Saturday Selections! Halloween Installment! 10/31/2009

Happy Halloween Everybody! I hope you have a great night of tricks and treats! Today's Saturday Selections feature some of my favorite Halloween themed Etsy pieces. Enjoy!

Black Cat Bead by idzyne	Candy Corn by kre8or
Spooky Tree by gypsymarestudios	Sugar Skulls Soap by DirtyAssSoaps
Crocheted Spider Web by spacestitch	Black Widow Sushi by FeltedChicken

Now I am off to finish decorating for our Halloween party this evening and make sure my kids skeleton costumes fit correctly!

Later! :)

Featured Seller of the Day 10/30/2009

Today's featured seller has some spooky and creepy items available for our viewing pleasure. Her shop is called:

-where the sweet and sour co-mingle-

Sarah's polymer clay creations range from creepy to sweet, from brains to treats! Since Halloween is tomorrow, this seemed like the perfect combination to start off the weekend. :) The first piece is Halloween in a nutshell, well in a pumpkin shell really. ;)

Whacko Jacko Necklace

This perfect Halloween pumpkin pendant is all ready for fright night! It has an old world gothic feel to it, that is enhanced by the intricate metal frame the jack-o-lantern rests on. A perfectly creepy piece for a wonderfully creepy night!

Not creepy enough for you? Well relax, it only gets creepier from here!

Opti Ring

Eye love this piece! :) No, but seriously, I've always had a thing for eyes, though generally I prefer them in someones head, rather then staring blankly up from their hand. Either way, this is still a really cool piece!

Too creepy? Okay how about we move to the sweet part of this shop for a bit. :)

Chocolate Truffle Charms (6)

If these don't get you in the mood to chow down on some serious quantities of Halloween candy, I don't know what will. And while these aren't traditional Halloween fare, I'd take chocolate truffles over bit sized Snickers bars any day! :)

Alright one more creepy piece. This one would be perfect for a special occasion in your future, if you are a zombie that is!

Lunch Meat Cufflinks

You will be the envy of your zombie friends when you show up at the next black tie event sporting these beauties! Though I would double check with your sweetie before wearing them to her aunt Mayble's 50th wedding anniversary. While you might think it's funny, I'm pretty sure aunt Mayble might think differently! ;)

I hope you enjoyed our selection of Halloween tricks and treats! Tomorrow is Saturday Selections and I will be featuring more of my favorite Halloween themed items. I'm not sure if I'll be going the creepy or sweet route yet, you'll just have to check in tomorrow to find out!

Later!

P.S. For more information on today's featured seller, please check out their Etsy profile here => beatblack's Profile

Sushi Rolls

Last night I finally finished the sushi roll part of my sushi set. It was actually much harder then I thought it was going to be. But after I figure out how I wanted to attach the "fillings" to the rice it went much faster. Here's a pic of the rolls all together:



I think the salmon came out the best, but I still like the roe one the best. :) Now all that's left is to make a felt dollop of wasabi and a fan of ginger. And the set will be ready to post!

I also finally got a pic of my finished nirgiri salmon sushi.



I like this one a lot! I'm going to make pins for it, hopefully tonight. If it sells I think I'll do a tuna one next. :)

Today is all about getting the house clean then keeping it that way, so there is not as much to do tomorrow before the Halloween party. :) Have a great weekend everybody!

Later!

Featured Seller of the Day 10/29/2009

Today's featured seller makes beautiful felt jewelry. Her shop's name is:

Fiber: art, alchemy, & adornment

As with anything else, making felt flowers can be as simple or complex as you would like to make it. Certainly make a simple cut-out flower motif is not an advanced level project. But how about make realistic flowers using only felt, thread, and beads? Well that's a little more difficult.

Poppy Pin 9

This beautiful poppy flower is made of hand felted wool and silk. It was free motion embroidered, which has given it amazing texture! As an added touch, the center was hand beaded, giving the piece additional interest and adding even more to it's unique texture. This pin actually reminds me of a flower from an impressionist painting. I think it's the brush-stroke like stitches in the center, that give it a "painted" quality. :)

I love flowers, but some people prefer slightly less, well, "flowery" plant life. If you are one of those people, then take a look at this next pin.

