BESTeam feature October54Gallery on Etsy

 Winter Trees

Beautiful, isn't it?  This is an example of the stunning photos you can see at October54Gallery on Etsy, this week's BESTeam featured shop.  Anne from Whispering Pines, NC (I bet that's a lovely place!) is responsible for these works of art, and it's no surprise to learn that her work is on display at many local venues too.

I've chosen just three of my favourites from this shop, so as to have them shown to best advantage.  Regular blog readers will be able to see the themes of nature in the ones I've picked.  Click on any of the photos or captions to go directly to the shop and see more.

 Live Oak

Anne says that art has always been a part of her life, and living all over the USA as well as time in Costa Rica, has also influenced her artist's eye.  Anne also makes block prints and writes. 


Anne's work has a strong positivity for me, so it was a pleasure to find this quote from Walt Whitman in one of her listings:

Happiness not in another place, but this place...

not for another hour, but this hour.

 The Beach, South Carolina

I love this quote too from Anne's blog:

"The afterthought is good, but forethought is better."

(Norwegian saying)

You can visit Anne's blog here:
http://october54gallery.blogspot.com/

BESTeam weekly feature: AllAboutCats

Now, gentle reader, can you guess what this shop sells from its name?! Indeed, from AllAboutCats you can pick up anything you need to entertain your feline friends, as well as lots of lovely cat-themed human stuff as well.  So, if you're a servant to one or more cats yourself, this is the shop for you! 

AllAboutCats is run by Linda from South Burlington, Vermont, who is a proud mum to three rescue cats herself.  It's refreshing to see that the felines help in the production of lots of these items, and I'm sure they've had a lot of fun testing out some of the prototypes!  Linda likes to do other crafts too, and on her blog you can read about her other makes too, find out how to make cat accessories and toys yourself, see some great treasuries of cat items from other sellers on Etsy, as well as fantastic photos of Maggie, Jerry and Brady themselves.

Having not had cats for a while now, I remember the days when a beige catnip mouse was the extent of the stock under the 'cat toys' heading at the supermarket. Thankfully, for today's discerning and sophisticated moggies, there is a much better range, so why not pick up something from this shop where each item has been lovingly handmade?  Here's a selection of my favourite cat and human items.  Click on any of the pictures to go directly to the shop.









1. Funky cat coasters - love the colors!
2. Save the lives of the real spiders by giving this toy spider to play with instead
3. Cats need to celebrate Valentines day too
4. Mini wallet or business card holder so you can be reminded of your friends at home when shopping...
5. What a cute pig!
6. More funky cats - this time for the fridge.

You can find out more about Linda and her feline friends at these links:

Email: AllAboutCats@TheLastByte.com

Blog: http://allaboutcatsetsy.blogspot.com
Check out the customer appreciation photos - so cute!

Facebook Page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/All-About-Cats/178751288826475?v=wall

Linda's other Etsy Shop is This And That In Vermont
for handmade items, supplies and vintage.

BESTeam feature: Chasing the Nuns on Etsy

Today it's my pleasure to introduce you to Sarah from Chasing the Nuns on Etsy. Sarah from McHenry, IL, is a stay at home mom who's into crafts.  Her shop is full of beautiful knitted and crocheted items and she's happy to make any of these up in different yarns for you if you see something you want customised, or if you want something like a bag made out of a T shirt. How cool!

I've chosen some dishcloths, hats, a cuff, bags and booties from her colorful selection.  That turkey hat is perfect for Thanksgiving, I think! And that red lotus cuff would look really striking with jeans.  Click on any of the pictures to go directly to the shop.








You can catch up with Sarah at the following links:

http://chasingthenuns.blogspot.com

http://twitter.com/chasingthenuns

http://www.facebook.com/pages/McHenry-IL/cerlandia/273587627352

and be sure to visit her other Etsy shop for screenprints:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/charlesandsarah

BESTeam weekly feature: LoveElycia on Etsy

LoveElycia on Etsy, based in Hamilton, Ontario,  Canada, is the perfect place to shop if you need a post Christmas disguise.  Perhaps you're popping into town to return an unwanted gift to the store and don't want any friends and relatives to recognise you.  A simple moustache headband is just the ticket then. 



