Spotlight on ♦: Maravillosa Designs :♦

Welcome to Cobby & Fribble’s first Etsy Spotlight!

This week I’m featuring the amazingly talented mother/daughter duo of Maravillosa Designs (pronounced Mara-vee-osa). Once you see their beautiful artistry and read the devotion they put into each piece, you’ll be itching to have some of your very own!

Karen and Megan Adams
♦: Maravillosa Designs :♦

We would love to know a bit more about you both behind the scenes — fill us in:
Karen: I’ve been working full-time since my two children started school but I’ve always tried to keep the artist in me alive by doing crafts with the kids or photography. I enjoy working on jewelry for our website on weekends and at night during the week.
Megan: I recently graduated from college and am working full-time for the university until I begin graduate school in the fall.

Tell us a bit about your art and how you decided on your particular craft:
Karen: I think my love of jewelry started when I was very young, looking through my mom’s jewelry box. The stories that went with each piece had me totally intrigued and started my love for antiquing and genealogy as well. When Meg and I decided to make jewelry as a business we felt there was a need for affordable pieces to wear for everyday. Our line was originally inspired by the availability of semiprecious stones and components and honestly, we just wanted to have and use them all. We started receiving requests from friends to recreate current fashion trends seen in stores and magazines, but in a more creative and affordable way.
Megan: Ever since I was a little girl I have enjoyed making my own jewelry. As a little girl, embroidery floss and every color seed bead imaginable were my materials of choice. As I grew older, I began to realize that the jewelry I saw in stores was really not complicated and that I could probably design better for less. When beading became popular a few years ago, the availability of materials made it possible to make creative, fashion-forward pieces for less than the stores were selling them and we jumped on this opportunity.

Apart from your breath-taking jewelry, what are your other interests?
Karen: My main interest outside of jewelry is photography, but I enjoy researching our family genealogy, movies, watching sports with my family and reading.
Megan: The other loves of my life are food, literature and education. There’s nothing I enjoy more than curling up with a cup of tea and an amazing book on the porch.

What inspires you?
Karen: I am inspired by palettes found in nature, seasonal changes, architecture, vintage and antique items.
Megan: My inspiration comes mostly from the materials themselves. I like to look at the individual stones and pieces to decide how to best showcase their unique qualities.

Is there a certain piece that is your favorite?
Karen: I love everything we make, but our “Key to my Heart” Lariat is among my favorites. The vintage feel of “My Victorian Heart”, “Katarzyna” and “Heirloom” earrings really speak to my love of genealogy and family history. One of the first things we sold was a breast cancer awareness bracelet, inspired by the passing of one of my very best friends in life and an amazing artist. It’s probably my most favorite piece that we make and the most inspirational.
Megan: Our “Weekday Wardrobe” set of earrings is a great example of our contemporary earring line. It’s wonderful to have 5 pair of beautiful earrings to choose from on any given day.

What are your favorite materials to work with?
Karen: My favorite materials to work with are semiprecious stones, pearls, Swarovski crystals, sterling silver and more recently, brass.
Megan: Lately, my favorite materials to work with have been metals, semiprecious stones, and freshwater pearls.

Name a couple of your favorite Etsy shops, and why they’re your favorites?
Karen:Wow, there are just so many people that I admire on Etsy it’s so hard to narrow down but here goes:
Irenesuchocki: Her photos are just amazing, dreamy and so creative.
Huey: Not only for her creativeness but the story behind what she does really touches me.
Tascha: I have to say I love her work so much, the colors and the sweetness just make me smile.
Megan:Gneebo: Her combination of vintage and modern items is fun and playful. Each piece is unique.
Kimwestad: I love the simple, clean lines of her pottery and the beautiful rich glazes.
Howlindoggie: Her designs have an elegant simplicity. The craftsmanship is truly amazing.

♦:Discount offered to readers of this Spotlight::♦

Mention you saw our shop here and we’ll ship anywhere in the U.S. for free for the month of March!
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Hurry people, it’s already the 2nd!

Many thanks to Karen & Megan Adams for providing lovely photos of their work and agreeing to be spotlighted.

Love Knot & Shell Simple Elegance Shawl

After having to order more yarn mid project and subsequently ordering too much *har* — I have finished this linen/cotton blend shawl. I love the feel and the drape of it, it’s quite lovely and I am pleased with it.

It’s a great piece and in this neutral creamy chamois shade, it will go with most any color and any style.

Now available at the shop!

New Lip Treats

This afternoon I added two new glossy lip treats to the mix at the shop, and let me tell you they are fabulous!

Jamoca Latte — a smooth blend of coffee, cream and sugar for your lips. A bit glossy and very nourishing with functional honey and real coffee. Has a very mild flavor also!

Kung Fu Punch — mildly sweet punch flavor with a very slight mauve tint and gloss.

Shawls & Art

I finished a sewn damask shawl that I have been envisioning ever since watching Persuasion. I love the way it turned out; how the edges ruffle ever so slightly.

I have also finally gotten around to posting some artwork and digitized paintings that I’ve had lying around (on my hard drive).
I’d love to say that I took these particular photos in Paris but they are actually old movie set snapshots. Quite the foolery but still so French. I love the way they turned out after scanning, a little colorization and digital altering.

See the Anne Elliot damask shawl, the Paris collection and others at the shop!

Next Project: Crocheted Seashell & Love knot shawl in cotton linen.

Shell Shrug in Brick

Tonight I finished a crochet shrug in a lovely Italian wool, silk & bamboo blend yarn. It’s so lustrous and luxurious feeling and brings to mind strolls on Summer evenings. That is perhaps the only thing I love about Summer.

It is now available at the shop.

Crocheted Gauntlets

I have finished a pair of gauntlets (aka fingerless gloves) for Beth in this cute pink and green camouflage yarn. I asked her to polish her nails for the picture but this is apparently the “style”… chipped nail polish. Go figure.

I changed my original pattern a bit as I thought this yarn was more punk rather than feminine. So these are a basic hobo style. Giana’s will be a different pattern and in a bright turquoise blue. I’m going to also crochet matching newsboy caps for each of them once I get the gloves done.

It’s free advertising, since these things are quite popular with all the punk (not an insult) middle school girls. (I like them too. *shush*) The girls are spreading the word about all my creative endeavors. Quite nice. Quite good.