Nancy grew up in a relatively poor family where the emphasis was not on art; but she was fortunate enough to have encouraging grandparents who applauded her every effort.  She would happily use gathered materials to create her dreamland and when she saw something she wanted to try, she would use trial and error until she had it the way she wanted it. Nancy never saw herself and an artist, but more “handy,” able to use what she had available to create beauty in her world.

This love of beautiful things never left Nancy’s life.  She surrounds herself with growing things and claims the ultimate green thumb…able to keep plants alive long after her neighbors yards have withered away in the cold.  Her children claim that she could plant a dead stick in the yard and would soon have a tree! Nancy is a proud wife, mother, grandmother and best friend who is always willing to be there for those she cares about.

Nancy’s love of rocks has always been a part of her life, happily picking up rocks and keeping them in her pockets after a walk is as natural as breathing to this talented lady.  A new love was found more recently in the hardware store! Nancy was wandering through when she passed rolls of wire and couldn’t pull herself away.  The warm color and shine held her attention enough that she purchased a few feet in different gauges to take home.  Her supportive husband added some old electrical wire with the coating stripped away to her stash and she has not looked back…creating beautiful works with her new found material has become a passion.

Nancy never thought of herself as a true artist until her best friend called her one a few years ago.  It took her awhile to truly convince herself that what she does is special!  To Nancy, being called an artist is one of the greatest accomplishments she would have hoped for and Wild Wire Art was born!

Nancy encourages others to join the handmade marketplace, but warns that preparation is a must.  On top of excellent work, you must hold a positive attitude about your work and your business and really love what you are doing.  Ask questions!  More experienced artists will generally be willing to offer you advice if you ask.  These talented people can save you from some of the beginner’s struggles if you are willing to listen and learn.

Nancy began selling her work both locally at art shows as well as online.  She can be found on HandmadeArtists as well as on Facebook and Pinterest. Nancyis an avid blogger and you can follow her here and here to keep up on her day to day work as well as on Twitter.

Annette was innocently waiting on a bus and had a few minutes to kill so she wandered aimlessly into a local bead store.  Can you say the beginning of the end?  Well, she was immediately captured by all the shapes and colors and scooped up a few to take home.  She spoke with the woman behind the counter and added some wire and clasps and then went home to figure out how to use all the wonderful treasures she had.  After some internet searching, Annette was armed with 12 free lessons over the course of 12 weeks, but being impatient to play with her jewels, she ended up looking up info in between and ended up with her first necklace, bracelet and earrings and felt brilliant!  Her course was set and she was hooked.

When Annette is not buried in beads, she loves to sew, which she believes really launched her creative streak while making a patchwork quilt, the movies, walking, and music.  She is a homemaker that claims beading keeps her sane or insane depending on your perspective.

After really getting a feel for how jewelry was put together, Annette began selling to family and friends and was quickly encouraged to branch out and AJewell was born.  A few business cards later, and she was in business.  She currently sells at a local market stall every weekend where she not only shows off her finished treasures, but brings along her supplies so people can see her work first hand at creating a new piece.

Annette is open to help and willingly takes advice from those more experienced in either online selling or jewelry making.  She listens, researches, and then decides if the advice is worth pursuing which is a wonderful sign of a woman willing to grow in her chosen field.  She says that she makes every effort to remain positive no matter what is going on around her and has no regrets about her chosen field.  She would happily repeat the process as she knows that jewelry is what she was meant to do.

Are you ready to see what this talented lady who stumbled onto her passion while waiting for a bus can really do?  Well, she is easy to find on the HandmadeArtists as well as on her own site.  She happily shows off her creativity on Facebook here and here.

I joined the Western South Carolina Gem and Mineral Society, Inc. which provided me with more motivation and a workshop for lapidary and jewelry making.  This began the second phase of my education in further work with gemstones.  I began lapidary, cutting cabochons and faceted stones (bought my own flat lap).  Once you have the stones, what do you do with them?  So, I started making jewelry, this started my venture into that venue and silversmithing.  About this time, my wife got interested in producing beaded pieces.  This is a perfect venue for her.  She is disabled and can design and make beaded necklaces, bracelets, etc. while sitting in her bed.

