Fibre Art Jewellery

I've been making fibre art jewellery lately and thought you might like to see some.

This is a blue cotton and red button flower pin brooch. I can make them in different colours and sizes. They look great jazzing up a little black dress or on a casual outfit. They also make beautiful hair band decorations.

This is a freeform turquoise and silver necklace I created a while ago. It took me a long time of laying out the individual discs until I was satisfied with the shape of it before sewing them all together to get this asymmetric necklace. It is a one off as it is made from vintage cotton sparkle yarn that cannot be purchased any more. I love how it has turned out. It is a real statement piece. 

When I was a little girl my dad liked to play tennis and he would take me and my big sister with him to the grass courts at his work and we would sit on the sidelines eating picnics, playing at being ball-girls and making daisy chains together. This is my first attempt to make daisy chains from yarn. I will be having another go and this time I think I will get some yellow pompoms to put in the middle so they look more daisy like.

I hope you like them. I will be working on more in the coming months.

Coriandr Finds

Whilst sorting out a few things in my Coriandr shop I had a bit of a look around and found some really great goods to share with you all on this yucky rainy Thursday morning. Coriandr is a UK based site that has an international group of artisans selling their handmade goods and supplies. If you haven't checked it out yet I'd urge to go and take a look because it is a really nicely laid out site. Simple, clean looking and easy to navigate. It makes shopping for handmade goods a breeze. From the other side of the coin, as a seller, I really like the one page listing process and the simplicity of getting your goods into a very easy to use shop.

I love these earrings from Cee Gee Jewellery. Something about the beads makes me think of sea urchins. I love being by the sea, the smell, the sounds and the feeling of the wind coming off the water just make me feel glad to be alive. How great to have a reminder of that feeling in a simple, stylish pair of earrings.

Creativesque works with card, paper, paints, and inks to make beautiful tags and bookmarks, like this blue floral one. Most people think of tags just as something to tie to a gift with the name of the person the gift is for on it, but I like to use tags for all sorts of things. My memory is so bad that tagging things with messages to myself is a great aide-mémoire.

It is a sort of tradition in my family to wrap gifts in newspaper or recycled paper as we all have a bit of a dislike of the waste that gift wrap represents. I have now found a fantastic alternative in myfuroshiki shop. These fantastic fabric wrappers are not only beautiful, but they can be used again and again. Such a brilliant idea!

I've seen Snapdragon Beads work being featured in a few places on-line and usually that would lead me to pick someone else's work to share, but this green, cream and gold pendant is just so gorgeous I couldn't resist having a photo of it on Autonomous Artisans.

All weekend Jon and I have had a house full of our lovable friends and yesterday the last of them left, so our house now feels very empty and I'm rattling around in it all day waiting for Jon to come home from work. This canvas from Strawberry Magpie made me remember just how much home sweet home is more about people rather than a building. I love our little house, but to get a feeling of true home has more to do with who I'm with in this building rather than the 4 walls themselves.

Take a look at Coriandr and see what you can find. I bet you that you will find something you adore.

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

From yummy seeds...

This morning I logged onto Artfire and the first thing I saw on the front page was a giant sunflower. The bright orange colours made me smile a huge wide grin. Is there a happier, more heart lifting flower than a sunflower? I know they are big and brash, but for all that vibrant, in your face colour and size don't they just make you feel all summery and warm inside every time you see them? Add to that they have very yummy seeds to eat as Autumn arrives and I have to say I love you Sunflowers!

Deb Moran's photograph captures beautifully what I mean about sunflowers, their bright orange glow and their warm smiley face. I also love the reflection below the flower in the photo. It somehow shows the fragility of the flower and reminds us to enjoy it whilst it lasts as soon it will fade and be gone.

This sunflower from Anna Clifton Jewellery is just so beautiful, you would never realise it's petals was made from recycled aluminium cans would you? The patterned centre is sterling silver which contrasts beautifully with the delicate looking bronze like petals. Beautiful!

These beautiful baby ballet slipper from Pink Angel Wings Creations are just so adorable. Imagine a baby girl in a bright yellow dress wearing these little shoes and a pretty sunflower print summer hat. She'd look like a little princess fit to visit the Queen.

