Northern Dawn

Pet Portraits

2009-10-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

I have been producing custom Pet Portraits for quite a while now and currently have 3 that I am working on, the progress of which is on the blog: Laura's Pet Portraits Blog

I produce Pet Portraits in coloured pencil and graphite portrait. My portraits are traditional, highly detailed portraits of any pet, though most of my portraits are of dogs. My website has a gallery plus details of prices and sizes as well as a secure order form: Laura's Pet Portraits.

This is one of my past graphite pet portraits

I have more examples of my portraits on my Flickr photostream:

Decorating

2009-10-03T14:13:00.001-07:00

We moved into our current house in January this year and it's a bit of a 'project' as it needs quite a bit of updating and cosmetic work. We are slowly working our way through it and are currently decorating our spare bedroom which will then become our main bedroom. We have now finished the decorating, we just need to get the carpet in before the new furniture arrives a week Tuesday. I thought I would share some pics:

Before: This wasn't actually what it looked like, this was after we peeled off the many layers og wallpaper and paint to find bright blue glossed walls!!

Intermediate: First we sanded and painted the woodwork then did a basecoat of pale cream all over to hide the blue!

And after: 2 walls papered and 2 painted. We're really pleased with it.

A Black Cat for luck?

2009-10-01T12:05:00.000-07:00

Yes, i'm back with the Etsy favourites. This week I have picked a semi-topical theme - Black Cats, which are of course related to Halloween which is all over Etsy at the moment. The other reason for choosing Black Cats was for some ideas for my Mum's Christmas present as she has a mental little black cat. So here they are, my favourite Etsy shops for the week:

glass4mankind

Gorgeous handmade stained glass items in as many different shapes as you can think of. Most of the items in the shop are pendants and all have a lovely whimsy look to them - perfect for creating personalised Jewellery for loved ones. The featured pendant is Spooky, a cute black cat. The body is black glass and the wire is copper tinned wire that then makes the legs, ears, whiskers and face. The items are so cute in this shop and very unique as well as being very reasonably priced.

A. N. Original Jewelry

One of my favourite materials for Jewellery is silver and this lovely shop is full of handcrafted silver items. All items are hand pierced, sawed or filed and are so delicate. The little cat featured is only half an inch across and so pretty. The shop also features oxidised silver items and earrings to go with the pendants. This shop also has a regularly updated blog: http://www.anoriginaljewelry.blogspot.com/

Dwayne Bulla

"One man's junk is another man's treasure" is the slogan for this shop and it is truly amazing what gorgeous items Dwayne produces from 'rubbish'. This black cat is created from horseshoes, discarded bits of tools and nails! Other items in the shop are things like a saw blade flower and a drill bit dragonfly. This shop is the place to shop for something entirely unique and different to decorate your home or garden with.

Riricreations

This shop features handmade items such as cards, lunchbox notes, personalised gifts and blessing blocks. I have to admit to not knowing what a blessing block was when I discovered the lovely BOO blessing blocks in the photograph. They appear to be decorative blocks that are given to celebrate a blessed event, eg: birth of a child, wedding, anniversary or even halloween. I think they are lovely. The set featured are 2 and half inch square, handmade and hand decorated with lots of halloween inspired ghosts, spiders, cats etc and can be customised pretty much any way you like.

Susan Faye

You will notice my favourites often feature art and jewellery. These are two of my favourite things and the artwork in this shop is brilliant. I really like the bright, whimsical style of Susan's portraits. The featured artwork is an original ACEO, obviously with a Halloween theme, hand painted in watercolour. However I think my favourite things in this shop are the 'Custom cat lady' portraits - if you know anyone who loves cats (and I know several!) this is the perfect gift, an original portrait featuring the cat lover and their cat(s) all at a very reasonable price. Susan has a blog featuring her cat ladies at: http://www.365catladies.blogspot.com/

I hope you enjoyed these (slightly spooky) favourites as much as I enjoyed finding them and happy shopping!!

