ARTFIRE CRAZYTRAIN RIDERS WONDERFUL CREATIONS

The hardest part of all this is well, 2 things actually, resisting the temptation to buy some of the items I find, and thinking up titles for each blog!

I am so close to being caught up!!

Starting out today's lineup is Maggie McMane Designs with her wonderful jewelry creations.  LOTS of earrings - if you can't find a pair of earrings in this studio that you don't absolutely love, I'll be very surprised.  And Pendants/necklaces - lots of fun jewelry - from some very simple but prettty designs to more dressy.  One of her featured items right now is this adorable Snowman Necklace

Nice creative use of those bead caps and beads I think. This is  a necklace that both big girls and litle girls would enjoy wearing.   And, it would go with just about anything you are wearing, from blue jeans to something a little more dressy.  Wouldn't this be fun to wear to a Christmas party?

Earrings, can you have too many pairs of earrings? A friend has about 200 pairs of earrings - more than anyone else I know. However, if you love earrings and having a large variety, this is the shop to visit.

These little Green Flower Dangle Earrings look like they would be fun to wear, I love dangly earrings.  This is one of the coolest features of buying handmade, even with all the jewelry sellers on ArtFire - there is such a huge variety of how people put their jewelry together.

Once again 2 out the 3 riders today make and sell jewelry.   Sweet Whimsy (love studio name too) has a nice variety of mostly glass tile pendants.  She has just added another pendant out of a different medium,

 but - can you guess? Her Palm Pendant is a OOAK creation, so nobody else will be wearing one exactly like this one!   Love the iridescent effect on this don't you?

Yesterday, I featured an original aceo of a flamingo - found another flamingo today!  Only this time, it's on a pendant - not by the same artist as yesterday.  Glass tiles are fun to play with and I'm always amazed at the variety of designs people put on these. This is Sweet Whimsy's Flirty Flamingo pendant.  What a great variety in this studio and on ArtFire in the jewelry world.  

Are  you wondering if the there are other creations besides jewelry on ArtFire?  Yes , there is.

A humongous variety of items, many of them ooak unique creations, and Harmon Art has some wonderful unique creations such as this Dark Red and Black Cannonball Gourd, not something you are going to find in your big box stores or the mall.  Besides, who wants to play in traffic around Christmas?  Easy Christmas shopping, sit in your chair in the comfort of your home and go shopping in your pj's!  Harmon Art has a wonderful variety of gourds and other creations, but I admit I'm fascinated with their gourds such as this Dark Red & Black Doodle Kettle Gourd, Handpainted, looks like they had fun painting this one! Just a sneak preview - check it out to see all the wonderful doodles on this unusual gourd. 

What's your favorite pick for today???

I'm off to work on my blog about my ornaments and other creations which you can find here http://lisianblue.com/ I just bought my own domain, there isn't much there yet, but I would love to have you come visit.

Thanks for visiting and have a super day!

AWSOME ARTFIRE CRAZY TRAIN

Life is like a bowl full of cherries!  Bright and beautiful, juicy and sweet and well a few pits along the way.  I'm loving this new blog editor.

And here are a few things I'm loving by a few of the Crazy Train riders.

Jewelry is big business on ArtFire - lots of competition there.  Today 2 out of the 3 riders make jewelry. The totally awesome thing about this though is that everyone makes something different!  It's not like walking into one store at the mall or the big box stores and then another finding pretty much the same thing in each store.  Jewelry Works by Kim has some very pretty jewelry such as this pair of carved wood Tiki and Turquoise earrings  those are really cool.  Can't say I've seen anything else quite like those anywhere else, and they have sterling silver leverback earwires.

And another wonderful pair of earrings, perfact for fall (as are the tiki ones) are Kim's Autummn Equinox earrings.  Something about browns and golds,  silver and similar colors for fall.  The little feathery leaves are pewter.  Not only does she have some pretty cool jewelry, she also has some really great prices.

And so as not to confuse the jewelry  shops, we have Cherilynn Fine Art with her original and reproduction works of art.  Although, personally I love working with oils, I truly admire watercolor artists.   There isn't much room for mistakes with watercolors.  Oils, if you don't like it, just paint over it, can't really do that with watercolors. I worked with a man once who just loved flamingos - everytime I see one, I think of him - and this wonderful original ACEO of one is delightful. Not into flamingos?  How about this very colorful Gorilla - check out those eyes.  Those are something else!

He looks like he is looking right into someone's soul.

And strolling into another jewerly shop, Trinkets and Treasures , with a great variety and different than Kim's (see that is one of the awesome things about buying handmade!!) This Green Sea Glass pendant is so cool, love the colors and the way she put this together. There's a couple of little sea shells along with the white and green pieces of sea glass - such a unique piece of jewelry.

