Friday Finds- Always and Forever

Ready for Valentine day? This week’s Friday Finds had a sweet theme and was called “ I heart you”. We picked a beautiful treasury carefully picked by Melina Stephens from LinenandLaceHandmade.   Her treasury is filled with love inspirational art, prints and photography.

 Melina makes beautiful fabric accessories for the house, as well as boys and girls’ nursery.
 Here is one of her burlap pillow cushions with a stitched “Be Happy “message:

                                                  Be Happy Embroidered Burlap Pillow Cushion

Treasury:
Always and Forever


I hope you have enjoyed this edition of Friday Finds. Next week’s treasury theme is “Spring Trends”. If you have a treasury you would like to submit, just send me or Susan a link via Etsy convo by Thursday afternoon and we will take a look. Remember, if your treasury is featured, we will feature an item from your shop. Thanks for stopping by! Until next time… Zoica

DIY - Free Chalkboard Printables

Today I thought I would share with you some FREE artwork. Yes, that's right - they are free! 

Select one or all three.  All you have to do is print.  Just right click on the images below and save to your computer.  Then you can either print them out on your home computer or take the file to your local office supply shop and have them printed.

 

 

 

Frame them and you have instant art!

Thanks for stopping by...

 

Until next time,

 



This year's jewelry trends

Today I am going to share insights on one of my favorite subjects: jewelry. This year’s fashion jewelry aims to create a balance between luxury and affordable. There is also a trend for gender-neutral product, ethically sources and pop culture inspired. Many designers are using innovative materials, superior craftsmanship and ingenious designs.


V Jewellery are vintage inspired, they have great quality and are affordable. Here is a popular style: Lobe earrings.

DECO APOLLO LOBE EARRINGS

WWAKE offer a modern perspective on heirloom jewelry and is ethically sourced.

Khai Khai connects the gap between fashion and fine jewelry by offering fun designs made from premium materials.

Ruifier combines superior craftsmanship and materials with innovative, witty design.

Most of the above brands are International, located in UK, and  they outline some of the main trends for this year. Designers around the world have their own interpretations of the above trends.

Friday Finds- Fresh Ideas

Welcome to this week’s Friday Finds! This week’s theme was “Let’s get organized ” and I selected a treasury named "Get Organized in Style" curated by Laura Clauson from “MamaBleuDesigns”. Laura makes beautiful personalized bridesmaid gifts, wedding clutches and décor.


Here is one of her beautiful designs:

                                                   Cotton Floral Bridesmaid Clutch

Treasury: Get Organised in Style

I hope you have enjoyed this edition of Friday Finds. Next week’s treasury theme is “I heart You” If you have a treasury you would like to submit, just send me or Susan a link via Etsy convo by Thursday afternoon and we will take a look. Remember, if your treasury is featured, we will feature an item from your shop. Thanks for stopping by!
 Until next time…
Zoica

Fashion designers' special touch to the interior design fashion

At the beginning of the month I was mentioning about the 2015 color of the year “Marsala” and its apparent influence in fashion as well as interior design. Today I want to bring a few highlights of 2014.
 Many luxury fashion brands have long been producing their own homeware collections and 2014 was a year of record labels moving to the interior design world, allowing for audience expansion and brand awareness.

 The New York-based fashion designer Reed Krakoff and his wife interior designer Delphine Krakoff created a Felt Series collection, which has the designer’s minimalist resonance. Here is one of the five-piece collection in grey felt:

Zara Home was launched 12 years ago, and has 420 locations worldwide. Here is one of their home look:

French Connection’s has a consistent style that combines washed linens, natural weaves, driftwood looking wood, textured glass, worn surfaces, and industrial-style lighting.

Ugg Australia comfortable fashion philosophy translates into woolen blankets, poufs, cushions and sheepskin rugs.

There are so many other lifestyle brands from Giorgio Armani to H&M, Antropologie, and Urban Outfitters. 

If decorating and choosing colors is a daunting task for you, find out what with what fashion style you identify and check out the brand’s homewares collections, which has no focus on the "color of the year" or the latest trends but on a lifestyle look.

Friday Finds for a Teen Girl!

Welcome to this week’s Friday Finds! Since spring is just around the corner (or at least we hope so) we are already gathering ideas on how we can decorate our teens’ room, or what we can buy as bright spring looking gifts. Today I am sharing with you a treasury curated by Leslie from Elbowsdesigns. Her treasury is named “Teen girls gift guide” so the main theme is pink.
Leslie makes quirky-chic jewelry at affordable prices. Here is one of her designs, a collar wire statement necklace.

Collar Wire Statement Necklace

Here is the treasury curated by Leslie, with wonderful unique apparel or room decor for a teenager's room.

Teen Girls Gift Guide

We hope you have enjoyed this edition of Friday Finds. Next week’s treasury theme is “Let’s get organized”. If you have a treasury you would like to submit, just send me or Susan a link via Etsy convo by Thursday afternoon and we will take a look. Remember, if your treasury is featured, we will feature an item from your shop. Thanks for stopping by! Until next time… Zoica

Artist Showcase - Papacho Creations

Welcome to another Artist Showcase, where we select an Etsy artist to feature.  This week's artist is Gwenaël Petiot and his shop is Papacho Creations.  Petiot is a macramé artist from Paris, France. Macramé is an antic art using only knots. Macramé can be made with different kind of cords, cotton, hemp, and polyester and be mixed with beads, gemstones or even leather.

Azurite Macramé Bracelet

Here is Petiot's story...

In 2007, I decided to quit my job in the television industry and travel around South America for three months. The first time I saw someone doing macramé was in Caracas, Venezuela. The man made me a simple bracelet, I was really impressed he did it only by making knots. I stayed in this part of the world more than 4 years and to make some money while traveling, some local friends from Peru and Argentina taught me how to work with cords and I started selling my creations in the streets of Chile, Bolivia, and Colombia.

Multicolored Flower Macrame Necklace

When I returned to Paris in 2011 to sell my creations at the summer street market, the partner of Anne Valérie Hash, a French haute couture designer, bought me several creations. Hash loved them and with three weeks until her runway show for the Paris Fashion Week, she asked me to collaborate on a number of pieces. The collection debuted at Le Jeu de Paume, in front of the Champs-Elysées. Six months prior I was selling my bracelets for a few dollars a piece in a little village in the mountains of Cuzco, Peru, in order to pay for my next train ticket.

Multicolored Flowers Macrame Earrings

Being able to explore the world while working on my craft is what makes keeping my business small and handmade imperative. Thanks to the online selling, I can be free because I can work from every place I travel to. I just need a few stones, threads, a camera, and a portable computer. Life might be easier, money-wise, if I keep working in the fashion world, but I really think that liberty has no cost.

Multicolored Friendship Bracelets

To get this liberty and enough sales on Etsy, you have to fill your shop with new and originals creations that cannot be found in other shops. You have to be different or at least have your own touch and be very careful about your work details and finish.

Macramé Multicolor Wristband Bracelet

 

Ammonite Macramé Bracelet

Thank you Gwenaël for sharing your story with us.  If you would like to see more of Gwenaël , check out his Facebook page.

Next week we'll select another Etsy artist to feature.  If you would like to be considered, just drop Zoica or myself a note via Etsy convo and we'll take a look.

Thanks for stopping by...

Until next time,