Thank You to My Followers

I so appreciate those of you who have chosen to follow my blog and I would like to take this time to spotlight a few of your shops.

First up is ChristieCottage, an online shop on Etsy that has a variety of fun things to buy.

I chose this lovely tapestry purse to share with you today. The little polymer clay button really adds a nice touch to this richly colored bag and the fact that it's all lined in a subtle tan linen is just another plus.

Next up is a sweet little greeting card that says it all.  Who doesn't want to receive a handmade card that tells you how much someone loves you.

This adorable card is very reasonably priced a $2.50.

Themusescloset is owned by Andrea and carries very unique and original art.

One of the more popular original oil prints in her shop is called "Flower Muse" and is an 8x10 print of an original painting done by Andrea.  This is perfect for those of you who look to your muse for creativity and inspiration.

Andrea also has a "poppies" original painting that is part of a series.  This one is an abstract of the popular flower and was done in oil on gallery canvas.  I really like the simplicity of it. Well done.

Like Andrea says "If you can dream it, I can paint it"!  Contact her shop if you would like a custom order.

RecreationalArt is a fellow member of the Florida Etsy Street Team and lives in my favorite city on the planet: St. Augustine.

She captures the spirit of fun in her exclusive and one-of-a-kind creations, whether it's jewelry or one of her recycled pieces, you can sense her love of what she does.

This ring would be quite the perfect accessory to wear for St. Patrick's Day. It's fun, flirty and colorful. Individual beads in various shades of green are attached to an adjustable gold plated shank which makes this a great gift for yourself or anyone as you can easily adjust it to fit. (size 6+)  There are many colors to choose from in this design.

Anything vintage attracts my eye and this wonderfully made Gypsy wrist wrap with it's antique copper weaving is just too fun.  There may be  a little bit of "gypsy" in all of us and wearing this wrap would certainly give you a great opportunity to show that side of yourself.

I hope you will stop by each of these wonderful shops as this is just a small taste of what you'll find.

Until Next Time. :)

Featured Shop-"dvinedesign"

Debbie Vine is the artist and owner behind dvinedesign, a lovely jewelry shop on Etsy.com.

Her accomplishments include a Fine Arts degree from Keystone College in Pennsylvania with a concentration on ceramics, jewelry and sculpture. Her designs certainly show her expertise as she has the most unusual and unique pieces in her shop.  There is one called "Sculptured Flower Pot Vase" that I just love. The detail is amazing!

When you visit dvinedesign you will find a wonderful array of bracelets, necklaces, pendants and earrings all using fine silver and sterling silver as well as gemstones.

Take a peek at where the artist creates her art in the photos below.  Debbie has a wonderful workspace with lots of room for everything she needs. 

I hope you will visit dvinedesign.  You will not be disappointed.

PoPkO-A Unique Kind of Butterfly Art

Crystal is the owner and artist behind PoPkO, a very unique shop on Etsy.  I say unique because much of her jewelry is designed around real butterflies' wings.  Now, before anyone gets upset, these wings are from "deceased" butterflies only.  Here is a statement from her shop:
" I use butterfly wings that were raised for conservation and public education in a butterfly conservatory. Once they naturally expire, they are collected and I make jewelry to preserve them. Some butterflies live for a 1-2 weeks, some (like monarchs) can live up to 6-9 months if not actively breeding. Its important to know that these are from a safe source, as butterflies have a fragile existence. Butterfly wing jewelry has been around for hundreds of years, and I hope to give you heirloom pieces to enjoy as well".

Crystal's has been selling on Etsy for several years.  In fact between herself, her four sisters and her mom they have a total of 7 active shops.  What an amazing family to have so much talent.  You can read a Storque article about the "homemade" wedding they all put together for Crystal and her husband.  It is not only heartwarming to see such a close-knit family but you also get to see all the great ideas they came up with when they pooled their talents.

Below is a sampling of what you will find when you visit PoPkO but it is very much worth your time to take a closer look and visit her shop.

She has some great rings at a very reasonable price that are just too fun.  They are called "Glitter Pop" rings and just dazzle the eye with all their bling.  Crystal specialties also include Bridal a fused glass gifts.

A Salute to Some of My Etsy Friends

Having an online shop with Etsy not only gives you the opportunity to sell your work but also a chance to make new friends along the way.  This is a salute to some of those special people.

