BESTeam weekly feature: Ardent Reverie

This week I'm delighted to feature Ardent Reverie, a shop with hair accessories, scarves, hats and original painting galore!  The original artwork on Etsy is so interesting, I've chosen to focus on Ardent's paintings in the mosaic as well as two beautiful hairclips with peacock feathers and a lovely shade of amazonite blue-green.  These paintings have beautiful clean lines, I think, and a great use of colour.

Click on any of the images to be taken directly to the shop.





Ardent Reverie describe themselves as two crazy sisters, Melanie and Meghan Mina, working out of San Diego.  They must both have similar taste, because it's really hard to see a creative difference in the shop!

And I had to include this personalised message in a bottle pendant in my feature.  It's such a lovely and original idea!  Who would you buy it for and what would you write on the message?

You can find out more about the sisters at
their Etsy store,
their blog
and on Facebook

Click here to tweet: Ardent Reverie a beautiful Etsy store

First blog giveaway is live!

 So exciting - you could win these lovely earrings in my first blog giveaway.  Find details here

You don't have to answer any difficult questions - just pick the item you like most from my Etsy shop and post the link on the Clever Crafter blog.  So simple!

Then there are other ways to get an entry, like becoming a blog follower.  That's easy too and you get to eavesdrop on my witterings regularly too.

Buying an item from my shop or the Clever Crafters store gets you the most entries!


You can enter up to 15 times.  So why not have a go?

The winner will find out next Thursday, so not long to wait.  Here's the link again...

Good luck everyone :-)

Click here to tweet: A great Blog giveaway from Blue Forest Jewellery

What is it about blue?

 Couldn't resist doing a quick blog about this bracelet.  It combines two things I'm really wild about at the moment, the 'Picasso' lampwork beads that look like someone in the millefiori-making room has gone mad, and cobalt blue.






I haven't always liked blue so much - green used to be it for me, but I did read somewhere that it's the nation's favourite colour.  Who knows how they work that out?

Anyway, it's available in the Folksy or Dreamaid shops.  Do I want to keep it for myself?  Absolutely!

Solution: I'm off to break the habits of a lifetime and make a second one for me - belated birthday present!!

BESTeam weekly feature: Swing Station Studio on Etsy

Colour, colour, colour - beautiful prints made into beautiful and practical bags, purses and housewares is what you'll find at Swing Station Studio on Etsy.

I just had to make a collage to show some of the great patterns on my favourite items.  Click on any of the pictures to be taken directly to the shop.  Each one would be a pleasure to use!

Heather, from Fort Collins, CO runs Swing Station Studio. She says her interests also include cooking, painting, reading, and sleeping! Helping out are hubby and fluffy little doggie, Ginger.

You can see how well made the items are, with the seams double stitched and co-ordinating linings inside.  Swing Station Studio ships internationally and will even contact you to arrange hand delivery if you live in the area.

I think my favourite overall though is this Birds of Norway fabric box purse.  The print is so lovely and you could store a substantial amount of things inside.  I love the fact that Heather will make any shape or size of purse in any of the available fabrics, so you could have a truly customised item.

And how cute are the elephants featured on this zipper pouch? They even have glitter!

You can find out more about Heather and this great shop by following the links below:

Twitter

Facebook

Blog

Email

BESTeam weekly feature Fish Princess Designs on Etsy

How lovely to feature a shop where all the jewellery makes you go 'oooh lovely'!  Such is Fish Princess Designs on Etsy.  All the lovely items feature natural gemstones, pearls, beach stones, beach glass, fossils, Swarovski crystals, sterling silver, gold or copper - all my favourite material too.



You can see the inspiration from nature (Fish Princess is a keen fisher woman in her spare time) in this howlite and freshwater pearl necklace with bronzite beads.  It's a really striking statement piece, in this season's top colour and the pearls compliment the semi precious stones perfectly.  At 21 inches it's a great length for summer tops as well.

For a real bold look, that necklace would work, I think, with these great hammered copper teardrop earrings.  They have a real Etruscan look, don't they, and again the sky blue of the turquoise howlite really pops against the beaten copper.

Texture is so important in creating a look and I love the way the pattern of the metal takes up the matrix of the turquoise howlite.  The real beauty of natural stones is really enhanced here.

This design is also available with beautiful denim blue lapis stones , light topaz crystals and in the with copper beads too.

This also took my eye, because lovely blue coloured pearls are really hard to come by, and the combination with the blue Swarovski crystals and silver accent beads in this bracelet is delightful. 

I could have picked so many other items - it's really a pleasure to be browsing here!  And what's more, Fish Princess is keen to work with you on custom orders too.



Find out more about this great seller at
http://www.fishprincessdesigns.blogspot.com
http://www.twitter.com/fishprincess
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fishprincessdesigns
http://www.facebook.com/FishPrincessDesigns

June loons Go Animal!

Love these animals listings from the loons

Froggy card by Crafty Mushroom

Delicate tea light holder by Bex by Design

Isn't puppy gorgeous?  If only I didn't have a dog that chews everything, I would adopt him!  By northfield primitives

 Foxy by NOfkantsCurios

Cheeky squirrel earrings by Mary Elliott Jewellery

 

Water vole earrings by Ruby Rattingtosh Creations

The joy of handmade

If you've bought a handmade item, why did you choose it?  Was it because it was unique, one of a kind?  That's got to be the number 1 reason.  In an era when the vast majority of things we buy are mass produced,  unique item has to be a real winner.  No-one else will have one!  And of course with Dreamaid you know in addition that your purchase is going to benefit someone less fortunate than yourself.

Handmade items really are  made with love

Another big plus is having something made with love.  You will get an item that been through a design and production process.  The difference is, that design process may well have taken place in the crafter's head, in the shower or at the kitchen table.  Sometimes an idea of mine is kind enough to land itself when I'm near my design book, but often they come along on the way to the day job, whilst walking the dog or halfway through Coronation Street!

Then there's production.  With one unique item to make, it's got to be right.  With jewellery, sometimes the actual act of putting together doesn't take a lot of time, but again we crafters have to find those few still minutes in a busy day.

Stand well back - knotting in progress!

I love making statement semi-precious stone necklaces where each bead is knotted individually.  The knots take a little while to do, but it's beautifully quiet time and a chance to think about what you're making, and wonder who might wear it and for what occasion. 

There is one part of the process some of us struggle with and might like to get someone else to do, and that's the photography.  You want your picture to convey the beauty of your handcrafted lovely - but often the light, the camera and the props have other ideas!  That's why handmade items are usually even better than you imagined when you see them for real.

So there's a quick step through the handmade creative process.  Now you know that the process begins and ends with a love of crafting, inspiration from real life and a desire to make something really beautiful that will be unique for you.  Each of the sellers on Dreamaid has also made a commitment to donate part of their profit to help those in the Third World.  Together with you, they can help to share that message of love further with each handmade item.

So smile as you browse!