Avian Fashion Fever: Handmade Jewelry

A top trend in fashion for 2007 has really taken flight. The emergence of the bird motif earlier this year has been readily accepted, and designers have been responding with new ways to wear your wings. Part organic form, part simplistic shape, the image of the bird is an excellent choice for accessories. Many jewelers have incorporated feathers, charms, metal cuts, and other bird images into their work. These small and delicate creatures lend a sense of whimsy to otherwise serious necklaces and earrings. Whether cut from metal or etched into porcelain, many pieces combine a vintage feel with modern simplicity. We’ve sorted through our favorite designers and pulled out the best handmade pieces to showcase this popular trend.












Olivia earrings from Bellissima Jewelry Design $41. Sterling silver with olive green swarovski crystal.
Hummingbird Hoop Earrings from Alex Monroe $218. Sterling silver or gold-plated silver.
Fred (Peace in Swedish) Necklace from Madame Bijoux $32. Hand-drawn on acrylic with sterling silver.
Flying Bird Necklace from Dreams and Jewelry $76. Copper with sterling silver.
Loop Sweet Baby Bird Necklace from Sweetberrybird $20. Brass with an aqua chalcedony briolette.












Soaring with Pearls Necklace from ERM Originals $17. Antique brass with pearls.
Swallows Journey Necklace from All Those Threes $30. Brass with turquoise.
For more see Avian Fashion Fever: Anunciação Winter 07 Collection.

Decorate Your Home with Ocean Objects

Your beachside finds don't have to stay stowed away in the garage all winter or tossed out back like the remnants of a summer sandbox. Even if you don't live in a cozy ocean cottage, the shells, rocks, and other great treasures from your summer sea vacation will get added life as objects of decor. Use these tips as inspiration for incorporating shells and sea glass into your home.
1) The top of this bookcase has an array of white framed photos. Large white shells add an organic element to more simplistic modern furniture. Displayed on a shelf above, the repetition of the four shells in a row balances the asymmetry of the different sized picture frames below. Arranged with the pictures are an off-white candle under a glass ornament and two handmade sea urchin candlesticks.
2) Have you collected any beautiful sea glass along the beach? These polished shards in blue, green, white, and brown are arranged around the base of a turquoise candle – very similar in color to the Mediterranean. They will catch the natural sunlight coming in near a door or window. The rest of your shells and rocks can be arranged in a decorative bowl. Prominent pieces like sand dollars and sea stars can be mixed with smaller broken shells, agates, and palm-sized bits of driftwood. These pieces are arranged with Franciscan Ware pottery to reflect the blues and greens of the sea glass.
DIY Sea Urchin Candlesticks: Whole sea urchin skeletons are a superb find! If you're lucky enough to come across some of these, save them. The skeleton shell has a hole on either side. The smaller upper hole is just the right size to fit the base of a tapered candle. If you have two sea urchin skeletons, stack them so that the smaller one rests securely on top, and attach the two with hot glue. A small tile or square piece of wood painted to match your interior can be used for the base and will help keep the stacked shells steady. Use more hot glue to anchor the bottom skeleton to the base. When the tapered candles are lit, the melted wax will add to the decoration and the natural beauty.

Handmade Sea Essence Jewelry

September may be right around the corner, but that doesn’t mean summer is out of style. These pieces of jewelry carry the colors and essence of all your summer sea-scapades, just right for wearing back at school or to the office. The blues and greens are a mood-lifting reminder of relaxing summer vacations, and they integrate perfectly with the deep chocolate brown and tan hues in your fall wardrobe. Check out these handmade designs for a great new jewelry find.

Mediterranean Sea Pearl Bracelet $80
This handmade bracelet by Shukai Studio is designed with a cluster of semi-precious stones and crystals, including green and blue fresh water pearls, c pearls, crystal nuggets, and woven sequence beads. Each is in shades of sea blue and green, they’re layered on non-allergic chains.

Mermaid and Sea Foam Necklace $75
More elegant than a flow of seaweed, this necklace is a tangled mass of metal strands studded with pearls and glass beads. Amanda at EbbandFlow has hammered silver spirals and interwoven them with copper wire strands, blue and green glass beads, and rice pearls. This sparkling necklace has a pearl focal bead.

Recycled Dangle Necklace $16
This piece is made of recycled bits of broken jewelry, including a gold electro plated shell, a seashell charm, cultured pearls, and sea blue glass beads. This drop necklace by Lynette April shows how beautiful recycled jewelry can be.
For more ocean-inspired creations, check out Sea Glass Jewelry.

Sassy Finds from Solsis Designs

We have loved Solsis Designs ever since we first discovered the little fashion line several years ago. Since we’re forever envious of the bright colorful clothing, it seemed appropriate to highlight this unique designer while the weather’s still hot and the beaches are cool. Solsis Designs are inspired by the spirit, movement, and energy of life. Each item of clothing is unique and handcrafted for the woman with an active sexy lifestyle.

