WHAT HANDMADE IS ALL ABOUT?

Today I am not going to show much - I am going to ask you a question instead:

What do you understand by handmade and what does it mean to you?

I am going to provoke you a bit.

Pretty much everything can be considered handmade, it all depends on the point of view.
Sometimes the point of view can be such that it puts artists and crafters into a very small niche of ridiculous people who can't really be taken seriously, leaving all the rest of the 'handmade selling space' to manufacturers and resellers who claim their products have been made by hand. Who's hand? It does not seem to matter...

Now, to me it certainly does matter who's hand has been involved into making a piece I believe is handmade.

Like this one:

Do you like these hair sticks?
I like them very much myself.
Now, let me present you the hand that has made them:

It's the artist's or the crafter's hand that makes the difference between the handmade and the rest of the world.

Or, at least, it should be...

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Wooden hair forks by The Ancient Muse

The photo of  The Muse's hand is borrowed from her blog.

ARTIST OF THE MONTH - SANDRA MARIA ROSA

HOME DECOR

It's not only jewelry that Sandra makes, her home decor pieces are astonishing as well.

I adore the simple shapes and the beautiful vibrant glazes.

If you would like to read Sandra's story, you will find it here .

Here you will find few of her necklaces, and here are her beautiful rings.

You can also see (and buy) Sandra's artwork in several design shops in Portugal, on the internet you can a find her on Etsy and Luulla.

This is the last post in this column this month, but I am sure there will be other occasions to see Sandra's works on my blog.

Next Tuesday you are welcome to pass by and meet the Artist Of The Month for May.

LOLITA BRONZINI

Permanent green

Serenity

Temptation

This is my kind of stuff.

I love these paintings.

I'm not going to discuss them, I am going to enjoy looking at them instead.

I suggest you do exactly the same.

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Oil paintings by Lolita Bronzini of Color Mind

PATTERN LANGUAGE - PEACOCK FEATHERS

Everybody knows what a peacock is all about, yes? 

A huge fan of feathers in iridescent blue-green colors, a fancy crest atop the head and a shrieking scream are the most important things that make up a peacock.

It seems that peacock feathers are being fashionable this year, so here are few of my favorite picks featuring the peacock feather pattern.

I haven't heard anything about peacock scream becoming fashionable, but just in case,  here is a sample.

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1. Throw pillow from Artistic Textiles

2. Hand painted silk wrap from Silk Siren

3. Stemless wine glasses from Mary Elizabeth Arts

4. Bracelet from Studio Tambria

5. Cake topper from Scattered Stardust

6. Clutch from Mermaids Dream

7. Neckties from Cyberoptix

8. Pocket mirror from Colors by Liza

ARTIST OF THE MONTH - SANDRA MARIA ROSA

RINGS. 

Sandra's rings are made to be loved, yes?

Not much more needs to be said here, I guess.

If you would like to read Sandra's story, you will find it here .

Here you will find few of her necklaces.
And make sure to come back here next Tuesday to see even more pieces from Sandra.

DUSTY PINK

I believe in pink. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles.

It was Audrey Hepburn who said that.
I love the quote even though personally I am not such a big pink believer (pink does not go with my hair too well, you know).
But not wearing the color myself is one thing and liking to look at nice pinks is another matter.

So, here are some of my favorite picks in pink. Dusty pink, to be precise.
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1. Fedora hat from Marcia Lacher's Millinery
2. Fabric flower brooch from nurichant
3. Cotton fabric clutch from lolos
4. Vegan mineral blush from Simplicity Cosmetics (photo by Heather Mount Photography)
5. Mens necktie from TieObsessed
6. Jewelry box from fireanna
7. Silk scarf from HEraMade
8. Leather belt from Birdhouse Designs

ARTIST OF THE MONTH - SANDRA MARIA ROSA

NECKLACES

Here are just a few of the beautiful ceramic necklaces by Sandra Maria Rosa.

If you are interested in Sandra's story, you will find it here .
And don't forget to be back here next Tuesday for more pieces from Sandra.

JETTY KOLOBARIC

Tulip Melancholy

Blossom Melancholy

Blossom Melancholy 2

Sometimes I get melancholic. And I like it.

And I like melancholic photographs, like these ones.

Now, before I get too melancholic to say anything, I would love to wish very happy Easter to all of you, also to your families.

