Artist Spotlight Part 2-Meet Sandi-"Iknitquiltsew"!

Have you, as a grown up, seen a child's toy that was just irresistible, I mean, you just had to pick it up and love on it? Well, if I could reach it, this would be the one for me.

Sandi, of Iknitquiltsew, makes these adorable bears in different colors, and all look cuddly and lovable. She makes the cutest dolls too. Here is one of my favorites.

This is Emma, and isn't she just precious???

Sandi is very, and I mean very talented, not only does she sew these marvelous playmates, but she hand sews quilts, for baby cribs, wall hangings, and childrens rooms. Some are appliqued and some are made to look like vintage quilts. Whatever your favorite may be, they are sure to please!

And for the sweetest baby clothing, see Sandi again, pictures say alot more than I can.

You can see or purchase more of Sandi's work in one of her two online shops, the Handmade Artist Shop, http://handmadeartistsshop.com/iKnitQuiltSew.html, her Etsy Shop, http://www.etsy.com/shop/iKnitQuiltSew, and visit her blog and Facebook pages here.

http://www.iknitquiltsew.blogspot.com/

http://www.facebook.com/iKnitQuiltSew.

Artist Spotlight Part 1-Larissa and Eric Symbouras-Soapers, Candlemakers, and Facepainters

Meet a charming and talented couple, Larissa and Eric Symbouras, who hail from New Jersey.

See? Aren't they the cutest thing you've seen in a long time?  This dynamic duo are soapers and just more recently, candle makers! They have a site called Reef Botanicals, where you can get just about anything you need for bath and body needs. I can personally vouch for the fizzy bath bars as being fabulous. You can get  all your facial scrubs, hair care products, lips balm, soaps, even a men's line of products here at http://www.reefbotanicals.com/store/. Best yet, everything is all natural!

These are one of the three scented, fabulous fizzy bath bombs I mentioned earlier...

And of course, the chocolate decadence candles, which are a recent addition to their product line. Healing Tea and Ocean scents are also available.

Larissa is also a face painter and body artist, and a really good one, as you can see from this sweet little girls face! You can view more of her work at her sites, http://www.njfacepainter.com/ and http://www.njbodyart.blogspot.com/. Her Reef Botanicals blog is here, where you can keep up with new products! http://www.reefbotanicals.blogspot.com/. And of course, her personal blog is here http://www.larissasymbouras.blogspot.com/

Larissa and Eric also have a shop in the Handmade Artists Shop, where you can get their prodicts too! www.handmadeartistsshop.com/Larissa.html

Keep up with them on Facebook and Twitter too!

www.facebook.com/ReefBotanicals

www.twitter.com/ReefBotanicals

Meet Merluvlee, My Gift From Brenda Miller

Brenda Miller is not your ordinary gal. Her sister's birthday was on Sept. 13th, and to celebrate her sister's birthday, Brenda decided to do a gift exchange giveaway, which was a fabulous idea. Each person who signed up for the giveaway was, in turn, to send a piece best representative of their own work, along with shop urls, contact information that was all placed into a booklet, to the next person on the list. Each person involved sent as well as received a gift (Brenda's siter being the last to receive the gift and booklet), and that is how I became the proud owner of this wonderful painted lady named Merluvlee.

When I asked Brenda to tell a little about the process of making this gorgeous piece of wearable art, this is what she said:

"The creation of Merluvlee....The process is lengthy, first I cut the glass, top and bottom, to the desired size and shape. I use Bullseye 90 COE art glass. It is then fused together which takes about 1 1/2 hours. Then it is allowed to cool. With this piece I added a piece of Dichroic Glass for the crystal ball. Then comes the fun part, painting. I use special glass enamel paints for my painted ladies. Many of the colors are hand mixed for my desired color. After the painting is completed it goes into the kiln again for about 3 -4 more hours and allowed to completely cool again. It's a long process but when they come out of the kiln it is always a surprise. This is a wonderful mini work of art with lots of personality and detail and each piece is signed and dated. The hardest part of the process is naming the ladies. Sometimes the name just comes to me and other times it's a struggle. Still waiting for the one that will talk to me and give me the lottery numbers!"

If you like my Merluvlee, or would be interested in viewing or purchasing some of Brenda's other works of art, you can visit her website at http://atouchofglassjewelry.com/. I guarantee you will be delighted with everything you see!

Beadweaving-A New Love

Copper Crystals Beaded Bracelet

While I was visitng/vacationing in Arizona over the past summer, I picked up a new love, working with seed beads. This is a relatively simple weave, but it took me some time to learn it, and get my tension right. It is made with 11/0 transparent and sparkling beige and brown seed beads, topped with small, copper colored glass crystals. It measures 7", and fastens with a gold plated toggle clasp. If you like this, it is available in my HAF Shop: http://handmadeartistsshop.com/ixxocart/products/Copper_Crystals_and_Beaded_Bracelet-1496-1.html

New Start on Blog Ring-1st Featured Artist is Nala!

