Fran was always a creative soul, learning to crochet from her Grandmother at 5 years old. This creative spirit continued into high school when she was hired to make all the school’s choir performance outfits.  She has even pulled off the ultimate sewing coup and created several wedding dresses as well as the wedding party dresses for friends…now, why didn’t I have a friend like this when I was getting married?  Her gift of sewing and crochet, often making up her own pattern, has never left her and she continues to create wonderful keepsakes for babies of her friends and family.

Fran has also tried her hand at tatting, cross stitch, woodworking, and quilting; but fell head over heals for Polymer Clay.  She has created the most darling wedding cake toppers (again, where was she when I was getting married!) as well as Christmas ornaments.

Fran loves being surrounded by her huge family; 30 nieces and nephews as well as hundreds of cousins, since retiring from a government law enforcement agency.  While working, she even created a “crafting bunch” at work!  She started by bringing her work into lunch with her to work on during her break and soon after others followed along bringing whatever projects they were working on at the time.  Soon, the table would be covered by a variety of crafts coming together as they ate and chatted.

This talented lady’s retirement was a bittersweet event.  She shares that 18 months ago she was diagnosed with a rare form of bone marrow cancer and has been going through continued treatment with her family and 3 Long Haired Chihuahuas by her side.  This has not stopped Fran’s creative spirit by any means; instead she drags her craft supplies with her to Chemotherapy…even selling her treasures to nurses and patients!

Because of her illness, Fran is no longer able to deal with the stress and work of doing face to face selling at local craft fairs or working in her local crafter’s mall so she has joined us in online selling and the HandmadeArtists are thrilled to have her!  Fran says that her favorite part of selling her handmade creations is sharing her love with other people, and the hardest part is pricing her work!  She still is encouraging to others that want to break into the handmade marketplace themselves telling them to “take advantage of every opportunity to share links with other crafters and list your items everywhere you possibly can.” Fran admits that getting found in this vast market is not always easy, but it can be done and once a customer has a good experience with you, they will tell their friends and you are off and running.

Are you ready to see what this intensely talented lady with an amazing positive outlook on life can create given the chance?  Well, she is easy to find on the HandmadeArtists as well as on her own website.  She can also be found on Etsy and Artfire.

The weather’s turning nicer all the time; summer is coming! You think, “I’ve been to all these arts and crafts festivals and everyone seems to do so well. I should do an arts and crafts show – after all, my things are just as good – no, better – than those other people. I’ll make a killing!”

Whoa!!! There are lots of things to consider before your send in that first check for your very first street show.  To get the most return on your investment in yourself (your booth fee), here are some things to consider:

1.  What’s your inventory worth?  Seriously!  At your asking price, if you have a complete sell out, how much money would be in your pocket?  A couple hundred dollars?  A couple thousand?  This figure is going to have a huge impact on what you’re willing to pay for a booth.  If your total inventory is worth $500, you’re not going to want to pay a $475 booth fee.  There’s no guarantee that you’ll sell anything at an arts and crafts festival.  I’ve found a good rule of thumb is 10% of what I have on hand is the maximum you want to pay for a booth.

2.  What are the demographics of your target market?  You could spend boatloads of time and/or huge amounts of money doing market research to determine that your buyers are going to be 25 -50 year old single adults with a median income of $150,000 a year.  But you’re an artist, not a demographer!  You should have a really good idea of who wants your products.  Here’s your starting point…  who are you?  I would hope what you’re making appeals to you!  You’re a certain age/gender/income.  Your product probably appeals to other people in that same group or one very similar.  Maybe you’re the right age and gender, but honestly, you couldn’t afford to buy your pieces.  Consider how that group might expand to the general population.  Just by thinking about your creations objectively, you can get a pretty good idea of the demographics of your prospective buyers.

3.  Do you already  own or can you afford to acquire tables, displays and a canopy?  There are lots of shows that don’t require a canopy, but exhibiting without one leaves you completely vulnerable to the elements (wind, rain, blistering heat).  If you don’t own them, could you borrow or rent them?  Shows typically do not supply any of these items and you certainly don’t want to throw a blanket on the lawn and call it good!

4.  Do you have a way to move all of your items and equipment from where it is now to the show location?  All of those beautiful stained glass lamps you make may not fit in your Mini Cooper!

