LA Jewelry Designs- artisan lampwork beads and unique jewelry

La Jewelry Designs on ArtFire.com creates some incredibly beautiful lampwork glass beads as well as some lovely jewelry including earrings, necklaces, bracelet, and pendants.  She is a proud member of SRA (Self Representing Artists). She states "I attest to the fact that each and every one of my lampwork beads is handmade by me, Lea Avroch, in my New York studio. They are each immediately annealed in a digitally controlled kiln to ensure strength and longevity."
Her work can be seen in the following publications:
June 2007 Bead and Button
September/October 2007 Belle Armoire
November/December 2007 Bead Trends
March/April 2008 Bead Trends

You can also find LA Jewelry Designs on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, her blog, and LA Jewelry Designs.

Below is just a sample of some of the unique and colorful pieces in her shop.  Be sure to pay her a visit to see all she has to offer!

Personally, I just adore those awesome fishies!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Gramma's back home again

Gramma's back from the nursing home!
Those of you who know me may have heard that Gramma has been in the nursing home for some time now (just about a month). At the end of January she went to the hospital with bronchitis, then was moved to the nursing home for her rehabilitation. She worked really hard at her therapy with the goal of becoming strong enough to come home. Tuesday was her first day back home, and she did pretty good. It was hectic, but she didn't seem to get too stressed out. We had a new hospital bed delivered to replace her very old Craftmatic Adjustable bed. The hardest part was taking apart the old bed. Those things have a ton of screws and bolts! The new bed is smaller, and much easier for me to move around it. The delivery guy had it put together and set up in no time. It has locking wheels, so I can move it whenever I need to. It also seems to be easier for her to get in and out as well. Then the medical supply company dropped off a machine for oxygen, which I think will be temporary. She's never been on oxygen before, and it was just prescribed to use at night. Gramma said she hasn't noticed any difference when she's not using it. When the nurse came to the house and checked her oxygen it was 97%, and Gramma had me turn the machine off about 9am, so she had over 5 hours without any additional oxygen. The nurse said if Gramma felt she didn't need it, she didn't have to use the machine. Gramma's mood and attitude are pretty good too, which is nice to see. It's good to see her smile and hear her laugh. We'll have all sorts of nurses, aides, and therapists coming to the house for a while. So far they've all been very nice and answered all our questions and concerns. I was so proud of Gramma for getting herself in and out of bed today (I could see how bad she wanted to do it by herself). She also walked up and down the hall (with the walker) about 5 times. I hope she remains this motivated. I think it will help that spring is coming and she can sit out in the living room and see the sunshine, animals, and flowers. Winter in NE Ohio is enough to depress anyone!
I just wanted to update everyone on how Gramma was doing. I may not be able to spend as much time online now that she's home, but don't worry, I'm still here!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Jewelry by Fyfe- gorgeous handcrafted jewelry

Jewelry by Fyfe on ArtFire.com creates some of the most beautiful enameled jewelry, among other things.  Her Biography reads "I began enameling in the 70's and although I hadn't continued throughout the years it was always on my mind. A few years ago I became interested in jewelry making and was very pleased to be enameling again. I cut and design most of my copper myself. I fire my enamels using a kiln and then put my pieces together using different techniques such as beading or wirewrap. I love to work with natural materilas such as semi-precious stone, leather, metal to name a few. I also enjoy polymer clay and even painting. I feel at peace when I am working so it's not really work as we know it. I hope you enjoy my pieces as much as I enjoy making them. I would love to custom make an item for you!!"  Her handcrafted jewelry is unique, colorful, and eye catching.  Her customers certainly love it!  Here's just a sample of what they've had to say.

"WOW!!! I just got my necklace it is FABULOUS!!!!! It is soooo much larger than what it appears in the online pic.  I ABSOLUTELY LOVE IT !!!!  The black leather cord was an added addition. Thanks Susan....I would highly recommend this seller!"  "THANKS so much for the spectacular jewelry!!!  Susan custom designed earrings JUST for me and they are perfect!  I know I can count on this vendor to give quality and from the heart!  It's a joy doing business with you---fast---reliable seller."  "SUSAN, I LOVE IT !!! IT'S ABSOLUTELY STUNNING !!!!  I'M NEVER DISAPPOINTED WITH THE QUALITY AND WORKMANSHIP OF YOUR JEWELRY !  THANKS, ALSO FOR THE "FREE" GIFT ITEM YOU ALWAYS THROW IN AS AN ADDED BONUS!!!  SUSAN'S PIECES ARE EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL IN PERSON AND ON YOU!!!"  and "My enameled copper necklace is beautiful! The workmanship is exquisite...so much prettier in person than online. What a lovely #tweetmas it is indeed! Thank you."  Talk about rave reviews!

Jewelry by Fyfe can also be found on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and her blog.  Below is a sample of some of her lovely work.  Click on any of the pics and visit her studio.

You can find some amazing jewelry at Jewelry by Fyfe!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Scarlet Impressions creates beautiful handcrafted jewlery

Scarlet Impressions opened her shop on ArtFire.com 6-26-09 and sells some very beautiful handcrafted jewelry.  Her Biography reads: "All of my pieces are designed and handmade by myself in my home studio in rural Lincolnshire, UK. I have been designing and making jewellery for 10 years and have developed a wide variety of techniques that I use in my bespoke designs and that give the most choice, the highest quality and reasonable prices. I independently source all of the materials for my designs from quality retailers and wholesalers to ensure the best possible components are used. My findings are handmade by myself to give the best match for the designs and further quality to the products.
All of my pieces are tested for sharp edges and that they are fully connected. I take a lot of pride in my work and am committed to delivering the best possible product to customers."

