Tuesday Artisan: New Moon Studio

I love it when I discover amazing clay objects. The wonderful thing about the lady behind New Moon Studio is that she makes anything from cups to vases to luscious earrings, with delicious photography to show off her items. Beautiful colours and shapes for the New Year.

You can buy her items at her Etsy store: http://www.etsy.com/shop/NewMoonStudio

And here's my latest from Miss Cristal, my new Black Sheep Necklace:

On the beach

I opened up my mobile phone today and it was full of sand. I really shouldn't take it with me when I go beachcombing, but having a camera, even if it's just a crappy one, makes so much difference. I get to record for posterity all the weird and wonderful things I encounter on my daily walk.

Seagulls puzzle me. In the early morning they stand in lines, slowly advancing towards the sea. The ones in the front row move towards the back when they reach the shore, entering a moving-but-not-moving cycle that is strange and slightly disturbing ("The Birds", anyone?):

I also find dead things, washed up on the shore, like this strange, hairless and bloated rat. Yeah, it's probably disgusting, but I'm kind of fascinated at the same time:

And jellyfish are always a pleasure to look at (from afar), but what I wasn't expecting was this mammoth creature! I found it on the shore, and it was HUGE (shame I didn't think of putting my foot in the picture for size reference):

And last but not least, a little glimpse at the messages people leave in the sand. Seems like this one was enjoying his/her holiday in the sun!

Another Round of Etsy favourites

Etsy is a source of neverending desire, so I thought I'd share a few of my lustful fantasies with you, once again. Let's get started...

Wonderful and cool blue rain bath salts by sudznsaltz. His wife, the lovely lady behind marinebiochic07.etsy.com, makes the perfect face cloths to go with them. Just looking at them makes me feel refreshed, and since the Summer heat still hasn't left me yet, that's not a bad thing at all.

This amazing brooch was made in sterling silver and lapis lazuli by NakedJewelry. The process applied to the beautiful silver is called Reticulation, described by the artisan as "a metalsmithing technique that causes the top layer of fine silver to buckle and wrinkle through a process of controlled chaos!". One of a kind indeed. This would make a fantastic addition to a simple black dress, maybe with a ring to match and a loose hairdo. This is just one example of all the mouth-watering lovelies you can find in their shop.

Gaialai makes outsanding lampwork beads, and they've been on my wishlist for a long time. My hands are itching to make earrings one day out of these black and white beauties. I'm quite the fetichist when it comes to beads, sometimes when I buy exceptionally pretty beads I can't quite bring myself round to using them. That's why it was so hard to use some of Maudie's quality lampwork pieces for a necklace I'm working on, it's just so hard to create something that lives up to the beads' expectations! Here are the culprits, some fabulous autumn themed rondelles:

Going Custom

I've been working on a few custom orders lately for some Miss Cristal customers. Mostly they're earrings to go with necklaces I had for sale. I must admit custom isn't my fave type of chore, I have so many designs in my head I want to focus on that it's difficult to concentrate on more mechanical things. And for some strange reason I don't enjoy making earrings that much, I suppose it's because I have to make two of each and it's always a pain to get an exact replica of anything handmade.

So here's a sneak preview of a few of these custom pieces:

Green and silver earrings to match my Butterfly Nonsense in Green.There's a red version if anyone's interested.

Cute red crystal earrings with dragon charms to match my Red Dragon Pendant.

Back to work I go... Got Metric on repeat and The Age of Innocence is almost finished, patiently waiting for me on top of the disaster area that is my workbench.

How much is that kitty in the window?

I just bought these gift boxes for Miss Cristal customers and wanted to show them off. Of course, Ebony had to be in it too.

Miss Cristal news

Hi everyone!

Just wanted you to know that I've started a new range in Miss Cristal called Cheap and Cheerful, with loads of colourful and affordable fun jewellery! There are already some pretty bracelets on Etsy, so please take a look!

Here are a few samples:

I also have a huge SALE going, it's Christmas in July! Some of my most expensive items have been reduced, up to 40%! Don't miss them.

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

I made a treasury on Etsy, and it's full of godly and devilish delights. Please take a look!

Deka Ray

Deka Ray makes futuristic necklaces in oxidized bronze and silver. The pictures speak for themselves. There's such a fine line between jewellery and art.

