HAF artist spotlight....CrochetHooked

I can not believe that the year is half over already!!!  Where is the time going?  While the sun continues to shine HOT during the day, our evenings here are getting cooler, my summer canning is done, and fall is just around the corner.  And to celebrate the soon changing seasons, I want to share with you items from the HandmadeArtists shop for CrochetHooked for every season.

Cari is the creator of Braidlets, which is a beaded wire crochet braided bracelet, and they look really cool.



For the heat of summer, wear this Summer Swarovski Crystal Bracelet.  The shades of yellows, oranges, and reds will look amazing with any bathing suit! 

When the temperatures start to drop, and the leaves start to change colors, just grab this Autumn Braidlet.  The yellows, greens, and browns of these Swarovski crystals bring a coolness, and beauty, to your outfit.

 

When the snow starts to fall, and it gets really cold out, no color speaks winter like white, clear, and cool blue.  And I know that when I wear my pierced earrings out in the cold, they bother my ears.  So when I saw these Swarovski crystal non-pierced earrings I knew I had to share them with you.

 

For me, nothing speaks spring like color.  Lots of color.  In flowers, in birds, in butterflies, even in bugs.  Which is why I chose these Primary color earrings for spring.  You get to choose your 2 favorite colors when you order.

So click on over to Crocheted Hooked for your seasonal fix. LOL.

 

Be blessed,

Debbi

http://about.me/yankeeburrowcreations

a new craft

A couple of years ago, I was at a civil war re-enactment with Hannah when I saw a woman weaving on a small(ish) table top loom, and was instantly bitten by the "I gotta try this" bug.  So I went home, did some research, and got Chuck to build me a loom.  Then it sat for the next 2 years.  Now don't yell at me...I didn't mean for it to sit for 2 years.  It's just that life kept going on until the other night I determined to weave, no matter what.  It took me a few hours to load the yarn on the loom.  Mostly because I did not read the directions fully, and had to unload and reload several times, lol.  Then the yarn I was using, well, it turned out that I only had 1 ball of that color and it wasn't enough.  So yesterday I took a trip to my local store.  And they did not have the same color yarn as what I already had on the loom.  But they did have this totally awesomely bright pink/yellow/orange.  So last night I spend another hour taking off the old yarn, and putting on the new yarn.

The picture is from my cell phone because it was late and my camera was in the studio and it was dark outside. heehee.  Plus I was so excited to start that I had even forgotten to take pictures of the loom before I started this process.

Here is the start of my weaving adventure.  This will be a belt for our Etsy shop.  Oh the ideas floating around my head....I even told Chuck that I'm going to need a bigger loom for placemats and stuff. hahaha.  Check out these great handmade loom weaving items. 

Click on the links to see them upclose.

On the left is an authentic, from Jerusalem, hand woven prayer shawl.  You can find this and several others at Weaving Creation on Zibbet.
On the right is a handwoven silver / blue / green scarf from Loom on the Lake on Etsy.

And go ahead and subscribe to my blog for all the future updates on my weaving experiments.

Be blessed,
Debbi  

It's Better Handmade

There are soooo many social sites on the web, some dedicated to handmade, some not, some just for fun, and some just for business.  Well, It's Better Handmade is dedicated to helping artists connect, for fun and business.  On the About Page, you can read the in-depth description of all this site has to offer, but I'll tell you just a few for now.  This site is run by Kimberly, who is very passionate about handmade.  Her whole family is very artistic...Kimberly herself started at a young age when she caught the crafting bug from her grandmother.  She describes herself as an artist with Crafters ADD, (and I thought I was the only one, lol) and this love of art has been passed on to her own sons.

I first met Kimberly, and her husband Andrew, when I discovered the Handmadeartists site via Facebook.  Despite overseeing the 2,300 members of the Handmadeartists forum, they recently decided to purchase and revive It's Better Handmade.  And believe me, it is not just a copy of Handmadeartists, (you can open a shop and sell on Handmadeartists for a small monthly fee),  It's Better Handmade is a great social site all it's own.