Book Review

2009-09-30T13:48:00.000-07:00

Recently I had someone comment on this post: Pan Chang Knot and they asked if i learned how to tie the knot from a book. Yes, I did. I am self-taught with my Jewellery making and have learnt it all from books and magazines. I am a self confessed book addict so thought I could do some reviews of some of the Jewellery and craft making books I own. So, the first one:

Chinese Knots for Beaded Jewellery by Suzen Millodot

Paperback
Published by Search press (2003)
80 pages
£7.49 off Amazon

This book was the first one I bought as a guide for tying knots and it is probably my most used one! It features instructions on how to tie 14 different knots and then 16 projects, mainly necklaces with a couple of bracelets. The instructions to tie the knots and the project using that particular knot all come together so you don't have to keep flicking backwards and forwards from the knot instructions to the project instructions.

Each knot shows step by step instructions on how it is tied, either with very clear diagrams or photographically or both. The written instructons are also very clear.

As well as the instrcutions provided for the projects there are also a number of other Jewellery items photographed for each type of knot that provides inspiration for attempting your own knotted jewellery projects.

At the beginning there is a comprehensive section on different cords, beads, findings, equipment and calculating cord lengths. All of this information helps when you have the confidence to develop your own pieces.

It is a really good book, particularly for beginners and one I would definitely recommend.

Relisted Necklaces

2009-09-29T12:11:00.000-07:00

I have just relisted 3 items on Northern Dawn on Etsy. These were three items that went in the shop right at the beginning and have just expired, so I thought I would try them again. Re-listing items on Etsy put them back at the top of the search results and is a technique that is nearly always mentioned when talking about improving sales.

So, my three items:

Button Knot Necklace with a glass pendant: FOR SALE: $23.00 (approx. £14.00)

Glass bead cluster necklace: FOR SALE: $23.00 (approx. £14.00)

Fabric bead cluster necklace & earring set: FOR SALE: £29.00 (approx. £18.00)

Labrador Rescue

2009-09-28T12:34:00.000-07:00

I was out on Saturday helping raise money for a Scottish charity - Labrador Retriever Rescue Caithness and Scotland. My 'day job' had a stall so I was one of the volunteers on that. In between doing a little bit of raffle ticket selling I snuck off outside to watch the displays, which were a Gundog display and the Northern Constabulary Police Dog team.

I had a lovely day and as usual loved watching the dogs working. I think a dog with a job to do is so lucky, they just love the mental and physical stimulation. All the working dogs I've ever met have been so fit and healthy and the ones on Saturday were no exception:

Police Dog:

And this beautiful Newfoundland was helping with the fundraising:

Some bracelets & a Camera

2009-09-15T12:24:00.000-07:00

Well 2 things done off the To Do list so far.

I actually completed 2 bracelets today. Both feature the very versatile button knot and beads I picked up from the Scottish Bead fair at Perth.

I have not worked out costings for them yet, but they will be For Sale tomorrow in my Etsy & Folksy shops.

I have also listed my Nikon 35mm SLR camera for sale on Ebay. As well as the camera the listing includes 2 Nikon zoom lenses, a Lowepro camera bag, an autofocus flash & a battery grip plus extras such as filters. It's not been used for over 3 years so I decided it was time to sell it and put the money towards a new digital camera as my little point & shoot digital really needs upgrading. It is all in working order though and I even have instructions and original boxes for some items! here is the listing: Nikon F80 SLR plus accessories. Happy Bidding!!

To Do on Tuesday

2009-09-14T14:17:00.001-07:00

Yes I am still alive. So what have I been doing? Well working hard on something I don't want to say too much about untill the end of the year when it's either definitely happening or definitely not happening!

But now, I'm back to do a bit for Northern Dawn. Today I went out for lunch with a work colleague and pretended to do some work for my 'day job' but in spent a very pleasant 2 and half hours sat on a sofa in the pub eating, drinking & chatting. I also did some housework (this doesn't happen often). So tomorrow I must do at least a few useful things. Here is a list that may or may not be completed!

Finish a knotted bracelet I'm working on
List my camera on Ebay
Put some photographs on Flickr
Take some photos of my Boxes for my Etsy & Folksy listings

So, there's a start. I'll let you know tomorrow what happens.

Etsy Favourites - Autumn

2009-09-07T12:25:00.000-07:00

Decided on a seasonal theme for this week's Etsy Favourites feature, now it's September already and it's starting to get dark by 8 o' Clock. I find it such a depressing time of year, but these beautiful items are enough to get a smile on anybody's face!

