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

Shout Outs _ Over the rainbow

Hi all, sorry its been longer than i was expecting in between shout outs! Ive not been well, so nothing has gotten done!

So My lovely hubby has pulled another business card out of the hat (box) and (drum roll please!)

My next thank you shout out is for........Susan Janiszewski of 'Over the Rainbow'

THANK YOU!

You can find 'over the rainbow' @ www.folksy.com/shops/susiej

Susan hand knits gorgeous and colourful, hats gloves,brooches, childrens hats, gloves and (my favourite) gorgeous little shoes! The designs are classic and the wonderful array of colours that make you think of rainbows. Below is a little taster!

Gorgeous items, although i not sure whether the kids shoes or leg warmers are faves now! Susans prices are great, so what you still doing reading this? Head 'over the rainbow!'

www.folksy.com/shops/susiej

Til next time

kxx

Thanks! - shout outs

As some of you (all? none?!) May know i am volounteering at a charity called the harbour project.

Now i have recently put out LOTS of sos calls (!) for desperately needed supplies, for the jewellery making class i a teaching for the charity (time 'donated') i was ver, VERY surprised and pleased with the intial response i recieved.

Yesterday i went to have a look at the many packages/parcals that had arrived and i was completely in awe and overwhelmed by the generosity of people.

So as a huge thankyou, i will be giving shout outs to all those people who sent items for the group and i to use. The shout out arent in any order, im putting all the business cards in a tub and getting my hubby to choose one at a time. I am hoping to do one a day until ive done everyone! So if your reading this and you have donated, but forgot to put a business card in email me! lillies2009@live.com

The first shout out is for HALO BEADS.

Halo beads is run by Caron Fountain and she sent some absolutely gorgeous lampwork beads for us. You can find Caron @ www.halobeads.co.uk and below is some of the gorgeous beads she makes.

All of the above beads are for sale on Caron's Site (www.halobeads.co.uk) and not only is her work beautiful her prices are AMAZING!

Hopefully tomorrow or tuesday i will have another shout for you all as well as another new shop from Artfire, so keep checking back!

Kimx

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!

Krstallized

Hi all!

I will hopefully have some more items added to my shop soon, so check back regularly!

In the mean time, i have been 'window shopping' and have coma across one really girly, sparkly shop called 'Krystillized'. Jewellery made with swarovski crystals, and they are all so sparkly and shiney, i love them!

You can find their shop @ www.artfire.com/users/krystallized

Here are just a few of the jewellery for sale!

Hi all, its been along time!

Unfortunately ive had a flare up of my illness and it has really set me back! Anyway im back and i wanted to let you know about a shop ive come across on artfire.

The name is 'positively charming things' and as cliche as it sounds the items are really charming!

Some really beautiful jewellery on offer at really good prices! Take a look below at some of whats on offer!

You can positively Charming Things @

www.artfire.com/users/positivelycharmingthings

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!

Neck Warmer

After anticipating the arrival of said neck warmer,it came today and it could not have arrived on a better day!
Picture this, rain, wind, grim and cold, this was the morning i awoke to. Suddenly the post comes through the letter box and my eldest son (who is nine) bought the post tome.
There it was a padded envolope with my name upon it!
How excited was I? stupidly excited!!(yes it always feels like christmas when i am waiting for something to arrive!)
I opened my package and there it was, the colours are absolutely gorgeous and it feels so comfortable!
As i said earlier about the weather today, horrid so i was so excited i could wear it straight away! My poor hubby (who has the flu, man flu? i hear you say, my answer, probably!) gets dragged out into the foul weather with me just so i could wear my neck warmer, and it did its job i stayed warm!
My neckwarmer,arrived well presented, wrappedxin tissue paper wrapped with thread,and i thought a very nice personal touch the thread was the same as the neck warmer.
At the moment i can not divulge who the talanted person is that made the neck warmer,as of yet i do not have their permission to do so.
What made me feel the most delighted is that i knew when wearing the neck warmer, that i had also donated to a very good cause!

Speaking of good causes, look out for features about crafters who have online shops and also donate to charities!

Please take a look at my shop when you are looking for christmas gifts, as 10% of all my sales are going to the british army benevelent fund.
You can find more about the benevelent fund here-

http://www.armybenfund.org/index2.html

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