Friday 18 April 2014

Casha...who???

CASHALOOLA is a brand by the designer maker Crystal Griffiths.

"She creates soft sculptures, based on her love of animals and fantasy. Each doll is handmade with their own personality and sense of style.

Using vintage fabrics, Crystal embroiders and embellishes with fur, beads and Swarovski crystals to create one off masterpieces combining simplicity with ornamentation."

She also works to commissions, creating bespoke pieces to the specific styling of the client.

I adore how her creatures are lighthearted and fun yet sophisticated and ooze luxury- the type of product that is simply beautiful to look at yet has no need to be mundanely mounted on a wall in a frame. My very glamourous grandmother of 86 would adore these pieces, I think thats what draws me to them, they very much remind me of her.

I feel the products are reasonably priced too, considering they are all handmade. The website channels the same kind of luxury feel- perfect for the brand, with interactivity like mailing lists and live feeds it has a really nice feel to it.

She not only sells the dolls but her prints and gift cards are a lovely range too- as we would think in the industry, these are the "bread and butter" products...


















http://www.cashaloola.co.uk
http://www.cockpitarts.com/designers/cashaloola

Thursday 17 April 2014

What a find...

So this little beauty is quite the world apart from some of the higher profile businesses and websites I have previously blogged about, but do not let that fool you. www.donnaflower.com are the biggest online store selling vintage, retro and antique fabric to the nation- hurrah!!! I for one, do love the hunt process involved when sourcing your own vintage and antique pieces, but this is just perfect for when you have neither the time or facilities to do so. They even work to source fabric especially for you and the job in hand. 

The website sounds an Alladins cave of fabrics, buttons, threads ext, however it would be nice to see more images of the stock they claim to have. However I do think there is a nice element in ordering a vintage fabric in a specific colour way and not seeing it until it arrives at your door. 
I am partial to the 19th century textile qualities...heres my pic of a few...






http://www.donnaflower.com/home/ribbons-and-twine/vintage-red-and-pink-floral-woven-braid.html?flypage=flypage.tpl

sea- angels...

Heres a little blog I've found, I can't seem to find much information about the artist/blogger but some of the images of her work are just lovely. As your probably aware by now I'm an embroidery/ embellishment freak so the quality of the stitch and texture in this work really got me excited when I stumbled across it. I'd love to find out a little more about what it is she does, or if she sells her work...
must...dig...deeper...
xxx




sea-angels.blogspot.co.uk/

Wednesday 9 April 2014

C.V

So thinking about whats ahead in the real world, heres a glimpse at my C.V...It needs work but this i my basis to build on. Fingers crossed the dream is to work for myself, but I still think it's important to have a good C.V behind you...


C.V
Name:
Christina May Easton

Contact Details:
Brotton Cote
Saltburn Road
Brotton
Saltburn by the Sea
Cleveland
TS12 2PJ
07538837754

Skills
·      Self- Motivated
·      Driven
·      Passionate
·      Good communication
·      Decisive
·      Professional
·      Creative eye
·      Pro-active
·      Good IT skills- understanding of building websites/ social networking/ marketing/ Microsoft office
·      Trustworthy

Personal Statement
I am highly motivated and driven within everything that I do, I take pride in my work and always give 110% towards the things I am most passionate about. I have big passion for outstanding service and value and feel that this is what defines a brand/ company or individual worker. Communication is another big passion of mine, I value this a worthy trait as most forms of trust and successful outcomes rely on a mutual understanding that comes from good communication. I believe both of these qualities have come from my work as a hair stylist, where I worked for an established salon that assured we delivered strong communication with clients at all times in order to achieve the most successful results.
I am not afraid to make decisions or take chances in order to speculate to accumulate. An example of this is my decision to leave full time work to change my career direction and embark on a BA Hons Degree at the age of 23.

I work strongly as an individual, however I have the awareness and emotional intelligence to adapt myself to work where I stand best within a team; whether that would mean to step up or to take a step back. In my previous role as hair stylist, I put myself forward to create marking strategies and develop the business’ website. I also reviewed and set targets for the rest of the team.

Being a pro-active and outgoing character means I constantly work to meet deadlines, yet I do understand the need for pause to question the best actions to take.

Education
Cleveland College of Art and Design, Hartlepool, 2013-2016-
BA Hons Contemporary Textile Products

Redcar College 2009-2010
NVQ Level 2 in Hairdressing

Prior Pursglove College, Guisborough 2007-2009
A- LEVELS:     Textiles-A
Law-A
English literature and English Language- B

Freebrough Specialist Engineering College, Brotton 2002-2007:
11 GCSE’s grade A*- B

Employment

Hair stylist - Nancy Darcy Hairdressing 2009- Present
Accounts- Marske Alarms 2013- Present
Sales Assistant- Superdrug 2007-2010

References are available upon request if required.

Tuesday 8 April 2014

Tenue De Ville...

I'm getting addicted to Mix magazine lately, there is no wonder when I keep discovering new brands like this. Tenue De Ville are based in Brussels, they are a surface design brand specialising in patterns and motifs for the home. As well as theirs products, what I real;ly like about them is that they offer advice to their customers about how to decorate your home- this is definitely something that i'd love to offer in the future. heres a peak at their products... 





These images illustrates a room before and after their service of photoshop room proposition...





http://www.tenuedeville.com/#/?page_id=124

Ferm Living

Here's a brand I've just come across, Ferm Living. I'd not heard of them before, they are a interior company that draws from Scandinavian design; the typical retro charm but with a graphic quality. I like the fact that the brand was established from one ladies disability to find the wallpaper she wanted- and now is a huge brand that caters fro every room in your home! I also really agree with the brand philosophy,
“I have never created anything on the basis of strategy or cool calculation; it has to come from the heart for me. I am very happy and grateful – and still somewhat surprised! – to see that these designs have appealed to so many people worldwide. And I still stick to the same design philosophy that began it all – doing what feels right. Then it has a much better chance of feeling right for someone else too.”

Heres my have pick of their products...









http://www.fermliving.com/home/our-story.aspx

Monday 7 April 2014

Silken favours...

I'm in love with the unique branding by "silken favours". They are a Scarf brand that use illustrations on gorgeous silk to create the most beautiful designs. Print designer Victoria Murdoch takes her inspiration from the natural world, sung pen and ink techniques. Her work is described as "otherworldly yet reassuringly familiar", yet its the branding on the website that I really like. It's clever, quirky and fun- definitely draws you to the product in a non-direct kind of way...








http://silkenfavours.com/about/

The Cutlery Commission...

The Cutlery Commission are a brand that make and sell hand stamped cutlery pieces. They are based in The Cotswolds and they hand stamp personalised messages/ text into silver plated hand made cutlery Being had stamped the cutlery has a lovely quirky finish- what a gorgeous gift idea! I love the fact that all they do is by hand and meaningful yet totally commercial at the same time. Read their story and check out their products ...http://thecutlerycommission.com/about/