only." Amanda and I watched from a distance as the men asked questions, poured perfume on their wrists and fed them piles of cookies and angel food cake. Then they had them repeat a bunch of Arabic that basically meant "God is great when you're sleeping, God is great when you're eating, God is great when you're smelling..." and "There is one God Allah and Mohammad is his prophet." It only took 20 minutes to convert them. ;-)

Watching prayer outside the fence.

Clerics inviting the men to hang out.

The conversion process.

Goodbye, my friend. Justin said that guy wouldn't let go.

Bangladesh Day 7: Bovine Blues

2009-11-28T03:29:00.000-08:00

Morning: Ty has gone to the "Decent Bakery" where I suppose it is that they sell moderately acceptable pastries. It may not be open. Today is Eid-ul-Azha, the Muslim holiday of sacrifice. Leading up to this day we have observed the plethora of cattle populating the streets of Dhaka. Cows huddled in parking garages, on balconies of apartment buildings, tethered to water spigots and traffic signal poles, wedged cheek to jowel on trucks, and in Christmas Tree lot types of arrangements all across the city. Goats also, but not as many. We see children walking a dozen at a time, leashes taught and straining, like a dog walker in Central Park. One goat outside our window chose to bleat all night. We hear this is the day the streets run red with blood of slaughter so on our excursion to Old Dhaka later I may have to just keep my head down.

Bangladesh Day 5: Making Up for Lost Time

2009-11-27T03:05:00.000-08:00

We extracted ourselves from Dhaka this morning at 6:30am and miraculously made it to Muktagacha in Mymensingh district by 9:30. After breakfasting on Bhaji and Daal at the Mennonite Central Committee office we set out for ISSD (Ideal Step for Sustainable Development). An Australian Baptist organization left this handicraft research and development project to MCC a few years ago. The structure wasn’t much more than poles holding up a corrugated tin roof but it’s a sophisticated birthing center for new product ideas. They are not short on sweat equity. The main effort these days is inventing a way to make thread from locally grown pinapple leaves and weaving it into gorgeous shear fabric. The process is painstakingly slow but the artisans are patient and persistent. We got to meet a man whose job it is to invent tools and he showed us the pineapple leaf threshing machine he had built. Coincidentally we also met our good friend Joe Manikam, Director of MCC Asia. Suraiya has invited us and Joe to her home for Eid celebrations on Saturday. What a stroke of good luck! We were hoping we would have the opportunity to observe this Muslim holiday up close in some way.

Weaving pineapple leaf cloth

Tying pineapple strands into thread. Painstaking work.

Next was Bonoful Handmade Paper Products. Seeing Bonoful lessened my disappointment in not seeing Shuktara yesterday. Bonoful is a smaller “franchise” of Shuktara and they do many of the same things. I was thrilled to see a marble papermaking demonstration.

Because Suraiya was our guide today instead of Ershad it was easier to talk with the women. Last week my blog post “Strong Bangla Women” featured the story of Hajera Hayadaly. In spite of their low order load, she was at work today. Since her story is the one I feature for all my customers it’s a De Milo fixture. I felt like I was meeting a celebrity. We also met a young spitfire of a woman (regret I didn’t get her name) who was less shy than the others. Suraiya explained to us that she is the chairwoman of PMC (Producers Management Committee). This leadership group meets regularly with all the workers where they can talk about any issue—family, work, personal—and work toward resolution. The PMC from each Fair Trade project also meet together to share their experiences. It’s a way for the artisans to have a voice and they all seemed to be very happy and supportive of the arrangement. I have a feeling the primary issue they discuss is their lack of orders since that came up repeatedly.

Shredding cotton t-shirt scraps to be pulped for papermaking.Marbling paper.

Goofy girls

These journals were designed for an Italian company. They're especially nice looking and, I think, a cut above the normal handicraft products.

