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Everything has a history. Though roses have been cultivated and displayed in China for more than 1,000 years, the popularized Rose Garden has it's origin's in the garden's of Napoleon's Joséphine. Joséphine de Beauharnais. Born in 1763 on the Island of Martinique, Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de La Pagerie, and known as Rose until Napoleon insisted on calling her Joséphine. The portrait shown below was painted on the inside of an 18k gold snuff box by the Imperial goldsmith, circa 1810.  While Napoleon was off in Egypt in 1799, Joséphine bought a chateau at Malmaison and had the garden designed in the English style. Taking great...

The Myth: Tattoos, while part of many indigenous cultures, had faded from memory in Europe until the 17th century voyages of Captain James Cook. Cook and his crew encountered tattooing in Tahiti and throughout the Pacific Islands and New Zealand. In reality, tattoos are part of most indigenous cultures dating back centuries. Perhaps most striking are the elaborate marks on the body of a high-ranking woman found in the Altai Republic. Elegant even in decay, her body art is striking even after 2,500 years in the ice. Discovered in a stone tomb on the Siberian Ukok plateau, she is believed to be a member of...

There are many organizations we respect - too many to count. This is a start.  Shop now.  

Cultivating future Makers at the Maker Faire with DIY Wearable Art! Beneath our art projects, our mission is to encourage young people, especially women, to acquire technical and intellectual skills through craft. I did not expect to end up as a small business owner making jewelry out of hand-forged silver and antique buttons. I started collecting and making when I was 4. As a young woman, I was encouraged to excel in school and become a professional. After quitting a fancy consulting job in the Netherlands, I combined a liberal arts education and technical background with hands-on maker skills and started my own business. My husband and I are now...