As the size of our inventory exceeded what we could send to family as presents; we established out shop online.  Handmade Artists presented the best investment.  After trying two other online shop sites, we settled on only having one shop.  We have had more contacts and sales through HA than any other venue.  You can find our shop here:  Rasmussen Gems and Jewelry LLC

We continue our exploration into the artistry of displaying our loves and passions through jewelry.  Designing pieces takes some time.  Each of our pieces is genuinely one of a kind.  We don’t use tutorials to duplicate someone else designs.  That is where we are now, we will continue to expand our knowledge and techniques.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with your first show being “tiny.” For your first venture out of cyberspace with your wares, staying local is a wonderful idea.  And maybe an actual ‘arts festival’ isn’t the best thing for you to do for your first show. Is there a church, community center, youth center in your town/city that has a bizarre? The fee is probably small (or even non-existent); you’d be dealing with ‘locals,’ and you won’t have to travel far.  Sometimes, just stepping out of the box a little bit is a big enough first step. You’ll gain the experience of dealing with live customers; you’ll be able to see what kind of attention you get with your craft; you can experiment with how you display your pieces.  A plus with this kind of event is that many of them are indoors – meaning you don’t need a canopy.  Another plus – most of these types of events are shorter… an afternoon or one short day. These events typically are not juried (anyone willing to pay the fee or simply show up is allowed to participate/display).

If you’ve determined that the demographics of your target market would not include the people in your backyard, and you’re ready to reach out and take the plunge into an actual arts & crafts festival, how do you find one? Word of mouth is an invaluable reference. If someone tells you, “you should do xxxx show; you’d do well there,” at least check out that show!

If you’re looking for a show cold, my personal opinion is that Festival Network Online is the “go to” website.  It’s incredibly easy to navigate.  You can click on their handy map and and off you go!  Or you can click the”Find Events” button and narrow your search to a specific city/state or by distance from your zip code.  But before you go searching, a terminology lesson is in order.

What Does “Juried” Mean?

This is a term that gets caught by every spell-checker, so it’s not in the dictionary.  But it’s incredibly important in the Arts & Crafts Show world.  A juried show means that not everyone who applies will be automatically accepted.  Each juried show will have different criteria to determine who gets in and who does not.  Perhaps the show is limited to specific types of pieces, say Fine Art.  Other shows jury to assure quality to their prospective patrons.  Most shows jury to limit the number of artisans in each acceptable category.  Many shows jury for a combination of these reasons, and each show is different.  Shows will explain in their description what their unique criteria is.

A non-juried show is one that anyone who pays can attend.  The show organizer is not controlling the mix or the quality of items which will be displayed; they are simply trying to fill up space.  This is not necessarily bad, but you need to be aware of it before you send in your fee.  Especially in popular categories (jewelry, pottery, etc.), if you choose a non-juried show, be prepared for lots of competition in your medium.  But if this non-juried show is in a neighborhood where you believe your target market is, it could be a perfect fit.

The Next Step

Are you ready?

Then search away!  Doing a first show is an overwhelming experience.  So picking a show that’s a week-long event 400 miles away probably isn’t the best plan.  You’ll probably be surprised how many shows there are within a 50-miles radius of your zip code.

Before You Send In Your Fee

Most shows will link to their own website where you can do additional research on the upcoming show and past shows.  Many of these events are “annual,” and historic photos/descriptions are valuable to you in getting the feel of the show.

If you’re convinced that ‘this is the one,’ restrain yourself from filling out the application form and writing that check.  Contact the organizer first.  Ask any question you can think of that’s not answered by their listings/website…  examples:  Is there cell service or wi-fi available at your event location?  Is there a campground near the event?  What are the demographics of show visitors?  Any question.  Why?  Because this will give you an opportunity to interact with the show organizers before they have your money.  Did you get a timely response?  Did your question get answered?  Was the response cryptic or conversational?  Did the answer have the feel to it that you were bothering them?

It’s been my experience that a well run show will have organizers who love what they’re doing.  You’ll get a quick response and encouragement to engage in further contact if you have more questions.  I am very leery of shows that can’t answer a simple question in a timely manner… a lesson I’ve learned from experience.  It’s just a small indication of how the rest of the show is being handled.

