Special Feature Friday: Rachel Nadler Ceramics

Edition 34

The ceramic shop of Rachel is the place to go for unique lightning designs for your home. All the lamps are handmade, and this makes that Rachel has possibilities to change a design to your wishes. 

Rachel works from a small studio in her home. From time to time she collaborates with architects and designers. Her goal is to offer product that are functional and decorative. Rachel works mainly with stone and porcelain. Porcelain is translucent, and creates a warm effect when the light penetrates the thin walls of the lamp. Rachel often leaves her designs unglazed, so the item keeps its rough character and the natural beauty of the clay and porcelain remain. 

Besides lamps, one can also find vases, bowls and dishes in Rachel Nadler Ceramics. 

Why have one lamp as a centerpiece in your living room? This is a collection of 7 egg shaped lamps. The curving of the porcelain creates a special effect. The shades hang at various highs, creating a playful centerpiece for any room. The translucent porcelain creates a beautiful effect, when the lights are on.

This is a handmade wall light, it is made of white stoneware. Rachel uses a technique she calls "knitting" to create the holes in the clay. Some of the holes are filled up with colored porcelain, allowing for a soft colored light to shine trough.  

At this moment Rachel has a sale in her shop, so it is definitely a good time go and check out her items! 

Special Feature Friday: Eye Poetry Photography

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Irene opened her Etsy shop in 2007. She has been photographing for a long time, but it did not become a obsession until 2005. The success of her Etsy shop, Eye Poetry Photography, meant that she could quit her day job, and become a full time photographer. Something most photographers dream of! 

Irene combines "her love of travel and nature with a dreamlike aesthetic to create visual poems that evoke a sense of magic, delight, nostalgia and romance". Cities like Paris, New York, Venice and London who have been photographed over and over are photographed in unique ways trough her camera's lenses. 

I remember a school trip to Paris, we entered the Galeries Lafayette, and everyone spread out shopping. All I could do was stare at this huge glass dome, above an impressive open space with balconies at the sides. The craftsmanship and detail that went into the making of this building made me fall in love with it, more than anything else for sale in the shop. I only had to see this picture to know this was the glass dome I looked at all these years ago. Irene has captured this dome in such a way, that my memories, that where put far away, came back right away.

The focus on this picture is the bench, but the pillars of the bridge in the background are so well known, that everyone knows right away where this picture was shot. The soft light gives a feeling of romance and rest, even though it was shot in a busy urban environment.  This is what makes Irene's work so interesting. 

These are the horses of the Camargue, a beautiful nature area in the South of France, near Arles. This picture proves that Irene is not only a great urban photographer, but also knows her ways around nature. These horses look like they could come running out of the screen at any moment. The colors and composition would make this photograph a great addition to any minimalist designed home.

Irene's work has been featured by Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,  The Nate Berkus Show, Apartment Therapy, Daily Candy, Decor8 and Domino Magazine. Her work has been exibithet at the San Diego Natural History Museum, The Sundance Film Festival and Galerie Sakura in Paris. 

I can say that this blog was difficult to write, there where so many amazing pictures to choose from! Please go directly to her shop, to see all the other wonderful work Irene has done. All the pictures in Eye Poetry Photograpy are shot by Irene herself, every single one is a work of art! 

Irene kindly offers the readers of this blog a 15% discount on her items with this discount code: ISHJE15 

Special Feature Friday: Ella's Bows

Edition 32

Last week my mother in law was staying with us! We had a great week, but because we where so busy all the time I had no time to write the Special Feature Friday. This week I am back with a wonderful shop called Ella's Bows.

Robin is the owner of Ella's bows, she started her shop on her own in 2009. She has 3 children, one girl and two boy's. What started as a one woman show has grown, and now many talented friends of Robin contribute to the items found in the shop. Because of this they are able to offer high quality baby clothes and accessories.

These headbands for newborns make for a beautiful accessory for your baby, it can be made in different sizes. Whether it is for your babies first pictures, Christening, or maybe a party, they will look beautiful! There is a wonderful collection available in the shop, in many different colors and sizes.

These adorable turtle hat and shield are made of the best and softest yarn. The outfit is crochet and has a unique look. If you are planning to have a series of photo's made of your baby, these items will certainly make for a wonderful, cute and funny image!

Robin offers the readers of this blog a 15% discount: Bows15

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

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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. 

Special Feature Friday: Simple is Pretty Shop

Edition 26

Simple is Pretty Shop is a shop that specializes in wool drying balls, lavender sachets and wedding favors. Sandra is a stay at home mom, who always wanted to run her own business. She found it difficult to buy the proper laundry detergents for her son sensitive skin, and as a result Sandra began experimenting laundry solutions. Her goal was to reduce the harsh chemicals in laundry detergent and dryer sheets. Through time and experiments Sandra came up with homemade recipes that work! 

I did not learn about dryer balls until last year, so I will give a quick explanation on them. Dryer balls are made out of 100% wool, they are used in the drying machine to help your laundry dry faster. This reduces the time you need to dry the clothes. It is both good for your electric bill and the environment. Dryer balls can replace laundry sheets and fabric softener, they do not contain chemicals so they are great for people with a sensitive skin. The dryer balls can be used many times. In addition they can also make for great pet toys, if you don't mind to replace them sooner. The dryer balls can be made scented or unscented, the scent lasts a couple of weeks but you can add some essential oil to them to make them smell wonderful again. 

Next to laundry balls you can also find a great selection of lavender sachets in Simple is Pretty Shop. These can be put in drawers and closets, to really insure your clothes smell wonderful without chemicals! Sandra also sells little sachets that can be given away as wedding favors. These sachets with organic lavender will last a long time, and will make sure your guests will think about your wedding for a long time to come! It is also possible to have the lavender in a ring bearers pillow, all for your great day! 

Sandra has been very sweet to give a discount code of 15% of the readers of the blog: SPRING2014
The code is valid until the 15th of May 2014.

Sandra also has a facebook page and a blog with great tips!