Entries from April 2007 ↓

Today’s featured shop is Glass Fairy.

I hand make lampworked glass floral beads and fused glass art in my studio located in Paradise, CA, which is nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Most people, including myself, use my beads as focal points when constructing beaded necklaces. I am inspired by the flower garden my husband planted for me which I can view from our house or my studio window. I enjoy making encased Pansy, Daffodil, Tiger Lily, and Rose beads because I get to use a variety of colors and I seem to get lost in the molten glass while creating these beautiful beads. Encasing my miniature works of art gives one the sense that they are looking into a tiny flower garden.

How did you get started making your art?
In February 1996, my husband and I were in Tucson, AZ, buying inventory for our bead shop (String Bead, which we recently sold) when we came across Arrow Springs’ booth, a company that sells glass bead making supplies. My husband picked up a catalog and surprised me by ordering the equipment. He read Cindy Jenkins book, How to Make Glass Beads and then taught us both how to do it. We spent months obsessing over this new art form and perfecting our techniques. In July 1997, we decided it would be fun to travel around the country selling our beads at various bead shows. Most of the shows we participated in, such as Bead and Button, Embellishment, The Best Bead Show, and The Bead Renaissance Show, were quite good to us and encouraged us to keep making more beads. In 2000 our first child was born and we no longer traveled to shows. Our bead production became very limited at this point and we only sold them in our bead shop and on the internet. I recently discovered glass fusing which I am learning with a friend. There is so much more to learn about glass than I ever imagined.

How did you name your shop?
I named my shop after a character in a story my grandmother wrote for my daughter called The Magic Land of “Who Knows”. The story is about fairies and what their jobs are. She mentions the tooth fairy, the snow fairies, the bath fairy and many others. In the story my daughter drops a glass water globe filled with fish and “The Glass Fairy” comes and fixes it for her. It turns out that I am the glass fairy in the story, so I thought that the name would work well for my shop.

The Glass Fairy’s work is available for sale on Etsy at http://glassfairy.etsy.com and at Mana Beads in Nevada City, CA.

Save shipping costs by buying from me in person this Saturday at the De Anza Flea Market!

The flea market is huge with hundreds of vendors, and takes place the first Saturday of every month. Definitely worth checking out! Clothing, handbags, jewelry, toys, food… everything you can imagine!

Saturday, April 7, 8 am to 4 pm
De Anza College, Cupertino, CA

For more information, see their web site.

Today’s featured Etsy shop is Thumbelina Card Company.

I sell greeting cards and gift boxes, as well as ACEOs and art pieces handmade with thumbprint and fingerprint art under the name “Thumbelina Card Company”. Every card is an original since I make each one by hand (i.e., they are not machine printed). First I apply ink using my own thumbprints and fingerprints, and then I draw over it to make the characters come alive.

How did you name your shop?
I wanted a name with a connection to thumbprints, was reminiscent of childhood and all things little, and also matched the whimsical style of my work. When I came up with Thumbelina—the name of the storybook character who is the size of a thumb—I decided that the name was exactly what I was looking for.

How did you get started making your art?
When I was a little girl, one of my all-time favorite books was an acclaimed children’s instructional art book called “The Great Thumbprint Drawing Book” by Ed Emberley. My sister and I spent many happy hours using a big red inkpad to make lots of thumbprint animals when we were little. I had almost forgotten all about this happy childhood pastime when late one night in April of 2006 I came up with the idea of using thumbprint and fingerprint art to make my own line of handmade greeting cards. I started out practicing my technique by designing and making cards to give to my family and friends. The very first thumbprint and fingerprint card that I made was an Easter card for my boyfriend. My early designs were all big 5″ x 7″ cards. My “Moms and Babies” card was originally a Mother’s Day Card and “Animal Birthday Party” was a card I designed and gave to my sister for her birthday last year. I started making 3″ x 4″ greeting cards in December 2006 for a line of little Christmas and Holiday cards in 12 different designs.

Where is your work available for sale?
My work is available for sale online at my Etsy shop and from time to time at local craft fairs and craft shows in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. My line of little (3″ x 4″) greeting cards is also available at local independent stores and boutiques in Toronto including: Arts on Queen, Valhalla Cards and Gifts, The Papery, Pages Books, and Nathalie-Roze & Co.. After I move back to Montreal, Quebec, Canada in May, I will begin selling my work at craft shows and through stores in Montreal.

Thumbelina Cards are available for sale on Etsy at http://thumbelinacardco.etsy.com.

April’s traditional birthstone is diamond. Diamond is a bit pricey for me right now, so I offer a beautiful modern alternative: Swarovski crystal. Swarovski crystal is a fine Austrian crystal, known worldwide for its quality.

I have a nice selection of jewelry with clear Swarovski crystals in my Etsy shop. I have colored Swarovski crystals in my Etsy shop and on the Lava Jewelry web site.