I was delighted to stumble across kjoo, the shop of Maria João Ribeiro, on Etsy this week. I convoed her right away and found out that she grew up in Palmela, Portugal — a small village known for its picturesque windmills and eleventh century castle. She now resides in Lisbon.

Maria makes amazing jewelry, supplies and other treats with fiber. Using a combination of handfelting, crocheting and other techniques, she truly redefines her medium, making objects full of beautiful organic forms and hidden suprises. She told me she uses felt and wool crochet the way other designers use gold and silver.

“The combination of felt and crochet was something that happened spontaneously for me.” said Maria. “I thought the crochet would give the piece an organized and clean look complementing the ‘chaos’ of the felt.”

Maria also makes handmade supplies that are every bit as unusual and artful as her other items...These are little detailed button and eyelets, each one unique: