Hallo to Halloween and Autumn

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

It may still be blazing hot in Dubai, though we are at the end of October, but fashionably speaking, it’s all autumn colours on the fashion walk and Halloween on the way end of this month. Here are some of our brilliant artisans incorporating the colours (and tastes) of Halloween and Autumn in their work.

Irenespots

Irenespots is particularly known for her terrifyingly cute monsters, which, if you want to read more about, you can click here. Check out her pumpkin pots for this Halloween. Which of the two grimacing pumpkin pots do you prefer?

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MoJePerle

This polymer clay artist has been part of the ARTE family for a number of years and her designs play beautifully on the colours of autumn and our ARTE brand colours. Read more about her story here.

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Paras Creations

Isn’t the Halloween Princess in the photo below, cute? That’s what you get when your princess gal wears a Paras Creations dress, and carries that handmade broom, made by Paras’ loving hands (yes, she actually makes the broom herself, recycling from bigger brooms and donning aubergine flowers on them). Read more about this artisan’s work here.

Like Paras Creations on facebook.

Well Preserved

This Halloween, Well Preserved has whipped up a garlic based Vampire Relish to keep the vampires away. Check out what these are usually girls are up to in the Well Preserved kitchen.

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Mary Falconer Designs

This talented artisan makes awesome clutches and has diversified into making bracelets that match her stylish handbags. Here are our two top picks from her collection (in orange and black, of course!).

Read more about Mary Falconer Designs here.

Yes, you can even express Love during the scary, dark night of Halloween. Mary Falconer Designs shows us how (just wear her black noir tiered bracelet and you are well away).

In the sand pit

Check out the awesome fabric that In the Sand Pit uses in pretty girlish skirts and tees. The motifs are very striking – from the black silhouette of an alert cat, to the friendly ghosts and skeletons (reminiscent of Casper, the friendly ghost cartoons from bygone days). We even like the polka dotted dress and ribbons, that go very well with the chevron border and the tall witchy hats.

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We hope we kept you bewitched with this year’s rendition of Halloween at the ARTE blog. Don’t forget, if you wish to book a table with us at ARTE, all you have to do is to read the Vendor information on our website, choose your preferred ARTE location, and book with us. We look forward to seeing you become part of our group.

Sing praise to the Preze studio of clay flowers

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Visitors to ARTE can not only buy handmade products made by our lovely artisans, they have the opportunity to experiment with various handcrafting workshops and demos. One such workshop is making your own clay flowers, presented by Darya Naidenkova, Founder of PREZE studio of Clay Flowers.

At the workshop, you will get to try your hand at making flower out of air dry polymer clay. Polymer Clay such as FIMO needs to be baked at a particular temperature for it to cure. However, air dry polymer clay makes it easy for beginners to sculpt flowers that look real, and just wait for them to cure naturally. No hassles with getting the oven temperatures just right.

We caught up with Darya who shares with us what the workshop is all about. “I am presenting clay flower arrangements for home or office decorations. As part of the workshop, customers will get to choose arrangement or a bouquet as per their needs. These are all handmade by me, right in front of them at ARTE. By hosting this workshop, I want to implement my artistic potential, which brings me joy.

Now, be warned. At first glance, flowers made by Darya look so real, that people who prefer fresh flowers nearly buy them. She says, “It’s interesting to see the confused look on the faces of passersby, because they wonder what I am doing at a handcrafted market, because they think I am selling fresh flowers. This, however, is a great opportunity for me to start a conversation with them.” Doing demos always gets the crowds coming and one family stopped by at her stall and ordered an arrangement on the spot for their office.

Darya will be starting her workshops in November at ARTE, that’s just two weeks away, so get in touch with her and make some magic happen.

