The new look for our shop

Well, I've just spent several days updated and "tidying up" our shop on HandmadeArtists.  Due to Etsy allowing re-sellers and wholesalers now, and moving away from handmade items, we have decided to let our shop there slowly fade away, and have increased our presence on the Handmade Artists site.  It's a great up-and-coming site, full of ONLY handmade items, and with amazing customer support.  The forums are fun, and the shop site is improving and expanding daily.  I personally love the fact that Andrew and Kimberly have a set goal...20,000 sellers, then they will close off open registration.  They want to be the "Tiffany of Handmade" and I want to be a part of that future.  So, if you want to be a part of a great handmade venue, hurry on over today.  Now see what I did with our store...first I revamped our sections, improved some pictures (or tried to), and checked the shipping costs to get you the best prices available.  So let's browse by section.

 Our first section is our jewelry.  Here you will find our unique designs in mostly beaded jewelry.  I have a different approach to designing my pieces.  I find a focal point, then just sit at my table and look at my beads.  They are in drawers, hanging on walls, in my carry tote.  I grab some complimentary colors and shapes, then just start laying them out and stringing them together.  The beads pretty much make themselves into jewelry.  Like this pearl seed bead memory wire bracelet.  I just reached into my bead pile without planing the color pattern, and I love how it turned out.  In this section you'll find necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and crochet cuffs.


Let's visit our next section...

fashion.  Here you'll find our scarves, cowls, belts, hats, and handbags.  I first started crocheting way back when I was only 10, and have been "hooking" ever since, lol.  I love yarn like I love beads...soft and bright.  For most of her childhood I have tried to teach Amanda to crochet, without much luck.  Until a few years ago.  It finally kicked in, and she's become an accomplished "hooker" herself.  She created this long and skinny purple scarf, it's her own design.  I also knit, but being left handed, it is one skill I cannot learn from someone else.  I had to struggle and figure it out for myself, and yes, I hold my needles funny and knit backwards, but the outcome is still the same.  Speaking of backwards, I recently taught my youngest daughter to crochet, and it's hard to describe her technique.  It's sideways.  She had to just watch me, then went off by herself to figure it out.

The last section I want to share with you today is our  section for quilts, blankets, and pillows.  Right now there are only 2 blankets listed, but I am in the middle of one more crochet in an southwestern pattern, and 2 soft applique blankets, and several pillows.  Yes, I suffer from artists ADD...when I get up each morning, I never know what medium will catch my fancy....knitting, quilting, crochet, beads, painting, sketching, paper crafts...it's a wonder I get anything finished.  I completed this blue chevron stripe woven blanket not too long ago.  I really enjoyed working on this blanket.  Since it's weaving, I didn't need to count my stitches and I could watch television while creating.


Next week, I'll show you around some of our other sections.  And some new items I am listing this week.  So bookmark the page, and come visit me soon.
Be blessed,
Debbi

What's new at our place...

We've been busy here filling our stores for your holiday shopping...here's some new items just recently listed...

Over at Handmadeartists we now have a whole section dedicated to just our jewelry.



Right now we have only listed our necklaces and bracelets, but the earring will be up soon.  And we offer free shipping in the United States on all our jewelry.

 

At our Etsy shop our hooks have been flying.  I created this child's size Newsboy cap, and then made a matching hat for your little girls doll.  Now Hannah has never played with dolls (much) and the one doll she does have, she gave her a (bad) haircut, so I used one of my vintage teddy bears for a model.  Kids...gotta love 'em. 

And in honor of my late sister Kathy, for Breast Cancer Awarenss month, I created this breast cancer scarf with a pattern I got at Craftsy.com.  I am donating $5.00 from the sale of this scarf to the American Cancer Society, and I have plans to alter the pattern a bit, (the single crochet makes this nice and thick, but I want to try and also make it lacier and lighter for those of us where the winter does not get super cold).  So when you purchase these scarfs, you are also supporting a great cause.

And that is what I have accomplished these past few weeks....you can click on any link above to go to our shops and/or each item.  Plus you can visit the tabs at the top of this page to get an overview of all the items we have to offer at both shops.  So come on by and say hello.

Be blessed,

Debbi

HAF artist spotlight....Hippiescreations

This week (actually is was last week, but I'm late) over at Handmadeartists.com our blog ring is featuring Hippie's Creations.  The owner of Hippie's Creations lives in the beautiful James River Region in Central Virginia, so I'm pretty sure she gets the inspiration for her items from the nature

surrounding her....like this Green Butterfly Hat. 

I especially like the large size of this butterfly...and the fact that it is attached to a bobby pin, so it is detachable from the hat for you to use as a hair bow.

At Hippie's Creations you'll also find crochet items for the kids.

These Baby MaryJanes are crocheted in pretty yellow and white, and the happy face button is a great accent.  They are made to order, so you can choose the color combo and and the size, for a perfect fit.

And the last item I want to share is my favorite from this shop.

This so cute Crochet Sheep measures 7" long and stands 5" tall.  A great size for little hands.

Click on any link above to visit this shop and be sure to check out all the items offered at Hippie'sCreations. 

Facebook / Twitter

Be Blessed,

Debbi

Our fashionable hats

I know that Wednesdays is usually the day that I share a HandmadeArtists.com artist, but since I've had an unusually looooong and difficult week,  I wanted to share an accomplishment of mine first.  I finally completed a new section in our fashion Etsy shop!  Hats!

The first one is this sunny and bright "Summer Stroll" beanie.  The pattern is from the Lion Brand Yarn website (of course) and I thought it was a perfect style for this bright yellow yarn.  It was a fairly easy pattern, and I added this detachable pink and green crochet flower pin for an added spot of color.

Here is our "Safari Hat".  Following another Lion Brand Yarn pattern and using a soft creamy worsted weight yarn, this hat was fun to make.  I used a peach  yarn to accent the band and button top.  While Lion Brand had this listed as a costume hat for halloween, I love the style for all the time wear.  Once Amanda gets some time off from work, I'll make her pose with all these hats....

 Next up, I just love the mustard yellow color of this "Newsboy" visor cap.   I have a stash of yarn that I "inherited" when an older woman had to downsize after moving from her home to an assisted living facility.  (You can read about it here).  And when I dug out this yarn, I went searching for the perfect pattern, and I found this one...at Lion Brand Yarn! ;p  I added these vintage, made in Czechoslovakia, buttons for some added sparkle.

And last, but not least, is this wonderful vintage "Gibbe' Hat" that I discovered at an estate auction a few years ago.  My favorite part is the rhinestone accent.  This is such a classic looking hat.  And again it needs a live model for you to see just how cute it is.

So rush over to the shop by clicking on any of the above links, or check out everything we have to offer by clicking on the tabs at the top of this page.  And keep watching for more new items....coming up, woven belts, vintage supplies, jewelry, and more home decor.

Be Blessed,

Debbi



HAF artist spotlight....Lisianblue

Today let's take a peek into the wonderful world of Lisianblue over on HandmadeArtists.com. 

Kris is an artist that enjoys many different mediums, but for her shop, her medium is yarn.  Kris loves to crochet and knit, and creates items for all ages and uses, from baby bibs to hats to washcloths.

I really like the pretty shade of lavender she used for this Womens Lacy Cloche Cap.  This cap is 20" around and has very pretty, yet subtle, Czech Crystal beads in the flower and along the bottom row, to add just the right amount of bling to your look.  Kris shares that her "model" for her hats is slightly smaller than a "normal" adult head, so the hat lays down lower in the picture that it will on your head.  But if you need your hat a different size, she would love the opportunity to create one especially for you.

Here's some beautiful knit Lavender Blue Fingerless Gloves.  The lacy pattern and picot edging make these gloves dressy as well as functional to keep your hands and wrists warm.  They measure 7" long and 6.5" around, and when you check out this items page, you will see all the different colors you get to chose from, so you can have what you need to match any outfit.

I just love the bright yellow of these crocheted dishcloths.  They measure only 4.5" x 4.5", a size I prefer in dishcloths.  And the sunny bright color will make even washing dishes a happy chore. 

Click on any link above to visit Kris's shop, Lisianblue.  You can also find her here...

HA shop / Artfire / Blog / Twitter

Be blessed,

Debbi

Besteam feature on Knitful Dezigns

YIPPEE!!!!