Some of her very satisfied customers have said "Super doing business with such a professional artisan. Loved our communication", "What a stunning necklace! Even brighter and more beautiful in person! I love the sparkly gold in the glass. Thanks for a wonderfully easy transaction and super fast shipping from the UK.", "Absolutely beautiful, and AMAZINGLY fast shipping - got here in one week from overseas! Thank you so much, I will definitely be back!", "Absolutely gorgeous work from an amazingly wonderful seller! Thank you so very much! The jewelry is perfect!", and "Absolutely beautiful necklace, expertly crafted, shipped and received quickly, excellent customer service, a wonderful experience all around.  I look forward to working with this talented artfire artisan again."  Obviously this lady knows how to make her customers happy!  You can also find Scarlet Impressions on You Tube, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, and deviantArt.  Below is only a tiny sample of the many beautiful pieces that can be found in this shop.  Do yourself a favorite and visit Scarlet Impressions to see all she has to offer!

And her prices are VERY reasonable!  With Mother's Day coming up, this would be a great place to find something nice for Mom.

-Michelle of CreativeCritters

My work was featured in Polymer Cafe magazine!

My Pumpkin House was featured in Polymer Cafe magazine!

I always love getting my Polymer Cafe magazine in the mail, but enjoy it even more when one of the items I submit gets featured.  My Lighted Glow in the Dark Pumpkin House sculpture was featured in their Reader's Gallery of the April 2010 issue!  I sent a few pictures of my sculpture to the magazine for their consideration several months ago, then forgot about it as life got busy once again.  I originally got the idea for the pumpkin house sculpture after reading a tutorial in the magazine titled "The Patch Keeper's Cottage".  I started with their basic instructions, then quickly went off in my own direction and turned it into my own creation.  This is the first lighted house I ever attempted, and I really like the effect.  It looks so pretty when the light is plugged in.  I also added a lot of glow in the dark elements, such as the tall flowers flanking the front door, the swirls in the snails shell, the fairy's wings, the caterpillar's stripes, and some of the flowers on either side of the walkway.  The effect in the dark is just enchanting!
The base measures 8" long and 7" wide. The pumpkin house measures 4" tall. To create the house I covered a crackle glass votive with polymer clay, adding windows with frames, a stem, leaves, and vines. The light is a UL listed pumpkin light with a 2 foot cord.
Being featured in Polymer Cafe magazine is very gratifying, since some truly amazing artists show their work in this publication.  I'm in awe of some of the work I see published in this magazine.  And each issue is chock full of fun and challenging new projects to try.  Just look what I was inspired to create!





Thanks so much for stopping by to see my creations!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Gramma's coming home

As some of you know, I've been taking care of Gramma for quite a few years now, and about a month ago she went into the hospital with bronchitis. She's been improving slowly but surely. She's been in the nursing home for almost a month doing her rehabilitation. This is actually a pretty nice place- not really fancy, but clean, friendly, and focused on the patients. Most of the nurses, therapists, and aides I've met since Gramma got in there have been really nice people. Of course Gramma's got a few complaints (she can be pretty picky about her food), but overall I'm quite satisfied with the care she's received. She's got a few "favorites" there- the ones that laugh and joke with her, the nurse that bought lotion just for Gramma, and the therapist who's also her cheerleader. Gramma's worked very hard to regain her strength, and is actually in a better frame of mind now than she was before she went to the hospital. Having my mother come visit from out of state really raised Gramma's spirits as well. We've done all we can to let Gramma know that she is loved and we all care very much about her.
The house hasn't been quite the same without her here. Even Cedric kitty misses Gramma. Every so often he'll go upstairs and jump on her bed looking for her. She'll be coming home Tuesday, though, so we'll all be together again. I'll need to get her a few things before she gets home, and a few things will have to wait until after she's back. She needs a new hospital bed and a new chair, and I'm hoping to get the bed covered by her insurance. Then of course we'll have to get our schedules figured out again. Given a choice, Gramma is a night owl. In the nursing home they've been getting her up much earlier than she's used to, so she'll probably start getting up later once she's home. I let her set her own schedule and just try to work around it. It will be nice to have her back home where she belongs though. I'll try to keep everyone posted on her progress, if life doesn't get too crazy- LOL!
-Michelle of CreativeCritters

Il Mare- beautiful handcrafted jewelry

Il Mare opened on ArtFire.com 4-10-09 and sells some absolutely beautiful handcrafted jewelry.  Their Biography reads: "Il Mare Atelier was created out of a desire to fuse art and jewelry into unique, versatile, yet wearable and affordable pieces. Inspired by the beauty of nature and art, my jewelry creations are for the woman who prefers the thoughtfulness of an artisan's touch to off-the-peg designs.
I take great pride in the materials I use, always searching for the finest quality gemstones and durable materials.
“Il Mare” means “the sea” in Italian, with waters shimmering in an array of hues, from the blue of the deep sea to lighter azzurro, pale sea green and brilliant emerald. “Atelier” means “workshop” in French. Put together, they mean “Studio by the Sea”, perfectly apt for the tiny tropical island that I live on.
Thank you for taking an interest in my art. Do visit my Gallery for some of my past sold pieces.
I hope you will find something that appeals to you and if you require any customisation or adjustment, please do not hesitate to reach out to me via the "CONTACT ARTISAN" link."

Il Mare can also be found on blogspot, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, and IndiePublic.  Below are a few of the beautiful pieces available from her shop.  Stop in to see all she has to offer!

-Michelle of CreativeCritters