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Arabian Centre and RAK Hamra Mall, here we come! Plus all things wood

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Since ARTE said goodbye to the long term location at Dubai Festival Centre, we have now found new homes in other locations – such as RAK Hamra Mall as well as Arabian Centre in Mirdif, in addition to the two markets at Times Square. Well into our ninth year, the ARTE family have truly expanded throughout the Emirates and beyond. You just have to look at the highly interactive facebook page standing at 16K followers and our social media is full of videos, instagrammed photos and tweets and an ever growing list of subscribers and fans that support handmade in the UAE. Thank you all.

So don’t forget to pop down there to see us.

In the meantime, we are dedicating this space to some amazing wood crafts by our artisans. Enjoy the gallery!

: We agree to this one – shoes in all colours – sane advice on wood by the Joinery Shop

: Stealing a romantic moment in wood by Wael Hamadeh

: All handwritten by the patient Prerna Unlimited

: Another treasure box found in the desert – decoupaged on wood by Lilly’s Floral Decoration

: Interior decoration with driftwood by Kariba Arts

: Who would have thought that driftwood would become this lantern set? Made by Kariba arts

: Love the little tongue-in-cheek quotes that the Joinery Shop Come up with

: Want a bit of love? The Joinery Shop will help you carve it in wood.

: Kariba Arts is known for incorporating driftwood into her work

: Prerna Unlimited has created this accessories holder for a male client. How cool is this?

: Wood is such a great surface to decoupage, and Lilly’s Floral Decoration makes pretty decoupaged coasters and treasure boxes.

Follow these artisans on facebook.

Kariba Arts

Miss Green Tea

The Joinery Shop

Wael Hamadeh – read more about his work here.

Prerna Unlimited – read more about her work here.

Lilly’s Floral Decoration– read more about her work here

All photos used as owned by the artisans unless otherwise indicated.

The Rise of the Arte-san Man

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

When ARTE came into existence just over nine years ago, we only had a couple of male artisans as members, Colin Roberts (who was known for his Dirham coin bottle stoppers) and Paul Beaujangles (the silversmith and ARTE’s co-founder) to name two of them. In recent years, we have seen the number of male artisans join our ever expanding family. Sadly, May 2014 saw the departure of the Roberts family (a blog story that traces their journey with ARTE is published here).

Do you remember Colin Roberts, our regular vendor since the beginning of ARTE.

The Roberts' son Nicky of Pink Poodle used to design these bowties.

The Roberts’ son Nicky of Pink Poodle was known for his love for old Hollowood movies and musicals.

Paul Beaujangles is known for silver smithing themed cufflinks

Here is a lowdown of some of the male artisans who make us proud.

Fluke photography

Of his photos, Fluke photography says, “One of the stand-out things about Dubai is the extreme contrast between tradition and the modern, such as the minarets and the fancy resorts.” In the photos below, he sought to capture this contrast by braving the 42 degree heat and high humidity. We think it’s a job well done!

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The Howlin’ Rooster

Basil, the cigar box guitar lover brings his unique handmade guitars to ARTE. Read more about his work in a separate blog post here.

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Photo GT – Motorsport Photography

If you are a motorsport afficianado, and you love photography, then Photo GT is your man. This photographer has an ‘obsession’ as he calls it, with capturing razor sharp images of fast cars, “while the rest of the world screams by in a blur of confusion.” Check the photos and see if you don’t agree with what we say.

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IntentionS by Paul Mercer

We have already blogged about IntentionS collection of essential oils and creams by Paul Mercer, here. Some of his latest inventions include the divine blend of essential oils with seaweed and Vitamin E. Hmmm, that already feels so wicked and good on the skin! Try some at the next ARTE market.

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Stefano’s Jewels

Jewels by Stefano range from rings to earrings are hammered to perfection. We covered his handcraft in a separate blog post here.

Follow Stefano’s Jewels on facebook.

All photos used as owned by the artisans unless otherwise indicated.

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If you are an artisan, making your own crafts right here in the UAE, and you would like to sell your work at ARTE, all the application details are on our website.

Our Pink October favourite picks

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

October, being the month to raise breast awareness, many of our artisans have decided to go pink. The following items will be available at ARTE at Times Square this Friday, 10th of October. Don’t miss out.