Featured Artisan is Nan Gain of Wyvern Designs

This weeks It's Better Handmade featured Artisan is Nan Gain of Wyvern Designs. Nan started crafting at a young age. She has always loved to draw and paint but it wasn't until high school art class that she really decided that making things with her own hands was the path for her.
Nan has been selling on Etsy for several years and on Madeitmyself.com. She loves trying new materials and new techniques and is totally addicted to polymer clay. Lives in New England and loves the changing seasons there.

Yellow Infant Shoes with Flower

Tooth Fairy Greeting Card

Blue Daisy Polymer Clay Switch Light Switch Cover

Hot Pink Flip FLop Earrings

Find Wyvern Designs here:

Artfire

Etsy

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Featured Artisan Cari of Crochet Hooked Braidlets

 This week's featured artisan from the On Fire for Handmade team is Cari of Crochet Hook Briadlets,  She has a love for crochet (creating and teaching). One of her goals is to show that anyone can create useful and beautiful items they believe are beyond their wildest dreams.  Cari's  jewelry design, Braidlets®, is a prime example.


Here is some personal information about Cari.   She is a native Southern California girl, married to John (retired Atty. and Veteran Combat Corpsman with Fox 2/7 1968) who supports her passion 110%. 

Read More Here

You can find Crochet Hooked on:

Handmade Artists Shop

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Are you On Fire for Handmade? http://onfireforhandmade.com

More Shirt Aprons

Classic dress shirt meets redesign  into new look of style class and functionality. This apron makes a great hostess apron or use it as a gift for a friend.

Green and navy plaid with white trim

Black n white pin stripes with black trim

Pink with blue pin stripes with blue trim

Navy plaid with navy trim

Featured Artisan Judy Cogo of Judy Cogo Designs

This week's featured artisan from the IBH Blog Ring is Judy Cogo of Judy Cogo Designs.
Judy is a self-taught jewellery artisan living in a small community north of Toronto, Canada. She started jewelry making in 2004 for herself and then to selling to friends and family, then attending craft shows, selling in a local store and now to selling on On-line venues.

Rhodocrosite Gemstone Pink Heart Earrings Sterling Silver 

Judy creates designs for any occasion incorporating her love of gemstones, wire wrapping and crochet. Her creations are made using either semi-precious gemstones, bead crochet, wire wrapping and other materials to obtain unique stunning pieces.

Bead Rope Crochet Clear Bead Necklace Swarovski Crystal Pendant

Wire Wrapped Green Dolomite Cabochon Ring

Free form Slice Amethyst Pendant Necklace

Find Judy Cogo Designs here:

Website

Artfire

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The Blues of the Skys in It's Better Handmade

The blues of the skys in Its Better Hand...

  Curated By: Myeuropeantouch

ArtFire.com

Jewelry Supplies

"Blue, IBH, Christmas in July, CIJ2012, glass, jewelry,crochet, knitting, sewing,

 something  for everyone from our It's better handmade Guild"

All items are active links  just  click the picture and it will take you to the shop.

Special thanks goes to My European Touch for including my apron in this collection.

Featured Artisan is Sebnum and Duygun of Sebsurer

Are you On Fire for Handmade? http://onfireforhandmade.com

This weeks Featured Artisan is Sebnum and Duygu - Sebsurer. 

"Beautiful Knit and Crochet fashions. A must have for every closet!"

Hand-made Knitted and Crocheted Outwear and Accessories products made

 by Sebnum and her mother Duygu Anne ♥

All creations in their shop are limited edition and unique...  

  "Our inspiration comes from everything, everywhere.  

We live to discover, create, share and love ♥"

You can Find Sebsurer on:

Etsy

Bonanza

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Latest Creations Shirt Aprons

I so love creating new designs.   Sometimes I can see something and just in vision how it would look like finished and other times the creativity doesn't follow as well.  This was one of those times when they design in my head turned into a lovely creation.   I took a man's dress shirt and turned it into a classic apron, one with its own style and flair.

Blue, red and white plaid shirt apron

Green plaid with yellow piping trim shirt apron

Blue and white striped shirt apron.

Featured Artisan Kris of LisianBlue

This week's featured artisan from the IBH  Blog Ring is Kris of Lisianblue.

 Kris is a mother and grandmother who enjoys a variety of interests.
When she was very young, she would draw for hours and dreamed of being an artist.   Kris enjoys the design process, and loves seeing her designs come to life through different mediums. 