Metalsmithing in all its variants amazes me. I wish I had the time and money to try it out (along with polymer metal clay and lampworking). Someday I'll invest in a kiln, at least.

I finished City of Glass the other night. I always get frustrated with Paul Auster, he's such a brilliant narratologist and such a poor narrator. Learn how to finish your stories properly, and then start pretending you're Umberto Eco. Fortunately Ghosts was slightly less irritating. Only The Locked Room to go to finish the trilogy, and then I'll have to get some Kazuo Ishiguro to soothe my nerves.

By the way, dear visitors, if you actually enjoy reading never get a degree in Literary Criticism. It totally spoils the experience.

Happy hiving (2)

Today is the perfect day to share some more Stylehive favourites (why? Um. Because).

I know what you're going to say. "Why does she always go for black". Maybe it's the somehow surviving honorary goth in me, maybe because it's slimming, maybe because it's my favourite non-colour. So I've picked some colourful stuff as well, just so you know I don't actually spend my everyday clad from head to toe a la Morticia Adams (I'm proud to say that today I'm actually wearing purple!).

First up is Clarisse's lovely black and gold prom dress, available at Roxanne's Runway. This is actually the type of thing I'd wear on a Friday night out at my local drinking hole (cheap cava, anyone?), only I'd never spend 270 american dollars on a dress for a Friday night out. Come to think of it, I'd probably never spend 270 bucks on a dress (all my designer gear is thrifted or bought at discount price). But I promise I won't judge you if YOU do. (In any case I'd sew some straps on, looks like you'd need some powerful bosom power to keep that up). Oh, f**k it, I actually bought a similar but much nicer dress at Zara years ago for a tenth of the price.

Ok, so if I were to spend big money it would be on something like these Givency heels, but then again, I'm a sucker for Givency. It's my mum's fault, she bought Ysatis perfume for years, and as a child I always marvelled at the bottle's sophisticated look. It does seem a bit dated to me now, but the brand hasn't lost its hold on me. You can get them at Polyvore.

Speaking of purple, I love this UniqueVintage dress, as well as most of their garments. Pin up style with black lace, you just can't beat it. Look like a 1950s superstar for just $98.

And of course there has to be a handbag. This one even has a longer strap attached so you don't have to be limited to uncomfortable clutching. You can get it at Saks. And yeah, it's pretty pricey, no less than $245 (sometimes I wonder why you'd want to pay that kind of money to look punk-ish. I'm sure a second hand leather handbag would look equally great with a few metal studs stuck on). I found this via VieCouture, which comes up with some lovely items when they're not drooling over charm bracelets (seriously, what is it with charm bracelets, isn't it time the novelty wore off?).

Me

The lovely and very talented Jesús Belly is working on an art show where he intends to include pop-art type portraits of bloggers whom he follows and are also his own followers and fans. And that includes moi! I've been blogging in Spanish since 2004, so it's nice when once in a while you get this kind of perks.You can see some of his other work on his blog and on his design website, including this project. And here's my portrait, which makes me very very happy:

The portrait is based on a photo taken by the extraordinary photographer and poet Marco Antonio Raya.

Devil in the details

So this is what I've been up to for the last week. Layers and layers of red paint and black fineliner. It might end up being another bracelet box, I'm still not sure. It's not finished yet, and all I know is that it's taking ages. No worries, I personally, deep down, never to be said out loud, very modestly indeed, think that it's fucking awesome.

I've done a few others, but this is my favourite so far. Notice my favourite pen ever, Staedler's M Lumocolor,sitting at my (almost) eternal disposal. After four boxes decorated in this fashion, it has finally started to show signs of weakness. The cardboard boxes are actually leftovers from my brother's computer shop. Talk about upcycling.

Greener than green.

Treehouses are something I've never personally experienced. Maybe we just don't get that kind of enourmous, back-garden type of tree in the South of Spain (I did have an apple tree as a child in England, however). Maybe we just don't realise what we're missing, what with all the swimming pools and beaches... Or maybe we'd be more interested if all tree houses looked like the Wilkinson Residence in Portland:

Not bad. Not bad at all. This is what happens when you ask architect Robert Harvey Oshatz to design your house.