5.  Are you physically able to put in one or more incredibly long days by yourself?  Each show’s hours of operation will be different.  For conversation sake, let’s say you want to do a two-day show that’s open 9 AM – 7 PM daily.  You’ll need to arrive at the location at least 2 hours early on the first day to set up your booth, so your first day will actually be 7AM – 7PM or twelve hours.  Day 2, you’ll be able to arrive later, but at 7PM you will need to pack all your remaining items, collapse all your displays, and travel home.  In a total of 36 hours time, you will work at least 24 of those hours.

Fused Glass artist Robert McLeod at the 2011 Cedar City Summer Arts Festival

6.  Do you have some expense money available to purchase supplies such as bags and business cards?

Are you completely discouraged?  I really hope not!  By the time you get through this list, you will know what your ceiling is on the booth fee, what your target market looks like, how you’re going to display your items, how you’re going to transport them, and how much of a show you’d like to try.  Maybe you’ve even recruited a friend to take on this adventure with you!

My next article will discuss taking all this information and picking a show just right for you.

By iKnitQuiltSew

He raised his head and looked at me and smiled. “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you for asking,” he said in a clear strong voice.
“I didn’t mean to disturb you, Grandpa, but you were just sitting here staring at your hands and I wanted to make sure you were OK,” I explained to him.
“Have you ever looked at your hands,” he asked. “I mean really looked at your hands?”
I slowly opened my hands and stared down at them. I turned them over, palms up and then palms down. No, I guess I had never really looked at my hands as I tried to figure out the point he was making.
Grandpa smiled and related this story:
“Stop and think for a moment about the hands you have, how they have served you well throughout your years. These hands, though wrinkled, shriveled, and weak have been the tools I have used all my life to reach out and grab and embrace life. They put food in my mouth and clothes on my back. As a child my mother taught me to fold them in prayer. They tied my shoes and pulled on my boots. The made numerous usefull, functional or pretty things in my life. They have been dirty, scraped and raw, swollen and bent. They were uneasy and clumsy when I tried to hold my newborn son.
Decorated with my wedding band they showed the world that I was married and loved someone special.
They trembled and shook when I buried my parents and spouse and walked my daughter down the aisle. They have covered my face, combed my hair, and washed and cleansed the rest of my body. They have been sticky and wet, bent and broken, dried and raw.
And to this day, when not much of anything else of me works real well, these hands hold me up, lay me down, and again continue to fold in prayer. These hands are the mark of where I’ve been and the ruggedness of my life.
But more importantly it will be these hands that God will reach out and take when he leads me home.
And with my hands He will lift me to His side and there I will use these hands to touch the face of Christ.”
I will never look at my hands the same again. I remember the day that God reached out and took my grandpa’s hands and led him home.

When my hands are hurt or sore from cutting china plate rims and glass I think of Grandpa. I know he has been stroked and caressed and held by the hands of God.

I, too, want to touch the face of God and feel His hands upon my face, one of these days.

Monika of Mosaic Art by Myeuropeantouch

http://handmadeartists.com/shop/Myeuropeantouch

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

Funky Felt Flowers and More…

You can also just search Halloween on the HAFshop and you’ll see a whole bunch of other creations as well.

Maybe some Halloween Earrings will be the touch you need!

Regardless of what your looking for the Handmade Artists’ Shop has what you need! Handmade from the Artist, everyday.

By Beverley Start, Polymer Clay Artist

October 5 2011

Sometimes I’ll be in the middle of a project and look up to see that my usable clay pile has been gobbled up by my scrap clay pile. With a little creativity and a lot of nece$$ity I found a few solutions. Here are a few of my ideas on how to turn scrap back into usable clay.

1. Roll it out and use it! – Scrap from any project can be turned into a brand new masterpiece just by putting it through the pasta machine a few times making sure to keep the lines of color in the same direction every time. What this will give you is a beautifully colored striped sheet of clay that can then be cookie cutter-ed, sliced, rolled, or molded in to new pieces. Check out some examples here.

2. Make grey. – Hunks of all-colored clay can be run through the pasta maker or food processor until it becomes a uniform shade of grey. Use it to make a sculpture which can then be cured and painted. Click here for an example.

