Never underestimate the benefits of a good flower bouquet. Beautiful blooms (whether minimal or extravagant) are a fairly easy way to add a pop of color to your interiors. A source of joy, flowers also have a positive impact on our health and mood. Alas, while pretty, even the best of flower arrangments don’t last. […]
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]]>Never underestimate the benefits of a good flower bouquet. Beautiful blooms (whether minimal or extravagant) are a fairly easy way to add a pop of color to your interiors. A source of joy, flowers also have a positive impact on our health and mood. Alas, while pretty, even the best of flower arrangments don’t last.
Luckily for us, there’s a sustainable, trendy way to introduce nature into your home. We’re talking about paper flowers. An expression of artistic stamina, paper flowers can add a unique touch to your home decor or special event, and can even make for an ideal gift for your house-plant-loving friend.
paper design (@christinepaperdesign)Christine Ciovarta’s paper flowers might just do the trick. With thousands of followers and admirers online, Ciovarta aims to capture the essence of flora, recreating realistic bouquets that are meant to last. “My customers are always telling me stories how people always mistake my flowers with real ones, which gives me so much pride and joy,” maintains the paper artist on her website.
With realism a top criterion for her work, Ciovarta’s process includes a lot of research beforehand. “I study many images with them, I make sketches, mood boards and think of ways to reproduce and practice them,” says Ciovarta. “After these steps are ready I make all the flowers, greenery, buds, and other elements necessary for my bouquet.”
A self-taught paper artist, Ciovarta’s artistic background includes fashion design and painting. The products themselves are made from crepe paper which is painted and laminated. “I feel so grateful that I can make something beautiful with my own two hands,” says the artist.
Recent favorites of ours include paper ranunculus, paper poppies and dahlias. If you’re a fan of all things botanical, you’d want to take note:
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After a year of lockdown, you best believe we’re going to rock our most outrageous, out-there outfits this summer. PJs out, statement earrings—very much in! One small jewelry brand we’ve got our eyes on is Elysian Theory. Established in 2015 by designer Elyse Tolles (hence the name), the brand offers sculptural, dreamy, and effortlessly artful pieces that don’t […]
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]]>After a year of lockdown, you best believe we’re going to rock our most outrageous, out-there outfits this summer. PJs out, statement earrings—very much in! One small jewelry brand we’ve got our eyes on is Elysian Theory. Established in 2015 by designer Elyse Tolles (hence the name), the brand offers sculptural, dreamy, and effortlessly artful pieces that don’t necessarily require a special occasion.
The antithesis to mass-produced fast-fashion, Elysian Theory jewelry embodies intentionality and serves as wearable art, with designs inspired by Art Deco elegance.
According to Tolles, the name Elysian means beautiful, blissful, and ethereal. Derived from Ancient Greek, it literally means “to be deeply stirred from joy.” And with pieces including mix and match charms and floral-shaped hoops, one can indeed achieve a level of happiness by wearing a pair.
Tolles explains that when it comes to wearing statement earrings it’s all about attitude. “Just rock them, because you’ll be getting compliments on them all day,” she relayed in an interview with Etsy’s blog. “That’s one of my favorite things about wearing fun earrings: Whenever I go out, people are like ‘Oh, those are so interesting.’ It’s a conversation piece.”
In terms of styling, Tolles recommends a combination of structured and unstructured: pairing a flowy dress made of a silky material or a long, pleated skirt with a more structured top or jacket. “All the earrings I make work really well with that sort of combination, I think,” she says. Indeed, part of her designs’ appeal is the juxtaposition of contemporary design paired with the unpresumptuous material of polymer clay alongside its old-world femininity appeal.
“My own personal style is very feminine, and I wanted to bring that into the brand as much as possible, but in a way that’s fresh and contemporary,” says Tolles. “I also wanted everything to feel elevated and not look overly sweet.”
Head to her online shop.
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Gift-giving can be a hard, even grueling, task. How can you be sure you pick something your recipient will actually love? One way of making your gift count is by personalizing it. A personal gift will most likely be cherished. Luckily for us, we don’t even have to be crafty. Gift brand, Hereafter, aims to create products that can […]
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]]>Gift-giving can be a hard, even grueling, task. How can you be sure you pick something your recipient will actually love? One way of making your gift count is by personalizing it. A personal gift will most likely be cherished. Luckily for us, we don’t even have to be crafty.