More Etsy delight

Etsy is probably the worst thing ever to happen to my personal economy. In any case, here goes this week's supply of beautiful must-haves I wish I could afford:

Handbags by Daphne involves two of my personal fetishes: handbags and beautiful, luxurious textiles. How can one say no to a combination of both, specially in sensational black and white?

As a creative person myself, I'm always on the lookout for pretty new ways to decorate my packages when I sell jewellery. Luvs2create2 makes the cutest gift tags you can come accross, and I've always been a fan of Peter Rabbit and everything Beatrix Potter:

Etsy jewellery maker Terrastratum makes incredibly original and stunning pieces. Personally, I adore these chopstick earrings, in oxidised silver and gold dust!

But my week's favourite has to be chriswrinn. Chris specialises in precious metals and PMC (polymer metal clay), and uses an infinite amount of imagination and patience to come up with special beauties like these:

Believe me, I will never purchase cheap, mass produced jewellery again! Stunning creations like these deserve all the attention they can get.

Step by step

Sometimes people say things that inspire me. I've spent quite some time on Knock Off Wood, a fun blog that provides plans for "knocking off" popular pieces of wooden furniture. From Ikea to Pottery Barn, Ana White delivers the plans and shows off her own examples of furniture building. But maybe the best part is all the space and attention she devotes to all her fans and readers, people who set out to make their own wonders using her plans. They showcase some spectacular stuff, and here are just a few examples:

Ana came up with this lovely shelf in no time using some discarded pallets!

And here we have an amazing child kitchen, made by Ana's guest blogger Kirsten from Crafting Chicks

For more great furniture ideas you should definitely pay Ana a visit, but going back to my original statement, Ana is also a very interesting women with plenty to share. I was personally touched by how she sees life: taking one day at a time and managing everything step by step, definitely what I'm trying to do now! You should read the whole post, but I think it sums up into this:

As we look at this mountain in perspective, this hike seems incredibly amazing.  But in actuality, everything amazing is merely a combination of very ordinary steps.  Never once did I look ahead, and think, I am going to climb to the top of that mountain.  Oh no, it was more like, I am going to make it to the next drainage without being carried.  And when we would reach the next drainage, I would think, I know I have one more drainage in me.  And before I knew it, there was no more drainages.  We were on top.

Organic Architecture

Javier Senosiain's work for Arquitectura Organica reminds me a bit of Gaudí, in his use of colourful tiles and almost biological curves. All of his buildings and designs aspire to become one with nature, and they're often constructed using animal thems. One of my favourites is his Nautilus shell-like house. More info and photos at the article on this place at Beautiful Life, or at Javier's website.

Happy hiving

I'm a big fan of Stylehive when it comes to browsing through all types of fashion and accesories. Though I'm not really interested in most of what people consider to be "in" or "trendy", there are always a few exceptions that catch my eye. Here are some of my most recent favourites:

 

Gia Lorenzi came up with these spectacular serpent heel black pumps. I think you could walk down the street wearing a sack and people would be focusing on the shoes. Not for the fainthearted, I think, doesn't seem to be much of a comfy platform on the front of these killer beauties. And of course there's some Swaroski to bling them up.

So I'm a sucker for black and white disco looks. Ami Clubwear offers very affordable party gear for the bold. I'd probably go for black tights with this, and maybe some faux-fur to give it an all round "I'm completely out of fashion but I don't give a damn" vibe.

And since we're going for black and white polka dots, how about Bebe's little monochromatic hobo bag? Maybe a bit teensy for my liking, I need large bags to fit my whole life into (yes, I carry everything around, I'm practical like that). Alltogether, these items might sum up a decent outfit, and just to be me, I'd have bright blue hair to match the baby blue swaroski on the shoes. Yeah, I got away with things like that long before Lady Gaga did, my dears (well, maybe not got away, but at least tried too).

The wonders of Michael Rosner

Bodypaint is a fickle art. Sometimes it's amazing, sometimes it just looks tacky (a bit like eating sushi off a naked woman: the Japanese do it right, the rest of the world doesn't). Maybe that's why it's rare to encounter artists like Michael Rosner, who teamed up with photographer Tim Engle to create fabulous images such as these:

You can find more of Rosner's work at his website, and follow Engle's photography at Tim Engle Photography. Rosner also has a Facebook fan page.