Talking with Hajera

Last stop of the day was Sacred Mark—a truly sacred place where women wishing to transition out of prostitution have been making beautiful handmade soap since March 2009. Their leader, mother figure, protector and mentor is Deepa, one of the most attractive people I’ve ever met. She radiates love in her slow liquid voice, graceful gestures and the gentle way she interacts with her girls. But this Muslim woman is no shrinking violet. She has a degree in civil engineering (helped design the architecture of Biborton) and could live in Dhaka where grand employment opportunities would be plentiful. But she has chosen to live in the home of her birth and build this center adjacent to the “red light” area of this small village. She explained to us the difficulty of leaving the sex trade. Having mothers who were prostitutes, lacking education, enduring regular beatings from their fathers, pimps and husbands these young women know no other life. It is also a solid source of income and without skills there is little motivation to make a change. But slowly Deepa is making inroads. They started their initial training with 100 and 30 managed to make it through the year long course. Even after graduation it is a constant struggle. Their husbands are usually not happy with the loss of income and many still abuse them. Deepa is working with the husbands as well to build trust. It helps that Sacred Mark, with support funds from MCC, pays salaries even when there are not enough orders for their product. But their soaps are packaged beautifully, the quality is high, and their story so poignant I think they will succeed if they can get their product seen by enough people. Everyone out there, buy some soap! Let me know if you want some and I will add it to my next Prokritee order. go to Bangladesh Day 7

Deepa showing us the soap making process. The blue robes the girls wear are their graduation gowns. It is their choice to wear them on days when guests are expected.

Girls stirring. You can barely see it in this photo, but this young woman's arms and neck are covered in long scars. Her pimp would cut her when she didn't follow his wishes.

Smelling soaps with Suraiya

Hand cutting soap boxes for 10,000 Villages.

Bangladesh Day 4: Disappointment in Dhaka

2009-11-25T06:53:00.000-08:00

Around 2pm I felt like I'd been on "The Amazing Race" and today hit the snarl of traffic that led to my elimination. It is 2 days to EID and I have never experienced such a logjam. Not in Manhattan, not in Manila, not even in LA during World Cup. It's been a marvelous journey so far, but my greatest anticipation has been concentrated in visiting Shuktara Handmade Paper project. It is there that most of the creative paper making seems to take place. Unlike Biborton that makes lots of a few specific styles, they seem to have a more of a focus on inventing new patterns, colors and textures. They make the marble paper I and my customers love so much. They also have the new jute sheet we've worked on developing together over the last year. They have a large order of it that I was expecting to retrieve and take home in my suitcases. But after going about 17 miles in six hours we were forced to turn back. The heat, diesel fumes, and an agitated driver who backed into a truck (exploding the back window so using air conditioning was out of the question) while arguing with a bus driver who wouldn't let him merge did not help. Shifali, our guide, advised that we not try to go to Bonoful tomorrow. So it was with a heavy heart that I began planning our escape from Dhaka. Confined to our hotel for four days and only going places that are walkable did not sound appealing to any of us and Hong Kong for a few extra days was looking pretty good. But when we finally arrived at the Prokritee office at 4pm Suraiya said we should try to go to Bonoful tomorrow. "You've come so far and they are expecting you." She will accompany us and we are to leave at 6am, two hours earlier than our start today. This project is only two hours away so maybe we will make it in six. I feel like it's a non-elimination round! go to Bangladesh Day 5

Bangladesh Day 3: Famine and Feast

2009-11-25T04:24:00.000-08:00

I slept like a rock for 5 hours on my rock hard bed. But I felt like a queen, or that child's book character "Fancy Nancy," under my chartreuse mosquito net and pink striped sheets. Eventually the haunting but beautiful morning call to prayer combined with a cock crowing started the day.

We were welcomed again with a profusion of flowers at Keya Palm. The artisans here work mostly with palm branch leaves folding them into stars (that I've seen in my friends' homes around Christmas time) or weaving journal covers. Like Bagdha and Jobarpar Enterprises yesterday, they are experiencing a "crisis of orders" as their big ticket customers (The Body Shop and 10,000 Villages) have scaled way back. But I had a little speech prepared about how many large American companies are going out of business and our president is working on that, but there are still many small businesses like me who are alive and want to hopefully help them with many small orders and I would tell all my business friends. At least it was something. But, truthfully, they need to develop their product offering. There are only so many little origami stars the market can take. They enjoyed watching me struggle through folding a star.

