Friday Features: I Want You!

Features always include photos, so show us what you've got!

Every Friday I aim to do a feature of a handmade artist, or someone (or something - animals are welcome too!) who is incredible in some way.

The only problem is, I need new people to feature! I'm looking for a wide variety of craftspeople - jewelers, textile artists, paper artists, woodworkers, you name it. The more variety the better. I'd also love to have a few knockout photos of your items, so get those cameras clicking!

If you're interested, please contact me by leaving a comment below with some way to contact you (your shop url is great) and I'll send you a short list of questions. The faster you answer them, the sooner you'll be featured.

You'll be able to get some great publicity for your shop (Etsy, Artfire or otherwise), show off your awesome talent, and best of all, it's FREE.

Of course, if you wanted to promo me in return, well, that would be the icing on my cake, though it isn't a requirement ;-)

Please do let me know if you're interested, I'd love to have you on my blog!

I'm Back!

One of the 3 blankets I crocheted as wedding gifts for my wedding. Design by Dorothy Warrell.

YAY! I'm back and boy have I missed everyone in the blogosphere! On September 10, Brennan and I finally got married in a teeny tiny (8 person) ceremony in Kemptville, Ontario. We were so blessed to have nice weather and our immediate family around us. I was doubly blessed - September 10 is my birthday, so I got to get the man I love to be officially mine on my birthday :)

The photos here are of a project I've worked on for a year (I'm still working on one for Brennan and I now, but I managed to get the others ready by the wedding, phew!). I purchased 4 blanket kits from Herrschners.ca a year ago and got them all the same to give to our parents and my friend who was taking our photos. It is an Aran Nosegay pattern and WOW! was it time consuming (about 70 hours per blanket), but SO worth it. Everyone loves them, and I can't wait to finish mine. They are about 4 feet by 5feet 7 inches and so incredibly toasty warm.

Here's a closeup of one of the panels

Each blanket takes 12 panels, and I had never done a blanket before, so it took me a while to figure out the stitches (thank God it was crochet and not knitting, I'm so slow at knitting, I'd probably still be on the first panel of the first blanket!), but I did, and now I have to say I am HOOKED (no pun intended, well, ok, a teensy pun intended!). I LOVE making blankets and I have already ordered a different kit for when I am done my current one. You can never have enough blankets, and I figure, if the next one goes well, I'll order another kit of that one and give it as a Christmas or birthday gift next year :)

The blanket kits came with labels for me to personalize the blankets. I put our initials and the year.

I've also started to crochet washcloths and some fingerless gloves for myself, and a friend of mine is going to help me knit my first pair of socks - how addictive yarn is! I'll try to keep you updated as I go. I'm really slow though, so be prepared for sporadic updates on those!

Additionally, I am starting to (finally) write my gluten free, low allergy cookbook. It will be slow going for a while - I have to have people to test the recipes in their kitchens and that takes time - but I am excited to be finally working on it!

My jewellery stores on Etsy and Artfire are still going strong, and I have updated and relisted a few items over the last couple of days, keep checking back for more great items!

Thank you for all of your patience with my absence, I was really worried that I would lose all of my followers. I will be posting more regularly now, I promise :)

Have a fantastic day, full of happiness and blessings,

Fabulous Friday Feature: M2bC

Today's Fabulous Friday Feature is M2bC, or, Meant to Be Cherished - Casual Artisan Jewelry.

Do you want to be featured? Leave me a comment with a way to contact you!
M2bC makes all kinds of beautiful jewelry, but focuses on chainmail, strining and Kuhimono, a special type of Japanese braiding.
With pieces ranging from about $8 to $88, there is something for almost everyone on your gift list :)
Please do check out her Artfire shop and see all of the amazing things she has to offer. She also has a blog - why not stop by and say hello??

Fabulous Friday Feature: She's Batty Designs!

This week's Fabulous Friday Feature is a surprise...at least to the seller! This week I am featuring the fabulous gift card designer She's Batty Designs. You can find her on Etsy and ArtFire, and she has a great blog as well. See below for some more great items in her shops. This is the perfect way to make any gift (or just a card!) stand out from the sea of mass-produced, rather soulless cards. All of her cards are hand made by her and are very intelligently designed.
I love these snowmen cards, the pop up 'snow' really makes them stand out from the crowd. It is also great that they come in different colors - you could give the same card to 3 different people and they'll still look different!
These are just the cutest pumpkins ever! I thought about buying them just to put up in my office as art. Of course, they'll also make great little thank-you's or even place settings!
If gingerbread cookies had to look like cards, hands-down, they would choose to look like these. Aren't these the most delicious and cute-looking cards ever?? Genius, that's all I have to say.
This beautiful, dainty card is also a pop up! You'll have to visit her stores to see the rest of this very pretty card.

Please visit her and tell her I sent you! She is a great artist, so don't forget about her cards when you are doing your shopping :-)
She's Batty Designs on Etsy
She's Batty Designs on Artfire
She's Batty Designs Blog

That's all for now, tune in tomorrow for Sweet Saturday :-)

November's Charity of the Month: National Wildlife Federation

Thank you to all of my new clients, and my return clients for your purchases. Over the last two months, you were able to help raise $15 for Epic Farms, the previous Charity of the Month.

