Special Feature Friday: Natural Clocks

Edition 31

This week in the special feature Friday I would like to introduce Natural Clocks. The owner of Natural clocks, Val, is originally from Italy. After finishing her studies she decided to move to London, where she met her husband. 21 years later they decided they wanted a countryside life, and moved to the lake district in north west England.

Here Val started a little gift shop in a rural village. However, soon she realized she wanted to sell more different and unusual items, instead of the ready made goods purchased from suppliers or whole-sellers. The area Val lives is a great place, with access to many different types of material to work with. This way her costumers know they get an items from the area. The items are unique and provided by nature.

Driftwood always has a very natural rustic look. This clock is made of a well weathered piece of driftwood that was collected by val on Morecambe bay. The clock hands are metal and the clock parts are quartz with a silent sleeping movement.

This desk clock has a wooden base and is covered by a beautiful vintage postcard. The print is sealed with an acrylic sealant and an acrylic varnish. The clock measures 12x12 cm. (5x5 inch)

Val has given the readers a coupon code for a 10% discount: COUPON10OFF

A new chapter, part 2

In April I wrote about my plans to introduce jewelry to Vallon des Trésors. Yesterday I had my day off from work and I decided to use this day to make this a reality. I am very proud to have these online, and I would like to show you two of my favorites!

The pink beads on these earrings are made of cherry quartz, they are topped off with a blue glass Czech bead. The two colors really compliment each other! the gold spacer beads and the earhooks are gold plated brass.

With the cultivated sweet water pearls and the golden plated connector these earrings are elaborate, yet not too big. The connector is decorated with flowers and swirls. They are real eye catchers!

These are just two examples of what can be found at Vallon des Trésors at the moment, and I hope you will all take some time to come around and have a look at the other pairs yourself!

Special Feature Friday: Mandarinas De Tela

Edition 30

From the playful world that lives in each one of us, 

I value innocence and I express it in my dolls, 

each one created with dedication and love ♥

This is the wonderful quote we can find on the about page of Isabel's shop, Mandarinas De Tela.

The items in this shop are very attractive, elegant and colorful dolls, every single one is designed and handmade by Isabel.

The dolls are first designed on paper. Isabel carefully picks a fabric that seems most appropriate to the doll she has in mind. When the sketch gets transferred to the fabric it is given life and personality. The dolls have their own details and characters, and each one is unique. Isabel's inspirations are music, colors, art, books, people and life experience. This is easy to see in the collection of dolls she offers in her shop.  

Parts of the doll are painted by hand, this is why Isabel's dolls have such a distinctive look! 

Besides dolls there are also brooches, necklaces and pendants for sale at Mandarinas De Tela. All in the same colorful style as the dolls.

Isabel has kindly provided a discount code for the readers of this blog, it is a 10% discount, valid until August 2014: MANDI10

A minimum purchase price of 25 USD counts for this discount code.

You can also follow Isabel on Facebook, Twitter  and her own shop blog.

Special Feature Friday: Tienda Nordica

Edition 29

Alicia always loved Nordic countries, she herself is from a warm place, Mallorca in Spain to be precise. A couple of years ago she moved from Mallorca to Sweden with her boyfriend and two cats.Today they live in the middle of a forest, in a small house. Alicia has always appreciated antiques and folk art. 

In 2013 she started her shop Tienda Nordica. In the shop we can find many vintage Scandinavian items.

From toy's to dinnerware and from sculptures to woodwork. It is a joy to browse trought Alicia's shop and check out all the items for sale! The shop is very colorful and the items have a truly warm and homely feel about them. They are the kind of things that will welcome you home every time you enter your house.

The Dala horse is a Swedish traditional handmade horse, mostly used as a toy. It is carved from wood and hand painted! These horses can differ in style and the way it was painted depending on the region it was made.

This is a set of a pepper and a salt shaker, they are made of porcelain and bronze and beautifully decorated.

The simplicity in the design of this elegant deer has a lot going for it. The clean lines make is look like a modern piece, and is truly timeless. The craftsmanship used to make this statue is admirable!

Alicia gives a 10% discount on her shop with this code: NORDICSHOP77

Special Feature Friday: Shakti Ellenwood

Edition 28

Shakti's story is a special one, first I like to share a bit text from her about page:

At twenty-nine I found myself very sick in India. With a high fever I was unable to look after myself. An Israeli man, Asi, who had a room upstairs from me took me in and nursed me back to health.

He was a jeweller and sat at a tiny bench on the floor hammering, soldering and sawing. Whilst I lay on his bed recuperating I became fascinated by the intricacy and delicacy of the work.

When it was time for me to leave he presented me with a gold ring set with a Tibetan turquoise. It was the start of my love affair with precious metals and colourful gemstones.

I had found my passion.

After Shakti recovered from her illness she traveled to San Francisco and trained to become a goldmith. In 2013 she started selling items via her shop Shakti Ellenwood. Shakti offers an interesting collection of gold jewelry combined with diamonds and other gemstones.  Shakti's inspiration comes from the many years she has lived in the Far East, the natural beauty of Ibiza, ancient civilizations and colors in nature. This is easy to see when you enter the shop. The items are unique and of high quality.

These attractive wedding bands are very simple. They are made of 18 karat recycled gold but can also be ordered in platinum. They can be personalized with diamond or colored stones.

This gorgeous pendant is made of 18 carat gold and set with 9 pink sapphires. The pink sapphires really come out great in the background of gold. The amulet is available for special commission, different colored stones can be used, and a gold chain can be added. 

Shakti is also available for custom orders, so if you have a design in mind it would be worth it to message her and see if she can help you realize your dream piece. 

You can stay up to date with Shakti and follow her on Facebook or Twitter.

Shakti has been so kind to offer the readers of this blog a 10% discount. The discount code is BLOG25 and is valid for 3 month's after this blog entry was published. I think this is a great chance to get a good piece of quality jewelry!

Special Feature Friday: StudioLorier

Edition 27

Studio Lorier is a shop that sells unique ceramics. These are all made by industrial designer Sander Lorier. The items are made in a independent studio and workplace located in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.Sander offers a wide collection of high standard, modern and innovative products. The products are designed for domestic uses with a high level of functionality in mind. Being independent allows for Studio Lorier to be flexible, and to adapt quickly to customers wishes.

These ceramic cups make a modern addition to your tableware. The most striking feature about this cup is the double wall isolating feature. These cups are white on the outside, but the inside is painted in bright colors. This makes a great contrast. You can choose out of various colors: Deep Red, Emerald Green, Cobalt blue and Bright Orange. The inner wall is not in touch with the exterior of the cup, this means that the heat will stay on the inside and the cup will not be hot on the outside. It makes it ideal for drinking hot tea.

The cup is made out of high quality glazed porcelain, and will last very long at a daily use.

The teagether set is ment for people that enjoy a cup of tea with others. This original set contains a teapot with two spouts, a wooden plate and two white cups. The cups are designed in the same style as the teapot. The integrated handle on the teapot makes pouring the tea very easy. Of course this can be used daily, but I think this will also make a wonderful decoration. The teapot and cups are dishwasher safe. On the wooden plate there is also a place for the teabag. 

You can also find Studio Lorier on facebook and there is a website with more information.