This one, I don't know, I think I'd have a hard time selling if I made it. (I'd want to keep it) Alaskan Ivory pendant - with two pieces of ivory from two different trips to Alaska!  How cool is that!

See, two different shops, very different pieces of jewelry.  And I'm willing to bet you won't find many pendants like the ivory one or that sea glass one either!

If you are looking for a unique piece of jewelry for yourself or a loved one - check out these shops, and if jewerly isn't your thing, you can alway  get an orginal piece of art.   No pits.

Support artists, buy handmade! and have a lovely day.

RIDIN ALONG THAT ARTFIRE CRAZY TRAIN

So, I'm almost caught up and then I have another couple of days feeling like someone smacked me in the face! And then I feel half way ok. I am sooooo glad though that I haven't gotten really sick - and hoping I can keep it that way this fall!
As we were doing a "My favorite childhood movie"theme on Thursday Sweet Treat, I thought it would be fun to include this Fairy Godmother resin pendant by Luv To Sparkle - what little girl wouldn't love that? Probably even a few big little girls!

Being a big fan of bunnies, I had to include this Happy Bunny Resin Necklace. lo I just went back through this fun studio - there really are some cool resin pendants here - not all for little kids! You can just tell these pendants are full of glitter - and that's a hard thing to take pictures of - cute - cute - cute!

And more cuteness from Val Made with a studio full of some very cute cards. Christmas cards, congrats, Easter, get well, new baby, and more, along with some pretty handknit scarves, caps and other items. So, if you have a special occasion coming up that you need a special card for this would be a great shop to visit.

These are really cute cards.

I love watercolors- I don't do such a great job with watercolors so I really admire anyone who can paint with them - and I just love MyrnaM's sense of humor. I suppose when you are a grandmother of 22 you probably both need a sense a humor and have just developed one by that point!
Love this "Cat Art April Showers" ACEO - in case you don't know what an ACEO is, it is Art cards editions & original - they are 2.5" x 3.5" Most of the art in this studio is of original art. And at some great prices.

and one of my other favorite subjects - birds - in this case the American Kestrel - almost hard to believe that this sweet looking bird portrayed here is quite the hunter! Wonderful watercolors by MyrnaM.

I have been really resisting buying anything on ArtFire although there are a lot of items I would love to have - just because! But, with the limited income I have, most of my "spare" income that isn't being put towards bills has gone to supplies for my own artistic endeavors. However, I did purchase something from one of these artists today - not saying which one - I'll post it when I get it - oh oops - no I won't it's for a Christmas present!

Buying handmade is such a great way to have something unique to give someone you love for their birthday, Christmas, anniversary, or just because!

ARTFIRE CRAZY TRAIN RIDER AQUAURIANN

If you are into fantasy art and reading, this is the studio to visit. Or just into fantasy art! AQUARIANN has some really cool bookmarks, pinback buttons, njotecards, originals, prints, and ornaments with her totally cool fantasy art of fairies, pirates, unicorns, dragons and more.
This would make a great stocking stuffer for those pirate fans.

Sweet birthday present or maybe a solstice gift? She also has originals, so if you want to get something really special, you can do that too.

Really like the colors in this one of the unicorn. She has some pretty awesome dragons too.

Pictures link to the item!

Thanks for checking out my blog and have a wonderful day.

ARTFIRE CRAZY TRAIN RIDER HOOK YARN & INKER

I think it's time to start addng in the current ArtFire Crazy Train Riders.
I also wanted to mention that ArtFire just recently came out with these sweet Handmade Christmas badges for us to put on our blogs, or other places - you can see an example of one on the lower right side of my blog. Yeah ArtFire - they are always coming up with new things to help us out!
And speaking of Handmade Christmas, Hook Yarn & Inker has some wonderful handmade items that would make some wonderful Christmas gifts or for any holiday, birthday, or for yourself!
Pretty and colorful is this Gumdrop Hippie Hat (love the name too) - Looks like you couldget a bunch of hair into this - and be warm too!
I absolutely love the design of this - Sunburst Cotton Flapper - it's sort of hard to see in this photo, but it has this sweet flower on the side - cute cute cute!

Besides the wonderful caps, eye masks, slippers, belts, there are some great eco friendly products in this studio. I've been using towels for cleaning for years - haven't bought paper towels in years - but this is a fantastic idea for a floor duster - no more throw away duster covers! and there are some fabulous bags, and other eco friendly items too!

