Mia Van Beek Turns Your Kid's Art Into Actual Jewelry, Keychains & Bookmarks.

Jewelry designer Mia Van Beek of Formia Design has come up with a way to turn your children's art into fabulous everlasting mementos in the form of pendants, charm bracelets, earrings, brooches, keychains and bookmarks.



Working with all types of metals [sterling silver, gold, stainless steel, etc], she expertly transforms two dimensional drawings into metal versions of the same.



She can create them as either positive or negative [outlines] pieces and is able to reproduce anything from stick figures to even the most enigmatic representation of a child's imagination.




Words do not suffice, take a look at these examples.

Pendants:







Keychains:





Earrings:

Bookmarks:

Charm Bracelets:


To learn how to submit the art and order your own wonderful piece of her work, go here.

About Mia:

Education and experience:

1988-1991 Jewlery school in Sweden

1992 Journeyman diploma

1996 Goldsmith Master Degree

1997 Degree in design at Collage of arts in Linkoping, Sweden.

2001 set up my own business Formia Design in Stockholm, Sweden

2004 Received Best New Designer of the year award at Stockholm Jewlery show

2004 Established Formia Design LLC in Virginia, USA

She not only creates these whimsical pieces, but it an expert goldsmith and creates other fine jewelry. Visit her website to see her many other jewelry designs.

follow her on Twitter.

Shop her online store.

Grace Gunning's Reliquary Boxes

Grace Gunning's Reliquary Boxes

the bio and info below are from the artist:
Play and mystery are the main ingredients in the unique reliquary boxes made in Grace Gunning's studio.

After years of working primarily with glass, Grace Gunning found old 1890's metal forming machines and began to experiment with a very heavy gauge of copper, hoping to learn to form a box. It took a year or so to teach herself the techniques that are all but lost in this very modern world. In time the boxes, formed one at a time, became more than just boxes. Although the word Reliquary means 'a receptacle for treasures', Grace hopes she's created a treasure to hold your treasures.



Growing up in Blacklick, Ohio in the late 50's and early 60's as a Quaker and moving to N.Y.C. as a teenager in the later 60's gave Grace the sense that life is whackier than we can even imagine.

In her studio in upstate N.Y., along the mighty Hudson River, past meets present. Through the work of play and the play of work, and these marvelous old machines, Grace brings you her Reliquary Boxes.

Below are just a few examples, she has many more in varying themes.









GRACE GUNNING'S RELIQUARY BOXES ARE MADE OF HEAVY GAUGE COPPER USING HAND-RUN 18TH AND 19TH CENTURY MACHINES.

THE LIDS FEATURE WHIMSICAL IMAGES AND MOVEABLE PIECES CAREFULLY DESIGNED AND PROTECTED UNDER GLASS. THE BOXES RANGE IN SIZE FROM 3"x1.5"x1" TO 7"x6"x2".
(MOVE CURSOR OVER THUMBNAIL IMAGES TO VIEW DIMENSIONS)

EACH HAND SIGNED AND DATED BOX IS LINED IN VELVET TO PROTECT YOUR CHERISHED TREASURES.

Be sure to visit her own site to see all her work.

Or you can buy her boxes at any one of the several galleries below:
here(left bank gallery).
And here(Zanisa).
And here(uncommon goods).
And here(ruby lane).
And here(paddiwhack).
And here(cog and pearl).
And here(fire opal).