Kitty Linnington Art's sunflower card just shouts out "Yippee for the sunshine, long summer days and vibrant colours!" Do you know someone that's feeling a little bit down, or is having a hard time? Imagine the smile on their face if this card dropped though their letterbox with a personalised message from you written inside. Go on, send someone a smile in an envelope!

I have to be honest, I don't think I would want to poke pins into Sew Lucky Embroidery's pincushion, purely because it would obscure the beautifully embroidered sunflower. I guess I could put the pins in the back of the cushion. This little cushion would definitely make pinning those sewing patterns a much more jolly task.

So Sunflowers really are like balls of summer and joy to me. I hope you feel the same way about them and that today's article has given you a warm glow!

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

My first Sale on Coriandr

To celebrate my first sale in my shop on Coriandr I've decided to feature some fellow sellers from the site. If you have never heard of Coriandr I'd advise you to go and take a look at the site. It's easy to navigate, has lots of fabulous handmade goods and everyone I've had contact with from the site are friendly, helpful and very talented. Let me show you some of the goods on sale there.

Indie Café Lounge is the creator of this honey and almond soap. Due to it containing real honey it is bound to be very moisturising as well as smelling yummy. It has added oatmeal that acts as a gentle exfoliator. Handmade bath goods are definitely the best in my eyes!

I love the glamour of Kiss Curl shop. The hats, fascinators, and hair accessories are cute, sexy and fun. They have echoes of days gone by when style and romance went hand in hand. This feather fascinator is just gorgeous!

Dan Jackson's sense of humour is very similar to mine judging by his photographs. I think his ability to capture the essence of absurdity and put a new spin on everyday objects is fabulous. Check out his shop for "Death by Chocolate" and "Cereal Killer", hehehe!

I was so wowed by Frute Juce's fabulous baby vest I just had to share it with you. The skill Alison must have with a sewing machine to be able to freehand embroider this much detailed is amazing. It reminds me of the skilled etch-a-sketch pictures you see.

Now regular readers will know my love of the colour orange so they won't be surprised by the fact I have chosen to share this bracelet from Lilyja. Isn't the colour divine? Bright, cheerful and very pretty.

So that's just 5 of the gorgeous goodies you can find over on Coriandr. If you are looking for lovingly created handmade goods, talented crafts men & women and like the look of the items above, you'll love the site. Go along and take a look around. Just see how many fabulous items you can find.

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

Artisan of the week, Daniel of Catherinette Rings

This week our Artisan of the week is a Canadian jewellery maker, Daniel of Catherinette Rings. The moment I saw Daniel's shop I had to feature him on the blog. His Jewellery is so perfectly formed. I'm a fan of the mixture of materials used and the overall balance of each piece. I look forward to seeing more designs in the future. Now I will hand over to Daniel to tell you more about himself and his craft.

1. Could you please introduce us to who you are and what you do?
My name is Daniel Proulx from Montal. I make Wire-wrapped Steampunk Jewellery with brass, copper and gemstones.

2. What led you to take up your craft?
In April of 2008 I started to make rings just for fun after Catherine (My better half) learned how to make simple wire rings during a 2 hour lesson. I just watched how she made it and tried. Since then I spent several hours every day perfecting and developing my own technique to create an original design. I quickly started to make very retro-futurist model of rings. At that time I decided to embarked into this adventure, quit my job and try to live on the sales of my jewellery full-time.

One day a friend told me what I was doing was Steampunk . I research the subject and fell in love with this culture. I always liked Steampunk style, but I didn't know there was a name for it. Recently I had the chance to have my steampunk jewellery featured in the fashion Magazine Clindoeil and an article about my art in the newspaper Le Voir.

3. Which part of your work do you most enjoy?
Part of my work is to order new material that inspires me to make new designs. One of the most enjoyable parts is when I receive them and can create a new design.

4. Which part do you find hardest?
One of the hardest parts is to work at home all day without co-workers to talk to or interact. I worked in the Travel agent industry for many years and used to talk all the time with my colleagues and customers. I miss working in a team. Its Hard but I got use to it, on the other hand I really enjoy the freedom of being an independent entrepreneur.


5. Where do you hope to be in 1 years time?
The 12 of April 2008 I started the business one year ago and here I am where I never expected to be. In one year I hope I can go on a trip to a Steampunk Convention and to meet other Steampunk Artist.

