Everyday Inspirations: Words, Style & Design

Deciding on the design is perhaps the most challenging aspect before embarking on actual bead embroidery. The outcome of a handmade piece starts with a process of selecting elements of design, and to actually make them,with the needle and thread. With so many creative individuals also into handmade accessories, the design and technique of each piece is a standard that sets artists apart. From the beginning, I've always put an emphasis on transcending mainstream trends pertaining costume jewelry.  My fascination with the world of art has led me to an inclination of using everyday life as an inspiration for designing and creating. My canvass is a felt cloth, and for paint, is a wide array of beads. Art, in my opinion, should go beyond any medium. The audience, through emotion and thought, must be able to share in the vision provided by the artist.   

Our newest statement necklace is called "Encatada".  This piece was inspired by a poem, composed and written for me by a ten year old girl named Lila, who was a participant in our bead embroidery workshop. She came up with this poem as she was working on her own handmade necklace. As an artist, she uses her love for reading books and using words to express herself to inspire her creations.

There was once a little fairy, no one knows her name,

but you won't believe it,

she has such fame. Every night when the moonlight shines,

she sits on little twisting vines.

Then she sews such pretty things, sewed from Miss Spider's silk,

and she use stars for beads, and she thanks the sky (she isn't rude).

But sometimes she really needs a rest,

so there's pixies too.

They will do all what's left

or the fairy will get a flu.

But when the fairy's well again, she sits on the vines some more,

so feel free to peep into her shop, open her cheerful door.

~Lila Sayajon

Designing, for me,  is a balance of having vision and skills to execute a concept using one's knowledge of techniques and materials. The artisans of Palamuti work as a team, in order for us to be able to produce handmade statement pieces that are up to standards. We want to be able to show to the world the artistic skills inherent to Filipino women artisans. As head designer,  I would conceptualise, sketch, and decide on materials. The task of beading is then passed on to Novie, our Palamuti Apprentice. The growth of our bead artisans comes paramount. Knowledge in materials and techniques, are cascaded from the most skilled artist, to those who are still in training. As experience is gained through the work done by hands, aesthetic abilities are enhanced by training our eyes. 

For this necklace, our goal was to give it texture and depth, primarily using seed beads and acrylic beads in golden brown as accent. We also used semi-precious stones to highlight the pistil of the flowers. In general we want to highlight our special attention given to detail, cautiously sewing each individually raised seed bead, by hand, to the "Encatada" statement necklace.  

Keeping it real.- PJV

Beauty in Brussels: Our handmade pieces make it to Belgium!

Eliad, the ecstatic bride-to-be

Cindy was my schoolmate  back in elementary and high school. She migrated with her family to Belgium, a few years after. With the rise of social media, most especially the popularity of Facebook, we were able to reconnect. Cindy was interested in investing in a line of Filipino handmade jewelry, both as a business venture in the Belgian market and as a means to help invigorate the artisan movement in her home country. A partnership with Palamuti was soon formed, with Cindy personally selecting handmade jewelry pieces to suit European fashion.

The happy couple 

The main sales and marketing platform used by Palamuti is through the global web. Instead of establishing a physical store, we've focused our efforts on promoting through networks on social media. Deciding to take advantage of the rapid development of the Internet, electronic communication has bridged the gap in proximity, and we were able to establish contact with people like Cindy. Her love for fashion, handmade creations, and Filipino products has given us a chance to partner with her to establish her business, Hiyas by Cindy Castell.

Photography by Cindy Castell 

She is a full time mother while doing wedding coordination part-time. Cindy eventually decided to put Filipino brands sourced from her home country.  She connected with us last year, and decided to test the market by buying sample jewellery from our classic collection, Amatullah.

We have great admiration for this woman who balances her life between being a mother, a wife and  an entrepreneur. In a recent wedding coordination job, she was in charge of the couple's pre-engagement photos. She decided to use the handmade costume jewelry she got from us. Cindy finds so many opportunities to promote Hiyas, and the designs we made exclusively for her. The pre-engagement photos of the bridal couple also served as an example of handmade pieces from the Philippines having a place in a European setting.

Cindy styled the bride-to-be using one of the statement necklaces from the "Hiyas" collection. The results are a reflection of her dedication to professionalism and her eye for beauty. Purchase Hiyas by Cindy Castell by emailing hiyas.by.cindycastell@gmail.com.

Do you want us to supply Filipino handmade jewelry for you? Contact us at info@palamutishop.com. 

