My fellow crafters, I must admit weakness. I fell almost completely apart under the weight of my daily promotion duties when I added one more chore - columnist for HMN News. Because my chosen department is not one in which I am expert, to say the least, extensive research is needed for each of my columns. That, a chance for an exclusive jewelry show,and remodeling my studio (which has major problems since the change to fusion squared off pix, and was in the process of being reorganized already) and daily guild blogs (which I haven't managed for a couple months at least) and Crazy Train blogs on every other day and Forum responses and Sneakers Tuesday did me in. All this should be manageable, some of you may say, since I'm not working, but I have the job search and actually enjoying my hobby as well. I'm still learning most of these thngs, so they are time intensive. I simply couldn't do it. And it depressed me that I couldn't. I don't want to give up any of these things, but I just must cut back.
I'll blog once or twice a week on each blog. I will continue my research for HMN and my columns, especially now that the output requirements have been changed. I will spend a minimal time in the forums and almost no time on Plurk or Twitter or other venues until I establish a routine that is comfortable. I hope you will forgive my inattentiveness in the past and until then.
Thank you very much to those of you who sought me out on various venues to find out how I was doing. It was appreciated.
I'll see you sometime next week!
Ali
Monday, June 29, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
West Coast Crafters #11
Happy Thursday! I should be going to the flea market to scout the place, but since I went to bed 5 hours behind schedule yesterday, I'm going to try to play catch-up today. AND make an easier schedule to follow!
My latest HandMade News column is about recycling cell phones and giving aid to Third World medicine at the same time. Read it here.
Tuesday's Artfire Sneakers unsub was JennyKarlssonDesign. I bought a beautiful linen lavender sachet.
Don't forget to visit my Crazy Train blog, featuring three crazy train participants:
Ninja Jenn at http://www.ninjajenn.artfire.com http://www.ninjajenn.blogspot.com
Grahtoestudio at http://www.grahtoestudio.artfire.com
Kraftouch Treasures at http://www.kraftouchtreasures.artfire.com http://www.kraftouchtreasures.blogspot.com
The Crazy Train now has a .ning site so you can keep up on the latest stop.
The third guild to which I belong is the ArtFire Jewelry Design and Jewelry Supply guild. There is currently a giveaway going on at our .ning site. Also, the guild member of the week is StudioontheHill, which has some amazing items.
Here is a link to our West Coast Crafters guild roster. My next post will be a roster update, then I will begin featuring the enormous AJDJSS guild. Today's West Coast Crafters are: Thisisit journals and jewelry: This studio has been discontinued. TwilightsFancy necklaces and purses Tztudio precious metal clay jewelry
TwilightsFancy has beautiful items. Here is her studio in her own words: "Being that I am Lady Twilight and creating necklaces and purses are what I fancy, I present Twilight's Fancy. Creativity is my whimsy. What's your fancy?
"I post something new almost every day, so come on back and see what I've added or subscribe to my rss feed. Or, if you're looking for something in particular, contact me. I'd love to hear from you.
"All of my necklaces and purses are handmade by yours truly. I never make the same one twice, so check all my listings here (and at http://rinaslayter.etsy.com) or contact me if you see one you like, but want to buy one a little different. If the supplies are still available, your wish will be granted."
About herself, "My friends say I'm unique, very creative and a little strange and I agree with their assessment.
"I've always enjoyed making jewelry. In junior high, I used to make something like 30 pairs of earrings each week. Basically, the same 30 every week...from the same beads, but arranged differently. I made the best of what I had and was constantly changing even though the materials stayed the same.
"I also enjoy sewing. Why purses? I. Don't. Know. I honestly don't, but it seems to go back to those early days when I worked from a certain pool of materials, but yet each creation is different. I never make the same one twice. I work with what I have in my sewing room. Old, new, remnants, full bolts. I've amassed so much over the years.
"When I'm not in my craft room, I write romance novels, work on television shows and movies as a specialty costumer or even as an extra, maintain websites and work on my classic cars. For more information on who I am, see my website at http://RinaSlayter.com"
Because I never watch television (ok, almost never, and usually prerecorded to get rid of commercials) I didn't understand what "Twilight inspired" meant. Now I see!
