Feature Artist March 14-20: Baublezptoa

This week's HAFteam artist is truely one of a kind! Carmen Trueheart runs Baublezptoa on both etsy and artfire. She's got a couple of blogs (Mooaany alias BananaMiranda and Mooaany Says) that feature many of her pieces as well as several of her animal companions, including the imortalized Poppyseed, done by another artist, SmellyRhino. Carmen specializes in Precious Metal Clay (PMC) and has even gotten her certification in this medium, however her skills are not limited to PMC, she is also a very accomplished lampworker, beader and silversmith. I'm so impressed by the level of craftmanship that she puts into every piece. It was so hard to choose just a few items to highlight but they are shown below. Please take time to visit Carmen's shop and if you purchase something know that 20-30% of the purchase is going to help animals at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah.

Featured Artist for March 1-6: ArtShu by Violet

So allow me to introduce to you Violet (Karen Grant) a fabulous red head from down under (Sydney,  Australia) who does a plethora of arts. Her blogs include Art Shu which features her fabulous photographic quality shoe paintings (yes I said paintings... you'll be amazed!), there's A Creative Spirit featuring phenominal paintings on everyday items such as hat boxes and cupboards, one can also head over to Culinary Delights by Karen Grant and delve into some culinary treats that will tempt your senses beyond reason. In the mood to shop rather then read? Visit her two fantastic shops on etsy Art Shu by Violet and Paris Accent. You can also visit her main webpage and get a taste of everything in one place. Below are a few of my favorite of her works. Please visit, comment and enjoy her works!

HAF Etsy Street Team Sale

Have you heard? The Handmade Artists Forum (HAF) Etsy Street Team is running a sale in their shops. It began March 1st, 2010 and will go through March 15th, 2010 (yes that is the Ide's of March). My shop is offering 10% off all items and an additional bonus of upto $5 in free shipping. Several shops are doing discounted rates, free shipping, gifts with purchase etc. Want to know who's offering what? You'll have to hop on over to Etsy and do a search for HAFteam or visit the HAF Blog and read all the participating artists sales before you search.

Featured Artist - Red Fox Jewelry

I am honored to be a featured artist this week, however, since I have missed getting posts done for other artists I felt it was only fair to spend this week catching up and giving them their due time in the spotlight.

Red Fox Jewelry is based in Arlington, TX. Mother of 3 grown children, grandmother to 5 (soon 6 if I read correctly) she previously worked as a tractor operator until injury stopped her cold. Now a fan of chainmaille and wire working she creates beautiful pieces that showcase a variety of styles and talents. Upon reading her blog I learned she too is in limbo about whether or not to upgrade her artfire account, although I give her props because mine still isn't complete enough to post items. To really get a feel for her works you should visit her etsy store, because it's my belief that's where all the magic happens right now... She has a singature style of wire wrapping that she calls arrowheads, however, this doesn't begin to define her jewelry as a whole. Stop by and peruse her shops, follow her on twitter and give her the attention her work deserves.

Feature Artist for February 21-28: Tuscan Road Designs

ec·lec·tic   /ɪˈklɛktɪk/ Show Spelled[ih-klek-tik] Show IPA



–adjective


1.selecting or choosing from various sources.


2.made up of what is selected from different sources.


3.not following any one system, as of philosophy, medicine, etc., but selecting and using what are considered the best elementsof all systems.


4.noting or pertaining to works of architecture, decoration, landscaping, etc., produced by a certain person or during a certainperiod, that derive from a wide range of historic styles, the style in each instance often being chosen for its fancied appropriatenessto local tradition, local geography, the purpose to be served, or the cultural background of the client.
 

I'm beginning this post with the deffinition of Eclectic because I can think of no truer eclecticist then Holly of Tuscan Road Designs. I am awestruck by the combinations of media that she creates her unique pieces with. Lampwork, Swarovski crystal, natural gemstones, charms & a variety of chains give her a multitude of possibilities; each one is varied as the colors of the rainbow. Above are but a fraction of her pieces. To fully get a feel for Holly's work please visit her shop, fanpage and blog.

NaLa - Featured Artist #3

Jewelry by NaLa features the works of artist who has appeared all over the internet, she's been featured in several treasuries and on Indy Spot, as well as being a member of Handmade Artists Forum, Jewelry Makers Network, Vegan Craft Samples and Indiepublic. I must say her short description "Delicately Elegant Jewelry" is truely all it takes to describe her works. They are all delicate as well as extremely elegant and I could spend the entire day drooling over some of her pieces. She is one of the most generous artisans I have had the pleasure to meet this year. She is continually promoting other artists on her facebook page, featuring at least one HAF artist a day and helping others feel great about themselves by posting heartfelt comments.  I'd like to showcase a few of her outstanding pieces and let you go wander her store for the rest.

Catch up...

New month and I'm determined to stay on track with my blog ring this time around.  So without further adieu here are the beautiful and talented artists of January 2010. For the first artist of January we highlighted Speranza Jewelry, which you can read about here. Our second artist should have been Libby of raven333 and I was such a slacker... so please read on for a review of her fantastic fiber arts.

Libby is an artist I personally can identify with as she too battles depression and the roller coaster of trying to find a good balance in medication. I give her major props for continuing to do what she loves and also sharing with us during her difficult times. January 26th she posted an article title One World One Heart Blog and Give Away should you be interested in obtaining one of her fantastic green felt scarves I highly reccomend heading over there and participating. In looking at her works I saw a wonderful variation of abilities, her felt work is key and many of her pieces contain her own fiber work but she is also an accomplished beader and then of course there is my favorite of her pieces, Celtic Dragon Art Doll. I love dragons, celtic work and this little guy is just fantastic! He is a sold piece and I have not seen anything else like him listed, perhaps one day a comission will be arranged and I too can have a beautiful dragon as well. Apart from her crafting she also has 25 years with the Center for Disease Control as a microbiologist and currently pursues a Graphic Arts degree! Go Libby! Can't wait to hear who your winner is and see what the rest of the year brings for you! Below is the afore mentioned dragon as well as a few examples of Libby's varied creations.