Mystic Knotwork. A Family Tradition of Sailor Bracelets

Mystic Knotwork has a long standing family tradition of making decorative knots.  Located in Norwich, CT, close to the famed Mystic Seaport, Matt Beaudoin and, his wife Jill craft sailor bracelets and other nautical knot items.

They craft them one at a time just like the sailors of a hundred years ago.  There isn't any high tech machinery cutting or braiding the cord going on at Mystic Knotwork and, the cord is used in made in America. Love that!

In fact, to borrow Matt's words they believe in staying behind the times to maintain the authenticity of their products.

What Matt and Jill have done is added color! 

This orange one is so fun.

The rope trivet looks great on your table.

Mini monkey fist ornaments!

Wouldn't these be great mixed with some shells set up garland style?

How about a key chain?
Makes a nifty little holiday stocking stuffer or wedding favor.
 

Go on step back in time and treat yourself to one Mystic Knotwork's classic bracelets, mats or monkey fist goodies.

Photos courtesy of and copyrighted by Mysticknotwork.com used with permission.  No compensation of any kind has been received for this feature.

Nolasco Designs - Logo Design and Branding

If you are looking for a logo or business branding design let me share my experience with Michael of Nolasco Design  I had some idea in mind of what I wanted from color to overall look for my new shop Blue Sail Studios.

 The process starts with purchasing a listing from his shop on Etsy or contacting via his website. You will receive a questionnaire to complete about what you are looking for and send it back.

Michael was great about letting me know when I could expect to have some concepts.

 He also let me know the best way for us to communicate with each other so we remained on the same page with everything.

Michael presented a number of designs that out of the box were right on target of classic, crisp, and clean looking.  It was hard to narrow down the favorites.

One concept was to me, bold, strong and a bit modern looking instead of understated.  Not what I would normally select. I put it aside concentrating on the others until I went back and reviewed a question he had asked and my answer which was build a "brand".

I feel there is a difference between a business logo and branding. I may be wrong on that; who knows.
I think Michael designed all of them looking further into the future than I did. In the end the bolder, modern, yet, still easy on the eyes logo won out as the primary choice.  The more I look at it, the more possibilities I see.

I do hope at some point to incorporate at least one of the other two I liked.  Tell me what you think of it.


The fine required print. This is not an paid advertisement or endorsement and compensation has not been received. The post was to share my experience working with Nolasco Designs.

Beach Cell Phone Covers - Shorely Chic

Fun beach and nautical cell phone covers are the newest in the line up by Liz Joy of Shorely Chic.

Flamingos! Also available in beach stripes.  Personalized options are available.

  
Liz is also working on some stationery designs.  How sweet is the face on this baby elephant?

I am loving the prototype she had posted of these flamingo's on her blog a while back. 

I am so getting them when they make their debut. I get requests to include a gift message all the time and I think these will be fun to use with my ice cream spoons.

You can purchase the cell phone covers here  To find out when Liz's stationery will be available visit her blog at Shorely Chic.


The fine required print: This is not a paid endorsement or advertisement nor was post at the request of Shorely Chic. Photos and graphics by Shorely Chic.

Toriska clutches. Designer Spotlight

Toriska clutch purses from nice and nautical to tropical brights have captured my attention. How fun would this red and white stripe number be with some white jeans or khaki's?

 

When I started my first real job I carried a simple black leather
envelope style clutch. I felt so grown up.

I cannot recall exactly when I abandoned using a clutch daily in
favor of a shoulder bag, but these handmade cuties have me
longing to lighten the load I tote around each day.

Each clutch is handmade by Tori who hails from Philadelphia, PA.

Tori was taught how to sew by her mother as a child but didn't 

really do much with her skills until a few years ago.

Feeling a bit tropical?  This silk tangerine and pink fits the bill.

Making purses began as a hobby and later turned into a business.

Tori's line up ranges from shoulder bags to wallets but her
true love is clutches.

Depending on the style, they take two to over four house to make.

Personally, I was pretty surprised to find  handmade

frame closing, rhinestone silk clutches that can hold more then a lipstick 

and keys so reasonably priced.

 Getting the fabric perfectly into the frame isn't as easy as it looks!

I can see this turquoise dupioni silk being made for bridesmaids

for a seaside wedding. Tori gives discounts for wedding party clutches.

Love the color but don't want the rhinestones?

Tori offers some custom options.

Give a unique bridal shower gift with the brides

initials inside the purse.

While navy and white is my standard go to color and I really like this yet,

I am completely smitten with this happy looking tangerine silk.

....getting daring in my old age.

It's a fun pop of color don't you think?

Spring is just around the corner!

Go on now accessorize, accessorize with a Toriska clutch.

P.S. Toriska sometimes makes napkins rings.

I may have to get these when she gets the fabric back in.

The fine required print.  This is not a paid endorsement or advertisement.
I've been blessed to have my work featured by others.  I'm simply doing the same.
All photos by Tori of Toriska used with permission.

Seahorse Mugs by Karrita Renzelmann. Custom handmade in America Beauties.

I spotted these large and lovely seahorse mugs in Karrita Renzelmann's Etsy shop My Mother's Garden.

 She also has starfish cups.

I wrote asking if she could make the seahorse cups 

where just the seahorse would have a light blue wash

and the rest of the cup in the lightest white she could do.

 

I admit to a bit of sticker shock at first. 

Me, that also crafts handmade items for sale.

Helloooo! 

Wait a minute; handmade custom colored cups just for me.

I thought about the process which is long.

Shaping the clay.

The clay has to dry slowly, be fired, fired again.

Firing up a kiln alone is small fortune

Handmade in America!

Original handmade custom works of art.

Something we can enjoy each morning.

My photos do not do them justice.