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TZStudio is currently not a verified ArtFire member, and therefore no longer a member of our guild, but I thought to highlight this unusual studio in the hope that we can encourage verification and guild membership again.
Since the artist gives no bio or introduction, I will copy the pictured item descriptions for you.
"Need the perfect gift?
"Why not a ring made from a grandmother's silver pattern!
"I will make a mould from one of the pieces, and return it to you with your ring.
"This ring was made from my grandmother's silver pattern.
"It is made of fine silver (.999), hand crafted by me using Precious Metal Clay. Textured with a floral pattern. The texture continues all the way around the ring.
"Precious Metal Clay is a clay-like medium used to make jewelry, beads and small sculpture. It consists of very small particles of silver mixed with an organic binder and water. Precious Metal Clay can be shaped just like any soft clay, by hand or using molds. After drying, it is fired in a kiln. The binder burns away, leaving .999 pure silver. The piece is then antiqued, or oxidized, to bring out the texture.
"Please specify ring size upon checkout."
"PEACE AND LOVE!
"This leaf textured peace and love heart pendant has been hand crafted by me, using Precious Metal clay, or PMC. Precious Metal Clay is a clay-like medium used to make jewelry, beads and small sculpture. It consists of very small particles of silver mixed with an organic binder and water. Precious metal clay can be shaped just like any soft clay, by hand or using molds. After drying, it is fired in a kiln. The binder burns away, leaving .999 pure silver. The pendant is then antiqued, or oxidized, to bring out the texture.
"Pendant measures 1 1/8".
"Hangs on a black rubber cord, with a sterling silver clasp.
"Don't forget to check out the matching earrings!"
Whew! That was a lot of stuff for just a few days! I hope you found time to visit our guild members' studios. Don't forget to come back here and leave a comment for our artists. Each month a pair of earrings or bracelet is given away to a random commenter. Have fun today!
My latest HandMade News column is about recycling cell phones and giving aid to Third World medicine at the same time. Read it here.
Tuesday's Artfire Sneakers unsub was JennyKarlssonDesign. I bought a beautiful linen lavender sachet.
Don't forget to visit my Crazy Train blog, featuring three crazy train participants:
Ninja Jenn at http://www.ninjajenn.artfire.com http://www.ninjajenn.blogspot.com
Grahtoestudio at http://www.grahtoestudio.artfire.com
Kraftouch Treasures at http://www.kraftouchtreasures.artfire.com http://www.kraftouchtreasures.blogspot.com
The Crazy Train now has a .ning site so you can keep up on the latest stop.
The third guild to which I belong is the ArtFire Jewelry Design and Jewelry Supply guild. There is currently a giveaway going on at our .ning site. Also, the guild member of the week is StudioontheHill, which has some amazing items.
Here is a link to our West Coast Crafters guild roster. My next post will be a roster update, then I will begin featuring the enormous AJDJSS guild. Today's West Coast Crafters are: Thisisit journals and jewelry: This studio has been discontinued. TwilightsFancy necklaces and purses Tztudio precious metal clay jewelry
TwilightsFancy has beautiful items. Here is her studio in her own words: "Being that I am Lady Twilight and creating necklaces and purses are what I fancy, I present Twilight's Fancy. Creativity is my whimsy. What's your fancy?
"I post something new almost every day, so come on back and see what I've added or subscribe to my rss feed. Or, if you're looking for something in particular, contact me. I'd love to hear from you.
"All of my necklaces and purses are handmade by yours truly. I never make the same one twice, so check all my listings here (and at http://rinaslayter.etsy.com) or contact me if you see one you like, but want to buy one a little different. If the supplies are still available, your wish will be granted."
About herself, "My friends say I'm unique, very creative and a little strange and I agree with their assessment.
"I've always enjoyed making jewelry. In junior high, I used to make something like 30 pairs of earrings each week. Basically, the same 30 every week...from the same beads, but arranged differently. I made the best of what I had and was constantly changing even though the materials stayed the same.
"I also enjoy sewing. Why purses? I. Don't. Know. I honestly don't, but it seems to go back to those early days when I worked from a certain pool of materials, but yet each creation is different. I never make the same one twice. I work with what I have in my sewing room. Old, new, remnants, full bolts. I've amassed so much over the years.