3. Make black. – Old or leftover clay can be blended using powered black pigment (purchased from any craft store) and clay softener in a food processor. I just put little bits of each in until it’s the consistency and shade I need.

4. Use it as filler. – When making something that requires strength try using some old clay as filler. For example if I were making a picture frame I might make it from filler clay and then cover it with decorative clay. No one will see the inside.

5. Make tags or gift cards. – Sometimes when I roll a piece of scrap through the pasta maker I notice patches of beautifully swirled color and I’ll cookie cutter it out to use as a tag for a special gift. Click here for examples

I’m sure there are tons more ways to use up left over clay but these five are my staples.

“Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder” showcases 247 images chosen
from entries from over 55 artists representing North America, South
America, Europe, Australia, Central America, Africa and Eurasia.

The drive to adorn the human body is surely as old as human kind.
From pre-historic times this drive has led humans to use the
materials at hand, combined with the technologies and tools
available, to create objects to adorn the human body. The oldest
jewelry found to date goes back to at least 75,000 years ago in
Africa.

Early jewelry was made of bones, shells, sticks, and whatever other
materials the people could find and shape. Over time the ability to
mine and shape metal developed, and jewelry was made from bronze,
silver, gold, platinum and other metals. Gold has long been thought
of as a “precious” metal, and today it is joined by silver and
platinum as the three main materials modern jewelry is made from.

While much jewelry today is made from these three main metals, a
large body of jewelry world-wide is still made from a much wider
range of materials. This exhibition, “Beauty is in the Eye of the
Beholder”, focuses on jewelry made primarily of materials other than
gold, platinum and silver.

Jewelers today are still using found objects such as shell and bone;
they are using “green” materials – upcycled and recycled objects and
materials; they are using cutting edge plastics and newly developed
technology; and they are using older metals such as copper, brass
and bronze.

Some of the more unusual materials include vinyl LP’s, velvet, VCR
components, rattlesnake vertebrae, corian, canvas, paper, crab
claws, magnets, synthetic rubber electrical insulation tubing, and
aluminum grounding wire.

More traditional materials used include copper, bronze, brass,
glass, various types of wood, gemstones, pearls and seeds.

Techniques range from traditional metalsmithing, through a range of
beading techniques, textile techniques, photography techniques and
cutting edge industrial fabrication.

Participants range from professional jewelers with international
reputations to students just learning their craft.

Hosted on the Ganoksin website, the world’s largest internet site
devoted to jewelry- related topics, the exhibition is a snapshot of
what jewelers around the world are exploring, and an inspiration to
all. The exhibition was conceived Beth Wicker, an artist from South
Carolina, in the USA, and curated by Beth and Hanuman Aspler, founder
of the Ganoksin Project.

Beauty Is In the Eye of the Beholder
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/beb

For more information about the Exhibition please contact: Beth Wicker
onlineexhibition@earthlink.net or Dr. E. Aspler (Hanuman)
service@ganoksin.com

Dr. E. Aspler (Hanuman)
Owner and founder

We have recently relaunched the HAFshop almost 2 months ago and are growing in leaps and bounds. Traffic has been steadily increasing and new vendors are joining everyday. We are approaching the 200 vendor mark as we currently have 178 vendors online. The exposure you receive from having a shop with us is incredible for the price. We also are offering an annual plan of $50.00 a year which is less than 14 cents a day. The other day I was checking out another handmade marketplace who was running an annual plan, they said only xxx amount of annual spots open before we raise the price. This isn’t the first venue I’ve seen do this, it is sort of very disturbing to know that these venues really just want your money. I’ve been approached by several people asking, when are you raising the price? Our answer is never. Please note that this was put in writing!

The Handmade Artists’ Shop is keeping it’s fees down so that artists can actually make a couple of bucks for their efforts. Some fees are so high the artist has no chance. I had someone say they pay %50 commission fee on a well known tutorial site. So they sell a tutorial for $10 and get $5.00, I personally think that sticks. That is one reason why we do not charge commissions or listing fees, your items only expire when they sell or run out of quantity. Plus we offer automatic downloads for our tutorials as well.