I will be back here on Tuesday, hope to see you then.

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Photographs by Jetty Kolobaric

MADE OF: COPPER

I always like to see how different artists use the same material to achieve totally different effects.

I believe that each material has a wide range of abilities and creative options to offer to a skillful artist, but some materials are even more versatile than the others - like, let's say, copper.

Here are just a few of my favorite picks in copper. There are many more that I would love to share, so I expect copper to be back one day.

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1. Personalized money clip from With Love, Heather

2. Spiral Bowl from Rust and Roots

3. Hand forged earrings from Sandra Webster Jewelry

4. Etched cuff from Boo Beads

5. Ring with a silver spinner from Laurel Treasures

6. Copper buttons from Copperista

7. Peter Pan collar necklace by Laura Busony

8. Address plaque from Atlas Signs and Plaques

INSPIRED BY: THE SEA

The sea, once it casts it spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.

This was Jacques Yves Cousteau who said that, yes?  The most famous undersea explorer of the 20th century. 

And he was so very right saying this.

Here are few of my favorite sea-inspired picks, I think Mr. Cousteau would also enjoy them.
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1. Sea glass soap from Susie Q bath & body
2. Silver beach bangles from Bella Beach Jewels
3. Sea urchin sculptures from Blue Room Pottery
4. Large urchin earrings by Lucie Tales
5. Sea fan earrings by Lyris Tracey from Island Mantra
6. Sea urchin photo block from New Creationz
7. Octopus cufflinks from Quirkii
8. 'Undersea' quilted batik purse from Toni Loves Buttons

ARTIST OF THE MONTH - SANDRA MARIA ROSA

Handmade is a lifestyle. It is a choice, an option for a more humane and conscious society.

Sandra Maria Rosa

My name is Sandra. I live in Portugal together with my husband and our four year old son.
Creativity has been a very important part of me since my childhood.


I studied at an art school and after that  I specialized in conservation and restoration of ancient pottery and tiles, working for several years at a school museum, in the area of conservation and restoration.


Throughout my whole life I wanted to do my own thing, turning my own projects into real pieces.
To start working on my own was a difficult step to take and it took me a few years to gain the courage to leave my comfort zone and take the risk...
Finally when my son was born, it happened.
I just could not go on not following my dreams, that was not the message I wanted to be passing with my life to my little boy.
So at the most unexpected moment  I said goodbye to my job and started to work only on my own creations.

I love working with ceramics, the possibilities there are endless. I'm especially passionate about ceramic jewelery,  when I'm finishing one piece I am already imagining how the next ones will look like.


I am passionate about color, this is easy to be seen in my pieces. For me color is energy, it is the energy and good vibes that I want to pass on with my artwork.


The quality of materials I am using for my pieces is also a big concern of mine. I always carefully chose the type of clay and make sure that my glazes are always lead free.

I have many new projects yet to start. I do not have the time to do them all, but I want to be coming up with new pieces, new designs and new concepts.

Every day is different, every day I learn a little more, and every day I share my passion with others. It is just wonderful to be able to live like that.


Another very important thing that I have gained over these last few years is getting in touch with many new people. With some I just share my passion, with some I exchange experiences, some wonderful artists inspire me and give me the courage to work on, improve my skills and be original.


Today I work twice as many hours as I used to when working for others.
And I'm twice as happy.


I love what I am doing. I am putting my love into the pieces I create and I hope people are enjoying them as much as I do enjoy the process of their making.

Great story, isn't it? And such beautiful pieces...
You can see more of them every Tuesday this month, right here on this blog.

You can also see (and buy) Sandra's artwork in several design shops in Portugal.
If Portugal is not really handy for you, you can also find Sandra on Etsy and Luulla.



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I like to make things complicated, so The Artist Of The Month is going to be my new weekly column.

LILAC

It's still going to take a while before the lilacs in my garden are in flower.

Waiting for the flowers to show I have looked for some lilac hues elsewhere, and here are some of my favorite picks in this week's color.

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1. Lilac shower gel from The Soap Opera

2. Resin urchin earrings from Ploust

3. Leather key chain from Peaseblossom Studio

4.Lilac love bracelet from Dianthusa

5. Science coffe cup from LLTownleyCeramic

6. Lilac clutch from lolos

7. Bath bomb from The Marula Tree Soap Co

8. Amethyst earrings from Jaros Designs