"When I'm not in my craft room, I write romance novels, work on television shows and movies as a specialty costumer or even as an extra, maintain websites and work on my classic cars. For more information on who I am, see my website at http://RinaSlayter.com"
Because I never watch television (ok, almost never, and usually prerecorded to get rid of commercials) I didn't understand what "Twilight inspired" meant. Now I see!
`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
TZStudio is currently not a verified ArtFire member, and therefore no longer a member of our guild, but I thought to highlight this unusual studio in the hope that we can encourage verification and guild membership again.
Since the artist gives no bio or introduction, I will copy the pictured item descriptions for you.
"Need the perfect gift?
"Why not a ring made from a grandmother's silver pattern!
"I will make a mould from one of the pieces, and return it to you with your ring.
"This ring was made from my grandmother's silver pattern.
"It is made of fine silver (.999), hand crafted by me using Precious Metal Clay. Textured with a floral pattern. The texture continues all the way around the ring.
"Precious Metal Clay is a clay-like medium used to make jewelry, beads and small sculpture. It consists of very small particles of silver mixed with an organic binder and water. Precious Metal Clay can be shaped just like any soft clay, by hand or using molds. After drying, it is fired in a kiln. The binder burns away, leaving .999 pure silver. The piece is then antiqued, or oxidized, to bring out the texture.
"Please specify ring size upon checkout."
"PEACE AND LOVE!
"This leaf textured peace and love heart pendant has been hand crafted by me, using Precious Metal clay, or PMC. Precious Metal Clay is a clay-like medium used to make jewelry, beads and small sculpture. It consists of very small particles of silver mixed with an organic binder and water. Precious metal clay can be shaped just like any soft clay, by hand or using molds. After drying, it is fired in a kiln. The binder burns away, leaving .999 pure silver. The pendant is then antiqued, or oxidized, to bring out the texture.
"Pendant measures 1 1/8".
"Hangs on a black rubber cord, with a sterling silver clasp.
"Don't forget to check out the matching earrings!"
Whew! That was a lot of stuff for just a few days! I hope you found time to visit our guild members' studios. Don't forget to come back here and leave a comment for our artists. Each month a pair of earrings or bracelet is given away to a random commenter. Have fun today!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
West Coast Crafters #10
Happy Weekend! Hurray! My husband and I plan to do a little window shopping and maybe see a movie today. For two over-39 (hubby is 40) people, we sure see a lot of Pixar movies! We love them.
I'm not a gardener (my husband has a degree in horticulture so he gets those chores) but my latest HandMade News column is about killing weeds without pesticides. Read it here.
Don't forget to visit the Crazy Train, featuring TheBroomCloset. Paula has a wide variety of destashes in this shop. One less now, because I bought them! Paula is also the creator of the Crazy Train. (Bows to the Crazy Train Master.) She and the original secretary then abdigated all responsiblity to LaDeDaCreations, who is doing a wonderful job of keeping us in line.
Today's West Coast Crafters are:
Thechainmaillelady Chain maille jewelry Theskinyourein Handmade bath and body products
Here is a link to our West Coast Crafters guild roster.
Thechainmaillelady says, "I make gorgeous chainmaille jewelry! I have been weaving teeny tiny jump rings for over 4 years.
"My passion is working with sterling silver however, knowing that not everyone can afford sterling silver I have also created chainmaille using other mediums. I believe everyone should own at least one piece of chainmaille!"
I bought a version of this for my daughter-in-law:
"I would love to hear from you about my designs and quality so I can keep up to date."
"Listen To Me Every Tuesday 7PM EST On BlockHead Radio. Just Click On The Banner"
There is a BlockHead Radio widget on the right.
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Theskinyourein says, "I am a wife, mom, grandma and step-mom and I love my job! I've been making bath and body products for the past six years and I'm blessed to have this profession as my full time job. This business was born out of my own battle with eczema and severely dry skin. After a few years of formulating and testing, I can say that my eczema is now under control and I am my best advertising tool.
"I love what I do and I hope you will too!"
Don't forget to visit their studios and leave messages for them as comments on this blog. Each month a random commenter receives a free pair of earrings or sterling plated bracelet (their choice).
