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The finishing touch to a bride's wedding day look is the bridal bouquet. Flowers give an enchanting visual and romantic effect to the bridal outfit and enhance the whole appearance of the bride. 

The story of the bridal bouquet is centuries old. In ancient Rome, brides carried or wore flower garlands or headbands, believing that flowers signify new beginnings, fidelity and hope of fertility. In the Middle Ages, brides wore strong smelling herbs and spices wanting to ward off and drive away evil spirits and bad luck. But the Victorians were the ones to introduce the flower bouquets that became a complementing part to the wedding outfit and that has continued until today.

Today brides choose flowers that express their personal style, taste and personality. They come in an extreme variety - starting from the traditional real flower bouquet to bouquets made of paper, fabric or jewelry pieces.

In this post I want to emphasize the beauty of crocheted flower bouquets.

By using different flower patterns and adding some  fabric flowers and lace, brides can make a unique keepsake without burdening the bugdet. 

Via Pinterest

Via

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 Sources used for this post: Pinterest & Modern Wedding

The Mori girl fashion style strikes a wonderful chord that resonates for long and I cannnot help myself but return to it; sometimes more often than other times. For with me, it is not just a whim or a new trend one wants to unconditionally follow. It is style. Style I gladly succumb to. 

For this particular collection I made winter pieces that would make any gloom day brighter and give a joyful quality to the winter quetude. The collection is comprised of crochet scarves, capes and capelets, fingerless warmers and head scarves. Accompanied with pom-pom  rings, textile brooches and whimsical necklaces. Pieces would be added gradually  December through January, so do check back. 

I love when fall inspires designs and colors and reflects its rich palette on clothes.

Personally, I find this year's color trends vivid, appealing and refreshing, while the designs, especially the floral ones, alluring with a pinch of vintage.

The bohemian in me loves the textures and the layering;  lace insets and ruffles along with tassels and fringes enhance the visual effect and give an incredible volume, structure and captivating appearance to any piece of clothing, regardless whether it is a jacket, a skirt or a dress.

Enjoy my selection. For more visual inspiration on the topic, check out my bohemian fall board.

 Via Lolly Jane

Fall has a stunning palette of rich colors that give another dimension to home decorating reflecting all the beauty fall comes with. This year, the most popular décor in the online world has been the velvet pumpkins and they do give richness to the whole look.

Enjoy the selection and be inspired!

Via Jordecor

Via Lauren MacBride

Via Designthusiasm

Via Clean & Scentsible

This coming fall and winter's palette shies away from antiquated choices and offers some surprising and  non-traditional color combinations. Although the foundation Pantone built it's palette on rests on very traditional autumnal choices such as russet brown and rich burgundy, they spiced it up with electric blue and pungent yellow. 

And truth be told, the designers couldn't have expressed themselves better following these pointers.

 Maison Rabih Kayrouz – Lanvin – Lanvin – Oscar de la Renta

Botega Veneta - Roksanda

Roksanda – Tibi – Maison Rabih Kayrouz – Tadashi Shoji

Our designers are on the same lines:

1. Bib Necklace & Cuff        2. Freed       3. Leather Brass Orange Cuff     4. Copper & Brass Earrings

1. Boho Scarf       2.  Moonlight Passion    3. A Sky Full of Stars

1. Vinyl Record Art          2. Autumnal Rhapsody        3. Plush Kitten  

Supplies and Step 1:

1) For this project you need anamount of different fabric strips about 7-10 cm in length. I recommend you use tulle, sateen and organza for a more luxurious look.

2) A big chain because you are going to insert the strips through it.

3) Pearl beads and jump rings - the amount depends on your design. For reference, I used  about 18 beads.

4) Not shown but necessary - a lobster clasp (optional: big jump rings), a hook or a tapestry needle.

When you have all strips cut out, singe them to stop fraying.

Next, positioning at the center and using a tapestry needle / hook, pull a strip through a chain and tie a knot. Tie another one in the next or the chain after that. From the center, work your way to the sides.

When all the strips are tied and you are satisfied with the fullness of the necklace, add the pearls. On a small jump ring I attached 3 different colored pearls and attached that jump ring onto the main chain (and between the strips). Added sets of such at the sides just a little above where the strips ended.

Finally, I added a couple of big jump rings to the chain, attached the clasp and the necklace is done!

Head scarves have been very popular this summer and the boho wrap turned out to be quite attractive showing up in a wide variety of styling, whether out of necessity (messy hair) or to add the finishing touch to an outfit (perfect look).

Personally, we love using  head scarves and wraps to style our jewelry and accessories (all of the above pictures).

If you are interested in it too, we made a selection of tutorials for eye-catching head wrapping.

All of these tutorials were found on Pinterest using the search term bohemian hair styling. Check out my board for more interesting ideas.

Via Anthropologie 

When it comes to summer jewelry, my choices are really simple yet rich in design and texture. I generally stick to bohemian jewelry which means heavily ornamented metal jewelry with lots of beads, tassels and findings. I, do however like to know what's trendy and sometimes step out of my boho kingdom and see what I can include and transform to blend into my style.

Via Heart to Heart

Via The Zhush

The trends set out by the fashion editors suggest that the flora and fauna motifs continue to be popular this summer as well as thin layered necklaces, but the offer is enriched with massive accessories like huge beads and massive necklaces, jewelry with precious and semi-precious stones and what has tickled my fancy - ethnic motifs.

 Via Artfully Your Creations

Quite a varied and eclectic offer to suit everyone's style.

