If your kids have a penchant for drawing--maybe a picture of daddy?-- artist Mia van Beek of Formia Designs can whip it into a coo handmade keychain or bookmark made from a child's artwork. (prices vary)
Read more: http://www.coolmompicks.com/2011/06/fathers_day_gifts_made_from_childrens_artwork.php#ixzz1vtiohXNX
13 enero, 20120
Desde siempre, a los hijos les ha encantado llevar a sus hogares las cosas que crean en la escuela, incluyendo joyas. El problema de las joyas que crean los niños es que no son capaces de perdurar en el tiempo. Pero aquí ha surgido una solución.
La orfebre Mia van Beek ahora ayuda a los niños a crear joyas para sus padres que realmente duren para siempre. Lo que hace es tomar fotografías de las creaciones de los pequeños y los convierte en colgantes, llaveros, anillos o broches.
Un muy buen regalo para los padres o algo que una orgullosa madre puede ordenar para tener de recuerdo de su hijo.
Jewelry designer Mia van Beek crafts one-of-a-kind, custom pieces based upon children’s drawings. The choices include rings, brooches, key chains, necklaces and pendants, in a variety of metals. The end result is an adorable and sentimental gift that will be treasured by any parent or grandparent!
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Take a girl from Tallboda. A goldsmith training in Mjölby. Moving to the United States for love's sake, a unique idea, and children's drawings into jewelry. What do you get? Yeah, Mia van Beek and Formia design.
Mia van Beek, or Maria Englund, as she was called at the time, applied for Goldsmith school after seeing a program on tv about jewelry making. She was accepted and it was on its way. Then ,1988-1991, as she sat there in school and learned the trade from scratch, she had very long nails.-The teacher had comments on it and perhaps thought that "this one would not go too far," she says and laughs. But a good thing it was. Today Mia operates a successful company in Charlottesville, Virginia in the United States, where she lives with husband and two daughters. She designs and produces more traditional jewelry as wedding rings, earrings and bracelets bracelet inspired by the Scandinavian sparse aesthetics. But what is her unique idea is precisely to transform children's "scribbles" and figures to "jewelry", as they say in the United States.
When we meet Mia during a short visit to Linköping visiting her grandmother. She wears earrings in the shape of hearts with dots on it, crossed by an arrow. Around the wrist, she has a broad silver bracelet with charms in the form of flowers. She tells us that the hearts her eldest daughter Josefine have drawn and the charms, yes, she and her sister Nellie simply designed one each. Everything began with the Mia trying to figure out on what they could give Josefines pre-school teacher as a gift. She wanted that it would be something from the daughter herself. A piece of jewelry was, of course, the perfect idea for a mother who is a goldsmith. But Mia wanted her daughter to be involved. And the idea was born Josefine's artwork became earrings.–“ Her teacher was quite lyrical when she got them, and my daughter was overjoyed. She stood there and jumped and said, "I made them"!
This jewelry is made only in a single copy. They are handmade with great precision and sense of children's shapes. Exactly how she goes about it, she does not reveal, there is a professional secret. The result, however, is charming, fun, personal. “stick figures” is most common, but she has received orders for everything from whales, dogs and cats to the monsters and tractors. The end result is always amazing alike children's original. Customers are located in large parts of the world, in the United States, of course, where her jewelry has gained attention in both the "Today show" on tv and in the Wall Street Journal. They are also found in Europe, Australia, and Israel. What affects her the most are parents who have lost their children and want to convert one of their artwork to something they can carry and be close every day, "says Mia which has received several such missions. Many of the orders are followed by a small story that tells us something about the child's thoughts on the drawing. Mia has recently received a request to do a collection for "serial production" that will become available to a wider public. The idea is that a portion of the sales proceeds, if she pacifiers in the idea will go to charity. But she is a little tentative about it all. I want to keep uniqueness. I do not want it without the history behind each drawing and a serial product but keep it handmade, solid and genuine.
Today Mia her Studio and his company at home. She works full-time, often more. All business is via her website. For the future, she aims high with her work and her company. "Ten years from now? Yes, I have probably 10 or 20 employees, she said.
Remember where you heard it first!