6. What is the best advice you have ever been given?
When I first quit my job and started to make jewellery full time many people thought it was crazy or that I was making the wrong choice (I don't blame them because its out of the norm). The best advice I've ever been given was by my mother when I was little. It was, always follow your dreams no matter what other people says. If You believe in yourself you can achieve anything.


7. Could you name artisans sites/shops would you recommend are worth a visit?
I accumulated so many links useful for artisan over my first year and in still finding more every day. I made a blog with a lot of these links.

Here are the links that I used the most:
Deviant Art: This is a very nice community where you can share your best deviations, I also have a portfolio there. I really love this site.
My Flickr account.
I also have a Twitter account.

8. What is your favourite sandwich filling?
My favourite is a sandwich with Espanola chorizo, grilled red peppers and cheese.

Thank you Daniel for sharing a bit more about yourself with us. It is a tribute to your great work that you have been featured in so many places after such a short period of time. You have come a long way in just one year. I'm sure your future will be filled with a lot more success. You can see more of Daniel's work on Artfire. I'm in love with the bee above.

As yet no sales.

Today I thought I'd share with you some gorgeous goods from people that have yet to make their first sale on Artfire. After taking a look in their shops the only reason I can conclude that they have not yet had a sale is because people haven't seen their shops yet, so lets get a few visitors for them.

Gravel Road Jewelry has a selection of stylish unusual jewellery pieces. This ring is a really good example of the wire work you can see there. The sterling silver and Czech glass look great together. Attention to detail is obviously very important to this Artisan and it shows it.

I can't understand why Jellypark has had no sales as yet. Her work is so beautiful. This bouncy little bunny watercolour is a delight to the eye. Not only is it an original painting it is only USD$30 (Approx UK£20 or Euro 22.77 ). What better gift to give a rabbit lover or a young child for their bedroom?

Cresek Studio works in clay and these stunning bowls demonstrate just how adept this potter is. 20 years of working in this medium shines through in the pieces displayed in this artisans work. I love the greens and blues in the glaze and the way the light reflects in a waterlike way off the insides of the bowl.

By recycling and creating such a beautiful chair, KL Upholstery has demonstrated to me that she has a brilliant eye for finding the beauty in pre used furniture and reinventing the way it looks so that it fits in with people live their lives today. I adore this patchwork vintage rocking chair. I has retained it's vintage feel but looks current. It would fit in perfectly in a modern or old style house. Beautiful!

I wish I had the ability to drum because having found Slap Happy Drums I have found so many items I'd love to own, but in all honesty after trying to learn to play a Djembe I found I really didn't have what it takes. Maybe I'll have to stick with her pretty little critter shakers. The little mouse one is very cute, but then again I love piggies too...

So if like me you are amazed these people have yet to sell anything, get chatting about them and their goods and lets see if we can't connected up the people wanting to buy these goods with these sellers.

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

Peacock Burlesque

Today I thought we could be a bit risqué and feature some beautiful burlesque items, so this is a warning for those that don't like the style or maybe offended by nudity now might be the day not to read the blog. But for those of you that aren't I've picked out lots of gorgeous items on the theme of peacock feathers.

Gothfox Designs' shop is a delight to view. The pages are full of saucy sassy pasties. I love the colours and splendour of this photograph. Peep toe shoes, whale net tights and a headdress to swoon for! Very sexy.

Here we have a beautiful teal mini top hat from Horatios Hattery. I love the way it sits on the models head. It adds height and elegance. Stunningly beautiful!

Now Burlesque is all about being big, bold and teasing. These false eyelashes from Get Eye Bling are perfect for fluttering your beautifully made up lids and drawing attention to yourself.

I'm a big fan of Gypsy Lady Hats' goods. I have my eye one one of her canvas corset hat. This one is also very fetching and would set of a full corseted, bustle skirted out fit off to a T!

Every Burlesque outfit needs a bit of neck bling and this feathered delight from Guilded Cage Designs is just the job. The ribbon choker has sequins that will twinkle in the light.

Hats not your style? Then how about this spectacular fascinator from Boring Sidney. Again it will add height, drama and glamour to your outfit. I'm loving the earrings too!

