Secret-Santa ... Revealed!

My secret santa gift arrived to it's recipient, Jacinta from spunkyarn :) So I can now reveal what I sent her...

'Christmas Garland' Red & Green Rose Cabochon Necklace and Matching Ring :)

Matching Pair Red Rose Stud Earrings

Hand Stamped Red Christmas Gift Tags

I really hope she likes them :) MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!

-B

I hate vacuuming, but I love DUSTing ~ #2

Ok so the second installment of "I hate Vacumming but I love DUSTing", where I pick a few of my fellow DUST (Down Under Street Team) members and feature their items and etsy store, has taken a little longer than I would have liked, but better late than never or so they say!!

Don't forget you can see a whole list of members of the DUST team and their etsy stores at http://www.dustteam.com/

This time around I'm featuring some stunning creations from Maddabling, JulieBlanchette, lafemmejewels and Wiccked ....

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| MADDABLING |

Samara from Maddabling (Maddo)'s shop catchphrase is 'made with love' and her items certainly reflect that. With eclectic jewellery, paper goods, collages just to name a few - her diversity in arts and craft is seemingly endless. Here are some examples...

Clockwise from Left:

♥ The sweetest red heart card "il mio cuore e il vostro" , meaning "my heart and yours" in italian for someone special in your life ...
♥ Industrial but dainty, this necklace appropriately entitled "Green Steel" is a real steal!...
♥ Earthy "Things of Glass and Wood" necklace....
♥ A beautiful and delicate pin brooch named "papilons dans le jardin" which translates from French to 'Butterflies in the Garden'... aww :)

 

You can also see more about Maddabling at her blog and on facebook.

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| JULIE BLANCHETTE |

A visit in this store is like peering into a page of Beatrix Potter's 'Peter Rabbit' or Enid Blyton's 'Faraway Tree'. The gorgeous creations certainly transport you back to your childhood and are so very delicate and sweet you can't help but be enchanted. Take a look at what I mean....

Clockwise from Left:

♥ Super sweet and irresistably cute Needle Felted Art Child with Teddy

♥ I love these Delightful Wool Felt Eco Friendly Bunnies they are just so cute and whimsical :)

♥ Darling Mother and Child needle felted ornaments, both holding a heart, the perfect gift for a mother

♥ Or if you're into DIY, how about this kit for a pocket gnome? All you need to create your own little felted friend!

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| LA FEMME JEWELS |

All ladies love jewellery right? Then La Femme Jewels, with "Exquisite Accessories for every woman" is sure to have something for everyone indeed!

Clockwise from Left:

♥ I adore the rustic elegance of this Sterling Silver and Copper Twisted Tube Necklace...

♥ Delightfully dainty aquamarine quartz earrings will dazzle any ears and illuminate any outfit...

♥ The classic pearl, in a modern style, these Girls Best Friend Pearl Hoop earrings are sure to become any jewellery lover's new BFF.

♥ Modern and futuristic, this Copper Enamel Square Pendant on Steel Neckwire is a stand-out-from-the-crowd piece.

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| WICCKED |

And last, but by no means least, comes an array of jewellery, multimedia arts, and quilting by the very talented Melanie J Cook. Is there anything this girl can't do? Difficult to only select 4, here are some examples showing her diverse range...

Clockwise from Left:

♥ Oozing with rustic and organic qualities, this gorgeous silver and peridot CZ pendant is not only etheral but an example of wicckeds' trademark silver designs....

♥ Vivid and tantalising for the eyes, this original watercolor painting entitled "Abundance" is filled with color, and abstract imagination...

♥ Clarity is definetely something to be beheld in this stunning "Clarity of Lemon" topaz and silver necklace. Breathtakingly beautiful with a delicate yellow hue set against harsh metallic silver....

♥ A handstiched drawstring bag made of pink gingham cotton with hints of lime green from 'Quest for a Cure', Wiccked will donate $1 from the sale of this bag to Breast Cancer research. Like we need any more of an incentive to shop in her store!

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I have very much enjoyed sharing these exquisite etsy stores with you and featuring some wonderful local Aussie DUST talent and I hope you've enjoyed reading. Please make sure you visit their stores....support local handmade.