English Oak Pin

The most striking thing about this piece is the beautiful, yet subtle variegation in the color of the leaf. This is even further highlighted, by the use of iridescent beads to accent the veins of the leaf. I also like the way the piece kind of curls slightly, just like a real leaf! :)

Okay, how about a more exotic plant?

Orchid Pin 1

This piece is beautiful! Once again the color varigegation adds a natural touch and interest to this lovely piece. I especially love the bead work on this pin. It makes the center of the piece really pop! :)

Tomorrow's artist has a spooky feel to their shop; perfect for Halloween! ::Hint - They make polymer clay jewelry!::

Later!

P.S. For more information on today's featured seller, please check out their Etsy profile here => cordavalera's Profile

Featured Seller of the Day 10/27/2009

Today's featured seller, makes unique jewelry pieces using polymer clay. Her shop is called:

Juliespace - Julie Sweeney's Handmade Jewelry & Mosaics

Julie uses many different techniques in making her jewelry, giving her shop a very eclectic feel. One of the things I find cool about her pieces, is her use of non-clay material in her work. This, while not a jewelry piece, is a good example.

Turquoise Iris Pocket Mirror

This beautiful pocket mirror has been wrapped in turquoise polymer clay and accented with red paint. I love the texture of the carved flower on the back, and I love how the design wraps around to the front, almost as if it grew that way. :)

The next piece makes use of a different kind of glass to give it a unique texture and composition.

Petal Pendant

The sky blue tones of this pendant are set off perfectly by the green of the seed beads. And while the colors are striking, it's the texture that is the real star of this piece. The smoothness of the clay sides, mixed with the bumpy texture created by the seed beads, is perfectly offset by the soft clay petals and the large glass cabochon at the top. A simply gorgeous piece!

While the next piece does have a beautiful variety of textures, this one is really all about the color.

From The Tropics Birdy

Okay so this one isn't jewelry either. He is however a very handsome fellow. :) I love the way the fiery yellows and oranges of his feathers are contrasted by the bright green of the grass. And I really love the way the artist made his tail feathers into big orange swirls of color! :)

Okay for this last one, I'll do one more piece of jewelry. And since it's almost Halloween, how about something a little spooky?

Flying Pumpkin Necklace

Well, maybe this guy is a little too happy to be spooky, but he certainly is festive! :) He reminds me of old time Victorian area Halloween decorations. I think it's the way the black paint is used to highlight the orange of the pumpkin, that gives it an antiquey kind of look. The perfect perky pumpkin for your happy Halloween! :)

Tomorrow, I will be taking a break from posting, as I have to bring my kids to get their flu shots. We'll pick up on Thursday with an amazing felt artist. ::Hint - She makes flowers!::

Later!

P.S. For more information on today's featured seller, please check out their Etsy profile here => juliespace's Profile

Another Quick Update

I finished my nigiri pincushion and I think tonight I'll make the pins and post it. I started on another sushi roll, but while I figured out how I wanted to do it, the first side didn't get measured right, so I have to redo it. Now that I know what exactly I need to do it will be slightly easier though. :)

My power was out for 2 hours yesterday, but luckily it wasn't real cold or windy out so it wasn't a huge problem. I'm not sure what happened exactly, but the power company said that 2,500 were without power, so I'm guessing it was something to do with the grid. As it looks like it's going to be slightly cooler today, I'm hoping there are no more problems, but we'll see. :)

Tomorrow is I take my 3 boys to get their flu shots. Yay... I'm guessing that since they will probably be in lovely moods afterwards that tomorrow will not be very productive, so I'm going to try to get as much done today as possible. Speaking of which, I'm off to post today's Featured Seller!

Later!

Featured Seller of the Day 10/26/2009

Happy Monday everyone! Today's featured seller makes amazingly cool Steampunk jewelry! Their store is called:

Steampunk Jewelry inspired by Victorian Science Fiction

Steampunk, as I have explained in previous posts is a cross between Victorian era style, steam-powered inventions, and science fiction-fantasy. An element that is often seen and repeated in Steampunk design is gears.

Steampunk Jewelry - BRACELET - Copper brass and CHRYSOPRASE

This bracelet has a beautiful patina and lovely green chrysoprase stones. But it is the coiled wire and large gear at its center that make this piece Steampunk. It appears to be made from extra parts of some sort of ancient engine, but is still beautifully crafted and elegant. In everyday life elegance and machine parts don't seem like they would go together, this however is what the idea of Steampunk is built upon.

