Woo Hoo 100 Followers Giveaway!

And the winner is Lisa!  Congrats Lisa!  Seriously people that is the name I drew!
Not too long ago, I decided to do a give away to celebrate when I got to 100 followers.  For some reason,  I had a hard time deciding how to do this, and what to give away!
Decisions made!

I'm giving away a hand painted,  hand cut stained glass ornament sun catcher with a design like this, except you get to choose the 2 colors.  Please see below for color choices**
So, here's what you need to do:
 1.  Visit my reflections studio, decide what your favorite item is and
2.  ****Come back here and leave me a message with your favorite item  and the 2 colors you would like for this 3 1/4" x 3"  bauble if you win. **You need to leave a comment on my blog, under this heading to be entered.**  Comments are moderated, you won't see it right away - I will get to them, I promise!
3.  If you aren't already following me, please do so!(you don't have to if you would rather not)
4.  Contest ends Sat Dec. 1st 2012 at midnight MST.

click on image for larger view

Color choices:
Top Row - Outline colors:  white, black, gold,  or silver,  but you can choose any color you like
2nd Row - Transparent colors: white, royal blue, red, purple, kelly green,  yellow,  amber, Prussian Blue, Black
3rd Row -Iridescent colors:  the 1st color of a pair is the main color, the second color is the the color that sparkles on top :  Ivory/ gold, aqua/blue, green/blue. red/gold, blue/blue,  purple/blue, pink/blue - unfortunately the iridescence doesn't show up too well.
4th Row - Frosted colors:  green, yellow, blue, red, (the frosted red really isn't very frosty - it's more of a flat red)

NOTE: the outline,  iridescent and frosted colors are not transparent.
You will not be receiving the red and gold one pictured,  but if you want one like it, I can do that!
Good Luck, remember contest ends midnight MST Sat. Dec 1, 2012!


Have a great day!

A Wonderful Gift From a Very Nice Lady

About Halloween time, I made a few Highlights, and of course sent little notes to everyone that I included.  I received a short note back from Judy, creator of JuniqueGoods.  We exchanged a few messages with each other, and in one of those she offered me  a few sets of double pointed knitting needles.  These high quality needles had belonged to her mother-in-law who used them quite a bit especially for sweater sleeves.   Judy said she had also used them but no longer knitted,  so I said, Yes, I'd love to have them!  Honestly I was expecting a "few" sets.  I really felt very honored that this very sweet woman was giving me some nice double pointed knitting needles.  Within about a  week, I received a manila envelope in the mail,  and couldn't wait to get back to my apartment to see what was inside!

As I opened the package, I thought, this is a "few" sets!
Each set of 5 double pointed needles had several rubber bands around them along with a small piece of paper with the size.

Enclosed were size 3

and sizes 4 &5

and 6 & 7

and also 8 & 9

along with size 10!

A bit more than a "few"!!!  Oh, the picture of sizes 8 & 9,  there are only 4 of the size 9 in the picture, because I had to try these lovely needles out, so one of them was occupied with  the beginnings of a scarf!

These sweet light weight double pointed needles are made out of birch wood  by Brittany..  They also make regular knitting needles as well as crochet hooks. I asked Judy if her mother-in-law or she had used them, as they didn't look like they had been used at all!  She assured me that both she and her mother-in-law had used them.

I'm not sure what I did to deserve such a sweet gift, but, I am delighted to have these!  Judy, thank you so very much!
Judy, at the age of 75 opened her online shop, selling some very cool creations.  She  is happily married and living in Monroe, NC.  Judy is also the mother of 2 and the grandmother of 5.  She says that working with  beads, wire, ribbon, fabric, and wood provides some much needed relaxation  after a day of working with children in their Home Child Care Facility.  Now, normally I wouldn't share what a women's age is, but I think it's wonderful that she took this on at the age of 75, along with taking care of children.

I'd like to share of few of Judy's creations in her JuniqueGoods shop on HandMadeArtists Shop

One of my favorites, is this Christmas Spider

And I just love these Mini Stump Santas

Judy also has some very colorful  Handwoven Gods Eyes that are made by the kids!  This pretty brown, yellow and peach (?) one, is just one example of these nicely done creations.
You can find Judy's creations at JuniqueGoods on HandMadeArtists
and JuniqueGoods on ArtFire
You can also find her as JudyGriffith on Facebook.

I'm glad you stopped by and wishing you a wonderful day.  Love comments - they are moderated, so you won't see them right away.  I have to approve them 1st.  Keeps the creepies out!

HAF Featured Artist BrooklynBeadGoddess

I guess my love of glass just naturally extends to lamp work beads, they are glass! And especially when they are as pretty as the ones that Brooklyn Bead Goddess makes.  April who was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY  credits Brooklyn for her style and flair unique to her jewelry.   She also remembers going to Coney Island and seeing glass artists who sold their sparkling delicate creations there.

