The Artist's Den by Paola Germar, Rated PG

When people remember an event, our mind utilises our memory  to fill in the gaps, by using preconceived thoughts about what we know . My bags are pieces of fun memories ,a bit jumbled and vague. They are inspired by snips of details in events in my life that I like to reminisce about.

I like creating things which make one's imagination work. My creations can be interpreted in different ways by different people, depending on what they have experienced. By using precious stones, wood and glass, I try to mimic the sharpness , strength, intensity and vividness of dreams through their assortment of colors, textures and arrangements. Hopefully, my pieces can trigger everyone's imagination and bring back fun and happy memories to people who see them.

       ABOUT THE ARTIST

 “I paint a lot and design things a lot , and ever since, I’ve 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 for my brand , every time people hear it, they would remember my stuff. I like making everyday things look like art, or transform them so that they could be hung in galleries as artwork. I like to make everything pretty and try to make everyone smile . " - Paola Germar

As a major in Fine Arts and Painting, Paola Germar utilized her knowledge of the visual arts to create her brand of edgy handmade products. Also as a graduate of dress making and knitting, she has a command of using different mediums and materials, which she uses to enhance her creations. She came up with her brand name, Rated PG, after the “Parental Guidance” tag that’s attached to rate certain television shows, because it struck her that her initials were always mentioned on TV! As an artist, she is a combination of wide-eyed youthful perspective and quirky ideas. It is her hope that as she shares her memories and experiences with you through art, she’s simply trying to make you smile.

Wiring with Passion by Steph Lopez, FLOW

Flow’s pieces are made with the utmost care, and are usually time-consuming to make. At least where the wire pieces are concerned, I avoid making the same item over again. The end result for the pieces, I hope, is that they make the wearer feel as unique and as special as she truly is.

I’ve consigned two kinds of items to Palamuti by PJ Valenciano for her trade shows in the US this year: the Teardrop Necklaces and the Bejewelled Clutch.

Teardrop Necklaces

The necklaces with teardrop pendants are one of my more popular items.  I start with aluminum wire which I shape into a teardrop. Then, I weave on embellishments (such as crystals, pearls, and beads) onto the metal frame using stainless steel wire. I attach a jump ring to the pendant, so it can be easily slipped onto chain or omega wire. Meticulously-made and eye-catching, these pendants go well with the simplest of outfits, as much as they do with formal attire.

Bejewelled Clutch

Leather is such a beautiful material, and I wanted to incorporate wirework with leather to make these bags. Unfortunately, I have yet to learn how to work with leather, so I tapped other people to make the body of the bag for me. The ones I’ve consigned to Palamuti are made with leather from Pakistan; since my supplier could not find black leather of the same stiffness locally. The body of the bag has holes in front where I slip the stainless steel wire. Basically, these crystals and pearls are woven onto the leather body. These bags were designed for dressy nights out and formal occasions. While sparkly and feminine, these clutches are tough, as they are made of leather and stainless steel wire.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

"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

While many jewelry businesses start from the love of jewelry, Flow started the other way – it first came about as a way for Steph Lopez to supplement her income as a sculptor and visual artist. This eventually cultivated her love for jewellery-making as an artform in itself, thus serving as an impetus to create pieces that make a woman feel special and unique, as she is truly meant to be. She started to learn how to make jewellery in 2012, and establishing her brand Flow, soon followed. Her unique style of handmade jewellery pieces and other trinkets has evolved gradually since then.  In the past year, she has been focused on making more ornate pieces that incorporate a lot of wirework – an element of design she lifted from her experience in making most of her sculptures. The name “Flow” came to her as she was taking a vacation by the sea. Her love for the beach and water inspired her brand name, and describes the process of how she works when it comes to making “trinkets”.  As an artist, she subscribes to a very spontaneous and “flowing” process. Usually, she simply compiles her materials in front of her, and allows her creativity to flow. Rarely does she draw or plan on how most pieces will look once they’re done.

Style & Sensibilities by Kim Basa, Amaya Accents

Beauty and grace are traits that are innate to every woman. How one carries herself radiates one's individuality. A woman's choice of clothes, shoes, and accessories speaks volumes about her personality, and also strongly conveys her uniqueness from others. 

My personal aesthetics lean towards classic, minimalist and bold.I stick to this baseline when trying to cross elements of design when I feel like experimenting. However, there is one definite fashion statement that will not be missed out: the statement necklace! I believe and feel that wearing something different and unique can spruce up my ensemble

I think it goes with the fact that I used to be shy and timid, It took me a lot of guts to wear something so bold during the first time. Yet I felt strongly about wearing something connected to my personality, so I went for it. Ss I found my way out of my shell, I started to gain confidence to uncloak a new version of me; a new and improved version.

