Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Presenting Callidora's!

The newest rider on the ArtFire Crazy Train Promo is Callidora's. I haven't actually been in this studio before, so this is a journey for me.
The first thing I noticed when I went into Callidora's is that it seems 'happy'. There is a lovely welcoming feel and you can feel the smile on your face.
Callidora's prides itself on 'creating quality women's clothing and accessories'. A quick read of the artisan bio and intro lets you know they are happy to do custom orders and work with your budget and sizing requirements.
Here is a spotlight of a view of the items available.



Drop by Callidora's on ArtFire to see more.

Friday, November 13, 2009

CatsWire and BeadSire!

I was hanging out on Plurk again.. seriously addictive place.. and I was chatting with a couple of fellow artisans. One is an Australian, like me, known as BeadSire. The other is from Germany, known as CatsWire. And I was thinking about doing another Plurkie Promo, and it occurred to me that their names rhymed.. which was amusing to me. So here I am. I pulled together a spotlight from their online stores... but had 9 spots to fill, so I apologise to BeadSire that I only picked 4 of hers.. I had to make a choice..I guess I could have done two spotlights.. but I'm pretty sure they wont mind sharing.



CatsWire has three different online stores, and the pieces I spotlighted of hers are randomly selected from all three of them - CatsWire Etsy, CatsWire ArtFire and CatsWire DaWanda.
Beadsire can be found at BeadSire Etsy.
Both of these wonderful women are extremely talented artisans, and they both love to use wire, but the pieces they make are vastly different and truly unique. They have both also extended the hand of friendship across the internet, and for that I am truly grateful.
By promoting other artisans, especially those who have touched me in some way personally, I hope to show to them how much I value their friendship, support and creative abilities.

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Crazy Train presents JazzyJemz!

The newest rider on the Crazy Train promotion is Jazzy Jemz. Her studio is full of awesome mother and baby items that would make perfect gifts for any new mums you know, or even for yourself if you are planning a family.
I have put together a little spotlight of some of the gorgeous items from Jazzy Jemz.



If you are looking cute, adorable and functional items for mums and babies, then drop into JazzyJemz on ArtFire and check out her great range.

Plurkie Promotion!

For now other reason, other than that I can, I have decided to promote some of my wonderful Plurk friends. For those that dont know, Plurk is a social network that helps develop real friendships as well as being a great tool for promoting yourself and others.
So I have done a little spotlight with 9 of my Plurk buddies, along with a little spiel about them and their studio.



CreativeHaven - This is one seriously wonderful woman. She creates beautiful jewellery pieces and handmade soap! The piece of hers that I selected grabbed my eye because of the fabulous colour, but it was such a hard choice, there is much to drool over. Do yourself a favour and come and see for yourself at CreativeHaven.. bring tissues to mop up with :)

Shake Your BonBons - The pick I grabbed is from ShakeYourBonBons on ArtFire, but she also has a webpage you can order from. As a self proclaimed chocoholic her bonbons and other delicious creations are decidedly dangerous! The genius behind Shake Your BonBons is also an awesome lady and very talented food columnist.

28SideDesigns - I have long been fascinated by historical pieces, such as Renaissance clothing, which may be due to being a chainmaille nut. And one of the things that 28SideDesign does is create made to measure outfits like this, including corsets and cinchers. Added to that are other wonderful creations, including embroidered pieces. Her studio is well worth a visit.

EmilyClaireCreations - Now this is one talented lady. Hand her some polymer clay and she will create a masterpiece. I know EmilyClaireCreations via the Polymer Clay Smooshers and we are all in awe of her creations. I found it really difficult just to pick one item, because they are all worthy of promotion.

Gundowerks - This is another member of the Polymer Clay Smooshers, and another maestro with polymer clay. I often have difficulty noticing that her pieces are made with polymer clay, they so often look like something else, such as metal or glass. I was going to pick one of her jewellery creations, but decided to go with her beads, because frankly they are da bomb!

Catinalife - This lovely lady is a member of the ArtFire Chainmaille Guild, yes that's right, the one I am guildmaster of LOL. I was going to pick one of her maille pieces, but had to go with what has to be one of my absolute favourites in her studio. She has an incredible knack for bringing out the best in the items she works with, showing them to their fullest potential. Check out Catinalife.. you will be drooling for hours.