So this is my mini selection of burlesque items. I could have shown you so many more but I guess I better limit myself a bit. Sexy, sassy, fun filled glamour! I love it. For me Burlesque has less to do with the actual striping and more with the fact it celebrates the beauty of the female form in all shapes and sizes and I think in a media filled World of stick thin, sickly looking models, we need a bit of burlesque to counterbalance that crazy trend. Tall, short, curvy or willowy all shapes have thier beauty, so lets celebrate them all!

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops.

Charming Chainmaille

Where did the sunshine go? I woke up this morning to dark grey skies and drizzle. So to cheer my day up I logged onto Artfire to check out new listings and the first item I saw, top of the front page was a beautiful hand crafted chainmaille necklace. It really lifted my spirits to see such an unusual piece...

LeafLee was the creator of that item and this is it. I think it is gorgeous! From it's flattering V shaped lines to the materials used to make it, it is just fabulous. Did you notice yet that it is made from recycled soda can ring pulls?

This lead me to searching for more chainmaille items. Barbs Designs created this rainbow coloured full Persian style bracelet. It's so pretty and just the right for brightening up a grey day like today.

Marion's Dream Works presents these very elegant and stylish Tetra orb chainmaille earrings. They are made from solid silver wire and Capri Blue Swarovski Crystals. They would suit all occasions.

This bracelet from Carol's Creations in some ways reminds me of beautiful serpent skin. The way the chainmaille links are fitted together creates a pattern that echoes the shapes found on the most regal snakes skin.

This very fine detailed sterling and pearl necklace from Red Panda shows so perfectly that chainmaille isn't all just about big bold chunky pieces. They can be delicate chic looking pieces like this. Utterly stunning!

Chainmaille comes in many shapes and sizes and after checking out what was on offer for sale at Artfire this morning I think there really is something there for everyone, from those that want a large statement piece to wear through to someone that wants something simple and elegant. There are items for men, women and children. Chainmaille is so versatile and as you can see from the above items the masters of the craft can create the most gorgeous jewellery with it. It has really lifted my day writing this article. Thank you all you chainmaille artisans.

Artisan of the week, Joanne of Lej Jewellery

What a Beautiful Sunday morning we have here in Wales. The sun is shining Brightly and it really feels like spring is here to stay. Today I have the joy of introducing you to the lovely Joanne of Lej Jewellery. As her shop name suggests Joanne makes jewellery, but that is not all. She also hand crafts cards and gifts such as sun catchers & curtain tie backs. Her work can also be seen on Folksy and MISI . So here is Joanne to tell you a little bit more about herself.
1. Could you please introduce us to who you are and what you do?
Hi I'm Joanne, I live in Lancashire with my husband and 2 children and I design and create handmade jewellery. I also enjoy making other things such as bookmarks, curtain tie backs and sun catchers. I also dabble in card making, cross stitching and sewing. I love trying new things and most crafts, I tried knitting once but couldn't get past the casting on part!

2. What led you to take up your craft?
I had started crafting with cross stitch not long after my son was born and after a couple of years moved onto card making. It was while I was out looking at card making magazines that I came across a bead magazine with free beads and thought I'd give it a try. The rest as they say is history.

3.Which part of your work do you most enjoy?
Shopping for beads, I love beads and have completely taken over the house with them. I don't yet have my own craft room so I tend to sit in the middle of the living room floor with my beads spread all around me and plan what I'm going to make and what beads I'm going to use. I also enjoy making novelty jewellery, I like the idea that I have made something that nobody else has.

4.Which part do you find the hardest?
Waiting until my kids are asleep before I start to craft, if I could I would craft all day and night. I feel my fingers itching to start crafting once it gets closer to bed time. My son stays up late of a weekend and sometimes I'll get my beads out and he joins in but my daughter is too young and it will be a couple of years before I can let her loose with my beads.

5. Where do you hope to be in 1 years time?
I would love my website to be established, I have only had it a year and have worked pretty hard to promote it and get to the stage I'm at now. I also did some designing for a magazine recently and would love the chance to do it again and maybe for it to become a regular feature.

6. What is the best advise you have ever been given?
To respect other people and there opinions, it was drummed into me as a kid and I now tell my kids the same. I think it is important in life to respect other people and their opinions as not everyone is the same and we don't all think the same. The world would be a very boring place if we did.

