I just got the new hand fans made with my hand painted silk and they are fabulous! Sorry for the promotional post but I wanted to show you the new pieces =)

One is already sold, but the rest will become available soon in my etsy shop. If someone wants one of them, just let me know and I will list it.

These will be the only fans this year, unless I sell them all in 1 week and order more lol!
So if you want one for yourself, as a gift (mothers day! *hehe*), etc... don't hesitate!

Thanks for looking ;)

Be ready for the next post on fashion accessories! =)

Hi people!
Sorry for taking so long to post again. But here I am back again with one more summer trend for you: Ombre items :)


I've seen some clothes like these in the shops in the mall, and some of them are quite nice. So I tried to look for something similar in Etsy. First of all I discovered the search had changed a little, but after a couple seconds realized I can still search in all the types of items. And here they are!

Sellers, from left to right, top to bottom, are (link to the item): akaisilks, salvagelife, rocketmansion, karenw45002, ThreeFiveEightyFive, hodgepodgefarm, modestambition, samhoh, inspiringcolor

As you can see there were not that many of them. Seems this trend didn't really make it to Etsy.

Anyways, I hope you liked the items I pickes. Do you like this trend? Is it something you will be wearing or adding to your etsy shop?

For now I think I totally run out of trends to talk about, so if you have any new ideas, something you would like to know about, please let me know ;) Or if you have any clothes/accessories you don't know what to wear with, let me know and I will try to find something that suits you in Etsy. Thanks!


On a total self promotion point, wanted to announce some new silk handfans being added to my shop:

Thanks a lot for reading!

Hello again people! Yes, I know it's been at least 1 week since my last post... lazy is my middle name.
But here I am again, bringing you the latest trends in makeup :) Since I run out of trends for clothing and accessories I remembered that well, I do put makeup on sometimes, so why not research a little on what's hot?


Let's take a look at trends in each category:

• Skin: matte and uncolored or glowy (great for summer looks if you are tanned)
  
• Blush: pink :)
• Lips: any shade of pink to almost white / bright red
• Eyes: gold with smokey eyes, silver (icy eyes), pink/violet, deep colors like green, coral, blue, yellow.

Overall I'd say pink is the color for makeup this summer: blush, eyes, lips.

I did a small hunt in Etsy to bring you the handmade products we can use to achieve this looks, and here is what I found:



(click to see full size)

Sellers, from top to bottom, left to right, are (link to the item): PureMineralsSource, pinkquartzminerals, Clearmineral, MineralMakeup, anaaya, pinkquartzminerals, PureMineralsSource, beautybysaria, MixologyMakeup, PureMineralsSource, Clearmineral, Backtotheearth, PureMineralsSource, Clearmineral, Lollibomb, beautybysaria

If you are the kind of girl that doesn't use heavy makeup I think you won't really care about makeup trends, but on what makes you look best. I'm one of those girls. When I go to work I only use a bit of concealer (aarrgghh dark circles!), and sometimes a bit of mascara. If I go party at night then I wear some eyeshadow, mascara, sometimes eyeliner, blush, ya know, the whole kit. For me what is most important is what kind of eyeshadow to wear to make my eyes nicer.
Eyeshadow color depends on your eye color, and blending in etc depends on the shape of your eye/face.

I found some kits for different eye colors in Etsy, I really like their colors:

• Brown eyes
• Green eyes
• Blue eyes
• Hazel eyes
  

I'm a mix between brown and green eyes, so depending on the day I choose one or the other style :)

A couple articles on eye make up for different eye shapes:

shapes of eyes and how to enhance them with make up
Eye Makeup for Different Eye Shapes

And if you want to get the whole star look, I found this super awesome videos on youtube that describes step by step how to achieve different looks from videoclips or famous girls: amy winehouse look, leona lewis bleeding love, britney spears I'm a slave for you, and a big etc



Amy Winehouse eye liner makeup inspired look
LEONA LEWIS - Bleeding love inspired make up look
DUFFY -Mercy make up inspired look

I have to say for me it's a little difficult to understand her because of the accent lol but I'm sure for native English speakers will be easier ;)

Hope you enjoyed this makeup review and that it helped you a little, maybe?
Tell me if you liked it, what is your favourite makeup/look, what you think looks better depending on the eye color, and, very important if you know, how to make the dark circles under the eyes go away???? (or at least be less visible... mine are sort of a genetic thing so no way to get rid of them I suppose)

Next time: I don't know yet! Need new and fresh ideas ;)

Found the makeup trends in this blog: Beauty Care Blog

I was running out of ideas for fashion blog posts, so I run to the Etsy forums to ask people what kind of outfit would they like me to search for in Etsy. I thought I could do a massive search to accomplish one look with Etsy items :)
Read some of the ideas in the forum.