Before you drop that application in the mail, be sure that you have followed all of the directions.  Each show will have specific items they want with the application form.  Failure to include everything requested makes your application incomplete and not considered for inclusion in their show.  Some organizers may contact you to supply the missing items, but others will simply return it.  Don’t disqualify yourself.

CAUTION!

Just because you’ve done your homework, you’ve searched for and found the perfect fit show, and you’ve been accepted, there are no guarantees that you’ll make even one sale.  Getting people to open their wallets in person or online, many times, is completely out of your control.  You took a chance opening a shop online.  Doing a show in person is a business risk that could pay huge dividends or be a colossal flop.  But you’ll never know until you try!

Next in this series:  You’ve Been Accepted – Now What?

By iKnitQuiltSew

Your entry must be made by you.
Your entry must include something that would be considered trash.

The goal is to make something out of trash and turn it into a treasure!
To enter, you need to post a picture of what you started with and a picture of the finished product.

The Winning Contestant will Recieve

The prize for the winning artist is $25 cash and a free shop for life here on Handmade Artists! And our artisans took this challenge seriously. Not only did they follow the rules to the letter, but they created some remarkable works of art! Now, it’s your turn to pick the winner!

Random Commentor will win:

One voter, chosen at random will win this beautiful necklace, custom made by Uniqlets, Jewelry By Lisa and $25.00 cash to spend on anything you want from the Handmade Artists’ Shop! All you have to do is vote, and then leave a comment that you’ve voted!  This piece is entitled, “Heart Handmade Artists Bubble Necklace,” and is handmade from vintage iridescent bubble beads from the 1940′s or 50′s.

Here are the entries, listed in the order they were submitted:

TRusk4U started with a tattered, stained melon-colored shirt, combined it with some black shank buttons to create a wrap bracelet.

DragonClaw started with various scrap metals including copper, stainless steel prongs and an old pot lid and created a pendant.

Jolene started with a box of old watch parts which were melted down to create beads.

Uniqlets, Jewelry by Lisa started with a pile of vintage shade pulls and created a necklace.

RiverRockArts began with an old plastic water bottle and some wire and created a pair of earrings.

ldkeesee started with drapery scrap and created a necklace/bracelet/earrings set.

SotocapMania started with plastic drinking straws, left-over fun fur yarn, and a barrette and created this hairpiece.

Gemlover took a broken cabochon and copper wire and created a bookmark.

MyEuropeanTouch started with a scratched/rusty silver tray and some broken plates and created this mosaic serving tray.

baisebeige started with a plastic bag, fiber thread, some lightweight silver-colored chain and discarded embroidery filaments and created a bracelet.

startsarts started with an old, dirty bottle and refurbished it to create a work of art.

So which one do you think is the winner?  You can vote in the poll below, and don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered in the drawing for the beautiful bubble necklace!

Voting ends Tuesday May 1st, 2012 Midnight EST

You must be registered to vote. If you do not have an account please take 2 seconds to sign up for a free buyers account! Thanks

I’ll be enjoying one of those afternoons where I will be cruising the internet and finding inspiration again and again, meeting new artists, and just loving the access we have these days because we’re all online. I mean, it’s such a wonderful thing that we can interact with artists across the world and experience them and their handcrafted art right in our own shops, or homes,  or studios. Anyway, so there I am cruising along and having the most glorious fulfilling experiences when *BOOM* I view an advertisement for handmade polymer clay buttons at the amazingly low price of $.03 each, shipped free anywhere…and my happy cruise totally crashes when it hits me that I could never afford to make them this cheap and even worse, if I could I’d surely be a slave to my art.

I began to wonder if I was nuts. I mean, if someone can buy handmade polymer clay buttons online for just cents, why on earth would they pay dollars for mine?

Well after much tortured thought the answer suddenly and gently came to me…because mine are unique. It sounds so simple but it’s true. It was easy to figure out how they can mass produce these handmade buttons. The canes are most likely HUGE, the clay is probably purchased in large quantities more inexpensively, and chances are they are made in an assembly line style. Now in my books there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s quite efficient and everyone wins but it’s a whole lot of the same flower button design, for example.