By now, you've probably guessed that this week's BESTeam feature is a shop that is a little bit quirky in a fun and funky way.  LoveElycia, or ♥elycia, provides fun headbands for fun people and a selection of vintage clothes and prints as well.

The prints all come with a story attached to the character.  I like Derby, here, who loves to crochet but can't commit to a full Afghan. 

Just recognise myself there - short attention span, low boredom threshold, love to make cute things!

Here's my pick from the vintage section - Frills and Lines - I think you need to supply the skates yourself!

Elycia trained as an engineer, but is now pursuing her dream of making cute things full time.  I think she's getting close there - a popular shop, a great fun blog and lots of new ideas - watch this space!


You can keep up with Elycia from these links:


http://www.etsy.com/shop/LoveElycia


http://www.loveelycia.com
(some super cute cat pics here for those like me who enjoy blogs with added animals)


http://www.twitter.com/loveelycia


http://www.facebook.com/loveelycia

BESTeam weekly feature: MyaBruceDesigns on Etsy

Leah from Arizona formed MyaBruceDesigns to offer a great personalised service for those of us who want customised cards, invitations or announcements but don't want to spend hours on the computer getting frustrated with photo manipulation software! I guess that's most people then ;-) The shop is named from Leah's children middle names.
Leah offers pre-set designs and all you need to do is convo your photo. She's also happy to work with you if you have a particular theme in mind for your creation. When you're happy with the look, Leah emails the finished article to you so that you can print out as many copies as you wish. What a neat idea!





I like this butterfly invitation - flutterbys are so sweet!




















This photo collage has a western theme but can be customised to suit your needs.
















And this elephant baby birth announcement card - suitable for boys as well, I think









You can catch up with Leah here too:
http://twitter.com/MyaBruceDesigns
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mya-Bruce-Designs/113429518702303#!/pages/Mya-Bruce-Designs/113429518702303?v=wall

BESTeam weekly feature: Steufel on Etsy

Today I'm featuring a relatively new Etsy shop: Steufel.  Steufel is run by Stephanie, from Cologne in Germany, and is a great shop if, like me, you love colour in your jewellery.  Her pieces are bold and chunky and often combine upcycled elements in them, along with sari silk, to create a kind of fusion of colour and steampunk.  I like the steampunk pieces, but as always, I was most drawn to the blue items!

You can find out more about Stephanie on her blog, where she confesses to being a nail polish-aholic, and loving mystery novels and cooking. 

My favourite items is this beautiful ring.

It's made of keishi pearls in shades of cobalt and denim blue, Czech glass leaves with AB coatings and a faceted glass bead, sari ribbon, all mounted on a button with the shank created from turquoise blue wire.

Stephanie describes this as a cocktail ring and I agree that this would be stunning with a really dressed up outfit, maybe a little black dress, or equally at home with jeans and a T shirt.  Just stunning!



A couple of other beautiful items caught my eye too!

Turquoise ribbon and beads bracelet

A fabric ring on an adjustable copper band

Be sure to check out this great shop!

BESTeam weekly feature: RaeoLight on Etsy

Raeolight from Joplin, MO, is a shop dedicated to fine photography, converted into prints, cards and magnets, calendars and jigsaws and other great gift ideas.  There are some great photos, all taken by Rachel, who despite having no formal training, uses the power of photography to really offer some really stunning images.

I'm going for a spring, summer, autumn and winter collection to show how all the seasons of the year are captured by this talented young photographer.  Click on any of the pictures to go directly to the shop.

Spring and Summer





Fall and Winter







There are some seasonal items too, and a special section of gifts under $20 - perfect for this time of year.

