My First Post

I am a serial felter and knitting enthusiast who manages to cram my design work around the edges of a busy life with kids, a husband and (god help me) a full time job. I have never met a craft I didn't love. I love to knit, felt, sew, cook, eat, hang out with my friends, entertain, talk politics, watercolor, swim, walk...I know those aren't all crafts, just wanted to get some basics out of the way :)

This is a recent picture of me in all my glory. It was taken by my friend Nancy Baker Cahill (a great artist) at a Tinlark Gallery opening in LA. I love artists. I am married to one, so that's a start. My husband is a writer for television (can we call that art? maybe not always but he is an artist nonetheless)-- he has written on shows like "Party of Five" and "Tarzan" and "Windfall" and most recently "Ghost Whisperer." He's a really great guy and I'm lucky to be married to him.

We have two boys in elementary school who bring me a LOT of joy (when they aren't driving me mad). I will share just one recent anecdote: I struggle with explaining to them the commercialism of day-to-day Los Angeles life -- starting with the crazy billboards we have to drive by every day. I mean really, Shuki International? What are they thinking? Or how about those "gentleman's club" ads -- now the people who respond to these ads are NOT gentleman, at least where I come from they aren't. Yesterday my son said as we drove to school: "Mummy, DON'T join the Women's Murder Club!" which made me laugh. I said, why do you ask and he said, "Well, they are advertising for members..." I guess he doesn't know that Angie Harmon solves murders on her ABC series -- he thought I might join up, which says a little about my parenting style. He thinks I'm capable of murder :) Don't worry, dear reader, I am not.

I am just launching a new website to sell my felted handbags. You can find it at bethcolt.com. I started felting a few years ago and became obsessed with how combining the colors was like painting and cooking at the same time -- you never knew how the bag would turn out after you felted it. Hundreds of bags later I can call myself a felting pro. I started selling them in local LA stores like Soolip (go Wanda Wen), Claire Joseph and Soto (Jodi Perlman rocks). Go to these stores if you live in LA -- each one is owned and run by locals and is filled with really great stuff!

As I walked around the world people kept asking me about my bags. They are really unique and they are vegan, sustainable, totally great for the environment and pretty too. People like my friend Jennifer Garner dug them, and Lauren Tom, and Marcia Gay Harden and others. The costume designer from MEN IN TREES called me and she put one on Emily Bergl in a episode last season. It's cool when people like them -- it makes me feel like my sensibility is appreciated by others.

Let me know what you think!