I believe the Handmade Artists’ Shop will become the new standard for selling handmade online, for a few specific reasons. One, it is affordable. Two, we are only allowing handmade, no resellers, no unaltered vintage, and no non-handmade supplies. Three, we are planning on cutting off open registration between 10-20 thousand vendors. May sound like a lot of vendors, but honestly this does not even make a dent on the number of vendors some of the larger online marketplaces have, not even close. Our thought is that if we limit the number of vendors and move the site to a juried site we will be able to only allow high quality vendors in categories that have a little room for growth.

The rest of the 20 inch necklace was made with fluorite chips and silver colored ball chain. The next necklace was made with an amethyst cabochon. I had an amethyst crystal about 5 inches long. I cut the crystal into two pieces along the c-axis and then cabbed each stone. One has been completed with wrapping with 22 gauge Sterling silver square half hard wire in a criss cross pattern. The resulting pendant is about 3 inches by 1/2 inch. Here are my two pictures of this beautiful wire wrapped pendant.

Now I am watching the first game of the finals for the Stanley Cup, Boston playing Vancouver. Even though Boston beat the Flyers, I will root for them as they are one of the original six teams.

Any way the existing HAFshop is ready for a new look and feel. We are starting completely from scratch. We have went into private development and are about halfway through. We hope to  relaunch before the end of March, keeping fingers crossed. Our goal is simple, simple, simple, for the user experience as well as the vendor experience. Right now everything is on schedule and going as planned. So keep your eyes open for the new and improved HAFshop!

Hearts of Stone creates lovely one of a kind (OOAK) handmade jewelry. Her shop name says it all hearts as she uses a  lot of hearts in her design and stone as most of her work is just that stone.

Such as these beautiful Love Never Gets Old earrings.

Dramatic coral fossil squares sit between ocean jasper squares and hearts. Each stone accompanied with a Swarovski crystal. Gun metal hardware, nickel free.

These Spicy Love Earrings leave your imagination wondering as they are just plain hot!

Carved cinnabar coin inbetween deep red crystal rondelles, Accented by a shiny onyx heart, jet bicone and coral rondelle. Nickel free hardware.

For the best in handmade earrings make sure you check out Hearts of Stone on the Handmade Artists’ Shop!

Rebeca says: ” I would love for my book to help elevate the standards of maille.  Chainmaille as a jewelry craft form is relatively new, so there are no strictly defined standards of what is considered technical precision like there are for other jewelry media.  I don’t expect beginners to be perfect, but I sometimes see people who consider themselves “experts” posting or publishing photographs of pieces with very poorly closed rings.  My guess is, a lot of people don’t think that it’s a big deal.  Or they’ve been taught by someone who has poor closures, and it never even occurred to them that seamless closures are an option. To me, though, having perfect closures and smooth, shiny rings are critical.  I hope that people flip through my book and see what a difference seamless closures make.  And then, I hope that maillers everywhere make it a point to always aim for perfectly closed rings.  Of course, there are plenty of maillers (especially ones who frequent online forums) that already do so.  You are my peeps — let’s elevate this artform together! ”

Chained also painstakingly  goes into details on various metals and how to care for them. This is so important, honestly, I wish that I had a reference book like this around when I started weaving. Rebeca takes you through years of her own trial and error and puts things in simple understandable terms. You may not think much of  it, but finding the right pair of pliers is huge. I personally have probably 20 pairs of pliers and only use 2, the book sends you to the right tools to start. I guess what I’m saying is “Chained” takes the guess work out of chainmaille for beginners and gives great tips for the more advanced chainmaillers out there.

The tutorials are set up from basic to advanced so that you can grow with the book. I don’t know how many people start doing chainmaille, buy a bunch of stuff and then give up. Chainmaille can be difficult that is why it it critical to start off slow with basic weaves and then move on to more difficult intricate patterns. You need to truly build your weaving skills, and “Chained ” walks you through the steps. Starting with simple Japanese weaves and then progressing on to more complex patterns.

The other critical thing I looked for while reviewing the book is ring size. As I’ve taken my own journey through the art of weaving chainmaille I’ve noticed patterns in English Units, Metric Units, AWG (American Wire Gage), SWG (Standard Wire Gage), all these nuances will affect your finished work. Blue Buddha takes the time to give you proper ring sizes as well as their metric conversions for each weave so that there is no guess work. This is a huge time saver, ring size is one the of the largest struggles you will find when you start weaving chainmaille and “Chained will lead you down the right path.