For some buttons I make small canes and from each one I get roughly 8-16 buttons. I take my time to design them and enjoy the infinite possibilities. I love to create the canes and each button is hand sliced with a razor, hand smoothed, and molded to shape and size.

When I make character buttons like the cute owls shown in the image below, some details like the eyes and wings are made from canes and the rest is hand-sculpted. Then each button hole is gently poked through, one at a time.

Some of the buttons that I create are patterned on top like these yummy raspberry ones in the image to the right.  I even use my own handmade patterned imprints from polymer clay instead of buying and using the silicone ones that are sold at the craft stores.My colors are mostly hand mixed and I’ll even add pearl powders occasionally to give them a special shimmer in the light.

Best of all is that my designs change and are updated very regularly. Don’t worry though if you like something you’ve seen a while back because I’m sure I could reproduce something very similar you’d equally enjoy.  I love custom orders too and will work with anyone who wants something special.

Now this doesn’t mean that you don’t buy the mass produced buttons. I say “Shop away!” because that’s an unbelievable deal but when you’re looking for something special that will add that unique and perhaps special or personal touch, I’m your gal!

Oh, one more thing…Start’s Arts has free shipping too:) Bam!

” Hard work spotlights the character of people.. some turn up their sleeves.. some turn up their noses.. some don’t turn up at all ” ..
Share the L ~ O ~ V ~ E .. hugz.. KaT

Thanks for looking,

John

She fell in love with it and ordered one .

I started out cleaning up this teapot, sanded, ruffed it up a bit to prepare it to take a white primer and paint. Before that I removed the finial on top of the lid, drilled a hole, marked the bottom where I would drill the hole for the threaded hollow rod to go thru all the way to the top. I secured the threaded hollow rod with washers and nuts.

After primer and paint where dry, I then cut up vintage bone china plate rims with my tile nippers, added stained glass pieces which were also cut over and over again until the fit to the curved body just right and glue them to the body with thin set.

There, one side done, proceeded to the other side, and partially the bottom, and stained glass around the rim. One can see part of the teapot that is not mosaiced yet, just the white paint. The thin set needs to dry for quite some time before I can go on to the grouting of the entire teapot body.

After usually at least a week the mosaic on the teapot is ready for grouting. The grout just has to be the right consistence to get into all the nooks and cranny’s. I let it sit for about an hour until I wipe the grout overflow of the teapot body with a wet sponge. Then it will sit again for a while until I wipe the grout film of the stained glass and fine bone china pieces cut from plate rims to make everything shiny. I wait a few more days normally before I seal this mosaic on the teapot body with a tile sealer. My client needed this in a hurry for a gift so I sped up some of the process a bit to help her out, by using a hair dryer.

Here we go all done so far…

The lid was then covered in thin set and glue to build it up a bit, I then set in all the clay roses, vintage rhinestone brooches, cameos, pretties and baubles which would dry within the thin set/glue and be secured.
In the meantime I made the lamp shade, finished it up with tear drop pearl trim and an old fashioned Rhinestone Earring. I threaded the electrical cord thru the hollow metal rod and connected the cord to the actual light kit and mounted it on the top of the hollow rod. Put a light bulb in, yep it works, all good….Topped of the spout with a Crystal Chnadelier Tear Drop and a Rose.

Here is the finished project and my client was very happy, which in turn pleased me and made me happy.

Handmade Teapot Lamp Decor, formerly silver plated. An exquisite presentation, loved previously – to remain now a treasure for the next 50 years in your home perhaps?

I sanded, primed and painted this teapot in a cottage white color and then sealed it. This timeless classic, I then adorned the lid with handmade clay roses, vintage antique Jewelry and bling, meticulously laid on this teapot. The handmade clay roses and leaves I arranged so to give the impression they are climbing from the lid. A chandelier Prism hangs gracefully from the spout accompanied by a lil rose.
A classic Cameo, who you might usually find on a sweaters and blouses, settles on the lid and some on the belly of this Teapot.
I am quite pleased with the outcome of this reclaimed Teapot.
An abundance of Shabby, Cottage Chic… A treasure for a Victorian, beach, cottage, shabby, Paris home or Apartment.
I do accept custom orders, please contact me.

