Tuesday Tour – Week 5

Handmade Christmas Gift Ideas

On ArtFire

After a week’s delay, I’m back on track with my Tuesday Tours.  Thank you to everyone who wished me a speedy healing.  I’m still bruised and tender, but I’m feeling much better!

Each week I’ve been sharing items from some of my favorite shops and recently I’ve been featuring items from artisans living in the Pacific Northwest.  I hope you will find some cool Christmas gifts here – for yourself or others on your list!

First off are handmade glass beads from my good friends, Jenelle and Dan, of Beads and Botanicals.  Not only do they live in the Pacific NW, they even live in the same town that I do.  At my shows, the past two weekends, I sold at least two bracelets and two pairs of earrings that included their lampwork glass beads.  Aren’t these green disks awesome?  I love the contrast between the smooth green centers and the rough-hewn edges.  Is there a beader in your life?  Make them happy when they discover these handmade, lampwork beads in their stocking.

Lampwork beads Antiquities Olive & Raku Organic Orbit Disks Handmade

Lampwork beads Antiquities Olive and Raku Organic Orbit Disks handmade

Moving from beads to finished jewelry – I  love this spectacular red poppy themed necklace by Janet of Honey from the Bee.   It starts off with an exceptionally beautiful handmade glass focal bead that looks like a field of poppies in glass.  The asymmetrical designs includes glass poppies vining up one side, accented by antique French brass centers.  As if that weren’t enough, Janet wove a spiral of tiny glass beads to encircle your neck.  This is an heirloom quality piece to give to someone really special in your life!

Green and Red Necklace – Poppy Dreams – lampwork, beaded necklace

Green and Red Necklace - Poppy Dreams - lampwork, beaded necklace

The String Lady, aka Erica, makes delightful crocheted items.  It’s cold in many parts of the country and a hand-crocheted scarf makes a welcome gift.   Aren’t the colors just yummy?

Multicolored Side to Side Scarf Unisex Any Age

Multicolored Side to Side Scarf Unisex Any Age

I really had a hard time selecting one item from Kristi Bowman Design.  Kristi’s work is very imaginative.  She has a great feel for color and interesting texture in her designs.  I really like the way she wire-wrapped the fire opal on these earrings and suspended them from the small blue ruffled rings.  Awesome!

Fancy Faceted Fire Opal and Lampwork Ruffled Rings

Fancy Faceted Fire Opal and Lampwork Ruffled Rings

You can also find great handmade Christmas gifts at Linda Landig Jewelry.  Here’s the most recent addition to my shop.  Titled the “Blue Danube Earrings”, they have copper connectors that are handmade by Kristi Bowman (featured above).  Check out the gorgeous design in the copper!  I suspended cornflower blue ceramic dangles, (by Elaine Ray), beneath the copper.  I really love this combination of blue and copper.  I’m thinking that I may have to make a similar pair for myself!

Textured Copper Earrings Handmade Blue Ceramic Dangles Antiqued Brass

Textured Copper Earrings Handmade Blue Ceramic Dangles Antiqued Brass

If you have questions about any these items arriving in time for Christmas, just send a message to the artist about it.  There is a contact button at the bottom of the first page of each shop.  Some of us (including me) are guaranteeing same or next day shipping.

I hope you enjoyed your fifth Tuesday Tour.  I’d love to hear your comments!

By the way…did you notice that it’s snowing on my blog?!  Move your mouse and it will change the direction the snow is falling!  Enjoy! 🙂

Tuesday Tour – Week 3

Handmade Christmas Gift Ideas

On ArtFire

Every Tuesday, from now until Christmas, I’m sharing some of the great Christmas gift ideas I’ve found on ArtFire.  We all need original Christmas gift ideas, right?  Time to put aside stale old gift ideas and reach out for something unique and handmade.

Talking about stale old gift ideas….does anyone else have as much trouble as I do, shopping for the guys in your life?  Books, puzzles, letter openers and then what?  Rinse and repeat.  The first item I want to share is not a big gift, but it could be a thoughtful stocking stuffer for a man or a woman.  Billed as a gardeners soap, the product description says it is also an awesome soap for mechanics.  I personally love receiving handmade soaps and I found lots to like at Appalachian Heritage Soaps.

Garden Tea Tree Soap: Mechanics Lava-Type Anti-Bacterial Exfoliating

Garden Tea Tree Soap: Mechanics Lava-Type Anti-Bacterial Exfoliating

Here’s another nice guy gift from the studio of JMcCoy on ArtFire.  This shop features beautiful hand turned wooden pens, pencils, pepper grinders, tea lights and jewelry boxes.

