FB Ronnie Handmade - A Family Affair

The Romanian husband and wife team along with Mom create many spectacular items from many different mediums. Veronica likes to create mostly steam punk style jewelry using leather, base metals, glass beads and recycle found objects.  Bracelets and necklaces are her favorites.  She says she enjoys creating these jewels and also wearing them. She also creates some special products from time to time: jewelry boxes, "steampunked" USB flash drives and collages. 
 

Stefan loves to work with wire. He uses mostly enameled copper wire and a variety of beads. His favorites are the rings and the bracelets. But he also creates stunning necklaces and earrings.

Veronica's mother, Ghizela, is the Taylor of the family. She sews bags and purses mostly from denim. Combining other fabrics as well. Recently she started to work a series of headbands and colorful brooches.

Everyone has day jobs  except for Ghizela, who is retired, so the workshop for FBRonnie Handmade is at home for now.  All would very much like to have a shop of their own, one side to sell the other to work and organize workshops from time to time. "Our dream is that some day we could quit our day-jobs and work for our small crafts business and sustain ourselves from our own hands work."

Please visit FBRonnieHandmade at Etsy!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/FBRonnie

Celestial Chainmail

Chainmaille Bikini Top

Celestial Chainmail is company started by a husband and wife team who lives outside of Crestview, Florida. Two other artist friends help out with the shop and even create some of their own items as well.  

Chainmaille is the art of hand weaving tiny little rings to create such items as jewelry, armor, clothing and other great items.  If you are thinking of knights and battle gear, you are on the right track.  Special pieces are added to some creations such as beads, shells, feathers and coins.  The process of weaving the the jump rings is time consuming and is very difficult intricate work.  Some works taking months to complete.  I can only imagine how sore their fingers can get. But the owners say, "All in all it is very rewarding in the end".

Shell and Pearl Fairy Maille Earrings

The owners of Celestial Chainmail vend at the local Gulf Coast Renaissance Fair and Pirate Festival.  You can also see their lovely work at http://www.etsy.com/shop/CelestialChainmail. Special orders are welcome!  All  products come with a lifetime warranty. 

TS Rubber - Repurposed and Recycled Fashion

The Queens Envy has recently become a member of the H.A.R.D.C.O.R.E. Team and in getting to know my teammates I am blogging a few of the other member shops.   

TSRubber is owned by Tanja Schroeder a 46 year old woman who lives on a small island in Denmark. "A very beautiful place, where people take a holiday."  Full of old buildings and ancient castles.  A place I would love to visit someday.

Rubber Harness  (photo by www.larsws.dk)

In 2005, Tanja began a job where she worked with children after their schooling.  She would teach them arts and crafts and to make gifts for their parents.  After two years, she started selling her own designs in small galleries in Denmark.

An interest in recycling and reusing, is her inspiration.  Tanja receives her used rubber from a local company who makes inner tubes for tractors, harvester combines, etc...  The rubber is very dirty when she gets it and gets cleaned 2 -3 times and is then polished with water based silicone. A friend helps in cutting out circles with a special tool and everything is put together with an old industrial Singer shoe sewing machine with some intricate hand work added.  

I cannot help but get a sense of fantasy seen in such movies as The City of Lost Children or Brazil. The belts, bags and jewelry designs have a Steampunk, Gothic feel, no doubt attributed to the old castles surrounding Tanja's small island.  The products are all unique, and some of them are adorned with military jewelry, gears, grommits and found objects. Different textures and patterns from the inner tubes add interest and overlap with original stamps which are still visible on the product. 

 

  

For more information, wholesale prices or to shop go to:

mail@tanjaschroeder.dk

or
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TSRUBBER

For more information on the shops included in the H.A.R.D.C.O.R.E. Team go to:  http://www.etsy.com/teams/12536/hardcore-artist-team