While today's artists do carry a wide range of jewelry, they specialize in rings. Here's a beautiful example, of what I would call a classic Steampunk style ring.

Steampunk Jewelry - RING - Artistic wire ring with BLUE FIRE AGATE - 8.5 ONLY

I love the use of the coiled wire in this ring, and the way the different colored metals highlight the creamy blue color of the fire agate. It once again appears that some old time mechanic has used the leftover parts from his or her latest project to create this unique piece. It almost seems to be from the future and the past at the same time.

Are these styles not quite your taste? Well I suppose Steampunk isn't for everybody, but by using the same types of materials in slightly different styles, the artists have also created some more "mainstream" rings. :)

FALL FLOWER - Gunmetal ring with DREAM AGATE beads

This beautiful floral ring is made of the same materials as the Steampunk jewelry, but has a more traditional feel to it. The simple wire flower's shape is mirrored by the exquisite amber colored dream agate stones behind it. And while this piece would offset a Steampunk outfit beautifully, it would also look just as nice with a more traditional outfit.

Too plain? ::Sigh:: There's no please you! ;) Well if you think that these pieces are too "boring" for you, then check out this last ring!

Steampunk Jewelry - ROBOT RING - copper REPTILE taxidermy glass EYE - SIZE 9 ONLY

Now really, how cool is that! I don't know about you, but I think having a robot ring would be insanely awesome. :) I love how the artist used a real taxidermy eye to give the robot a very real, almost alive, look. And I also love that his hands are made of lobster claw clasps. I wish I'd thought of that! :)

Tomorrow I will be featuring another jewelry artist. ::Hint - They work with polymer clay!::

Later!

P.S. For more information on today's featured seller, please check out their Etsy profile here => CatherinetteRings's Profile

Featured Seller of the Day 10/25/2009

Today's shop is run by the husband and wife team of Beon and Candy, from Taiwan. Their shop is called:

Leatherprince - HANDMADE LEATHER keychains and purses at ETSY

All of the original designs in this shop, are hand-cut and hand-stitched leather. The colors they use are brilliant and their designs remind me a lot of cartoon characters. :)

I picked the first piece to show you, in honor of Halloween coming up this week.

Halloween Jack O Lantern Leather Keychain ( Orange )

This perfect pumpkin keychain is very happy Halloween is almost here! I love the bright orange leather, and the cut-out smiley face. :D

Now, if you can't decide what to go as this Halloween, may I suggest a ninja?

Taka Ninja Ipod Classic Leather Case ( Black and Grey )

Ninjas are perfect for Halloween as they are able to sneak stealthily up to each house and raid their candy bowls, without even having to ring the doorbell! Of course some people think pirates are far superior to ninjas. I'm still undecided, but I'll have to admit, this next piece is pretty cool!

Ashbren the Skull Leather Purse ( Red )

While ninjas do have pirates beat for stealth, I think pirates definitely have ninjas beat for flair! I mean, look at the colors of this piece! The black and white of the skull and crossbones seems to jump off the blood red background. You can't get more dramatic then that!

And one last piece full of Halloween cuteness! :)

Munster the Spider Leather Charm ( Black )

Isn't he the cutest! :) I'm not a big fan of spiders, but he could come live at my house any time he likes! There are many, many more designs to choose from, if you haven't see one here that you that you must have. And if, for whatever reason, you are not a big fan of leather, then check out their sister shop Feltprince run by Candy's sister Yen. It features many of the designs from leatherprince, but done in felt! :)

Tomorrow, I'll be featuring another Steampunk artist. ::Hint - They make cool rings!::

P.S. For more information on today's featured seller, please check out their Etsy profile here => leatherprince's Profile

Sigh...

Posting a quick update on my sushi pincushion, cause my cousin is nagging me to show her pics. :) So here it is so far:



It's salmon nigiri sushi. I would have liked the white "fat" lines to be slightly thicker, but overall I think it looks pretty cute. :) It's slightly more orange in real life, almost exactly the color of raw salmon. I think I'm going to wrap some "nori" around it, cause it's a little plain. And it's much bigger then I thought it was going to be. It's 4" x 2" x 2", not sure how that happened, but since it is big I'll probably sell it by itself.