I'm not a gardener (my husband has a degree in horticulture so he gets those chores) but my latest HandMade News column is about killing weeds without pesticides. Read it here.
Don't forget to visit the Crazy Train, featuring TheBroomCloset. Paula has a wide variety of destashes in this shop. One less now, because I bought them! Paula is also the creator of the Crazy Train. (Bows to the Crazy Train Master.) She and the original secretary then abdigated all responsiblity to LaDeDaCreations, who is doing a wonderful job of keeping us in line.
Today's West Coast Crafters are:
Thechainmaillelady Chain maille jewelry Theskinyourein Handmade bath and body products
Here is a link to our West Coast Crafters guild roster.
Thechainmaillelady says, "I make gorgeous chainmaille jewelry! I have been weaving teeny tiny jump rings for over 4 years.
"My passion is working with sterling silver however, knowing that not everyone can afford sterling silver I have also created chainmaille using other mediums. I believe everyone should own at least one piece of chainmaille!"
I bought a version of this for my daughter-in-law:
"I would love to hear from you about my designs and quality so I can keep up to date."
"Listen To Me Every Tuesday 7PM EST On BlockHead Radio. Just Click On The Banner"
There is a BlockHead Radio widget on the right.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Theskinyourein says, "I am a wife, mom, grandma and step-mom and I love my job! I've been making bath and body products for the past six years and I'm blessed to have this profession as my full time job. This business was born out of my own battle with eczema and severely dry skin. After a few years of formulating and testing, I can say that my eczema is now under control and I am my best advertising tool.
"I love what I do and I hope you will too!"
Don't forget to visit their studios and leave messages for them as comments on this blog. Each month a random commenter receives a free pair of earrings or sterling plated bracelet (their choice).
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
West Coast Crafters #9
Number 9...number 9....number 9... Ok, sorry. I'm a long-time Beatles fan.
Happy Sneakers Tuesday, folks! My husband and I had a great holiday with his mother, brother and wife and girls, and family friends. We were out of town, and it was great to see the clear sky stars and gorgeous lake in the mountain valley. We saw brother-in-law's family cabin, which is new and ready for rental over the summer. I'm glad it wasn't rented while we were there so we could play with the babies!...um, I mean, see Mom-in-law, Brother-in-law, Sister-in-law, and friends. I hope your holiday wasn't spent in grief but in celebration of the freedom the sacrifices of our military have bought.
Don't forget to visit the Crazy Train, featuring Angelas_Adornments. Angela has played with the new studio options that ArtFire has provided us and I think you will agree they are awesome!
Today's West Coast Crafters are:
QuirkynBerkeley Greeting cards
Sewstitchedup embroidery designs on fabric squares, (SewStitchedUp appears to be on vacation, so we will visit with her later)
TantalizingStitches Craft supply
Here is a link to our West Coast Crafters guild roster.
As a San Francisco Bay Area resident, I'm a little amused that anyone in Berkeley need identify oneself as quirky but I can tell you that if you browse this studio you will find many fun and simply beautiful items. Quirky does greeting cards, and the teeny tiny envelopes are clearly quirky, but cute, and the great day card pictured is clearly beautiful, so you need not be eccentric to visit this studio.
The artisan says, "Love paper. Love color. Love Berkeley.
Enjoy your Sneakers' Tuesday and be sure to visit the .ning site or the ArtFire Forum to discover the identity of this week's unsub!
Happy Sneakers Tuesday, folks! My husband and I had a great holiday with his mother, brother and wife and girls, and family friends. We were out of town, and it was great to see the clear sky stars and gorgeous lake in the mountain valley. We saw brother-in-law's family cabin, which is new and ready for rental over the summer. I'm glad it wasn't rented while we were there so we could play with the babies!...um, I mean, see Mom-in-law, Brother-in-law, Sister-in-law, and friends. I hope your holiday wasn't spent in grief but in celebration of the freedom the sacrifices of our military have bought.
Don't forget to visit the Crazy Train, featuring Angelas_Adornments. Angela has played with the new studio options that ArtFire has provided us and I think you will agree they are awesome!
Today's West Coast Crafters are:
QuirkynBerkeley Greeting cards
Sewstitchedup embroidery designs on fabric squares, (SewStitchedUp appears to be on vacation, so we will visit with her later)
TantalizingStitches Craft supply
Here is a link to our West Coast Crafters guild roster.
