NAVY MOM

Sapphire is the birthstone for September and is the crystal used in a couple of these bracelets made by Sarah. She is a U.S. Coast Guard wife so these creations have deep meaning for her. They caught my eye because my daughter has just joined the Navy and will be leaving for boot camp soon.

Sarah is happy to do custom orders and special requests for any branch of service, birthday or other special occasion. What a beautiful gift to give, especially to someone who might have a birthday coming up or has a loved one away this Holiday season. They are very affordable at $25.00 each. Ideas are plentiful in creating your own special bracelet. Stop by http://www.LuckyStarsJewelry.etsy.com and see some of her designs or you can contact her there and have her create a very distinct piece for you alone.

HUGE DISCOUNTS ON CROCHETED BRACELETS

Here are some more items from the shop I am closing on Etsy this weekend. Stop by and check out all the great gifts at drastically low prices. These hand crocheted bracelets are going for $5.00!! The keychains come 5 in a pack for $6.00 and many have genuine gemstones and lampwork! Come by http://www.divellasfibers.etsy.com/

HUGE DISCOUNT ON BAGS AND HATS

These are just a couple of the bags that are being cleared out during my shop closing sale! I have hats,scarves and other knitted and crocheted times too. My shop in ETSY will close for good this Saturday and there are some really great bargains. If you are ready to do a little shopping for the Holidays, now is the time! It is a little sad because I do love knitting but my time needs to focused elsewhere. Take advantage of me and stop by http://www.divellasfibers.etsy.com

POTTERY

As a kid I alwys loved playing in the mud. My sister makes pottery and I tried my hand at it a few times...never could get it right but I sure do enjoy the handiwork of this lady at Dirt Girl Pottery. A lifetime Mainer she lives in Portland with her family and teaches art. Among the vases and mugs you will find some really fun and practical items such as ring stands and buttons as well as some little luxuries like hand made tiles and jewelry. Stop by and see Becky and her wares at http://www.dirtgirlpottery.etsy.com/

Creating a new studio on a dime

Well, not a dime exactly, but really cheap. My studio space used to be 9x12 with no closet space and I needed more room as I expanded to different mediums. I went upstairs into this old room. First thingI did was rip up the old carpet. I forgot to take photos before I began but the room I re-made was the color of the trim in the first photo...brown. Walls, trim, floor, everything brown...YUK. So I bought a gallon of KILZ primer and primed the entire room. Then the walls went white, one gallon and the trim two-toned sage (my favorite color)...1 quart of each. The room had one outlet and with all the lights, computer, sewing machine, etc I needed more so my wonderful husband put this room on it's own circuit and put in additional outlets. We put OSB on the floor to prepare for hardwood flooring at a later date, and a fixture track lighting unit, those are way cool! So far $157.20.

I looked around at the old furniture and scrap wood that has been downstairs for 6 years or so and came up with all my shelves, tables etc...still $157.20. My new studio is 10x13 with built in drawers, closets and cubby holes. Much more storage and lots of wonderful well lit space to create in.

Now all of my yarn is on drawers as are all my office and packing supplies. My gems are hung on the same old corkboards so I can see them and my beads are all neatly arranged by size and color so I can spot those easily too. My sewing stuff is in the closet which we took the doors off of and put shelves in. My table is now in the middle of the room which allows me to have have different stations around the table...general beading station with a separate design area; wire jig, hammering, you get the picture. I just love it!! So for $157.20, one weekend and a trip to Home Depot I have a beautiful new studio. Now I have to get to work!!!

Addicted to writing checks!

WARNING: These are so pretty you will want to write checks just to take them out of your purse! She only has 4 left. Jennifer uses gorgeous fabrics in her creations and each one is truly a feast for the eyes. In addition to these wonderful checkbook covers, she makes quilts, wall hangings, doll clothes and more. Everything in her shop is handmade in Maine in her smoke free home studio. Just be careful if you get one of these covers, you might develop an addiction to shopping. Stop by and check it out at http://www.jennifermiller.etsy.com

TENNIS BRACLETS THAT ARE CROCHETED?!

Why not?! This is an altered version of the bracelets I normally do, one with a and needle felted bead made by me and one with a beautiful lamp work bead made by Generations Lampwork found at http://www.generationslampwork.etsy.com/ They have a lot of sparkle as I use only genuine Swarovski fine Austrian crystals said to be the best in the world. You can learn more about them at http://www.swarovski.com/ They are priced at only $28.00 and have 31-36 Swarovskis in them depending on the size. The rest of the bracelet is made with professional quality seed beads handpicked, not bulk craft beads.

Think you can wear chunky Jewelry?