There is a variety of talent here and I hope you will take the time to visit their shops.

Brand New Blog!

I am working on a brand new blog that will feature suppliers on Etsy.com. I recently joined the Etsy Supply Street Team (ESST) because I have a mosaic supplies shop on Etsy and wanted a way that I could promote all of us.


Every one of us needs supplies of one kind or another whether it's paints and canvas, cooking essentials, crafting supplies, beads, fabrics...and the list goes on. This will be a blog that will give you another resource for finding what you need.

I plan to feature a new shop every few days so I hope you will stop by often and check them out. You don't have to be an online seller to buy from these shops. If you are a do-it-yourself er and just need some quality supplies feel free to check out the Etsy Supply Street Team on Etsy.com or pop on over to my blog Memories Mosaic Supplies.

Seaphemera Jewelry

There are so many gifted artists living right here in Florida and now that I belong to a group called Florida Etsy Street Team (FEST) I have the opportunity to get to know some of their work.

 This is to introduce Gail Cormier's shop Seaphemera on Etsy.  Gail lives in Inverness, Florida and loves to walk the beach and look for unique and unusual shells to use in her jewelry.  She also uses beach glass and pearls and has created truly lovely pieces at very reasonable prices.

Thank You to My Followers

I have been blogging for some time now and I always take note of new followers and check out what they are up to online. Whether it's a shop on Etsy or Artfire, the Hafteam forum, or just blogging themselves, I like to take the time to get to know a little piece of who you are.

As a thank you for being a part of the "bits and pieces" of my life here on Chris' Comments I would like to showcase 2 more talented followers.

The first one is Sandy of Forbes Farm Gifts.

Sandy is a multi-talented artist that has several shops where she sells her jewelry and crafts. Honestly, it was quite difficult to choose a few pieces to share with you as I truly love her work and got caught up looking around in her shops.  But I think these give you an idea of some of the wonderful gifts Sandy makes.

Bell Flower Earrings:

Made from three acrylic floral beads. The outer purple bead is transparent allowing the yellow color of the inner bead to show through giving an dreamy effect. The third flower is Lavender and centers the piece along with a matching Amethyst colored Swarovski crystal. The entire piece is topped off with antique gold colored leaves and a second Swarovski crystal.
This is a truly a gorgeous earring.  The closeup gives you an idea of all the detail Sandy puts into her pieces.

Hardanger Doily (Simple and Beautiful form of counted-thread embroidery that comes in many patterns):

This doily is done in a traditional design using color fast red cotton thread on white linen material. It took approximately 30 hours to complete. Measuring 9" square or 23 cm, it is the perfect size for a small table or in a grouping with other delicate doilies.

Beaded Parrot on Chainmaille:

Hand beaded using seed beads, bugle beads, Czech fire polished beads and Fire Line nylon thread.  This is absolutely amazing to me how much work goes into something like this and how much it looks just like a parrot. I just love all the colors used too.

Watches by Helen can be found on Artfire.  These are truly beautiful and very unique watches that are custom made to fit just for you.

This is an adorable, beaded silver watch that has purple window glass beads with violet, swarovski crystal beads. These beads are further highlighted by charlotte cut purple seed beads. There's an easy-to-fasten magnetic clasp to fasten the watch.  The silver really sets off these luscious shades of purple.

This is a fun silver watch where the glass has been cut from the iridescent glass to show shiny, clear glass beneath. It makes it look like dots. If you like red you will love this watch but you not only get red but the iridescence brings out green, blue, yellow, and even purple. The red spheres are complimented with red Swarovski crystals to make this watch even more special.

Helen also designs earring to match her watches.  I chose this pair to show you as I love the leopard print and copper and black together is very classic.

These watches  with a matching pair of earrings would really make a wonderful gift for that very special person in your life.

Featured Artist "Makin' the Best of It"

Kim is the multi-talented artist behind Makin' the Best of It, a shop where you will find an array of gorgeous hand painted glassware, home decor and special occasion gifts as well as some of the loveliest jewelry you have ever seen made with only the finest sterling silver.

Kim and her husband Andrew live in New Jersey along with their two boys. They teamed together and started the Handmade Artists Forum because they have a real passion to keep all things handmade from becoming a dying breed of art. If you check out their site you will see for yourself a group of positive, upbeat people supporting and encouraging one another in their endeavor to keep "handmade products" alive. I have been a member of this group for some time now and I can honestly say they care very much about each and every person who comes their way so I hope you will take the time to visit.