Mulberry Sports Pen and pencil set

Mulberry Sports Pen and pencil set

 

The hand-woven bead jewelry by Mortira of  Sage’s Cupboard is really amazing.  You really should take some time to browse through her shop.  I do some right angle weave bracelets with 4-6 mm beads, but Mortira works in tiny glass seed beads.  This requires so much time, patience and attention to detail.  I am always in awe of her work.  The Kenya Bracelet (below) is just one example of her work.  I chose it because it would work as a Christmas bracelet, while still being appropriate for year round use.

Kenya Bracelet. Red Green Black Two Strand Beaded Tribal Wrist Wrap

 

The color of these hand knit dishcloths, from Ewenique Essentials, is just yummy!  It makes me want to make some melon colored jewelry!

Melon Knit Dishcloth Cotton Set Two Handmade Eco Friendly Kitchen Bath

Melon Knit Dishcloth Cotton Set Two Handmade Eco Friendly Kitchen Bath

 

You can also find great handmade Christmas gifts at Linda Landig Jewelry.  Please visit my shop for handmade jewelry with an artisan flair.

I hope you enjoyed your third Tuesday Tour.  I’d love to hear your comments!

Tuesday Tour

Tuesday Tour – Week 2

Every Tuesday, from now until Christmas, I’m going to take you on a tour of some of my favorite Art Fire shops.  I’ll feature some special items from those shops, with the hope that you’ll find some great handmade Christmas gifts or something sweet for yourself.

Many people are starting their Christmas shopping now; hoping to spread it out over two months and avoid last-minute craziness.  If you really want to avoid the frenzied crowds and the rushed, pressured feelings, I suggest that you shop for handcrafted items online.

When you shop handmade for Christmas, you help  support  artists and their families. You get to interact directly with the artist, without middlemen or big box stores.  Plus, you will get personal attention and customer service.  What could be better?

I’m going to start off today with Catherine of Shadow Dog Designs.  Catherine was the first person to purchase from me when I came to ArtFire and we have become good online friends.  She is always available to answer my questions and she works tirelessly to promote other artisans.  Catherine’s work primarily features lovely gemstones, with designs inspired by nature.  It’s difficult to choose just one favorite item from her shop, but these Laser Etched Black Onyx Earrings are brand new and I really love them.  Check out the sweet little stars at the bottoms of the earrings!

Laser etched Onyx Earrings

This cute little handmade Yellow Duck Soap is available at Forget Me Not Soaps on ArtFire.  It it is banana scented and would make a delightful stocking stuffer for the little kiddos in your life.

Tomlinson Photography and Design is one of my favorite shops.  I have a great appreciation of art photography and like to play around with my camera a bit myself.  This Winter Red Berry Card, or the others in her shop, would make unique Christmas cards this year.  She’ll even personalize them with your family name or greeting.

Tomlinson Photography Christmas card

Before I started making jewelry, I tried my hand at basket weaving, so I have an insider’s appreciation of all the work that goes into the creation of a handmade basket.  This Hand-woven Basket With A Rolling Pin Handle is one of the most clever baskets I’ve ever seen.  Wouldn’t it make a unique Christmas gift  for the baker on your list?  I just love this!  It is available from Baskets By Rose.

You can also find great handmade Christmas gifts at Linda Landig Jewelry.  Please visit my shop for handmade jewelry with an artisan flair.

I hope you enjoyed your second Tuesday Tour.  I’d love to hear your comments!

Wish List

“Star bright, star light…

First star I see tonight.

I wish I may, I wish I might,

Have the wish,

I wish tonight.”

Did you ever recite that ditty as a child?  Here’s my current wish list:

These enameled wonders are from Teka and Zoe on ArtFire.  Basically I love every single thing in their shop.  If I won the lottery, I’d buy them out!

I love the scent of mint.  I drink peppermint tea, and prefer to bathe with handmade mint infused soap. This soap is from DeShawn Marie on ArtFire.

Be still my heart…  Just think what cool earrings could be made with these shiny baubles from Booga119!

I love the raised pattern on these earrings, don’t you?

Did you know that I used to make hand dyed silk scarves? Mine weren’t this nice, though.   I love the work of Morgan Silk !

Darn this girl!  She just keeps making more and more copper components that I just can’t live without! Kristi Bowman Designs:

Wouldn’t these lampwork beads from Radiant Mind, look luscious with Kristi’s copper components?  Just sayin’

I saved the best for the last!  I coveted these earrings for a while, but now I have them–and you can have them too!  They are made by my daughter, Naomi Landig.  Aren’t they awesome? I wear them all the time!