Mosaic Art by Myeuropeantouch

There is nothing wrong with the materials in my scrap bowl, I frequently pull bits and pieces and recycle them as part of new work. But when I throw a new creation in there I feel I failed to achieve my goal for this day.

Today I got a wonderful surprise with great potential:) I see a few places to tweak and polish before I add it to my listings but I am very pleased, what do you think? This piece is reversible,I would wear it either direction. This is a freeform piece of silky polished moonstone with a sweet peachy pink color and fabulous luster not showing in my photos. This will look great on a leather cord with one of my hand wrapped forged clasps. Watch for it to appear soon in my Handmade shop NancysWildWire

Thanks for your interest:)

Back view Do you like my doodles?

My doodles

I prefer natural methods over harsh chemicals when it does start to tarnish.
Believe it or not any tomato based product like ketchup or tomato sauce does a
great job,it’s not fast but it works well. Dab some on the copper and let it set
a couple of minutes,then rinse in cool water. It may need to be repeated on
stubborn tarnish and you can also rub with an old T-shirt or soft brush to help
remove it,then rinse again. Buff with a soft cloth and it should be bright and clean.

My favorite method is lemon juice or vinegar.Dip or squirt it on, let it sit a
few seconds rub with a soft cloth or brush(baby toothbrush) if it is very
stubborn add a little salt and rub lightly. Rinse well,pat dry and buff to a nice
glowing patina.

Which ever method you chose,always be sure to completely dry the piece before you
place it back in the bag and remove as much air as you can when you close the
bag.If your jewelry has stones avoid getting the cleaning solution on
those, especially pearls, shell, and opal, any dyed or treated stones too.

I was thinking and decided to try a twisted wire project.  I took three strands of 18 gauge round soft copper wire and twisted them together into one strand.  Showing this to my wife, she said, why don’t you use silver.  I would like something done with this in silver.  I took three strands of 21 gauge square half hard sterling silver wire and twisted them in a similar manner.  When I show this to Debora, she asked what I was going to do and I replied that I was thinking of a twisted drop with a stone set in the bottom loop.  She asked to select the stone, and she selected a 6 mm round peridot.  That set the size and shape of the stone and setting.

The twisted wire was formed into the basic shape, then the top was wrapped with 21 gauge half round Argentium sterling silver wire to form the bail.  A precast head was soldered into the loop with hard silver solder.  The entire piece was then pickled, hand polished and tumbled to a high gloss polish.  The prongs were notched with a square fine file, and the peridot was set into the silver setting.  We have a finished pendant:

These last to views are from the back and the extreme left side.  Overall, the effect of the twisted wire accents the entire design.

Can you Believe it's a Jewlelry box?

Where do you keep these pieces of adornment?  Do you have a jewelry box?  Do you spend a lot of time and money on jewelry only to have it all over the house?  Perhaps, the top of your dresser is loaded with these treasures and trinkets.  “No, I have a jewelry box,” you say in protest.  But let’s be honest, is it organized?  Is it just as nice as your jewelry?  Was it handed down from your great-grandmother or your grandmother?  Is it as great an heirloom as some of your pieces of jewelry?  Is the quality worthy of your treasures?  I pose all these questions because I know a secret– handmade jewelry boxes!  “So what?” you ask.  Here’s the “so what.” These aren’t just any jewelry boxes.  Read on…

Nestled in Cincinnati, Ohio is RDC (Ramon Design Concepts) Woodworking.   Ramon is the artist who creates these wooden jewelry fortresses.  The boxes are exquisite, unique, exotic and some are just downright cute!  There is nothing typical about RDC’s jewelry boxes.  The designs are mind-blowing and the only thing you can say is WOW!  How did he do that?

The Zebra Jewelry Box

The first jewelry box that was sold was made of tiger wood.  The customer was so excited, she looked at her granddaughter and said, “You can help me take my jewelry out of the plastic bags and put them in my new jewelry box!”  I cringed at the words “plastic bags.”  However, I applauded the customer for the serious upgrade.

