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.

Welcome to the wonderful world of design

Dental Office

Dental Office: “We would like to use your creative services but we would like to see some ideas and concepts before we give you the go ahead.”

Me: “Sure. And since you are a Dental office (and I’m already here), lets go into the next room so you can whiten my teeth. If I like the results, maybe I’ll agree to pay you.”

Taken from Clients from Hell. I helped out at a Web Design firm for a few years and I run a publishing brand... I can relate sooo much to this website. In any case, the Dental Office scenario can also be played out if you're a translator (every time someone asks me to translate something for them I say "fine, my rate is 0.06 € per word") or a computer technician (my brother has a t-shirt that reads "No, I will not fix your computer").

Etsy finds I am currently loving

It's a good thing  haven't got much money, 'cause I'd spend it all on Etsy. Apart from the beautiful finds, there's something special about purchasing something handmade with care, and knowing you made that seller's day. Of course, not everything is beautiful, and that's what Regretsy is for (careful, hilarity and "whimsicle fuckery" ensues!).

So here are a few things I am reaaally loving right now on Etsy:

Heather Behrendt's lampwork beads are always spectacular and pretty affordable, too. These remind me of milk swirls in chocolate or coffee. I'd love to get my hands on these for Miss Cristal, aren't they delicious? You can find them here, or browse through  her shop right here.

SeaGemStudio makes lovely jewellery using sea glass, probably one of my famous materials in the world (remember my sea glass mosaic? It's still in the works!). It's hard to choose amongst her ocean wonders, but if I had to, I'd probably go for this necklace, I love how it hooks onto the front instead of using an average clasp at the back. This one's priced at USD 48,00.

I've always liked handpainted silk, and this one's slightly steampunky, so what's not to desire? I admit to having a certain narcissistic approach to my own shoulders, so I could really do with this flattering sleeveless cut. Priced at USD 45,00, I think it's not bad at all. Have a look at TanjaDesign's painted silks, she has a lovely shop.

What are your current Etsy favourites?