The seahorse has more blue and the white is lighter.

These are tall heavy cups.

Karrita even made them in his and hers; how sweet!

One holds 16 ounces and the other 14 ounces.

When I opened the box they were a sight to behold 

and well worth every penny and the three week wait.

Now I see Karrita came out with Mermaid cups.

I like nice looking mermaids and may have to get those too.

Go on treat yourself.  

Visit Karrita at My Mother's Garden on Etsy

Contemporary nautical scrimshaw artist Linda Layden

It's a pleasure to introduce Linda Layden, a self taught contemporary artist from Harrison, Maine who crafts some of her wares by recycling vintage ivory piano keys.

Taking keys from her own old piano or keys given to her by others or that she purchases her process begins of cleaning, prepping, sanding, etching and coloring to create vivid colorful bookmarks such as these.

 

Linda was inspired by her time spent in Massachusetts near the historic New Bedford whaling port where at one time whale men spent their idle hours on long trips etching bone or carving ivory.  Linda decided she would learn this craft and has been creating scrimshaw pieces as a full time profession for over 30 years.

Linda also crafts on mother of pearl; like this pendant,

old ivory becomes earrings

 

 An old bone ginger jar becomes a piece of art.

Linda also makes molds to create these wonderful mermaids cast in
resin and then etched in the traditional manner of scrimshaw.

Linda's work is found in private collections, fine gift shops
and galleries around the globe.

Now, Linda may call her recycled piano keys bookmarks

I call them fascinating and see them as wonderful embellishments to nautical decor such as stringing several of these on some rope criss crossing a ceiling in a room, using them as ornaments or to dress up a gift box.

You can purchase Linda's work here

The fine yet, required print.  This is not a paid endorsement or advertisement. I wrote to Linda Layden and asked if I may feature her piano key bookmarks and she graciously agreed and allowed the use of her photos. I've been blessed to have my work featured by others.  I'm simply doing the same.

Baby's first boat

I about flipped when I saw these baby boat cradles from Beaver Boat Works. Aren't they darling!

 Built by hand in Texas as a true ship's tender.

This one is cypress planks on mahogany, but you can order other woods.

Eco friendly finishes available too.

Davit style suspension system allows for rocking your little one to sleep.

 

Custom bedding is available for extra comfort.

Now you might be thinking well little ones will grow out of it so quickly.

Don't worry this ship is built to take on more serious tasks.

Like being converted into a rocker or my favorite,

a wagon!

Can you imagine pulling this around the block?

And after that you can always make into a coffee table.

This would be neat in adult size wouldn't it?  So much cooler then a hammock.

Thanks for stopping by everyone.

Meet Heather of Simple Daisy.

Let me introduce you to Heather of Simple Daisy, for those of you that are already fan's of hers, please bear with me as I just couldn't decide what to not to share. I don't recall how I found Heather. All I remember was her blog header used to be a sailboat and I loved her bright crisp photos.

To me Heather is one of the most inspiring people.  Somehow, she perks me up even when she writes about feeling uncertain.  Many times, I have nodded my head in understanding and agreement.

Secretly, I think she is wonder woman sans the outfit.  

She literally can do it all.

Like building a pond by herself.

She gardens and grows vegetables.

Heather does a 20 mile, yes 20 mile bike ride in the morning

And a trunk show in the afternoon.
(I would be on a stretcher after 5 miles of biking)

Featuring her tropical blue beachy theme jewelry.

That you can also get via her Etsy Shop

Heather calls this necklace driftwood

and, these fabulous earrings are called ocean waves.

Aren't these just the perfect blend of blues and aquas?

But, this isn't all Heather can whip up.

Apparently, Heather wouldn't leave her grandfather alone until he

taught her how to use saws and power tools.  Her dogs,

L.C. the German Shepherd and Ruby the black Lab are always

on hand to help and supervise. Heather is a big believer in 

adopting rescued animals. (I like that)

Crates for your aqua jars or what have you. 

(adorable)

Little hand stamped and painted tags out of clay.

Pillows, chalkboard coasters and inspirational art done in beach style.

A fun summer scarf.....

 and more are mainly crafted here.

I like her magnetic canvas memo boards that can be seen on the

second shelf on the left.  The vases on the top shelf have chalkboard paint.

Heather is obsessed with chalkboard paint. From walls to

kitchen back splashes to filing cabinets.

Having a dinner party?  Heather likes to add a beach touch.

and while your visiting for the "how to" to make these and more;

 visit her healthy recipes.

Yep, she cooks up some tasty dishes and posts recipes each week.

Make sure you aren't hungry though first. Sometimes,

I have to have a snack before reading. 

Need a wine recommendation to go with the recipe? Just ask.

 (crafting with her nephew under the supervision of Ruby and L.C.)

Heather is a school teacher 

with a dream of creating for a living.  

She generously shares how she makes most of her creations.

She has inspired me to get moving on a few of my own projects.

Borrowing some of her own words from one of her posts.

What’s your dream…

How can YOU make it happen….

Things don’t just happen to you…..YOU happen to things!!!

So whether you shop at Heather's Etsy Shop for jewelry 

or request one of her many creations on her blog

(I couldn't show them all, there had to be some surprises for your visit)

You just can't help feeling good knowing it was crafted with such happiness.

(chalkboard frame in background above flower basket)

Heather is so sweet she leaves cheery notes for the UPS delivery person

on a chalkboard frame by the door.

Go on now; pay a visit.

Simple Daisy
Pretty*Simple*Fresh

The fine yet, required print.  This is not a paid endorsement or advertisement.  I've been blessed to have my work featured by others.  I'm simply doing the same.  It is a nod of admiration to Heather of working towards her dream.  Thank you Heather for your uplifting spirit. Best wishes to you.