The Art of the Ocean

Paul Veit is a local Newport, RI artist with an enormous creative passion. His medium of choice is sea glass and driftwood that he personally collects from local beaches. The beauty of the beach follows you home when you hang one of his sea glass sun catchers in your window. The way the sunlight illuminates the sea glass is simply enchanting.

Paul has been creating these oceanic works of art for over 20 years. He found that “there was something really magical about the tiny 'drops' of color lying in the warm sunlight and only visible up close”. Paul was inspired to create a way of displaying sea glass that would really do justice to its beauty but in an unusual and interesting way. His idea of creating a window in a piece of driftwood to showcase the sea glass is ingenious. Combining these two elements of the shoreline really captures the essence of the beach. Even if you now live hundreds of miles away from the ocean, one of Paul’s sun catchers will bring back your fondest memories of hunting for sea glass, swimming and jumping waves, or just lounging in the sand.

A huge amount of thought and hard work goes into each of Paul’s creations. Just the amount of time that he spends collecting the sea glass and driftwood is astounding. Paul favors the rockiest beaches of Newport and has become quite a rock climber in order to reach the best spots for sea glass. Once he’s in a good area he must then use tweezers in order to retrieve some of the smallest pieces. When Paul begins hand crafting his sun catchers he draws inspiration from the beach itself as well as Newport’s gardens, trees, and wildflowers. Each of his creations has its own story. Even the abstract, colorful designs are inspired by the vibrant tide pools that Paul observes while he’s collecting his nautical treasures. The way he can create a picture out of sea glass is miraculous. One of my personal favorites is a sun catcher picturing a stone wall, grass, a large tree, and the sky… all created using different colors of sea glass and narrow beach stones for the branches of the tree.

All of Paul’s sun catchers are suspended by a piece of fishing line that has been adorned with a colorful stack of sea glass. Prices start at $30 each and the sizes of the sun catchers range from 2 inches to 20 inches long. Paul Veit’s creations are available at Green Envy Eco-Boutique in the Brick Market Place of Newport, RI.

April's World

At 26 years old, April Gramolini is an inspiration. She recognized the need for more sustainable and earth friendly accessories and has made it a reality. April has been a vegetarian for 11 years and couldn’t handle seeing another leather wallet or belt. The chemicals used to tan such products are incredibly harmful to the environment, not to mention that an animal died for that belt.

Originally April, a native from Tiverton, RI started hand weaving wristlets and wallets with yarn found at thrift stores. But inspiration struck when her best friend gave her some Blue Mountain Coffee as a souvenir from a trip to Jamaica. Upon seeing the burlap bag that the coffee beans were packaged in she immediately thought “We cannot just throw this away!” She made that coffee bag into a satchel and went on a quest for more unique coffee bags to upcycle into different accessories. She discovered that she could buy these used jute coffee bags from local coffee roasters like Custom House Coffee in Middletown, RI. Each bag has its own wonderful story. Interesting printing on the bags includes the weight of the full bag, a description and origin of the beans, and sometimes a large, beautiful Rainforest Alliance Certified stamp. April lets the natural beauty of these bags shine through in her accessories. She skillfully designs handbags, wallets, and belts to accent the unique prints original to the bags. April loves making eco-friendly products using local upcycled materials. She enjoys repurposing and reshaping the materials into useful items. April says that “it’s a labor of love, so calming and rewarding”.

April’s World creations are incredibly durable, each item is a complete original… and the perfect gift for your coffee-addict friend or relative. Her handbags are fully lined and are equipped with two interior pockets and button closure. April’s merchandise can be found at Green Envy Eco-Boutique in the Brick Marketplace of Newport, RI. (401)619-1993 and online at www.aprilsworld.etsy.com

Mophat

"Recyclable to Fashionable"

While carrying my favorite Mophat wristlet around town I am constantly approached by strangers who just want to say “I love your bag!”. My response is always “Can you guess what it’s made from?”. Most people examine it for a few minutes and still cannot determine what the bag is made from. When I finally give in and tell them that it’s made from recycled soda can tabs they fall into a state of amazement. To take something that is most commonly thought of as trash and turn it into a stylish accessory is a great feat.