When my friends and I plan a gathering, we think of a theme of what everyone gets to wear. For October, which is my birthday month, we chose black themed attire accompanied by a statement necklace. Since it's going to be a dinner with other friends celebrating my birthday, a statement necklace was included as part of the theme, because it's something that speaks about me. In preparation, I considered having a customised piece, which I designed myself.  I chose a flower design with  a touch of red to break the black and white combination. I loved how this complemented my black and white outfit. You see, the look that I was able to create was about me, myself and I. I purposely didn't try to imitate a style icon, as I believe that it will go against who I am. 

In essence,personal style, for me, is being myself. I believe I can never go wrong with that. 

ABOUT THE ARTIST-ENTREPRENEUR  

Kim started Amaya due to her fondness in accessorizing with the use of uniquely handcrafted necklaces.  It started when she got pregnant with her second child, a girl, who she wanted to share her affinity and passion for dressing up. Encouraged by the thought of realizing a dream, she named her brand of unique handmade accessories after her daughter, Amaya. As she continues to pursuing this vision of providing unique handcrafted accessories to moms like her, who share the same love for handmade accessories, she’s thankful that she found the wisdom and inspiration, despite the many challenges facing entrepreneurs and artists, through one significant life event --- being a mother to a daughter named Amaya.

What we love most with Amaya Accents' handmade pieces is the simple functionality of the design. If you are the type who's looking for classic, casual wearable pieces, we recommend Amaya's Daily Wear Necklaces. Drop by and show your support for Filipino Independent Artists at the American Bead Shows this coming October 25-26 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Holiday Ornamental Scarf

We have been designing scarf necklaces since 2012. The idea for this design was pitched to us by a good friend, Sheryll, who is now based in the United States. When she purchased some of our handmade pieces, she suggested to us to make scarves, so that she can wear something for her fall outfit. We kept her suggestion in mind. We finally released our first batch of scarf necklace collection which we named "Hiraya" in 2012. After which, we made several versions of the beaded scarf using different materials such as; mother of pearl, fresh water pearls, semi precious stones and acrylic crystals for the embellishments. We used various fabrics, but mainly we kept our focus on chiffon by positioning the scarves as ornamental pieces. These designs can be worn on special occasions during the different seasons.

Our scarf necklaces received a following from our customers. Until now, our old designs are still being reordered.  They were also a big hit during the Christmas Season, when the ornamental scarves were commonly given as gifts. We first experimented with the idea of doing intricate beading on our chiffon scarves with the Queen of Thorns Collection. Its main design was done on felt cloth, and was eventually reinforced the scarf.

We have recently decided to focus on bead embroidery as a distinct technique and main style for our handmade pieces.  In line with this, we thought of fusing our chiffon scarves with our bead embroidery designs. We asked Marites, one of our women artisans from an urban poor community, to recreate Mayumi,  a popular design which was originally part of our summer collection. This time around, we shifted towards Fall Colors. Once finished, we added the chiffon scarf (2.5 yards) in place of a chain or satin cord. As a final touch, we used faux leather for the back finishing. This ornamental artisan scarf should be a great addition to any sophisticated Fall wardrobe!

Keeping it real.- PJV

Whispers of the Seasons: Fall/Winter Handmade Collection

These statement pieces, along with vintage Palamuti designs, will be available on our website's relaunch on October 2014. We're currently making improvements  with a user-friendly e-commerce interface, as well as a whole new look, just in time before the season of gift giving begins. 

Maharlika 

For this new collection, I have decided to focus solely on bead embroidery for all our designs. The inspiration for these necklaces is a collective vision of the fall & winter seasons. I've incorporated our signature style to the seasons' motif,colours, and themes; taking  inspiration from a wide variety of sources, taking advantage of the aesthetic diversity present among things such as the  "Fleur De Lis", Autumn Leaves, Japanese Art, and Islamic Geometric Patterns. 

Maharlika 

Fall colors reminds me of royalty. "Maharlika" is the Tagalog word for royalty, and this design is my fashion vision for this season. I have three versions of this design to represent the different neckline types women are most likely to have. The key element that brings the design together is harmony of colours, with its curved patterns and stylized branches, to give it a royal setting.

Laya

This pieces is another rendition of the stylised branch. I decided to use the depth and versatility of cut beads in making these statement necklaces; adding semi-precious stones and acrylic crystals as accents. This interpretation of a stylised branch emphasises play with this year's colours.

