flickr friday - rewarestyle

Lionize II
From the Patent Pending Collection, collar 2006
artist: emiko oye
recycled plastic & acetate, sterling & fine silver, 18k gold,
synthetic ruby corundum and cubic zirconias set in 14k gold
14.5”L x 4”H x 2.25”D




emiko-o lego bracelets made from lego, sterling silver rod, citrine set in 14k gold, rubber cord.

i can't really pick a few favorite images from emiko oye. and i am definitely on board with her mission.

Inspired by hardware, haute couture, and salvaged materials, emiko oye creates one-of-a-kind urban jewelry and sculptures from recycled materials and precious metals. Her works strive to subtly transform the identity of everyday mundane objects to inspire new dialogs about our relationship with the environment. emiko-o was launched to raise public awareness that jewelry IS Art.

“The mistake everyone makes is in thinking that jewelry is art and it ISN’T.” buyer, NYC showroom, 8/99
Our culture blindly compartmentalizes jewelry by its price tag: higher prices=Art; lower prices=Fashion Trend. Mind-expanding objects (i.e. art) are not immediately profitable, and are therefore not as accessible to the public. Rather, profit margin and mass appeal validates “quality” design as do brand names, Hollywood, and © or patent marks. Individualist thinking is discouraged—we are programmed to only buy into what is “hot this season”.

since my personal preference is for art over jewelry, and non-traditional materials over traditional (plain gold and diamonds - yuck!), you can see why i really love emiko's work. from her serious pieces that make statements about the world we live in, to the lego jewelry that makes me feel like a child again, i love what she's done, and i can't wait to see where she's going.

check out rewarestyle on etsy, or on flickr. i promise you'll smile, too.

want to be on flickr friday? go to my flickr page and mark me as a contact, and you may be chosen for an upcoming feature!

flickr friday - gooseflesh

i really can't put into words how much i love gooseflesh's crocheted temporary installations.

like these, "clandestine photographs taken on location at the Kelvingrove Museum, Glasgow"

she also makes these beautiful, naturalistic coral meadows, both small...

and large, shown here at the Broadway Windows, NYU

and what makes me really happy is thinking about what all of these bits will turn out to be. the potential.

of course, should you prefer to wear your fiber art, you must see this necklace in her etsy shop.

check out gooseflesh on etsy, or on flickr. i promise you'll smile, too.

want to be on flickr friday? go to my flickr page and mark me as a contact, and you may be chosen for an upcoming feature!

flickr friday - noosed kitty

i was lucky enough to have jamie of noosed kitty as my neighbor at pile of craft - she was endlessly patient while the bean and i ran behind her booth each time we needed to get out. (it was a tight squeeze there.) i didn't have time to look at all of her work when i was there, but as soon as i got back home i regretted it immensely - they are all so wonderful. luckily, i had noticed this guy from afar, and was able to scoop him up in bookmark form.

i love the immense amount of personality she infuses each character with, and i especially love that you never know where you'll find an errant cleaver in the mix. she's also working on some work using embossing plates that i am patiently waiting to see.


i didn't even realize until much later that she was the woman behind these adorable dachshunds! ever since we got our pippi dog, my husband and i have a thing for dachshunds - and i had been meaning to buy this card for him for valentine's day, then our anniversary, etc. this year for sure.

noosed kitty will be at artscape this july, so stop by and see her!

check out noosed kitty on etsy, or on flickr. i promise you'll smile, too.

want to be on flickr friday? go to my flickr page and mark me as a contact, and you may be chosen for an upcoming feature!

flickr friday - mylittleoogabooga!

i have a thing for monsters, and have amassed a small collection of monster plush, paintings, etc over the years. when i went into my contact pool this morning to choose the featured artist today, even half-awake and with no coffee in hand (yet) this amazing robot monster from mylittleoogabooga! just jumped out at me. i mean, look at him! amazingly detailed, completely play-able, and oh, so colorful.

i met danielle last fall - if i remember correctly she hearted me on etsy, and i saw her avatar, went to her shop, and immediately fell in love. we did a trade, and i got this guy to give my husband for christmas. (we like pirates around here, too.) these guys are super well made, and she is just the sweetest person as well.

since then, her work has just gotten better and better, and cuter! just look at these mini-monsters! tee-hee-hee-hee!

check out mylittleoogabooga! on etsy, or on flickr. i promise you'll smile, too.

want to be on flickr friday? go to my flickr page and mark me as a contact, and you may be chosen for an upcoming feature!

flickr friday - sweet pepita

it's really easy to walk into one of those big fabric stores, pick up a bolt of fabric, and take some home to whip up an outfit for your little one. what's not so easy is scouring thrift stores for old tees with more life left in them, then taking them home, washing them a million times, and putting them together to make something new. as those of us who use found materials know, half of the battle is actually getting the materials to make what you want to make.

yet, shannon of sweetpepita still manages to find the greatest vintage tees around, and even uses organic cotton for things like trims, and fabric made from recycled plastic bottles for bibs. (how do they do that?) and no sergers here, each seam is double-sewn for durability.

i mean, how can you argue with space ghost? sweetpepita has a huge assortment of tees, now in sizes up to 4t, plus pixie hats, bibs, scarves, and those cool dresses which can be worn as shirts as your little one grows.

check out sweet pepita on etsy, or on flickr. i promise you'll smile, too.

want to be on flickr friday? go to my flickr page and mark me as a contact, and you may be chosen for an upcoming feature!

flickr friday - hine

this image popped up in my flickr group this week, and i have to admit, i was intrigued. the image was from hine, who is one of my favorite felt artists on etsy. (and since teaching my husband how to use my favorites list, i got one of her brooches last christmas!)

anyway, i was so interested in just what the heck had been going on in hine's photostream that i clicked through and discovered that she had done a stop-motion video for they might be giants. now, i admit that i love any type of stop motion animation, but this video just made me smile the entire time i was watching. it's well worth the time, so definitely take a minute to watch.

hine's etsy shop is just as wonderful - right now, i am totally obsessed with her camera cases - although i am so hard on my camera i would be afraid to use the case for fear of hurting it! if you like them as much as i do, get it quick - she only makes a few of each.

check out hine on etsy, or on flickr. i promise you'll smile, too.

want to be on flickr friday? go to my flickr page and mark me as a contact, and you may be chosen for an upcoming feature!

flickr friday - Hasenpfeffer Incorporated

i'm starting something new today... one of the things i love best about this community (aside from the depth and breadth of the talent and the way crafters become "friends" even from across the continent or around the globe) is the fact that each and every day i can find something new and handmade to just make me smile. that warm and fuzzy feeling, y'know? well, now every friday i'm going to share things that make me smile with you.

first up: Hasenpfeffer Incorporated. i came across Daniela and Chris's amazing textural plush with their intense-but-subdued color and i-must-pinch-their-cheeks faces a few months ago on flickr and fell in love. they're just the right combination of kawaii, folk, and vintage, and i want every single one of them. even better, they're made from re-purposed clothing! i even love their shop announcement:

After washing it, we breathe new life into it. Bits of an old wool coat may awaken as a wombat. A parakeet in polyester? Perfectly normal! You may even find a little linen in a llama if you look hard enough.

check out Hasenpfeffer Incorporated on etsy, or on flickr. i promise you'll smile.

want to be on flickr friday? go to my flickr page and mark me as a contact, and you may be chosen for an upcoming feature!