I highly recomend you check out this studio on ArtFire for some great handmade items for yourself, Christmas, Hannukah, birthdays - or just because!

Pictures link to the item in the studio.

ARTFIRE CRAZY TRAIN RIDERS

Hooray for Friday! Hooray for some wonderful handmade creations. I was thinking of waiting until Sat to do this one - but I have been thinking of following more of a schedule for my blogs and other on line things. I'm going to try doing the ArtFire Crazy Train write ups on M,W, F and then T, and Thurs for other items of interest - or maybe not write anything! I realize that I may need to adjust this a bit once in a while since there is a rider on Sat & Sundays too - so we'll see how it goes.

It's blue and it's beautiful! And it's made by MDavis Designs this lovely sterling silver wrapped sodalite and Swarovski crystal pendant/necklace. I'm thinking that this would make a lovely gift for a special lady in your life or for yourself! I'm sort of thinking I wouldn't mind having it myself! That's the kind of necklace that can look great with jeans and a blouse or with a nice dress out on the town! I wonder if she does trades....................................

Wow, this is an awesome wind chime - jewelry for the wind! Made with copper, beads and capiz shells - and if you aren't into red - she has wind chimes in other colors! In Fact, MDavis has lots of other really wonderful creations, and I think very reasonable prices, along with free shipping through Sept.

I debated on this for a bit - I wasn't really sure if I should go ahead and include myself in this or not - well, I guess you can tell what I decided to do! I was next on the list after MDavis - so here I am, lisianblue - and yes it really is one word! Out of everything I do, my ornaments are probably my favorite. I got started doing these because I give my kids an ornament every year for Christmas. I started this the year they were each born. Up until a few years ago, I could usually find an ornament for each one that I thought they would really like. I decided that it really would have so much more meaning for them, and now my grandson to have ornaments that I made or painted. They have evolved over time from some very simple designs to more complex designs. These are two that I'm especially happy with.

My Butterfly and Hibiscus Ornament and

my Violets ornament. Each one is different - there are no two alike - a few that are similar, but I won't even do more than 3 or 4 that are similar. And not just for Christmas!

There are some people that can pick up a chunk of clay and turn it into something wonderful (I'm not one of those people) but, Michelle of Creative Critters makes some absolutely adorable little critters and creatures out of clay. Like this fantastic Mercury the Cat, who has the brightest blue eyes! This cat is just amazing, you almost expect to see it move to lick it's paw.

and this little guy is just too cute -and he's life size at 4"! I think he and Mercury would look so cute together - they are both about the same height! Wow - that would make a cat think twice wouldn't it - a mouse the same size as it! Fantastic job Michelle!

Besides of course wanting to promote myself, I strongly believe in supporting artisans who create whatever it is they create! I grew up making presents for my grandmothers, a couple of aunts and a few other people. It wasn't that we were poor - we weren't, my mother just thought that it would mean more to the people we were giving the presents to. We made little things like decorated soaps - cutting out pictures we thought the person would like then "gluing" the picture to a store bought bar of soap with wax. And we made candles. I still make candles. And if you can't make it then I think it's a great idea to buy handmade items to give as presents. Kind of cool getting something that isn't mass produced and may be a one of a kind item and to know that no one else will own one just like it! Kind of like people - we are all one of a kind!

thanks for checking out my ArtFire Crazy Train blog, an have a wonderful weekend!

A BRIGHT CREATION BUT MAYBE NOT A BRIGHT IDEA?

I'm not sure what it is about fall, but I love fall - although to be honest, I'd probably be very happy to live in 70 - 95 degrees all year through!

But, I do love fall! And I love the beautiful vibrant fiery colors of fall, along with candles, fires (in fireplaces) warm fuzzy sweaters, and playing in the leaves. Maybe part of my love of fall has to do with Halloween........................

I'm not sure just how this idea came about - and I sincerely apologize to anyone who may have helped in planting it in my somewhat scattered brain!

Just about the time Natasha of TST was announcing the Fiery Colors of Fall theme, I was out buying these cool candle holders! So, I was thrilled to see the theme when I returned home!

I plan on keeping at least one or two for myself, and I have one outside hanging from a short shepard's hook in a pot - and as I often spend time out on my patio, I have been enjoying it quite a bit. I also put a plant hanger on the patio partition wall that I will hang it from now and then.

Which is what these are hangin from - which is why you get to see the ugly partition wall!

I have been taking pictures early in the morning, late at night and during the day, so that I can get them at different times, as they look different in the light than at night - but want people to be able to see what they look like when they are not lit.

