It's been a while...

... since I talked about the Handmade Artists Forum & Handmade Artists Shop.  It's still going strong, stronger than ever, in fact, so if you haven't checked it out, you really should take a look.  The shop is growing by the day with talented vendors.  If you're serious about supporting handmade, this is a great place to shop, especially now for the holidays.  The place is committed to 100% handmade wares, no mass-produced, no resellers, and they're serious about keeping out the riffraff.

Speaking of the holidays, one of the members made this terrific video to give you a sampling of what you might find if you wanted to start in on your shopping - don't forget, Chanukah is early this year!

And if you're an artisan, crafter, artist, or creator yourself, you really should join and visit the forum.  HAF is committed to promoting all handmade, so whether you sell on HA or any other site doesn't actually matter.  You can find lively discussion, support, a cheering section for your creations, constructive criticism, creating assistance and instruction, and even photos of the members' pets!

You know I'm incapable of leaving you without photos, so here are some of the things recently posted in the forum.

And for good measure, a HAF pet!

The Sun Came Out!

It had been raining for a couple days, so I decided to do up another Handmade Highlight, focusing on sunny works by my fellow artists at the Handmade Artists Forum.  So I bring you... The Sun'll Come Out Tomorrow!

You can see the actual Highlight here, and from there check out each piece in its artist's shop.  Trust me, it's worth it!

Artist Spotlight: Part Thirty-Five

Oh wow, do I have some cute stuff to show you today!  Briskmama, the holder of a degree in computer science, was born in Dubrovnik.  After growing up in a small town, and spending time on the beach swimming and playing, she moved to Zagreb to finish university, met her husband, and stayed in Zagreb, the capital of Croatia.

Her grandmother and mother taught her how to knit, embroider, and sew, and boy did they do a good job imparting their knowledge.

She's still got the holiday spirit with the ornaments above and these adorable reusable Christmas gift bags.  I say check out her products and stock up for next year!

If you've had enough of the holidays, she's got some great embroidered totes.

On her blog, you'll find tutorials for sewing, as well as some insanely amazing recipes from this avid cook.

Honestly, I think her photography is enough to make me want to follow her blog.

Speaking of her photography, she sells that too, in her Etsy shop.

If you'd prefer her art prints, a result of her passions for drawing and computers, those are there too, and they're adorable.

How awesome is her vintage style?

Artist Spotlight: Part Nine

I've got another multitalented artist for you to check out this week!  I'd like to introduce Jan, of Jewelry by Janelle.  She designs jewelry using exotic woods, gemstones both precious and semi-precious, glass beads, Swarovski crystals, and anything else that happens to strike her fancy.  She's constantly adding new items to both her Etsy shop and her Handmade Artists shop, and she takes custom orders besides!

Her forte, and what makes her most different from the other artists I've featured so far, is that she's wonderful with wood.  What she does is just beautiful.  I thought I loved this necklace, for instance.

But then I saw this one!

That one's not only beautiful, but so different and interesting too.  I'm also a big fan of these earrings.

And while her brown-toned wood items are beautiful, let's not discount her more fun and funky side, shown by this Purple Heart heart-shaped necklace.

As I said, though, it's not all wood all the time.  Sometimes she takes a break to work with other things.  Check out this Swarovski Pacific Opal and White Opal Floral Copper Necklace.

On Etsy, she's got earrings to match it too!  And I love this Snowflake Obsidioan Egyptian Fan necklace.  This one's got both a bracelet and earrings to match!

Ever a fan of crocheted jewelry, I also adore this one that she's made with copper wire and brown glass beads.

She works in other metals too!  There's chainmaille, pretty feminine jewelry, and even a touch of Steampunk.

And to round it all out, here's a tote bag she's made and is selling!

If you want to learn more about Jan, her work, and the artists she also takes the time and effort to feature, be sure to check out her blog.  There, you can read the stories behind her pieces, like this beautiful necklace made of Kingwood found in a now-defunct factory in south Florida from the 1920s and purchased by her woodworker husband on Ebay.

Go read!  There's a lot more, I promise.  You'll  learn about all sorts of wood and how she does what she does with it.