Kris has been "crafting" for many years, with experience in beading, loom beading, bead weaving, sewing, crochet, knitting, woodworking, drawing, painting, stained glass, and photography. 

Lisianblue name comes from the listhianthus flower which is one of her favorites, especially the blue . She combined the  2 words to come up with the one - lisianblue.

Find Lisian Blue here:

Artfire

Handmade Artists

Reflections

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Reinventing Myself

Sometimes I think when someone is over 40 they decide they want to do something different with their life, style, or even rethink who they are and how they want to express themselves. I think this idea has been developing in me for a time now and I have finally decided to act upon it.  

Lately,  I have been thinking about my style and what I wear. I think it started with me designing headbands to match my aprons, which are vintage styled.  I made retro scarf headbands and with these I decided I wanted to wear them myself too because they look so cute.  But I only made myself  two and the faze didn't last long. 

About a couple of  weeks ago I came across a blog called "Reinvent Yourself."  And I thought this is it, I want to reinvent myself.  What a novel idea, try something new, have fun with life and try a new style.  I love the vintage clothing and the fun of  dressing up, so this could be an all new style, a new me.

Since I love vintage and make vintage styled aprons and headbands, I have decided on the rockabilly style of  40's to 50's fashion era.  I just love the look and how fun and flirty the style can be.  Here I have posted some of my fashion attempts of rockabilly.  I do have capris and tight jeans too,  but right now its so hot I don't wear them much and stick to more dresses than anything. 

Most women who wear the rockabilly look wear those pretty spiked heels but at my age I have feet problems so I can't wear those and wear either flats or small heels that are a vintage styled.  I think I'm still making the look work with the shoes I have.  Tell me what you think.  

Featured Artisan Lea Avroch of LA Jewelry Designs

This weeks featured artisan from the On Fire Team is Lea Avroch of LA Jewelry Designs. All beads are created by Lea Avroch, in her New York studio!  Unable to work following a spine disability, Lea started making jewelry over 15 years ago, hence the name, LA Jewelry Designs.

Lea had been making jewelry for many years and would often find herself wishing shehad a particular bead. So when she found out about a beginner lampwork class at the local art league she jumped on it and was immediately hooked. While Lea still makes the occasional piece(s) of jewelry, her main focus is on making beads. She gets inspiration mostly from nature; ocean, sand, beach, flowers, etc.  She says it's such joy to open the kiln in the morning to see the finished beads from the day before. 
"It is my hope that  beads will inspire your creativity in your jewelry," Lea.
You can Find LA Jewelry Design on:

Etsy

Artfire

Blog

Facebook

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Are you On Fire for Handmade?   http://onfireforhandmade.com

Get into the Spirit of the 4th with On Fire Team

This bright and patriotic treasury was created by Judy's Designs

Love the red, white and blues.

My lobster apron was featured here too.

To see these great items go to Etsy.com

All items are members from the On Fire Team

Featured Artisan is Joy Alyssa Day of Glass Sculpture.org

This weeks featured artisan from the It's Better Handmade blog ring is Joy Day of Glasssculpture.org. Joy has always interested in creating things when she was growing up. Joy and her partner create some amazing things together.  She is skilled in so many different techniques now and is constantly learning new techniques and new tools, and then combine them! Some of Joy's abilities include glass blowing, casting, carving, etching & molding, reverse glass painting, regular painting (on canvas), watercolor, wood turning, furniture making, wood carving, design, 3D modeling, digital painting, graphic design, logo and branding, marketing, computer programming, software development, writing, children's book writing and illustrating, framing.

Joy's love for cats and her own cats has inspired her to make pet memorials:
Kitty Memorial Urn - Sable Tabby with KittyFace Topper

Joy studied space and computers in college

 and her love for space inspires her jewelry pieces:

Fused Glass Tile Pendant - Radiant Panorama

Joy creates many large pieces too including baptism basins,

 bowls and communion Sets

Each item is handmade in the USA by Joy and her partner, in their mountaintop studio. They offer a range of art techniques and services including glassblowing (large and small), carving, etching, molding, fusing, painting, prints and installation.

Find Glass Scupture.Org

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Blog 1

Blog 2

Summertime and The Living is Easy

Summertime and the livin is easy

  Curated By: specialtivity

ArtFire.com

Fine Art Paintings

Fun summertime collection has lots of cool items for your pleasure.
Special thanks to Specialitvity for including my apron in this collection.