Modish

Picture Perfect: Lupin

Eco-Friendly Find: Aiguille et Fil

Think it's impossible to find a handmade dress that's not only hip and unique, but well made too?  And on top of that, a hip, unique, well made dress that's earth-friendly as well?  That's a hard find, I must admit (did you see last week's Project Runway? :) but once in a blue moon you may happen upon a designer like Aiguille et Fil who makes all your dress desires come true:

This self taught dress maker uses salvaged vintage materials and re-purposed fabrics to create some stunning new wares for both the fancy and (footloose &) fancy free occasions in your life.  Each piece is handmade from top to bottom and one of kind, so you can be assured that your super hip, unique and well made dress that's earth friendly too will not be seen strutting down the street on any other lady.  Check out more fun and pretty designs at Aiguille et Fil!

An everyday vacation

I want to escape into these beach scenes by IS Photography...they're so tranquil yet feel alive- I can almost hear the water lapping up against the shore.

Find more gorgeous photographs at IS Photography and take a little vacation, everyday.

Zurina, new and improved!

Zurina Ketola, creator of fantastic feminine jewelry that's simple and stylish, is back and better than ever with a newly revamped website that hosts tons of new features, along with lots of new items to go with it!

Some of the great new features you'll find at Zurina Ketola Designs?  A new category called "Limited Time Special Offers" where Zurina puts several of her most popular jewelry designs up for sale, but for a limited time only.  The 15 items that are currently there will be on sale until August 14th!  There's also two new unique services she'll be offering: Gift Assist, where she can help hapless gift givers find the perfect piece for their recipient, and Style Consulting offering a free consult on jewelry that will fit your style the best.  Head on over to Zurina Ketola Designs and check out all the newness for yourself!

Picture Perfect: Yokoo

Write away...

I've been exploring DaWanda a lot lately (for a reason to be revealed very soon!) and I really regret not getting in there and looking around sooner, because I have found a wealth, a goldmine, a vast extravaganza! of handmade wonderfulness from many artists that I've never seen before!  I will try to incorporate some of my new found obsessions in upcoming posts from here on out, but the first one that I must share with you is a little German based shop, Sieben Morgen:

Oh, my heart quakes at every cute little hand-printed paper goodie in the shop!  There are moleskine journals, gift tags galore, beautiful hand-stamped cards, magnets, original artwork and goodie bags full of fun things... there were at least 40 other items I would have liked to include in the photo above, but alas, you'll have to go off and explore on your own- I'm sure you'll find quite a few favorites of your own at Sieben Morgen!

Simple geometry

I love all sorts of artwork styles, from vibrant and colorful photography to muted watercolors to sparse line drawings.  I've recently found myself gravitating towards explorations of geometry, to lines and angles and simple shapes- perhaps that's why I find myself coming back again and again to my fellow blogger, Jaime Derringer's geometric inspired pieces:

Lines, triangles and blocks of color are all you need sometimes to create a piece that has depth and interest.  I love the use of markers too, a medium I usually forget about.  Find more geometrically inspired works, along with birdies, chandeliers and other graphics goodness, in Jaime Derringer's shop!

Handmade Spaces: Sofia Kemm

Today's handmade space is that of Sofia Kemm, a 28 year old jewelry designer from Durban, South Africa.  She's shares her workspace with other students at her University, so it's on the tiny side which means she needs to keep it well organized.  Let's see how she makes it work!

What do you create in this space?
I work mainly in sterling silver, combining each piece with a selection of freshwater pearls and colored cubic zirconia. I use a variety of different techniques but for this particular range I am making a mold of the handmade original and casting multiple silver elements cutting them up for variations on the same pattern and using them to create a range of intricate Victorian inspired  jewellery.

Where is it located?
I am currently in my 5th and final year of jewellery design and manufacture at DUT.  I share my studio with four other students in my year- each of us have our own bench but share the larger workshop area with tools like rollers and the smelting area.

What sort of tools/equipment do you use?
I use pretty much everything that a normal goldsmith would use: I cant live with out my sawframe and mini soldering torch as well as my pendum motor, various ball punches, doming blocks and draw plates for making wire.

What inspirations do you keep nearby?
My passion is print and pattern.  I'm attracted to anything ornate and intricate so I have an inspiration wall that is constantly changing with  trinkets and images of patterns, flowers, photos I have taken and images of other artists work.

What do you like to listen to/watch while creating?
Generally there is the idle chatter of my fellow students but we also enjoy all types of music especially a little Vivaldi. I like music that relaxes me and gets my creativity flowing!

How do you feel when you enter your handmade space?
I love my bench, its the perfect place to play and create and end up being productive all at once!  I also can't wait for next year when I set up my own studio, as the little space I have now is getting far to small!!  But, I'm not complaining- sitting at my bench making jewellery is the best part of my day!