////////Fakta///////////Name: Mia van Beek
From: Tallboda, Linköping, Sweden
Lives: Charlotteville, Virginia, United States.
Do: working as a goldsmith.
Missing from Sweden: food! Kräftost, messmör, filmjolk, smågodis, chocolate, coffee and shrimp sandwishes.
Like with the United States: easy to operate a small company. The Climate and To avoid the dark season.
Read more at formadesign.com.
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Source: Uploaded by user via Maria on Pinterest
Article about how proffessional creative women get to together in sharing space
http://www.c-ville.com/Article/Features/Creative_ladies_excelling_in_collaborative_workspaces
If you have a kid who loves to sketch, doodle and draw little characters, you know the feeling of wanting to keep each and every one in pristine condition.
While you could box them up and keep them in storage, we have some innovative ideas for you to keep the art around a little while longer.
Child's Own Studio, for example, can turn those sketches into reality. This company translates the color, the oblong shapes and the pure cuteness of each child's drawing and turns them into stuffed animals! Take a look at the gallery here.
Formia Design also turns drawings into physical objects. Only this designer turns drawings into pendants, key chains and charms. How proud will your child be when you put on their original design and head for work?
Some innovative parents have also turned their child's artwork into a photo book. All you have to do is scan and save a digital copy of the artwork. Then you can pull out the book for story time or show off the art to visitors. There are multiple companies that will create photo books for you. Click here to check out PicaBoo's example.
Now that you have digital copies of your child's artwork, you can upload them to Grafighters.com. The site animates the little creature drawings and pits them against each other for a knock-out duel! It's fun to watch something you've created instantly turn into a cartoon.
And while Etsy shop owner AndieMarie is no longer turning child's drawings into custom, hand-embroidered masterpieces, crafty parents can still take the idea and make on for themselves.
Do you know of any other unique ways to turn your kid's artwork into another keepsake? Let us know in the comments below.
]]>Any parent of children who like to draw will tell you that the sheer volume of artwork they create can be overwhelming, and displaying it (or not) can be a sensitive issue. There is a better way to highlight a child's artistic gifts than the refrigerator door.
A number of websites offer creative ways to preserve children's artwork. We chose four services, each with different approaches and results.
Liz Garone on Lunch Break looks at online services that make gift items of kids' artwork, like stuffed animals.
There was a stuffed toy straight out of a kid's imagination and a sleek piece of jewelry a mom would be proud to wear at a parent-teacher conference. Entire drawings were turned into a vibrant fabric print and a not-so-vibrant tote.
Our older daughter, Gabby, loves cats and one of her favorite drawings is a rainbow-colored cat she did with felt-tipped pens. For months, it hung from the refrigerator with a piece of tape. Wendy Tsao, owner of Child's Own Studio in Vancouver, British Columbia, took the simple drawing and made it come to life as "a softie," as she calls her creations, suitable for hugging or displaying.
We submitted a high-resolution scan of the drawing. A couple of days later, we got a message from Ms. Tsao, who does all of the sewing herself. She gave us a price and said it would take four to six weeks for the cat to arrive.
Two weeks later, we received an email with three studio-quality photographs of the transformed rainbow cat. When the box arrived, Gabby immediately recognized her creation and gave her new favorite stuffed animal a big squeeze.
Due to really high demand, Ms. Tsao isn't taking any new orders right now. She says she plans to post a list of other "softie makers" soon.
Gabby also loves to make abstract patterns. One in particular looked like it would make a beautiful comforter cover or curtains. Spoonflower.com of Durham, N.C., will turn any image into a print for 10 fabric choices, ranging from basic cotton for quilting to upholstery-weight twill and silk crepe de chine.
Once we uploaded the image, we were able to customize the print design and preview it. Print choices included centered (with one image in the middle of the fabric); basic repeat (pattern repeats in a straight line); mirror repeat (pattern is reflected); and half-drop and half-brick layouts (pattern is staggered). Order sizes start as small as a "fat quarter" (21" by 18") and go up from there by the yard. There is also an option to first order an 8" by 8" test swatch.
We chose three yards in a mirror-repeat design, which gave Gabby's circle pattern the look of a butterfly.
