Artisans Helping Out

There are many artisans out there that do some really cool things to help out other people.  Right now in the UK, Jolene of Kitzbitz Art Glass is holding a Beadathon. All the beads made and funds raised will be donated to the Beads of Courage Programme. for children and teens with cancer.
This is a brief explanation about the program from the Beads of Courage page: "The Beads of Courage Programme is a new concept being introduced in the UK which is designed to support children going through their treatment. It allows them to tell their story using colourful beads. The beads are used as meaningful symbols of courage that commemorate different milestones such as blood transfusions, bone marrow transplants, hospital stays, chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatments. Their beads build up over time into a unique record of what they have been through. Some days are really tough for these kids. However, the beads are used for encouragement and say to everyone “that was tough….but….I did it” "
Because they need lots of  program beads, they are are commercially manufactured, with different beads representing different treatments.
The kids are given Beads of Courage, that are artisan made to "acknowledge the milestones in their treatment journey". They expect to need about 100,000 of these beads this year.  
I celebrate these artisans for their contribution to this awesome program.  

I've been a member of HandMadeArtistsForum for a few years, and have been delighted to see some of the awesome beads Jolene makes.  
I love these Glacial Powder Beads European Charm Bead and silver Bracelet

and these fun Romantic Custom Buzzword Beads in her shop on HandMadeArtists













To see even more of Jolene's wonderful lampwork beads, visit her blog Kitzbitz Art Glass, or her flickr page, Kitzbitz Art Glass by Jolene's Photostream, ( lots of great pics of her awesome beads!), but also remember to check out the Beads of Courage Programme

IBH Guild Featured Artist HopesandDreamsStudio

I'm a bit crazed this week, so I'm going to let the pictures do the talking for me with some wonderful creations from HopesAndDreamsStudio

Beautiful Sea Shore Set

So sparkly!

My Little Princess Charm Bracelet and Earrings  Sweet!

Lady In Bird Cage Necklace 

How cool!

Mermaids Matching Necklace and Earrings
Love mermaids!



Go take a look at some of the fun and pretty jewelry in HopesAndDreamsStudio

IBH Guild Featured Artist GlassSculptureOrg

Its Glass!!! Enough said!

No, seriously, if you even half way know me, you probably know I love glass! And hand blown glass rates right up there at the top of the list.  Finding wonderful creations by Joy Alyssa Day of GlassSculptureOrg was very enjoyable.  This delightful woman switched collage majors her junior year from computer, science, math to Theater, Costume Design, and went on to painting and then ventured even further and learned how to work with glass!  Yeah! I can tell you,  switching from that "career field" to an artistic one part way through school is a little scary (for a moment or two!).  But, at the same time, you know deep inside you it's something you HAVE to do!
Ok, I'll shut up now - well sort of!

Of course I'm going to start with an ornament! Love this unique Blown Saturn Christmas Ornament 
I'm not sure that I'd put this one away in the box of ornaments, it would probably hang in a window all year! (Oh, yes I do!)

Living in the desert SW having a Flaming Salsa Bowl would be fun to have! and then maybe some scrumptious ice cream afterwards! Of course wash it out 1st hehe.   Although, salsa flavored ice cream...........................no!

This is totally awesome! This Fused Glass Tile Pendant - Waves is created from a detail of one of Joy's original paintings which you can see here http://glassnebula.com/waves.html.


I'm inspired!

You can also visit Joy here http://bengalmania.org/  and here http://joysblog.glassnebula.com/

These 3 items are just a small sampling of her beautiful creations, I do recommend you go visit her studio GlassSculptureOrg

Have a glimmering day!

For fun, New Mexico, my home state, consumes more chili peppers (in various forms) than any other state in the US.  and yeah, I do add to that statistic!

IBH Guild Featured Artist Howling Caterpillars

Howling Caterpillars!  Ok, I've seen plenty of howling coyotes (too many in fact!) a few howling rabbits ( I even designed one), but really, howling caterpillars?!

I love it! and this avatar is so cool!

This mom and wife in Weymouth MA, has some pretty cool creations in her shop, such as this OOAK necklace titled And a Star To Steer Her By

she also creates DreamWebs, not calling them Dream Catchers because she isn't Native American (I really appreciate this about her) I really like this SemiSweet Paisley 12in DreamWeb

Although this next item isn't made by her, it is made by a friend and it's awesome.  This lovely Rose Quartz and Silver with Black HairPipe Choker is Native American made.
Oh yeah she also gives some great background info on all her items - I love reading about these things.

You can also find Howling Caterpillars here http://howlingcaterpillars.blogspot.com/
 and  http://spottedcrow.blogspot.com/

Wait, wait, wait, be sure to visit Howling Caterpillar on ArtFire too!  I love the way she writes!

IBHGuild Featured Artist MyEuropeanTouch

I was thrilled when I saw who this weeks featured artist is, MyEuropeanTouch.  I've gotten to know Monika a bit through our contact on Handmade Artists Forum.  Monika, is a very sweet supportive person, and a fantastic mosaic artist, with a great sense of  humor.  I'm not especially a fan of pink, but I love her work, which is mostly done with pink!  And, I want almost all of it! Monika takes some  beat up items such as tables, cake domes, teapots, etc and transforms them into beautiful pieces of art.  With glass nippers, and wheeled cutters she cuts up beautiful china, that becomes the medium for her gorgeous creations.  She also uses stained glass, vintage jewelry and hand made clay roses among other findings.

One of my favorites is the awesome Mosaic Cake Dome, which was a custom order.  You can custom order one too!

This would make serving cake any day special.

I've never seen an old washboard quite as beautiful as this Wall Hanging Mosaic Washboard  - Quite a transformation!
















What do you do with an old teapot that has lost it's silver plate?  Send it to Monika of course for a one of a kind make over! 

I truly appreciate her ability to take something that is still beautiful in its own right, but lost it's luster and give it a new life that shows off that beauty such as this Vintage Teapot Center Piece, this teapot was originally made in 1905!  Beautiful shabby chic.

You can also find Monika at her blog, My European Touch, and at MyEuropeanTouch on HandmadeArtists, and of course her studio My European Touch on ArtFire.

Monika is currently the Featured Dealer at the Avonlea Antique Mall.  This article gives us a glimpse at Monika's childhood in war torn Germany and part of what led to her beautiful Mosaic creations.   She loves doing custom orders.  She also loves going to the beach near her home in Florida.
Thank you for letting me share a little about my friend Monika,  and have a beautifully unique day!