Dancing Wind Designs

Hi all,

Not a shout out today, but a fab shop on artfire called Dancing wind designs!

Dancing wind designs, sells beadwoven jewellery that is bright and colourful, and very intricate!

A lot of the items have a lovely native american feel to them and are outstanding in the workmanship! You can fins dancing wind designs @ www.artfire.com/users/dancingwinddesigns

Take a look at some of the gorgeous items on sale below!!

I have to say i love the rhondite necklace with pendant (top pic)

To top it off dancing wind designs has free shipping on alot of items!!!

so go look....NOW! lol

next time a shout out!

kx

Vabeachquilter

A fabulous shop has come to my attention, called vabeachquilter.

An amazing array of items that spans an amzing 23 shop pages! But dont worry you wont get bored at looking with the amazing handsewn items made with an array of fantastic fabrics, i perosnally love the butterflies on the pillow case! (see below)

You can find vabeachquilter @ www.artfire.com/users/vabeachquilter

Take alook and enjoy!

On pens and needles

Please take alook at this great shop! The shop is named
'on pens and needles'
A husband and wife run shop that sell a mixture of hand sewn and wood work.
You can find this great shop @ www.artfire.com/users/onpensandneedles

Take a look at some of their great items below!





Some gorgeous items, although i think little man in the second picture steals the shot!

new items

Hi all, i just wanted to post some pics of my new items that i have just added to my shops!

Have you checked out 'precious charming things' yet?If not you can find them@

www.artfire.com/users/preciouscharmingthings

Hi

The Lillies sale is over, but im happy to say that iamselling on a new venue come and check it out!
http://www.lilliesjewellery.shophandmade.com/
Also ivebeen accepted into uk handmade, a palce for uk handmade im very pleased you can find us @
http://www.ukhandmade.ning.com/

come and look for ma and add me to your friends list!

craft fair, swindon wiltshire, uk

Hello,

Myself and another crafter i know, lulas are arranging a Handmade Craft Fayre in Swindon Wiltshire to be held on 28th November 2009. We will be well publicising the event and ensuring (hopefully) its success. If anyone is interested in renting a table at the event, we are looking at approximately £15.00 per table (this will include all the promotion for the event). The event will commence at 10.00 and finish at 3.30 with 30 mins either side to set up/clear up etc. £15 will be the total cost per table. We have tried very hard to keep the costs to a minimum so that all Crafters can easily cover their outlay.Tables are limited to approximately 11. The Venue is a good venue and has often been used for Fayres etc. We will also lay on refreshments etc., for purchase.If you are interested perhaps you could contact me, just to register an interest at this point.
Thanks a lot guys!

I am working on a new feature, but please all be patient summer hols, 3 kids, very hectic! lol
kimxxx

Featured folksy artisan-DonnaMarie

Hi all!

Whether you know all not, i have several different shops on different sites. One that is very close to my heart if folksy (http://www.folksy.com/) as i joined folksy whilst still in thebeta stage, and i from day one been made to feel most welcome! Folksy is a uk run site, and in these hard times, we should all do our utmost to support our own!
So as well as featuring the talented people from the Ajdjss guild (artfire jewelry artist and supply shops) I am going to start a weekly spot featuring the talented people at folksy!

My first talented folksy member is DonnaMarie from 'D'z jewells (http://www.folksy.com/shops/d'zjewells)

DonnaMarie Patterson (also known by many as D or mum!) started her jewellery career after being diagnosed in 2007 with an illness called fibromyalgia ( and i will admit another issue close to my heart as i suffer from fibromyalgia also) three months after being diagnosed, donna was told she would have to give up work, for the foreseeable future. Donna explains 'being a trained hair astylist and beauty therapist for 25 years, i thought nails maybe for me', fortunately for all admirers of donna's jewellery, the nails idea wasn't to be!


Donna goes onto say 'I came across a website called about.com (http://www.about.com/) and browsed all the ideas on there, came across the jewellery making .... and went straight out and bought all the essentials needed!' Even at that early stage Donna sounded like a true jewellery maker!