You can catch up with Rachel and see more of her work here:
www.facebook.com/raeoflightphotos
or
www.raeoflightphotos.blogspot.com

BESTeam weekly feature: Gilliauna on Etsy

Gilliauna on Etsy is a shop absolutely bursting with items and color - what a great find!  It's probably the best stocked shop I've come across, and it takes beading and bling to a new dimension, with everything you could want in bookmarks, rosaries, lanyards, eyeglass chains, zipper pulls, purse charms and so on, as well as earrings, bracelets, rings and necklaces. The shop motto, like mine, is all about adding a bit of color to your life, and helping to recycle at the same time, as many of the vintage items on offer use parts from charity shop purchases where the profits go back to the community.


Gilliauna is a US citizen, but lives and works in British Columbia.  She has over 20 years experience in making jewelry (and you can see this from the designs) and sells on Artfire and from her blog as well as from her Etsy shops.

Definitely visit the blog - it's updated most days and there are Etsy picks, giveaways, shop features and of course, lots more information about Gilliauna makes.

With so many items to choose from, and the emphasis being on color, I decided to pick a rainbow from Gilliauna's shop.  Click on any of the pictures to visit the store. You may have to move fast, though, if you want any of these items, as not only is there a huge inventory, this shop is also very popular with Etsy buyers, with over 250 sales since opening just over a year ago, and fantastic positive feedback too - a real Etsy success story!


You can find out more about Gilliauna by following these links:

Facebook - http://facebook.com/BitsnBeadsbyGilliauna
Blog - http://www.colorfulartisanjewelry.com
Twitter - http://twitter.com/gilliauna
Flickr - http://flickr.com/photos/gilliauna
deviantArt - http://gilliauna.deviantart.com
Tumblr - http://gilliauna.tumblr.com
The Meandering Musings Blog - http://www.handmadeshoppingguide.com

BESTeam weekly feature: LeoandJunie on Etsy

If I had four words to sum up the jewelry in LeoandJunie on Etsy they would be chic, vintage, colorful and sweet. And every piece tells a little story!

Christine is the owner of this neat shop, based in Easton PA. She worked in the fine jewelry industry so she knows her stuff and you can see this from the pieces she crafts - vintage inspired but with a modern light and airy feel, fun and using charms, gemstones, crystals, sterling silver and brass.

Christine describes her home as 'pet friendly' - I counted 3 darling dogs featured on this blog post, they are real sweeties!

These are my hot picks from the shop:





These hair pins will keep you tidy, and you can see how they influence by a cup of coffee! A simple and classic pendant, with a modern twist - the Celtic knot charm with a moss green crystal is quite stunning.






Such a delicate color, these lilac lucite flowers with embedded crystals would suit any skin tone, making them a perfect present. Love the combination of orange and yellow in this sparrow and flowers necklace.


Check out more at the links below:

http://twitter.com/leoandjunie
http://leoandjunie.blogspot.com
http://facebook.com/LeoandJunie

BESTeam weekly feature: Mysticwynd on Etsy

It's a real pleasure to feature Mysticwynd this week, as I've had the honour of having items included in her fantastic blog a couple of times.  We'll come to the shop in a minute, but while on the subject of the blog, you need to know it's probably the busiest and more interesting space on the web you've ever seen!  There are links to post that contain recipes, to tutorials and treasuries, to doses of daily inspiration, and my favourite bit, to future features, including the colour wheel of fortune, where you can see a calender of forthcoming features and submit your item to be considered.  Some of the themes are particular colours, others are more specific themes, others are looking for features on particular types of shop.  Whenever I visit, I end up getting distracted!  And whenever I've had something on the blog, the increase in views for that item have been significant, so well worth checking out.

Karen, based in Scottsdale, AZ,  advises you to pull up a chair for her blog, but I think you really need skates!  She clearly gets her energy from her belief and interest in the arts, and spiritual things, and her talents, as well as jewellery making, include poetry and not least of all, coordinating the BESTeam!

When she's not using her energy helping to promote others, Karen makes beautiful jewellery.  Each piece is one of a kind, and every one tells a story. Do click on the pics below to read the fascinating symbolism and associations for each item.

A couple of festive items first - those Christmas trees are so sweet.  And the jangling wine charms will keep you awake if you've overindulged at the yuletide table!