Here's my jewelry selection from our designers:

Art Fantasy Jewelry

 Tammy Art

Peekaboo

Via the College Housewife

Summers spent at the beach have a rejuvenating effect both on the body and the soul. The sun, the sea, the sand are all ingredients you mix to get a heavenly nourishing cocktail.

To make that even better is organizing a beach picnic.

Creating the setting, or the sitting if you like it, a simple but big beach towel will suffice with or without lots of pillows.

Via RuffledBlog.com

To make it a bit formal a wooden pallet or a piece of wooden plank or a wood board can come in handy.

Via Pinterest

Food as well as drinks for the beach picnic should be light and refreshing. Think of seasonal salads, lots of fruit and some snacks.

Via The College Housewife

Via Pinterest

To roundup a beach picnic, make a camp fire  and chat the night away with some crackers and an easy wine spritz or sweeten it with a roasted marshmallow.

 Via Carla Aaston

Via The Blond Abroad

Summer is in full swing and spending time near a body of water is everything we need to cool off.

Which brings us to swimsuits. This summer there is an eclectic offer. It encompasses a wide variety of different models for every body type.  

The trend that started last year is still reigning on: vintage inspired high waisted swimsuits adding up this year's fashion trend - the dots. Florals are also very popular, especially tropical flowers and leaves. Fashion editors also suggest monokinis - off shoulder suits and ruffled ones. 

I came across this fashion label quite unexpectedly and it gripped my attention immediately. It is a newly established fashion label that emerged as a result of a warm, heartfelt need to aid women whose pregnancies have left a visible mark on their bodies. There are currently 3 women inolved in the project: Raffaella - a designer, Giovanna - responsible for the e-commerce and Marika who designs and tailors clothes. More about the project here.

This is their introduction and summary of Mumory:

Mumory is a clothing line born from the experience of being a woman and a mother. Some pregnancies leave a more visible "memory" on a mother's body: diastasic recti or divarication. Mumory was born from the need to give women with a post pregnancy tummy, the opportunity to choose and wear clothes specifically designed to help embrace the new body and feel harmonious without hiding the tummy, but instead valorize the new body shape. A hand made clothing line with sartorial details that will suit many occasions. The design and concept of Mumory's clothes are the missing piece between pret-a-porter clothing lines.

The new hot print for this summer is the polka dots!

Polka dots as the epitome of timeless femininity has left a strong imprint on the fashion world.

Personally, the little mesmerizing dots magically remind me of the times past, especially the charming '50s and the classy style every single piece of clothing breathed with.

They are appealing whether speckled on a blouse, skirt or a dress. Bound to offer an immense sense of satisfaction and chicness and make one's style more gracious and ladylike.

All images taken from Pinterest via the polka dots search.

I had the pleasure of meeting my namesake several years ago and I will always remember seeing her jewelry for the first time! It literally cast a spell on me! So, I invited her over for a small chit-chat.  I hope you enjoy it too!

1. Welcome Maja! Please tell my readers more about yourself.

My name is Maja Tasic and I come from Pancevo (Serbia). I had studied and qualified for a dental technologist - a profession I chose under the influence of my parents, although I have always desired to study applied art, because I have always been drawn to drawing and painting. Aside from these two, my hobbies also included writing poems and making jewelry. I stuck to the latter.

I am married to Goran and we have two boys, ages 7 and 8 and I am also a stepmom to two beautiful grown up girls. We are one big, happy family!

2. How did the brand Steampunk by Maja get to see the day?

Steampunk by Maja was born out of the desire to create unique jewelry solely for myself. But then family and relatives got acquainted with it and the first orders started to arrive, replaced by handmade bazaars and online sales. The idea for this kind of jewelry first sparked when my husband poured the first pieces that got me hooked and I wanted to make them myself. That was back in 2012.

3. What were the first pieces of jewelry that you made?

It was a medallion flower, a medallion mirror and some square slabs...

4. Where did you first exhibit your jewelry? Do you remember?

Yes. It was at the mall called “Ušće” in Belgrade in 2012. I had a fantastic show and sold lots of my jewelry. But the thing that was more important and meaningful than the sales was the appraisal and compliments I received on my work. It gave me a sensational rise in self-confidence and a beautiful feeling of value and satisfaction that urged me to keep doing what I dream about.

5. What kind of jewelry are the buyers most interested in? Buyers are most interested in necklaces for themselves as well as for gifts, because necklaces are wearable in almost all occasions. Necklaces are closely followed by earrings and rings.

6.Do you have any favourite techniques?

I love working with epoxy resin because of the effect the designs have. I also love combining materials from my profession such as metals and acrylates that one would not usually find in jewelry supplies shops. Using those makes my jewelry even more distinctive and unique making it stand out from other jewelry made with similar techniques. I love modeling my own pendants and have my husband pour them in silver which is a rather demanding, more difficult and costly technique, but the final result is wondrous!

7. Where do you source your materials?

I buy them from specialized shops that sell raw materials in Belgrade and Novi Sad, some gift shops while I buy the small watches off my friends.

8. What is the most precious piece of jewelry to you as a designer?

Oh. It is difficult to select out any as favourite - I find everything I've made dear to my heart. I've poured my heart, my undivided attention and love into every single piece I have ever made.

9. What are you currently working on?

Right now I am working on some new pieces and collaborate with designers from Split (Croatia). I am expanding the  market :)

10. Future plans?

I plan to expand sales outside of Serbia and finally open my brick and mortar jewelry shop in Belgrade.

Thank you Maja! It was lovely having you over!

Maja's online shop.