Blue Heron

This shop features hand made Jewellery, Pottery and fused glass items, such as the lovely item featured which is a glass sculpture, which can either hang in a window to catch the light or be displayed on a stand.

Little b Bunny.

This lovely shop is the place to shop for some gorgeous handmade cards. I liked the cat on this Halloween themed card. The seller named her shop after her daughter's nicknames, which I think is soo cute. It's little personal details like this that make shopping somewhere like Etsy so nice. The shop features a wide selection of cards for all occasions and in a wide range of styles. Little b Bubby also has a blog: http://littlebbunny.blogspot.com/

Radiant Mind Designs

I love this shop. It is full of absoloutely gorgeous beads and also has stunning photographs. Definitely on my list of Etsy shops I will be purchasing from! This shop features handmade lampwork glass beads in small co-ordinated sets or larger focals. Some are one-offs to purchase before they're gone, others are from the custom line that are re-made when sold. They also sell lampwork recipe e-book tutorials for those who fancy trying their hand at making their own beads. Radiant Minds also have a blog: http://www.glassmuse.blogspot.com/

Humblebeads Gaden Party

Another lovely handmade bead shop. Humblebeads is owned by Heather whose beads are inspired by textures and colours in nature. Her beads are made from polymer clay and hand buffed to a matte finish. The shop contains smaller disk beads and really nice focals and pendants, including things like hedgehogs and owls! Another shop to add to my shopping list! Heather also has a blog: http://www.humblebeads.blogspot.com/

Lavender Cottage

This shop features handmade metal Jewellery, using fine silver, sterling silver, copper, brass and occassionally gold. The findings are even handmade as well! The pendant i've featured is hand drawn and cut from sterling silver, resting on a background of hammered copper. The stone is a carnelian. It measures an inch across, so is a pretty delicate little piece. Lavender Cottage is a blogger: http://lavendercottageoriginals.blogspot.com/ and also a Twitterer: http://twitter.com/lavendercottage.

I hope you enjoyed this week's autumnal favourites and have been inspired to do a bit of seasonal shopping.

The Scottish Bead Fair

2009-09-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

Well I got as far as the Bead Fair on Sunday in Perth and had a really good afternoon. It was a long way to go and I managed to get there late so missed one of the demonstrations I wanted to see, then was so busy shopping that I missed the second one! I could have spent a fortune particularly on some really beautiful glass focal beads, but I resisted and restricted myself to a £30 cash budget and got a nice selection of smaller beads, both for using with knots and cords and with wire.

I also picked up some cards and leaflets and discovered one of the companies is coming to a local glass studio to teach next year so i will definitely be getting involved in that!

It was a very busy day, I was amazed at the queue to get in but it was worth it and next time I will get organised and actually get to the demonstrations. It was very easy to get to and I had a nice wander round perth as well. It's a nice town, with a real variation of architecture, from the very old....

to the very new.....

(The Concert Hall where the Bead fair was held.)

Not on the High Street

2009-09-03T07:44:00.000-07:00

I have been away on a training course for my day job. We left on Tuesday night, flying from Inverness to Manchester with the lovely Flybe, then returned last night after the course, eventually getting home about 11pm last night!

Whilst on the flight I read their inflight magazine, Flybe Uncovered. In this magazine, they have a 'business' section and the feature in the current one is businesses starting up in a recession. It was a very encouraging and inspiring read, particularly for those, like me, that are attempting to do just that!

One of the businesses featured created hand-stitched personalised baby mementos and was selling them on a website called NotOnTheHighStreet.com. I'd never heard of this website, but thought it warranted investigation, so had a look today and it's got some really lovely stuff on it, and an impressive list of press exposure. You need to apply to be a seller and they only agree to partner with 5% of those that apply, so I imagine they have strict criteria, and is probably fairly expensive compared to the likes of Etsy or Folksy, but still, there's no harm in asking for information, which you can do via their website. I may well do in the future but not until I've got a bit more organised about what i'm doing!!

They also have a blog: Not on the High Street Blog and are on Twitter: nothsdotcom

Back on Tuesday

2009-08-28T13:03:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed i've not been here much since being back off holiday. I have decided to extend my holiday a little and will be back on Tuesday. Tuesday is the day our visitors go home and I finding it hard work to devote time to them and Northern Dawn.