Rariza

This Fall/Winter season we are all about long statement necklaces and geometric patterns. Using our core technique, bead embroidery, I had our beaders creat patterns alternating the use of cut beads and seed beads. The seed beads for this neckace gives the necklace the texture necessary to prevent it from looking flat. To round out the finish, we used aluminum silver plated chain, to fuse modernity and traditional techniques present in the design.

Old Rose

Flower concepts are a favorite theme in this year's collection, and I have designed several pieces inspired by the rose. I decided to make a rose statement necklace in black and gold. Unlike past flower inspired pieces that I have designed before, what sets this piece apart is the special focus on using texture to give depth to the petals. Our Palamuti Apprentice from a rural community in the Northern Philippines, Novie, took on this project as part of enhancing her skills in handmade bead embroidery.

Maximina

Maximina is our attempt to expand the possibilities of bead embroidery, most especially the use of cut beads. The idea for this collection was to minimize the use of stones, crystals and gem-like craft beads. I decided to focus on cut beads instead, to give it more sparkle. Generally, embellished necklaces are given an emphasis on dimension, by adding components with more volume. Cut beads, in comparison to seed beads, have a certain shimmering quality, which subtly adds glamor, despite its intended simplicity. We utilized this characteristic to improve the effect of beads, individually sewn by hand, to precisely match the shape of cut felt cloth. The flow of the stitched cut beads leaves no room for error, a very intrinsic element to the necklace's design.

Yuri

I am also inspired by concepts and designs from different foreign cultures. This necklace is a rendition of cherry blossoms in winter colors, a tribute to our fascination for Japanese art. We tried to give justice to the quintessential image of the Japanese cherry blossom with added depth and texture. I added raised seed beads to form delicate petals on the flowers.

Lagas

Autumn leaves are the very inspiration for this necklace. Most of all, our commitment to elevating our designs pushed us to experiment in other ways to stitch the seed beads that will create texture and depth to the leaves. Black and gold is the "must have" colour combination for accesorising this fall. Instead of sticking to the traditional gold-orange- red falling leaves, we used neutral colours accented with gold.

Keeping it real.- PJV

Designing from One's Roots

I have an affinity for the province of Ilocos, not only because the Ilocano blood runs through my veins, and because I lived there until I was 6 years old, until I had to attend school in the city. The region has become a significant place during my formative years. I still remember the basket of mangoes that my Inang and Tita Fely would keep away from me because, according to them, I loved mangoes so much they couldn't stop me from eating. I still remember the old lady who lived across the street who'd welcome me every morning to play in her house. I remember going out with my older female cousins in the afternoon to the fields to catch beetles. They would carry me on their back being their "bunso" (an affectionate term for "youngest"). I remember pretending to be asleep when it's time for my afternoon nap, because I was afraid that my Inang will give me a spanking, if she found out that I was awake. 

Both of my parents were born in Ilocos Norte, one of the northern provinces in the Philippines.  Although my siblings and I were raised in  Metro Manila for most of our lives, we grew up in a household that introduced us to the culture of the Ilocanos. Before my grandmother migrated to Hawaii, we used to travel back and forth from the city to the province, especially during summer. In the following years, when my grandmother lived in Hawaii, our Tita Fely would bring us to Ilocos Norte. Most of my childhood years were spent there. 

We were first introduced to the Abel handwoven cloth in the form of a blanket,  a common use for the Abel cloth in an Ilocano household. We had a variety of Abel blankets of different  designs. I loved the material so much that during a lone travel in the province, I went out to find souvenirs made of Abel to bring home to the city. A few years later, I became acquainted with the fabric  as a fashionable bag during my travel to Ilocos in 2001. The bag had a black and white checkered pattern, which I gave as a present to my good friend who is now living in the United States. 

Not knowing that I'd pursue a career as an entrepreneur and designer, my fascination for this locally handwoven cloth has kept me wanting to incorporate this traditional material into our designs. A part of my vision for Palamuti is to use local and homegrown materials that represent the story of my country. Through the years, I have been experimenting on how to make use and elevate the Abel into my costume jewelry designs. This year, I've decided to focus on bead embroidery, and experimented on combining the hand loomed fabric with hand stitched designs. It was imperative that both elements complemented one another because the Abel fabric was a beautiful cloth on its own; especially those with silver and gold thread accents. We couldn't bead on the fabric itself, since it spoiled the Abel's natural beauty. Finally, I decided to use the Abel in place of the chiffon fabric that we use to attach a bead embroidered necklace. 

This new improved merging of two elements and techniques represents our "Nagapwa" Collection. Last year, we released a "Nagapwa" collection, although we only used basic linking and stringing instead of bead embroidery. This year, after several attempts, "Nagapwa" Collection truly represents both me as a bead embroidery artisan-designer and a child of Ilocos Norte Philippines. 

Keeping it real. - PJV