Amazing!  Artists With a Special Touch!

RASMUSSEN GEMS & JEWELRY

I find it so fascinating when you immediately know what someone does, just from a glance.  It was no secret to me when I reached Rasmussen Gems & Jewelry on Artfire that this artist likes to play with rocks!  I can appreciate a beautifully cut and polished stone as much as the next person, but I just love John's pieces that are irregularly shaped!  They're so striking and unusual.  This Snowfield Druzy Quartz pendant is a perfect example.  This particular stone also has some elegant white and gold flecks in it.

 

And how about the gorgeous wire-wrap of this stunning Agate.  John is also a metal smith and it shows in this piece.  John has two blogs: one on Blogspot and another on Ganoksin.  He writes about progress on current projects and posts finished pictures of his beautiful jewelry.  

If you are looking for something unique, handmade and reasonably priced, visit Rasmussen Gems & Jewelry! 

This weeks Featured Artisan is Theresa Karnes - Tak Unique Designs. Teresa has beautiful creations in her shop! You can find Tak Unique Designs on:

Artfire

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Amazing! Artists With A Special Touch!

LISIANBLUE

Jax

I would like to introduce you all to Kris of LisianBlue out of Albuquerque, New Mexico.  She shares her home with her cat, Jax, who sounds like a real character! I am still grinning about her comment in her bio on her Artfire Shop, "I own a rather finicky cat who doesn't paint, doesn't help me pack, heck he doesn't even chase mice!"  Perhaps Jax doesn't inspire her, but it sounds like he has great entertainment value!

 

Kris is another multi-talented artist.  Stained, hand-painted and etched glass, knits and crochet, and fine photography.  She claims her father taught her that whatever she does, she should do it well - and she was listening!

 

Case in point...  This elegant hand-painted vase is just stunning!  It's tall form coupled with the painted lilies is a perfect combination.  The soft hues Kris chose for this piece give it a classy, understated feel - enough to make it an eye-catcher but not so much as to detract from the flowers which it may hold!  Her glass pieces have several layers of paint, with a 24-hour dry time between layers, which gives them all a three-dimensional feel.

Kris' crochet is amazing, too!  It is so unusual to find someone that crochets and knits, and does both well.  This red and gray crocheted scarf is just one of many examples in her Artfire Studio.

 

In her bio, she also notes her love of roses - I'm with you there, Kris!  She's begun to offer fine art photographs in her shop on the new Handmade Artists' Shop site.  These photos are so gorgeous and vivid, I bet you can even smell that rose captured in the picture!

 

Kris also has a delightful blog, twitter, and a flickr album. You'll enjoy your visit with Kris as much as I did!

 

 

Yes, There Is a Site That Truly Supports Handmade!

It's no secret that I have a shop on Etsy - a tiny speck in a sea of over 400,000 other shops.  And it's a sea with an ever-increasing number of resellers/manufacturers.  It's so hard to compete with similar items at 1/10th of the cost.  It's easy to keep your costs down when the 'artist' is a ten-year-old in Sri Lanka making 28¢ a week.  And, please, don't get me started on the fees.

Enter the Handmade Artists' Shop.  An extension of the Handmade Artists' Forum, the shop offered a selling platform to all of its members for a flat fee of $5 per month...  no listing fees,  no renewal fees, no final value fees.  I just loved the folks on the forum, so I thought I would give it a try.  The platform was clunky, slow and complicated.  But I stuck with it because I like being part of a truly handmade community.

New Logo

The owners of the Forum and Shop knew the shop platform had issues.  At the beginning of this year, out of their own pockets, they set out on a complete rebuild of the shop.  They literally started from scratch to design a selling platform that was easy to use, fast, and visually appealing.  Boy, did they accomplish their mission!!!!  They are still limiting vendors to only handmade.  A person actually reviews all requests to have a shop and approves/denies it.  And the cost is still a flat $5 per month!  But wait - there's a discount available on that too...  $50 per year when paid annually!!!  And there's more!  They will be limiting total shops at 20,000.  I know that sounds like a lot, but it's a whole lot less than 400,000!!!