Gift brand, Hereafter, aims to create products that can be held, appreciated, and remembered. Founded by designer Yvonne Leung, the small brand offers handcrafted wooden keepsakes that are both unique and sustainable. Their products include hand-bound journals, Christmas ornaments, and wooden cards. They also include customized and personalized items (our favorite is their wooden keepsake boxes).
The items are made in Hereafter’s studio in LA. “Most Hereafter products start out as slats of wood,” explained Leung in an interview with Etsy’s blog. “We laser cut the slats with the designs and break them down into individual pieces. We also hand-stain our walnut keepsake boxes to make sure the engraving pops against the dark color of the wood.”
According to Leung, her business grew over time, beginning with a simple idea: making a unique wooden card, made to last. She then started selling her products at local craft fairs, after which she expanded with sales to online shoppers and store owners. “At first it was all me, but now I know what I’m good at and I have a team that helps me by doing the things that they’re great at,” she relayed. “For me, it’s inspirational to give other people creative freedom. Usually I’ll have a seed of an idea in terms of what I want to see this season, and then I collaborate with my team to bring those ideas to life.”
Over the past decade, the business has grown its product line, created new designs, and introduced special offerings that help people find gifts of love for almost any occasion. As a small company, they also look at their impact on the environment from the moment a new product or design is considered through development, manufacturing, sales, and delivery.
They’ve also committed to donating at least $1 from each online purchase to timely initiatives including social justice, civil rights, women’s rights, and international aid. All in all, their products make for the ideal gift.
Shop for their unique keepsakes here and here.
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With the effects of global warming looming on the ever-growing closer horizon, and Covid a constant reminder of what it is exactly we stand to lose if we take action—sustainable fashion is on the rise. But aiming for sustainability doesn’t necessarily mean you need to compromise your style. Sustainability, one might argue is in fact—the […]
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]]>With the effects of global warming looming on the ever-growing closer horizon, and Covid a constant reminder of what it is exactly we stand to lose if we take action—sustainable fashion is on the rise. But aiming for sustainability doesn’t necessarily mean you need to compromise your style. Sustainability, one might argue is in fact—the new black.
Architects-turned-outfitters Mollie Decker and Mike Sklenka know best. Based in Detroit, MI, they run a small sustainable clothing company named Object Apparel with the goal to create a model of sustainable clothing production that doesn’t harm our natural environment.
Aiming at sustainability also means that quality is of utmost importance. “I choose the materials based on quality,” Decker relayed in an interview with LICORNE Magazine. “I want the clothing to feel good on the body. There’s a reason you go back to that favourite tee, or pair of underwear; the feel.”
Aligning with eco-conscious ideals, the brand also sticks to organic materials. “We don’t want to support companies that don’t align with our ideals,” stressed Decker. “Non-organic cotton production uses more pesticides than any other crop! We want to be part of changing that.”
Founded in 2013, the couple designs, pattern, cut, dye, sew, and screen-print everything themselves in their Detroit studio, using organic cotton and water-based inks to print their original designs. And while they’ve yet to hire any other employees, their long term goal is to grow into a zero-waste company that doesn’t hurt the environment or the people that work there, providing living wage jobs for people living in their area.
Architects by trade, Decker and Sklenka are very much informed by their training, applying their backgrounds in art and architecture when creating their well-constructed clothing. “Object Apparel is our creative outlet, and definitely a dream job…” they admit, “although we love architecture as well!” According to the couple, they started making clothing as a way to display their artwork in a more accessible way.
Head to their website, and follow them on social media for more.
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Here’s a reminder: staying on fleek doesn’t mean compromising your ethics. Case in point: Scandinazn—a jewelry brand that promotes sustainable statement earrings. Founded in 2012 by Jamie Carlson, the brand uses discarded leather as its main material component. Each piece is crafted by Carlson, by hand, in Vancouver, Canada. Carlson traces her love for creating pretty […]
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]]>Here’s a reminder: staying on fleek doesn’t mean compromising your ethics. Case in point: Scandinazn—a jewelry brand that promotes sustainable statement earrings. Founded in 2012 by Jamie Carlson, the brand uses discarded leather as its main material component. Each piece is crafted by Carlson, by hand, in Vancouver, Canada.