Here is a sneak peek at some of the pieces created by Kim. She has a very special gift in that she is blessed with many talents.

This sweet little pendant is so original. The sterling silver cage houses some sea glass that Kim found right on the Jersey shore. I really love the curly loops on the top and the bottom. I am sure there is a fancier name for them, but they really make the design.

This next piece is very intriguing just because of the bell shape. It is actually an old bottle stop that has been frosted through time from the salt water of the ocean. It just doesn't get any better than this. Nature at it's best.

Kim kept the design of sterling silver delicate so as not to take away from the overall affect of the natural lines. That is what makes her jewelry very special in my opinion as she always works with the natural flow.

Painting like this is something I have always wished I could do and I admire artists such as Kim who can just sit down and make something like this butter dish spring to life with these cheerful sunflowers.

Kim can paint anything and I do mean anything. She has some wonderful patterns she offers that can be put on glasses, vases, dishes, stemware. The list goes on. You really must check out her shop and see them as these are just a sampling of her work.

Of course I had to show you the adorable pink flamingo because I am a Floridian and therefore consider myself a connoisseur of flamingos and this one is right at the top.

Wouldn't this make a great gift? Just too cute.

Kim can also work up some beautiful special occasion gifts such as you see in these two examples below. These are custom pieces but they give you an idea of what she can make. Wouldn't you like to have your Mother's Day card preserved? Maybe you have a wedding invitation that you would like displayed? Kim will work with you on the pattern and design and do what she can to make it a very special and personalized gift.

HAFTeam Artist of the Week

I am a member of the Handmade Artists Forum and am proud to be sharing another talented artist for my post this week.


My featured shop is Creative Minds owned and operated by Sara. This is an online store where you can purchase quality jewelry and crafts for a very reasonable price.

This pair of earrings (pictured above) are done in a leaf design that is just darling. These would be great with your jeans.

This adorable necklace has little flowers a dolphin and a little silver colored butterfly. I really like the combination of the beads with the pink flowers.






These pink ribbons are also handmade and would be a great way to show your support for breast cancer awareness.

They are made from polymer clay, but they look like real ribbon.
Sara donates 50% of the profits on these. You can't go wrong with this as you are helping a very worthy cause and getting a nice pink "ribbon" that can be worn again and again.

Be sure to check out her store as she also has handmade note cards and other goodies.

Hafteam Artist "Jewelry by Janelle"

Janelle of "Jewelry by Janelle" is a fellow Floridian and Hafteam member and an amazingly talented woman.


Like so many of us, she found it difficult to find exactly the right kind of jewelry for herself and started playing around with scraps of wood. Not just ordinary wood, but exotic American burled woods. What started out as an idea of making pieces for herself quickly became a passion that has turned into a full fledged business that has expanded to include foreign exotic wood as well.

Janelle's shop boasts a wide variety of jewelry using gemstones, Swarovski crystal, all kinds of beads and there is even a selection of vintage. There is definitely something for everyone.

This stunning Zebrawood (just the name sounds exotic) was made into a donut shaped pendant which can be hung on a sheer black or brown ribbon. I just love the contrast between the hard woods and the softness of the ribbon.

This pandora bead is aptly name "Apple Pie Spice" because of it's yummy colors with the buttery yellow, pumpkin orange and carmel. The center has been cored with 925 sterling silver and a 925 sterling silver snake chain has been added.

You can visit Janelle's blog at http://jewelrybyjanelle50.blogspot.com/

Hafteam Featured Artist

Handmade Artist Forum has some amazingly talented people who are very devoted to their work and to the handmade movement. One such artist is CJ Grand of The Grand Design.

With her background in sci-fi costuming and her love of jewelry she has managed to combine both worlds and make some wonderful steampunk designs. Truthfully, I have seen a lot of this style of jewelry but never understood it's beginnings until now so I am pleased to be doing a spot on CJ's shop.

So, for those of you who may not know the origins of "steampunk" this is what I found:

"Steampunk comes from the science fiction-fantasy literature world, originating in the 1980's. The term steampunk denotes works set in an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century, with elements of science fiction or fantasy added."The meaning of the term has been broadening into a cultural and artistic movement. Steampunk now includes items that have a neo-Victorian steampunk style--clothing, art, jewelry--all using 19th century accents such as time pieces and clockwork parts.


