Be glad as children

"My friends, ask gladness from God. Be glad as children, as birds in the sky. And let man's sin not disturb you in your efforts, do not fear that it will dampen your endeavor and keep it from being fulfilled, do not say, 'Sin is strong, impiety is strong, the bad environment is strong, and we are lonely and powerless, the bad environment will dampen us and keep our good endeavor from being fulfilled.' Flee from such despondency, my children! There is only one salvation for you: take yourself up, and make yourself responsible for all the sins of men. For indeed it is so, my friend, and the moment you make yourself sincerely responsible for everything and everyone, you will see at once that it is really so, that it is you who are guilty on behalf of all and for all. Whereas by shifting your own laziness and powerlessness onto others, you will end by sharing in Satan's pride and murmuring against God." (Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov, Book VI, Chapter 3)

For this necklace I was inspired by father Zosima the elder's teachings, from the Brothers Karamazov. And today it's also a very happy, glorious, sunny day... Perfect! Have a nice weekend everyone :)

Dolce Gabbana AW13-14: Byzantine inspiration

I must confess it had been a while since I was overwhelmed by a fashion show. Dolce & Gabbana unveiled their Fall-Winter 2013-14 collection, part of the Milan Fashion Week, in Milan, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 24, 2013.

These photos are from backstage, you will find many more at their Facebook page.

 

What do you think of the collection? The Byzantine inspiration is obvious, this is amazing art we see here. The religious inspiration I would say looks more like an element of fashion, as the elements that are stressed are those of wealth and luxury, quite the opposite of what religion teaches. Well, I guess people in Byzantium were a lot more secular than we thought!

School Rebels

School Rebels by amoronia featuring skinny leg jeans

Antigone's Love Ethics

Available here.

AW11 Fashion Trend Report: Victorian Charm

To understand this trend, and why suddenly all things old are cool, we need to think of how timeless the Victorian appeal is. Placing an emphasis on the waistline, incorporating peplums, shoes with lacing and high neck or pleated collars, flirting with solemn, mourning royal looks and colors or steampunk, using lace, leather and feathers, fashion designers drew inspiration from Queen Victoria, the monarch that reigned the longest in British history, and became a national icon.

Για να κατανοήσουμε αυτήν την τάση, και γιατί ξαφνικά όλα τα παλιά πράγματα είναι τόσο της μόδας, χρειάζεται να αναλογιστούμε πόσο ανεξάντλητη είναι η επιρροή της Βικτωριανής εποχής. Δίνοντας έμφαση στη μέση, ενσωματώνοντας πέπλα, παπούτσια με κορδόνια και ψηλά, ενίοτε πλισέ κολλάρα στο λαιμό, φλερτάροντας με συντηρητικά, βασιλικά λουκ και χρώματα, ακόμη και με το steampunk, χρησιμοποιώντας δαντέλα, δέρμα και φτερά, οι σχεδιαστές μόδας άντλησαν έμπνευση από τη βασίλισσα Βικτωρία, τη μονάρχη που βασίλευσε το μεγαλύτερο χρονικό διάστημα στη Βρετανική ιστορία, και έγινε εθνικό σύμβολο.

 Alexander McQueen - IMAXTREE

 Giles - IMAXTREE

 

 Giles - IMAXTREE

 Marc Jacobs - IMAXTREE

Marc Jacobs - IMAXTREE

Marchesa - IMAXTREE

Once more, the Greek Team on Etsy gives you the chance to shop for things that are currently in fashion, and at the same time are made in Greece. Let's not forget how important it is for things to be produced in Greece, in these tough times we are having!

Για άλλη μια φορά, η Ελληνική ομάδα του Etsy σας δίνει την ευκαιρία να ψωνίσετε πράγματα που είναι αυτή τη στιγμή στη μόδα, ενώ ταυτόχρονα είναι φτιαγμένα στην Ελλάδα. Ας μην ξεχνάμε πόσο σημαντικό είναι να φτιάχνονται πράγματα στην Ελλάδα, αυτές τις δύσκολες ώρες που περνάμε!