Okay, no more posting till tomorrow!

Later! ;)

Grounds for Sculpture

So as promised awhile back, I just posted some pics of my latest trip to Grounds for Sculpture on Flickr. Unless you are really into outdoor sculpture or live in the central New Jersey region, you've probably never heard of Grounds for Sculpture. It is a 35-acre outdoor (and indoor) sculpture park, that was founded in 1992 by J. Seward Johnson to display works created at Johnson Atelier Technical Institute of Sculpture, which is located right next to the park. Click the picture below to check out their website.

Grounds for Sculpture

That's the vine arch. It mirrors the shape of the main building just off camera on the left. It's the symbol of the sculpture park. When the park first opened, it was free to get in and not very well known. My family discovered the park not long after moving to Hamilton, I think we were there the second or third weekend it opened. I still remember the first time we went, there weren't any vines on the arch at all! :) The park has both indoor and outdoor spaces, but the majority of the space is outside.

Asian Bells Sculpture

This piece is wreathed by bamboo and sits right next to the lotus blossom pond. Situated on the pond is The Gazebo. During the spring and summer there is a small gourmet snack stand, where you can purchase munchies or a nice glass of wine to sip while you are overlooking the flowers from the balcony. Here's a pic of the part of the pond from the dock of The Gazebo.

Lotus Pond

One of the things that the park is famous for is J. Seward Johnson's cast bronze human figures. He has recreated, all over the park, famous paintings from famous impressionist artists. Here is one of the newer pieces modeled after Renoir's "Luncheon of the Boating Party." You can click the picture to see the original painting.

Click here to see the original painting.

Everything in the picture is cast, right down to the table cloth. The twist with this piece, is all of the people in it look like someone from the sculpture park. And just off screen towards the back is another table of people not seen in the original painting. It includes the artist himself and a few of his friends in modern clothes, making enough of a ruckus that one of the "real" guests at the party comes over to complain! :) Obliviously, my cousins Matt and Cheryl are not part of the piece. :)

Along with the indoor exhibits that change every few months or so, and the outdoor pieces that are usually (but not always) permanent, they also have an outdoor water garden. The water garden is full of pieces that incorporate either water, mist, or reflections into the sculptures. Here's one of my favorites:

Foggy Cage

This piece is made of metal that is jointed in a million different places. The piece, which sits in the sun, is constantly sprayed with a fine mist of water. The water, sun, and outside temperature constantly change the shape of the piece. So every time you see it, it is a slightly different shape. :) It is also full of metal frogs, snakes, and lizards that are slowly changing color and moving with the piece. If you check out my flickr page you can see a close up of it.

They have many different types of sculptures in the park, but the other cool thing about it is the huge variety of landscapes and rare plants and trees they added. My brother actually did a project in school on the variety of trees that grow in the park. I believe they have over 50 different kinds of trees and I can't even imagine how many different plants! Here's a pic from the bamboo forest they grew around one of their pieces.

Bamboo Forest

If you are ever in the area I seriously suggest checking it out! While it's not free anymore, it's only $10 per person, and they do have discounts for students, seniors, and children. They even have craft and art workshops and tours of the artists' studios you can sign up for. So to wrap it up, really cool place! You should check it out! :)

Tomorrow, I'll be featuring another leather artist. ::Hint - They make keychains!::

Later!

P.S. For more info on this park, visit their website here => Ground for Sculpture
And if you'd like to see the rest of my pics of our trip, you can view them here => Jennie's Trip to Grounds For Sculpture Oct 2009

Saturday Selections! 10/24/2009

So to break things up a little bit, ever Saturday I'm going to post 4 to 6 pieces from different people that relate to the season, closest holiday, or just something random I happen to think about. :)

Being that it's fall and coming up on Halloween, I decided that this week's theme is pumpkins! Whether they are orange or yellow, big or small, carved or plain, they add the perfect touch to your home and yard in these crisp cold days before winter. Here are some of my favorite pumpkins on Etsy. I hope you like them too! :)

** Okay...so I was trying to make this into a cute little html table that looked vaguely like a Treasury, and I failed miserably. So before next week I will do some research as to how exactly I'm supposed to do that here. Until then enjoy the list of my favorite pumpkin pieces on Etsy! :) **

Fall Harvest Pumpkin - Classy Wool Felt Pin, Brooch, or Hair Clip by pammydawn

Knitted Pumpkins Centerpiece by KangarooKnits

Dollhouse Miniature Autumn Cake by fairchildart

Pumpkin No. 2 / clay figurine by ColdPorcelainDesigns

Satsuma Felt Food Sculpture by britishcreamtea

Autumn Pumpkin Felt Pincushion with Three Decorative Fall Pins by Me!