You can definitely feel those two worlds coming together in these first two photos, which are the same piece-front and back. This lovely little lady is surrounded by Swarovski crystal jewels then mounted on an ornate vintage pocketwatch. I think CJ's ideas are truly amazing and I love how she works her designs throughout the piece in stages, right to the very back, as in this one.

To me, this design is the epitome of steampunk jewelry with it's detailed inner workings of a watch mounted on a lovely silver filigree then mounted again onto a warm copper. I really like the two metals working together on this piece.

You can also find CJGrand on her blog and maybe get a little more background on this amazing artist.

Thank You to My Followers

It's been a while since I last thanked all the wonderful people who have chosen to follow my blog. I do so appreciate your following along and commenting and I would like to give a little something back so I am showcasing 5 more shops of my talented followers.

The first one is no stranger to many of you. She is a wonderfully talented woman and I love to see what she's up to on her blog as she always has such great posts. Her name is Audrey and her shop is called Audrey's Country Crafts.


This adorable table is one of the many kinds of specialty items you will find in her store and it is entirely handmade. The black metal stand was designed by Audrey's husband and the cute heart-shaped top and sweet roses toll painting is all Audrey's talent.

I always wanted to be a painter like this and so admire those that can do this lovely work.

There are such cute bags in her shop that I had a hard time choosing one to show, but this one is done in one of my favorite shades of blue. Wouldn't this be great with your jeans? There are little pockets inside to hold everything too.

Monique is the owner of Tora Jewelry. This chainmaille work always amazes me because it looks so intricate. This pendant was designed by opening each ring, attaching it, then closing it again. Lots of detail work in this little gem. I just love the look of this piece as it is very unique.

These earrings would be a great pair up to the pendant. They were designed with aluminum jump rings and gorgeous red acrylic beads. Just stunning.

Be sure to stop by her blog.

The Blue Eyed Dragonfly is truly a find for me. I am so impressed by the talent of Heather, who is the creator of all the fabulous paintings you will find there. This one is just too adorable with the daffodils growing out of the top of the cracked egg. This is one in a series of three.

I have to say the butterflies are my all time favorite. They are so light and airy and show every detail right down to the swirly antennae.

This one is featured on her blog and you can get a little background on how she creates these wonderful pieces.

Is this the cutest thing ever? The imagination alone is phenomenal. Look at all the treasures this little colander pot holds from the tiny house with it's tiny door and windows to the pink Christmas tree with it's tilted star topper. Each of these outstanding acrylic paintings are on Masonite slabs.

Peculiar Forest is a lovely jewelry shop owned by Lou, but she also makes some of the cutest cake toppers you have ever seen. Take a visit to her blog and you'll know what I mean, you won't be disappointed.

These sweet little summer earrings are made from precious metal clay (fine silver) with cute little yellow polymer clay centers. Just darling.

The "Moon and the Stars" necklace is made of a fine silver that has been oxidized to give it that earthy patina. I love the little star attached to the end of the moon.

When you visit Lafe's Hidden Treasures you will find a variety of of delightful things from vintage to re- purposed to new. Nancy is one of the owners of this shop but the name and inspiration came from her precious son who was killed in a car accident in 2005.

I just want her to know how much I admire her for continuing with a family legacy and keeping a positive outlook on life.

This first piece is new. It is a clear glass square pendant that has a Japanese paper glazed to the back to give it this stunning aqua color and fun design. The glazes are non-toxic so there is no worries about that.

I just love history and nostalgia and am always drawn to anything vintage so, of course, I wanted to showcase this authentic 1920's Vintage Flapper Dress.

Whenever I see something like this it makes me wonder who wore it; what was their life like; was this purchased for a special occasion?

You will also find a very honest seller in this store as she makes sure you are aware of any tears, stains, or other characteristics of her pieces. In my opinion, these "flaws" are what tells a part of the history and is as important as the garment itself.

You can also follow along on their blog.

I hope you have enjoyed my tour of some of the wonderful shops owned by followers of my blog.
I also encourage you to take a further look to see for yourself the amazing talents of these very special people.
Again, I want to express my many thanks for following!