Zara Carpenter

Today I want to tell you about yet another of my talented friends - Zara Carpenter! I have actually just met her once, but I had heard about her and what she does long before that, through other friends. She and I share the lovely life companion called "pain", but the better days Zara spends creating beautiful things. Mainly hats and hair adornments. She has won several awards for her work, and her creations have been featured in a number of magazines. Here are a few magical hats from her previous collections!

Life, Death & Fertility

Fall 2012

East Meets West

Summer 2012

Day & Night

Summer 2011

My England

Summer 2010

The Time Has Come, The Walrus Said

Fall 2009

Where It All Began

Summer 2009

If you want to adorn your heads with some of Zara's creations, you can always go to her Etsy site, where she sells some of her hats. She also does commissioned work though, so you can always contact her through her website - where you can also see the rest of her amazing hats - and of course, through her Facebook page!

Maria Nilsdotter

Swedish jewelry designer Maria Nilsdotter started her own brand after graduating from renowned arts collage Central Saint Martins, with a BA in Jewelry Design, in 2007. In the beginning she made all the pieces herself - often in very limited editions, sometimes only one of some designs. As the brand now has become too popular for her to have time to create everything herself, her jewelry lines are now being produced in both Sweden and England.

In June 2011 Maria opened her first shop/working studio in the Old Town in Stockholm, where she also offers her customers to come in and place special orders. The inspiration for the design she finds in a mysterious and dark fantasy world often drawn from folktales and mythology.

Here are some of my favorites:

Bracelets

Claw Bangle Feather

Mask Bracelet

Earrings

Snake Leaf Earrings

Tiny Claw Earring

Necklaces

Mask Necklace

Tiny Raven Necklace

Rings

Bat Ring

Claw Ring Single

Raven Ring

Tiny Raven Ring

Twig Diamond Ring

Headpieces

Madonna Leaf Tiara

Pearl Dagger Headpiece

Snake Leaf Headpiece

To see the whole collection, go to Maria Nilsdotter's web site: http://www.marianilsdotter.com/