The book goes through Japanese Weaves, Byzantine Weaves, Helm Weaves, and what Rebeca calls Coiled Weaves. These various techniques will give you a good foundation for weaving chainmaille. I would of loved to see her move into some Perisan Weaves or Roundmaille variations, but there are so many weaves out there I’m sure she had to edit herself or the book would be 500 pounds. Maybe we’ll get a sequel one day, hint hint, if you are listening Rebeca.
Rebeca says:  “Heh, heh.  Hint Taken. You are not the first to suggest a Persian chapter.  I have already started to think about a second book, one that is tailored more toward Intermediate/Advanced Weavers.  Right now, Persian will likely be a chapter.  If not, I’ll probably develop some stand-alone PDFs for the Persian family of weaves.  And you’re right, there was a LOT that we couldn’t fit in Chained.  My original manuscript turned out to be 260 pages, so my editor had quite a lot of editing to do. An entire chapter (on Mobiusing) got cut, along with several projects from the other chapters.  Look for a supplemental PDF of “The Deleted Scenes” sometime in 2011 for these missing projects.”

One of my favorite aspects of the book is that she gives artists the right to use her designs to create jewelry for sale. Believe it not most of the  books out there, not just chainmaille, restrict the artist from selling the finished work created from the designs in the book. Sort of silly uh? Like there is a copyright police man out there searching the web for infringement. Well Rebeca, being a femailler and jewelry artist at heart, insisted to her publisher that this be waived and that artists would be free to sell their finished work. If your interested in an autographed copy, which I did, you can get one here “Chained” Autographed. Blue Buddha will donate $5 from the sale of every signed copy to Friends of Franklin Fine Arts Center

The winning member will receive two weeks of free advertising on the Handmade Artists’ Forum, HAF Blog, Chainmaille By MBOI, and Makin’ The Best Of it as well as $25.00 cold hard cash to do with whatever they want!

There is also a prize for voting and leaving a comment! At the end of the contest we will choose one person at random who votes and will give them $25.00 to spend on any item they want on The Handmade Artists’ Shop!

In addition to the $25.00 prize the commenter also will win this beautiful Handmade Little Black Bear by iKnitQuiltSew.

This bear has everything going for it!  In keeping with the first contest, he’s upcycled…  In a previous life, he was a machine washable coat (which has been washed)!  If a disaster strikes, this bear can be put in a pillow case or a lingerie bag and machine washed and dried on warm settings!  In keeping with this contest, I can remember singing a song when I was in Girl Scouts (many, MANY years ago) about a little black bear.  The pads of his feet and fronts of his ears are eco-felt (made from recycled paper and water bottles!).    He has safety-stay plastic eyes and a hand-embroidered nose and mouth.  His arms and legs move – they are jointed with the old-fashioned string-and-button method which is all internal.  Without his scarf, he is completely child-safe.  Standing, he is 12 inches (30.5 cm) tall.

So take your time and pick your favorite, you can vote only once per IP address, and don’t forget to leave a comment to be automatically entered to win $25.00 to spend at the HAFshop and that beautiful Little Black Bear!

Trusk4U Inspired By “The Mystic’s Dream” by Loreena McKennitt

iKnitQuiltSew Inspired by O’ Chritstmas Tree

PennyFarrowInspired by Ron carter Quartet, Sunshower

GrandDesign Inspired by Abney Park,  The Clockyard

2DezineArt Inspired  by Miles Davis, Freddie Freeloader

TotallyUniqueTreasuresInspired by Dire Straits, Sultan of Swing

Rasamalai Inspired by Claudio Monteverdi, Pur ti miro

Impressionsbyheidi Inspired by Rhapsody  by George Gershwin

Crafted RootsInspired Moonlight Sonata, by Beethoven

The voting will end 12/01/2010 at midnight, so get your votes in and don’t forget to comment and be automatically entered to win $25.00 to spend at the Handmade Artists’ Shop and the beautiful Little Black Bear!

[poll id="9"]

I know that there is plenty of talented people in the world; there are many that are multitalented, now imagine finding a multitalented Australian mother of 5 (yes, you read that right…5 kids!) and still finding time to follow her passion for creating beautiful things from beads and Polymer clay!

