Monday, December 20, 2010

FTC Blog Jewelry Giveaway: Round 2 Winner!

And I am finally able to post our winner of Round 2 of my jewelry giveaway - Heather Garner!  Congratulations, Heather!

This took so long because I took so long to complete this prize - my apologies all around!  It's a busy time of year.  Heather chose a random pattern of green beads - and this is the lovely result of my interpretation of her directions!  I think it is gorgeous - reminds me of emeralds and snakeskin.  That might not sound beautiful to you, but I think snakes can have lovely patterns and be a great source of inspiration!

If that isn't your cup of tea, what does this bangle remind you of?!


PRIZE: Custom Peyote Stitch Bangle

Enjoy, Heather!

And for those of you who are crafty and want to try to make your own bangle, here are some good directions for the tubular peyote stitch!  If you have any questions, please ask, and I'll try to help you out, but I'm not up for making my own tutorial on this - there are some really great ones out there already!

Free Tubular Peyote Tutorials:  A Video From Fire Mountain Gems & several sets of directions from Bead Jewelry Making

Round 3 begins when followers reach 84!  I'm thinking that since I'm getting more followers (hopefully!), and that means a smaller chance for you, my faithful readers, to win (which isn't a good way to encourage you to share this blog with others!), that I might giveaway 2 prizes instead of a larger prizeWhat do you all think about that? Let your voice be heard or forever hold your peace!

Happy Holidays!
PZ

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Have a Clean Holiday: Christmas Soaps!

I love handmade soap.  I really like my mother's soap made from scratch in the northwoods of Wisconsin when the snow is on the ground and makes soap-making easy, but melt and pour soaps have gotten a lot nicer and, I admit, much easier at times to create beautiful bars with.

And with that, I'll introduce the 6 Etsy sellers I found who make their own soaps and have special bars just for the holidays!  I chose these sellers because I not only love their Christmas-themed soaps, but the rest of their shops are awesome too - so check them out by clicking on the titles!







 




These are only a very few of the talented sellers on Etsy.  Please find more awesome handmade soap on Etsy by following the link:  Etsy Soapsellers.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Getting in the Christmas Spirit!

I thought I'd show some sweet crafts done in the Christmas spirit!  Here are 6 DeviantArt artists with the holidays on their minds:











And for those who like a little darker holidays, we have:




Please visit these artists' galleries (links above) for more great art and crafts.  Also peruse the DeviantArt website for other amazing artists.  They even have a shop where you can get great gifts with original artwork on them!

My apologies for the delay in showing off the prize for Round Two of my giveaway, but it is coming, along with the announcement of the lucky winner!