Monday, November 22, 2010

Best In Show

I recently signed up to be a volunteer with the Visual Arts Center of Richmond and last Saturday I helped at the 46th Annual Craft + Design Show. It was held at the Science Museum of Virginia where craftsmen and designers from all over the country showcased their best work.
After my shift was over I rushed to the rotunda where most of the shops were set up. I made a quick circle through all of the booths. Relieved to see that I was not too late to catch the best items of the show I later made another round. This time it was a slower one, where I stopped and talked to the artists, admired their talent and documented everything I loved.

Don Shelton, an artist blacksmith of A Touch Of The Past, makes these incredible benches and tables. Every item is one-of-a-kind and he does work with custom orders. The prices are surprisingly affordable. Not only I was impressed with his products, but also by his custom-made backdrop. He made this display out of sheets of corrugated metal framed into plywood that he later painted red. I personally see a great value in this item. Some day one lucky customer will purchase it for an amazing interior installation. Possibilities are endless!

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Joseph Gower of GDG Studios designs and makes all of his beautiful porcelain products by hand. His collection of modern vases, bowls and cups is very simplistic, yet the multifaceted planes make it so intricate. Microwave and dishwasher safe feature makes it very user-friendly.
An animal head on a wall that doubles as a lighting fixture? -Brilliant!

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Erica Gordon of Steel Toe Studios makes hand forged belt buckles and belts that can be mixed and matched. One can choose between a colorful leather belt or a recycled bike tubes belt to snap on any of the buckles.

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Jenny Mendes of Jenny Mendes uses clay as her primary material to create beautiful products. A variety of pottery, tiles and sculptures is later painted with a delicate technique in a very unique style.

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Barcelona Necklace

Inspiration:
~Plaid Dress
~Copper Earrings


I have had this plaid dress for over two years now. I bought it during my vacation to Barcelona. The dress was a total bargain. It originally had a pair of ties around the waist that were supposed to tie back, but since I was not crazy about them I cut them off right away. Lonely and sad, these two ties were laying around for a while. Last weekend I decided to make something useful out of them. Searching for ideas these copper earrings came to mind. Coincidentally, I purchased them on the same trip to Barcelona at the museum shop of Casa Mila. I get immediately inspired by the combination of vibrant colors of plaid and the copper of the earrings.

After finding the desirable components, including three sizes of copper chain links and two different kinds of glass beads, the Barcelona Necklace was born.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Re-Used, Recycled, Re-Purposed

Working with found objects and materials can be both challenging and rewarding. I am so happy to see more and more people design with an awareness to the environmental issue, sending the rest of the world a meaningful message. I applaud the following designers who rediscover old and unwanted pieces by revealing unique ways of seeing something existing in a new light.
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RE-USED: Boris Bally incorporates used traffic signs, subway maps and champagne corks into his hand-fabricated furniture:

Transit Chairs

NYC "Map" Transit Table

BroadWay Armchair

Small Square Transit Tables
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RECYCLED: NottyPooch recycles used billboards into their colorful and durable products:

Bifold No. 36

Storage Bin No. 57

Long Wallet No. 1

13 Inch MacBook Pro Sleeve No. 26

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RE-PURPOSED: Renew Fabrics re-purposes old textiles and gives them new life by adding hand-printed patterns, making them truly one-of-a-kind:

Hand-Printed Jersey Fabric

Hand-Printed Light Weight Orange Cotton

Hand-Printed Purple Dots On Blue Cotton

Hand-Printed Light Weight Semi-Transparent Fabric
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