Wearable Art Jewelry - Palleiko Designs

I've been searching through the Etsy sites for some really cool neck pieces. Of course, I tend to lean toward metal, but I've found some gorgeous bead work too. One of the artists I've discovered is really skilled at draping the neck to show off, not only the design element, but also the flexibility of the metal. The results are amazing.

HPD designer Heather Palleiko attended University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA studying metalsmithing and jewelry design. Working with a wide variety of materials that include various precious metals, rare woods, found objects, semi-precious stones and fibers, she has created beautiful wearable works of art for a varied clientel across the country and abroad. She specializes in custom designs. Take a look at these!

http://www.palleikodesigns.etsy.com/

Glass Art, Life and other musings..

I am always looking at the Etsy shops, particularly the ones that sell handcrafted glass art. The other day I spotted this store and fell in love with the designs. Just had to share them with you. Patty is the artist, and I have to say, I think each bead is truly a work of art. I've provided her link so you can check her out for yourself.

http://www.pattylakinsmith.etsy.com/

On a sadder note, I recently lost a very close friend. The loss of 1/4 of our YaYa girls left quite a mark on me. We four have been hanging out, learning new things, kayaking, and sharing each other's lives for a long time. She will be missed. Her death inspired me to rethink life. A big part of my life is my art, and this event has made it's mark there as well. I recently started a series of designs called The Life Series. This is the first piece, and I wanted to share it with you. The brass wire represents all the roads, twists and bends in our life, the balls are the bumps in life we encounter, and the dark recesses are just that....dark things that happen...(you know, "poop happens"). The main part of this cuff is actually brass but I hand plated most of it to a brass colored finish, and left the unplated parts free to change with age as copper does, and like we do.

After all, that's life!

Life Cuff

I'm just completing the second in the series, so stay tuned. On a lighter note, I met with a friend today who is a fantastic photographer. She has watched me work on Etsy and noted how much I am enjoying the community of great people and artists, and wanted to talk to me about putting her prints in an Etsy store. Mickey will make a great addition to the community, and has some wonderful ideas, and even more wonderful prints. I'll put her link up as soon as she's set up.

Toodles for now,

Who doesn't love baby buns???

I was going to show you some cool valentine's day stuff I found on Etsy...but while looking around, I found a shop that I just love. The products are beautiful, but I flipped out when I saw these pictures. You know me and baby stuff! These hats are so cute, but take a look at the model!

You can find the hats and more (not the baby though!) on the shop below. Hey, who doesn't love baby buns?

http://www.knittybittyapparel.etsy.com/

As for valentine's day....there are so many things popping up on the Etsy site, it'll make your head spin. Here's a couple of my favorites:

http://www.whimsicalpam.etsy.com/ http://www.ozarkgypsyart.etsy.com/

Even I got on the bandwagon. I don't usually do theme pieces...at least not holiday or special day pieces. But I wanted to do a couple of hearts, and the timing seemed appropriate.

I will post some more links to valentine's day creations in a few days, so drop back in and see what's up. Toodles for now.

Art, Art Jewelry, and Artists

I think I'm addicted to the Etsy site. I love scrolling through all the stores and discovering all the talent I find there. The artists are so good...and so very creative. Here's a few of my latest discoveries.

www.talisman.etsy.com

www.natalyasots.etsy.com

www.FrancescalLynn.etsy.com

On another note...I received my new volumn of Ornament, and much to my surprise, found a full page ad for Etsy jewelry artists. It looked really sharp so I put an announcement in the forums. Someone responded that it was AJC. AJC? What's that??? Come to find out, AJC stands for Art Jewelry Collective. I didn't even know it existed, but I do now! And..I joined. Check out their sites:

www.artjewelrycollective.etsy.com

www.artjewelrycollective.blogspot.com

I'm looking forward to getting involved with this group....some really talented jewelry artists. I'll have more to talk about after I scope it all out. Toodles for now.

Happy New Year!

Well, the holidays are over. Hope you spent them with the ones you love!

Now that the family is gone, I've been working on some new ideas. I wear a lot of belts and everyone is always asking me if I made the buckle...so I thought, why not? Love the organic look of distressed metal, so thought I'd play around with that idea. Here are my first two. Comments are welcome!

I have some new pictures of Amaya that I want to share....you know how it is when you have your first grandchild!! Bragging rights!

And that's my news for this week. Back to the studio........