Julie & Co's Jaw-Dropping Japanese Temari Ball Decorations

Since words couldn't possible do Julie's Temari work justice (she's a color GENIUS!), and I couldn't possibly fit all of my favorite pieces in this blog post...

...I invite you to simply visit her online gallery, instead, where her shop announceent invites us:

"Welcome to my little corner of Etsy and enjoy browsing through my handmade items! I love to work with my hands, I delight in the feel of soft cotton, smooth threads, cool crochet hooks, and fuzzy yarn. I love beauty and texture, detail and color. I have been sewing, crafting, creating and imagining for over 30 years and still find joy in each new project and idea.

Japanese Temari hand balls are my passion -- their colors and symmetry delight me and their design and precision challenge me. These ancient folk art creations are visually stunning and so wonderful to display. Perfect for housewarming gifts, unique thank-you offerings, and special-day gift giving.

Please linger, browse, envision temari in your home and in your custom colors! Be inspired!"

Julie, I couldn't be more inspired, thank you for putting your outstanding work "out there" for everyone to enjoy!

Why Does Desiree Do It?

Desiree's profile in her online jewelry boutique, Desiree Designs, reads like the beginning of a fascinating book:

"I'm from New Mexico originally, the child of flower children but adopted by a Catholic schoolteacher."

I'm featuring Desiree today as a thank you for putting my Red & Pink Delight Crimson Rose Handknit Scarf in her Red, Sexy, Fabulous or Fascinating treasury, with alluring images ranging from the subtle to blatant--in a good way!

One thing I'm always interested in when discovering a new artist is what drives or inspires them to create (most of us are BOTH driven AND inspired, lol). Desiree explains:

"WHY I BEAD:
The earring craze began after giving up on Cheap Crap...I used to love that I could buy several pairs at once for so little... but they always fell apart and were made from questionable metals that made my skin turn green... so I decided to make my own, using better materials (no base metal!) and my own aesthetic, honed in many years of beading, macrame and other self-decorative arts."

Thank you, Desiree, for living your dream!

From Denmark, with Love!

This post is set to the tune of Tom Jones InterNATional, baby! :)

Yesterday, the extremely talented Lisa Astrup sent me a note all the way from Copenhagen, Denmark! She's blogged about me in her Me & My Jewelry blog...in DANISH! How cool is that?! I feel sooo cosmopolitan!

And guess what? Like me, Lisa ships her handmade creations (some are pictured here) worldwide! She charges only $4 USD (United States Dollars) to ship the first piece of jewelry anywhere in the world, $2 each for additional items. Wowza!

I especially enjoy how she photographs her pieces with the tools that helped her handcraft each piece. I feel like if a ring or necklace can handle being hammered or plied, it's meant to be USED & ENJOYED in "real life." Wouldn't you agree?

I found a really nice jewelry designer: MrsThunder!

Don't you just love meeting nice people? I know I sure do! I was recently introduced to Mrs. Thunder when she sent me a conversation on Etsy to let me know that she'd included my Halloween Green Apple n Black Unisex Handknit Scarf for Wicked Elphie Elphaba Fans in her first treasury ever, entitled Misunderstood and featuring all things green & black witch.

I especially like her quote, "Jewelry is meant to be worn, not put away until the next big fancy dress party comes along ;)"

I've included a few of her jewelry pieces here. My favorites are the "sets" of earrings, bracelet & necklace together. I've never noticed that before on Etsy and I think it's a really nice touch! Nice to meet you, Mrs. Thunder.

An Exceptional Jewelry Design Artist: LB Jeweled

With LB Jeweled, the hardest part is picking a favorite! Each piece is a unique, inspired design using only the finest quality materials.

I *thought* my favorite was the conch shell pendant...but then I saw the colored teardrop necklace...and then the artful arrangement of the different greens in the beaded necklace...decisions, decisions!

This Texas-based online jewelry boutique is worth checking out! And if you have the time, please also visit their latest "Absolutely Amazing!" treasury, which includes my Chocolate Sparkles See Through Handknit Scarf.

I have a fascination with...

...photographs from days gone by. I have even collected old photographs of people and places I knew nothing about. I can stare at an old photograph for hours, trying to imagine if the photo was realistic (if some of the reality had been lost in translation), wondering how it felt to be there, discerning details such as temperature and time of day.

What a pleasure it's been to discover, then, Marianne of Clancy's Classics. I really think that Marianne's Etsy shop announcement explains her work & vision best:

"Welcome to Clancy's Classics, offering art prints and cards from original photographic glass negatives, my original polaroid transfers and my collection of fine art vintage photographs.

I have been collecting glass negatives ranging in size from 2X3 inches to 8X10 inches for many years. I have traversed the globe to find images printed on glass which I then scan and tint and make into wonderful prints for framing and cards to send, keep or frame.
MY polaroid transfers were created from 1970-2004 and I have really started to feel re-invigorated and stunned by the subtle colors and hues that these images have.
I will offer them as cards and prints.
I also have a large collection of images from the 1910s and 20s. I call them Americana Snapshots.

I have recently decided to offer some of my original vintage images as I have boxes of them everywhere and some are really wonderful for collage or altered books or a myriad of art projects and expressions..or if you are a purest.. just for the love of the vintage image itself...

Each photograph has a story and I love trying to figure that story out.. I think that mystery is what has kept me in my great joy and love of the vintage image! Also my dad was always carrying around a camera with slide film or movie film in it so our large family of 11 couldn't go anywhere without a few photos for the memory. I think I have loved photos of any kind all my life and I just can't stop myself! Thanks dad!!

I love them all and hope you will too!"

The Pleasing Art of Jessica Doyle

I'm heartened by Jessica's prints and originals. I love gardening--or, rather, putzing in the yard, wandering around in my gardening gloves, just being "in the moment." Jessica's pieces feel organic to me. They remind me of the sun on my face, dirt in close proximity, the smell of a crushed leaf.

Her process is palpable. We're constantly reminded to, "Just be" and to let the present surround us, embrace us. When I look at Jessica's work, I have no other choice. I'm not only placed firmly in my own present, I'm also transported to her present when she was making the piece.

If this all sounds a bit too much...it's nothing I can explain. I'm just wondering: Do you feel it, too?