Keeping it real.- PJV

Beauty in Diversity: World's Indigenous Peoples' Day

"The International Day of the World’s Indigenous People is a moment to acknowledge the vital contribution of indigenous peoples to innovation and creativity, to sustainable development as well as to cultural diversity. It is also an opportunity for all to mobilise to bridge the gaps that remain to the fulfilment of indigenous peoples’ rights. This is essential today and tomorrow, as we shape the new post-2015 development agenda."

Message from Ms Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO

The Philippines is home to a number of diverse indigenous tribes, with each community having a distinct set of norms, mores and tradition. For us at Palamuti, nothing excites us more than when we are traveling for a chance to interact with these indigenous people, and to find out more about their traditions in handicraft. Crafting has always been a part of their lives, in terms of culture and tradition, and the skills and knowledge of each tribe is passed down from one generation to the other.  Their ways of weaving baskets, bags, clothing and producing accessories; all made from natural materials, is something that we as artisans are keen on learning. Part of our vision is to be able to preserve tradition, and use them to improve our own techniques, as well as incorporating new sets of materials to our bead embroidery pieces. Reinforcing our designs and its quality is something that gives us a competitive edge globally.

In 2012, we had a chance to visit Aborlan, Palawan. During this visit, we met with a group of Tagbanuas, native inhabitants of Palawan for thousands of years, under the Aborlan Arts Program. They shared their weaving technique in making accessories using rattan, a local palm plant, as the base building material for their handicrafts. They also use different materials, mostly scavenged bones, seeds, or clay they find abundantly in their surroundings. Different stones commonly sold in supply bead stores also originate from Aborlan tribe's reclaimed natural bounty.

We went back to Palawan a couple of years later, with the intent to research more on materials innately homegrown to the province and to learn more about the different indigenous people of Palawan. Unfortunately, our time there was too short for us to be immersed in the communities. This  fuels our thirst for knowledge, and gives us more reasons to return. However, we were able to visit the 4th Indigenous Peoples' Visual Arts Exhibit by Kalinawa Art Foundation in partnership with the Palawan Museum. We were once again amazed by the creativity of the participating tribal artists. The next time we go visit, we hope that we will have more time to talk and interact with them.

Keeping it real.- PJV

Handcrafted Sculptures: Rated PG by Paola Germar

 "I paint a lot and design things a lot  , ever since i always wanted to have my own brand called RATED PG or rated Paola Germar . the name came to me when i realized my initials were always on tv and they always announced programs that are rated pg , so i thought that would be free promotion everywhere so when my brand becomes kinda known ,when they hear it they would remember my stuff. I like making everyday things look like art or look like they could be hung in galleries as an artwork, i like to make everything pretty and try to make everyone smile . " Paola Germar, Rated PG

We got acquainted with bag designer  Paola  through Nikki Valenzuela a visual artist, who's also a style  advocate for Palamuti.  When we first met Paola, she was a student in college studying Fine Arts in the University of the Philippines, Diliman. We attended a gallery exhibit for art, to which she and Nikki were a part of.  From there, we learned that Paola was also into fashion. She sews her own clothes, and was a big bags enthusiast. She also became a model for our photos featuring Palamuti handmade jewelry during our early years. As a true lover of fashion and design, she balances being a bag designer while producing paintings as a visual artist, and being an entrepreneur at the same time. She is currently one of the members of the team behind Bea's Place, a  shop specializing in women's clothing.  

Moving forward along the way, as an artists, it is no surprised that she was able to fuse her creativity and passion for bags. She started to produce her own line of women's clutch bags, giving birth to her brand Rated PG. Photos alone cannot give justice to the beauty of the bags, as one cannot fully appreciate the depth in texture given by the the artist, and it's effect to the overall design of the clutches. The creativity and handwork displayed by Paola into making these clutch bags, has to be seen and felt in person. Drawing her inspiration from experiences, she also incorporates her knowledge in art and fashion into each and every one of her products. Her client base has steadily grown into an international market, and she recently shipped some of her-one-of-a-kind bags to Europe. 

We expect more from this young lady, as we truly believe that she has what it takes to be a great bag designer.  As avid fans of  Rated PG Evening Clutches, we recently approached her with an invitation to become one of our Featured Artists. When she said yes, we were ecstatic! We are very proud and happy to have a talented designer like her on board Palamuti's growing community of Featured Filipino Women Artisans.  