From Keya we made our way on foot down a dirt path along a small pond where a few enterprising fisherman were bringing up baskets of sludge and tiny 2 inch fish. The banks were teeming with small children who were given the task of sorting fish from sludge and it looked like desperate work. I was feeling reluctant about our next stop. Beautiful saris, richly painted walls and gracious hosts had kept me going so far. But the pressure of this role I had been given as "the American buyer" was wearing me thin. It was a pleasure to find Biborton Handmade Paper Project a large and bustling circle of workshops. They welcomed us warmly. But they did not request a speech. The artisans couldn't have cared less that we were there. They had more important work to do. The American economy may be flagging, but Japan and Italy are picking up the slack. It was wonderful to see so much creative activity. I will let Amanda's photos speak for themselves. go to Bangladesh Day 4

Gluing and cutting.

The water hyacinth (pink flower) is an abundant weed. They make paper pulp from the stems.

Raw Jute fiber, another abundant local resource, before it's pulped.

Dipping the paper.

Squeezing the water out.

Drying on steam heated forms. They can produce more than by sun drying. But it is hot work.

Adding flowers to wet paper.

Drying in the sun.

Everything is done by hand, even folding bags. They don't want to get machines for simple tasks because it's more desirable to provide the employment.

Block Printing

The final product will be sent to Italy.

Bangladesh Day 2: Follow the Yellow Brick Road

2009-11-24T07:54:00.000-08:00

Traffic lights notwithstanding, we careened out of Dhaka at 7:30am on a drive that resembled an advanced level video game more than a roadtrip. Rules for driving in Bangladesh: 1.) The number of marked lanes plus one is the number of cars that fit across on any given road. 2.) If your lane is slow the shoulder of the OPPOSITE side is a viable option. 3.) Passing a truck loaded with cows that is ALSO passing a bus on a blind curve is acceptable. If not a blind curve it's OK to answer your cell phone.

Bone weary and weak kneed after seven hours of studying the above driving guidelines we piled out of the van and dumped our bags at Charity Foundation's guest house (A local NGO that took over for Mennonite Central Committee a few years ago). I had been warned this place was "nothing fancy" but was unprepared for its abundance of charm. What rural Bangladesh lacks in creature comforts they more than make up for in style. Rich colors and textures spotlessly clean.

After a delicious meal of Daal we ditched the van and traveled "by hand"-- a rickshaw bicycle piloted by a wiry man of small stature and enormous strength down a brick road toward Oz...or is this the Warner Bros. lot? If I were a location scout for the movie industry I would want to know about this place. We were welcomed as royalty with flower garlands and impossibly sweet blobby treats. Is there a condensed milk river nearby?

I am starting to understand the pattern of these visits. I, as "a buyer from De Milo Design in America" am expected to give a speech. I am also expected to mitigate their "crisis of orders" right there on the spot. More than just a little awkward. But the discomfort is tempered by the genuinely interesting setup of their workshops. It's a relief when the attention shifts to the "how" of production.

Justin says this is the most amazing place he's ever been. I agree. It has a palpable other-worldly aura and a style that westerners scramble madly to invoke. go to Bangladesh Day 3

Bangladesh Day 1: Prokritee's Anti-hero

2009-11-24T07:07:00.000-08:00

Today is the first day of a citywide campaign by Dhaka officials to convince Bangla drivers of the importance of traffic signals. "A" for effort, guys. A Bangla driver would sooner give up his chai, or even shake the hand of a woman, before surrendering his space of road. After one hour of "driving" 12 kilometers (7 miles) we arrived a Prokritee's main office.

Ershad is Prok's marketing guy and has the expansive personality to match. Seated in his office (two walls piled high with baskets) we got the download on their fair trade mission, operating principles, etc... which include hiring women employees who:

