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-Six

You've met Pam of A Bead Thing once here before, but I'm going to show you some of the new and gorgeous things in her shop.

And what you definitely haven't seen here before is that she crochets!  How cute is this hat?

Or this flower necklace?  I love the idea of crocheted jewelry.

To keep up with Pam, find her on Google + or on Facebook.

Artist Spotlight: Part Ninety-Five

I'd like to introduce you to someone you've never met here before, Karen of Wyndwalker Creations.  

She and her husband have some seriously eclectic talents going on, that lead to a wonderfully diverse and original shop.  They hail from South Carolina, and have been creating for many years.  It shows in the obvious quality of their work.

Just look at that beadwork!  That doesn't come without Karen's 30 years of experience, for sure.  Just for good measure, here's some more.

And I promised diversity, didn't I?  How about some gorgeous beading on a trinket box... or a serious statement necklace?

Now that's a necklace to give some personality to a little black dress!  I think I need to own it.  They enjoy creating one-of-a-kind functional pieces of art, and I think they've succeeded, no?

Enough of the beads.  There's more!  They work in natural materials to create a variety of things, like leather, bone, and antlers.

Karen also likes to weave on inkle looms and tri looms.  That's how she makes adorable dog leashes and beautiful shawls!

And on top of all that?  She crochets!  My only lament is that the adorable dog doesn't come with the sweater.

Right?  And last, but definitely not least, I have to show you one of their selection of gourd birdhouses.  Oh, how I love these birdhouses!  I need one of these too.  Seriously.

Believe me when I tell you this is just a small sampling of what you can find in their Handmade Artists Shop and Etsy Shop.  And despite the variety and volume of their currently-existing wares, they love to try out new ideas, techniques and designs, and absolutely adore custom orders, so be sure to contact them.

And to keep up with them, follow the blog or like them on Facebook.

Artist Spotlight: Part Seventy-Six

I've got a new one for you this time, Dee, of Southern Country Creations!  A teacher by day, she's been crafty since her youth, and you can tell.  The rest of us are really lucky that she recently decided to start making her creations available for sale!

She uses a ton of different methods and mediums, including crochet thread, beads, metal, wood, buttons, glass, gemstones, suede and leather.  Know what that means?  You could own several of her items and never look like you're wearing the same thing!

Artist Spotlight: Part Seventy

An even 70!  Well, for the 70th artist I'm featuring, I've got someone you've met before here, John Rasmussen of Rasmussen Gems & Jewelry.  The quality of gems in this shop is breathtaking.  Just take a look at this incredible topaz.

Or this beautiful sapphire.  My favorite color is blue, so I'm kind of obsessed with these.

He cuts and polishes the stones, too, and turns them into beautiful pendants, like this wonderful obsidian.

Or this terrific tourmalated quartz.

The colors in that quartz are terrific too.  Grey and yellow is such an "in" color combo right now.

The settings he does for his more intricate jewelry are incredible and unique.  Much of it is set in sterling and fine silver, like this labradorite.

And this amethyst.

Or this quartz & citrine piece, or the amazing Padaradscha sapphire in the other one.

His silver work is even beautiful without stones, like this Jewish star forged from a single sheet of sterling.

Then again, he doesn't need silver to make beautiful jewelry either.  I'm in love with his copper pieces, like this amethyst and copper bracelet.

Or these forged copper pieces sans stones.

And let's not forget his wife, Debora Lee, who adds her beading talent to the wares of the shop.

For more information, be sure to follow the blog.