Haffina is just such a person who’s creations must be seen to be believed.  Teeny tiny miniatures that look good enough to eat great you right away on the front page of her HandmadeArtistsShop page.  Check out the chocolate!  Couldn’t you just sink your teeth into them!

Not a chocolate fan?  How about the sinful indulgence of Red Velvet?

Miniatures not for you?  How about clay gemstones that you would swear are the real thing?

And just to get your creative juices flowing, Haffina also creates amazing supplies so that you can incorporate a one of a kind creation into your own one of a kind creation.

There is so much more to see of Haffina’s work; but I am running out of space!  Check out Haffinas Creations on the HandmadeArtistsShop for yourself and prepare to be stunned by the amazing talent of this busy mum!

On top of being a really cool business name, EyeCandyChainmaille’s driving force is actually named Candy!  She has been painstakingly creating amazing work since 2009 and is fast becoming a chainmaille artist to take notice of.

I am such a chainmaille junkie; but there is nothing better than finding a maille artist that really adds style to her work!  Using basic weaves, EyeCandyChainmaille has turned the ordinary into stunning!

Not only does Candy make stunning wearable art with metal, she has an eye for adding gems and pearls in such a way that adds drama and class to already amazing pieces.

On top of being an amazing designer, she has created a wonderful tutorial for her own version of the Byzantine Cross.  Seems like a cool way to learn a new talent and end up with wearable art in the end.

Ready to see more for yourself?  Check out EyeCandyChainmaille on the HandmadeArtistsShop for yourself and prepare to be struck by how beautiful chainmaille can be.

Take a look at what these wonderful handmade artisans are offering:

Ambient Girl Designs–specializes in custom cards, invitations, gift tags and much more! For the HAF Sale Ambient Girl Designs will offer FREE SHIPPING on all items in her shop! Stop by and see all the wonderful things this shop has to offer!

Dreambubbles–featuring unique jewelry designs using beads and chainmaille. In the artist’s own words: “Recently I started debuting my original one of a kind (OOAK) handmade spiders. They are presently stealing the show from my chainmaille and crystal/pearl jewelry creations.”  For the HAF Sale, Dreambubbles is offering 10% off all items in her shop and up to $5.00 in Free Shipping!! Have a look at these wonderful designs today!!

Jewelry by NaLa–unique, handmade jewelry featuring sterling silver, Czech glass, Crystallized Swarovski Elements, semiprecious stones, freshwater pearls and other fine jewelry materials.  For the HAF Sale Jewelry by Nala will be offering FREE US SHIPPING off selected items in her shop!! Stop by and visit  Nala’s beautiful shop today!!

Lisianblue–featuring wonderful stained glass objects, ornaments, and chimes! In the artist’s own words: “have been a fan of stained glass for many years and truly enjoy making stained glass items. There seems to be something about glass that just draws me to it – maybe it’s the shine, the way it captures the light and even the shadows.”  For the HAF Sale, Lisianblue will be offering 10% off all items in her shop!! Stop by for a visit, relax, put your feet up and browse!  You’ll be glad you did!

My Grandpa’s Pen–featuring handmade cards, albums, and supplies.  In the artist’s own words: “For as long as I can remember my Grandpa would give me a pen at Christmas. I think this helped inspire my love of all things crafty and artistic. As I create my works I find myself using, among other things, stamp sets from when I was a child, paper that I can’t stop collecting and of course, my Grandpa’s pen.”  For the HAF Sale, My Grandpa’s Pen is offering 20% off all items.  Refund will be through PayPal!! Stop by and browse through this delightful shop…and SAVE!!

Penny Farrow Designs–beautiful handmade leather and accessories designed by Penny herself.  In the artist’s own words: “My goal for the design and construction of my products is to be consistent and fresh and original. I take inspiration from every aspect of my life: a distillation of roads traveled, places visited and people who have inspired me.”  For the HAF Sale Penny Farrow Designs will be taking 10%–20% off selected items in her shop!! Take a look at these wonderful handbags, purses, journal covers, and more!!