The Art in Making: Flow by Steph Lopez

"For some time, I have been quite interested in learning how to make accessories. But I never really found the time and will to do so until the second half of 2012." - Steph Lopez, Flow

Our head designer, PJ Valenciano, met Steph Lopez during their teenage years as part of  the Philippine Educational Theater Association's youth arm, MTTL (Metropolitan Teen Theater League). She was drawn to Steph because of  their love for art. It's no surprise that a few years later, Steph and PJ crossed paths away from the stage, as both of them were brought together by their love for costume jewelry. 

PINTO ART MUSEUM, ANTIPOLO

""In 2006, I quit my full to job to pursue art full time. I tried doing corporate work again in 2011, only to leave in the summer of the following year, as I realized I could no longer keep with the pace of corporate life, and that's not where my heart really was. I took trips near the sea, contemplated on my career path, and decided that if I were to take on another kind of work, it must be centered on what I really love - art making"" 

Steph Lopez is the designer/artist behind Flow Crafts and Jewelry. She pursued a career in visual arts, specializing in sculpture. But tough times made this a less than viable career choice, as being an artisan was not financially rewarding. After a few years of doing freelance writing, she decided to take a full-time corporate job to support her art. However, a sense of fulfillment eluded her. After resigning from an advertising position, she decided to travel all over the Philippines in hopes of finding inspiration and enlightened to fuel her foremost passion -which she coined as- "art making". 

Her experience working in an office setting made her wiser to the financial side of creating costume jewelry. She knew that she needed to expand her skills and knowledge in order to make her creations stand out. Her background in sculpting gave her an additional skill set, to which she infused  into her own brand of handmade jewelry.  As it turned out, she lives out her passion by making it a point to learn new things whenever she makes jewelry.  Aside from earning an income from a craft she once set aside, she finally found a creative outlet for her love of art and fashion. By losing herself to the demands of the material world, she found her way back, and continues to create beautiful pieces with a touch of her personality imbued into every single work of art. 

Flow by Steph Lopez is one of our featured artists. We will be showcasing some of her handmade pieces at the Second Sunday in Main in Cincinnati, Ohio on August 10, 2014. Drop by and support Independent Filipino Artists. 

Keeping it real.- PJV

A Mother's Vision: Kalinga by Amaya

"I dedicate this collection to all Moms like me, most especially to my mom who have unselfishly and lovingly raised me and my siblings the best way she could." - Kim, Amaya 

Working and partnering with entrepreneurs and businesses who share in our vision is a very important part of what we do. Being open with ideas, and sharing knowledge in design, is a good way to keep improving our skills. As artisans, we are always open to creative feedback, criticism, and suggestions to make our products better. Consistently working with projects that challenge us, allows us to continue expressing our love for fashion and art, through handmade bead embroidery.   

We believe that in growing a social enterprise, it is a key too to build relationships, not only with the artisans, but with fashion buyers such as Kim, owner of Amaya. Their trust in our capacity to design concepts stemming from their ideas. The quality of the products we provide, as well as their unique style, are the building blocks for our relationship. Kim understands the nature of designing; that the creative aspect is closely tied to the production process of handcrafted bead embroidery statement pieces. They give us the freedom to express ourselves artistically, at the same time, keeping a firm grasp of the standards and aesthetics that her clientele expects from their customised accessories. We want to grow our business along with entrepreneurs who value the painstaking art of creating by hand, because it results in beautiful artistic creations; instead of opting to sell watered down versions made with a half-hearted effort.  

The Kalinga Collection was born from Kim's ideas conceptualised based on her own personal aesthetics. Our role as designers and artisans, was simply to provide her with options on how to execute those ideas, and to turn them into unique handmade bead jewellery necklaces. For this collection, she was inspired by the orchid and the many significances the flower holds over a diverse number of cultures. The orchid is a symbol of love, luxury, beauty and perfection, but what attracted her the most was its ties to feminine beauty. 

As a mother herself, Kim knows that the joy that of bringing forth new life, and nurturing them to become individuals in their own right, can be attributed to her own personal experience being raised by a warm, loving woman. Strength, beauty, and grace are qualities that any mother must imbue to her children if she expects them to thrive as people of substance, especially in a world that places value on the superficial. Thus, she dedicates this collection to all women who know the that the weight of responsibilities  placed on a mother's shoulders is well worth the effort, if you love someone unconditionally. 

Amaya by Kim Basa is one of our featured artists. We will be showcasing some of their daily handmade pieces at the Second Sunday in Main in Cincinnati, Ohio on August 10, 2014. Drop by and support Independent Filipino Artists. 

Keeping it real.- PJV