Gorgeous jewelry can be found at Meant2BChereished

Meant2BCherished opened on ArtFire.com 12-3-08 and is full of some very lovely handcrafted jewelry.  You can find Kumihimo Braiding, Beaded Jewelry, Chainmaille, and Stone Jewelry here.

Her studio announcement reads: "Hello and welcome to my Artfire Studio!
I love to create casual artisan jewelry. Jewelry that is meant 2b cherished - just like the person who wears it. I follow my heart as it discovers new techniques to explore. My jewelry journey has taken me from designing with beads to wire work to wire wrapped gemstones to chainmaille to Kumihimo braiding to, well I don´t know what’s next yet, but I sure hope you like it as much as I do!"

Her biography says: "I have had a lifelong love of crystals and stones. My stone collection is probably the main reason my old home didn't completely blow away in that hurricane a few years ago! I found my way into creating jewelry because I wanted to share my love of stones and these little works of natural art deserve to be worn, admired and appreciated.
Once I began creating jewelry from stones and beads, I found my way into wire work, metalsmithing and chainmaille. Recently I've begun learning the Kumihimo technique of Japanese braiding which brings new dimension and color to my creations.
My jewelry has evolved into an eclectic mix of styles and design -- all of them Meant 2b Cherished -- just like their owners!"

Personally, I love all the styles and designs available from this very talented artist! Her customers feels the same, saying "I am incredibly happy with my new Amber Pendant! It is even more gorgeous in person than it was in the picture! I will be taking my time to finding the perfect beads to compliment this piece when I turn it into a necklace - M2bC, your work deserves only the best!", and "Thank you so much for doing this custom order for me. I absolutely love my new earrings. Keep up the great work. I highly recommend this seller and I will be back again :-)." She can also be found at  www.m2bc.blogspot.com, Flickr, Facebook, and Twitter.  Below is a sample of some of the beautiful jewelry available from Meant2BCherished.  Be sure to stop in and see all she has to offer!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Special order choker necklace

I just finished a special order for my cousin, Sheryl.  She spent some time browsing through the jewelry in my studio, CreativeCritters, and decided she'd like me to make something specifically for her.  The only guidelines she had were that she wanted it to be a choker length necklace in shades of pink or purple, and the pendant couldn't be too large.  When she remarked on the color of my tulips, an idea began to form.  I decided to make a heart shaped pendant with an orchid type of flower appliqued to the front.  To make the heart I swirled together 2 shades of pink polymer clay and 2 shades of purple clay.  The heart measures 1" wide and 1 1/2" long, just about the size she was looking for.  I modeled the flower after an orchid and used a custom blended shade of purple.  I used 2 different sizes of clay cutters to get the basic petal shapes, which I then thinned and refined with my fingers and a small brush.  After applying the flower to the heart and shaping the petals I added a tiny ball of yellow clay to the center of the flower for the stamen.  After baking I highlighted the center and the edges of each petal with pink acrylic paint, which makes the flower "pop" nicely against the heart.  As a finishing touch I glazed the whole pendant.  Sheryl seemed quite pleased with the pictures I emailed her and plans to pick the necklace up next week.

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Great Finds from AlisunsToo on Artfire.com

Alisun Riggs, of AlisunsToo on Artfire.com, sells unused supplies and vintage pieces, and always offers Two for Won.  Purchase one item and the second item of equal or lesser value is free!  You can't beat that!  Alisun offers her customers the highest quality products she can.  She treats her customers courteously, provides excellent customer service, and conducts her business in an ethical and socially responsible manner.  Alisun enjoys custom crafting necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.  She enjoys the look of fine metals and crystals.  You can find Alisun on her blog at Alisuns.blogspot.com, as well as on Plurk, AIM, Skype, and Facebook.  Here is a small sample of the items available from AlisunsToo.

-Michelle of CreativeCritters