7. Could you name artisan sites/shops would you recommend are worth a visit?
Of course there's MISI, and Folksy where I have shops. Also a couple of people who I have bought from or plan to do so in the future are Tee & Toast , Kitschy Coo and The Pink Fairy Cake

8. What is your favourite sandwich filling?
Well that's quite tricky as I don't really have a favourite anything, my mind changes daily depending on my mood. Today I would have to say cheese and finely chopped spring onion, tomorrow maybe tuna mayonnaise or ham salad.

Thank you for joining in at Autonomous Artisans Joanne. I hope your website goes from strength to strength. The Pink Fairy Cake site you linked us too has made me drool. So much yumminess so little eating time. Thanks for sharing. As usual dear readers if you click the images you will be taken to the items and the shops they are selling in. Take a look around and see what else Joanne makes.

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

Tweet's from Twitterers

Today I'm featuring some lovely bird themed goods from Twitter users. Twitter is a great way to meet other artisans and I have found lots of fabulous handmade goods through using the service. You also get to chat to some amazing people. If you want to follow me on there, I'm CapnSkulduggery.

Vintage Violets Buttons creates beautiful felt brooches and Frankie the owl is one of those gorgeous creations. As you can see from this close up photo attention to detail is what makes these brooches so special.

Swirlyarts has a shop full of bird related goodies. I love her chicken door stops but I chose to share these labels with you because they are just so cute and colourful. A myriad of feathered friends.

The lovely Tizzalicious makes a range of colourful goods, from Jewellery to plushies. The Retro feel of her shop will appeal to so many people. I think any little girl would be very excited to receive this chick necklace.

Tea anyone? Vintage Town has created this birdie cosy to keep your teapot lovely and warm so that you can spend a long Sunday morning reading the paper and sipping at a cupper whilst you find out what's going on in the world and read the funnies. It will even keep your pot warm whilst you finish off the crossword too!

Artistico collage art print made me chuckle. The Owl is so patterned, he really stands out. I'm not sure with all those bright jazzy feathers he would be able to sneak up on that many mouse dinners.

If you are looking for new people to chat to about the handmade movement or just want to see lots of gorgeous handmade goods, get over to twitter and do a search for people that have tagged themselves as "handmade". You'll find lots of people to chat to and follow and you will hear all the latest updates to shops and news about what people are working on. See you there!

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops

Gorgeous goods are just a click away.

Over on the right of our blog we have some Project Wonderful ad slots that are full of fabulous shops. The people advertising in those slots sponsor this blog and help us to keep it running. To show our gratitude to those people I like to feature some of their goods on the blog every now and then. It's always easy to find things to feature too because their shops are always full to bursting point with exciting products. You can see for yourself by clicking through to their shops and taking a surf through their pages.

Lori Anderson Designs has a wide range of styles of jewellery on her website. This colourful beauty is from the Whimsical range. It contains 100 handmade lampwork beads. It's a riot of colours that would brighten even the darkest day.

Next its a shop full of embroidery with attitude. Aunti Franni's take on embroidery has a very nifty twist. Yes you can find traditional styles in her shop but the ones that made me smile most were the slightly more quirky designs, such as the Crafty Ninja. As a knitter I think I might now have to make myself a ninja outfit.

Rebbeca from Soap Deli has long been one of our sponsors. She makes beautiful soaps and is also a fellow lover of handmade goods. She and her partner are so dedicated to spreading the word about handmade goods that they started up the web networking site Made By Hand. By ME. Check out the site and Rebbeca's soaps. Both are well worth a look.

Random Scraps creates gorgeous paper and card goods for you to buy. Her handmade cards are top quality and will delight anyone lucky enough to receive them. This set of 6 are simply a great way of reminding people you are thinking of them. Send someone you miss a Hello card and let them know how much they mean to you.

Artistic Jen has many talents. These unusual black fleck coloured polymer clay beads are just one of the things she has made. She also crochets and paints. Her pretty shawls and Afghan blankets are beautiful.

So now I've shown you a small sample, why not check out the rest of these sponsors shops and don't forget to visit the other sponsors too. I thank them all for sponsoring us and for sharing their multitude of talents with us.

Written by Lynne of PiratePixieCrew and Hyperloop Hoops