Shetland Museum and Archives

Shetland Museum and Archives, a photo by Lars Helge on Flickr.

miasole

River rock pillow cover
"Being a graphic designer for many years, I’m returning to my first expression of creativity, which is sewing. I have combined my skills in graphics and sewing to make distinct accessories for your home. Photoshop, painting, sewing and sculpting with fabric are a few of my favorite things to use to make unique pillows and other original accessories."
bio written by Monika via her etsy profile

Star Bags

Doily and Roses- Big Shoulder Bag
"Jewelry making for me started in a rough way some fifteen years ago. I had an accident at the building site (I am a civil engineer) that left me incapacitated and unable to do that kind of work any longer. After a long convalescence I decided to move from the Netherlands with my then adolescent daughter, Estella, to Turkey, a favorite holiday spot for us. The climate was more favorable for my injuries and the cost of living was a lot cheaper which suited my dramatically diminished income. And this has proved to be a sound decision. My physical mobility improved greatly, and the beauty of the country, the colors, the traditions, and even the smells are a daily source of inspiration.
I have always had a passion for handcrafts, but of course, being a single ‘Mum' with a full time job, it had been years since I had had the time and tranquility to do something with my hands. Well, here was my opportunity!
As my daughter was growing up we explored many crafts together: drawing, painting, embroidering, and decorating the house (with often a zero budget but smashing results). Our many friends and acquaintances considered us the most creative family they knew.
A visit some eight years ago to a remote village where ethnic fellahs live, brought about a fundamental change to our crafts. A young woman gave me present, a piece of fabric on which she had ‘painted' a characteristic ruin of her village. The ‘painting' was done with sequins and beads, and in bold colors; and it was very expressive.
What a discovery! My daughter and I began to create fabric pictures of buildings, mosques and churches with onion domes, an old passion of mine from my building life. Sewing sequin by sequin, tiny seed bead by tiny seed bead onto the fabric we created bright, fantastic landscapes for our walls. Each work took several months to complete, generally with me sketching the composition and making the contours while my daughter, with better eyes and quicker hands, filled it in. And from this a very close and personal way of working together was born, the two of us with four hands working towards a common goal.
And then, five years ago, jewelry making became a fashion even in the small town in southwest Turkey where we live and all kind of beads and findings began to arrive from Istanbul, where, of course, every thing imaginable in the world can be found at the bazaar. Estella started to make her own jewellery and soon I got interested too. And from the first necklace we created, we had the feeling we could become really, really good at this, we could be passionate about it and fulfilled. My daughter and I have since go on to create hundreds of jewelry pieces, with two different tastes and designstyles Estella's and mine. Estella skillfully executing the designs, she also solves the technical problems of jewelry making. This work bring us great joy, especially the hands on aspect of it, and the fact that women look great in our designs gives us a kick.
Estella has finished her education as an interior designer (you know, smashing results with almost zero budget) but in the small town where we live there is not a big demand for this. The jewelry making, however is a different story. Women (and men) always feel a need to embellish themselves. Jewelry helps women to feel good, to look good, and yes, to heal themselves, and we are there for every woman and every budget.
Thousands of people make a living either in the jewelry industry or by making jewelry, and with so many competitors it is a challenge to be different and to get our name out there while at the same time working to improve our craft. We feel Etsy is a step in the right direction and will help us to achieve our goals, and it also a great way to make new friends."
bio written by Esther and Estella via this etsy profile

Pasha Bodrum

turquoise floral scarf with crochet edge

HammeredStudio

Necklace-Endless Flight- A butterfly Wing Spoon Necklace-Collage

karrah kobus

slumping homes and jumping ship., a photo by karrah.kobus on Flickr.

one decision can change your whole life. and if youre unhappy, dont let it scare you. you will find the shore eventually.

this photo has this whole backstory in my head... and not that it particularly matters because i love individual interpretation in art, but i intended to tell the story of two rich and beautiful ladies, with lovers and nice homes to be proud of. though still they were unhappy, so one day whilst cruising the ocean on a yacht they made a pact and jumped ship.. this is the moment they finally washed up, hearts full of hope and courage. even after the beginnings of a rough journey.

and this is one of my favorite pieces that ive made for a while.

Quilts By Emily

Royal Squares Quilt
"I am a mom to a darling little 2 year old boy and I love to knit, sew, quilt, and cook. I have to give most of the credit to my mom who was really into quilting when I was young. Not only did she teach me the "proper" way to sew and quilt but she let me have free reign in her sewing room to experiment with my own way of doing things. I've always enjoying making things with my hands and having that creative outlet."
bio written by Emily via her etsy profile

cupcakes for clara

finger mice, a photo by cupcakes for clara on Flickr.

F for Felt

Hugo - the friendly gnome - one of a kind needle felted doll
"I l-o-v-e wool
Its texture, its warmth, its smell and feel, the shapes it transforms into, the soothing sound it makes, the way it smiles... well, you know what I mean ;)
The process of creating wool sculptures is laborious and time consuming, but always worth the work and ...pain of getting stabbed by a needle occasionally."
bio written by Bea via the etsy profile
BLOG * ETSY * FACEBOOK

Annak Williams

(138/365), a photo by annak.williams on Flickr.

Just got back from the lake. Old shot. sorry.

Ahh school starts tomorrow..