I am working tomorrow at my 'day job' and am off to the Bead Fair on Sunday. I am so looking forward to it. I am going to allow myself a very small spending budget but I'm sure I will be quite inspired by what I find there. Even if I can't spend a lot of money, I can still collect information and ideas!

So I will be back Tuesday and you can look forward to more holiday photos, artwork & Jewellery over the coming weeks.

Day 1 - Applecross

2009-08-25T02:36:00.000-07:00

We started our holiday at Applecross camp site. Applecross is located in Wester Ross on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands. It is accessible by only 2 roads. The original road is called the Pass of the Cattle, or Bealach nam Bo in Gaelic, which is the highest pass in Scotland and until 1976 when the coastal road was completed, the only way of getting to Applecross without a boat! For more information have a look at this website: The Applecross Peninsula

A view from the pass getting to Applecross

Just before it rained! Taken in Applecross village

Sand Bay, round the corner from Applecross. This is where the bothy in the TV show Monty Hall's Great Escape is. You might be able to see it on the right hand side of the bay in the photo.

Seals!

A place call Toscaig. The end of the road, if you head South out of Applecross village.

The view from the campsite. It more than made up for the hideous weather!

In need of renovation!!

2009-08-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

Hi all. I'm back from my holiday. I was actually back Friday evening but up until today the poor PC was so busy updating my antivirus scans and whatnots it had a fit & crashed whenever I tried to do anything. So now I am back blogging & tweeting.

I have just uploaded 305 photographs to the computer from the holiday. I will sort through them and put some up here and on Flickr as well. Had an absoloutely time touring up the west coast of the Highlands from Applecross to Durness, via the Isle of Lewis, where the photograph was taken. Not sure what happened to this little house, but the aga's still intact, even if the walls aren't.

Visited loads of lovely little villages and coves, ate far too much chocolate cake, had a trip in a glass bottomed boat, survived camping and a smelly B&B and thoroughly enjoyed myself. Am more determined than ever to get myself a croft on the west coast and leave the world of '9-5 normality' far behind. Just need to convince hubby it's a feasible idea!

I am at work all day tomorrow, so not a lot will be done, but hopefully I will have some photos to show you and then it'll be back to making on Tuesday.

Scottish Bead Fair

2009-08-12T07:08:00.000-07:00

Have just found this advertised in my Make Jewellery Magazine: The Scottish Bead Fair. I need to find a way to amass a fortune before 30th August! It is hosted by Precious Sparkle Beads and as well as loads of trade stands it has classes and demonstrations as well, including Knots & Knotting by Dorothy Wood and Precious Metal Clay with Emma from the Little Bead Shop in Edinburgh, both of which are seriously tempting me! Tickets are only £4 and most exciting it's in Perth which is actually a feasible distance for me to travel in a day without leaving at 4am and not getting home till midnight!

I'm not sure yet if I can go as hubby is away that weekend, but the in-laws might still be here to keep an eye on the doggies for the day. If they are, i'm going. Now, better get making so I might actually sell something on either Etsy or Folksy and get some money to spend at the fair!

Going Green

2009-08-11T07:05:00.000-07:00

It would seem that being 'green' goes hand in hand with being creative. Perhaps because creative people see colour and texture where others see rubbish? Who knows. I decided this week's Folksy Favourites would showcase sellers creating from recycled materials. Here's my 5 favourites from the many I found.

Kerli
This shop features lovely handmade, recycled earrings and embroidered brooches amongst other bits and bobs. The earrings pictured are made from paper beads, coated with PVA glue to make them watertight and hard. They are really pretty and certainly will make a statement, then you can tell everyone that asks about them that they are created from recycled paper! In her profile, Kerli says: "I do like mad jewellery, corduroy, colourful things and board games. And recycling. And sometimes I have little animals in my head that need to come out... " Kerli also has a blog: http://kerliandanimals.blogspot.com/

Cat Loves Bear

This shop deserves a mention just for the gorgeous photo in her shop header! This shop features lots of lovely textile work, including shopping bags made from discarded shop curtains, which is what the photograph is of. You can help save the environment twice, not only by not using plastic bags for your shopping but by putting your shopping in a bag that's already using recycled materials. The shop features a fantastic range of a huge variety of bags in many different colours. A shop I feel I may well be shopping at myself.