As April describes it: "Lampwork is used to describe handcrafted glass beads that are made by melting glass rods with a torch. The word "lamp" was used in ancient times when the glass was melted with the flame of an oil lamp. Today the craft is also called "flameworking". Each glass bead is individually hand crafted by heating a glass rod in the flame of an oxygen and natural gas mixed gas torch. The hot glass is melted and applied to a steel rod. I'm open to whatever glass I can experiment with. Lately I'm using German Lauscha, Italian glass Effetre/Moretti, Vetrofond and Creation is Messy. I enjoy learning from and making friends with other artists. Being involved in the art world has always been my passion. Making glass beads takes time and patience. Mostly it takes practice, practice and more practice. That's what keeps me focused. There is always something new to learn." Let's explore some of April's lampwork jewelry........... As many of you know, I'm going to head straight for the blue 1st - such as this gorgeous Lampwork Bead Necklace Handcrafted Glass Wearable Art Jewelry Necklace  Green is my other favorite color, so this is perfect! Such a pretty pink Lampwork Glass Bead Bracelet Handcrafted Wearable Art Jewelry   One of my favorite color combinations, blue and purple, that you will find in this very nice Lampwork Bead Necklace Handmade Artisan Jewelry Handcrafted Wearable Art SRA an SRAJD I admit, I was tempted to do all blue, but I know other people wear other colors too!  So do I.  You can find Apri'ls creations at Brooklyn Bead Goddess on HandMadeArtists, as well as http://www.brooklynbeadgoddess.com/  Her blog, Brooklyn Bead Goddess Blog,  She is also on twitter https://twitter.com/bklynbeadgoddes and facebook https://www.facebook.com/BrooklynBeadGoddessApril. No excuses for not being able to find her!   Thanks for coming by and have a great day!  Would love to hear what you think!  Comments are moderated - they won't show up until I approve them.

HAF Featured Artist A Bead Thing

Got all your holiday shopping done for your favorite lady?
No, you haven't even started!  Don't feel bad, many of us haven't! Want to know a secret?
Yeah!
Well, ok then,   let me tell you about a great place to go, and you don't even have to leave your house! You can go shopping at A Bead Thing any time day or night to get some great jewelry creations by Pam.   Pam is a mother and grandmother and has been doing crafts of one kind or another all her life.  Turns out, Pam had been collecting beads for quite a while, but kept them in the closet! She says she would take them out occasionally and admire them, maybe play around with them a bit, but back they went!  Pam's mother passed away on 5/18/09 and then Pam had a heart attack on 5/24/09! As many of us don't know - but do now - many people will often go into a depression after having a heart attack.
Then, Halloween came along and Pam asked her daughter to make some jewelry for her, with some of those beads in the closet,  - and Pam was hooked!
She started researching  techniques, and learning all she could about beading and hasn't stopped.

One of my favorite creations by Pam is this sweet Wire Swirls Bracelet

Another favorite is this gorgeous Wire Wrapped Jasper Pendant

If these Silver Coiled Turquoise Howlite Earrings are still in her studio around the 1st of Dec., I'm snatching them!  Wish I could do it sooner, but.................the bills gotta be paid!

Not only does Pam make some awesome jewelry, she has some great prices!  You can see  more of Pam's creations at A Bead Thing on Hand Made Artists Shop

Be sure to check out Pam's blog, A Bead Thing, where she has even more artisan designed jewelry!

And her other blog, A Bead Thing where she shares recipes, stories about her darling grandson Jaeden, and other artisans.
You can also follow A Bead Thing on Twitter and Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ABeadThing
http://www.twitter.com/abeadthing

And oh yeah - that depression, went away - creating with your own two hands is great therapy!
Thanks for coming by and have a great day!

I enjoy your comments!  They are moderated, (sorry) so they won't show up until I approve them.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING :)

Home Away from Home Hand Made Artists Forum

I started selling online about 6 years ago, starting with Etsy, then Artifre, and eventually with just  Hand Made Artists Shop.  I became a member of the Hand Made Artists Forum May 3, 2009, shortly after the forum began in April 2009!  During the past 3 1/2 years, there have been time periods where I haven't been around much, sometimes life just gets in the way.  But I don't stay away for very long. Why? Well, I'll tell you why.

!st, Andrew and Kimberly are the most supportive people I've ever met and they want everyone who creates things with their own 2 hands to succeed, no matter where they sell their items.  They are open to the communities ideas, wants, needs,  and will do their best to get something done. Many ideas get voted on before it is done.


Sterling Silver Dainty Roundmaille Bracelet by Chainmaille


 2nd, It's a friendly supportive place to hang out.

Cobalt Blue Swirls and Curls Sea Glass Pendant by MakinTheBestOfIt

3rd.  You can post your creation in the forum and other nice friendly people come along and leave you great compliments or nicely tell you what would make it better.

Flossie the Cow in Black and White by FabricOf MyMind















4.   Pretty much every creation that gets posted in the forum gets tweeted, put on facebook, google+ and I think a few other places too - same goes for every item listed in every shop! Now, I could be wrong, but I don't know of any other venue that does that for their vendors!  There are no "favorites" when it comes to what gets promoted, everything get promoted!

Baby Art Quilt Welcome Home by IKnitQuiltSew

5. One of the forum threads is titled "What are you doing today?" started on May 4, 2011, and we are now on page 279 about to roll over to pg 280 - people share so many different things on this thread - from baby's  being born, surgery, eye problems, getting a new shop - on line or brick and mortar,  getting a job, a part in a play,  you get the picture, right!   One of my favorite threads!

String of Copper Hearts Necklace by trusk4u

6.  In a recent email about our newest Highlights contest (like a treasury or a collection) at the end of it was this: "Anyway, many of you know we are located on the Jersey Shore and we got hit hard where we live as we are only a mile and half off the ocean. If there is anything we can possibly do to help our members affected by Sandy, please do not hesitate to contact us".  That is the way Andrew and Kimberly are!

Celeste by HandMadenDesigns

So I figure that even though the Hand Made Artists Shop isn't as well known as some other sites, we are growing, and have some very talented people there, but I want my efforts at doing what promoting I am able to do, go towards helping out people like Andrew and Kimberly who do so much for us & the many people who also do a lot to make Hand Made Artists Forum the great place it is. 
There is a lot more I could say - but this is getting kind of lengthy! 
I'm so glad you came by and I'd love to hear what you think, comments are moderated, so please be patient, your comment will show up after it is approved!  If you don't see it right away, it's ok, no need to leave another one!  unless you really want to :)
Sometimes it takes me a while to get to it!