Maslikarija - Wearable Fairytales

 

 

Happy Monday guys!

Inspiration never ceases to be the source and booster of creativity, so today I want to introduce a phenomenal designer I learnt about through FB, whose amazing creativity is going to grab you and shake you well. At least I hope it will :)

Marija Banjac is a Serbian designer who creates behind the brand Maslikarija. Her creations are real fairytales and the scope of her brand encompasses colorful and quirky textile jewelry and accessories. The festival of colors, the mix of materials and techniques will leave no one indifferent, because each piece is meticulously  composed and elaborated to the point of perfection. If these amazing pieces caught your attention, visit Maslikarija's Facebook and Instagram where you can order a fairytale made only for you.

Brass & Leather Earrings Tutorial

Join us for a fantastic tutorial prepared by Nadica from Art Fantasy Jewelry guiding us how to make a pair of lovely brass and leather earrings.

My working process usually starts with an idea and a sketch. In most of the cases the drawn sketch is completed as drawn. But sometimes through the working process it tends to change and the final piece of jewelry is something completely different than the starting sketch. Today I will share my work process for brass and leather earrings.
First when I decide the dimension of the earrings I prepare a brass plate. The brass that I work with is very thin and easy to cut and fold. I start by cutting a small plate enough to fit the two earrings (this is due to the etching process in order to have the same texture on both of them).
 


Using a permanent marker I draw on the brass. The parts that are not covered with the marker will be etched.




I cover the back of the brass piece with the permanent marker so it wouldn’t be etched.




After the desired design is achieved, I place the brass plate in salt water and make the etching. I leave the plate in the salt solution for about 20 minutes. For these earrings I don’t want a deep texture, only enough for the pattern to be nice and visible.

 

 

After the process of etching is done, I clean the plate from the permanent marker and place it on heat. I do it on a small electric stove because I have more control of the process (which is difficult with more aggressive fire like the torch).The heat makes it turn dark on the edges of the texture and sometimes it changes color.

 

 

 

 

When the texture is complete and finished, I draw and cut the desired shape on the brass plate. If it is more simple shape I use the metal cutting scissors, and for the more complicated shapes I use a jewelry saw.

 

 

 

 

After the cutting I sand the edges to make sure they are soft. When the brass pieces are done, I start handling the leather. My choice for these earrings is a dark grey leather. I will use the back side because it has a fine messy texture, which I love. I cut two pieces the same size as the brass circles.

 

 

 

Place the leather parts behind the brass. From the three brass extensions that I left I use three of them to firmly press the leather. With round nose pliers I twist the fourth one to which the ring will be connected. Add a jump ring and attach earring hooks.

 

 

 

 

And there they are, the messy leather and textured brass earrings. Hope you find them inspirational. They surely were for me !

 

Nadica has some incredible jewelry added to her shop recently, so you might want to check those beauties out, and if you want to learn more about her and what inspires her too, read the interview here.

 

 

My "Frida's Flowers" Collection

Hello all!

I am happy to be able to present my newest collection of bohemian scarfs simply called "Frida's Flowers".
As I have already announced, it was completely inspired by Frida Kahlo.

I felt great working on this collection and each of the fabric pieces were lovingly selected, mixed and matched and I believe wittily composed to capture and reflect her spirit, strength and imprint she left on the world thus representing a powerful statement.
The collection is composed of 7 pieces, one sadly stuck into production, each bearing its own story.

 

 

 

 



 

     

 

  

 

 

I would love to hear what you think. To see more photos of each piece, I invite you to visit my shop here.

 

DIY a Clay (Keychain) Pendant - Tutorial

 

 

 

Hi guys!

Get ready for some easy crafting.

Monika & Viktor from Pocket Gallery prepared a beautiful and easy tutorial showing you how to make a personalized keychain pendant. Let's go!

 

What you need:

 

- a piece of soft clay

- a roller 

- acrylic paints (maker's choice)

- a mold (cutters)

- a pice of paper and pen for the note

- epoxy resin and a keychain  

 

 

 

2. Take the piece of clay and roll it into a ball. Then, using a roller, make it even. The size and width depends on your desire; it is best if it is about 5 -6 cm (2-2,4") in diameter and about (or less than) a cm / 0.4 " thick. 

 

 

 

 

3. Cut out the desired shape. 

 

 

 

 

4. Don't forget to make a small opening at the upper side for the keychain mechanism.

 

 

 

 

5. Please read baking instructions on your fimo clay. I use fimo soft and bake it for 10 minutes at 110°C. Baked clay shoudl always be a little soft immeditely after taking it out of the oven and it shoud retain its color. 

 

 

 

 

6. After the clay cools off, color it with desired colors; use acrylic colors because other colors cannot be applied to this type of clay. 

 

 

 

 

7. Write a short text / a note on a thin piece of white paper. Use small print and mind not to exceed the borders of the pendant. 

 

 

 

 

8. Add just a tiny drop of glue to glue the pieces onto the pendant. 

 

 

 

9. Using a wooden or other stick pour the epoxy resin over the pendant. Be careful not to pour too much because resin is highly liquid. 

 

 

 

 

 

10. Let it dry. Drying period is different depending on the type of resin - personally - I let it dry for 24 hours. 

 

 

 

11. When the pendant is dry, attach the keychain to it, or get creative and attach a ribbon or a leather strap and turn into a necklace pendant. 

 

 

 

 

12. Congrats! You made your personalized pendant. Let imagination run wild and add your own stamp to it while making it and most importandly - don't be afraid to try out new things! We are sure the final result would be fantastic!

 

 

 

Thank you Monika & Viktor for this wonderful tutorial! 

 

Don't forget to check their unique jewelries!

 

Inspiration Monday: Heather Potten - a Felt maker

 

 

Heather Potten is a Scottish felt maker that creates fascinating seamless felt pieces that are masterful architectural works of art.  

She says: "I am fascinated by seamless felt. Unlike other mediums, it is possible to create 3-dimensional structures with no sewing, sticking, binding or welding. It can be done purely through the process of laying out fibres, wetting, soaping, rolling, heating and fulling. However, templates must be meticulously designed in advance and shrinkage calculated before the process can begin."

Having been acquainted with felt nine years ago, through lots of practice and experimentation she has managed to bring felt to a completely new level.

"My work now has a depth that has taken years of training and experimentation to achieve. I aim to create pieces that challenge the way people perceive felt - it has strength, it has beauty, it is tactile and it can be moulded. Without a hint of cliché, it is unique."

Click here to read more about her work and her famous workshops.

 

16 Inspiring Backdrops Ideas

Via

Whether you have a party, a wedding or a celebration of any kind, having a backdrop, preferably an eye catching one gives the event a new dimension and effect. When it comes to photography - it is the focal point of the event.

Backdrops. They can be simple curtains or wallpaper hung down, or whole walls elaborately decorated in real or paper flowers, ribbons, garlands and buntings, balloons and lace and the list goes on and on.

 

 

 

 

What I love most about backdrops, is that you can make one from scratch. Armed with a wild imagination and lots of supplies and props, you can create one according to your personal design. I am going to try and make a backdrop for a photo shoot this weekend, so fishing for ideas I made a collection of backdrops I liked best. Take a peek into the ones I selected. Enjoy these beauties!

Rustic Backdrops

 by Rustic Wedding Chic, burnettsboards.com

Deer Pearl Flowers and Wedding Wonderland

Paper Flowers, Garlands and Buntings Backdrops

 

 BHLDN Weddings

 

Design Dazzle.com

 

 

BHLDN Weddings

Check out my Backdrops Board on Pinterest!