I'm Back!!!!

Did you miss me?

It's been a while but I'm back and hopefully won't be disappearing for such a long stretch again. I have Fibromyalgia, I was diagnosed last year but this spring and summer were particularly bad as far as flares and fatigue go. This meant I had to let some things fall by the wayside because I couldn't do it all, and my blog ended up being one of those things.

Now I'm on a new med that doesn't do jack for the chronic pain issues but at least my head is a bit clearer and the fatigue is a bit less. So I am trying to get things back on track and hopefully you'll see more of me :)

So, wanna know what I've been up to while I've been away? Since I'm unable to work outside of the home I have been tending my rabbits and learning how to dye yarn. I opened a new Etsy store Heather Designs to sell my work.

Here's some of my hand dyed yarn -

And a set of my stitch markers. So, that's how I've been keeping myself occupied. Stay tuned for more rambling, yarn, bunnies, who knows what. I sure don't. :)

Bunnies - Days 9 and 12

The bunnies have been growing quickly.

Here they are on day 9.

And here they are today which is day 12. They just started opening their eyes today. The literature says they should have opened them on day 10 but rabbits can't read so they didn't know that and I forgot to tell them. Oops :) I'll try to remember to tell the next litter. Right now their eyes are just open to little slits, they are just as reluctant to open their eyes as I am in the morning :) Soon they will be fully open and they'll be crawling all over the place. Soon I will move them to a different cage with a solid bottom so they can move around freely and exercise their little limbs.

Baby bunnies are way to much fun, but today may be the last group shot I get. They are getting more active and wrangling them was a challenge. They have no idea what an edge is and seem hell bent on hurling themselves off of them at every opportunity that presents itself.

Be sure to keep checking back for more pictures as the bunnies grow. :)

Bunnies - Day 6

Here are pictures of the baby bunnies as of Thursday Feb 25, 2010. They are getting so big, their eyes are going to open soon. I don't know exactly how old they have to be before their eyes open. I could look it up but I would rather be surprised when I go down one morning to check on them and find them looking back at me. As you can see their eyelids are getting more definition to them which means it won't be long before they open.

Stay tuned for the next installment of bunny pictures!

Bunnies!

In October I got four Angora rabbits to raise for their fiber. Back in January I decided to breed two of the rabbits and on Friday Feb 19th Pearl gave birth to four kits. Here they are on their first day of life. There are 2 gray, 1 gray and white, and 1 white. The white one I am keeping and may name either Button or Puddles. Puddles because it pee'd on me one of the times I held it and Button because it is just cute as a button. Here they are on Feb 22. The ears are starting to unfold and the hair is more obvious. There are still four, if you look between the butt of the gray one that looks black and the gray and white one you can see the body parts that don't belong to either kit. Thats the fourth kit who was not happy about being uncovered and kept burrowing under the littermates where it was warm. And here is a close up of the white one taken that same day. Stay tuned for more pictures as they grow! If you are interested in purchasing one of the bunnies when they are available be sure to contact me soon. With only three available they will go fast.

One World One Heart 2010

Welcome to One World, One Heart 2010. We are a group of bloggers who may never meet in person but are banding together via the internet to help make this world a little smaller by forging more connections between us all. It's been a year since the last OWOH blog fest and while chronologically that isn't a lot of time, a lot can happen in a year. This year, I went from having controlled rheumatoid arthritis, to having out of control rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, a spinal deformity, and an as of yet undiagnosed chronic regional pain disorder. It sucks, but I deal with it and I refuse to let it get me down. There are days that is harder than others because there are days where all I can do is lay on the couch with my heating pad watching daytime tv, and daytime tv is REALLY mind rotting. So, to save my brain and my morale I decided to teach myself to knit. I got myself a book and learned the basics. Then I took a few classes on lace and sock knitting and I've been off ever since. I have even turned my other skills to help with my knitting and made my very own stitch markers. And these will be my give away for this year's OWOH blog fest. There will be three chances to win a set of 5 of these hand made stitch markers.

The first way is to simply leave a comment on this blog. Be sure to leave your email address or your blog address in your comment so I can get ahold of you if your entry is selected as the winning entry.

The second way to win is to sign up for my email mailing list. I don't send out many emails so you won't get a ton of spam but you might get one or two emails a month. Just mention in your comment that you would like to be added to my mailing list, include your email, and you will be entered into both drawings one and two.