That was my first reaction when I found out that my Besteam feature this week was Veronica from Knitful Dezigns.  I first met Veronica on facebook while commenting on a post from Cathy at HeadPinWear, and how glad I am to have met her.  She is a hoot!  And you'll learn that when you get addicted to her blog,  just like I did.  Anyhoo, Veronica knits the cutest things...and the names she gives to her creations are great, like this polka dottie be my hottie bow headband, hahaha.

How cute!  Veronica is a cutie too.  She is working on getting her pilot's license, and she just moved to Florida.  Sunshine all the time :)  which just goes with her bubbly personality.  Veronica is on a weight loss journey, and is not ashamed to share it.  She is tracking her success on her blog, and I get to live vicariously thru her, since I have no will-power of my own, hahaha.  I'm sure when she's done, she'll treat herself to some new outfits.  Maybe a nice outfit to match this very pretty fade to grey headband.

Veronica loves to take everyday items and just have fun with her designs to make the mundane anything but....like headbands and hats, and even plush toys.  Take this knotty retro headband for example.  She styled it from the time women would just take any old scarf and wrap it around their head while doing chores.  What a great way to keep the hair off your face.

Now before I finish here, I have to show you one more item, my favorite.  And, of course, it's ORANGE!  Here is her morbid pumpkin pie headband.

  I don't know why she calls it morbid, teehee.  My mother once painted our kitchen those colors....pumpkin orange cabinets with chocolate brown walls.  Now that was in the days of avacado green appliances, so it looked like we lived inside a wierd volcano plant.  But I smile when I remember it. :)

So be sure to check out KnitfulDezigns at Etsy, and follow her blog here.  You can also find her on facebook (she's there all the time) and on twitter.  You'll be glad you did.

If you are an Etsy artist and have a blog, check out this team, the BESTeam on Etsy.  We are a group of Etsians that not only blog about each other, and include each other in weekly treasuries, but we share tips, and ideas, and just generally have fun supporting each other on our road to financial independence.  Ok, maybe we won't all get rich, but we do have fun together!

m.sartin design, a BESTeam feature

I know it's late in the day, but my stinkin internet connection was freaky today.  But I'm glad I got it to work, because there is this cute Etsy shop I want to share with you, m.sartin design.  Mindy Sartin has a real creative talent with a hook and yarn, and loves color.  Deep and rich, or bright and loud, her choice of color stands out when you visit her shop.  She makes wonderful cowels, scarfs, and hats, and will even gift wrap them for you before shipping.  Just look at the warm rich brown of this scarf.  It looks so soft, and what a touch of class this would add to any outfit.  And a cream cuff for your neck?  What a great idea, and look.  But my all time favorite is this custom baby hat.

Mindy also keeps up a cool blog, full of guest bloggers, and info/promotions of other shops.  Click on any of the links and pictures to be magically trasported to her shop and/or blog.  And if you are an Etsy seller that likes to blog, consider joining the BESTeam for that extra exposure, and lots of fun, friendship, and support.

Besteam feature on CutesyBootsie from Etsy



*in a sing song voice*  CutesyBootsie, Cutesy Bootsie, Cutesy Bootsie,  I just love that name!!!!!  Cutesy Bootsie is a Besteam member with me, and she has the cutest shop, hence, Cutesy Bootsie.  Brooke is the amazing talent behind the wonderful knits you'll find in her shop. Like this pretty pink boa.  What a way to keep your neck warm.

fluffy pink frosting boa



punkin pumpkin baby hat

 

She is a middle school teacher, and I admire her for that.  Being stuck in a room with a bunch of pre-teens would drive me CRAZY.  'Course I am already halfway there.  (that snicker you hear are my children...the cause of my insanity).  It's amazing that Brooke designs most of her own creations.  So much talent.  The first time I saw this baby pumpkin hat, I thought "how cute for a baby granddaughter".  Did you hear that Amanda????  hint hint.  Anywho, if there is a special size or color that you need, customer service is her middle name.  Plus she ships internationally.  You can follow her on facebook and twitter.  And her blog is crisp, clean, easy to navigate, and a great read.  Watch for my tweets and facebooks posts throughout the week for more peeks of her creations.  Or even better, go to her shop, and start shopping!!!!