Traditional Costume

This is a gorgeous example of rare Museum quality quilted Kaftan jacket.
This is a 19th century from the Turkish Ottoman Empire an Ottoman men's kaftan - or Hil'at as it was called in old Turkish.

The kaftan was the top layer of the outfit and served mainly to show the status, function and wealth of its wearer. The most expensive fabrics and also furs were used for kaftans.

This one is entirely hand worked in the matelassee technique, a form of corded quilting that must have taken weeks to complete.
It is most probably made in Bursa, a city with a great textile history situated in the Silk Road.

This unique and rare garment is in great state considering its age. There are some stains that did not go away with dry cleaning, but it is clean and has no smell, tears or mold

The condition and workmanship of the hand quilted piece is truly exquisite. 

It has welted slits at the sides where from the pants pockets could be reached without opening the garment.

Can you imagine a H&M jacket for sale after a 130 years? Neither can I, clothes were so much more worth than they are now.
This Kaftan is available in our shop.

From Trash to Treasure

This ugly coffee table has been waiting for a make over for over 2 years.

Its previous owner tried to 'fix it', which only made it worse.

The glass was all scratched up and the middle shelf was damaged so I took those off. My initial plan was to cover the top with all kind of found boat wood and driftwood to create a surface like a sold coffee table I made. And then adding driftwood branches to fill up those gaps in the legs and to strengthen it but it never really clicked so the table kind of hung around for all this time.

And then I decided to just make an ottoman of it and forget about its original purpose.
I cut off the legs to get rid of the ugly gaps and nails and to shorten it as foam will make it higher again.

I also cut of the sides to make it ready for upholstering.

I wanted to sand the feet as they were actually beautiful wood under that ugly brown but they were so badly painted that I just couldn't get it all off and had to paint them. So I want for something a bit crazy to make it different.

With fabric under and plywood on top, then foam, batting and a beige fabric it was ready for its pretty Kilim I found among our Kilim stash.

Tadaaaa! I used a foam thickness that would make the Kilim the exact correct size, without any cutting beside the corners.

So happy that I went with my instincts and made an Ottoman out of it.

It is very long 42'' (106 cm) so perfect for in front of the couch, or at the foot end of your bed or in the hallway to take off your shoes :)

I used brass bead caps and nails for a prettier finishing touch.

This Ottoman / Bench is available at StarHomeStudio among other one of a kind furniture pieces.

Newly Listed: Sterling Silver Urchin Necklace

Sterling Silver Urchin Necklace with Cubic Zircon Green Oxidized Sea Urchin Sterling Silver Necklace by StaroftheEast
Bird Photography taken by me in our garden :)
Serene Photography sitting dock green water lake solo perspective Florida solace celery, Serenity by brandMOJOimages
Botanical print, green art print, naturalist, grey wall art, winter decor, rustic home decor, floral art by dullbluelight

Newly Listed: Beach Pottery Rings

Beach Pottery Rings Sea Tumbled Pottery, Brass Rings, One of a Kind by StaroftheEast
Nautical Art Print, Jersey Shore Art, Beach House Decor, Sandy Beach Art Print by KEnzPhotography
Nautical Boat Photography Print, Weathered Rowboat Canvas Photo, Beach Cottage Decor by DawnaMoorePhoto
Wooden Pier Print, Coastal Wall Art, Sea Photography, Ocean Photo Coastal Beach Home Decor by PurringDreams

A Little Break

These past 2 weeks have been pretty draining and tiring. Some good stuff some bad and I'm feeling it. Needed a little break so took my camera and shot these pretties.

Feels like Spring, nature, dreamy and freedom...

But was only a 5 minute break between a parking strip and bicycle road in the middle of our town, no time for a real break lately, but hopefully soon a beach break :)

Ghost Net

Not a Halloween post as the title might suggest. Ghost nets are fishing nets that have been left or lost in the ocean by fishermen. These nets, often nearly invisible in the dim light, can be left tangled on a rocky reef or drifting in the open sea. They can entangle fish, dolphins, sea turtles, sharks, dugongs, crocodiles, seabirds, crabs, and other creatures, including the occasional human diver. Acting as designed, the nets restrict movement, causing starvation, laceration and infection, and suffocation in those that need to return to the surface to breathe. (from WikiPedia)

There are an estimated 640,000 tons of fishing nets in the oceans. These fishing nets remain adrift for a substantial amount of time and are responsible for the accidental capture of many marine mammals. This problem only continues to get worse each year. Even our reefs can be negatively affected. (from AricSwim).

I always collect trash during our beach combing, unfortunately I can not take it all (as there is so much) but I always try to get those nasty nets and fishing lure from the beach as they can get back in the sea with the next storm. The one I used for this Wall piece was a basket to catch crabs, I found a bunch of them and as they are metal I like to make something interesting of them as they are beautiful in their own way. This time I decided to make a conversation piece with one of them, and I think I succeeded, I wrote a lot :)

The piece is available at StarHomeStudio.
If you want to find out more about ghost nets and how they horribly effect marine life (not for the faint hearted) Google provides plenty of info and sad images.

Newly Listed: Live, Laugh, Love Tote

Live, Laugh, Love Tote, Wool Suiting, Leather and Antique Lace Tote Bag by StarBags
Blue Moon, Full Moon photo, moon phase photograph, night sky with tree branch sillhouette by moondreamin
Fine Art Photography, Castle Staircase, Abstract Art, Fairytale Art, Spiral Design by PrettyPetalStudio
Photography Backdrop, Old vintage background, Food and product styling photography by InkAndElm