Artist Spotlight: Part One Hundred and Two & One Hundred and Three

First, someone you've met before, Kimberly of Makin' the Best of It.

You know I love her sea glass jewelry.

 

And her hand  painted glassware.

And her altered book art.  These are all available in her Handmade Artists Shop.

But have I mentioned what she does with wedding invitations?

It's gorgeous!  She'll take your invitation, mat it, and paint flowers to go with it.  You can even tell her what your wedding flowers were so she can paint to order.

And apropos of the day, she also makes pretty ornaments, like this sea glass angel.

On top of her many talents, she runs It's Better Handmade, a terrific forum for all handmade artists of any sort.  You don't need to have a shop at HandMadeArtists.com either.  The idea is to promote all handmade, so no matter where you've got a shop or if you haven't one at all, use It's Better Handmade to show off!

Next up, April of Brooklyn Bead Goddess!

April's got a Handmade Artists shop and an Etsy shop, in which you can find all sorts of amazing lampwork jewelry.

She makes each gorgeous bead herself, and if you're a jewelry artist you'll be happy to know that she also sells separate beads for you to use in your own creations.

Not so into jewelry?  That's OK, April also uses her amazing talents for magnets, keychains and purse charms, swizzle sticks, and my favorite - bottle stoppers.

Want to know more about her?  Check the blog!

Artist Spotlight: Part Ninety-Eight and Ninety-Nine

I have two amazing artists this time, neither of which you've seen here before.  First, Dyanne of Deeliteful Jewelry in Van Buren, Arkansas.

Dyanne is a self-described widow, mm, daughter, sister, aunt, fiancee, and friend.  In addition to her online presence, she's actually got a brick and mortar business, so kudos to her for taking that leap!

She was originally led to create exciting jewelry with beads, and lets her inner goddess guide her as to color, size, shape, and combinations.  Like me, she loves bright colors.

In 2012, she added creating lampwork beads of her own to her repertoire.

Her business is a one-woman operation, from creation to shipping.  Her jewelry is unique, and each piece is one of a kind.  She's definitely got an eye for design.

Even better, since her jewelry is inspired by her own dreams, you know you'll never find anyone else making or wearing the same pieces.  If you're anything like me, this is hugely appealing, since I love to stand out in a crowd.

To keep up with her, be sure to follow her blog.

The second artist I have for you is something entirely different, and I love it!  Check out ThinkEco2.

This stuff is just phenomenal!  Meet Brian Behncke and Jules Lavallee, of San Diego, CA, the founders of ThinkEco2 and the brains behind these gorgeous recycled wares.

Brian is a hardworking construction guy with a passion for building eco-chic cedar products.  He works with a crew to build the products, while he and Jules help the community by building jobs and donating many of their beautiful wine racks to help local charities and fundraisers.

I agree with them that it's important to be eco-conscious and to give back.  To that end, they use 100% reclaimed wood for their products and employ 100% US employees.  They refuse to harm additional trees to make their products.  And heck, they even add to the flora by making planters!

My favorite, though, is this amazing patio table.

You can keep up with them on their blog or feel free to contact them to discuss custom orders, which they're happy to fill.

Artist Spotlight: Part Twenty-Three & Twenty-Four

I skipped last week's Artist Spotlight, so this week, I get to bring you two artists!  First, we have Robin Hartman, of Snips & Snails.

She's a mom to two toddlers and a wife, who in her abundant spare time ha ha uses her Masters in British Literature to teach college English.

Her specialty in the craft world is cross stitching and pattern design.

She dabbles in everything, though, including jewelry design,

bead work,

decoupage,

Crochet, polymer clay, card making, rubber stamping, and plastic shrink

And heck, she even combines her cross-stitch with her jewelry design!

To learn more about her and see more of her work, be sure to visit her blog, and to browse her items and make purchases, visit her Etsy shop.

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Second, we've got Holly, of Tuscan Road Designs.  Not only is she fostering and rehabilitating owls, but she makes beautiful jewelry.

The jewels are one-of-a-kind and unusual, fitting for an artist who's always enjoyed being creative.

Holly's interest in jewelry began with a trip to Murano, Italy, where she became enamored with lampwork.  When she got home, she signed up for a class to learn to make her own beads, and eventually taught her teenage son to do it too.

With an asymmetrical style, and finding inspiration in nature, architecture, and Old World icons, she loves to work with color and texture, Swarovski crystal, and the natural beauty of semi-precious stones to create her collection of mod and vintage-style jewelry.

She also does special orders and group purchases for matching and coordinating pieces, perfect for weddings, mommy-and-me gifts, and other occasions.

Should you be inspired by her work and want to read more about her and the owls, you can read Holly's blog.  If you just want to browse her wares, they're in her Etsy shop.

Artist Spotlight: Part Fifteen

The artist I have for you today is the very sweet Jennifer Mewes, of Mewes Mountain Arts.

She lives with her husband in the beautiful foothills of the Rocky Mountains, just outside of Denver, CO.  They have proclaimed the beautiful mountain behind their house to be the Mewes Mountain, which I think is hilarious and actually something I would do too.  The beauty of Colorado and her religious faith serve as her inspiration, and so far, it those seem to be serving her well!

One of Jennifer's favorite bible chapters is 1 Corinthians 13, one that is common in readings used for weddings.  I know part of it, since my mom actually has a picture hanging in my parents' house that's got flowers and this part of the chapter done in calligraphy:

Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always Perseveres.  Love never fails.


You really can't argue with a sentiment like that, but for Jennifer, it was more than that.  It was the inspiration for this lovely "Leap of Faith" lanyard, which is available both through Jennifer's Etsy shop and Handmade Artists Shop.

In those shops, you can also find this elegant butterfly necklace.

As Jennifer says, the first thing she thinks of with regard to spring is the butterfly coming out of its cocoon, so this piece is just perfect for the season!

Jennifer uses some wonderful stones in her pieces, like this cat's eye and Swarovski lilac necklace and this tiger's eye necklace.

Tiger's eye takes her back to high school, where the tiger was their school mascot.  I love that.  The necklace isn't actually in her school colors, though, so she also makes these fun bracelets for that purpose.  She'll custom make them to your school colors too!

For a more grown-up adornment, I just love these two bracelets, the top made with beautiful lampwork beads and the bottom with glass beads in a rich, deep blue.

My favorite of Jennifer's pieces, though, is this Celtic-inspired bracelet.

Which she replicated with alternate charms, at my suggestion!

On another front, Jennifer's passion for the push toward a cure for cancer led her to create this Awareness lanyard, from which she will donate a portion of the proceeds to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

To really get a glimpse of Jennifer's good heart, learn about her, and even get information regarding jewelry making, business tips, and other news, be sure to check out her extensive blog!