-Bri

Treasury East Addiction

 I am so loving Etsy's new Treasury East where you don't have to wait til a spot becomes available and can therefore collate etsy pretties til the cows come home! You can do multiple treasuries too and there is no expiry! Love it!

Here's a couple I prepared earlier... hehe

Baby Bonanza by Petaliferous (featuring ALL Aussie DUSTers):
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4be269cee56c8eefed4ffd1a/baby-bonanza?sort=hotness&order=desc

and The Retro Kitchen by Petaliferous
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bdfbdd487808eef6f53beea/the-retro-kitchen?sort=hotness&order=desc

DUST Team Craft Swap

This month I participated in one of the DUST team's monthly Craft Swaps. If you don't know what a Craft Swap is, basically all members who wish to participate in a swap,  register their name, and then the lovely Julie-Ann from DUST (and JulieAnnsJewels) partners each of us up. We then contact eachother and make eachother a surprise to send, and of course - we get one in return! This was my first Craft Swap experience so I was very excited, and needless to say I am very pleased with the result :)

My partner was the lovely Kirsten from KLBaileyART. Kirsten does gorgeous water color paintings in a myriad of dreamy pastel colors and also converts some of her work into wearable art. I really love her stuff so I was extremely happy when my parcel from her arrived in the mail.. and this is what I got: (I was totally spoilt)! A gorgeous original watercolor painting featuring a silhouette tree & bird with gorgeous pastel background, and the same picture made into a wearable glass pendant! Also a card and two postcards of prints of her lovely paintings.

Thank you so much Kirsten!! I adore them!

In our coverstaions Kirsten had told me she liked blues, pinks and purples, liked my rose cabochon styles and also some of my polymer clay bracelets. Therefore I came up with this special package for her... containing a hot pink rose cabochon necklace, purple rose cabochon ring, blue/black/silver swirl bracelet and 3 little mauve courdroy bags I whipped up on the sewing machine. I hope she likes them!

So basically my first craft swap was great, and I'll definetly do more in the future. It's so enjoyable interactacting with other artisans, making a special item for them and recieving something special in return - It's a great way to support your fellow etsian's, and afterall who doesn't love getting a surprise in the mail!!

Check out Kirsten's blog feature about the Craft Swap too at http://www.klbaileyart.com/2010/04/20/more-swappy-goodness/

I hate vacuuming but I love DUSTing

I thought I'd put together a bit of a feature of some cool items available on etsy from my fellow Australian DUST members. DUST is the Down Under Street Team for etsy sellers and is a really cool & supportive group of people who have really helped my transition into etsy selling. You can check out the members of DUST at http://www.dustteam.com/ or do a product search on etsy with the keyword "dust team" to see all their goodies!!

Anyway here are a few of my current favourites. Hopefully I'll do a post like this every couple of weeks and overtime  feature heaps of cool stores.

Billymac Clothing:
The Billymac store is full of gorgeous designer t-shirts for your littlies featuring cute and original images such as this adorable 'kiddie warhol' pop art print:

Inner Earth Soaps:

This scrumptious store is full of bathing goodies, that look good enough to eat! I could just take a bite out of this divine handmade Vanilla Buttercream soap. All inner earth soaps are full of natural goodness and therefore are kind to your skin and the environment.

Poetry Jewelry:
Gorgeous gems and precious metals are intermingled in these gorgeous adornments by poetry jewelry. I just love these etheral Isabelle earrings with pale green praisolite and gold.

klbaileyART:

I feel dreamy and peaceful after looking at all of the gorgeous artwork at this store. Watercolor paintings and wearable art featuring beautiful pastel colors, silhouettes and swirls such as this divine 'Brave' original watercolor by one very talented artisan.

There are so many talented designers, crafters, and etsy artisans out there - please check out their stores and help support local handmade :)

My 2nd Treasury

Woohoo! I got to make a treasury on etsy for the 2nd time! I just made a 'nature' theme treasury featuring some gorgeous items from the DUST team and including my wooden rabbit brooch.
Check it out:
http://www.etsy.com/treasury_list.php?room_id=113382