As a San Francisco Bay Area resident, I'm a little amused that anyone in Berkeley need identify oneself as quirky but I can tell you that if you browse this studio you will find many fun and simply beautiful items. Quirky does greeting cards, and the teeny tiny envelopes are clearly quirky, but cute, and the great day card pictured is clearly beautiful, so you need not be eccentric to visit this studio.
The artisan says, "Love paper. Love color. Love Berkeley.
"Beyond that, my style is eclectic and I love to experiment. I get completely absorbed in engineering my varied creations for hours. Each one is a new and unique production, made of treasures from my collection of paper and ephemera, transfigured into a single piece held together by a little glue, a lot of ideas, practice and work, and most of all, a great amount of joy. Everything is made in a smoke free environment."
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TantalizingStitches is a neighbor: we live in the same town.
The artisan's bio reads, "I opened up my supply shop after my craft room became overwhelmed with supplies! So now, you too, can enjoy my excess craft room supplies. (All items are new and have never been used!)
"I am a avid supporter of animals and for that reason I send 5% of all sales to PAWS-Saipan, an animal welfare organization on Saipan, an island in the Northern Mariana Islands of Micronesia, where I lived for two years. I started selling my craft when I lived there so it was only fit to dedicate part of my store to those wonderful animals."
Two great artisans who are practically neighbors!
Don't forget to visit their studios and leave messages for them as comments on this blog. Each month a random commenter receives a free pair of earrings or sterling plated bracelet (their choice).
I'm also going to go out on a limb and offer the pick of any AlisunsToo item or Alisuns item under $25 and under to the first person to reply to this blog with the basic grammatical error (excluding punctuation) in my latest HandMade News column in the Green Wise section. Here is a link.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TantalizingStitches is a neighbor: we live in the same town.
The artisan's bio reads, "I opened up my supply shop after my craft room became overwhelmed with supplies! So now, you too, can enjoy my excess craft room supplies. (All items are new and have never been used!)
"I am a avid supporter of animals and for that reason I send 5% of all sales to PAWS-Saipan, an animal welfare organization on Saipan, an island in the Northern Mariana Islands of Micronesia, where I lived for two years. I started selling my craft when I lived there so it was only fit to dedicate part of my store to those wonderful animals."
Two great artisans who are practically neighbors!
Don't forget to visit their studios and leave messages for them as comments on this blog. Each month a random commenter receives a free pair of earrings or sterling plated bracelet (their choice).
I'm also going to go out on a limb and offer the pick of any AlisunsToo item or Alisuns item under $25 and under to the first person to reply to this blog with the basic grammatical error (excluding punctuation) in my latest HandMade News column in the Green Wise section. Here is a link.
Enjoy your Sneakers' Tuesday and be sure to visit the .ning site or the ArtFire Forum to discover the identity of this week's unsub!
Saturday, May 16, 2009
West Coast Crafters #8
Happy Saturday, folks! We have a Spare the Air day here because temps are expected to hit triple digits. I think I'll stay in :)
Don't forget to visit the Crazy Train, featuring Creative Haven
Today's West Coast Crafters are:
MzzThang unique and one-of-a-kind handcrafted jewelry
Papierlune Unique, upcycled, mixed media fun
Here is MzzThang in her own words: My designs and inspiration comes from many things - Listening to a really good song, stories my kids tell me, a drive along the coast, the smile on someones face, etc.
I host several fund raising events to benefit the Lupus Foundation of America -- from bowling and darts tournaments to the proceeds from the sales of every 50th piece of jewelry that I create. Please check my jewelry listings for the word "DONATION" in the heading. 100% of the proceeds from the sales of these pieces will be donated to the Lupus Foundation of America (www.lupus.org)
You can also view additional jewelry in our online store by visiting:
Fo-Shizzle Design Studios"
About her studio:"From whimsical to elegant and chic, the Fo-Shizzle Design Studios has it all. We offer unique and one-of-a-kind handcrafted jewelry, using quality materials and excellent craftsmanship.
Don't see quite what you're looking for? Simply call or e-mail us. We'll be happy to custom design a piece tailored to your liking."
