Jewels on A Whim rides the Crazy Train

Jewels on a Whim opened on ArtFire.com 6-11-09 and her studio categories include Necklaces, Pendants, Bracelets, Rings, Earrings, Sets, Vintage Decor, Original Art, and Misc.  Her Studio Announcement reads: "Hi! Welcome to my shop. All of my items carry a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee. My shop is filled with jewelry hand made by me. Or vintage items I have been lucky to find. For the Holidays, I offer Free PRIORITY Shipping in the US for All Jewelry!!! Reduced Shipping Worldwide! and Free Gift Wrapping for all items!"  And her biography says "I'm self taught artisan. I read and read books etc... I have a blog- http://www.jewelsonawhim.blogspot.com/
My items are Guaranteed 100%. If you aren't satisfied return the item to me and you will get a full refund. Just notify me within a week of your receiving the item that you plan to return it. Everything will be refunded the day I get the item. I want happy customers. Even shipping charges to me!
Additionally, my business is active in making the world a better place. I am active in KIVA, Unicef and Beads for Life. (don't be surprised if you get a Free beautiful beads for life bracelet).
I reside in a small city outside Houston, Texas in the USA."

Jewels on a Whim can also be found at jewelsonawhim.blogspot.com, Facebook, Twitter, and IndiePublic.  Below is a sample of some of the beautiful items available in her shop.  Be sure to stop by and see all she has to offer!

 

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Gifts under $20.00

If you're on a budget this year and looking for unique handcrafted gifts under US $20.00, I have quite a selection of inexpensive, high quality handmade items available.  I just added a new Gifts Under $20 category to my studio, making some of these items easier to find.  All of my Catnip Toys are under US $20.00 as are all my Erasers and Pencil Toppers, and nearly all my Knit Toys are under US $20.00. Below is just a sample of what you can find in my shop.  You can click on the picture to go directly to the listing, click on the category links above, or click on CreativeCritters to view my entire shop.  Hurry in to be sure you get your gifts in time for Christmas!

Thanks for stopping by!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Gifts for animal lovers

As you can probably tell from my shop name, CreativeCritters, I'm a real animal lover, and have been all my life.  From my first lump of Play Doh I was sculpting crude cats and dogs, as well as attempting to sew my own stuffed animals.  My skills have improved just a bit since then- LOL!  In ceramics class in high school I was always getting in trouble for sculpting animals, rather than the bowls and cups we were supposed to be making.  Now, of course I can make whatever I want, and my inventory certainly reflects that.  I have animal Christmas ornaments, animal sculptures, animal pen sets, animal jewelry, knit stuffed animals, and catnip toys stuffed with my own organic catnip.  So if you're an animal lover yourself, or have one on your Christmas gift list, stop in and see some of my unique handcrafted items that are sure to bring a smile to anyone's face.  You can click on the pictures below to go directly to the listing, or click on the categories to view everything available.

And there's a lot more where these came from!  I've got critters wandering all over my studio, with more being adding regularly.  Thanks for stopping by!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Creations With Heart- lovely handcrafted jewelry

CreationsWithHeart opened on ArtFire.com 1-5-09 and their studio categories include earrings, bracelets, necklaces, anklets, paw print jewelry, Christmas jewelry, and fall/ Halloween earrings.  There's jewelry for every body part and every season!  The studio announcement reads "**Search HOLIDEALS to see what's on sale at CWH** ~FREE SHIPPING IN THE U.S. ON SELECT ITEMS!~ At Creations With Heart, discover designs with outstanding gemstones, sparkling Swarovski Crystals, Czech glass, soft leathers, and much more! You'll see styles of jewelry from classic, southwest, western, inspirational and animal themed (I love animals!). My wish is to have my guests smile when they put my jewelry on. A smile is another great accessory!
Anytime you shop at Creations With Heart, you can be confident that your privacy will be honored and you are purchasing quality pieces made by hand and created with heart. Enjoy your stay!"

In her biography she says, "I truly enjoy creating jewelry and it's a bonus and a pleasure to make it available to you!
I love to create classic and western jewelry that will always fit your style! Gemstones, crystals, pewter and leather are just a few materials I enjoy working with. I'm a "dog mom" so including animals in some of my creations is a must -- I love them so much! A percentage of all animal related purchases is donated to help the animals. It's something I like to do to help our furry friends that need and depend on us.
You'll see jewelry styles ranging from classic, animal themed, southwest, western and inspirational. My wish is to have my guests smile when they put my jewelry on. When you smile, you feel good!
I hope you enjoy the jewelry I've created and may it bring you joy and happiness!"

You can also find CreationsWithHeart at http://creationswithheart.com/store/, http://creationswithheart.blogspot.com/, http://twitter.com/CreationsWHeart, and http://www.indiepublic.com/profile/Julie124.  Below is a sample of some of her wonderful work.  I can see a lot of great Christmas presents here!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Special Order Purple Dragon Christmas Ornament

For the last several days I've been working on a special order dragon ornament.  The customer saw my dragon necklaces, but since this was a present for her mother, who doesn't wear jewelry, she wanted to know if I could make one as an ornament.  Better yet, she wanted it in purple, which is my favorite color.  These dragons are completely my own design, and each is one of a kind, which is part of their charm.  The most time consuming part of these creations is cutting out the hundreds of variegated scales and carefully placing them on the dragon.  When I create special orders, I strive to create the most wonderful piece I can, and this dragon was no exception.  I used mulitifaceted fire polished beads for his eyes, which catch the light in the most amazing way.  I also sculpted his fangs and claws from glow in the dark clay, for added interest and fun.  The dragon is holding his own special treasure in the form of two glass beads in blue and gold.  Not only do I try to create a wonderful piece, but I try to complete the project as soon as possible, especially around the holidays.  Below are some pictures of my Purple and Gold Dragon Ornament.  I liked this one so much I may have to create another for myself! I truly enjoy making custom orders, so please feel free to contact me if you'd like me to create something special just for you.  Thanks for stopping by!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Sold my first Dragon necklace!

I'm so happy!  I just sold my first Dragon necklace!  I kind of went out on a limb when I created these, but the idea came to me as I was sifting through my many beads, and I just had to create these cool fantasy necklaces.  The dragon is sculpted in polymer clay and each scale is individually cut from the clay and carefully placed on the dragon.  The necklaces measure about 19" long and I use a combination of glass and acrylic beads.  The Red and Gold Dragon necklace was particularly challenging because I used 2 strands of beads, something I've never tried before.  It took quite a bit of trial and error before I was completely happy with the way it looked, but they got easier after the first one.  I still have 3 more Dragon necklaces available, and plan to create more.  This is my Blue and Green Dragon Necklace. The necklace measures 19" long and the dragon measures 4 1/2" wide and 3 1/2" tall.

This is my Green and Yellow Dragon Necklace.  The necklace is 21" long and the dragon measures 4" tall and 3 1/2" long.

And this is my Green and Orange Dragon Necklace that measures 21" long, with the dragon measuring 4" tall and 2 1/2" wide.

These necklaces allow you to wear a one of a kind piece of fantasy artwork.  Thanks for stopping by, and be sure to check back for new additions!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters