Hint of Pink

Hint of Pink by palamuti-storytelling-jewels featuring Rated PG Party Clutch by Paola Germar 

This season, many are focused on greys and blacks, with these being the the traditional colour palette as winter approaches; compliments to the cold and mystery the season brings. But for us, we want to make our wardrobe fun with a touch of femininity, by adding a hint of pink to the whole ensemble. A touch of pink will give your wardrobe the needed warmth in a background of dark tones, like a flicker of hope that spring will be just around the corner. And like with our other outfits, we are advocates of handmade fashion.

Rated PG Clutch Bag by Paola Germar 

We love Paola Germar's party clutches. Paola's love for fashion and art gives her artistic creations a distinct look. When paired with your other articles of clothing, they make your fashion picks stand out. We love the texture brought by the uneven cut stones, enough to convince us that this bag is a truly must have for all occasions. The bags also have a detachable chain, adding versatility to it from, alternating between a party to daily on the go and a trendy clutch bag.

BARE NECESSITIES 

Keeping it real.-PJV 

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

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 

Time of Giving

The the holiday season is upon us, and what better way to celebrate the time of giving than by purchasing beautiful handmade accessories as gifts for friends and loved ones. These handmade creations come with an advocacy of helping talented Filipino women from marginalised sectors of society. Our business partner and supporter based in the USA, Michelle Denisoff, will be joining a series of trade shows in Ohio and Los Angeles to share with her community the products made by mothers and out of school youth from urban and rural poor communities in the Philippines.   

Among the designs that will be showcased in these series of trade shows are: 

DALOY Collection

This collection is based freehand beading, not following any patterns, with the use of recycled materials unto the felt cloth. Unlike our other designs, which we usually sketch before proceeding to actual bead embroidery, this set  requires full utility of an artisan's needle skills. She must also tap into her design skills, with a little imagination, so as to be able to come up with a balanced design using materials of different texture and size. In making these necklaces, creativity and mastery of materials, including colour schemes, are brought into play and challenged, when doing free flowing designs. 

ALITAPTAP Collection

 

"Alitaptap" is a Filipino word which means firefly. People who are accustomed to city life are deprived of chance to see these magical creatures. During our visit to one of the far-flung provinces in the Philippines, the presence of fireflies on a nightly basis was a surreal experience . Their beauty bordered on the ethereal,  inspiring us in this collection. We used gem acrylic beads to capture the likeness of its glow, with acrylic crystals as accents, finished with braided satin to form the necklace. 

EL NIDO- LIKHA Collection

The Philippines has a wide talent pool of skilled and artistic workers. Handcrafting has been in the culture and tradition of Filipinos, even before the Spanish colonial era. As the nation shifted to industrialisation and modernity, the value placed in handcrafting began to diminish. Advances in technology, communication, and appreciation for handmade works of art have opened opportunities for these Filipino women artisans to find an alternative means of livelihood with artistic skills developed through generations of handcrafting. 

This is a collection of bead embroidered pieces that were made by the participants of our informal workshop with selected women based in El Nido. The designs were inspired by El Nido's natural beauty from flowers to fallen leaves. 

SIBOL Collection

For these necklaces, we chose to incorporate brooch settings into the braided satin, as a breather from our heavy bead embroidery concept pieces. The brooch settings are hand stitched on a satin rope, embellished with acrylic crystals and faux pearls.

LAKBAY DULCE Collection

 

Marites Dulce is a mother from an urban poor community in Manila, who we trained to become a bead embroidery artisan. She handcrafted most of the pieces in our summer collection. We decided to use wood and cut beads as the main accents for these pieces. Marites has gone a long way in creating statement pieces, and in honour of her achievements as an unemployed housewife to a highly skilled women artisan,we named this collection after her.

HIRAYA Freeform Collection 

Doing freeform designs are the most difficult, but rewarding form of beading. Novie Katimpo, a high school graduate from a rural province in the Philippines who was sent to work as a housemaid, became our first in-house apprentice. After training for 5 years, she has accumulated knowledge with materials, as well as being able to mix and match them intuitively. We believe that to improve their skills, our artisans should be challenged with every project. Working freehand, without any guides and blueprints, allow them to develop their artistic vision and creativity.

For inquiries  you may contact us at the following:

E: info@palamutishop.com 

M# & VIBER #: 310-529-8991 

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Fleur de Lis Collection

We recently made several handmade accessories inspired by the "Fleur de Lis", a stylised design of medieval French origin. Its meant to represent the different classes in medieval society. The working class, the clergy, and the military are depicted by the three petals of the Lily, or Iris, flower. This symbol was traditionally used as adornment for coats of arms and flags of French monarchs. Its popularity became widespread as other European nations began to adapt the "Fleur de Lis" for their own purposes. To this very day, this iconic emblem is still used in many different variations.

Due to the "Fleur de Lis'" vertical orientation, we decided on medallion design to better capture the petals curved profile and sharp edges. All in all, we were able to come up with a total of three necklaces in different colors representing Fall & Winter. We used the following materials: acrylic gemstone and crystals, seed beads, gold plated chain with faux leather back finishing with this opera styled necklace. The bead embroidered medallion part of the necklace measures six inches, while the chain's length is twelve inches. The total neckline measurement is twenty-four inches.

These necklaces are part of our upcoming Fall/Winter collection, which we will be unveiling in conjunction with the relaunch of our website and online store. With improved skills and newly learned techniques, we are hoping that we were able to elevate the texture and depth of our handcrafted accessories. The subtle tones we were going for on the "Fleur de Lis" design give it an understated appearance for a statement necklace, yet we're very pleased with the elegant outcome of the final product.

In the coming days, we will be blogging our Fall and Winter designs,  leading up to our website's launch date. If you wish to preorder any of these new handmade accessories before we finally list them, please send us a message on Facebook, Twitter, or through email. 

Keeping it real. -PJV

Teaching Beyond Walls

We believe in starting with something small so that we can make more meaningful changes along the way. Novie is our first in-house artisan and apprentice. Since coming to Manila from a rural community in the northern Philippines, she has already mastered most of our basic beading techniques. With every handmade piece of costume jewelry, she grows her skills in designing and beading. The best thing about teaching artisans such as her is that she is now capable of transferring the knowledge she gained by teaching other potential women artisans. For the past years, we have been invited to conduct small scale workshops, mostly for participants from poor communities, on how to make handmade accessories. As our chief apprentice she has played a significant role as an instructor for these workshops. The opportunity to teach others a skill in which they can use to help their livelihood, has helped her improve her skills as an artist. These workshops have also given us a sense of direction and fulfilment; that small scale efforts will someday amount to become relevant.

Our El Nido workshop for this year, was her most challenging livelihood training workshop. In this assignment, she was the main resource person who taught the participants. She was in charge of a group of women, ranging from teenage girls, mothers and grandmothers. After that, when we got back to Manila, our neighbour (who is also our current seamstress for our scarves) suggested that we teach her household help in beading, so that she can earn much needed extra income. Lyn-Lyn, who hails from Northern Samar, and has nine siblings she helps support financially, decided that her free time after household chores were best spent learning a new skill to help her earn money. Now, that we see Novie's maturity and equipped to handle an apprentice of her own, she started teaching Len-Len. She and Novie would spend entire afternoons, beading in our "kubo". On other days, Novie would be the one to go to Lyn's house and they would do their respective projects together there. The way Novie goes about to teach Len-Len is how I taught her all those years back. Teaching and learning should be a serious process, but without the absence of fun and positive reinforcement. In most of our blogs, we always reiterate that designing is more than being able to draw and sketch, it is to able to envision the process for the idea to take form. This however is not something that is done over a night or over a few courses. It is a lifetime commitment and devotion to your craft.  I continue to learn new techniques everyday, by allowing myself to work on several personal projects as part of my daily routine. 

We have always believed in the potential of communities to be able to help one another.  Caring for the people within  your immediate vicinity is always a good place to start, and we have tried to weave this into our advocacy. It is very hard to find women who will commit to a 6 month training of bead embroidery. In these hard times, opportunities to earn money are limited, especially to those who are experiencing life beneath the poverty line. I have always shared to my family and friends, even with our apprentice, Novie, that the end goal of what we are doing is not only to make money, but to empower and change the mindset of people when it comes to work. 

Beyond that, we want to place value in our craft, wherein our clients understand the process of making, creating and producing finished products. This ensures that hard work coupled with passion, are rewarded. 

Keeping it real.- PJV

Customized Gift with Love and Uniqueness

"Thank you soooo much Pj Valenciano for this superb and exquisite unique handicrafted necklace.. it's sooo beautiful and I cannot express how I am surprised because its beauty is beyond my expectation. It's more beautiful in actual.. no doubt that it was made by love and dedication.. I don't just like it but I soooo love it!!! I will surely help again  super thanks again "Palamuti" by PJ Valenciano. Please extend my deepest appreciation to the admirable woman who made it."- Carmela 

Carmela, otherwise known as Cha to her friends, is our newest client based in Singapore. Being a person whose fashion sense leaned towards the contemporary, she fell in love with one of our classic designs. The Requiron Necklace is a handmade necklace, bead embroidered with a red theme. For an upcoming special occasion, her birthday, the family celebrated with dinner at a fancy restaurant. She decided to have a handmade necklace customized, as an accent for her attire.  Cha was so enamored with her customized handcrafted piece, that  she ordered another one in a different color, as a gift for her Tita Elvie.

The power of the internet helps us communicate with our clients based abroad. While Cha now lives in Singapore, her other relatives, such as Tita Elvie, was based in the Philippines. Through a few clicks, she was able to place her order, have it shipped to a relative in a different country, and have it wrapped beautifully in an artistic manner. Included with her gift was a note from her family, written on delicate stationery paper.

We love receiving orders that speak of our  client's personality and style. We believe that every woman is unique, with her very own story to tell. Their tales, though not directly spoken, can be seen through people, place and things that shapes her life. Cha's choice of handmade costume jewelry not only shows her keen sense of fashion and art but her kind spirit towards helping Filipino women artisans. In making Cha's customized piece, we tried to present a creation which reflected her personality. Throughout the entire process of designing and crafting, we asked for Cha's opinion regarding the colors, materials, and overall appearance of the piece. Handmade art is made special because you are able to control the quality and design every step of the creation process. By incorporating elements of Carmela's fashion sense, we were inspired to make a piece that spoke of Carmela's love and affection for Tita Elvie.

Keeping it real.- PJV

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