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Tini's of

creates handcrafted one-of-a-kind dreamcatcher jewelry, hangs at hotel rooftop pools and admires her mom as an artist. She chats with miami nice about her latest piece made from Peruvian shaman stones and how she's yet to sustain a major injury...

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photo by ashley noelle via h.o.w.l.

I really dig the whole vibe of

H.O.W.L

(short for Handle Only With Love) tell me a bit about how it got started and what you’re trying to do…

It was actually somewhat of an accident. I was a few years into the fashion design program at the Art Institute of Miami and I was inspired by a friend to start making jewelry. At first it was just for fun. I was going through all of my old jewelry boxes and reconstructing pieces and making things for myself and friends. Once I made the first dream catcher I couldnt stop. I felt like I had found was my niche and wanted to run with it.

You have a background in fine arts, who are the artists that really influence you in both your work with H.O.W.L and your life?

My mother is the main influence in my life; the most talented artist in so many ways. (She's ) Always dabbling in different mediums, to her, anything is possible, which is the mindset I like to stick with.

You hand-make all these pieces? Have you ever sustained a work related injury from twisting and turning metal and stones?

Not as of yet. Minor cuts here and there, but nothing severe enough to stop me from creating new pieces.

all images via howl

I love the idea that you can take old jewelry and rework it for someone into something new, with a whole new energy. I feel like you might get some good stories doing that kind of more personal work, infact, you have some of them listed on your website. Do you have a good story that isn’t on there about making custom pieces?

A good friend of mine had taken a few months to travel though Peru to work with a shaman and disconnect. She came back with a bunch of stones and amazing pieces for me to work with. All of them had been blessed and had such a magical presence about them. I was excited to make something special incorporating all of these elements for her. She had left a few trinkets for me to make one for myself that it is my favorite piece to wear. It made me really happy to be able to tie all of these elements together to make something special that she will have forever and remember the trip of a lifetime.

So, let me get down to the nitty gritty, how did you go from making really rad necklaces that your friends probably dug to seeing them on celebrities from

Johnny Depp

to Miley Cyrus?

Let's just say its nice having friends that are friends with celebrities.

Let’s talk about Miami. Where are your favorite places to shop, most importantly where are your favorite secret places to shop?

Im not a huge shopper, but when I do...

Fly Boutique

on Lincoln Road,

C Madeleine's

and

The Webster

.