British Cream Tea
Ooh, I love cream teas, you can't come from the West Country (which I do originally) and not be exposed to the yumminess of Cream Teas. And this shop is just as yummy. It is full of felt food. I have to admit I didn't know what I might do with felt food but that didn't stop this shop making me want to buy some! Some ideas of uses are pin cushions, holiday decorations or party favours. The featured item is obviously a French Fancy Set. They are all original designs, handmade and stuffed and use recycled felt. Absoloutely gorgeous.

Handmade by Tigerlily
This shop features a range of items from paper goods to bags, all created using ethically sourced materials. The item featured is from Made by Tigerlily's range of note books. It is 5" x 7" and made from 100% recycled card and paper. Ethical as well as being very pretty.

Faye Wilson

Stuff made from things. Sounds interesting, hey. This is Faye Wilson's subtitle to her shop. Faye says this about her shop: "I love mixing materials and textures to create different and unusual pieces. I try to recycle as much as possible and LOVE bashing old copper water pipes and hot water cylinders into delicate earrings and brooches." As well as gorgeous earrings made from bashing hot water cyclinders, there is the lovely pair of Earrings in the photograph, made from an old painting that was damaged. As she said, they are totally unique. What a fantastic idea.

I hope you enjoyed this week's shops. I think recycling is so important and I love it when people have the creativity and imagination to create something gorgeous out of some old rubbish.

Monday To Do List

2009-08-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

I've been working all weekend so have had no time for blogging, tweeting or making things :( We also have my parents-in-law staying, who are lovely, but any visitors deserve a bit of attention so I can't spend all my time they're hear locked away in my little studio! However, I do need to get on and do some Northern Dawn work because we're off on holiday for a week on Friday, so tomorrow's To Do List:

Do a Folksy Favourites blog post
Add some more pictures to my Flickr photostream
List some items from last week in Etsy shop & Folksy shop
Make a Chinese knotted Necklace & Bracelet

So, quite a lot to fit in before heading off to work at 4. I do have the rest of the week off but have plenty of things to fill that time. Hopefully I will have lots to show you in the coming days.

Waiting for the postie - Etsy Favourites

2009-08-07T03:28:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love it when the postman arrives with a mystery letter or an eagerly awaited parcel. The best bit about online shopping is the arrival of parcels, like Christmas whenever you want it!

Today's Etsy favourites theme is therefore based around the excitement of the postman arriving.

Weaver Copper Designs

What better place to receive your letters than in a fantastic handmade mailbox. This gorgeous mailbox is made of steel then covered with a sheet of antique copper, which is embossed, hand coloured and then lacquered. It is approved by the United States Postal Service. As well as gorgeous copper mail boxes, this shop also features bird feeders and rubbish bins.

Gwynstone

When you've collected your letters, you need a beautiful letter opener to open that seal. And Gwynstone is the place to shop for one. The item featured is a letter opener and magnifier set, made with recycled glass beads. The shop also features lovely items of Jewellery and Bookmarks featuring semi precious stones.

La Rea Rose

When you've opening your letters you need somewhere to store them. Why not use this pretty cottage style mail holder. It is a vintage mail holder that has been rescued and painted by this very talented Etsy seller. This seller specialises in romantic, shabby and chic decor and the items in the well stocked shop includes bird house, plates, trays and keepsake boxes. If you like traditional cottage style items this shop is the place for you. This seller also has a blog at: http://larearose.blogspot.com/

Petite Maison

Perhaps you want something a bit more more modern to store your letters. How about a Wall Pocket from this seller. The Wall Pocket featured has a French Kitchen theme and would look lovely hung in a kitchen or office space to store your bits and bobs. It is lined and contains a webbing tab for hanging it up. The seller, Julia, says she loves to create pretty things and she certainly does. She also has a blog: http://simbiosis-lifeinasmalltown.blogspot.com/

Mesquite Woodworks

Would you prefer something to put on your desk to keep your correspondance in order. Then how about a Mesquite & Maple Inbox. What a gorgeous, unique way of keeping a desk tidy! This shop is quite new and only contains a few items but the ones it contains are lovely. They are handmade from Mesquite logs and the Mesquite used in the Inbox featured comes from a tree in the seller's own backyard.