The Keyhole Steampunk Hairpin, by RagDolliesMadhouse

Autumn Sea Ruffles Cuff, by oneperfectday

Blue Princess Choker, by NocturneHandcrafts

Oh my Purse necklace, by KalliasWonderland

Cameo Ring, by EVIsHandmadeJewelry

Crochet laced up leg warmers, by Lasunka

Purple skirt, by karmologyclinic

Flower earrings, by elinacreations

Black satin clutch with feathers and rhinestones, by Gorgones

Vintage Platform Boots by ShoeUs

Amazing items, aren't they? I urge you to discover more beautiful items in our team's shops!

Καταπληκτικά πράγματα, έτσι; Σας παροτρύνω να ανακαλύψετε περισσότερα όμορφα αντικείμενα στα μαγαζιά της ομάδας μας!

Empty Frame Collection Preview

Inspired by Empty Frame, the band, but also because I wanted to experiment, I decided to create a new collection of designs that incorporate real dollhouse frames. I am thinking of expanding the designs to include more styles of frames, but I definitely want some feedback here...

Bohemian Tassel Flapper Necklace

Art Deco Inspired Necklace

What intrigued me about these in the first place has to do with the possibilities of the frame in itself as an element, instead of the frame showing something else. Interior design has been using empty frames for years, as a decorative element or with some practical aspect as well. When I found some real dollhouse frames, I knew what I wanted to make...  And, by the way, I think these designs blend so well with the current fashion trends! Long and substantial, these are statement and conversation pieces, without being too loaded. Perfect!

But really, this post is asking for your feedback...  I mean, I made those necklaces, they are my babies, of course I love them... But what do you think? Would you buy them? Or something similar? Let me know!

Button Thursday Earrings

I made these earrings on a Thursday, so I called them that... It took me a while to match the vintage little buttons, but I'm happy with the way the pairs turned out. They are very stylish and very flattering on.

 The Little Prince, Pick Your Own, Antique Copper

Animal Farm, Raw Brass

Breakfast at Tiffany's, Sterling Silver

Mardi Gras Carnival Inspired: Crocheted Wire Necklace with Reclaimed Beads

Today it's been raining in such a charming way... Very inspiring! So what better way to use some multi-colored semi-precious stone beads (chips actually), that had come off an old pair of summer sandals, than to create a crocheted wire necklace, also throwing in some black vintage czech glass beads?

This is the result:

I love how random and relaxed this necklace looks, with chips and faceted beads here and there adding a variety of texture, which looks so good with crocheted wire! I can almost feel the Carnival coming up...!

Sparkling and Ecofriendly

The following double link gold tone rhinestone chain bracelet was created with a piece of rescued chain and a piece of rescued black ribbon. Only the wire and the clasp are new...

This pair of earrings features a rescued piece of silver rhinestone chain and some pink lace, which I kept from the Greek fashion designer THEIA's invitation to her show last fall. The collage was done on sustainable bamboo.

What do you think of my new, recycled and ecofriendly creations?

Old Things, New Things: Geometric Chic

Who would have guessed that the jewels I used in the pieces that follow were actually salvaged? They are acrylic jewels, but they have such a crackled look, such an intense and sparkling quality they are indeed rare, and deserved to be made into items that you can enjoy without guilt!

Cleopatra, Necklace

Two-gether, Necklace

Irish Luck, Bracelet

Aren't they fantastic?

A week full of recycling projects...

... and there's more.

A friend has this obsession with expensive, designer clothes. Her wardrobe is currently worth a fortune -literally. The other day, however, she came to me with a t-shirt that she has always found not to be flattering on her. Why she bought it on the first place is another story... That piece of clothing was indeed strange: the fabric did not justify its price, as it was definitely not good quality, but there were some stunning crystals and rhinestones sewn onto it here and there, in patterns. These looked expensive, to say the least.

So we decided to cut off the embroidered, beaded parts with the fabric, and then I made a ring and a brooch -to start with. I am saving the rest of the stones for different projects. Here they are:

Ring

Brooch

As you can see, I added some black fabric at the back of the beaded - embroidered pieces of the t-shirt, and then sewed everything onto a ring base, for the ring, and a pin for the brooch. Well, you can't actually see the pin in these photos, but it's there, hahaa!! I hope you like them.

I have already begun work on my next recycling project, but it will be the subject of another post... I promise!