Carlson traces her love for creating pretty things out of repurposed materials to her preteen years. She recalls an instance when she wanted to look freshen up her outfit for her first concert. Lacking the budget for the look she desired, and armed with a sewing machine and a pair of scissors, she proceeded to pick apart her existing wardrobe. This hobby quickly evolved into a passion, which eventually led her to pursue an education in design.
With sustainability a driving force behind her work, Carlson treats the material itself as the starting point of her creative process. “Sometimes I’ll get an old leather jacket that just really speaks to me, or come across a collection of scraps that are just the right thickness to make a certain piece,” she shared in an interview with the Etsy blog, where she talked through her sources of inspiration.
Other sources of inspiration stem from her multicultural background, a fact that comes across through her brand’s name – Scandinazn being a combination of the words Scandinavian and Asian. Carlson explains her brand was in fact created with the intention of exploring elements of her Japanese and Swedish heritage through experimentation with color, pattern, shape, and texture,
“I’m keenly aware of colors that inspire me,” she shared with Etsy. “Whether I’m out and about in nature, looking at art, or surfing the internet, I try to keep a record of good color combinations. I think color is what makes my work stand out.”
Favorite pieces of ours include her rainbow confetti earrings and petal hoops. “You can match them with just about anything in your wardrobe, from jeans and a white T-shirt to a cute summer dress,” says Carlson.
Statement jewelry with a conscious? Sign us up!
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There’s truth in the cliché: light really does transform a room. And if life holds a transformative quality, then lamps are the key to the actual transformation. Such is the case with Crea-Re’s handcrafted paper pulp lamps—the brand’s name is a combination of the words creativity (CREA) and recycling (RE). Made of paper mâché and wood, Crea-Re’s lamps […]
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]]>There’s truth in the cliché: light really does transform a room. And if life holds a transformative quality, then lamps are the key to the actual transformation. Such is the case with Crea-Re’s handcrafted paper pulp lamps—the brand’s name is a combination of the words creativity (CREA) and recycling (RE).
Made of paper mâché and wood, Crea-Re’s lamps offer a sustainable and artsy edge to interior design. The use of paper mâché means that each lamp is a one-of-a-kind piece, riddled with irregular recesses and unique wrinkles. This uniqueness stems from the brand’s founder’s artistic background.
Having studied History of Art in Cracow (Poland), Maria Fiter founded her studio in 2013 in Barcelona. Her work consciously oscillates between art and design, with Fiter’s passion for sculpting is visible in the organic shapes of every lamp.
“I always liked art: painting, architecture and the most of all sculpture,” writes Fiter on her website. “At the end of my studies I noticed that pure theory was not enough for me but I didn’t know what exactly the thing which makes me happy was. I tried to do many things in my life. I was working in a bar, as a clerk, art critique, carousel operator and finally after a few years of searching I understood.”
According to Fiter, she ultimately understood that her love lied with the practice of art making – more specifically, making something with her own hands. “I always liked to draw, to design something – a bag, wallet, bracelet, cushion etc. In general, I liked to work with my own hands because it was giving me a lot of fun, to create an object (sometimes pretty but sometimes not) which I could use afterwards.” This passion has transformed over the years into a full-time job.
Crea-Re’s lamps are 100% eco-friendly, made using only water-based varnish and beeswax finish in their wood products. Lamps designed by Crea-Re require energy-saving and LED sources of light. Head to the studio’s online shop and follow the brand on social media for more info.
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“I’ve always thought of accessories as the exclamation point of a woman’s outfit,” says Michael Kors, and we couldn’t agree more. A unique jewelry piece can upgrade the most simple of looks. Most recently we’ve taken to the embroidered jewelry trend. A combination of kitsch and romance, a hand-stitched piece of jewelry can add a […]
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]]>“I’ve always thought of accessories as the exclamation point of a woman’s outfit,” says Michael Kors, and we couldn’t agree more. A unique jewelry piece can upgrade the most simple of looks. Most recently we’ve taken to the embroidered jewelry trend. A combination of kitsch and romance, a hand-stitched piece of jewelry can add a nostalgic flair to that floral summer dress of yours.