Thankfully the jewellery making took off! 'i would never have thought then i would beable to what i can do now.....and love it!'


Looking at DonnaMarie's jewellery, you can see that even with the difficulties of fibromyalgia, she certainly has a flair for jewellery design! My firm favourite of DonnaMarie's i the 'bubbles the watch' (pictured left) it was only after i looked at the pictures i realised that this was no ordinary watch but a lariat necklace, simply gorgeous! Donna admits that '....although i am still very new to this..' which you can not see in her jewellery, her items have a sophistication and quality of finish that some artists strive for years to acheive. Donna's flat is 'littered' with new ideas that just 'pop into my head at all hours of the day and night' she also fully admits she has ideas stored on her draft part of her messages on her mobile! I can only wish ideas at times came as easily to me!!

On bringing the subject up of creative blocks, you wouldn't think that DonnaMarie has this problem,, but she does!! (sorry to sound so relieved everyone!) Donna finds that going online, chatting on folksy forums, and other jewellery sites helps take her mind of the problem and 'never fails to come away inspired, with some idea or another'.

'Being disabled is my biggest problem because because i can spend days at a time in bed, this can happen a few times a week, so nothing gets done, but i always check my shops!' DonnaMarie's obviously has dedication to her craft and her customers and you can't fail to be impressed! Donna has help though from her amazing son. 'I am single, but i have my son living here with me, so he is a great help with the house work so all i really have to do is some housework and the shops' donna then jokes 'in between being ill very ill!'
I admit that i am awed by the dedication and passion that DonnaMarie possesses. All of which shines through her work,for instance Donna's 'P'S i love you' necklace and bracelet set, (pictured right) especially when you realise that because of the fibromyalgia there are days when Donna '..can't hold my tools, or sit very long, which is not good but how it is now'. It is amazing that donna produces jewellery of the quality that she does. As most of us know making jewellery takes time and effort..and you have to havealot of love for the craft. Donna's determination to make high quality items inspires me, and as we continue to talk, she tells me of who inspires here and why.
'I don't really admire any artisans, other than some people on folksy that i think are very good at what they do. Kim, (very surprised..thats me!!) from Lilles whi also has fibromyalgia, a young family, and has more than one shop to run, i think you are inspiration..ClaireLouise from 'Blue stripes' (www.folksy.com/shops/bluestripes) she has a really greta shop, she adores her children andher little sister, she has been through alot and inspires me...Neil (woody) from 'wood jewellery' (www.folksy.com/shops/woodjewelley) hasa great shop, he is a stay at home dad looking after his son of four and his wife, he has been through a lot and has come out the other side, he inspires me. These are everyday people who have brilliant talents and are putting them to use. These are the type of people who inspire me to do more, not your huge names, with even bigger ego's, the little people with huge talents..these are the people i respect and admire.'

I have been honoured to beable to talk to DonnaMarie in such an open manner. Her integrity shines through, and is someone we should all admire.

From my own personal experiance, Fibromyalgia is a life changing condition, the person with the condition AND their failies and friends have to adapt their lives so much, and yet in the uk its a conditoin that is rarely heard of. If you would like more information and insight on fibromyalgia here are a few great sights to visit.

www.fibromyalgia-associationuk.org/
www.ukfibromyalgia.com/
www.fmaware.org/


If you would like to make a donation to help research for fibromyalgia in the uk go to


www.justgiving.com/fmauk/



Please support all of our wonderful artisits, visit their shops promote each other when you can!!


Kimxxx

P.S the photos are blurring because I implemented them into the blog incorrectly and cant seem to fix it!! The original pictures are weel taken, visit donna's shop to see for yourself.

Just to say Hi

Hi everyone, i am just starting off on my blogging journey and wanted to say hello, to all those who may have stumbled across my blog!

Keep a look out for all things handmade, with links to some brilliant shops on the web that gorgeous items!

I will do my best to post every couple of days, but remember, i have three young children and one big one (the husband!)

So until i sort my first 'proper' blog entry out hopefully within the next few days i will say
BYYEE!

kimx