Artist Spotlight: Parts Eighty-Seven & Eighty-Eight

I have two artists for you this time 'round, both ones you have not met here before.

First, April of Brooklyn Bead Goddess.  As someone who spent some time living in Brooklyn myself, I have an affinity for this chick, can't help it.  Then again, I also have an affinity for her art.

I'm an art glass collector, so lampwork like this just draws and fascinates me.  It did her too; it started when the glass artists along the Coney Island boardwalk intrigued her.

And now, the variety in her work intrigues me!  She makes each bead, and then from those creates her beautiful jewelry.

You can buy her jewelry in her Handmade Artists Shop or her Etsy Shop.

You can follow her blog.

Like her on Facebook

.
Or follow her on Twitter.

Don't you want to?

*****

And second only consecutively, here's Sarah of Finding Charm.  Charm is definitely the word for it, too.

A do-it-yourselfer with her own sense of style, Sarah started making jewelry when she couldn't find anything she liked already made to go with her outfits.

She's obviously become an expert since then!

You can find her funky sense of style in her Etsy Shop, Artfire Shop, Zibbet Shop, and Ecrater Shop.

You can like her on Facebook.

And you can follow her blog

.

Artist Spotlight: Part Fifty-One

The talent I have for you today is that of Shanna Marie, of Alchemy Atelier.  My favorite thing about her?  She's a fellow theater geek!

Unlike my history, though, where theater seemed like a natural progression from lawyering, her love for theater came from costuming, which came from an interest in tailoring, patterning, and fashion history, which came from plain old sewing... which she started at age six when making Barbie clothes!

Her first sewing machine was a toy she got for Christmas that year, but it only lasted a week, she was using it so much.

A fan of diverse styles, her bent is toward Victorian-inspired items with a modern flair.

Right now, though, her focus is on jewelry and other accessories, which explains her blog name, Diary of a Manic Beader.  Manic, maybe.  Talented, definitely!  Look...

Artist Spotlight: Part Twenty-Six

My biggest problem in introducing you to this week's artist is trying to figure out how to limit myself with the photos.  It's nearly impossible.  Here's why.

See what I mean?  So who is she?  Her name is Carmen Trueheart, working under the business name Baublezptoa.  Originally from Richmond, Va, she lives in St. Augustine, FL with her husband, dogs, and cats.  Artisan jewelry has always held a fascination for her, and now she's got me fascinated with her talent and wares.  Fascinated, I tell you.  Why?  Check this out.

Can you guess what that's made of?  Betcha can't.  Betcha a million dollars, you can't, unless you already know Carmen and what she does.  It's Precious Metal Clay.  Yes, really.  I'd never heard of it before either, until I joined the Handmade Artist's Forum and met her.  Doesn't it look just phenomenal, though?  And seahorses!  I love seahorses!

Plus, she's got a whole line of pawprint items.  How fitting is that for Reef Botanicals?

Funny, I say "phenomenal," she says "alright."  Humble much?  As she puts it, "working with precious metal clay is a joy and a frustration, clay is sticky, it doesn't always stay where you put it, but sometimes when it does it turns out alright."  I wish everything I did turned out so all right!

So what is Precious Metal Clay?  Mitsubishi, the Japanese car manufacturer, created precious metal clay several years ago.  It consists of fine silver powder and an organic binder that burns away in a kiln, leaving just the solid fine silver.  The Japanese were the first to use this medium in jewelry.

Since then, Mitsubishi and other companies have developed metal clays that can be fired at lower temperatures, allowing the inclusion of lab grown gemstones, dichroic glass, and some other very hard gemstones.

It's not just precious metal clay, though.  She makes her statement jewelry from silver, precious metal clay, vintage beads, gemstones, and leather.

Right after high school, while she was taking accounting courses and working, she started making beaded jewelry.  It was just a hobby until she finally left corporate America for her better path.  She spent her time leaning about beads, the history, trading, meanings, values... and then moved on to learn about gemstones and silver, then silversmithing, and finally Precious Metal Clay, her medium of choice, and the medium in which she is certified.  Yes, she's got a Precious Metal Clay certification!  Now, she can use all of her knowledge and talents together to create these beautiful works of wearable art.

Carmen is committed to her customers, and as an example, actually wears each bracelet she makes for a day, to see that it's comfortable, sturdy, and wears well.

To see more photos of her work, check out her website.

Want to learn more about her?  Check out her more personal blog here and her more businessy blog here.

Want to shop with her?  Well, lucky for you, she's got a Handmade Artist's shop, an Etsy shop, and an Artfire shop.  Check out all of them!

Artist Spotlight: Part Eighteen

This week's artist is one I've spotlighted before, the multitalented Haffina.  She's been busy since February, though, so it's worth a second look!

Since last time I featured this talented Australian artist, I focused on her finished products, this time I thought I'd show you her "baubles, bangles, and bright shiny beads," to quote the inestimable Frank Sinatra.  Haffina is, after all, an accomplished bead maker, as you can see from this feather pendant.

I'm really drawn to her pendants in general, but this orchid one is really something else!

Her other handmade jewelry parts are just as pretty and interesting, like these beads and this toggle.

As if that's not enough, check out these wonderful buttons!

There are tons more on her site, or you can learn more about the artist herself on her blog.

Artist Spotlight: Part Fourteen

The artist we have for you this week is one after my own heart - she's into some of the stuff that I'm into!  It's pretty nifty to me to see someone who does some of what I do, only differently.  Her name is Jenn, and she is the owner of Jennuine Candles.

She is, as her banner states, "scenting the world... one candle at a time."

By day, Jenn is an occupational therapist, who has the rewarding but stressful job of working with an older adult population.  She found her escape, though - candlemaking and photography.  Like many other handmade artisans, she started with the idea of making candles for her own home and as gifts for friends, but then started getting enough requests from friends and coworkers that the business was born.

It makes sense, her work is beautiful, and I can only imagine the scents.  In fact, some of the items in her Etsy store have been featured in Etsy treasuries, like these Island Hopper palm wax star tarts and this Rose Covered palm wax ball candle.

And her Hugs and Kisses palm wax tarts were features on the Etsy front page!

For those of you who don't know Etsy, all this featuring and front page stuff is a big deal.  It means you're getting noticed, a tough thing on Etsy, and it means that your work is top-notch stuff.

Jenn also has a very neat product that I've never seen anywhere else - Spa-ndles!

What the heck is a Spa-ndle?  Good question!  Especially since I had the same question when I saw it on her blog.

These are soy container candles, that melt when burned, and become soothing and sensual massage lotion/oil!  I'm sorry, but that's just amazing.  Amazing, I tell you!  They're made with soy wax, mango butter, Vitamin E, Almond Oil, Grapeseed Oil, and Essential oils - this is the same stuff we use in our soaps and other products! These are quality and beneficial ingredients.

They're available in both her Etsy shop and her Artfire Studio.

For the holidays, look at how innovative she's been - palm wax tart gift tags!

That's just very cool.  Of course, her regular ol' candles are awesome too.

Be sure to check her out!