Solsis brings the Brazilian beat to her creations, incorporating the world of dance, rhythm, and laughter into her work. Each item is free flowing, perfect for hot nights in the dance club or long days at the oceanside. Colorful and creative, these pieces are surefire headturners.
Pictured here are the best-selling New Orleans Crescent Dress ($78) and the Yemanja Blouse ($62). The dress, shown in two different fabric swatches, is a limited edition and a very popular style. The high waist gives the dress a slimming effect and the fabric is stretchy enough to hug all your curves in just the right way. The blouse is a new design brought back from Brazil and inspired by the funky seaside culture. Check out other styles at Solsis Designs.

The Orchid Handmade or Fair Trade

The orchid always adds an element of the exotic to any room. Elegant and graceful, these flowers are an excellent decoration for a living room, bedroom, or office space, especially if you want to bring a little paradise and tranquility to your hectic daily life. Delicate and beautiful, the flowers come in many astounding colors. Capture the essence of the orchid’s beauty with these great finds.
Alicia Brock has a lovely baby blue orchid photo. The first print in her “Through the Viewfinder” series, this piece is $30.Moondrop Clothiers has a 22K gold necklace handcrafted in Thailand by Danai Leosawathiphong. This piece of fair trade jewelry is a real Dendrobium orchid preserved in the gold plate and sells for $34.99.
Hanami also offers a pink Cattelya orchid necklace, mounted on a suede cord with glass beads for $63.
The Cattleya was captured in print by Mark Mittleman. This print of a Black Momilani Rainbow orchid is $15.

Perfect Products for Your Pet: Handmade, Organic, Non-Toxic, and Stylish

We all know that our animals are just furry extensions of our family. We would never willingly treat our dogs and cats with less than stellar care, sub-par products, or toxic toys. However, lately the stories of bad ingredients in pet food and toxic chemicals in toys are growing in abundance. Not to worry. We’ve rounded up a collection of the best handmade, organic, or non-toxic products to fill your dog or cat’s every need.

The Modern Pet offers a variety of stylish and handmade products for your dog or cat. Included among them are extra-durable handcrafted collars and leashes from recycled materials, organic shampoo, biodegradable waste bags, treats, and announcements (think birth announcements for your newest furry child). The Modern Pet also offers a pet collar recycling program and a shampoo bottle recycling program.

Featured here are the Vintage Rose Dog Collar ($28) made from durable pink cotton webbing and a selection of hemp dog collars ($24) made from hemp canvas and dyed with low-impact dyes.

BaconSquareFarm offers a classic looking handmade wrought iron feeding station for your small dog or cat. The feeding station ($18) has an iron stand and two stainless steel bowls. This mealtime essential will blend in perfectly with any contemporary or modern home.
Jake and Micah offer an adorable treat for your cat: a takeout box with three fortune cookie toys inside ($17.99). These cloth playthings are stuffed with 100% premium organic catnip and come with a real fortune too! The cotton fabric is also organic. Who couldn’t resist these lucky organic catnip toys? No cat should be without!

Eco-Me, the maker of the human-geared Eco-Me Body and Eco-Me Home Kits have lined up two new kits to keep your furry friends feeling green as well. Eco-Me Cat and Eco-Me Dog ($28 each) include everything you need to jump-start your pet’s sustainable lifestyle. The Eco-Me Dog Kit (pictured here) is 100% natural and includes all the essentials to get you started with flea and bug spray, cleaning wipes, powder shampoo, doggie essential oil mix, cookie recipes and cookie cutters, and a few pooper-scooper essentials.

Bodhitoys has a line of very modern and stylish playthings for your pooch. Inspired by the designs of India, China, and painters such as Matisse and Miro, Bodhitoys offers non-toxic durable playthings to keep your dog in a tranquil place. The namesake Om ball is decorated with a pattern inspired by West Indian tribal embroidery. Best of all, when bounced it actually plays the Om mantra, as recorded by kirtan master Bhagavan Das.
Purrfect Play has put a lot of time and research into developing their organic dog biscuits. This 2 oz tin of mini bones ($3.50) from Robbie Dawg is a travel essential on any walk or trip. Not only do these doggie treats make great gifts, but they come in a variety of flavors. Check out the doggie treats like peanut butter and carrots, turkey sausage and romano cheese, and four-cheese oatmeal. All the biscuits are human grade-quality and made from the finest artisan ingredients.


And finally, Fetching Tags is the place to go for your next dog tags ($30). These handmade metal dog tags (or cat tags, or rooster tags) come with customized personal inscriptions to make sure your pet’s ID is spot on.

Handmade Summertime Seagull Pouch

Sometimes accessories work their way into our wardrobes and stay a part of our daily lives purely out of utilitarian value. Without your belt, your lesser side is exposed every time you touch your toes. With out your purse, you have no place to stash your toothbrush, hand grenade, ethernet cord, and tarot cards--let alone the ever-essential mobile. These rudimentary items draw little attention, unless they are forgotten.

Yet accessories should be just that: accessories, not utilities. With a little attention to detail, a belt, purse, clutch, or scarf can be the highlight of any wardrobe. Miss Allison understands bright bold design. Here, handmade bags, wallets, belts, and iPod holders attract with eye-popping candy colors. Perfect for summer, the little seagull pouch is a light-weight clutch ready to house your lip balm, car keys, and a tube of SPF when you hit the beach. Handmade from turquoise blue vinyl, the pouch features white seagull appliqùes, along with topstiched wave patterns and a blue zipper.