Four days later, we received an email that the package was on its way. When it arrived a couple of days later, we draped the fabric over the couch and we were impressed. If we hadn't known it was Gabby's design, we would have assumed the fabric had come from a store. Now we just have to decide what we are going to make with it.
At 3 years old, our younger daughter, Zoe, is still drawing stick figures and we thought one of them would make the perfect design for a tote bag. Zazzle.com of Redwood City, Calif., offers everything from custom iPad cases to bags and T-shirts. We found a large off-white-with-pink-trim canvas shoulder bag and uploaded a Zoe animal design to the site. We viewed a mock-up online and submitted the order. Four days later, the bag arrived and we were a little disappointed: The image was smaller and fainter than expected. It looked like it had been drawn with a Sharpie pen.
After an email and a phone call, we were surprised to hear we could return the bag for a refund or a credit, which appeared (minus the shipping) on our account with the service within a couple of days.
We tried again with two drawings, one bolder in color and one larger, and we picked two smaller, simpler grocery tote bags. When the bags arrived, the designs looked much clearer and were perfectly sized for the bags.
Every once in a while, Gabby will draw something that looks like it could be a charm for a necklace or bracelet. Maria van Beek of Formia Design in Charlottesville, Va., takes children's drawings and crafts them into jewelry, key chains and Christmas ornaments.
On our bedroom wall was a quick sketch of a cat by Gabby. We sent in a scan of it and three days later, we received an email message from Ms. van Beek that said the image would work as a charm for a necklace and had an estimate for the work. The drawing had some writing on it and we assumed the charm would be just of the cat. So we were surprised when the charm arrived and there was the cat with the words "I love you" above its head. The letters were even in our daughter's writing.
We thought it was a great replica of Gabby's sketch, but the charm was larger than we expected. It is hard to imagine actually wearing it as a necklace. It seems better suited for a keychain or an ornament.
Write to Elizabeth Garone at cjeditor@dowjones.com
A version of this article appeared Mar. 1, 2012, on page D3
]]>Oh là là mais alors oh là là, moi j'ai un réel coup de cœur pour ce site qui propose des bijoux à partir des dessins de vos enfants.
Parce que non seulement l'idée est très bonne mais la réalisation est vraiment réussie, fidèle à l'esprit du dessin et de sa naïveté.
Je vous montre quelques exemples :
C'est pas adorable ça ?
C'est Formia Design qui propose ces bijoux personnalisés, ça coûte à partir de 59 dollars (43 euros) et ça peut grimper jusqu'à 150 dollars (109 euros) selon la complexité du dessin à réaliser et selon le support que vous allez choisir (porte-clefs, chaine, lien...).
Pour commander, c'est simple, on envoie un dessin en cliquant sur ce lien, la créatrice vous fait un devis et puis enfin vous pouvez si vous le souhaitez commander votre bijou et payer par paypal.
J'aime !
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Posted By: nyfamily
A guest post by Mary Wheeler
Calling all little Picassos! Jewelry line Formia Design enables your child’s artwork (think those adorable turkey hand-prints, colorful rainbows or hand-drawn houses) to be turned into one-of-a-kind, custom charms, pendants, bracelets, cufflinks, earrings and more.
Founded by Mia Van Beek, a certified goldsmith, Formia Designs was inspired by a drawing that her three-year-old daughter was working on at the time--a pair of earrings for her teacher. Those carefully scribbled earrings were turned into actual silver jewelry and an idea was born. Now available to all proud parents, any child's drawings can be perfectly preserved and beautifully crafted into a lush piece of silver or gold jewelry.
We really love how each piece is truly unique and personal. You will never have to worry about someone else having the same piece! Think of this the next time you’re looking for a really special gift for family and friends. During the holidays, drawings can even be turned into ornaments--the perfect addition to any tree or mantle.
How to get started? The ordering process is simple. Just submit your child’s piece to receive a quote based on the level of detailing in the drawing. Once the order has been confirmed, each custom piece takes approximately 5-7 days to create.
So next time you're looking for a new piece of jewelry to decorate your neck or arm, think about how proud your little one would be to have you wearing one of his or her designs--made just for you.
Price varies by design, formiadesign.com
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