I doubt if the little girl knew that one day she may own that same jewelry box.   It will have monetary value and a sentimental value that will be priceless.  That little girl will have fond memories of helping her grandmother to place treasures of adornment in a little tiger striped box that brought so much joy.

This is called Queen of the Nile

That’s the aim of RDC’s creations.  We design and create works of art that are functional, beautiful, and intended to become heirlooms that will be proudly passed down with sweet stories and precious memories from generation to generation.  Most of all, these wooden beauties are one-of-a-kind.  So the little girl in this story will have a jewelry box as unique as her memories.

For those who want to see the basic process for creating a piece of jewelry, here is a chronicle through the creation of a necklace pendant.

First a brass blank was selected to put my design on.  I had an idea about a “drop” of metal with a stone inset at the bottom of the drop.   I drew a stylized drop on paper and then cut a brass blank that would be larger than the drawing.  The blank was 2 x 6 cm.  I cleaned the blank of oxidation.

Filing, a little dapping with an 8 mm punch, and hand polishing with red rouge completes the creation of the basic pendant.  The stone is set into the hole that was pierced in the metal and the pendant is complete and ready to go to the shop.

The shop will be at a “fleamarket” next Saturday.  Locally we have a bike trail that is rather long.  The fleamarket will be at mile marker 31.5 at the Swamp Rabbit Cafe and Grocery store (205 Cedar Lane Road, Greenville, SC).  Anyone in the area is invited to drop by and say hello.

Classic Charm and sophistication! Perfect Wedding day and everyday selections flaunting signature woven pearl style, over-the top design, rhinestone brooches, and fabulous beading…wow factor indeed! Every piece has a story and as you embark on this journey why not participate with such Broochaliscious style…besides, your neck is just too hungry to pass these up! Total Accessorization and timeless style and design. ZiLLA’s QuEeN brings you Wedding Delights & much much more!

Charmed,
ZiLLA’s QuEeN

Shop: www.ZiLLAsQuEeN.Etsy.com
FB: ZiLLA’s QuEeN
Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/ZiLLAsQuEeN

The US Government doesn’t see that stuffed animal, that dress, that blanket/quilt, that hat as ‘art.’ They see it as a manufactured product which must be labeled. Their stance is that the ultimate consumer must know who to contact in the event of a product failure. They also require labeling sufficient for the manufacturer (artist) to identify which of their products may be involved in a recall.

Some of the things that are required on the label are the manufacturer’s name, location and date of manufacture, contents and care instructions.

When I first started out, I thought, “What a COLOSSAL pain!” And, in fact, all these labeling requirements forced many, many people out of business when they took effect. But you may already know how stubborn I can be…..

Labeling has evolved over my time in business; both the process and the mind-set. I’ve worked really hard to market my shop and my brand. I’ve labored to have the name, iKnitQuiltSew, mean quality, durability, style and value. All of a sudden, my label may be the most important element of any piece I produce. How does the buyer care for this item? Who made it? Where can I get more of these? What’s it made of? All of these questions are answered on my label.

My labels started out on off-white blanket binding. It worked, but it was so big and the edges frayed so easily. The latter required a lot of finishing. The whole process was such a chore and I needed to streamline and simplify. I’ve finally gotten it down to professional looking and manageable. So here’s how you can do it too!

You will need an iron and ironing board, scissors, computer/printer/scanner, iron-on transfer paper, photo software, light colored satin ribbon (I use white 5/8″ wide) and a sewing machine or needle & thread. The first thing to do is compose the contents of your label, remembering that there’s a front and a back. The front of my label has my shop name (with the copyright symbol), my zip code (location of manufacture), USA, the month/year of completion, and my shop website address. The back of my label has care instructions and item material content. There’s nothing preventing you from using interesting fonts and colors, but don’t get too carried away – you’re working in a really small space.

If you lay your file out in columns, you should be able to get three or four labels across, and the column structure will make them all the same size. Type the front of the label first, skip one line, then type the back. This will give you ample room for cutting later.