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From Papierlune: "Welcome to Papier Lune!! Unique, upcycled, mixed media fun is what it is all about here. Kick off your shoes and come on in."
"My name is Sarah and I am mixed media artist that resides and creates up here on beautiful Whidbey Island, Washington. "
This is an upcycled olive oil tin light.
Stop back here and drop a comment for them and you will be entered into my random May Giveaway: a set of earrings or custom-length bracelet.
Have fun today!
Don't forget to visit the Crazy Train, featuring Creative Haven
Today's West Coast Crafters are:
MzzThang unique and one-of-a-kind handcrafted jewelry
Papierlune Unique, upcycled, mixed media fun
Here is MzzThang in her own words: My designs and inspiration comes from many things - Listening to a really good song, stories my kids tell me, a drive along the coast, the smile on someones face, etc.
I host several fund raising events to benefit the Lupus Foundation of America -- from bowling and darts tournaments to the proceeds from the sales of every 50th piece of jewelry that I create. Please check my jewelry listings for the word "DONATION" in the heading. 100% of the proceeds from the sales of these pieces will be donated to the Lupus Foundation of America (www.lupus.org)
You can also view additional jewelry in our online store by visiting:
Fo-Shizzle Design Studios"
About her studio:"From whimsical to elegant and chic, the Fo-Shizzle Design Studios has it all. We offer unique and one-of-a-kind handcrafted jewelry, using quality materials and excellent craftsmanship.
Don't see quite what you're looking for? Simply call or e-mail us. We'll be happy to custom design a piece tailored to your liking."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Papierlune: "Welcome to Papier Lune!! Unique, upcycled, mixed media fun is what it is all about here. Kick off your shoes and come on in."
"My name is Sarah and I am mixed media artist that resides and creates up here on beautiful Whidbey Island, Washington. "
This is an upcycled olive oil tin light.
Stop back here and drop a comment for them and you will be entered into my random May Giveaway: a set of earrings or custom-length bracelet.
Have fun today!
Thursday, May 14, 2009
West Coast Crafters #7
Life happens. I missed everyone while I was busy with it.
Happy Thursday, everyone! This week's unsub was jennuinecandles.
Don't forget to visit the Crazy Train, featuring http://www.artfire.com/users/MichiganMud today.
Today's West Coast Crafters are:
Marysrosegarden rosary bracelets
Morumoto Guinea pig plushies from original design
Here is a link to our West Coast Crafters guild roster.
Marysrosegarden does beautiful rosaries, rosary bracelets, key chains, and car rosaries. She does custom work, so ask her for what you've always wanted in a rosary.
Her studio intro is:"Specializing in handmade sterling silver and semi-precious gemstone wire-wrapped rosaries and rosary bracelets. Car rosaries and key chains are also available in silver plate and Czech fire-polished beads.
Custom orders are always welcome!"
Her bio reads, "My son gave me my first rosary bracelet. He purchased a little pewter bracelet, using his lawn mowing earnings. I was delighted with his gift and wore the bracelet until it fell apart. I found wearing a symbol and reminder of my faith very comforting. I needed to replace my original bracelet and wanted a bracelet that was more like a piece of jewelry. I was also looking for something more strongly made to withstand daily use. I found many beautiful bracelets, but the cost was out of my price range. That's when I decided to make my own. I have gotten so much pleasure from making and wearing these rosary bracelets, that I decided to share them with others. My goal is to spread the power of the Rosary by making a quality bracelet, using the best materials and selling for an affordable price."
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Morumoto is a fun studio selling plushies. The intro reads, "I love small animals. I know there are many of you out there who do too. My goal is to create life-like plush representations of our favorite critters. I only use faux fur, never real. I also make custom plushies, you can visit my gallery here to see all of my work: http://morumoto.deviantart.com/gallery/?5236385#Custom-Guinea-Pig-Plushies"
And the bio is, "Hi everyone! I'm Morumoto (Japanese for "guinea pig", in case anyone was curious). I've been drawing ever since I could remember and learned to sew at a young age. Creativity is something I cherish, and I just don't feel right if I'm not working on some sort of artistic or crafty endeavor.