I just LOVE my shop on the new platform!  It was sooooo easy to set up.  Please visit the new Handmade Artists' Shop and see for yourself!  Maybe you will decide that you'd like to be part of a truly handmade community, too!

Must-Read Blogs

DAHLISH KNITS

Gina, of Dahlish Knits, is such a character - and all that personality comes out in her delightful blog!  She lives in North Dakota with her husband and two small children.  She's a fanatic knitter, and somehow finds time to write regularly.  This itself is a colossal feat!  I've had two small children (or more) at home and don't remember having any time for such an endeavor!

The first thing I noticed when I visited Gina's blog today was the picture of her new knit slippers!  Gina...  how do I get a pair!  They're awesome!!!  Then there are articles about different things she's knit, shopping online, recommended books she's read, and other artists.

You just never know what surprises this blog will hold!  For sheer entertainment, check out the Dahlish Knits blog! 

Share the Love! 

This weeks Featured Artisan is Doug from Moonsong Ranch, featuring Handmade Alpaca Fashion products include felt nuno scarves, western style hats, purses,cases, knitted scarves and many other unique gift items. Our product ideas start at our alpaca ranch where we shear, process and create from fleece provided by our own animals. The inspiration comes from the natural exquisite beauty found in nature!

You can find Moonsong Ranch on:
Moonsong Ranch Website
Etsy
Artfire 
Blog 
Facebook 
Twitter

Amazing! Artists With a Special Touch!

HAFFINA

Oh, where to begin!?!?!  I've written about Haffina before, but this good thing bears repeating! Frankly, I have no idea how she finds time to do all that she does!  Mother of five, at least two blogs, her own website, two shops on Artfire and another on the Handmade Artists Shops...  well, it's tiring just writing the list!

 

But it's her incredible and varied skills that just blow me away.  Chainmaille, jewelry, magnets, scarves, gloves...  the list goes on and on.  Let me give you just a taste!

Gold Torque Necklace with Swarovski, Tigerseye and Aventurine

 

This GORGEOUS necklace highlights many of Haffina's skills in one place.  I love the symmetry of this piece!  The chainmaille is wonderful, the wire-wrap scroll work divine and the color combinations of the beading is delightful.  This beautiful piece is a featured item in her Haffina Creations shop on Artfire.

Flat Blue Silver Polymer Clay Shimmer Pendant

 

And then, there are her polymer clay beads.  I am certain I could write several stories just focusing on beads, but I want to share more of her talents with you.  This bead is just dreamy.  It's as if Haffina was able to capture the universe in this single cabochon.  You can see more of her beads on her Beads By Haffina shop on Artfire.

 

And, just for fun, I found this whimsical magnet in her shop.  This cutie is entitled, They Call Me Wanda, and I'm a Fish.  It just makes me grin!  This is a handmade, polymer clay piece with a magnet attached to the back with "strong glue."

 

You can get better acquainted with this multi-talented lady on both of her blogs: Haffina Creations on blogspot, and Haffina Creations on Wordpress.  There is also a Haffina Creations web site with links to all of her other presences across the web.  And her wonderful shops linked above are well worth a visit (or fifty!).

  SHARE THE LOVE! 

 
This Weeks Featured Artisan for Share the Love is Angel Pearls! Beautiful, colorful crocheted Flowers for applique, feminine classic joyful jewelry, and vintage inspired and angelic earrings and brooches, and more! You can find Angel Pearls at:

Etsy 

Angel Pearls Blog

Angel Pearls Collection 

Facebook

Amazing!  Artists With A Special Touch! 

tmusichans

Todd of tmusichans has made me smile.  You see, most of you know I am "old," but what you may not know is that I'm one of the few people that lived through the 60s and do remember!  

Todd is in Santa Fe, New Mexico and has developed a love of low-fire clay.  He has an amazing array of Peace Signs in his shop, all of which bring me back to the days of my youth!  

His pottery is beautiful, too!  An elementary school teacher by trade, this artist is relaxing in vibrant hues and beautiful shapes!  Check out tmusichans shop and see for yourself!