There is not a single item made by Maria Vasechko that I would not purchase. While she juggles being a student at the Latvia Art Academy, being a graphic designer, photographer, and sometimes video director with her boyfriend, she finds time to work on another spectrum of art, fashion accessories.
"It's not the only thing I do, but maybe it's the most pleasant. I love trying something new all the time and now I"m just looking for myself in this life.
"My Etsy shop is just a way to share my ideas and a great motivation to create more," Maria said.
You can find her unique handmade accessories and vintage finds for sale internationally through her Etsy shop.
"I just see people who could wear my accessories or jewelry - their lifestyle, self-perception and even appearance. It's always different, of course, but it's in my head all the time. That's why it's always very interesting to communicate [with] people who want to buy something - I love personalizing things or adjusting them for someone specifically," Maria said.
It is hard to imagine that her customers would want something other than what she has produced though. Her jewelry caters to a specific group of feminine women with a taste for rustic feeling jewelry such as her geometric bracelet and antlers headband.
Her use of suede, chain, leather, and even seashells makes it no surprise that her inspiration stems from the materials she uses to make her accessories.
"When I see some piece of fabric, stone or just a piece of something I imagine where it can be used," Maria said. This doesn't always means that her creations will turn out the way she first imagines them. Rather they evolve through the process and are finished when she feels one specific emotion toward them.
"If I'm already in love with the product I see - it is finished," Maria said.
Outside of creating Maria enjoys dancing, bike riding, cooking, walking with no certain place to go, chilling with friends, watching movies, making art, chatting, and sometimes simply staying in bed all day enjoying life little pleasures.
You can follow her journey through her Etsy shop, mariaHandmade.
It was my birthday earlier this month and I got my favorite flowers from both my husband and mum. I like and dislike flowers all at the same time. I like them because they are pretty and brighten up a place, and I dislike them because they hardly last long. One of my favorite things to do in these situations is to photograph them. That way, they may die out, but at least I'll have photographs of them to last me a lifetime.
I did several shoots with my sunflowers. My fine art photo of the week this week is one from the set I'm still editing, which I actually really love, and hope you like.
Speaking of my photography. I'm having my second go at trying to get ZoiShop featured on Heartsy, a craft discount web Site kind of like Groupon only for people who sell on Etsy. The hardest part about getting featured is that it works through a voting process. So please, if you haven't a moment and like my photography, vote for me to be featured. It could mean getting a huge discount on my work, and lots of exposure for my shop!
One thing that I miss about my life before being married is being able to do volunteer work. For almost two years, I volunteered at a food bank, CALL Primrose in Burlingame, California, and I absolutely loved it. So when Joe and I got married and moved up to South Lake Tahoe, that was one of the things that I had to let go of. I'm not saying if wasn't worth it. I love my husband and my new home. But, I am on the quest to find new ways to give back to the world and those in need.
I was watching How I Met Your Mother today and one of the commercials featured Krochet Kids International a nonprofit organization out of Uganda. If you haven't heard of this great corporation yet, it all started with three friends. These friends developed an idea and would go on to teach impoverish communities in Uganda how to crotchet and sell their items as a means to break the cycle.
You can purchase Krochet Kids International merchandise by clicking here.
As it gets colder here in South Lake Tahoe, I've got my eyes on the following knits from them.
The 5207.5 Beanie:
The Henry Tee:
My favorite part is that each handmade item is signed by the person who made it.
One of my favorite trends right now are geometric things. From blouses with geometric prints to jewelry, I am thoroughly enticed by the trend. Best of all, there are so many amazing things being handmade with a geometric design.
The following are some sweet finds from Etsy.com that follow this trend. Some of my favorites.
It might be that I've been watching way too many episodes of Storage Wars, but lately I've been drawn to selling vintage items.
Last weekend Joe and I went vintage hunting and we plan to do so again this week. Our great finds are available to be purchased through ZoiShop, my Etsy shop.
The following are what we currently offer in our vintage finds department.
I'm having a print sale on my original 4x6 photo prints through my Etsy Shop, ZoiShop. From now until the end of September you can purchase each of my ready to ship 4x6 prints for only $5, $3 off their regular price. Best of all, they're ready to ship, which means next day shipping is guaranteed and you can expect them within 1 to 4 business days if you're in the US and from 8 to 10 business days internationally.
The following are some of the prints you'll find for sale. To purchase them, simple click on the photo to be taken to my Etsy.
I'm stoked about the new projects I have going on and the never ending list of photo ideas.
There's something about Zooey Deschanel that is absolutely charming. Maybe it's her huge blue eyes or quirky sense of style. I'm not sure, but this fall she stars in the Fox show New Girl that I actually can't wait to see. It premieres tonight, and is about a quirky geek that moves in with three men after a bad break-up, and her adventures to find a new love interest with the guidance of her new roomies.
The following is a cute interview of Zooey that I found on A Cup of Jo today.
I think I'm equally excited for Spring fashion as I am will this years fall fashion. Sheer fabrics, metallics, mismatching, flower prints all sound pretty groovy to me.
This weekend Joe and I explored a lot of elements of our new town, South Lake Tahoe, for the first time. The weather was perfect, so it allowed us to go kayaking at the lake and vintage hunting at the weekly flea market not far from our home. We also found a great place to eat breakfast, the Red Hut Waffle Shop.
We both came out with vintage cameras and happy tummies, so I would venture to say the weekend was a success. I hope we have a few more weekends like this one before it starts snowing.
You can find some of the vintage finds from the weekend already for sale on my Etsy shop.
What did you do this weekend loves? Hope it was a fun one.
