Showing posts with label earrings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label earrings. Show all posts
Monday, August 27, 2012
Let's have a chat with...Manufactapaper
Hello everyone, I hope you're all having a great summer or "back to real life" moment... today we have a nice presentation by Manuela, Manufactapaper. I found her jewels stunning from the very first moment I saw them. Hope you enjoy reading a bit more about her! I'm a bit sad because next week it's going to be the last week of my minishop, but I truly hope this experience can continue... fingers crossed.... but for now enjoy reading about Manuela and stay tuned. :)
My name is Manuela, I live in Sicily and I started working with paper around three years ago, when I started being interested in the creative possibilities of recycling paper and other materials such as tetrapack.
I use different kinds of paper, from fine kinds of paper like rice paper, traditional printed italian paper (Varese), handmade marble paper from Florence, bookbinding paper with a "snake skin" effect, to recycled paper from magazines, old books, normal copy paper, tetrapack. My creative process has an aesthetical and ethical origin, I want to contribute
to the change of meaning of contemporary jewelry: jewels are precious not because they're made of expensive materials,
but because they're the result of recycling, work, of the idea and the hand of the craftsman.
Paper jewelry is a hobby for me, I sell my creations only occasionally and I'm satisfied with this situation.
My style is modern and minimal, shapes are essential and geometric.
I take my inspiration from what I learned about origami, adapting some of the origami modules to jewelry, following the idea of an origami that's not meant to be exhibited, but "wearable", I always take inspiration from nature looking for the same texture of animals' skin in the paper, the colors of the Mediterranean, and the sunshine of my island.
Friday, July 27, 2012
A chat with me :)
Hi everyone! I know it sounds ridicolous but I interviewed myself for the blog. No need to say more, so here you are. :)
Who's the creative mind behind beejoux?
My name is Teresa and I am 31 years old. I am italian but I am based in the Netherlands since 3 years and a half. I work as a freelance curator for contemporary art and I have a slight obsession for cuteness and handmade stuff. Besides art, which is my biggest passion, I have always been into music and I recently discovered roller derby. These things make my life pretty exciting lately, in all possible ways :)
My passion for handmade made me try this adventure: the temporary handmade shop Oplà. So far it's been a lot of fun and I really look forward to seeing if it could be something for me to consider as a “real” business.
When did you start creating and how did you discover your passion?
I think I have always been crafty, as far as I can remember. I started by crocheting with my granma and painted ceramics with my mother. But if I have to think about being conscious that I needed craft as an (almost) daily practice in my life, this happened around 2005 when I was studying visual arts and needed something playful to do in my free time. I started making lots of stuff with fimo when I was busy writing my thesis, to relax at night after a whole day of writing in front of my computer.
Which are your favourite materials?
Definetly resin and polymer clay. The possibilities with these materials are endless, especially when mixed with other materials like pigments, glitter, glass beads, and so on. Every now and then I get obsessed with something else, like crochet or shrink plastic, but so far my real long lasting relationships with materials are definely polymer clay (7 years) and resin (4 years). It's really exciting when you realise you improve every time when using a certain material.
How would you describe your creative process?
I would say it's really random. Sometimes it all happens really spontaneously. I find a little figurine in a flea market or vintage shop and think about making a jewel out of it. Sometimes I make a plan, writing exactly what I want to do on a notebook.
Where does your inspiration come from?
Art, movies, illustrations, cute stuff I see on the internet, songs, comics, nature, candyshops... the sky is the limit :)
What is craft for you? A hobby? Your profession? And are you happy with your current situation or would you like to change something?
I would say it's something more than a hobby, but not even close to a part time job. The time I spend on my crafty activity is not enough to make more out of it at the moment. And this is something I really want to change in the future, because I see a huge difference when I am able to dedicate some time to it. I create more, I sell more, and above all, I'm a lot happier. I sell online quite regularly, but not a lot. OplàMinishop is a great opportunity to deal with the handmade world in a professional way, not only with my own practice, but supporting other talented people. And I am loving every minute of it!
How would you describe your style?
Playful, colorful, happy. With some vintage touch.
Do you participate in crafty markets/fairs or do you only sell online?
I participate in crafty markets throughout the year, but I started being really selective about it. My items are really cheap so I need to choose markets which do not require a lot of initial costs to cover and which I know can be successfull. I tend to stick with a few markets a year that I know well and that have always been successful. Being on a market is always a lot of fun, but especially in winter it can be pretty intense, so I prefer to choose carefully.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
it's getting real!
these days when I was at home I could not help keeping an eye on the street to see if the postman was coming my way. and everytime he rang the bell, well, it was a bit like xmas for me. the items I received so far are all amazing and really beautiful! and today the real work started... I went to get the shop keys this morning and started decorating the window (work in progress style!). I am now going back to start putting the shelves on. Luckily I have two lovely friends, Kathrin and Katharina, who are not only helping hands, but also give me nice tips and keep me in a good mood ;) I am a lucky girl indeed!
Friday, July 13, 2012
You've got mail!
I just came back from my holidays. I was in Berlin at my brother's and then in Italy to celebrate my mom's 60th birthday. I had a great time, and although I'm happy to be back and looking forward to finally open Oplà next week, I'm a tiny bit depressed by this after-holiday feeling.
But...to cheer me up...look what I got in the mail yesterday!
But...to cheer me up...look what I got in the mail yesterday!
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About
- Oplà Minishop
- Oplà is the next Minishop at Roodkapje, running from july 20th to sept 2nd. Oplà offers a selection of i(ndie)talian craft, to bring in Rotterdam a bunch of talented creative minds all the way from Italy!
Roodkapje
Oplà
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