Most of this month's work is dedicated to our coffee shop, but I have started a partnership with my sister's linen goods store that is currently under development.
Here are a few highlights from this month's creative sabbatical this far. Let me know your thoughts!
]]>During January, I must have spent a maximum of 4 days in the leather workshop; what with that workshop being rebuilt in a different room, completing my tax return and enjoying as much time off as possible, to heal from the burnout that culminated 2023.
This month, I am taking a 'creative sabbatical' where I will be focus on all my passions and none specifically. I will live each day according to my mood, and bake, take photos, videos, go on walks, design leather pieces, make leather goods, read, bake some more or sleep in, with no pressure or constraint.
As long as I do either of the above, no day is wasted. In doing so, I am allowing myself time to put in practice some of the countless ideas I have jotted down in my 'inspiration' notebook, and hopefully build a small portfolio of photos and videos for my website...
...because in 2024, I want to be know more for my photography than my leathercraft.
I had the identity of a leather artisan for almost a decade, and it does not sum up all my creative outlets.
Take cake, for example: I love baking. I have opened a bakery/coffee shop last year, and that is now part of my identity, even if I chose to no longer work shifts there.
I take thousands of photos each month, I try my hand at sewing, I paint with watercolours, I scout the stores and antique auctions for antiques, I design and create leather goods.
So why let the later define me?
Well, for one, being a woman in the leathercraft industry has been a little difficult; in my experience. I felt elbowed aside, shushed away, felt small at times, insignificant. I tried to find 'my crowd' on social media, but at the end of the day, the majority of leather artisans I came in contact with are men. Men passionate about EDC, cars, motorcycles, denim, whiskey and cigars. Nothing wrong with that, except that I am not interested in any of those things, and I found it hard to relate and create any kind of community around my leather business.
It's about time I start showing more sides of my creative self, despite the fear of ridicule. Yes, I'm soft and feminine, I like girly things like baking, flowers, indie music, linen dresses and books, sue me.
I still have the right to walk into my dark and moody workshop and create some timeless leather pieces. Neither of those feminine things affects my ability to create a wallet or belt. I don't know why I always felt like they would. So here are some photos form the weekend that has just passed. Enjoy.
]]>I have a few leather goods waiting to be finished on the workshop table, and a few e-mails waiting for replies.
All very important matters that I am unable to shift my focus to, because it's Sunday, it's been a long month, and February announces itself a little busy, so I am soaking up every moment of peace this evening has to offer.
January has been a month of background work, admin tasks, renovation projects that will hopefully path the way to a slow February, focused on creative ideas, photography and styling, new leather goods, sorting out and taking photos of a few antiques scattered in our attic and building a photography portfolio.
Things will shift a little for this brand; leathercraft will start sharing the stage with my passion for photography, sustainable ware, books and antiques.
The shop will feature a few new categories of items, all ready to ship, as I am pulling away from the 'made to order' loop.
If you're reading this, thank you for still being here after my long break in 2023.
Here are a few pictures from a cake I baked today, photographed on the dining table in the last blinks of afternoon light.
Cake recipe from Linda Lomelino's blog "Call me cupcake"
]]>When I created the Elena corset a few weeks ago, it was late at night, close to 3am, and I was having one of my 'too much coffee, to many ideas' sessions when I needed to make all the things I thought of that week, to bring them from though into being & cleanse my mind of them.
I had wanted a leather corset for years, but somehow the idea of making one myself has scared me; surely I didn't have what it takes to design, let alone create one?
My work is very minimalist, and any corset I was going to create had to fit my style of simple, functional, fuss-free pieces that can withstand a lifetime of use, yet still be delicate and pretty enough to work with vintage, retro or modern outfits seamlessly.
When designing the corset, I had this vision of a solitary walk, an ethereal morning, long dress, mist in the air, and all the soft fairy tale magic of that early morning walk from 'Pride & Prejudice' that makes us all sigh...
Then one of the dogs walked into the workshop (Masha often wakes up and takes a tour of the workshop in hopes of some extra cuddles) and I had a reality check; I'm not Keira Knightley strolling through a field, at 5am, free as a bird. My morning walks involve holding onto dear life on 3 dog leads as each dog pulls into a different direction, muddy boots, a coat that catches every branch in the way, hair dancing wildly in the wind. No Mr. Darcy walking into my direction, except maybe another dog owner, stirring up a lot of drama among my little pack of dogs.
