Shore society carries pretty illustrated gift tags and holiday cards, {along with other sweet stationery and prints} perfectly bright and festive, and wonderfully crafted, so lovely for this year’s presents.

{images: shore society}

Upon researching for the first graduate school assignment, happily encountered the exquisite and ethereal work of australian-based designer and paper artist bianca chang, who perfectly transforms post consumer waste recycled paper into beautiful 3 dimensional letterforms by hand-plotting and cutting, and documenting the way each piece unfolds through an inspiring stop-motion animation.

{stop-motion animations: bianca chang; images: jacob ring}

Just in time for summer vacation, incredibly chic hand-crafted genuine leather luggage tags, ipad cases, envelope clutches and wallets for the sweetest trips and weekend getaways, personalized and engraved, with perfect stitching and beautiful cotton canvas accents in romantic nude and sophisticated tan hues.

(images: harlex)

Argentinian-born architect and textile accessories designer, Constanza Fuentes, lives and works in New York with her husband. An architect working in a studio in Manhattan designing oceanfront homes, modern architecture with a touch of traditional, an aesthetic translating to her accessory design, Narcizo. Adore this gorgeous, unconventional line of accessories from macramé, crochet and knitting, using fiber yarn, wool, & other left over fabric from textile factories.

1. What is your studio or workspace like, and how do you work in your studio?

My work place is our apartment, where I live with my husband. When the living room is in studio mood, there is fabric and yarn, and leather all over the place. I try to keep the table clean and organize so I have an area to work in, but the rest of the room is a mess! This is because the way I like to design, my start point are the materials, I like to play with them until I find the perfect way to combine them. Of course there is not enough space in our apartment for all my fabrics!

2. Where do you get your inspiration?

Materials inspire me a lot! That is why after work I love to go to the stores to pick up new materials ; the variety is unbelievable and the atmosphere in each store is so different and unique! Among the stores I usually visit it is MOOD & Down Town Yarns. I usually walk around the stores looking for materials that catch my attention, at that point I do not know what I will do with them but later at home or just in my long subway ride I will decide the future for that fabric or yarn I just bought.
I love to sit at a café on the sidewalk and observe, observe and analyze! Not necessarily nice things; there are times that even the ugliest thing can inspire me, something just clicks in my head and suddenly all the ideas flow. New York is special for that, I really enjoy this city, after an afternoon walking around I would came back to my house with lot things inside me.

3. How would you describe your style?

Narcizo has its own style; it is simple but bold, it is feminine but not girly, it is modern and sustainable. Narcizo comes out of the search for a new look regarding accessories, the main purpose is to design by treating the accessory in the same way any piece clothing is treated, taking it away from a secondary plane and putting it right into the center of the scene.

4. What type of materials do you prefer?

I love to work with textiles! I like all type of fabrics especially textures and bright colors; I also like the mixed materials, so once I have chosen the main fabric for my new project I think  about a good mate for it and that is when I include brass chains, feathers and pieces of leather to the project. Oh! I love leather too! I also like to create my own fabrics, I am crazy about yarn! What I most like about crochet is that depending on the hook you choose and the yarn you use you can get so many different textures and shapes.

Right now I have an eco-friendly line made out of left-over-fabrics from textile factories. The fun with this type of fabric is that you never know what you will get until you receive the bag with the order based on availability, this is the reason why this collection is unique and most of the necklace cannot be duplicated.

5. What new directions do you hope to move in the future?

Obviously I would love to go even further! I love my art to grow and expand but always with a scale at which I feel comfortable and confident that my creations will keep my personal touch which I care a lot, I am very demanding with myself and with the objects I design, I would never offer something I would not wear.

(images: narcizo textile accessories)

Exquisite, delicate and ornate is the work of graphic designer, book binder, and illustrator Cecilia Levy. Papier maché in beautiful form, stunning bowls in organic round shapes and touches of elegant typography. Talented artist Cecilia Levy lives and works in Sigtuna, Sweden, and has a passion for exploring creativity through a variation materials and techniques.

With a MFA in Graphic Design, Cecilia has worked as a graphic design and bookbinding teacher and holds several workshops in and around Sweden. Her art is exhibited in solo and group shows in Sweden and abroad. So enchanting that these beauties are made of paper. I marvel at the patience, technique and vision required to create these pretty pretty pieces of art.

(images: cecilia levy)