Pleasant Peasantry–a husband and wife team who experiment with their designs and try to put a unique twist on ceramics and macrame. All  items are sold the way you see them. However, they LOVE taking requests! Convo them with your ideas!  For the HAF Sale Pleasant Peasantry will be taking 10% off all macrame items, and 20% off all ceramics! Be sure to stop by this wonderful shop!!

Rachel Elliott Glassworks–All the item listed here are handmade by Rachel in her studio in Scotland!  She uses a variety of different glass techniques to create unique designs and custom orders are always welcome.  For the HAF Sale, she is offering 28% off all her beads, to celebrate her 28th birthday on March 15th!!! Rachel Elliott Glassworks is a must see shop!!  Stop by today!

Speranza Jewelry–Lisa, the owner of Speranza Jewelry, is a firm believer that jewelry is both art and self-expression disguised as a fashion accessory.  The goal of Speranza is to create quality, affordable jewelry in gemstones and metal, utilizing the various techniques of stringing, metal fusing, and wire wrapping.  For the HAF Sale Speranza Jewelry will offer 10% off all items in her shop!! This wonderful shop needs to be on your list to visit today!

T. Rusk 4 U–featuring handcrafted jewelry for every woman! This shop has handcrafted and affordable jewelry made by T. Rusk…4 U! For the HAF Sale T.Rusk4U will be offering FREE SHIPPING and a gift with every purchase!! Stop by this lovely shop and take advantage of the savings!

Twas Brillig–a wonderland of unique hand-crafted jewelry, handmade bags and totes, original artwork and unusual gifts for you to cherish or share.  For the HAF Sale Twas Brillig will be offering 10% off all items in their shop!! Stop by soon…there’s always something new happening there!

Zur Designs–handcrafted jewelry made from high quality materials such as sterling silver, semi precious gemstones, swarovski crystals, and pearls.  Designs are inspired by life, love, and the beauty of the Berkshire Mountains that surround her.  For the HAF Team Sale, Zur Designs will be featuring 10% off all items in her shop! Take a peek at Zur Designs…you’ll be glad you did!

Click on the links to learn more about the Handmade Artists Forum (HAF) or the HAF Etsy Street Team! Have fun shopping at all these wonderful shops!!  Remember, the sale starts March 1st and goes through March 15th!!

Nancy also runs the forum facebook page, her service has been such a wonderful help to all of us.

Thanks Nancy,

Andrew & Kimberly

Handmade Artists’ Forum

I am an artist, a mom, and a breast cancer survivor. My husband James, 2 kids Phoebe & Sander, and I live in a wild-kingdom with 2 dogs, 1 cat, 2 turtles, and too many chickens to count.

I have a BA in Illustration and am the staff artist at a MA Veterinary School. In 1998 I launched a jewelry business, Beeboo. My studio is constantly in a state of chaos (as is the rest of my house) but I love it!

My fabulous father Herb, passed away in 2005 after a long battle with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). My mom was Dad’s primary caregiver. Throughout the 2 year battle both she and Dad continued to make the most of every day, taking it as it comes and relishing the time they had together. They are my inspiration. 

Visit my Etsy shop.
Visit my Etsy supply shop.
Check out Beeboo.com.
Read my blog.
Follow me on Twitter.

Now though my eyes are open so I continue to create.

Vestque the person is quiet and contemplative. I enjoy observing rather than doing. Yet I usually find myself to be the center of attention, or at least thats how I feel. Nonetheless, I believe that Humility and Wisdom are the greatest assets any person can have. I strive every day to grow in both. Right now I am in a state of limbo between the completion of college and the start of Medical school. During this break I have decided that this was the perfect time to try and strive as an artist.

Most of my artworks are digital creations through Photoshop CS3 and hand drawn on an Adresso Tablet. Nonetheless, I am a doodler at heart so I have been known to pick up any pencils or pens I could get my hands on to get the job done.

Right now I am experimenting with incorporating pictures of textures and grains into hand drawn digital imagery. Though recently I’ve started expanding into painting. In the past I have explored the art style of anime and vectored work. I have found that I am a wandering spirit in the art world and just in general. I cannot stick with one thing or method for too long. I always want to try to experience more. This wander lust has definitely contributed to my growth as an artist since I have began, and I look forward to continuing this growth for the rest of my life.

Find my work on Artfire.
I’m also on deviantART.