To view more of Sofia's designs, check out her blog- you can contact her through there or via email if you're interested in purchasing anything!

**Want to share your handmade space with Modish?  Just email me with the subject "handmade spaces" along with some pictures to be considered- I'm looking for more entries!

Cabeza Couture

I've lately been eyeballing some cute fedoras... I think that's a hat style that might actually work with my wickedly wild hair.  And oh, how they seem perfect paired with boots and a trench for rainy downtown shopping jaunts in the fall.  In my search for some unique ones, I of course headed to Etsy, and found these jawdroppingly wonderful, free form fedoras and other lovely hats by Katie Burley:

Based in San Francisco, Katie uses vintage and few of a kind materials to make these ridiculously fabulous couture style hats.  Each one is hand blocked and trimmed and full of personality...which one suits your style?  That one on the top left has me written all over it.

The Science Museum that doesn't charge an entry fee

Within the great interweb ideas are bound to cross, overlap and repeat, I take comfort in this, albeit narcissistically, when the ideas overlap with those I have great admiration for. It’s a small confirmation that the things I believe in and enjoy are happening elsewhere in the world.

Last week I'd started something of an ABCs for finding community in my local environment, but gave up on it after a couple tough letters. I love the creative community the web has to offer, but finding it in person, sans screen, is more difficult.

A few days later, I visited Keri Smith's Wish Jar Journal, where she had recently announced her newest (soon-to-be-released) journal called How To Be An Explorer of the World. Then, just this morning, I had a moment to catch up on my You Grow Girl reading, where Gayla Trail blogged about her tour around Columbus, Ohio. Three different experiences, at 3 separate moments, that intertwined gracefully and fluidly.

Despite the tough letters missing from my ABCs, these three ideas were quite similar. The binding element (the egg in the recipe, so to speak) between Keri’s conceptual exploration, Gayla’s physical expedition, and my DOA rough-draft is the basic idea of Reconnecting to our space and place, by following in the footsteps of children's curiosity.

The beauty of Keri Smith's work is that the she invites a participatory audience, while giving permission to break through boundaries and inhibitions. Truthfully, we all need that sometimes, a simple statement of affirmation: It's okay to bend down and notice the life below your feet. You don't have to watch your back all the time. Gayla had the chance to tour a few school yards that have tangible nature intertwined with the playground equipment. Yes, gasp! Nature in the school yard, with rocks and flowers and insects galore! Mind boggling, I know, but it's a great example of catering to the inquisitiveness of human nature, despite the dangers of a jagged edged stone or a small pool of rainwater. Read her account to see how the space evoked personal memories as well as her own inclinations to rediscover. 

Then there’s that hairy blog post that never fully formed. A few letters from my alphabet:
{A}rticulate: Look within, and find out what you're looking for. People have different ideas of community. Whatever your desire, pinpoint it first.
{C}urious and curiouser:  Curiosity is innate. Dig deep and remember it.
{D}edicate your time: Know that connections take time and nurturing.
{N}ot everybody is nice. I say that because other people can seem judgmental, just don't let that discourage you. It'll make the people who are nice that much more important in your discoveries.
{W}ave to your neighbors. And maybe even smile. Connect to people, as well as plants.

We were each articulating, in our own ways, that enjoying your surroundings is important. The magic of your surroundings is just as easy as opening your eyes a little wider. The world is not a scary place, despite what fairy tales and the evening news may lead us to believe. There are no wolves in the woods (at least around here), and an evening walk does not lure violent predators into your neighborhood. Yes, there are extremely unfortunate and very bad things, but those things should not prohibit us from experiencing the Science Museum that is the world around us.

Nature is provocative. Learning sparks creativity. Interaction leads to curiosity.  Above all, getting down and looking at the world from a bug's eye view, you'll find out things you never knew about yourself. . .or that you knew when you were 5 but forgot later on.

Find the curiosity you had in your childhood, and embrace the ever-loving crap out of it.

Things to do to begin exploration: Step away from the computer, go into the great outdoors.
Make up your own ABCs.
Today go find 5 examples of good design in nature. Draw them.
Lift up the biggest leaf you can find, see what’s under nature’s skirt.

Then come back here and share your experiences in the comments section, I can’t wait to hear about what you find.

Resources and Inspiration:
1. How To Be An Explorer of the World: Available for preorder through Amazon.
2. Pics are from my garden—two little melons I found when looking under leaves. What a delicious surprise!
3. Diana Brennan, who uses her camera much as a scientist uses a magnifying glass or microscope. Her work celebrates secret gardens and the most miniscule of natural surprises.  Even her figurative work captures elegant moments interacting with nature.

Renee Garner has a passion to make things grow, although her brownish thumb wants her to believe otherwise.  When mud pies aren't on the menu, you can find her doodling the days away at Wolfie and the Sneak.