Miss Italy. My new found love...

miss italy

Miss Italy is a Melbourne-based importer and agent for the most amazing and beautiful Italian accessories which have been hand picked. The new agency is the proud exclusive distributor throughout Australia of Braccialetti Cruciani, their very first brand which designs iconic and stunning lace macrame bracelets. 'Glamorous, iconic and 100% made in Italy, the classic Cruciani four leaf clover is the original must-have macrame bracelet that started a style revolution.' Since their launch in the Summer of 2011, more than 8 million bracelets have been sold around the world! The classic 'Four Leaf Clover' comes in more than 25 'to-die for' colour ways and in 2013, new colours and designs have started to make an appearance. I must admit I would ultimately love one in every colour, as they are so affordable and so bloody cute!! They are also the best ideas for presents for friends as they are unique and you have to admit, it always sounds great saying they are 'Made in Italy!' The bracelets are made from macrame lace and produced by traditional Italian lacemakers, which are designed to be worn casually or to dress up an elegant outfit. They truly are statement accessories that every girl must own!

The new bracelet designs include romantic 'Hearts' that come in Bright red and lavender, 'Butterflies' that come in a few different colours including the amazing 'multi-colour' which I am always a sucker for, and the other design, 'Mars' which are available in fluro and black. The vibrant colours are so eye-catching and the intricate detail that goes into making these, amazes me! 

What I love about these bracelets is that not only do they look beautiful, but there is a meaning behind each one. The 'Cruciani Butterfly' is a symbol of liberty, lightness and a long, joyful life. The CRUCIANI Butterfly is the ultimate bracelet for the free spirit and retails for just $23. With the 'Four Leaf Clover,' as you well know, it's a symbol of hope, unexpected joy and good luck. The Four leaf clover has forever been a symbol of happiness and given it's rarity, many consider it to be a powerful good luck charm- I know, I for one do! I can remember spending hours when I was younger, sitting in fields looking for a special four leaf clover, as I am a true believer in this. With this bracelet, it has seven macramé lace four leaf clovers which represent the seven wonders of the world, ending in the letter C. According to tradition, each leaf represents a particular quality: the first- reputation, the second- wealth, the third- health and the fourth - true love. The 'Four leaf clover' bracelet retails for only $19- so I'll definitely be ordering more then one!! The 'Hearts' bracelet has a romantic meaning of 'true love' or as they say 'Per sempre amore… meaning 'love forever,' and the retail price is also only $23. Finally the 'Mars' bracelet, which was launched at Men's Fashion Week in Florence, is a symbol of 'fantasy and of the future.' This bracelet is only $23 and I think so affordable!

Each bracelet comes beautifully packaged in a custom designed sleeve with a guarantee of authenticity and a 'good luck' wish in nine languages. Here are some photos below from their website which you can check out HERE and also some of my favourites. I can't wait to get my hands on some and show you all :) xx

Life in the Colour Yellow, Kaleidoscope. National Geographic.

'Yellow evokes the shine of the sun and is found throughout nature and the man-made world as a color that commands attention. This highly visible hue is found on everything from bumblebees to school buses, traffic signs to highlighters.'
While looking up photos from National Geographic photographer Jason Edwards, I stumbled across a series of galleries called 'Life in Colour,' on the National Geographic website. There are albums dedicated to yellow, green, white, red, silver, kaleidoscope and more (click on each colour to be taken to the album). They are truly beautiful and if you are a lover of photography I highly recommend checking them out. I honestly don't think I can describe how incredible these photos really are. The creativity and talent is so inspiring! I have now made a plan to take photos of anything and everything of one colour each day for a week, and create folders which I will turn into artwork. It just makes you look at the world differently and appreciate things that you usually wouldn't. It never ceases to amaze me how powerful cameras are these days. Technology has grown and evolved so much in the past decade, it bemuses me to think where it will be in 10 years time. 
In the photos below I have shared the images from the albums Yellow and Kaleidoscope. The photographers for the photos below are in order as follows; Bill Hatcher, David Doubilet, Jim Richardson, Joel Sartore, George Grall, David Alan-Harvey, Justin Guariglia,  Ratan Sonal, Jodi Cobb, Pete Ryan, Michael S. Lewis, Jodi Cobb, Raul Touzon, Jim Richardson, Justin Guariglia and lastly Michael S. Quinton. It is hard to pick a favourite as they are all equally beautiful, but there is something about the shipping containers, photographed in the Malay Peninsula, Southeast Asia, that I absolutely love. It feels like a Willy Wonker world, somewhere far away. It really is amazing how great photographers capture the beauty in the most unassuming of places. I would definitely have that printed and enlarged placed somewhere in my home. Anyway, go check out the albums! Until next time… xx 

Tom Binns Design.

Tom Binns founded his jewellery business in 2004 with CEO Cristina Viera Newton. Before that, he collaborated with Vivienne Westwood designing a 'Punkature' collection in the 1980's. His inspiration comes from the early twentieth century Dada movement, rejecting standard beauty and using his creative mind to make even the most boring, useless objects seem wonderful. He has been quoted as saying 'Jewellery is always a treasure, and though it may not be made of gold and diamonds, it should still have that sentiment,' which rings very true for me. Although I love the beauty of precious stones and diamonds, my personal favourite jewellery ranges from a cord bracelet with a plastic skull that I bought from Colette in Paris, to my many sterling silver rings bought from all over the place. Anyway, Binns latest collection 'Rainbow's End' has to be one of my favourites. Firstly it incorporates my love of skulls and secondly, much like the title, he has used splashes of neon rainbow colours, which he hand paints making the jewellery glow in the dark. Seriously amazing! The pieces are fun and wearable, and the only thing stopping me from buying the whole collection is the price tag, as they are a little on the pricey side. Definitely pieces to save up for.. Luckily for me, they are on sale where I work at Husk at the moment, so planning on investing in a couple of pieces!! Below are some of my favourites from a few different collections of his. Go and check out his website HERE to see more amazing artwork!! Do you love!? xx

Holst + Lee

So we recently received a new jewellery label at work (Husk) which caught my attention straight away. Holst + Lee is the collaboration of the two creatives Natalie Holst and Rochelle Lee. The two girls were both born in South America, however they met and began their line in New York. With backgrounds in art and fashion, the inspiration for the line comes from a wide range of people, places, culture and materials. The jewellery has been very popular around the world appealing to people from all walks of life. Some of the countries that stock the brand include Japan, Paris, London, Spain, Sweden, Australia and more! However if you don't happen to live in one of those countries, there are many online stores that the girls also stock at such as; Holst + Lee, Sadee Says, Shopbop and Shop L-atitude. Anyway, I have definitely fallen in love so I thought I should definitely share :) xx