They actually balance quite well, and I have worked with each one to make sure they do, As you can see some have only 1 chain attached in two different places, while another type of holder has 2 chains attached in 4 different places - it's all about balance!

This one is a clear glass, I have them in green, orange, and a goldish color. They have to have 2 chains to balance them.

They are wonderful outside but I think they would also work inside - just don't hang them under a wood shelf! Yes, I did do that for a very short picture taking session, but I think they would do quite well hung from a plant hanger that hangs out from the wall - or even from a short shepard's hook stuck in an inside plant pot - just don't burn the plant!

I wrapped and soldered some little glass discs to hang from the clear glass holders - they do a nice job of glistening in the light. The twists of beads on top of the chains on the other holders do get a little warm, but they seem to do ok! I highly recomend that they only be used with tea lights, anything else may throw them off balance. Some caution of course is advised!

So, what do you think a bright creation but what about a bright idea?

Not for use by children.

WAS WONDERING ABOUT THESE GUYS

Top 4 pictures added after the original post - the hummer is more of a blur in the 1st 3, and sort of visible in the 4th!
Flying around in my patio

I do wish they would let me know they are going to fly so close so I can get a better focus on them! lo he's more to the left in the above pic

a little more visible and what's left of my morning glories on my patio - and the wonderful tree in the background

Ah sweet nectar! They've been visiting the feeder a lot today - it's 56 degrees - they probably need extra to stay warm!

and the original post...................................................

This past week has been somewhat rainy here - now this may not be so unusual for some people but here in the desert SW - well, it's sort of a big deal - especially when we have rain storms like we've had this past week.
The other night we had one that was really heavy, and I was standing outside enjoying the rain while sitting on my patio. The tree next door hangs over my yard, and the hummingbirds hang out in this wonderful tree, of course I have a couple of feeders hanging off my patio. But, I got to wondering about these little guys when it rains so hard, and was hoping that they were able to hide under some branches enough that they wouldn't get blasted by the rain and washed away - yeah it was that heavy - but then they are pretty light weight.
So, this morning while I out on my patio, one of them came up to the feeder, and then shortly another one - so my pair of hummers are still around - came in and got my camera and managed to get a few good shots of one of them - they really are kind of tricky to get photos of, I usually have to just stand around with my camera up to my face and just stay still and quiet till they decide to come drink - fortunately today they were coming around about every 5 - 10 minutes - in just a light sprinkle and somewhat cooler day today - I'm sure they need that sugar water to give them some energy to stay warm. I imagine they won't be around much longer, but I was so relieved to see them!
Be sure to click on the pictures for a large view!

Have a super day!

WHAT A RIDE ON THE ARTFIRE CRAZY TRAIN

I'm almost caught up! This has been good going back and looking at these studios again - I've managed to tweet items from everyone's studios - but I'm taking a little more time to pick items to feature on my blog.
And just what do I want to put on my blog?
How about some beautiful jewelry by Jewelry By Sandy , it's that garnet thing again - I fell in love with this piece the 1st time I saw it - I think it would be beautiful no matter what color of stone she put in there ( ohhh what about blue!), I love the way this is wrapped, it's very elegant -

This one has always fascinated me - how in the world does a person do this? I admit, I've tried a little bit of wire wrapping, I usually manage to end up with a tangled mass of wire, but to make a sweet little net to hold that gorgeous stone - how creative and so beautifully done. She even has an awesome unicorn with a cool jade horn! Check it out - it's pretty neat!

I just cannot imagine why anyone would want to buy jewelry at the mall when they can buy some awesome pieces by SpunSister Designs like these simply elegant sodalite earrings. I could wear these all day and then out dancing too (if I went out dancing that is!) Change from the work clothes to that little black dress and your ready to go.....................................................

Or how about these Thai Lanterns - nope just can't imagine buying jewelry at a big box store ever again with artisans like these around! I have always loved silver jewelry , and I think silver and black is such a fantastic combination, don't you?

Shifting gears abit we come to DoMosiacs with some wonderful mosiac creations like this Amethyst Accent Mosiac Wall hanging - pretty isn't it! I keep thinking it would look great out on my patio, but then I'd probably not put it there because it's too pretty to hang where other people could get it! Kitchen wall maybe...............................

and the last stop for today is DoMosiacs Winter In Summer Mosiac Leaf - pretty colors! and oh I just found the coolest thing - a mosiac orb! , nope not giving the link for it - you gotta go find it - just click on the leaf, read about it and then go check out the rest of the studio - some pretty neat creations - and then make sure to visit the jewelry artists too!

Love that picture of the leaf next to the snow!

Hey have a great day - I'll be back later for another stop along the CrazyTrain Trail