A new blog ring starts out featuring one of my favorite artists, Nala, of Chicago, IL. From her blog, a short excerp:  "The creative side of my brain is definitely dominant, and my math skills back me up on that! I'm just a natural born crafter. Jewelry making is not my first venture into the world of crafting, but it is definitely my favorite." Let me say that is shows in her designs and materials she chooses for her lovely jewelry.

I have just picked a few of my favorites to showcase here, and if you think these are great, go visit her Esty shop,
http://www.etsy.com/shop/Jewelrybynala to see more beautiful jewelry items!

I can personally vouch for great customer service, very nice packaging, and extra goodies in with your purchases, as I purchased the last necklace on this blog feature. I love it, it is of superior quality, and I guarantee that your shopping experience with Nala with be as pleasant as mine!
 
Nala's blog is packed with pictures of her creations, treasuries she has created and much more! Go here to read,  http://jewelrybynala.blogspot.com/.
 
You may also want to follow her on the Handmade Artists Forum, her comments are witty, positive, encouraging, and full of good natured ribbing! You will love her like I do!

Pink Ivory-Once Said to Be Rarer Than Diamonds

As quoted from the Exotic Wood Group, Pictures of Cuff by JewelrybyJanelle Procuring Pink Ivory wood (Rhamnus zeyheri) these days is a lot easier than it used to be. Known as the "royal wood" of the Zulus, only full-fledged members of the Zulu Kingdom's royal family were officially allowed to possess it back in the 1800s. To drive home the idea of this exclusivity — as well as to increase demand abroad — some unknown, 19th-century marketing guru spread the rumor that any non-royal entity (foreigners included) found in possession of Pink Ivory would face the death penalty. Naturally, the wood has been highly sought after by woodworkers around the world ever since. (Nothing sells like the threat of capital punishment!) Very likely, this is why this wood was once said to be rarer than diamonds.   Pink Ivory is especially favored nowadays by wood carvers and turners, and is typically used to make smaller-sized items such as jewelry pieces, bowls, pool cue butts, chess pieces, golf putters, knife handles, and game calls; it is also popular for inlay and marquetry work. Pink Ivory blanks are usually on the narrower side because the trees — found predominantly in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique — rarely produce trunks wider than a foot in diameter (the trees reach heights of about 20 to 40 feet).   Special permits are required to harvest the wood.
	The startling color of Pink Ivory is produced by bands of tissue in the wood's growth rings. The heartwood ranges in color from a faint, light pink to a vibrant, almost red. The sapwood is yellowish. Pink Ivory blanks are divided into three categories — Regular, Select, and Premium — based on the richness of the color. It should be noted that, like many beautiful things in life, the attractiveness of Pink Ivory can be somewhat fleeting. Over time, the pink color tends to become a duller, brownish shade. How long this process takes depends on the particular piece of wood and how much it's exposed to sunlight.    Pink Ivory wood is very hard and dense, with an average specific gravity of about 0.90. It carves and turns well, although sharp tools are essential. The wood also polishes nicely.  These cuffs are labor and material intensive, which is all figured into the cost of my cuffs, as well as the cost of the wood. I do not yet know how to use a lathe, so they are shaped on a belt sander using four different grits of sandpaper, 80, 120, 150, and 180. I then hand sand, with even finer grits of 220, 400, and sometimes as fine as 600 grit, depending on the density of the particular wood I am working.  For the finish, I use only oils, usually Danish or Teak, manufactured by Watco, (a highly recommended oil that runs about $9 per pint). depending largely on the coloring of the wood. This one was finished in Danish oil, which doesn't darken the coloring of the wood, in fact, quite the opposite, it makes the color pop and the figure just jump out at you. The cuff has to soak for at least 1 hour and 30 minutes, and the wood soaks up its share of the oil. Then I allow it to cure for at least 24 hours. An oil finish serves to harden the wood for durability, and appearance when buffing. The oil gives the finish, when buffed, a satiny up to a high, glossy, glassy shine, whichever is preferred.

Specializing in Pique Assiette or Broken Plate Style Mosaics

This Handmade Artists Forum member is so talented that I went picture CRAZY to show you only a part of what she does. This is Christine, of MemoriesInMosaics, who resides in central Florida with her husband. Christine does some fabulous mosaics out of a little of everyuthing, but mainly broken dishes. She includes lots of interesting extras, such as tiny flip flops, jewelry pieces, rocks, shells, just whatever she thinks will add visual interest. Christine shares a love with me for the color blue, as is seen in alot of her work. Some of Christine's work include small patio tables, shelves with hooks for hanging coats or hats, tabletop picture frames, mirrors for any wall in your home, and she even restored an old table awhile back in her blog, for which I looked and looked to feature but could not find.

Do you have a treasured piece that you thought was lost forever due to it being broken? Not necessarily so, according to Chris, as she can place those broken pieces of your treasured item into your very own mosaic, just convo her on Etsy, and ask her the details! She is simply amazing!

Visit Chris' Etsy shop and show her some love, http://www.etsy.com/shop/memoriesinmosaics.

Chris also has a wonderful blog chalk full of informative stories and pictures of what she is doing lately, along with fanily and friends at http://www.cbcrafter.blogspot.com/.