For November, I have chosen the National Wildlife Federation to be the Charity of the Month. I am hoping to raise $20 to symbolically adopt a jaguar, a perilously endangered large wild cat. In a recent National Geographic Magazine, it is reported that there are now more captive large cats (especially Asian large cats) than wild ones. This is making their survival nearly impossible, and experts are now saying that our big cats will probably go extinct within our lifetimes if something drastic is not done. How horrifying!

10% of the total sales of all the items in my stores (before taxes and shipping) will go towards symbolically adopting a Jaguar through the National Wildlife Federation. Thank you in advance for your help!

If you want to donate directly, or find out more about the National Wildlife Federation, please visit their website here: http://www.shopnwf.org/home.jsp

Thank you for your caring and compassion, you are helping to make a difference in the lives of people and animals everywhere!

Have a great day,

Fabulous Friday Features: LiberTeas!

CORRECTION: The sale should have read FREE SHIPPING with purchase of $25 or more, and has now been corrected. Sorry for any inconvenience.
Welcome to this week's installment of Fabulous Friday Features, where I feature a different Etsy, ArtFire, or other online artist each week. Would you like to be featured, or know someone who should be? Leave me the shop name and web address in the comments below!

This week's artist is Eccentric Pastiche on Etsy, also known as LiberTeas on ArtFire. Anne makes wonderful, hand blended teas in a variety of types and flavors. I have ordered from her a few times now, and have found her teas to be just as, if not more, delicious than she describes. My favorites? Chocolate Rose Romance, Earl Grey Creme (it has a hint of vanilla - yum!) and Almond Mocha Mate, usually available in both of her stores. What is even better: a little goes a long way; it is easy with these loose leaf teas to get a second, and sometimes even a third brewing out of them, without losing their flavor! This makes her teas an even better value than they already seem (just go to any "designer tea shop - their prices are ridiculous and not nearly as fresh as Anne's). Read on for more info on this exciting artist!

A Sampler Package of Teas

How did you get started making your teas -- I started flavoring teas out of love for tea, one tea in particular. I had fallen in love with a chocolate tea blend that I purchased from a little antique store in Orange, CA (when I lived there several years ago) but they went out of business and took their tea blend with them! So, I scoured local tea shops, houses, and rooms to try to find a chocolate blend that could replace the one I missed. But none that I tried were as good as the chocolate blend from the Antique shop, so I thought "well, how hard could it be to flavor and blend teas on my own?" Ha ha was I in for a big surprise.

It took quite a while -- I even gave up after about a year of trying to duplicate the tea blend I craved, but, then I tried again, and eventually, after much trial and error (mostly error!) I created a chocolate blend that I think is even better than the tea blend I had fallen in love with from that antique shop.

"Sublime Sunset" Herbal and Fruit Tea

What are your inspirations -- I'm inspired by so many things. Sometimes friends will give me an idea and I'll try to create the kind of tea they're looking for. My Breakfast in Bed blend is an example of this. My friend wanted a rose tea with vanilla, and maybe just a hint of cinnamon. She loves what I came up with.

I'm also inspired by other teas that I try. I am a regular reviewer on the Tea Review Blog (http://www.teareviewblog.com) and so I have the opportunity to try so many different teas. Sometimes, I'll try something and it will inspire me, not to duplicate the flavor, but to improve upon the flavor. My Sweet Caramel O'Mine is an example of this, I had tried a caramel tea at one point, and liked it, but, tried to think how I would improve upon it, and selected some choice teas for the blend and added a bit more caramel, and created an amazing Caramel tea.

"Chocolate Rose Romance" Black Tea Blend - One of My Favorites!

What are your favorite teas -- My favorite tea changes pretty regularly. My overall favorite of all time would have to be my chocolate. It's one I can go back to time and again and enjoy... and it's better than any other chocolate tea that I've tried, and I've tried a lot!

Right now, my favorites would have to be my Meadow Nocturne blend, which is an herbal, I have been drinking it regularly about an hour or so before I head to bed, and it helps me get a very restful night's sleep. And it tastes delicious too! Another favorite would be my Potpourri Blend. I've been drinking more green tea lately, and this is definitely one that I've been drinking regularly.

"Sweet Caramel O' Mine" Black Tea Blend

Any Sales or Specials? I would like to promote my Fall is Coming Sale! FREE SHIPPING WITH $25 ORE MORE IN PURCHASES!.. This sale is primarily in my Artfire shop but I will honor those prices in my Etsy shop as well - just convo me and ask me to post a special listing and mention this blog article, and you will get the Shipping for free. Use the code "AUTUMN" during checkout.

Thank you Anne! Please do visit her shops to see her amazing selection of VERY well-priced teas. I know I will be :-)

That's all for now,

Fabulous Friday Features: Aunti Franni!

