My Friday Feature - DLC Glass Studio

 

This week's artist is Denise Clenney from D.L.C. Glass Studio at The Craft Star.

I have always been amazed by art created with glass.  I think because it is a medium that is not very forgiving.  Pencil you can erase.  Oil and Acrylic you can paint over.  Yarn you can pull out.  But glass?  It is what it is.  I know, I've tried it before. LOL

 

 

My Amanda would soooo love this Natures Chaos Bowl.  She's into the neutral colors but that turquoise gives this bowl a nice pop of color.  And I love how the speckled pieces look like they are 3D.  Very cool. :0)

 

 

As a jewelry designer, this fused glass blue dragon fly is AWESOME!

 

 

This fused glass spotted night light would be great for Hannah.  She tends to watch too many crime shows on Netflix, then sits up at night watching her bedroom window. lol

 

Now go and see for yourself the great items in Denise's shop.  And you can also find her here...

The Craft Star / Facebook / Twitter / Pinterest

 

Be blessed,

Debbi 

 



Feature Friday - Polychrome Beads

Today's Feature Friday is on an amazing shop from The Craft Star,

Polychrome Beads.

Aimee Milan is a self-representing artist and creates simply beautiful lampwork beads.  As a jewelry designer, I am amazed at the patience needed to create lampwork beads, and I am happy that I get to benefit from lampwork artists like Aimee, who has been creating these beads since 2000.  Let's check out her shop.

One word....amazing.  That's all can say about this purple aqua blue dichro tab bead.  What an amazing focal point for a necklace, or even a keychain or suncather.  It's slightly larger than a Hershey's kiss.

Not only does Aimee offer focal beads, but strings of beads, like this set of 11 Blue Danube beads.  Per the description, these beads were finished with an acid wash for soft matte finish and velvet touch.

This last one is my absolute favorite.  Not only is it a cat, it's ORANGE. hahaha

She named him Fire Cat, and he's only slightly larger than a Hershey's kiss.

You can find more of Polychrome Beads at the following places.

TCS / Etsy / Pinterest 

Be blessed,

Debbi

HAF - "I wish I could do that"

This weeks theme on the Handmade Artists Forum blog ring is

"I wish I could do that"

Oh, there is so much I wish I could do, not for lack of talent, 

but for lack of time. lol

I remember back in high school taking a glass blowing class.  And despite the singed eye brows, I enjoyed it. lol.  But today I would rather watch April from BrooklynBeadGoddess create these amazing lampwork beads.  You can watch her work on her blog.  Or better yet, you can purchase her items in her Handmade Artist shop.  My favorite is this beautiful blue swirl necklace.  

We love candles in our home, burn them all the time.  One day, Chuck had this great idea of taking all our burned down candle stubs and making new candles.  Do you want to know what he made???

A MESS!

So I took my now ruined pots away from him and told him that in the future, he needs to purchase all his candles.  :0)  There is a great shop at Handmade Artists where you can get some wonderful candles, (and soaps, and scrubs, and other beauty and health products) at Larissa's shop, ReefBotanicals.  These Cucumber Cantaloup candles not only smell good, they look yummy too.  Larissa also has a second shop, FabricOfMyMind, where she offers all her handmade knit or sewn items, from scarfs to cat toys.

One thing I do plan to learn is how to wire wrap.  I've seen good wrapping, and bad wrapping, and Colette's is excellent wrapping!  Just look at the wrapping on this Chantilly wire pendant, smooth and uniform, just perfect.  Colette is a self-taught artist, in not just wire wrapping but also in metalsmithing.  You really should check out her website and drool over all the amazing pieces she has to offer.  Any of these shops is a great place to start your Christmas shopping.  Remember, support small businesses and you support families.

Be blessed,

Debbi

My friends, old and new....the best part of being an artist, everyone is a friend...