Yours truly, wearing the Elena corset in dark chocolate, immediately scratched by Ava (brown) whilst Masha (B&W) watched unbothered.
So were I going to create a corset, it would have had to be whimsical enough to pass the romantic vibe check, yet practical enough for every day life, with its messy moments. The final stroke of genius was making it a touch up more versatile by allowing you to transform it from a corset to a regular belt and back, within a few seconds. Thus, The Elle belt becomes the Elena corset in one simple step!
I believe I have managed to tick all boxes, but I let you be the judges of it!
Bellow are a few images with the Elena corset & Elle belt in tan. Styling and imagery by Donatella Brusca, Italy.
Images copyright: Donatella Brusca, 2023
You can find more of her work here.
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Here's an ode to days like that.
]]>I've gone and done it.
I've packed away all Chrome tanned leather, deactivated LOTS of products, including most long-time bestsellers & I sat down to re-make them using vegetable tanned leather.
The year has just started and I'm elbows deep into this massive project that is obviously taking twice longer than I anticipated, so in order to preserve what's left of my sanity, I set out on long forest walks whenever there's a gap in the clouds.
The Lake District is a miserable affair this time of the year, but I managed to find an evergreen forest within minutes drive from home & it's been my safe haven this cold season.
On Monday the weather was dry enough for a few hours, so I ventured on a long hike expecting nothing. I've managed to pack a dog walk, product photography for a few new camera straps and maintain a conversation with my hiking buddies while snapping away photos of fir tree branches and elusive forest pathways.
As some of you might now, I'm a chaotic workaholic with a deep love for slow living, so when I'm not the embodiment of ADHD, I am the opposite: grounded, calm, wistful. On rare occasions I hit the sweet spot between my two contradictory personalities, and I get to create some meaningful work while staying in the "slow & intentional" zone.
Here's an ode to days like that.
These could have easily fitted in an instagram post but I find social media so exhausting these days.
Hope you enjoyed this insight into half a day of life/work balance.
Let me know your thought :)
Carmina
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Hello & welcome!
I have promised you on Instagram that I will put together a gift guide that will include items created by other brands, not just myself, and I have finally carved the time for it.
It's 5:45am, I'm yet to sleep, so I'll keep this short and sweet:
I know the increased cost of living has impacted all of us this year, and you might choose to opt for a budget-friendly gift this Christmas. I get that.
I'm doing a Secret Santa with my family, so instead of buying several gifts, I put as much care as I can into one special gift for a special someone. This way, there will be gifts under the tree, gifts with meaning and purpose, slowly, ethically made, from people that care about quality, durability and their impact on the environment.
With that in mind, I invite you to take a look at a few of the creators that inspired me this year, whose products I can vouch for, having tested and used them myself.
These are in random orders, there's not best and worst on this list!
Beautiful art by Feather and Wild
Sadly I do not own any piece by Victoria, but I'm dreaming of adding a large painting to one of the workshop walls some time in the future!
Hand woven scarves and plaids inspired by Scottish scenery - Feather & Hay
I am in love with everything Georgina creates - her beautiful, so beautiful hand woven story plaids, her moody photos and her fairy tale-like videos; she's my biggest source of inspiration on Instagram and the scarf pictured has been keeping me toasty since 2021.
Hand poured candles, wax melts and more by Bous Candles
I mean, need I say more? It's candle season!
I have a few more ideas, however I have not managed to source pictures for them:
Linen & Hemp clothing, hand made in France by L. Wood.
Pyrography art, UK, by Stef Butler Agni Prasada Burning
Hand made pottery and jewellery, UK, by The Kindred Workshop
Clothing, accessories and homewares from TOAST
Lastly, I can shily raise my hand here- although most of my items are made to order, thus there's very little time to get any of my products in time for Christmas, but you can have a look nevertheless at the Shop
I hope you will find something beautiful in any of these shops. Let me know in the comments if you have any suggestions yourself!
Photo credits: all mine, except Feather & Hay + Bous candles - credits to the respective owners.]]>
...no magic happens here. This is where all the work happens: a one room workshop in a run down house, at the edges of a small town in the rainiest corner of England (without being one bit dramatic here).