Ruby Thursday More of Thursday Craftlove will show you how it’s done. Based in the Philippines, her hand-embroidered floral necklaces and abstract earrings are very much inspired by her life on the island. “My whitework embroidery pieces, for example, like the Rosa necklaces were inspired by the Barong Tagalog—an embroidered top traditionally worn by men especially during special occasions like weddings—and as how I remembered certain flowers from my childhood, which I rarely see these days like the Rosal (similar to Gardenias, I think),” shared Thursday More in an interview with My Modern Met.
Other sources of inspiration include color, light, and memories. But ultimately, says Thursday More, her creativity stems from her upbringing and artistic family members. Her maternal grandmother, for instance, used to make quilts and sell them to farmers during the harvest season. She also embroidered blankets, tablecloths, and tea towels. Additionally, her mother used to sew pencil cases and throw pillow cases. Thursday More recalls sitting under her sewing machine, cutting away the excess threads from the things she has made.
The creative seeds were planted back then but it was only after becoming a mother that she turned her attention to embroidery, turning it from a side hobby to a full-time job. “I think what I love most about embroidery is its portability,” she explained in the interview. “At that time when my daughter was a toddler and very active, and I was trying to figure out what craft to focus on, I wanted something I can easily take with me and hand embroidery fits that criteria so I guess that’s one of the reasons I was drawn to it.”
Another benefit of embroidery, as a practice, says Thursday More, is its tactile quality. “I love embroidery and working with thread as it is a very tactile experience—something I used to do a lot when I was young (versus these days when we do a lot of swiping and tapping) and the physicality of it really gets me thinking and stimulates my creativity.”
With each piece carefully and lovingly hand stitched – no two pieces is exactly be the same, making her jewelry pieces very personal and thus, an ideal gift for loved ones.
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Meghan Shimek’s woven wall hangings have an artistic edge to them. More like sculptures than wall hangings, her work—both delicate and textured—reveals the beauty of vulnerability. Rooted in the warm, earthy materials, Shimek’s weaving style allows the fibers to fall into indeterminate patterns. The result might remind of an abstract landscape, comprised of fiber. Born […]
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]]>Meghan Shimek’s woven wall hangings have an artistic edge to them. More like sculptures than wall hangings, her work—both delicate and textured—reveals the beauty of vulnerability. Rooted in the warm, earthy materials, Shimek’s weaving style allows the fibers to fall into indeterminate patterns. The result might remind of an abstract landscape, comprised of fiber.
Born and raised in Michigan, Shimek took to weaving later in life, after studying history and nutrition first. “I didn’t go to art school,” stressed the artist in an interview with Diary of a Smart Chick, where she describes her work experience as unique. “When my son was born, I had been working for a nonprofit. I decided to stay home with him because my salary wouldn’t cover the cost of childcare in the Bay Area. That’s when I began weaving. I would often stay up nights and wake up early to learn and pursue my craft.”
Since dedicating herself fully to fiber work, Shimek has studied tapestry and Navajo weaving, rigid heddle, and floor loom weaving. Over the years she has developed her own signature weaving style, which she now teaches others through weaving workshops across the world. “There is something so special about sharing your knowledge,” she admits, adding that the learning experience is mutual. “I learn more from my students than they learn from me. I find them to be constant sources of inspiration and I have formed close friendships with many of them.”
Apart from her workshops, Shimek also creates commissions, exhibits her more personal projects and sells her woven hangings on her online shop. “I think everyone who really connects to my work does so on an emotional level,” she admits, explaining that she puts a lot of herself into each piece. “I hope that my weavings can be healing and bring comfort to those who have them,” she notes.
With most of her pieces quite large, Shimek’s process requires her entire body, as she feels the roving through her hands. This makes the creative process much more personal and raw, reminding more of a performance than anything else. Using color, Shimek expresses her personal narrative of moments of comfort, discomfort, and uncertainty.
“I want to move my entire body while I work,” she says, adding that “it is so soothing to feel that every part of me has a role in making my work. When I sit still my back and knees ache, but when I can work on something big, my body feels free.”