A few people said they were looking for a summer dress but couldn't find in Etsy one they liked, so today I tried my best to find some nice ones in different styles (didn't do goth style, I'll do that in a next post)

Here are my Etsy picks:

Sellers, from top to bottom, left to right, are (link to the item): gaiaconceptions, Wildewear, Madrone, strangelittleduck, LaMadeleine, colorada, replicca, gaiaconceptions, enigmavintage, OracleClothiers, LaMadeleine, missbrache, missbrache, colorada, gaiaconceptions, Wildewear, VenniCaprice, Branches, mapetiteamy, themachinestops, cherrypievintage, neneee, VenniCaprice, sweetcharlotte, hodgepodgedesign, ktjean, themachinestops, VenniCaprice, VenniCaprice, fabricfun, themachinestops, decades

It's easy to see my favourite clothing shops for dresses in etsy! missbrache, VenniCaprice, themachinestops, gaiaconceptions and Wildewear. Just waiting to have money to get a dress in any of this shops! =)

I hope you liked this post and that it helps you out somehow with your dress hunt.
Did you like these? Do you have any other favourite shops? If so, please tell me =) I love to find new shops in Etsy.

Next blog post: Summer trends in Makeup!

Believe me, I always hate when summer gets closer and I realize I have no nice swimwear (aka: all my bikinis are old and falling apart) because for me it's so hard to find a bikini that fits right. And I always panic deciding 2 months before I need to loose weight! Which never happens, by the way. I end up eating more because of the stress of dieting! lol
Anyways, I swear this year this won't happen, after all I only go to the beach 5 or 6 days in the whole summer! haha So why worry :D

What does the fashion world say it's fashionable to wear in the beach this year?


Asymmetric designs, geometric and African prints, tankinis, small bikinis and cut-away swimsuits

More or less what we have seen in the regular spring trends but applied to swimwear. Get some animal print bikini or a white or neon cut-away swimsuit! =)

But definitely it's sooo difficult to buy a bikini, specially those that are just in one size, top and bottom can't be mixed!! In top parts I'd be an S or M, bottom an L. So that won't work for me. And I don't wear full swimsuits anymore because, well, I don't want a white tummy =)

If you have the same problem as me, why not get a custom made bikini/swimsuit at Etsy? These are my picks:

Sellers, from top to bottom, left to right, are (link to the item): missbrache, jMarieBoutique, ladramaqueen, kandiswim, missbrache, littlepinkdress, Harajaku, missbrache, missbrache, saleyla, FlingActive, ladramaqueen, Harajaku, trywesley, MySugarDoll, missbrache

You can tell I like missbrache ah? hehe I really think missbrache and Harajaku are the best swimwear shops I have found in Etsy. Do you have any other favourites? please please let me know! :)

Personally, I'm not a big fan of tankinis, and I kind of hate cut-away swimsuits (what's the point of having a white stripe in your tummy?). This last ones are very fashionable and chic, but I'm not going to any Puff Daddy party in the Hamptons this year so no thanks. :)

Well, I hope you liked this trend review! What kind of swimsuit do you wear? Will you change style this summer?

I did a little research again and found a couple videos about what kind of swimsuit to wear depending on your body type.
These ones looked really helpful: How to pick a suwimsuit for your body type

Yesterday I posted in the Etsy forums about the babydoll dresses. Most people said they like them and their favourite outfit is a babydoll dress with fitted jeans + sandals, or boots over the jeans, or with leggings. So there you go! Also, to show people that you have a waist, wear a belt or scarf around your waist. Good luck with the look, I'm gonna try it too! =)

Find the swimwear fashion article here

And on a totally self promotional note... sorry guys! Just finished this new scarf design:

Hope you like it!! And that you enjoyed the little fashion trend.