One of my favorite things about being an artist, and getting to know other artists, is that we don't know any strangers, just friends we haven't met yet.  Growing up I would visit countless arts and crafts shows with my mother, and everyone (and I mean EVERYONE) took the time to talk to me, just a kid.  It really encouraged me to live the life of an artist.  When we started selling on line, we started our shop on Etsy, and I made many friends there that I am still in contact with, whether through our blogging, tweeting, or facebook.  And just recently I moved my shops to The Craft Star where I am making wonderful new friends.  But today I want to go back and visit my friends from Handmade Artist.

Let's start with this new piece from Rasmussen Gems.
The purples and pink beads are so soft and pretty in this beaded necklace.  This necklace was designed by Debora, and measures a nice matinee length of 34".

Here's a lovely crocheted cozy for your tablet done in a warm caramel colors.
It is handmade special for you by Cr8tiveLefty, and if you would rather have a brighter color, there are many to chose from in the shop.

I am in love.....with this lampwork bead necklace by Brooklyn Bead Goddess.  She creates every bead individually, and when you purchase this necklace, or another piece of jewelry, she sends them to you already gift wrapped!  What a nice touch.

And lastly, who doesn't love teddy bears?  I know I do, and you can find this new brown curly fur teddy in the shop of IKnitQuiltSew, along with many other teddys, dolls, and quilts.  A child, and child lovers, paradise. :0)

I feel blessed to have gotten to know these wonderful people at Handmade Artist, and to chat with them on the forums and through our blog rings, and I look forward to making even more friends in the future.

So click on any link, and tell my friends that I sent you.
Be blessed,
Debbi

HAF artist feature -

This week we'll be visiting April at Brooklyn Bead Goddess.  As you can guess from the name, April  is Brooklyn NY born and raised, and after watching other glass artists on Coney Island as a child, that was the medium she was drawn too.  Today she expresses her creativity with her lampwork glass beads that she then uses to create amazing jewelry designs.

Here's a perfect example of her eye for form and design.  I found this beautiful blue swirl beaded necklace in her Handmade Artists shop. There are a total of 21 lampwork beads on this necklace that April created, one at a time.  Talk about having an original one of a kind piece of art to wear everyday! 

Sometimes they say that "less is more", and I found that to be true, especially with this wirewrapped rose quartz heart pendant.  April created the pale pink glass beads to set off the pretty pale pink heart.  And the wire wrapping on it is just so...elegant.  This pendant can be found in her Etsy shop.  

On her website, I learned some other interesting facts about this artist.  She is a member of SRAJD which is an international organization of self-representing artists of jewelry design, and a member of SRA, the organization of self-representing artists.  And what this means is that you are purchasing the original artwork and designs direct from the artist, and they are not selling mass produced items.  She also has a really cool video on her site where you can watch her create a bead.  I was mesmerized.

There is so much more of her work to see, so click on the links anywhere in this post, and you can also use the links below.  And when you see her, tell her I said, "hey". lol

HAF / ETSY / WEBSITE / BLOG / FACEBOOK / TWITTER 

Be blessed,

Debbi

What's new at Handmade Artists

One of the great things about HandmadeArtists.com is their home page.  There you will find a constantly updated feed of new items and shops.  Let's see what's new there today.



 

You can find these Stacked Purple Earrings in the shop of Quiet Robin.  Quiet Robin in a new shop with only a handful of items right now, but what pretty jewelry she creates.  Quiet Robin is located in Japan and uses vintage beads and cabs to create her lovely pieces of jewelry.  Click on the link above to visit her shop.

 

I've shared glass lampwork beads before, and I am always amazed at the whole glass process.  So when I saw this Lampwork Boro OOAK Rainbow Swirl Heart Necklace by GGLampworkBeads, I knew I had to share it.  DeMarie is the artist/owner of GGLampworkBeads, and created this amazing pendant. The "official" name of her shop is Glitzy Glass Studio, and her creations are glitzy.  Again, this is also a new shop with only a handful of items, but one worth watching as her shop grows.  Check her shop out by clicking on the links above.

 

Sunworx joined our HandmadeArtist group recently, but he has been very active; on the forum, and in his studio.  Sam creates amazing solar lamps with canning jars, and they are beautiful.  He started to fill his shop with etched glass jars, and they are beautiful.  Now he is adding handpainted jars like this Tropical Fish Pint Jar.  The light comes from a solar power led light attached to the lid.  Monika from MyEuropeanTouch purchased one, and just raves about it's beauty.  You can learn more about Sunworx on the forum blog.