Although I picked up the needle and thread when I was young, making plushies is something I began doing somewhat recently. It began with my fondness for guinea pigs; simply put, I've only ever found so few cavy items such as figurines and plushies that I decided to make some of my own. I craft my plush critters carefully by hand, creating a life-like portrayal that captures the feel as well as the appearance of my subjects. My crafting endeavors have already turned towards other rodents, such as mice, rats, hamsters, and and I won't be satisfied until I have made a plushie of most if not all rodents. I'm constantly searching for more materials and ideas."
Amazing little guys aren't they? I hope you enjoyed your stroll through our West Coast Crafters' studios today. Be sure to visit them and see what else they have to offer you.
Stop back here and drop a comment for them and you will be entered into my random May Giveaway: a set of earrings or custom-length bracelet.
Have fun today!
Happy Thursday, everyone! This week's unsub was jennuinecandles.
Don't forget to visit the Crazy Train, featuring http://www.artfire.com/users/MichiganMud today.
Today's West Coast Crafters are:
Marysrosegarden rosary bracelets
Morumoto Guinea pig plushies from original design
Here is a link to our West Coast Crafters guild roster.
Marysrosegarden does beautiful rosaries, rosary bracelets, key chains, and car rosaries. She does custom work, so ask her for what you've always wanted in a rosary.
Her studio intro is:"Specializing in handmade sterling silver and semi-precious gemstone wire-wrapped rosaries and rosary bracelets. Car rosaries and key chains are also available in silver plate and Czech fire-polished beads.
Custom orders are always welcome!"
Her bio reads, "My son gave me my first rosary bracelet. He purchased a little pewter bracelet, using his lawn mowing earnings. I was delighted with his gift and wore the bracelet until it fell apart. I found wearing a symbol and reminder of my faith very comforting. I needed to replace my original bracelet and wanted a bracelet that was more like a piece of jewelry. I was also looking for something more strongly made to withstand daily use. I found many beautiful bracelets, but the cost was out of my price range. That's when I decided to make my own. I have gotten so much pleasure from making and wearing these rosary bracelets, that I decided to share them with others. My goal is to spread the power of the Rosary by making a quality bracelet, using the best materials and selling for an affordable price."
````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````
Morumoto is a fun studio selling plushies. The intro reads, "I love small animals. I know there are many of you out there who do too. My goal is to create life-like plush representations of our favorite critters. I only use faux fur, never real. I also make custom plushies, you can visit my gallery here to see all of my work: http://morumoto.deviantart.com/gallery/?5236385#Custom-Guinea-Pig-Plushies"
And the bio is, "Hi everyone! I'm Morumoto (Japanese for "guinea pig", in case anyone was curious). I've been drawing ever since I could remember and learned to sew at a young age. Creativity is something I cherish, and I just don't feel right if I'm not working on some sort of artistic or crafty endeavor.
Although I picked up the needle and thread when I was young, making plushies is something I began doing somewhat recently. It began with my fondness for guinea pigs; simply put, I've only ever found so few cavy items such as figurines and plushies that I decided to make some of my own. I craft my plush critters carefully by hand, creating a life-like portrayal that captures the feel as well as the appearance of my subjects. My crafting endeavors have already turned towards other rodents, such as mice, rats, hamsters, and and I won't be satisfied until I have made a plushie of most if not all rodents. I'm constantly searching for more materials and ideas."
Amazing little guys aren't they? I hope you enjoyed your stroll through our West Coast Crafters' studios today. Be sure to visit them and see what else they have to offer you.
Stop back here and drop a comment for them and you will be entered into my random May Giveaway: a set of earrings or custom-length bracelet.
Have fun today!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
West Coast Crafters #6
Happy Sneaker Tuesday, everyone! Today's unsub is Pelecypods2
Don't forget to visit the Crazy Train, featuring JewelrybyJanzia today.
Today's West Coast Crafters are:
LaBellaVive jewelry, scarflets
LampworkbyAmy Lampwork glass pendants and bookmarks
Here is a link to our West Coast Crafters guild roster.
One of these studios is new to me, so let's go explore LaBellaVive first:
The studio intro is, "~FREE Shipping!!~
Thank you so much for stopping by my Artfire Shop!
I'm posting new items and will post more - please check back often.
~~~
LaBellaVive is handmade - mostly jewelry.