In this installment of Fabulous Friday Features, I thought I would introduce you to a great artist named Fran. She makes wonderful embroidered items...and before you go thinking of your great-granny's towels, take a look at all of the COOL stuff she has - many are perfect stocking stuffers and very well priced. I know I have quite a few of her items on my gift-giving list! You can find her on Etsy at: SunnyDaysEmbroidery or on ArtFire at: AuntiFranni'sSunnyDaysEmbroidery Or you can go to either site and search under sellers for "AuntiFranni".

~Really, Need I Say More??~

What makes Fran more amazing is that she does all of this work herself (on a machine of course) with a serious lung disease. Talk about a fighter herself!

~The Perfect Stocking Stuffer For Any Water Drinker~

She also does custom orders, all you have to do is ask! She can use different colors of thread, different patterns, different colors of fabric, you name it, she can probably do it!

~Adorable!~

Fran also makes great patches to sew on bags, and incredibly cute candy cane holding ornaments for your tree.

~Great Items for Kids and Kids at Heart~

She is taking orders now, so get yours in before the holiday rush really starts and relax knowing you have unique handmade gifts at affordable prices!

Fabulous Friday Features: Rose Works Jewelry!

Welcome to another great installment of the Fabulous Friday Features, where I feature a great Etsy artist each week! If you have an Etsy store and would like to be featured, or know someone who does, leave me a comment at the end of this post!

This week's featured artist is Ruthie from Rose Works Jewelry. She has a store on Etsy and also on Artfire.

~Ruthie and Her Husband on Their Wedding Day~

1. How did you get started?

I grew up doing different "crafty" things, my Mom has always been into doing craft projects, and she shared that love with me at an early age! I first started learning to make jewelry as a freshman in high school, and I slowly picked up different techniques over the years. I didn't really get passionate about it though until a couple of years ago. At that point my friends and family really started encouraging me to sell my work. I dreamed, but didn't really pursue it until I got really sick in the Winter of 2008. I found myself needing to spend hours sitting still being restful, and I slowly started to fill some of that time with bead weaving. I continue to struggle with severe health problems, and having my jewelry business has given me a new purpose in life and helped me to stay sane through it all!

~Wind Dancer~

2. What are your inspirations?

I don't even know where to start with this! I love seeing other jewelry artists work, but I'm also inspired by nature, artisans from completely different disciplines, and just about anything you can think of!

~Earth Walker~

3. What are your favorite pieces?

I really love my elements series. Here are the links to the two pieces that are unsold right now:

Wind Dancer (The first jewelry piece shown at top):

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=230308

Earth Walker The second jewelry piece shown):

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=367416

I'm also really proud of my piece "Set Me Free" because it was an incredibly challenging journey for me (the third jewelry piece)!

http://www.artfire.com/modules.php?name=Shop&op=listing&product_id=241685

~Set Me Free~

4. Are you involved with any animal or other charitable organizations and how did that come about?

I'm currently working on making a baby blanket to donate to the local Pregnancy Resource Center (http://www.prcvancouver.org/). I used to work in a local shelter - and I'm thinking about setting up to donate a portion of my sales to them, but I don't have it quite set up yet. http://www.sheltered.org/

~Scroll Bracelet~

Thanks Ruthie, what a fabulous artist you are!

And to my Little Studio Photography and Jewellery Followers, please remember - ONLY 3 DAYS LEFT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF MY 20% OFF SALE!!!

Monday Updates: You're In My Every Thought!

~Who, Me?~

Yes You! Thank you very much to all of you who have left comments in my new contest, I am taking every suggestion very much to heart. I would welcome more feedback though, so please don't be shy! Tell me how I can make your experiences, both here and in my Stores, better for you. You could win your favorite ring - see HERE for details :)

As an update to the comments, I am going to try to include photos of Arwen most days, and more Arwen-only posts. I am also going to go into my techniques a bit more. I have just this weekend placed an order for a remote sensor for my camera and a mini-tripod, both of which will allow me to take photos of me making jewelry so that I will be able to make tutorials for sale, but also to show you the 'how' of some of my pieces.

I am also working on getting better photos of my shop items, as well as putting a few more items in my Artfire store.

That is all for now, but please, let me know how I can be better for you. After all, I am here for you.

Thank you again, and have a great day!

and Arwen

Sweet Saturday - Beads That Make You Go Awwww!

~Bunkee~

~Easter Monkee~

I have posted about my good friend Louise, from Fireseed, here before, but she keeps inventing new and exciting (and CUTE!) beads so I suppose I will keep having to feature her until she stops :)
Her newest beads are an addition to her line of famous Monkee Beads, sold on her Etsy Store and her ArtFire Store; the newest additions are Easter Monkees and, most ingenious, Bunkees - Monkees dressed and Easter Bunnies! I saw them and almost fell off my chair...I don't know how she does it, but her work keeps getting better and better and I wish her many monkees new and happy homes :)
All of her work is digitally annealed so that they are very durable, and all are hand cleaned for a professional, smooth finish. These beads have a hole running horizontally through the back of their head, so it will be easy to string on a simple cord, or incorporated into a more elaborate project.
I have worked with her beads on many occasions and I have always been amazed at the quality and attention to detail in each bead, no matter how small. Each of her stores are different, so I do hope you'll visit Louise in each of her different shops and see all of the beautiful goodies she has to offer.