Next week:... I don't know yet! Ideas anyone?

I saw a lot of babydoll dresses last summer in the shops in my city. But it seems that this year the are out of fashion! (Or that's what designers say because I still see them in the shops!)

So this post is for those of you that bought a babydoll dress and like me, care little about what fashion says and you are going to wear them again this summer. :) After all, it cost money, and I can't just use it only one year!

I've always asked myself this question: What to wear with a babydoll dress??? Most look kinda shapeless and all that, always thought they weren't very flattering to my figure. I'm more fan of babydoll tops than dresses, but I still think they are pretty nice and wish I could wear one and feel pretty! ;)

And I did my research, finding this awesome video where it explains what type of babydoll dress fits you better depending on your body type.

After this video maybe I have tempted you with getting a handmade babydoll dress! HA! See my Etsy picks and see if you like any of these:


Sellers, from left to right, top to bottom are (link to the item): srbdesigns, AnastasiaChatzka, ouma, kristalovesyoda, AVCCrevamp, fabricfun, Makool, SecretLentil, unparalleledumbrella, AllisterAnn, blackheartbunny, Neurasthenia, Madrone, radclothing, alisondahl, Deadworry, sweetcharlotte, KellyMadden, malam, Nostalgia, KoreanDollz

Yeah, a lot of Etsy babydoll items!! Seems like this is still a strong trend in Etsy ;)
And you? Is this for you? Are you gonna wear something like this?

That was all for today. Next post will be about.... SWIMWEAR! :)
If you have any ideas for another post let me know, I'm running out of trends! lol

I hope you liked it! Thanks for reading.

Video from AmberMag found at Brightcove

More fashion trends for you guys! =)

As I found in the internet, seems that white clothes are not only for babies and brides. White clothes, as we all know are a summer classic.


Wear a white dress to a summer party, to take a coffe in that cool outdoors cafe and see thesunset, to the beach, etc. Specially to the beach! The hippiest the dress, the better ;)
Find that loose white dress to wear over a bikini and a pair of simple flip flops.

In case you are not wearing this to the beach, I would recommend a nice grey / brown bolero and nice sandals. Nothing too formal, you know. Something that makes you look cool and like you didn't take too much time in you outfit. However, if you enter with a white dress anywhere, you are sure to get many looks ;)

You can find white clothes in any store. But if you want the handmade version, here are my Etsy picks for you:

Sellers, from top to bottom, left to right, are (link to the item): VenniCrapice, UsThemWe, fabricfun, owleyesvintage, PassionIt, missbrache, RedemptionVintage, treehouse28, sweetcharlotte, urbneve, annedarlene, youmeyou

Hope you have enjoyed this new trend review! I really like having a small white dress for going to the beach (although I only go 3 or 4 times a year! LOL!)

Is this your trend? Are you going to wear any of these?

Next trend will be: Babydoll dress

You probably are as puzzled as me! Modern Gladiator? What does that mean? I really don't know what they expect with this trend, seriously.


Obviously, this is something we are probably not going to wear out in the streets. But we can add a little gladiator touch to our outfit ;) Say a motorbike/rockstar leather jacket, a fringed bag, or gladiator sandals (I've heard they are the shoe of the season!)

Don't abuse of this style, or you will end up looking like MadMax! =)

So here is the handmade version of things you can add to your wardrobe to get a little of this look:


(click to view full size)
Sellers, from top to bottom, left to right, are (link to the item): revivalhouse, santokivintage, LesFrivolites, jessitaylor, jtam, owleyesvintage, LesFrivolites, ancestorvintage, theleathercobbler, ThrashinThreads, jenn3star, rubyzaar

What can I say about this trend? I have always been a fan of rockstar / motorbike leather jackets. They give a "I'm a bad girl" vibe :D However, the rest of items, they are not for me!

And you? Is this your trend?

Read the full Fashion Tribes article here.