There is beauty everywhere and all my pieces are about trying to capture some that.
I hope you find something of interest and Thank You so much for your support!
As revenues begin to pick up I will be donating a portion of the profits to an Auto-Immune (research) foundation."
The bio states, "I've been making and designing jewelry for about 10 years now. I've just started putting my newest pieces up for sale and look forward to this new venture.
I see beauty everywhere and hope to capture this inspriation in the pieces I make. ~ A great feature here on ArtFire is the allowance to tell the story behind the art work.
Each and every set is unique with its own personality and style. What will it say for you?
Thank you for your interest!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LampworkbyAmy says: " am a lampwork artist from Victoria, BC. I make glass beads and other glass creations out of art glass (mostly Italian), on a special table top torch. I do all of my work by hand. Each bead is kiln-annealed in a digitally controlled kiln straight out of the torch (I don't batch anneal), carefully cleaned, and inspected for flaws.
"I take my photos in a light-box with a digital camera. I don't have a professional photo set-up, but I do my best to make the colours look accurate, and to show the beads as well as I possibly can.
"I am a self-representing artist. This means that my beads are always hand-made by me.
Why buy from a self-representing artist? Here is a blurb from the SRA Website:
'We are a group of glass artists who are dedicated to the art of lampworking, an ancient art form that flourished in Italy in the 1300s and then spread throughout Europe, the Americas and the rest of the world.
'We work at home in our own studios, making beads, marbles or other glass objects one at a time. Patiently and carefully we strive for perfection in every object that we make. We are from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Israel, Germany... all over the world!'
Beadmaking is a treasured hobby in my life. It is a source of relaxation as well as artistic expression. "
I hope you enjoy strolling through their shops today. Stop back here and drop a comment for them and you will be entered into my random May Giveaway: a set of earrings or custom-length bracelet.
Have fun today!
Don't forget to visit the Crazy Train, featuring JewelrybyJanzia today.
Today's West Coast Crafters are:
LaBellaVive jewelry, scarflets
LampworkbyAmy Lampwork glass pendants and bookmarks
Here is a link to our West Coast Crafters guild roster.
One of these studios is new to me, so let's go explore LaBellaVive first:
The studio intro is, "~FREE Shipping!!~
Thank you so much for stopping by my Artfire Shop!
I'm posting new items and will post more - please check back often.
~~~
LaBellaVive is handmade - mostly jewelry.
There is beauty everywhere and all my pieces are about trying to capture some that.
I hope you find something of interest and Thank You so much for your support!
As revenues begin to pick up I will be donating a portion of the profits to an Auto-Immune (research) foundation."
The bio states, "I've been making and designing jewelry for about 10 years now. I've just started putting my newest pieces up for sale and look forward to this new venture.
I see beauty everywhere and hope to capture this inspriation in the pieces I make. ~ A great feature here on ArtFire is the allowance to tell the story behind the art work.
Each and every set is unique with its own personality and style. What will it say for you?
Thank you for your interest!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LampworkbyAmy says: " am a lampwork artist from Victoria, BC. I make glass beads and other glass creations out of art glass (mostly Italian), on a special table top torch. I do all of my work by hand. Each bead is kiln-annealed in a digitally controlled kiln straight out of the torch (I don't batch anneal), carefully cleaned, and inspected for flaws.
"I take my photos in a light-box with a digital camera. I don't have a professional photo set-up, but I do my best to make the colours look accurate, and to show the beads as well as I possibly can.
"I am a self-representing artist. This means that my beads are always hand-made by me.
Why buy from a self-representing artist? Here is a blurb from the SRA Website:
'We are a group of glass artists who are dedicated to the art of lampworking, an ancient art form that flourished in Italy in the 1300s and then spread throughout Europe, the Americas and the rest of the world.
'We work at home in our own studios, making beads, marbles or other glass objects one at a time. Patiently and carefully we strive for perfection in every object that we make. We are from the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Israel, Germany... all over the world!'
Beadmaking is a treasured hobby in my life. It is a source of relaxation as well as artistic expression. "
I hope you enjoy strolling through their shops today. Stop back here and drop a comment for them and you will be entered into my random May Giveaway: a set of earrings or custom-length bracelet.
Have fun today!
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