There is a section for Featured Artists.  The latest feature is about Tissy's Treasures.  It's a great in-depth interview where you get to meet the artists behind the work.  You can submit your own shop for an artist feature, and there is a gallery where you can upload pictures of your latest and favorite creations.  When you post on your profile, everyone on the site can enjoy your items and thoughts, with lots of interaction and support and tips shared.  Just recently RiverRockArts shared this Cute Grey Kitten Wall Hanging, and Artbysunfire just created this awesome Index Card Pocket Binder.   If you sell on Etsy, you can link up with the IBHteam, and on Artfire you can join the IBHguild.  And for even more exposure, check out the IBH Facebook Group, Facebook Page, Flickr, Linkedin, Pinterest, and Twitter.    If you would like to advertise...you won't find any other site more reasonable.

So, there are enough links here to keep you busy for awhile.  Now go and see for yourself this great place, It's Better Handmade.

Be blessed,

Debbi

What's on your mind?

On Wednesday's I like to share a shop from Handmadeartists.com, and while I have shared Larissa's shop, Reef Botanicals, with you before, today we are going to take a look at her other shop, Fabric of My Mind.  Larrisa, and her husband Eric, are a very crafty duo...so enough talk from me, here are my favorite items from her shop...

My Owen would love these Jumbo Dolphin Crayons!  The colors are so bright, and the jumbo size is perfect for little hands.  Larrisa used a WHOLE BOX of 64 crayons to create these wonderful creatures full of swirling colors.

Larissa is also very handy with needles.  Knitting needles.  In her shop you'll find scarfs, a cute rabbit, and washclothes.  This Racing Strip Hand Knitted Washcloth is my favorite.  I love the colors, and the yarn is....bamboo!  I have never heard of cotton bamboo yarn, but I do know that bamboo is very fibrous, and very strong.  And you won't find these at Wal-mart!  So get them while the getting is good.

The item details doesn't tell us which one took this picture, but I love it.  If you know me at all, you know I love horses, and orange.  And right now we no longer have horses, so I'll settle for horse decor.  This photo is titled Wicklow from a Horse, and was taken in the beautiful countryside of County Wicklow in Ireland.  When I look at this I can feel like I'm actually on the back of this horse, enjoying a relaxing day of riding.

Click on any of the links above to visit (and purchase from) Larissa and Eric's shops on the Handmadeartists site.  You can also find this couple at these links below.

FabricOfMyMind / ReefBotanicals / Website / Blog / Facebook / Twitter

If you live in the New Jersey area, they are also available to provide face painting at your next party.

NJ Facepainter blog

Be blessed,

Debbi

Do you recognize this flower?

Chuck found this wonderful flower / plant growing by our propane tank, and we have no idea what it is our how it got there.

 Chuck put the stakes around it to keep various children and animals from running it over.

I just love the vibrant colors.  If you know what this is, please let me know.  I hope it comes back again.

Debbi

Hey Dee!!!

It's Wednesday, and you know what that means?  It's time to meet one of my new friends from www.handmadeartists.com.  Today I want to introduce to you....Dee and her shop, "Southern County Creations".

Dee is a teacher, and a wonderful crafter in her "spare time".  And right now she is hosting a contest on the HandmadeArtists site where you could win one of her great bracelets.  Let's take a look at what she has to offer in her shop.

Here is a great example of the type of bracelets she carries, this is a Natural Hemp Double Wrap Beaded Bracelet.  This bracelet is 15" long and sells for only $15.00

She also creates other wonderful pieces, like these Filigree Heart Earrings.  They look so feminine and delicate.  At her shop you'll also find necklaces and jewelry sets.

Now here's something you don't usually find in a jewelry shop....coasters!  I love the bright colors of these Fancy Crochet Colors.  I absolutely adore the new colors of this "season", but I have always loved bright colors despite what the fashionistas tell us what we should wear, lol.

So click on any link and go visit my new friend Dee at HandmadeArtist.

Be blessed.

Debbi