Inspiring Stories: Meet Beng

Beng was part of the first group of mothers we trained from our chosen urban poor community. She became interested in making handmade accessories when another one of our beaders, Tess Dulce, started making accessories in her home. Whenever, she and the other mothers would call Tess for afternoon socializing, Tess would turn down the invitation because she was working on Palamuti Accessories. Beng, and other mothers became curious and asked Tess if they too can make handmade accessories during their spare time.

Thus, our relationship with Beng and the others based in Tess’ community began. We conducted a one-day training for this group of mothers and eventually assigned simple projects which they can make at home. We provided the materials for them to use in their projects and when the products are done, we pick and pay them upfront. Beng, as with most of the other mothers, is a full time housewife. She stays home to take care of her son, while her husband works 8-10 hours a day on a full time job. Palamuti became an opportunity to use up her idle time while providing additional income to her family. Her love for crafting made her a good candidate as a Palamutibeader. 

We took notice of Beng’s natural talent for crafting, and eventually started assigning her with more complicated assignments. She was best at making our Hiraya Scarf Necklaces, expertly producing them at great speed. She was especially helpful during the late Christmas rush of 2012, wherein we had a high demand for our handmade scarf necklaces. During that time, we only had a few beaders who were skilled enough to be able to make the embellished scarves. Beng was one of those beaders that you could count on.

With her earnings, she was able to put up her own "mini-grocery" in her community, which she manages along with her husband. We are very proud of Beng. She truly lives up to the “Hiraya” namesake, which means “hopes and dreams”. For us at Palamuti, we are glad to share these dreams and small successes with our beaders. It’s also a dream come true for us that our mission of spreading hope, beauty and empowerment, was able to make a difference with Beng.

   

Hiraya Scarf Necklace Tops This Year's Gift List

The big holiday rush has started! It's time to scout and hunt for that perfect Christmas present. However, I simply don't have the time and energy to visit malls and bazaars. Luckily enough, Palamuti has an array of wonderful gifts that I can choose from. Topping my list is this season's bestseller, the Hiraya scarf necklaces, which are embellished with a variety of stones, pearls, shells, and beads.

This is a wonderful addition to anyone's collection, as most people are fond of using plain scarves for the most part. I love the idea that it's a necklace and scarf in one, which gives a much-needed boost to a plain-looking wardrobe style. The fabric is very lightweight and soft to on skin, and it doesn't encumber me, unlike other wool or cotton scarves that my Grammy used to give me.



Hiraya comes in different colors and lengths, and you can even create your own design, since Palamuti accommodates requests for customization. It boasts the best quality, as the materials used came from excellent sources and manufacturers. It became a very popular gift item, even gaining some attention from the local press.

Hiraya can be worn over formal dresses and it is perfect to wear for work. If you're looking for a gift to give your boss, clients, or office colleagues; this item is a perfect choice. See how they manage to work this versatile piece with their office attires:

Hiraya is available online at palamutishop.com. For wholesale or bulk orders, send us a query at the following email addresses:

Philippines: kimph@palamutishop.com 

United Arab Emirates: marivic@palamutishop.com 

US/Canada/Europe: michelle@palamutishop.com 

Hong Kong: aileenhk@palamutishop.com 

Scarf Fashion: Hiraya as Hijab

Scarf Fashion: Hiraya as Hijab by palamuti-storytelling-jewels featuring a pink necklace

Our Hiraya Scarf Necklace are now available on SOUQ.COM!
You can purchase through this link: 
http://uae.souq.com/ae-en/mavcs79/p/

Interested in carrying our products for your your boutique or online shop? You may get in touch with our Palamuti Representative, Marivic Sevilla by calling +00971-555380324. You may also email her at marivic@palamutishop.com. 

Purple jewelry
uae.souq.com

Necklace
uae.souq.com

Pink necklace
uae.souq.com

Different Ways To Wear A Scarf

We love scarves, and in spite of the heat, we continue to make more. You've seen our Hiraya Scarf-Necklaces, and we've shared how to use our Rosalina Scarves as head wraps. This time around, we want to show you different ways on how to wrap scarves around your neck. Here are our top 3 favorite ways to wear a scarf :

# 1: Classic Drape

# 2:  The Bunny Ear

# 3: The Braid

 

 To learn and find out more ways on how to wear your scarf, visit our Facebook Fan Page.

You can also watch this video by Wendy's Look Book.

Head-Wraps and Head Scarves

We've been playing around with our newly found passion for scarves. We had an idea to make head-wraps, and it came about when Tita Mercy, an inspiring and strong-willed woman battling cancer and undergoing chemotherapy, and needed an alternative to a wig. In conjunction to this, we have been receiving requests to make "Tarhas" to pair with Abayas, by family and friends based in the Middle East. Thus our affair with head-wraps and head scarves began. 

Our inspiration, Tita Mercy, wearing her head-wrap with customized brooch. We made a two-toned head-wrap which she can wear to work.

The fabric we used for our two toned head-wraps are micro-peach and chiffon.

More two-toned head-wraps.

