With cuff design in mind...(Part 11)

Even your wrist needs to get away once in a while. Treat it to a vacation with this adjustable cuff made of reused and recycled maps.

Map of Paris France Area Cuff Bracelet by VSC83

Where can YOUR jewelry take you??? If you're wearing one of VSC83's original "map cuff bracelets", the possibilities are plenty. Oakland based Etsy seller, Victoria, crafts these ingenious cuffs using upcycled maps. Each cuff has a metal base that makes it adjustable, a black satin ribbon lining that makes it comfortable and a glazed coating that makes it durable. A perfect conversation piece, VSC83's cuff are simply..."rockable"! Read all about this map-lovin'-lady in this week's artist interview...

Q: What makes your shop unique?
I love to work with recycled/reused items when I can, as well as make my own findings and beads in order to create designs that you won't see everywhere else.

Q: How long have you been designing cuff bracelets?
For about seven months now (I've been designing other items for years though.)

Q: Describe the cuffs you design (materials, style, special features etc.)
I'm currently designing map cuffs, which use re-purposed and recycled road and street maps. No two cuffs are ever exactly alike! My favorites are the old National Geographic maps I was lucky to find, which were printed in the 1960s. I've also done aeronautical chart map cuffs, which were fun!

Q: What type of woman do you imagine wearing your cuffs? (Include the name of at least two celebs that you think would love to rock your cuff and tell why...)
The type of woman who wears my cuff is fun, confident, and also sentimental! In general, my cuffs represent a geographical location close to the wearer's heart. This allows them to take that memory with them wherever they go in the form of a fashionable accessory. I could envision a musical artist - anyone from Madonna to Miley Cyrus - wearing this cuff, since they are on the road a lot and probably miss their hometown!

Q: Finish the following sentence: "I consider myself a cuffie (lover of cuffs) because..."
...they come in all shapes and sizes, colors and styles! I also love the adjustable ones, since I have a smaller wrist and many "normal" bracelets are too big.

With cuff design in mind...(Part 10)

Taking it to the edge and back again, this decoupage cuff is uber cool...even a little dirty --- but in a good way.

"Life is a Dream Graffiti Grunge" Decoupage Bracelet Cuff by Dolores Mederise

Love is clearly a battlefield in this graffiti-ed out cuff. Street tough with a refined air, New York designer Sylvie created this urban piece using decoupage --- a technique of decorating something (in this case a lightweight metal cuff) with cut-outs of paper or other flat material, and then overlaying it with varnish or lacquer. Sylvie's cuffs, sold through her Etsy store, Dolores Mederise, come in a plethora of styles --- some retro, some renaissance, a few Asian-inspired, others geometric, still others that are soft and romantic. There really is a cuff to satisfy every woman's tastes in her well-thought out treasure of a store. Read all about this up-and-coming designer in this week's artist interview...

Q: What makes your shop unique?
I think the cuffs make my shop unique. Most of the cuffs I've seen use the traditional technique of decoupage by using a variety of pieces of paper layered over each other. I look for specialty designer and handmade papers that I use in one large piece.

Q: How long have you been designing cuff bracelets?
I have been making wire crochet cuffs for 2 1/2 years under my other shop name Albina Rose. I've been doing decoupage for over 20 years. Just last fall, I combined my love of beautiful papers, decoupage and making jewelry. The result was these funky cuffs.

Q: Describe the cuffs you (materials, style, special features etc.)
Well, the cuffs I design reflect a variety of styles that depend on the materials. Two of them were made using real pressed leaves and Queen Anne's lace. Very natural and organic with a wonderful texture. The design of the paper usually dictates the style of the cuff--elegant, artsy, funky, whimsical, or edgy.

Q: What type of woman do you imagine wearing your cuffs? (Include the name of at least two celebs that you think would love to rock your cuff and tell why...)
The type of woman I think likes my cuffs is probably age 25-45 and has good taste. She likes unique and artsy. Doesn't mind standing out a little. Probably likes to be noticed. I don't really follow celebrities so I'm not that familiar with them. But I think maybe Angelina Jolie would wear a 2-inch wide, edgy cuff because that's who she is---edgy, unique and confident. I can picture Debbie Harry (Blondie) wearing one of my cuffs also. She is bold, fearless and original. And that belies my age because she was very popular in the 80s and always one of my favorites.

Q: Finish the following sentence: "I consider myself a cuffie (lover cuffs) because..."
...even though I'm on the shy side, I like to be different from other people. I love artsy cool stuff and original one-of-a-kind works. My cuffs give me a little individuality that allows me to stand out just enough without screaming "Look at ME!"