Once you’re happy with your text, print your label(s) on bright white paper (that way the background won’t scan) at a good resolution (I change my printer to the “text with photo” setting). Once it’s printed, scan it to turn it into a .jpg. Open the .jpg with your photo software and flip it horizontally. It needs to be backwards on the transfer paper so that it will print frontward on your label. Then, open a new text document and place the picture in it. Set the margins as narrow as you can to cut down on wasting transfer paper, then resize the image to fit your ribbon. The rulers on the side and top of the screen are a huge help when doing this! When your happy, print this on transfer paper. You should have something that looks like this:

Now cut out each front and back label so that you’re left with lots of little pieces.

Place the labels face down on your ribbon about 1″ from the end. Make sure they’re straight! The transfer paper I use requires a hot iron with no steam. Be sure to follow the directions on your transfer paper for good adhesion. My transfer paper requires heat for 20 seconds, and I’ve never had a problem scorching the ribbon during this step. Here’s what the label looks like after ironing and peeling off the backing.

Once the label has cooled, fold it in half. Turn the cut edges together toward the back twice (this gets the unfinished edge inside), then stitch it in place with a sewing machine or by hand.

Now all that’s left to do is to sew it into your item, making it truly finished!

In order to create my art, I first cut the stone that will go in the piece, then design around that.  Here are two stones cut in the lapidary in the past week.  The first is a piece of Lapis Lazuli about 2.5 inches long and it is very heavy.  Will probably use it in a horizontal position in a necklace.  Way too large for a ring.

The second is a free form cabochon made with “Pudding” jasper.  Feel free to change the adjective ‘dding’ to anything that you think describes the stone.

I will wait, but am currently working on a mixed metal pendant (gold and silver) with a highly included rutilated quartz *16 mm round faceted stone.  Another project is a ring to ask Debbie to marry me “again” next October on our anniversary. A friend is cutting this as I certainly can not do it in my shop.  Any way, that is the news so far for the day after Thanksgiving.

John

How do you do Vintage? The beauty in Vintage lies within the actual pieces’ ability to speak with you. Brooches are my favorite pieces to “Remix!” As I received these fascinating pieces Broochaliscious ideas took flight! Fabulous brooch finds placed together, offering total accessorization…just scrumpscious! Jewelry transformed with fantastic necklaces with the thinking “your neck is just too hungry to pass these up”! The brooches long lasting appeal doesn’t stop there…Broochaliscious designs from the Queen highlights Vintage-Inspired Handbags adorned with charming gloves, sparkling brooches, & handmade bib flower necklaces that can double as belts! One-of-a-kind pieces to reflect timeless style & design! Lovely accessory & keepsake!

So when the QuEeN wonders, “How do you do Vintage?” please reflect on the history, gift, and legacy behind such pieces as they reach our hands. The journey is what captivates me and sending these pieces on even further is the real gift! Beauty is truly within the eye of the beholder…so kindly BEHOLD THIS and share the love on your neck!

Charmed -ZiLLA’s QuEeN 
As always, The Queen reminds you…”Never leave home without your charm!”

www.ZillasQuEeN.Etsy.com

One of the things that make handmade jewelry so appealing is that no two pieces are ever identical. Even if you purchase a piece that has been made several times, it will still be different from the others like it simply because you cannot exactly duplicate handmade design.

In addition, many people who create handmade jewelry opt for pieces that are less common than what is traditionally worn. This allows those wearing the jewelry to create a look that is individual to them and will never end up being just another part of the crowd.

Handmade jewelry is also popular because it is often so affordable. Where some pieces may cost an enormous amount, handmade jewelry is often considered to be less expensive. You are paying for the materials and the person’s time creating a one-of-a-kind piece and that is appealing to many.

The simple fact is that there are plenty of reasons to love handmade jewelry. Whether it be the look or the cost, you are certain to find your own reason to love it.

As with many places, Debora and I tend to work in spurts of creativity.  She will look at her beads and wire over and over.  Then she will see a way to put together a piece.  In the past week, she has made several beautiful pieces of wearable art.  Here are two of her creations (as thumbnails), the first features a seahorse pendant “under the sea.”  The second I called a “Gypsy” necklace due to the pattern on the beads. I had a clasp that would go with the beads. 