This one is a triangle scarf, with beading on the edges, which

 can be used as "Tarha" over an Abaya. 

This  scarf collection  is named after my mother, Rosalina. Unlike the Hiraya Scarf-Necklace, the beading is embroidered around the edges of the scarf. This was inspired by the beading techniques of women from Basilan, Philippines.  

Our Hiraya Scarf-Necklace can be used as a head-wrap and necklace at the same time!

Using the Hiraya Scarf-Necklace as a headpiece looks romantic, like a "Juliet" inspired veil. You can have something like this customized for your wedding entourage. Let the girls wear it as a headpiece on your wedding ceremony, and afterwards they can wear it as a scarf-necklace.

Another fun way to wear the scarf as a headpiece is to use it as a headband.

 Braid the rest of the scarf to your hair.

With just one scarf and a little bit of imagination, 

there are many ways to use it as a head accessory.

Here are our favorite videos on head-wraps from MOAMNetwork

Scarf Necklaces

After a year, we finally had the time to make one. It has been in our list of things to do since a good friend from the US suggested Palamuti by PJ Valenciano to make scarves. Here it is, our Hiraya Scarf-Necklaces, which we released last Christmas. Since then, we developed the design and added some embellishments, to give our clients a wider selection. 

This is the first piece we made which we used as sample to show clients. One customer fell in love with this piece and insisted on buying it on the spot. 

 Our standard sized scarf-necklaces in summer colors. 

 At first we only made scarves using two yards of fabric, but some clients were requesting for longer ones, so we obliged. The thing with a long scarf-necklace is; you can wear it in many different ways.

Novie, one of our beaders, shows us how a long scarf-necklace can be turned into a belt. 

You can also wear it into a bolero. 

Use the long edges and tie it into a ribbon on the neckline making it into a 

statement neck piece.

Turn it into a cowl inspired necklace. 

At first we used semi-precious stones, acrylic crystals, and seed beads for the necklace design. After a while we started using mother of pearl shells and we also began adding seed bead tassels to the edges of the scarves. 

This scarf-necklace was commissioned by one of our loyal clients and her batchmates, to be given to their professor in Theater Arts.  

We made a scarf-necklace which matches the gracefulness of a dancer.

We were enjoying stitching tassels, we experimented different ways to do it. 

And here are some of the beautiful women in the real world loving our Hiraya Scarf-Necklaces.

 "Thank you so much for the scarves! I liked what you did with the gray one, it looks alive but not too striking. The red one is very mature and appropriate for the recipient, and my piece is just... wonderful!"

Maybelline Victor

Color of the Year: Emerald

Photo Credit: www.glitteringstones.com

 “The traditional color associated with the Emerald (stone) is the deep green color and was strongly favored as a popular gem in Victorian jewelry. The meaning of colors through the ages represented many aspects of life. Social, religious, biblical and Christian symbolism, were all reflected in the color green! The symbolic meaning of the color green was renewal of life and nature.”  http://www.birthdaygems.org

Photo Credit: www.pantone.com

Photo Credit:

http://www.pantone.com/pages/index.aspx?pg=21055

Every year the Pantone Color Institute, the authority in color, announces the color of the year based on a series of polls and research.  This year, Emerald steals the spotlight from Tangerine Tango as the color of 2013.  The Emerald is associated with deep green; representing nature, abundance and life.  Expect the dominance of this color not only in fashion but in different fields of design.   

If you want to incorporate this year’s color to your wardrobe, you can do so without resorting to a complete makeover and wardrobe overhaul. The trick is is to accessorize yourself. You may even have accessories tucked away. If you do not, listed below are some of our suggested accessories to keep. 

1.) Hiraya Scarf-Necklace: Believe it or not, this statement necklace can also be a scarf. The edges were tucked to the neckline. You can wear this over a black or white top. You can also pair your scarf necklace with the following colors: African  Violet, Nectarine and Lemon Zest.  

 

 

2.) Hiyas in Shades of Green: An embellished necklace should be able to complete even the most basic of outfits. You can wear this with your corporate blouse or dress. You may even wear this over a simple butterfly cut blouse on a casual day.

 

3.) Dulce Necklace: You don't have to go all the way deep green to keep with the theme. This necklace is a mix of assorted colored cut beads and green seed beads as the main accent. You can pair this necklace with a simple white or black tee with a round neck-- a great piece which can bring you from casual to a formal affair.

4.) Wire Art Brooch: Brooches have been used for ages, and the truth is you can use them in other ways apart from pinning it to your clothes. You can use a simple brooch like this one to add accent to your bag, hat or scarf.

5.) Daily Palamuti Earrings: Your set of accessories won't be complete without earrings.  The dangling crystals are detachable so you can wear it both on special occasions and casual dates.

6.) Maruja Bracelet with Decoupaging: Charm bracelets never go out of style, nor do we think they ever will be. With a few tweaks on the design, you can turn this basic concept into something that suits today's fashion. 

7.) Customized Embellished Necklace: Celebrate your uniqueness by having your costume jewelry customized! Give us your concept and we will gladly execute it for you.