So, if you love handmade, handcrafted, original, one-of-a-kind, and beautiful items at affordable prices, come on over to HandmadeArtists.com and support handmade small businesses.

Be blessed,

Debbi

HAF artist spotlight - Brooklyn Bead Goddess



Today my HandmadeArtistsForum featured artist is...you guessed it...Brooklyn Bead Goddess!

 Working with glass is one art form I have never tried, but have always been amazed by...the colors and layers and textures just captivate my imagination.  Luckily, April of Brooklyn Bead Goddess, has mastered this art form and shares her work with us.  Let me share a few from her HandmadeArtist shop.

 

These blue glass lampwork bead earrings are probably my favorite. 

"Ribbed bicone shaped handmade glass beads. I made these by swirling and mixing shades of turquoise blue glass together. Complimented by hematite and sterling silver beads. They dangle from sterling silver french ear wires.

Measures from top to bottom...1 1/2 inches."

I just love the depth of color, the swirls, and the length, long enough to show from under your hair, but not so long to get caught on your shoulders.

 

Now this is a great bracelet...full of color.  I love the retro feel of it, lots of fun, and funky!  "Eye candy...I made these nine lampwork glass beads myself. I started with a rod of white glass as the base color . Each bead has a fun design using red, light blue,yellow,green,purple,cobalt blue. For more color, I've added some 'candy' small disc beads in between the lampwork beads. Ten 4mm sterling silver ball beads give this bracelet shine. Sterling silver toggle clasp, crimps and wire guards were also used.
Measures for a 7 inch wrist
End to end is 8 inches."

Over in April's Etsy shop I found this great little belly bling.  A few years ago, several girls from work got together and went to get their belly buttons pierced and invited me to go with them.  I told them that I did not like pain, but they insisted that piercing your belly button didn't really hurt that bad.  I explained to them that while the piercing may not hurt, explaining it to my husband might. lol.  But if I ever did get it pierced, this belly ring would be at the top of my must have list.

 

The last item I found to share is this lovely and delicate looking pink rose quartz heart pendant. "Rose quartz heart pendant wire wrapped with anti-tarnish silver plated German wire. I've added a handmade lampwork glass bead which I made myself. This pendant has lovely filagree cap ends to finish the ornate design
Slip it on your chain and you are ready for "love.
Rose quartz is associated with calming emotions and offers inner peace healing.
Measures approx 1 1/2 inches long and 1 1/4 inch wide."

You can find April and BrooklynBeadGoddess on-line here also...so stop by and get your Christmas shopping done!

BLOG / TWITTER / FACEBOOK / ETSY / HANDMADEARTISTS / WEBSITE

Be blessed,

Debbi

HandmadeArtists feature - Brooklyn Bead Goddess

This week at the HandmadeArtists blog ring, we are all sharing the amazing work of

Brooklyn Bead Goddess.

April is a jewelry designer that also creates her own lampwork glass beads.  Each bead is created individually, so each one is unique, just like the women for whom she creates her pieces, and that is also why she calls her jewelry "wearable art".
 



   Now everyone who knows me knows that I'm all about color...the brighter the better. And if it includes any shade of orange...even better. Which is why I couldn't resist sharing these Lampwork Bead Earrings from her Handmade Artist shop. The wire wrapping detail just adds to the prettiness of these.  In her HA shop, I also found this delicately pretty pink lampwork beaded bracelet.  The soft color would be perfect for the more demure personality.

Now let's hop over to her Etsy shop and see what we can find...

 

I absolutely love this brown lampwork beaded bracelet...it looks like there are leaves on it.  Perfect for fall.  And this lampwork beaded necklace has great polka dots on it...funky and casual.  What a perfect Christmas gift...so click on any link above to start your shopping now.

You can also find April on her own website,  blog, twitter, and facebook. 

 

Be blessed,

Debbi