Trends in jewelry fashion are heading back to the chunky styles. At first I had a problem with it as I have always been more of a lightweight if I wore jewelry at all. I still don't wear much although my daughters keep telling me I have to wear my designs. I have developed a passion in creating and designing, or perhaps I just like to play with all those gems! Either way I have been learning, developing and having a great time with it. When I first started a couple of years ago I just made jeweled dangles to attach to my hand knit and felted bags. You can see where it has taken me. In the beginning...I used only craft store type glass beads and from there I went onto the Czech beads. Someone told me about Swarovski crystals and when I received my first order I fell in love with all the sparkle. Then a shop owner suggested I incorporate genuine pearls in my work so I tried it out and that was great. With my second order of pearls I also ordered some gems. All that was well and good but I did not care for much for what I was getting on the Internet so I started shopping locally. I found a great shop about an hour away for beautiful pearls and some gems http://www.beadinpath.com/ and another for my wire and other gems http://www.jsritter.com/. They are significantly more expensive but the quality so much nicer. It did mean I had to raise my prices but I feel like the increase was worth the quality. I really enjoy the process of handpicking my pearls and gems so I don't mind paying the extra.

I had the same basic experience with lampwork beads. I am fascinated with that art. I was buying them from company in Canada and while they were nice, they were mass produced and not really unique. I bought some beads from Generations Lampwork http://wwwgenerationslampwork.etsy.com/ and Margo Lampwork http://www.margolampwork.etsy.com/ and fell in love. I have worked so much with Generations that all I have to do is shoot off an e-mail and tell her the colors and shapes I want and it is perfect, beyond expectation in fact, every time. The lobster and the shells are hers, the octopus is Margo's. Now I have ventured into the world of learning the stitches. For someone who loves realism and has a hard time with abstract the free form peyote I have been doing is a stretch. I never thought I would be so taken by it. Now I want to buy a loom. You can just imagine what my studio looks like with all the beads, gems, pearls, lampwork and yarn...I still make those bags. Stop on by my shops and take a look at what's new! http://www.divelladelights.etsy.com/ and http://www.divellasfibers.etsy.com . I will have my own website up and running in about a month so stay tuned. Any suggestions on the design?

PHOTOGRAPHY

I could not resist! These photos were taken of my lilies by my daughter. So now onto the ETSY folks...

Crown of Storms is the one to look at today. You can find them at http://www.crownofstorms.etsy.com and you should stroll by and take a peek.

I love the toad he reminds me of Monday morning! And can you tell my fave flower is the Lily? The winter scene is what I am looking forward to. This shop has great diversity in subject matter as you can see. They also have a huge clearance section starting at $2.50. Yes you read that right, 2 dollars and 50 cents! With Christmas so soon and oil prices so high here is your chance to get some great one of kind gifts. Be sure and check out all the other FAB Maine artisans on my blog...Happy Shopping!

NEEDLE FELTING

This necklace was created using the needle felt technique. The felting needles have very small barbs on them so when you put them through the roving or yarn they grab. Get more info at http:www.thesilverpenny.com/FreeProjectNeedleFelting.html. There are lots of sites that give free instruction and it is also available on YouTube as well. It is not for those that need a quick fix as it does take considerable time but it is not difficult! I love working with wool and this makes it really fun!

HANDBAGS ETC...

OK so all who have been here before know that I am a bag lady! These bags are truly lovely and one of a kind. OK so you have noticed that there is an elf pictured there, no he is not a bag but an extraordinary sculpture made by the same very talented lady and I could not resist him. Please stop by http://www.BlueMoonlighting.etsy.com to learn more about this guy, you will be amazed!

Oh yeah, the bags. When you click on the link that will take you to Pam's shop you can see the rest of these beautiful, one of kind bags. They are fully lined and wonderfully made. I have been crocheting for years and have never seen anything like them! Do yourself a favor and cruise by for a peek, you'll be glad you did. Remember, Christmas will be here before you know it!

ETSY SHOP SALE, CLOSING

OK, so lots of folks have shops on ETSY and they do very well. I have tried everything I can think of and I just can't get the sales so I am closing the shops. Before I do I want to liquidate my inventory so I am having a huge sale on all hats and bags ..If you are looking for a bargain with Christmas coming up, check out my shops at http://www.divellasfibers.etsy.com/ and http://divelladelights.etsy.com/ Luckily I have some wholesale accounts for my gemstone lines and crocheted bracelets so things are not so bad. I just can't see paying for a site that does not pay for itself. I will be opening my own shop on line and will bring more details as they unfold. Meanwhile, save some money and shop early for Christmas!

HANDMADE QUILTED GOODIES

Wow, these would be great runners on the table for all those wonderful food fests coming up. These lovely masterpieces take the artisan 70 steps to create and the care could not be easier, just machine wash shake and air dry...iron while damp if you like! I love that part. Handmade, beautiful and easy care, what more can we ask for?! Stop by her shop to see all the details in these items pictured here and take a look at the spectacular colors she has to offer! You can see her at http://www.woodsheddesigns.etsy.com

WOODEN JEWELRY

I know I said I was going to bring you Maine Artisans, but I went to Canada this weekend for my husband's uncle's 50th wedding anniversary and felt inspired to bring you some Canadian work. I love wood and I love jewelry so this artist seemed logical and Wow what gorgeous work. The middle one I love especially (titled "Let the rain fall down) as the entire time we were there it rained with the exception of a few hours during the party. We all had a great time and I met many relatives. I have decided to take french lessons so I can communicate with them! How fun! You can see much more at http://www3dots.etsy.com/ Have fun shopping!