So there you go, now you can collect, open and store your post in style. I hope you enjoyed today's favourites, I certainly enjoyed finding them.

A work in progress

2009-08-06T14:55:00.001-07:00

I thought I would show you a work in progress this evening, a Macrame Necklace using one of my Rune Pendants. It's only half finished, but it should get done tomorrow, ready to go in a shop.

It's the Rune for Self Confidence and the knots used are traditional macrame knots, the Josephine knot (close up above), double half hitches and the square knot which is one of my favourite knots.

I used some waxed linen cord for this project, it's the first time i've used it. It's slightly sticky which doens't make it great to work with, but does mean it holds the knots' shape nicely. I think it creates a good, slightly distressed look, which I think suits the pendant.

I also really like the background for this necklace. I took the photographs on an ancient railway sleeper that we have as steps in our garden and I think the sunbleached old wood really suits the rustic look of the necklace.

Persistance

2009-08-05T12:08:00.001-07:00

I found these lovely Rune Pendants on an internet site when buying some other Jewellery making bits and thought they were lovely. I like old symbols and whatnot and love the rustic look of these pendants so bought several with different symbols on. This particular one is for me and is the symbol for Persistance. I wear it as inspiration not to give in, to remind me that one day that first Etsy sale will actually happen!

I do think that I'm getting somewhere. My page views are going up on Etsy, i'm gaining more followers on both Twitter and the blog and featuring other Etsy & Folksy sellers has really helped me spread the word around and a few of the lovely people I've featured have then put links to the blog on their blogs. I do really feel it's helping. I now have 16 hearts, compared to 3 at the end of June, if i carry on collecting them at the rate I am now, I'll have 84 by the end of August!! Unlikely, but nice if I did.

I still need to join Flickr and I also need to make a Facebook fan page, they may well be jobs for tomorrow. I think the main thing is just to stay focused and carry on making. I am also planning on making a couple of Etsy purchases, so at least then I'll have some feedback as well.

Tomorrow I will have some Jewellery to list, some Rune pendants definitely and maybe some knots as well.

Drunk & Disorderly

2009-08-04T15:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the last day of my NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month), and what did I do? Miss a blog post!

This was entirely because we have two friends staying at the moment that have cycled from Lands End to John O Groats. They arrived yesterday so we stayed up late celebrating, hence the blog post title! So by the time I remembered I had to do the blog it was actually today already and I was far to drunk to do anything, let alone type a complete sentence suitable for my readers to read. I have spent today suffering and never want to drink wine again as long as I live.

Tomorrow I am getting up early to say goodbye to our friends when hubby takes them off down to the airport and as it's my day off my 'day job' the rest of the day will be spent tying knots, so I should have plenty to show you tomorrow.

Flickr

2009-08-02T15:12:00.001-07:00

Flickr is a photo hosting website. I have known about it for many years and have used it to look for reference photographs for my drawings. However, I have never used it to host my photographs, mainly because I have my own web space and i've never been a great one for putting my photos out in cyber space.

Since joining Etsy, Flickr has come up many times as a useful promotional tool and I have looked at photographs on other Etsy sellers accounts. In the Etsy Success email I received on Thursday one of the useful forum posts it pointed us in the direction of was this one: How to use Flickr to get exposure for your Etsy shop, posted by dottyral, who makes very cool pin cushions. She discusses rules, Flickr groups, contacts and tags.

So, one task for tomorrow, join Flickr and start uploading some photos.

Saturday Shopping List - Ceramics

2009-08-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

Well Ceramics wasn't actually the theme I had been planning my shopping list around but I was a bit disappointed with the offerings on Folksy for my original theme so after some rummaging I discovered the following lovely shops, all based around the theme of ceramics.

Lauren Ceramics

Lauren Ceramics is a shop containing all manner of ceramic items from brooches to pen pots. She describes her items as modern and delicate. They are all handmade and designed in Lauren's studio in Reading using a method called slip casting. Lauren has her own website and a blog at http://laurenceramics.blogspot.com/

Blacklyne Ceramics

This shop contains some very pretty handmade ceramic buttons created using a technique called Raku firing. These buttons are truly individual and would look lovely on some chunky handknitted clothing or maybe even incorporated somehow in jewellery. I'm thinking of a way to do it!!