This was the last season trend to review. I hope you liked reading them as much as I liked writing them! So I thought, what can I do next? I really liked writing about fashion.
Surfing the net I found an article on the must have clothing items of this spring / summer. Not like a general idea, but more like specific items or prints. After reading it, decided I could start writing about that too! :) The fun is not over yet!

Please, if you would like to see a review on a particular clothing / jewelry / accessories item please add a comment about it and I'll see what I can do.

Next post will be: White clothes for summer (not only brides and babies can wear this color!)

Wow! Almost completed the fashion series by now. But I have to say I am really liking this item hunting in etsy, so I will need an excuse to keep doing it! :)

Today: Puffy sleeves! Oh yeah baby. You never thought this would be back, did you? Well, we have for all tastes here, from super huge ones to regular ones. Seems big designers, as always, are for the extreme ones.



I like better the regular ones. In fact I think a little puffy sleeve looks really good. And you?

As the Fashion Tribes article says, a blouse or jacket with puff sleeves is very feminine, and will work well with a full skirt, high waisted trousers or a pencil skirt.
Because of the shape, making your shoulders look wider, it automatically makes your waist look thinner, so their advice is to use a belt to maximize that effect. They also tell us that earrings and necklaces don't mix very well with this, so if you really like wearing some jewelry, try some big bracelets or bangles. Oh and don't forget the heels! =)

For the handmade version, here is what I found in Etsy:

(click to view full size)

Sellers, from top to bottom, left to right, are (link to the item): zwzzy, JustVic, maybesomeday, VC2o, amoelbarroco, santokivintage, zwzzy, neneee, kahri, PrettyRaccoon, TresChicVintage, boioioing


So what do you think of this trend? For me it works, if the sleeve is not exagerated.

Read the full fashion tribes article here.

Stay tuned for next and last trend: Modern Gladiator - HUH???

Next fashion trend will be the last. So please, if you have any ideas or suggestions about what should I talk about in my next fashion post, please tell me!! =) Leave a comment!

Back with more fashion for you guys!
I should be working instead of doing this, but working is way too boring. So here it goes!

Today, high waisted trousers. Well. I'm not a fan of high waisted anything, but at least these pants have wide legs =) (I don't like cigarette trousers with high waist!)


The only thing you need for this: HEIGHT! You are the petite kind? Don't worry. Use heels! You'll need them even if you are tall, believe me ;)
High heels or sandals with platform can do the trick to make this trouser look nicer on you. From what I have read, the point is to wear shoes the same color of the trousers. But that's up to you ;)

The perfect top part is a puff sleeve blouse, or anything that tucks in. You don't want to hide that waist, do you??? Small waists will benefit from this trend, I'm sure!

For the handmade (or at least vintage) version, these are my picks from Etsy for this trend:

(click to view full size)


Sellers, from top to bottom, left to right (link to the item), are: NICFISH, urbneve, Neurasthenia, Brownies, missbrache, southofthemoon.

From those trousers you see there, I really like missbrache ones. Well, in fact, I think everything in her store is really cute!


Hoping you have liked this trend. Will you be wearing these kind of pants?

Read the full FashionTribes article here.

And next trend: Puffy Sleeves!!!!

Wow! You never thought this would be trendy, did you?
Right when we are waiting for warm temperatures, peeptoe shoes transform into booties! Why oh WHY?


I'm not a big peeptoe fan, but if I have to wear them, I rather have shoes than booties.
I made a small selection of what I could find in the net, because I could not find any in Etsy!

But, if you rather get some regular peeptoe shoes instead of booties, here is the handmade version, my Etsy picks:


(click ot view full size)

Sellers from top to bottom, left to right (link to the item): santokivintage, BulleMor, hippyofdoom, hippyofdoom, Nostalgia, bellemichou

Hope you like them! :)

What do you think of this trend? Will you evah wear something like this?

If this trend doesn't convince you, or want to try something different, I found in etsy a shop that sell handpainted shoes, and I just love them! Check them out: ndeurshoes


Read the full Fashiontribes article here.

Next spring trend: #8- High Waisted Trousers

This is all about skirts! Seems big designers decided to go back in time once more and show us that the new thing for this spring is an 'old' thing we all know: full skirts!