Have a happy Saturday everyone!

Later! :)

A New Things Update :)

So me and my Etsy addicted family have been busy lately. And since they are too lazy to have and/or update their own blogs, I'll let you know what they have been up to. ;)

Amber (thewanderingknitter) just posted the rest of her Halloween Kitties I told you about in her Featured Seller post. :) She also posted some fall kitties, this one is my favorite...and it's not cause his name is Jacob either. :P

Jacob the Fall Kitten

Aren't those colors beautiful? Perfect for the fall! :)

Next on my hit list, is my brother Tony (DigitalMushroom). He's at school at the moment, so whenever he has time to finish a piece I post it for him (cause I'm the best big sister ever!). Anyway here's his newest piece:

Halloween Kittycorn - Candy Corn Polymer Clay Kitty Cat Figurine

It's a kittycorn; isn't that cute! :) It even has orange paw prints on it's paws (you can see them in the last pic of the listing). :) I have another piece of his to post, but I need a better pic of it. Hopefully I can get that taken tomorrow.

Ooo! It's my turn! :) So I was making something (I forget what now) and I got distracted playing with the red clay, and ended up making a pin. It's my first attempt at jewelry, so be kind...

Pink and Red Heart Polymer Clay Pin - Little Bit of Love

It's cute, but it's heavier then I thought it was going to be (again, never made jewelry before) so it'll really work best only when used on thicker fabrics. I think it's cute, but I'm not sure if I like it enough to make more. I'd like to make some jewelry, but maybe something a little lighter next time. :)

I'm almost done with my most recent sushi felt piece. It turned out bigger then I thought it would, so I might make some polymer clay pins and sell it by itself and make some smaller rolls to go with my first piece. I was going to take a pic of it "in progress" but I don't know where my husband put my camera...so I guess tomorrow I'll post a pic. :)

Okay that's it for now. Later! :)

Featured Seller of the Day 10/23/2009

Today's featured seller is another felt artist that makes amazingly cute magnets and brooches. Her shop is called:

Bittersweet Friends - Lovingly Disgruntled

Since today is Friday, I thought we could inject a little humor onto this site. The pieces today's artist makes, are both cute and funny. The perfect little pick-me-up to get you through the last couple hours before the weekend begins.

Our first piece is roundish and orange and a big player in October. He is the pumpkin!

Bittersweets Angry Autumn Pumpkin Brooch or Halloween Magnet

This little guy is upset by the various cruelties that befall his fellow pumpkins. Between the carvings and pie making that goes on in the fall, he really does have a lot to be angry about! Luckily none of these tragedies will befall him, because he is made of felt. :)

This next piece is both sweet and spicy. Say hello to wasabi and ginger!

Tasty Ginger and her Vengeful Little Buddy Wasabi - Brooch

These best friends have graced sushi plates for centuries! And while sweet ginger is sad that soon they will be eaten, wasabi knows even though you'll eat him, he will have the last laugh! :)

What comes after sweet and spicy? How about sour?

Sour Little Lemon Brooch

Okay so lemons are always sour. But this lemon on top of having a sour flavor, also has a sour disposition! You would too if you had a beautiful smell and color, but no one could eat you due to your taste!

From sour, we will visit our last piece: a sweet chocolate chip cookie!

Bittersweets Angry Cookie Magnet or Brooch

Okay, so this cookie is a little more bittersweet then sweet, but it's still too cute! The only thing I don't like about this piece, is it makes me hungry for cookies! If you didn't see your favorite food here or in the artist's shop, let her know, she loves specail orders! :)

Tomorrow, I'll be doing something a little different. Instead of posting one artist, I'm going to post a few of my favorite items from a couple different people. Then Sunday it will be back to the Featured Seller series.

Later!

P.S. For more information on today's featured seller, please check out their Etsy profile here => Bittersweeets's Profile