Sea Urchin

This shop contains some really striking and different ceramic jewellery. Lisa, the owner of the shop says she is obsessed with texture, colour and new materials and loves to experiment. Many items, like the pendant featured incorporate fused glass and precious metal lustres.

Much In A Little

Isn't this nodding dog gorgeous. I just couldn't resist him. As well as the nodding dogs this shop contains quirky cuff links, plaques and ceramic eggs. The shop owner describes her shop as Poignant, humorous work in porcelain and mixed media inspired by classic toys and curios. This is definitely a shop to visit for something a bit different.

Jude Allman

This is another store that creates items using the Raku technique but this one contains pendants and brooches as well as buttons. Jude is based on the Isle of Wight and creates her gorgeous items in a tiny studio in her house by the sea. Sound absolutely gorgeous. The pendant featured has been glazed with crackle glaze and is a totally unique piece.

So there you go, the Folksy shopping list. I keep forgetting that Folksy doesn't feature nearly as many sellers as Etsy and therefore I will have to remember to create wider searches when doing my favourites feature. As you can see though, from this week's sellers that it is quality not quantity that really counts.

Designer Saturday

2009-07-31T14:12:00.000-07:00

Not really sure exactly what I want to do tomorrow. I need to work on a handful of new designs of Knotted Jewellery. I got a couple of very nice books last week, which have given me some ideas and one has some fantastic knots that I am going to practice and see how I can incorporate them into Jewellery.

My hubby is off early in the morning to work so I'm planning on getting up nice and early to so I can spend all day designing and making. As well as a few new designs I also want to make at least a couple of things to sell as I need to get more of the knotted designs in the shops. I may also at least start a new design for some cards and I really should do my Thank You Cards. I will be in deep trouble with my Mum if i don't!!

On the non creative side of things I need to clean out my rats and post my Dad's Birthday present.

I will also have a Saturday Shopping List from Folksy and I've already got a theme decided. You'll have to take a look tomorrow to see what it is though!

Etsy Favourites - Get Knotted!

2009-07-30T05:55:00.000-07:00

No I haven't suddenly lost all my manners. Today's theme is based around one of my favourite things - knots. Today specifically Macrame. This fantastic craft is based around 4 or 5 main knots than can be combined in as many fantastic combinations as you can think of. Here are 5 sellers that show how creatively it can be used.

Melanie Miljan

Melanie makes Jewellery & Accessories, including this fab Belt tied with hemp and featuring green Aventurine nuggets and a Bamboo buckle. She uses natural materials and her shop mostly features Jewellery, made with either Fine Silver or Sterling Silver. Melanie also has a blog at http://macramewithmelaniemiljan.blogspot.com/

Intrinsic Imagination

This shop is full of amazing items that are works of a very creative imagination. The Barefoot Sandals caught my eye mainly because I'd never heard of them before! They are made with hemp and glass beads and can be worn in bare feet at the beach or a summer party or to brighten up plain flip flops or sandals. I think they're lovely. The shop also features handmade jewellery, hair falls and some very funky feather eyelashes.

My Imperfections

This is only a new shop but already has some really nice items in it. The knotted cord necklace pictured is made with silver rattail, shells and rings. This shop features big, bold Jewellery that are real dramatic, statement pieces combining so many different elements into pieces that just shout gorgeous at you!

Freedom Market

Freedom Market features lots of lovely Hemp and Beaded Macrame Jewellery. The Necklace featured contains Hemp with fire agate, antique brass, wood and hand carved bone beads. Hemp creates a lovely natural look especially when combined with natural material beads and the items listed in this shop are very wearable.

Katie's Basement

Handmade & Custom Jewellery from a modern day hippy. This is what Katie says about her shop. Being a bit of a modern day hippy myself I fell in love with it. It's a fairly new store, only opening at the end of May this year but already features many items that are all beautifully photographed. The bracelet featured is a Jasper Hemp bracelet, tied with hemp with a Jasper centrepiece and smaller wooden beads. Katie also has a blog: http://katiesbasementblog.blogspot.com/