As the fashion tribe people say, the best you can do with a full skirt is wear a belt to minimize the waist. Also, print is fun, but black and navy skirts might be the best choice because you can combine them with anything =)

I think this trend I do really like! Full skirts have always been fun :)

About dressing with a full skirt. What else to add to the outfit? Well, the Fashion Tribe suggests this:

Now to the handmade version. What did I find in Etsy? Well, I was looking for full skirts (not the accessories, shoes or tops). And I was a little sad to find so few full skirts! Maybe I'm not too good searching but for sure I didn't have much luck with this style. Most skirts in Etsy are mini or pencil or regular skirts.
So yeah, it was hard to find these. Enjoy!


(click on the picture to view full size)
Sellers from top to bottom, left to right (link to the item): peoplescouture, twodustyboots, vintagestew, SkivvyLuLuVintage, zorya, fridaschoice

What do you think of this trend? Will you be wearing full skirts this spring? Or making some to sell in Etsy? (If so, let me know!)

Read the full Fashion Tribe article.

Next spring trend: Peeptoe booties!

I'm back with more trends! This time flowers are everywhere!!!
I'm the kind of girl that thought clothes with flowers were too girly for me. I was the kind of girl that thought flower accessories were 'kitsch'.
I was probably wrong. Or maybe not.
Or maybe I hate floral clothes because when I was a kid my mother would always make me wear clothes with flowers! I remember having a dress with green flowers, and saying all the time: "MOM! GREEN flowers don't exist!!!" I suppose I have a childhood trauma!


Looks pretty, right? This is a nice trend, but just not for me =) I'll stick to the bright colors and let other people wear this beautiful flowers. Let's be romantic this spring!

Big designers say flowers can be in any color, pattern, etc. Just look at the flowing look of those dresses, it really sends the romantic vibe.
Also, the FashionTribes article says: "To keep clear of grandma territory, an edgy shoe is mandatory .... look for crisp fabrics and more structured, figure-flattering silhouettes"
So there ya go ;)

However, what I am more used to find is the floral trend in pink colors:

So, once more, I tried my best to show you some of my favourite romantic floral Etsy picks. There are a lot of flower themed items in Etsy, however I was looking more for the 'romantic' look. This really made me embrace my floral side and stop hating flower clothes hehe: (click to see full size image)



Sellers, from top to bottom, right to left are (link to the item): owleyesvintage, EasterYu, nstylevintage, salvagelife, tulloolah, simonewalsh, sweetcharlotte, missbrache, BulleMor, MrsGibson, maybesomeday, mapetiteamy, fringe, artdi, JustVic, ndeurshoes, sweetcharlotte, tijusai, ladiesofleisure, ingermaaike

Hoping you have liked this trend review. Will you wear this spring some floral clothes? Will you be designing items with flowers? Let us know your opinions on this!! :)

And now, for a little promotion: I made a treasury in Etsy with some of the picks for the bright colors trend! See it here: Crayola Bright Colors at Etsy

Read the full FashionTribes article.

Stay tuned for spring trend #6: Full Skirts!

This one must be the most fun trend this spring!
So what is this about? Just find that HUGE piece of jewelry you bought years ago and start wearing it again. The bigger the better baby!


Of course, we need to be very careful with this trend. Too many of those and we will look like clowns!
There is only one rule: focus on one item. If you wear a huge necklace, please no earrings! Huge ring, no cuff. Huge earrings, no necklace. And so on.

It was a bit harder to find such huge jewelry in Etsy, but I tried my best. Here are my handmade picks for this trend. Enjoy! (click to view full size image)

Sellers from top to bottom, left to right (link to the item): topsyturvydesign, designsbyamber, stoopidgerl, rlee, lovinganvil, gingerlady, Madreterra, DesignedbyRJ, kankalinhats, melaniefavreau, thelovelyteaspoon, speechlessbubble

So, is this your trend? Do you love to wear something HUGE to grab people's attention?