Every time that she produces, I have the honor of adding the clasps and chain to her creations trying to maintain her vision.  In between, I try to do a little creating of my own.  My last pieces have been made with copper.  I had cut some cabochons and was trying to think of some special way of making something with them other that wire wrapping or bezel setting.  I saw a piece that Laura Bracken (in California) had made using resin in a frame of wire wrapping.  Applying that simple idea, I made a copper piece (textured, dapped and patinated) then set the cabochons in the bowl that I had made (30 by 40 mm oval) and filled up part of the bowl with clear resin.  The second piece shown here is a copper and turquoise chip “Tree of Life.”  The ring is 12 gauge soft round wire, the solder join is hidden in the base of the tree.  We will be continuing our creation of wearable art.

I would like to introduce you to Lynn Frederickson, a very interesting woman and a wonderful artist. Lynn lives in Orillia Ontario and enjoys many forms of arts and crafts from knitting to gourd-carving.

OK, this next part is amazing! So amazing in fact that people don’t get it and don’t believe it but believe me it is true. Lynn can knit whole sweaters; pairs of socks, anything that has two sides all at once off two straight knitting needles…NO SEAMS! Even more amazing was the book she wrote about it called Seams Incredible. The book has long ago been lost among the discount bookshelves but if you can find it, it’s a true gem! This is super easy to learn and Lynn is anxious to answer any questions that anyone has. I’ve encouraged her to join the forum so that you can have easy access to her brain to pick. If you are a knitter I strongly encourage you to. This will save you time and stitching. It gets better…not only can she make anything with two “ply’s” we’ll call them, she can make as many ply’s as she wants/needs… off two straight needles! Think about this. It’s a wonderful thing.

Lynn, as well as being one hell of a piano player, has been creating art her whole life. Painting, macramé, crocheting, playing music (a variety of instruments), and currently she enjoys carving gourds, beading jewelry, and experimenting with any materials she can get her hands on. In fact I remember her making paint from egg yolk because she read about it somewhere and when I was little I remember sitting under her easel. Oh ya, Lynn is my mom:)

The tagua nut is a dried seed from the tagua palm tree, which grows in tropical rain forests of South America (Ecuador, Colombia, Peru and Brazil).

The tagua nut comes in a fruit that carries multiples nuts. Each nut has a shell that contains the seed. This seed is the size of a chicken egg and is covered in a thin brown skin.

The nuts are sun-dried for 4 to 6 months before they can be worked with. Once dried, tagua can be polished to a bright shine. Tagua’s natural color is white but it is easily to dye and can be found in a wide range of colors.

Tagua jewelry is not only unique, colorful and exotic but really affordable. I have had so much success making and selling products made of tagua and now I am introducing also products made of other kind of seeds, beans, coconut, shells and much more.

Nature inspires me and that is why all my jewelry is made of natural products and handmade. I hope you can take a look you will totally love it.

I am learning the ropes as far as computers and selling online… and let me just say that I have come across so many fantastic ladies… that are “covering my back ” so to speak… they are helpful.. knowledgeable… kind… considerate… looking out for others…

Yes, no doubt there are some that are strictly attending to their own agenda… but to be quite honest … I have yet to meet such a person…. there is a spirit of camaraderie… caring… support… “we’re all in this together” kind of feel… women banding together supporting other women… something that I do believe comes so naturally… we are the nurturers… the caregivers… and caretakers… we are multi taskers… we go the extra mile with never a thought… or complaint about it… we give.. we love.. we care…

With the season of Christmas fast approaching …. a time of giving … may I just say ” thank you ” to all you fabulous ladies… the list is far too long and wide… but you know who you are… keep on doing what you do best… Share the L ~ O ~ V ~ E…. hugz… Kat….. http://katstreasureshop.etsy.com/

What is a polymer cane? I get that question a lot, so I decided to make a short video demonstrating how a polymer cane is made from beginning to end right before your eyes!. I had to speed it up so that it would fit in the allotted time but I think you’ll get the idea.

OK grab your clay and get ready for a bit of inspiration! Please enjoy this free simple turtle cane video which hopefully will give you a better idea of what it is that I do here at Start’s Arts.

After the video I hope that all you cane-curious folks give polymer caning a try! Thanks for watching…

Just click on the link below to watch this tutorial, you might have to click it twice

This is not a turtle tutorial.

Beverley Start
startsarts@gmail.com
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