Saturday, March 30, 2013
Artistry In The Bloom Of Barnacles...
Today is dedicated to a relaxing day of inspirational reflection. Since it is the day before Easter, the resurrection of the ultimate creator, we thought these inspired photos of decaying stumps left a long lasting impression of how through death comes a moments of unmistakable beauty and artistry.
Set to Inspire…. Xo.OPhilya.
Friday, March 29, 2013
Handmade Woven Leather Helmet
This is a Handmade Hand-woven Leather Helmet made with Dark Chocolate Brown oil tan cow hide. Within the flipped up brim is a hidden pocket for safe keeping of smaller things. This particular product was made for my senior collection in 2012. Inspired br vintage headwear, I attempted to bring to life a concept conceived by taking idea from the past and bring them forwards to create a future style of wearable leather headwear.
Since each product is given a name to gather into our group of our little Frankensteins. This hand crafted head-piece name is, Waylon, born 3.15.12
Xo.OPhilya.
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Within the City We Seek Inspiration
I adore nature and all things natural, but when walking amongst this concrete jungle you must not drift from inspired thought. While I find that most things within the city have rules and regulations, the simple things such as textural details of city streets, old brick walls, gated entrances, and the decayed structures from the use over time, you can indeed find the inspiration needed to create your memorable atmosphere by noticing the unnoticed. Every aspect of this world deserves close thought and consideration. Nothing should go to waste, not even waste itself.
Xo.OPhilya.
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
It Is All In The Details
Its in those small touches of layering contrasting colors to allow the brand-name to pop. This is when I started to back each iron branded name with a darker hide to bring out the burned lettering in the brand, and to top it off, the distinctive color of stitching which exposes the detail with a smooth, polished finish. Its these small touches which set bags apart from one another. Although these bags will indeed be simple in design, the object of its production was to show the love that goes into the simplest of creations when adding those special touches within the details.
Xo.OPhilya.
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Handmade Leather Oxfords
These are Handmade Leather Oxfords. It is a whole cut pattern piece, meaning that the dark hide is actually painted on to create the illusion of a geniune oxford. Although this was a beginners stage of hand crafted oxfords, I managed to learn an awesome technique in the process. The soles are at the raw stage of completetion. Next comes hand shaping, painting, and then buffed and polished.
Xo.OPhilya.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Jessel. Hand Lather Wooden Pendent
Introducing Jessel, the newly created handmade wood lathed pendent made from buckeye burl, which is a beautiful mix of blue and white, twisted in knots to form intricate swirls in this piece of exotic wood.
Xo.OPhilya.
Friday, March 22, 2013
Behold the Enlightened Power Of Spring
As the season turns and winter transforms into the warmth of spring, I find a calm light weight feeling of welcoming that fresh start of a new year. Flowers shall begin to bloom and trees will bud in shades of green, while the frozen waters begin to rush back into action. The transition from winter to spring becomes my subtle reminder in the magic of life that surrounds me. All nature temporally dormant in the frigid cold, but springs to life in a poetic rhythm in the coming of warmer days.
Xo.OPhilya.
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Graphite Sketches of Concept Shoes
Only a dream but still plans in the making. I often sketch conceptual shoe designs hoping one day I might be able to hand make, or have them made for runway fashion shows. I have drawn hundreds of shoes and continuously thrive off new ideas for wearable forms of art. I would melt at the opportunity to design for a company who would produce these particular designs but I have now realized how difficult it actually is to get the work out into the world.
Xo.OPhilya.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
The Process Of Wood Turning
Many see the products that we create, but do not get the opportunity to see the process of creation, which in my personal opinion is the highlight of the creative arts. This machine is a Miniature wood lathe. Real simple concept, all you have to do is take the piece of wood which you desire to transform, and wedge it tightly between this gapped area. As you power up the machine the block of would begin to spin at 1200rpm. You of course may adjust the speed but in order to create the fine edges and detailed pieces, the faster you go the easier it is to work with. By taking the hand tools and working away at the surface of the block, soon the piece will begin to take shape and from their you may create what ever your heart desires. Now even though this concept of lathing wood sounds relatively simple, it also requires great skill and patients in order to achieve your desired thickness and design. This tool has become a blessing to the team of machinery in our shop, and Mike is slowly working up towards mastering the trade of wood lathing. You will begin to see new products with intricate details of our handmade treasures made from exotic wood, so stay tune...
Xo.OPhilya.
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
Magic In The White of Snow
While all others melt over their beloved pooch I indeed find my dog Kapone, irresistibly charming. Reaching about 10 years old, fully grayed, with his natural mix of brindle, Kapone has become my unique inspiration of a charming twist of awkward. Although he stands with an alarmingly graceful posture which wards off the on-coming passer-by from approaching him with a pet and a smile. Kapone looks as though he is both sharp, cunning, and would attack on command. Although these features would be extraordinary for my protection, he is quit opposite. A simple soul and kind to the touch, Kapone, or Pony for short, has become my beloved companion.
Xo.OPhilya.
Monday, March 18, 2013
Instyle Winning Handmade Handbag
This hand-woven handmade Leather handbag was made for my senior collection during my last year at Savannah College of Art and Design. In my final months I entered this particular bag into Instyles Independent Handbag Award Competition. Crazy enough, I won in the category of Best Student Made Handbag and was given the chance to mass produce a bag with the brand Piazza from ebags.com.