Read the full fashiontribes article here

Stay tuned for next trend review - #5: Romantic Florals

This will lighten your spring for sure! After a dark fall, what we needed was some really bright colors in our wardrobe. So here they are! What do the designers say?:


This is a very fun trend! But what if this is too much color for us? What if we mix and match so many colors that it is definitely too much? What if we end up looking like a carrot from head to toe? Well, the tip is to wear one item (dress, top, skirt or trousers) in a fun bright color, and the rest of accessories (shoes, sandals, jewelry, bag) in brown colors (chocolate, cafe au lait, etc)

So, how to be colorful and still wear handmade? After searching through Etsy (this time it really took me a looong time, and most items are vintage!), this is what I found: (click on the image to see full size)

Back with more! Today I researched a bit about this tribal trend. This is what the big designers tell us to wear:


I have to say I like this trend better than the safari one. The prints are really nice! But since I can't afford any of these dresses, I'll tell you how to get more or less the tribal look:
First of all you need a nice dress / skirt with a bold & tribal print. This part has to rock, because it is the most important item in the look.
To complete, add some tribal accessories (or, as they say in Fashiontribes, earthy but eyecatching). They say perfect jewelry for the outfit is wooden jewelry. Then, for the finishing touch, a big leather bag, and leather sandals (it seems roman/gladiator sandals are the thing this season).

After looking for a while in Etsy, I found this awesome items that totally give the Tribal Beat.
I hope you like them! (click on the image to see it full size)



Combine some of this lovely items to achieve the tribal look :)

From top to bottom, left to right, the sellers are (with links to the item): nstylevintage, rubistarr, naturalezanica, valhallabrooklyn, jroadman, phunkyphamily, ArtHappens, ileana, kangas, jenkahn, shopgoodgrace, plumdust, seekseekseek, revivalhouse, iheartnorwegianwood, brass, naturalezanica, CMEdesign, raghouseinternational, VenniCaprice

The most difficult thing to find were the sandals! Couldn't find any roman/gladiator ones :(

Well, I hope you like this! Tell me what do you think about the picks, etc, I love to have feedback!

Stay tuned for Fashion trend #3: Crayola Bright Colors

Read the whole FashionTribes article here.

I am trying to get more into fashion these days. I have to say that for me it is hard to know what is "fashionable" each season, and in my case I see fashion being forced on me when I go buy normal clothes and all I find are really weird things. The same styles in all the shops. So then I think, well, maybe this is the trend for this season, right?

Maybe I need to change the way I see fashion. So from now on I will do a series on the Top 10 trends for this season, seeing what handmade items can be found in Etsy that relate to each trend. This way we will all be able to be fashionable and buy handmade! yay!

Searching in the web, found this awesome blog that explains all about the fashion trends, and what you can wear to follow each trend - FashionTribes

Also, if you need some cool looks, take a look at their FT Editor Picks. Some really nice things here, seriously!

Enough promoting already! (And they di dn't pay me for this haha) Just to let you know I'm taking he fashion ideas from that blog, and also some photos :) And giving full credit!

Today: Trend #1: Safari Warrior

This is not my favourite trend.... but I'm sure a lot of people like it.
Basically, it's about khaki and army green colors. Shirtdresses, dresses, and overall the safari look.





As promised, I searched Etsy for items that could help us obtain this look and still wear handmade. And here are my results:




Sellers, from left to right, top to bottom: chictree, chickything, enigmavintage, annedarlene, ladiesofleisure, shopgoodgrace, shopgoodgrace, themachinestops, hollystalder

This definetly helped me out learning a bit about fashion trends and taken them to reality. Did it help you too?

You can find the whole fashiontribe article here.

Wow! So I finally finished the summer collection catalog! :)


It took me a looong time, but here it is at least!
http://www.gilbea.com/Files/GilBeaSummer2008.pdf


GilBea's summer collection for 2008:

• Silk skinny scarves
• Silk small bags
• Hobo bags with silk accents
• Tops with silk accents
• Silk Brooches and Necklaces

I hope you like it!!! :) Feedback is welcome!

I made the catalogue for my wholesale customers. Sadly I don't have that many. I would like my business to grow and start selling in other cities and countries, but so far it has been quite difficult.

Let's talk about painting!
I have been making silk paintings for a few years now, but I only sell them at exhibitions. For the last year I totally dropped that line of my work and focused on silk accessories. I plan now on painting again now that I finished the summer collection. For now, I listed yesterday in Etsy this beauty that I saved from last year's work:


Soon more to come!