By Mary Reid Barrow

Fiber artist Lauriana Cohen lives with husband Leon Cohen in Virginia Beach where every “fiber” of their home tells the story of Lauriana’s artistic talent and environmental ethic.

A LRNow Pearl Home flag is the first thing a visitor sees at the front steps. A rain barrel acquired through LRNow is one of two rain barrels out back.

Inside is like a visiting a mini art show.

When you enter the Cohen’s home, Lauriana’s loom is the first thing you see. To the left, a mannequin head sports a pretty blue knit cap created with the ends recycled from someone else’s knitting project. Little tufts that decorate the cap are actually where the yarn ends were tied together to create a continuous strand long enough for knitting, Lauriana explained.

The hat is one of many pieces of handmade accessories she created from recycled materials that will be for sale at LRNow’s Eco Market from Noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, November 2, at New Realm Brewery in Virginia Beach.

Lauriana with her Ecoutorres wares will be one of more than 35 crafters, carvers and artisans on hand with their products.

That day, Lauriana was seated in a chair with a throw over the back that she had woven, dyed and hand embroidered. She wore a necklace she made with wooden beads found at a thrift store. The ivory pendant is a treasured gift from her father.

She was surrounded by art on the walls, created by her and her two sons.

Other creations include the likes of a formal chiffon wrap made with material cut from discarded palazzo pants. She dyed the material in subtle strips of color and adorned it with sparkly sequins, also found at a thrift store.

Lauriana lined a bag that was a thrift shop find in a colorful brown floral material and added a strip of material around the top edge of the bag. She removed the strap and replaced it with a belt she also had purchased at a thrift shop.

She currently is experimenting with making her own dye from natural sources, such as berries and flowers. She dyed this piece of fabric with color made from goldenrod flowers.

“I use water from my rain barrel to make the dyes,” she said. “I try not to waste water, and I like that it has no chemicals in it.”

Lauriana grew up in Panama and learned to sew with her mother. As an adult, she went on to take classes in weaving and crocheting. She now teaches fiber and textiles classes at Norfolk State University.

She became an avid recycler as a youngster, she said, because Panamanians were very thrifty. Now she enjoys saving the most mundane items from going to waste and turning them into something beautiful.

Lauriana says husband Leon often comes home to find her still at the table where she was working all day and still her lost in her work.

“It’s relaxing and very therapeutic,” she said. “I have found my happy place.”

And visitors to the Eco Market will find Ecoutorres a happy place too.