The bag designed and created with Piazza with be release in Spring 2013, so it drawing close to the day the bag will be release to the public. The whole process is exciting and suspenseful! I am just excited I was blessed with this opportunity to be featured in September issue of Instyle and on top of that, have the chance to experience of the process of fully designing and mass-producing a wonderfully crafted bag with an amazing company such as Piazza.
The bag has a few special features. The outside exterior of the bag is all hand woven. First each tiny strip had to be skived. This mean that the back end of the hide had to be split from the oiled surface in order to take away from the bulk of the final product. There are indeed easier ways of achieving this surface but with the tools given and the material chosen this was my best and most affordable way to achieve my vision. The exotic Coccobolo wooden handle is hand-carved and is polished to a shine to give another extravagant touch to the product. The yellow strip of patten leather was a one-of-a-kind accident acid leather dyed cow hide. The interior of the bag has a custom printed fabric of garden gnomes and within the interior of the inside pocket is yet again another custom printed florescent striped fabric to add another hidden pop of personality into this compact leather bag.
Xo.OPhilya.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Handmade Wooden Stud Earrings
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Waiting Patiently For Spring To Come...
This is more then just hand crafted accessories, but it has become a way of life. To live inspired you must understand that each day should be cherished and lived to fullest, and all things, both large and small, hold within in it inspired thoughts of creation, for ALL things are both created, and constructed.
Xo.OPhilya.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
All that Life In the Death of Nature
Often I find my inspiration in the strangest of place... Walking through a forest preserve, I began to notice the colors and shapes left in these withering cut logs. Something as simple as this, has become today's inspiring thought. Even the core of these extravagant trees holds within it, the life of creation, and a mesmerizing twist of displaying its development through its years here on earth. I know I often turn poetic when I dwell on the thought of creation, but as I snapped a shot of these small stumps I am once again reminded about the true beauties of nature.
Xo.OPhilya.
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Soft Trapunto Handmade Leather Backpack
This backpack is the first of its kind. Although it has still a long way to go before it reaches perfection, it is the beginning of the experimental process of finding new ways to play with the details in surface treatments and techniques. I mostly stay true to the simplified construction of the bag but attempt to think outside the box when it comes to the textural detail. I believe when you keep the bag on the simple side it hold true to a modest but sophisticated approach to design. Although this bag has a long way to go before it may be sold to public, I find it a great start to a different approach to a simplified version of the back pack.
Xo.OPhilya.
Monday, March 11, 2013
Handmade Recycled Wood Display
Digging through scraps of wood, Mike and I found the need to give purpose to these unwanted pieces. As a small craft show approached this became the perfect opportunity to create a display using the small scraps of wood, remences of fabric, and a unique and creative thought process to put together a completely handmade recycled wood display with handcrafted fabric signs.
Xo.OPhilya.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Handmade Leather Clutch w/ Wooden Lathe Zipper Pull
This is the newest addition to the team of handmade leather goods. This small mid-sized leather clutch is completely simple in design but holds within it hidden personality and special attention to detail. Upon the front exterior of the bag is a smudge lettering. This marking is the specific cattle ranch branding from where this hide has come. While some might consider this a flawed part of the hide, I find the fascination in displaying the proper origin of this material.
Xo.OPhilya.
Friday, March 8, 2013
Handmade Leather Handbag
This is the experimental process of creating a new technique for surface detail. This bag in particular is meant to translate an idea of different ways to create a unique surface to a handbag. By taking one inch think foam and wedging it between two layers I was able to create this clean edge soft trapunto finish. Although it is still at the rough stage of working out the small flaws and finalized details, it has become a great mock-up in sharing my thoughts and ideas for future products to come.
Xo.OPhilya.
Hand-Whittled Wood Ring With Embedded Stone
New ideas for wearable works of art keep meeting me in my dreams. With the scrap pieces of wood that I have accumulated over the years I continually attempt to come up with a new exciting project to keep the engine rolling with my crafting career. This is a hand-whittled exotic Bocote ring, with an embedded moss agate stone. Nothing to extravagant, but then again, this is the first of its kind, so as I continue to improve on this particular piece I hope to find new exciting ways to express this passion for creative ways to construct by upping the craftsmanship and style of these simple wooden rings.
Xo.OPhilya.
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Beneath this Surface Lies A Colorful Soul
I think of myself as an individual who wears her heart upon her sleeve. It is within my work I attempt to show the depths of my personality through the materials chosen, and the craftsmanship applied to create a one-of-kind artistic accessory for those who deeply and truly understand the true essence of art.
From the moment the sun appears and I pull the covers down from over my head, I crave this passion for all my senses. A colorful wardrobe is normally the excitement which pulls me from my stupor and brings back that spark of excitement in creating yet again another memorable day. The clothing which you chose, I believe, should express your inner self, and so with this said, I find myself fighting to deny throwing on all the colors in my closet and attempting to stick to somewhat of a cohesive color palette. But underneath all these luxurious layers lies a colorful soul which lives for life's most tiniest of inspirational thoughts and visions.
Live Inspired.
Xo.OPhilya.
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