Indie clothing, indie lifestyle and indie fashion

It’s another cool discovery from dawanda.com, one of my favourite indie marketplaces. Designed and handmade by Chocolate and Steel, this beautiful pendant and necklace was inspired by the view outside her window. Like me, designer Christine loves seeing all of the new Spring growth cos that’s a symbol of new life.

Her designs usually reflect alot of what she sees outdoors as she enjoys her time with her boy – birds, butterflies, rain, flowers, grass, sky…. so why the name Chocolate and Steel? This is because it combines opposites…organic and industrial, soft and hard, sweet and bitter and that is what she tries to do in her work. Christine loves to combine materials and subjects in unexpected ways. Actually, I would love to consider using some of her lovely jewelry as promotional products for our corporate clients.

It’s all about being unique and personal when it comes to customized jewelry these days. I truly admire the works of indie designers who focus on originality and creative handiwork in their creations. When I first saw the jewelry collection of Amanda Jo – it was her marine collection that charmed my heart. Then I went on to discover that this talented lady did more with charms and stuff and her recent Meniscus collection allowed you to include your own photo or image into a pendant or a set of earrings. That means you can have the photo of your pet, your child or special someone on the jewelry, wear it around your neck or give them as gifts for your special friends.

If you like anything black and white or if you are a monotone person, check out the curio collection by Angus & Celeste from Australia. This range consists of different animals carefully etched on pendants which exude a timeless and classic feel to any outfit. If you prefer your pendant in indigo blue or moss green, check out the Adorn range, which features decorative motifs and designs on the pendants. Definitely a great gift for someone who is looking for style with substance!

What I need right now in this house are a couple of air cleaners to help me with my allergies but as usual, I got distracted while conducting my research online.

It is hard not to stop by to check out these original, handmade pendant necklaces by Viki Ackland, the owner and creator of 2mile Jewelry. Viki designs one-of-a-kind, handmade, funky resin pendants which she calls her pieces “conversation starters, art you can wear”.

Her pendant necklaces are made from resin, using various forms of art from miniature pictures and illustrations to lovely mosaic glass tiles, beads, and Japanese papers. I am totally enchanted by her funky resin jewelry which are incredibly creative, contemporary, fun to wear and ‘alive’!

These pendant necklaces are one of a kind creations made of a variety of vintage and otherwise inspired papers enclosed in resin and finished with a metal hook that becomes an adorable heart on the reverse side. Each pendant is 1 ½ inch in diameter and hangs on a 15 inch long choker style wire necklace. Each of 2mile’s designs is one-of-a-kind. As Viki says, When they’re gone, they’re gone!

A look at the Bellissima jewelry reminds me of the little girl in all of us. Founded by, Sarah Bridger, a jewelry designer and with a background in photography and cultural geography. As a creative designer and artist, Sarah specializes in combining semi-precious stones, shell, wood, bone, glass, crystal, sterling silver, gold, and some vintage materials to explore the relationships between elements like texture and color. You can tell from each handcrafted piece of jewelry that Sarah is a lover of nature .To ensure a level of individuality and distinctiveness within the Bellissima Jewelry Design collections, each design is crafted in limited quantities. Because each piece is hand-crafted and stones can naturally vary in shape, color, and size, each piece in a limited edition may not be identical.

Here are some of our favourites:

Lots of indie artists and designers draw inspiration from art and nature and owner of Blue Wild Indigo, Carolina Graber, is one of them. I also agree with Carolina that whether it’s costume, face painting, tattoos, or jewelry, we often look to nature for our materials and our inspiration. The use of gemstones, shells, wood, silks, and precious metals have long been used to create ornaments for the human man.

Carolina’s designs remind me of the modern lady who loves simplicity  and pure elegance, without being loud since accessories should complement the lady and her attire and not call for attention at all. Her jewelry is subtle and timeless which means you can use them for all sorts of occasions, throughout your lifetime, and won’t go out of fashion.

My cousin bought us some funny t-shirts that came in the mail today. With her wedding leading up, she’s got lots to do. After spending much time at Viv&Ingrid’s online store, I spotted a few lovely jewelry pieces that would be perfect for her coming wedding. The stone necklaces are combined with a great sense of thought and creativity with matching earrings and bracelets. The Eden collection features a beautiful 14K gold filled Daisy necklace with smooth, flat mother of pearl daisy pendant and faceted red jade teardrop center. Also available in coral, topaz, emerald jade and onyx teardrop center.

Men and women have differing interests and passions. My hubby enjoys talking about his golf trips and Callaway irons with his buddies and I’ll be sharing the stylish and trendy stuff I found in the web with my pals. This evening, I was introduced to Anne Maa Designs, a very talented fashion designer whose talents were not limited to fashion alone. Her combination of materials in her jewelry collection was elegant and modern, simple and creative. Actually her inspiration for her creations came from the texture, shape and colour of the materials she worked on, which led to a sense of individuality. Find her at http://www.annemaadesigns.com

This very unique handmade necklace made of natural materials reminds me of my auntie who just had a Botox in Manhattan New York few months ago. She loves natural stuff and is an organic follower so her decision to go for cosmetic treatments has surprised many of her friends.

Back to this unique wood pendant designed by New Orleans indie designer, Katherine Dejarnette Babin, husk is aptly named because it is a creation of corn husk and chicken feather, layered onto a large wooden pendant. This eyecatching piece is paired with a cluster of wood cubes that hang from dark brass chain. I believe my aunt will love husk cos she collects such natural handmade jewelry from around the globe. She can probably pair husk with this pair of very unique palm earrings made of rectangular pieces of wood surrounded in metal and hang from sterling silver earwires.

Designer Katherine has lots of other stylish jewelry made with other materials such as vintage glass beads, lockets and brooches, semi-precious stones, metals, textiles and timber and anything she finds interesting. I have to say that she’s one creative and intuitive artist and designer. Find her at http://dejarnettenola.com

It’s always a thrill for me to discover new indie sites, businesses and blogs. When I came across manic trout, I was inspired of her creativity and artistic flair. She uses simple materials to create beautiful stuff and the result is a masterpiece, a one of a kind handmade accessory for the modern gal or the fashionista who prefers to stand out from the crowd and escape the lure of the latest trends in town. Read the rest of this entry →