SilverRiverGlassWorks - SilverRiver has more than one studio on ArtFire, each with its own speciality. SilverRiverGlassworks features her fabulous handmade Artisan lampwork beads. She has a wonderful eye for colour and this is apparent in her beads. Anyone who creates jewellery pieces should bookmark her studio.

LeatherMadeNice - Do you like leather? Because LeatherMadeNice has awesome pieces, many of them personalised and made to order. I love the smell of leather and have always wanted a handmade leather handbag. I often feel the tug on my Paypal when I drop by for a looksie. A personalised leather creation would make a fabulous gift for Christmas.

AuntiFranni - This lady absolutely rocks! Not only is she one of the nicest people I have met online, she is also an absolute whizz with an embroidery and sewing machine. When you go to AuntiFranni's you will find awesome and fun patches, badges and appliques, as well as cozies for bottles, lipbalms and usbs.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Crazy Train presents Gravel Road Jewelry!

I took a little break from promoting Crazy Train riders, not because I stopped wanting to, just a time factor. But I am back and I am really glad that the first Crazy Train rider I am promoting since my comeback is this fabulous studio.
I noticed Gravel Road Jewelry the day they joined ArtFire. The creations they make are amazing, and once you see one you will never forget it. The workmanship is exquisite. Many people work with wire, but only a few have a true gift. Gravel Road Jewelry is one of those with a gift with wire. One day I hope to own one of their fabulous pieces.
Here are just a few pieces from their studio.



It is seriously worth a visit to the studio of Gravel Road Jewelry. I promise you will not be disappointed.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Lucky Number Artisan Feature.

I decided today to promote a random artisan. So I asked fellow artisans to guess my favourite number. Well my favourite number is 8 and Butterfly-Crafts guessed it correctly.
Butterfly-Crafts is based in the United Kingdom and makes amazing handmade cards, scented sachets and crocheted items. Her first love is cross stitch, and she has been writing an excellent series of articles on the World of Cross Stitch for handmadenews.org. She also has a supply studio on ArtFire - Butterfly-Crafts-Supplies.
She also has a great blog - Butterfly-Crafts - that is well worth a visit and a follow.
I have a put together a little spotlight of some of my favourites items from Butterfly-Crafts.



I recommend going to Butterfly-Crafts for beautiful cards for all occasions that will delight the recipient for many years to come.

Monday, November 2, 2009

I'm still here!

I am still here..I haven't gone anywhere..just seem to be extraordinarily busy! But then who isnt these days!
As you can see from the blog, I have pretty much only been promoting Crazy Train riders and not posting about anything I am doing.
Well, I am rectifying that now.
I have been spending some time getting my creations organised..I'm a little chaotic at the best of times. So I started going through all the things I have made, rephotographing pieces that are already listed, deciding which of the unlisted pieces should be listed and photographing them, and deciding which pieces fall into the 'what the hell was I thinking' pile.. and getting set to dismantle them!
So far I have only done the earrings.. which has meant that oodles of earrings have recently been listed in HaffinaCreations, with more to come! Then I will move on to bracelets..so there should be some new listings there too. Then I will move on to sets and finally I will tackle the necklaces. HaffinaCreations should be brimming with luscious goodies by the time I am finished. You should drop by for a squizz, and feel free to comment on the new photos..or even the old ones!
I had been neglecting BeadsByHaffina a little, but I am working on rectifying that too, with some new listings and some more to come..so if you make jewellery or love buttons you should come by and see whats there. There are over 100 listings in BeadsByHaffina now, with easy navigation via the category selections.
And dont forget there is also HaffinaAgain on Zibbet. Poor shop doesnt get a lot of attention, but it is the home of some incredible one off creations, great for drooling over.
I am always happy to talk to customers or potential customers, and I love to get custom orders. I'm also open to trading with other Artisans.
I will try harder to blog regular about other things, not just promote the fabulous Crazy Train riders.
Oh..and before I go..I am still writing for handmadenews.org, with some great tips and tutorials, and an extended series of articles on the wonderful world of polymer clay. I would love for you to come and read some of my articles, vote them up if you like them and feel free to leave me a comment.
Hugs to all.