* are head-of-households (widows, divorcees, or separated)
* have little, if any income
* are landless with few or no assets
* are primarily rural

and tacked on the end was a heartfelt pitch to please place orders for baskets as they are in an "order crisis" and their artisans are suffering from a lack of basket weaving opportunities. The limp US economy has far reaching effects. As I was mentally wrestling with the meaning of unsold baskets for humanity we were led into the "Heart" of Prokritee--the design office. Being a creative type myself, I have a narcissistic tendency to believe that designers are uber superheros. Saving the world through good typography and intelligent use of white space. But we were introduced to Suraiya Chowdhury, the most gentle and humble sort of super hero. Suraiya has been with Prok for 17 years. Before that she received her degree in Fine Art at the University of Bangladesh. While she has her own work, her focus is supporting the artisans and facilitating the fruits of their creative endeavors. Quality control is one area of great concern for her and she goes to great lengths to find working solutions. When it was clear the artisans didn't have the motor skills or equipment to cut a straight line she helped develop a line of torn paper cards. When The Body Shop rejected 2,000 lumpy edged knitted hemp bath mitts she made the 17 hour journey into the jungle to dry their tears and set about the business of figuring out how to knit a clean curve. She clearly is the heart that keeps the blood flowing around here.

Our day wound to a close when Patrick, a Bangla man with an extremely kind face, cooked us a meal fit for royalty.
go to Bangladesh Day 2

Staying Awake in Hong Kong

2009-11-22T06:30:00.000-08:00

A 14 hour flight to Hong Kong. Ty's former Physics student at Sacred Heart, Connie, met us for the duration of our 12-hour layover. Without her we certainly would have given in to jet lag and not seen the rich site of this city.

Impulse buying calligraphy brushes...

Leaving on a jet plane

2009-11-22T05:45:00.000-08:00

Saying goodbye to my doggy friends. We're so lucky to have Abigail. She's been taking care of Willie since she was six and he was a puppy.

Catherine and Willie

Strong Bangla Women

2009-11-18T19:42:00.000-08:00

Prokritee ("nature" in Bangla) is the umbrella name for eight separate enterprises scattered across the rice paddies of Bangladesh. Their central office is in the capital of Dhaka and we'll have our "home base" there as we fan out to visit each of the projects.

Prokritee's Goals:

A. Income-Generating Projects
Creating, promoting and assisting income-generating projects that:

are operated and managed to benefit the producers
adhere to good safety and environmental standards
are or have the potential to become self reliant

B. Women's Employment
Hiring Women employees who:

are head-of-households (widows, divorcees, or separated)
have little, if any income
are landless with few or no assets
are primarily rural

C. Skills Development
Providing training to increase the skills of personnel within income-generating enterprises.

The artisans' stories are many, wide and varied. But all have the same theme--women overcoming immense cultural barriers. Just one of many is Hajera Hayadaly who works at Bonoful Paper in Mymensingh district. When she was eleven her widowed mother found a husband for her so there was one less child to feed. Her new husband was seventy years old and soon unable to work because of his increasing age. This left her responsible to provide for their family of four children. From her earnings at Bonoful, she has been able to support and educate her family. With her dividend earnings Hajera was able to purchase a piece of land and cultivate rice. She is pleased that she is able to provide for her family so well.

Dear Ershadul...

2009-11-09T10:06:00.000-08:00

Found this little scrap of a start from November 2007 while tidying the studio. In those days a germ of an idea was forming. Spare time was spent sketching logo ideas and trying on names for a newly conceived line of globally conscious letterpress stationery. The name and logo began to emerge but a printer is nothing without her paper. And the Fair Trade artisans I had emailed at Prokritee in Bangladesh were not responding to my inquiry. Cyclone Sidr, the strongest cyclone in the Bay of Bengal in 2007 was making sure no paper got made in Bangladesh that November. Eventually things calmed down for them. Many had to rebuild their homes. And one Ershadul Hoque managed to dry out his computer. On Feb. 3, 2008 I was charmed to read his reply:
"For your kind information, yes, you can purchase any of our products from us...Looking forward your kind replay [sic] and seeking opportunity to serve. We want to be a part of your glorious success."

The presses have been happily humming at De Milo Design for 11 years. But Sustain & Heal has added the pleasure of helping people celebrate their weddings and Bat and Bar Mitzvahs in a way that is globally compassionate...a "glorious success," and a gift in life to love what I do for a living. Two years from that first contact, and many emailed paper orders (flavored liberally with E's charming Victorian English), I'm looking forward to meeting Ershad and the other artisans. We depart November 19 for a 12 day trip to Bangladesh. My talented photographer friend Maebird will be documenting our travels so this place is going to get prettier once she's on board.