Handmade With Love
We’ve been following Paul Celentano and his whimsical custom instruments for a few years now and have continuously fallen in love with his work. Under the (apropos) handle, Celentano Woodworks, he handcrafts unique ukuleles, three-string guitars, banjos and mandolins, with the latest crop of designs highlighting the beauty of the string instrument’s traditional shape and natural colors, but with an added twist: playful sound hole cutouts and illustrations. The attention to detail put into each piece is mesmerizing — he’s creating works of art to make art on — which you can spy below and head on over to Mr. Celentano’s shop for more.
Hailing from Toronto, Extase features unique stamps, art and knits. Featuring crystal shapes, sweet yet simple bows, banners and products inspired by nature and the moon, the one woman run shop carries a clean aesthetic through her line of hand carved stamps. We love perusing through Extase’s catalog chock full of embellishments for dolling up packaging, labeling books, or putting a playful spin on stationary, which you can peek at below.
While there’s many ways to doll-up your coffee in the morning, husband-wife team Nawanowe’s way might be our favorite. The pair have designed the cutest line of knit sweaters to keep your tea and coffee cups cozy. The “Mug Sweater” arose after a sad looking cup in their home inspired the idea, and the couple have gone on to create impeccably stitched knitwear for others to enjoy. Have a look at some of our favorite designs after the jump, and head on over to Nawanowe’s website for more or purchase a sweater here.
If you’re anything like us, then you’re dying to hit the skies and explore Paris. While we can’t do that just yet, France-dwelling crafter Memi The Rainbow is bringing a taste of The City Of Light to us in her latest stamp series. The hand-carved stamps pay homage to famous destinations like the Eiffel Tower, the Moulin Rouge and the Lourve, as well as Parisian Parcs. Gawk at the impeccably made pieces after the jump, and dream about seeing these landmarks in person.
If you’re anything like us then you adore quirky housewares with a handmade vibe. Whether you made it or someone else did, there’s always something so special about decorating with handcrafted work, which brings us to Patty Dear. The creation of a brother-sister duo, the shop is filled with unique plushes, miniature sculptures and paper art, and given that it’s nearly February 14th, we’re especially taken with their very sweet Valetine’s Day line, which you can spy below.
It’s almost December, you guys! Before the “most wonderful time of the year” officially kicks off, Memi The Rainbow has created a lovely set of holiday apropos stamps to adorn envelopes, letters and wrapping paper with. The hand-carved collection features traditional Christmas staples — Santa Clause, gingerbread, trees and candy canes are all there — as well as whimsical pieces like toy horses, adorbs bear faces and pretty ornaments. Oh, and Patricia brought back her felt ornament tutorial, too! Start decorating your packages with these darling embellishments, which you can spy below, then head on over to Etsy for more.
Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday! Things have been super busy around here — lots of crocheting + craftin’ going on and there will be some new holiday DIYs coming soon — but in the meantime here’s a glimpse inside the last few days. xo, Nicole.
In her collection, Playing With Pencil Shavings, illustrator Marta Altés ulitizes the part of the pencil we’d normally discard in a fantastical manner. The darling array of drawings features quirky characters — both human and animal types — as they interact or are adorned with colorful pencil shavings. The London-stationed artist’s imaginative use of the scraps is really inspiring and sweet, which you can spy below.