Next, a burst of complementary tropical colors with these lively shell earrings, then blue with rainbow colors in this chakra necklace.  Blue's such a versatile color!







This eyeglass holder is an unusual item, and I love the way it's displayed here in a heart - inspired! And lastly, this stunning 'Spirit of the Sonoran Desert' necklace - perfect with the season's tribal geometric trend.








Check out more at the links below:

http://etsy.com/shop/mysticwynd
on Twitter ( http://twitter.com/mysticwynd )
on Facebook ( http://www.facebook.com/mysticwynd )
on my blog ( http://mysticwynd.blogspot.com )
on Handmade Spark ( http://www.handmadespark.com/myspark/MysticWynd )
on Creating The Hive ( http://creatingthehive.com/?referring_user=mysticwynd )


and visit Karen's other Etsy shops:

TheCraftersCabinet - destash and supplies
http://www.etsy.com/shop/TheCraftersCabinet

MWElegance - Bridal & Special Occasion Jewelry and Accessories
http://www.etsy.com/shop/MWElegance

BESTeam weekly feature: Danizabeth on Etsy

Danizabeth (Danielle Elizabeth) from Peru, IL, hosts this striking shop full of color enhanced photographs of cars in salvage yards, acoustic guitars and landscapes and features around Illinois.  Danizabeth is also a painter and graphic designer, and you can see her love of art and color in her striking work, which invites you to look at the world around in a slightly different way.

My favourite picks from this shop reflect the use of color enhancement on these striking photographs.  Danizabeth uses Photoshop to make these colors really pop and I think this gives her artwork a slightly surreal feel, like your looking at the pictures in a dream.

Here are my picks from the salvage yard shots:





The service truck and acoustic guitar at a local salvage yard. Blues and yellows are fantastic, aren't they?

The old green Chevrolet door handle with peeling paint layers around it. Danizabeth writes that 'The reds are coming from places that had been primed for a repaint which add a lot of character.'

And here are some landscape shots:





The first is Mount Ayr in Iowa.  I love the a-symmetry of the shot, and the beautiful colors of that field and building.  You can definately imagine yourself lying on that grass soaking up the view, can't you? Then an historic covered bridge in Illinois.  Red and green must be Danizabeth's favourite colors, I reckon.  If I've read it right, you can get seriously fined for 'leading any beast faster than a walk on or across this bridge.'  Best not take my dog, then, as his average speed is a gallop :-)

I have several really important things in common with Danizabeth, besides sharing her love of color.  One, we like animals (click here to view Bagheera in all her black cat glory).  Two, we love music and the beach - OK that's more than one thing.  Three, an addiction to shoes.  Four, we are left handed.  You can pick up many more interesting facts like these on the blog.

Check out more at the links below:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Danizabeth
http://www.danizabeth.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/danizabethphotography

BESTeam weekly feature: AlexandersDesigns on Etsy

Jenny and Skip, a husband and wife team, run AlexandersDesigns from Independence, Kansas City MO.  This shop has a true artisan feel, specialising in lampwork and hand forged items, so you're sure to get a one of a kind, made with love product.  There's also loads of colour, and lots of items labelled 'ugly' glass which are really beautiful!  Full time crafters, living the dream, these are clearly busy people - check out the links to their other Etsy shops below.

Of course, I love blues, so I have to pick one out first! Very bubbly, isn't it?






And here's a great thing: you can buy for men at this shop too - it's not often I get chance to feature stuff for the guys, but we most of us have presents to buy for males in our lives, don't we?






And some unique 'ugly' glass pendants.  These are examples that were in the shop last week, but I think must have sold since.  So now you'll just need to get in touch with Jenny and Skip, who I'm sure will be more than pleased to create a unique pendant for you!






Links:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/AlexandersDesigns
http://www.alexandersdesigns.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jenny-Alexander/100000626406831
http://www.etsy.com/shop/classicallysimple (Jenny's shop)
http://www.etsy.com/shop/BeaderyDestash (Destash shop)