Take a look at some of her recent projects in the gallery below:
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As an artistic movement, Art Deco has come to be associated with both luxury and modernity, combining fine craftsmanship with rich materials. Prominent in the 1920s, Art Deco fashion was characterized by geometric patterns and abstract designs. In jewelry, the use of exuberant materials like diamonds and gems in contrasting colors was prominent. Symbolizing wealth […]
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]]>As an artistic movement, Art Deco has come to be associated with both luxury and modernity, combining fine craftsmanship with rich materials. Prominent in the 1920s, Art Deco fashion was characterized by geometric patterns and abstract designs. In jewelry, the use of exuberant materials like diamonds and gems in contrasting colors was prominent.
Symbolizing wealth and sophistication, Art Deco’s legacy has carried well into our modern times and is very much present in contemporary fashion. Most recently, we were delighted to come across the Art-deco inspired jewelry brand Leda Madera. Run by Italian fashionista, Giulia Tordini, the brand is named after Tordini’s grandmother and is an homage to her glamourous style.
More specifically, Tordini remembers her grandmother wearing stacked, statement rings, which undoubtedly shaped her jewelry collection.
“My collection references Art Deco architecture from Paris and New York, and the whole Italian end-of-the-’80’s, beginning-of-the-’90s contained opulence,” Tordini further explained in an interview with Moda Operandi. “At the time, Art Deco was a symbol of modernity and luxury, and my brand has the same characteristics: eternal, it starts from the past and looks to the future, and can be passed on from one generation to another.”
Cast in Italy, many of her statement pieces are crafted with the label’s signature pleated detail that gives the impression of movement. “The ‘pleated element’—movement is at the core of my designs”, says Tordini. “You will find it in all three families within the collection.”
Made from gold-plated brass, her jewelry pieces have an edgy twist to them, making them the perfect statement piece that can upgrade your more casual outfits. “My designs come from profound research,” says Tordini, “mostly vintage pieces that I’ve seen and collected through the years. Timelessness is at the core, so I don’t particularly follow any trend.”
If you’re looking to inspire and be inspired, you should definitely check the brand out:
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Designer Anna Sheffield makes jewelry that is uniquely meaningful. “Jewelry carries so much meaning and over time collects energy like we collect our memories,” she explained in a recent interview with The Particulars. “I think of heirlooms and talismans as pieces that become markers of those memories.” More than ornamental, each piece of jewelry is treated […]
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]]>Designer Anna Sheffield makes jewelry that is uniquely meaningful. “Jewelry carries so much meaning and over time collects energy like we collect our memories,” she explained in a recent interview with The Particulars. “I think of heirlooms and talismans as pieces that become markers of those memories.”
More than ornamental, each piece of jewelry is treated by Sheffield as a precious talisman, imbued with history, alive with meaning, and destined to be passed down for generations. Her brand offers non-traditional fine jewelry and has come to be known for its one-of-a-kind engagement rings.
“One-of-a-kind” means that Sheffield enjoys bringing together extraordinary materials in unexpected combinations — diamonds in rare forms, extraordinary gems from emeralds to faceted quartz, and a custom range of gold colors. “Our designs offer a study in juxtaposition,” reads the brand’s website. “Feminine yet unconventional. Contemporary yet timeless. Each piece an invitation to layer and style together, and to define beauty on your own terms.”
According to Sheffield, her use of unexpected combinations and unconventional stones for engagement rings (gone are the traditional white diamonds), wasn’t based on market research but rather on her own inclination. “I was seeing people enjoying the unconventional jewelry I was making, and I thought why not take that ethos and apply it to ceremonial jewelry,” she notes. “I love the beauty in natural materials and those colored and included diamonds are part of what makes the gems special to me. I also just love breaking rules.”
Born in New Mexico, Sheffield’s childhood in the Southwest has had an enduring influence on her work, setting the stage for a lifelong interest in natural beauty, spirituality, and all forms of art and design—from architecture to indigenous crafts. “I feel like things have a resonant quality to them, sometimes even a sacredness,” says the designer. “I think of these as influences from New Mexico.”
Rendering the ephemeral and capturing the alchemy and energy that bring people together, her jewelry is ideal for wedding season. Ask any blushing bride.
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