Violeta Maniaul-Moffat started her company Mophat after realizing a need to repurpose what is normally tossed in the garbage. She first started recycling newspapers and magazines into ornaments and purses. This led to the idea of using soda tabs instead. Violeta’s accessories prove that recycling can be fashionable.

Violeta was born and raised in the Philippines. She traveled to the Middle East to work as a fashion merchandiser for Mango Shop where she met her husband who was serving in the US Navy. They have since moved to Rhode Island where Violeta hand crafts all of her beautiful recycled accessories. Mophat designs can only be in Green Envy Eco-Boutique and online at http://www.mophatshop.com/.

Providence Perfume Company

When you see a perfume called “lavender fields” or “vanilla musk” you would automatically assume that lavender or vanilla would be an ingredient in that perfume. However if you look at the ingredients of a commercially produced perfume you’ll see that in most cases all of the ingredients are chemicals, barely pronounceable and harmful to your health chemicals at that. Typically there is no trace of a natural ingredient, and the perfumes are made in factories. A 100% natural perfume has become incredibly rare.

Charna Ethier, an artisan perfumer, and creator of Providence Perfume Co. has been totally appalled by what the modern perfume industry has become. We are spraying ourselves with synthetic chemicals that contain harmful parabens. It’s just not right. Charna hand crafts every perfume in small batches using only natural ingredients in her Providence, Rhode Island studio. She uses real plants, flowers, woods, and fruits. Each luxurious scent is simply delectable. My personal favorite Cocoa Tuberose is so delicious that I have to tell myself not to eat it. You can definitely tell that only natural ingredients are used. Charna’s perfumes are not your typical scents. Her scent combinations are truly unique. From Osmanthus Oolong, a combination of the Japanese osmanthus flower and three varieties of tea to Indolice, a blend of night blooming jasmine, oakmoss, and mushroom, each scent is truly intoxicating.

Providence Perfume Co. scents can be purchased in Green Envy Eco-Boutique and online at www.GreenEnvyShop.com and www.ProvidencePerfume.com. Scents include Ginger Lily, Osmanthus Oolong, Divine, Cocoa Tuberose, Tabac Citron, and Indolice.

Oceans Stone Jewelry

Tumbled in the sea for centuries upon centuries, these stones have quite a history. They are truly art created by nature. Local artist, Amanda Beck has always appreciated the organic beauty of stones found on the beach. She now shares this beauty with others by creating stunning pieces of jewelry with ocean stones that she hand picks off of Newport, RI beaches. Amanda apprenticed with an artist who made sea glass and silver jewelry while she attended college in Maryland. While working with the sea glass she always felt a pull toward making jewelry with beach stones. Although the glass was beautiful, she gravitated to the simplicity and beauty of the stones she found along the shore. These stones were simply tumbled by the sea and formed by the rocks in which they came in contact with. Amanda calls the white lines found in some stones lifelines. “There is something about rocks... they are older than I can even imagine... yet they still shine. They tell stories of how the earth formed and how it continues to change. To me, they are nature’s gems.” Amanda finally made her dream of making jewelry from ocean stones a reality once she moved to Newport after completing Graduate School.

Amanda never alters the stones she finds. They are naturally smooth from all the tumbling about in the ocean. She uses lead free solder around the perimeter of the stones which delicately highlights the stone’s beauty. A piece of Oceans Stone Jewelry makes a perfect keepsake to remember your favorite memories of the seaside, as well as a wonderful gift for a beach loving friend. The neutral colors of the jewelry can be worn with any outfit. Amanda Beck’s Oceans Stone Jewelry can only be found in Green Envy Eco-Boutique in the Brick Market Place of Newport, RI. Prices range from $28 to $40.