For those who don't know me well, I'm Carmina, a Romanian leather artisan, photographer & dogs hoarder that runs a leather goods store from her home in Cumbria.
Pictured: Carmina, Ava (brown) & Masha (B&W)
It's been a year since my husband Ben and I bought this run down house in a little town on the N/W coast of England & once again, moved to some place we knew little to nothing about.
If you've been following us on Instagram for a while, you'll know we live in an ex-council house that we are working on renovating, whilst I'm working full time for my leathercraft business and try to branch out as a travel & lifestyle photographer.
To say it's been an intense year it would be a horrible understatement, but through the dust and rubble of 12 laborious months we can glimpse a bit of hope: we've got some walls without cracks in them and floors you can walk on without steel-toe boots!
I'm being a bit dramatic, but after a year of having to work among piles of plasterboard, paint tins, copper pipes and around half million different types of drill bits, having a room with clean, straight walls & floors seems like an undeserved luxury.
We've completed the major works in the workshop a few weeks ago, and my productivity levels have been soaring since.
This stool was rescued from a pub dating back to the 17th century in Calder Bridge. The owners couldn't comment on the age of it, but it was covered in grime and cracked leather so it must have been ancient
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For a brief period we had a sofa here, but the space was too crowded so this is now the place I use to take product photos, since these windows are my preferred source of light
Back to the desk, this is where finishing touches take place; mostly sewing
& edge polishing, or design work & photography.
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Thank you for taking the time to read this!
There's still a lot left undiscovered, so make sure you follow me on Instagram to keep an eye on the workshop progress. Meanwhile, I must go back to work. It's full Christmas shopping season so I'm swamped & the dogs need walking too.
Until next time!
P.S. Let me know what your favourite corner of the studio is!
Hello, welcome!
If this were a real room, I'd offer you the best spot in the house, bring you some tea and the finest cup to drink from before you even had the chance to take your shoes off.
Since that's not possible, I'll settle for "I'm so glad you're here, reading this!" which does not convey really how glad I am to have your attention for a minute.
I don't have much to say today, mostly because I have too much to say about this new project of mine and until I gather my thoughts and organise them, I'll save you the trouble of having to detangle an incoherent mass of phrases thrown at random.
I want this to be an introduction to what is hopefully going to be a series of articles about what artful living is and why do I claim to know anything about it. Don't worry, I'm not slowly dragging you into a cult of any kind.
In this corner of the Internet I will share about living intentionally; about photography, travel, forest walks on misty mornings, warm woollen sweaters, slow fashion, minimalism, indie music, my craft, slow and well made goods, books, antiques, art, food and everything else that I share chaotically on social media at the mercy of algorithms.
I find autumns a season of inspiration, yet a certain platform I won't name *choughs* Instagram *choughs* is slowly killing my drive to share photos and videos about the above just to see them crash and burn in the pits of oblivion. Let this be a space where we don't have to battle bots, ads and algorithms to get to see as much as a photo of a cup of coffee or a forest covered in mist.
Speaking of forests, here are a few snaps from a recent van trip through Scotland.
Photography by yours truly. Find more on Instagram @carminaandra
Current favourite coffee cup from Toast photographed in my tiny home library.
If you enjoyed this post, please share some feedback & subscribe bellow. The subscription is sitewide, which means you will receive a follow up e-mail with a coupon code to spend in my shop and you will receive occasional news from the workshop... which will mostly be about blog posts anyway :)
]]>We have managed to cut back drastically on the use of plastics, as well as cutting back on waste in our life, business and charity missions.
-We have creates a few products that are built ONLY from leather scraps (currently available in our Etsy store, coming soon here as well!).
-Ever since we have purchased a tiny cabin in November 2018, we have embraced a more waste-free lifestyle, slowly turning our lives around.
In the past few months, we have experimented with composting in our back yard and we can say that tiny leather scraps CAN be composted, as long as the leather is vegetable tanned. (Chrome tanned leather would leak chemicals into the soil, thus affecting the crops).
As much as we'd love to share photos, we have to wait until we take a fresh bag of scraps there, as there's no beauty in a pile of rotten leather scraps!
We have changed our packaging supplier and most of our leather & much more!
Read our complete Sustainability Statement here
Stay in touch for more news about our new products, sustainable practices and charity work, as well as exciting offers and sales!
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