Hey, Jessica here, the artist behind Moon Spirit Jewelry! When I found out I was being featured I just had to do the happy dance, and once that was done the hard part began. Writing about myself has always been hard for me. I can never think of what people could possibly want to know about me. But then I think, what would I want to know about another artist, and the obvious answer is why? Why do artists do what they do? Why do individual people decide to create and imagine? So that is what I will tell you, but I might be getting a little ahead of myself. First let me truly introduce myself.
    
A lot of people ask me how I chose Moon Spirit Jewelry or what it means, and it is actually quite simple. When the moon is at it’s fullest, a horse seems to be a spirit in the night. Running free through marshes, forests, and fields, this is my favorite image of a horse, so it became my name. Along with this business adventure, I am starting a new adventure in my life: college. I am getting ready (or already there depending on when this is published) to go to Colorado State University to start my studies in Equine Science.
   
Moon Spirit Jewelry came into existence during 7th grade. One of my best friends taught me how to make earrings, and a business plan was already forming in my mind. We started off as J.M. Creations, selling at a Chanukkah Boutique at my temple. Wanting to move forward, I taught myself how to create simple beaded necklaces. After figuring out the beaded necklace, I began to soar. Looking at beading magazines and experimenting with different techniques. I began to formulate my own style: elegant, yet fun. Slowly but surely, J.M. Creations morphed into Moon Spirit Jewelry.
   
Beading offers a relaxing hobby, I really got into it during the stress of high school. I could lose myself in new techniques or my stash of beads. My dad tells me I have more beads than a bead store, and I have come to the realization that he is probably right. But if you are a beader then you know how this happens. You start a new project and you just need a clasp. So you run to the local bead shop and return home with a large bag of seed beads, findings, large beads, small beads, pretty much all the beads in the store. The bead store is the only place I do the happy dance when I can leave without spending more than $50.
   
As an artist I sit and imagine who might wear the jewelry I create. Will it bring them luck? Will this piece show up on the Red Carpet (still crossing my fingers)? Is this one going down the aisle with a blushing bride? My biggest hope and the one that every artist hopes is that it brings happiness to whomever wears it. From one artist to another, good luck with all of your adventures.

Check out my Etsy shop.
Follow me on Twitter.
My fanpage on Facebook.

Over the years I have been trying and experimenting with many different mediums and techniques: oil, tempera, gouache, acrylics… I settled on acrylics. I create my pouring paintings by mixing acrylic paint with water and pouring the mixture onto the canvas, creating free-flowing shapes and forms. In my most recent works, I combine my pouring technique with brush as well as Art Deco style with Expressionism.

Born in Russia, I successfully completed Moscow’s School of Art and hold an AA Degree in Graphic Design. I have exhibited at numerous California galleries and On line Galleries. My work can also be found in many private and corporate collections around the country and abroad. I am presently living in northern California where I continue to explore and develop my artistic vision.

[etsy]: hjmart.etsy.com
[artfire]: http://hjmart.artfire.com
[twitter]: http://twitter.com/hjmart
[blog]: http://hjmart.blogspot.com
[facebook]: http://www.facebook.com/helen.miqueo
[youtube]: http://www.youtube.com/kuliantxo
: [email]hjmiqueo@gmail.com

Getting inspiration from dreams, Libby White of Fiber Felter has been a prolific artist and artisan for 20 years. Incorporating elements of collage, rubber-stamping and found object art, Libby’s work is both abstract and representational. She is a designer of art dolls, felted items, as well as a serious fiber artist.

Fabric art is Libby’s primary medium now. Besides pouches, pins and wall hangings, Libby combines the color and texture of fabric arts with her expertise in felting in order to create dynamic scarves and shawls. In her shop you can also find roving and batts, along with many unusual fiber related items.

Although Libby has been a microbiologist at the Centers for Disease Control for the last 25 years, she has recently started back to school to get a diploma in Web Design, so studying and homework are taking up a lot of her time these days.

Libby belongs to the Southeastern Felting Guild, the Tangled Threads Doll Club and many groups on Yahoo, along with being semi-active on LiveJournal.
Check out Libby’s new Utube video commercial showcasing her collection of eclectic art dolls, felted items and fabric here.

Libby’s Etsy shop – Fiber Felter.
Read Libby’s blog – FiberArtistToo.