SOOC

infinite glassworks

Handblown Glass Vase - Summer Berry
"Established in 2005 by Kate and Matthew Civiero, Infinite Glassworks offers unique handblown and fused glass products for interior and exterior spaces. Emphasizing shape, form and colour, Infinite Glassworks produces fresh design in functional and sculptural vessels.
Using molten glass, Kate and Matthew Civiero work together to form each piece by hand. After gathering hot glass on a hollow pipe, colour is added and the vessel is inflated and manipulated with specially designed hand tools. Upon completion, each piece of glass is cooled slowly to room temperature, then ground flat, polished and signed"
bio written by infinateglassworks via the etsy profile
FACEBOOK * WEBSITE * TWITTER * ETSY * RSS

Ivory Faces

I met some horses, a photo by Ivory Faces on Flickr.

I met some horses

applique alphabet

applique alphabet, a photo by nanaCompany on Flickr.

abc quilt blogged

Merritt Hyde

White Love Bird Garden Ornament with Red Heart
"I love looking for materials that would otherwise be thrown away, buried or discarded and giving them new “life”. Things like rusted barn tin, old wood and barbwire become works of art and beauty while still retaining a sense of history and character. I strive to create quality items that are produced from recycled materials without compromising quality or a sense of style.
Currently I hang my hat in Arab, Alabama with my musician husband and 7 year-old son. I goal is to unite art, nature and materials by crafting something for the present. Something which will hopefully add joy to others lives. Because each piece is handmade with storied materials, they are one-of-a-kind.
HOW I BEGAN WORKING WITH TIN: I began painting on tin in 1998 and it soon progressed into experimenting with materials, technique and 3d objects. I wanted to transform it in to something totally new and beautiful… for the tin to be “reborn” without losing the integrity of its journey. In retrospect I can see that this was a personal journey as well as an artistic one and it continues to this day to challenge me."
bio written by Merritt via her etsy profile

Maid Of Clay

Door to her Mind - Porcelain Pendant on Sterling Silver
"Hi! My name is Felicia, and I am the potter and sculptor behind MaidofClay. I create hand sculpted creatures with extra personality and wheel thrown pottery in stoneware and porcelain. You can view samples of my work at maidofclay.com (you'll have to type this in your browser as Etsy only has direct links within Etsy). I do everything from the idea, the execution of the idea, the photography, the listing, the packing and the shipping until it arrives safely in your hands.
I love all art mediums, but for the last 11 years I've been consumed by the art and craft of clay. I have three cats (Willoughby, Buster & Emmett) that I pamper overmuch, and I'm addicted to flea markets - I love finding treasures. I'm happily married and my husband loves cats and fleamarketing just as much as I do.
I succumbed to what I’ve termed the “Call of the Wheel” in the Spring of 2000 when I discovered the frustrating, yet strangely meditative joy of throwing a pot. Throwing clay soon took a backseat to sculpting clay when I began shaping small forms to add to my thrown pieces. I work with high fire stoneware clay and porcelain and construct my sculptural pieces through a combination of handbuilding techniques. I am equally happy making both whimsical, silly pieces and more sophisticated art pottery.
Learn a bit about Maid of Clay Ceramics with my Etsy Featured Seller article.
I don’t know how many people are interested in the technical aspects of clay, but, just in case…I bisque my greenware at cone 05 (almost 1900 degrees) and I do both mid-range oxidation firing (cone 6 – 2232 degrees)in an electric kiln and high fire gas reduction firing (cone 10 – 2380 degrees) for my glazed pieces. All the glazes I use for functional ware are commercial glazes manufactured by Laguna Clay Company and verified foodsafe."
bio written by Felicia via her etsy profile

Jane Bo

Wool scarf Fall colors nuno felted/ Шарф Ожидание осени, войлок, a photo by Jane Bo on Flickr.

Wool scarf Fall colors nuno felted/ Шарф Ожидание осени, войлок

Merino wool 18 mic, lace, silk, cotton

and O Design

Lace Imprint Egg Jewelry Plate S Dish
"and O design is created by Yumi Ando, a Japanese artist based in Melbourne, Australia.
All the and O design items are hand-built using slab techniques and are made in small batches.
The designs are inspired by both Japanese and Australian cultures."
mini-bio written by andODesign via the etsy profile
WEBSITE * BLOG * ETSY

Irene Suchocki

A Heart So White - Fine art horse photograph - White horse in the water - Animal photography
"I am a Montreal-based fine art photographer. I enjoy experimenting with different styles and techniques, both in-camera and in my digital darkroom. Faithfully capturing a scene is less important to me than finding that little bit of mystery or evoking a certain mood. I like to explore the ethereal, the surreal, the whimsical, the mysterious, and the beautiful. I enjoy creating little poems for the eyes. I hope you find some delight in the images that I so enjoy creating."
bio written by Irene via her etsy profile
FACEBOOK * TWITTER * BLOG * ETSY

Footprint Designs

Roses are Red Bobby Pins
"Footprint Designs is a sister team. We love to create, and love to do it together and would not have it any other way!
We care about others and love to give back to the community. For every sale 10% is donated to Charity. Every 6 months we will be donating to a new charity. If there is a charity that you would like us to consider, please send us a message.
We both have small children and they keep us very busy. Every moment spent with them is a precious gift."
bio written by footprintdesigns via the etsy profile
FACEBOOK * TWITTER * ETSY