The third way to win will help those in Haiti too. Go to my Etsy or Artfire shops and buy something. In the comment to seller section put OWOH Haiti and 50% of the sale will go to Doctors without Borders for their work in Haiti.

This journey ends February 15th at noon and the winners will be announced that evening. Thank you for reading my blog, and good luck!

10 Rules of Basic Etiquette for the Non-Crafty

Since learning to knit I have come across a lot of people who either don't know, don't care, or don't value the time and skill that goes into hand making something. A group I'm in on Ravelry has been coming up with a list of knitting faux pas that non-knitters do to knitters frequently. One of the members, Siovan12 wrote up this list and I loved it so much I wanted to share it with you.

10 Rules of Basic Etiquette for the non-Crafty:

1. Just because I am crafting in a public place does NOT mean I am fishing for compliments, comments, advice. etc…. I am minding my own business, how about you minding yours. Plus, before you decide to help yourself to my personal private space, from my crafting supplies, equipment etc. please pass me your wallet. If your gonna snoop in my personal belongings I get to snoop in yours.

2. Do not rubberneck my crafting project from two tables away or over my shoulder for 10 - 15 minutes watching me, then have the audacity to ask me “Did you do that?” You will get the “Nope. My invisible friend Matilda did it, but doesn’t like to feel like a freak so I fake it for her.” Plus do NOT crowd me, most crafts have sharp ended tools and I am not adverse to jabbing you with one so you get my point.

3. When gushing “I could never do that” be honest with yourself and the crafter in question, finish the sentence with “because I do not have the patience and I am a abject moron.”

4. All Family & friends, if I ever chose to create something for you it is an honor. It is NOT like going to the store and just picking something up. Creating the gift takes time, forethought, pre-planning, and time management. Keep in mind socks are NOT simple, neither is a scarf or a hat, they are basics where we learn and try new design and pattern ideas. Be very honored when we feel a practice piece is worthy of gifting to you.

5. NEVER EVER gift yarn, notions, patterns expecting it to be used for you. Do not hint that I make you something. Ask me simply and straightforward. I may or may not make it for free if you buy the yarn, or may charge you for my time… either way be proud and humble to think I would even consider doing it for you since you are too lazy to learn to do it for yourself.

6. If gifted with a handmade crafting item, thank the creator profusely even if you never want a hand made gift from them ever again, then state its beautiful and I’ll cherish it but handmade is really not your thing. This gets the giftee and the creator off the hook for more gifts that can be appreciated better by someone else on the creators list

7. If you are the recipient of a handcrafted item and decide within 2 years its not the thing for you, offer it back to its creator before selling it or regifting it to someone else. Its insulting to ask about a piece made for you to find out you donated it to goodwill, I got $5 at my garage sale for it, or hear from you “oh, that grey sweater. I gave it to my ex-boyfriends girlfriends best friend because it just wasn’t me.”

8. If the hand crafted item is wearable then WEAR it, if it is decorative USE it. If you are so overwhelmed that you want to take care of it so it won’t get destroyed FRAME it. If you choose to do none of these things give it back to the person that made the item because you do not deserve it.

9. Do not blame the creator if a thing you have bullied them into making for you does NOT turn out the way you want it. If you are so damned picky take the time to learn the craft and make it for yourself.

10. We craft because it relaxes us, we enjoy it, we can take our time and be proud of what we are doing. Selling our creativity for profit will stress us out, put us under deadlines, and generally make us want scream. That is why it is a hobby and not our JOB so quit pestering us by how much money we could make yadda yadda yadda.

I hope you all like this and if you are a crafty person feel free to take this and pass it out to all your non-crafty friends. If you are a non-crafty person, please remember these rules when dealing with a crafty person. Especially a knitter, we have two pointy sticks and we know how to use them. :)

Cubic Zirconia beads at ArtBeads.com

I was recently asked if I would like to try out and review some new cubic zirconia beads from Artbeads.com. As I am a bead junkie I can never say no to the opportunity to play with some new beads so I jumped at the chance.

I ordered some 6mm coins (cz-cry-cn6), 5x7mm ovals (cz-cry-lov7), 10mm stars (cz-cry-str10), 5mm stars (cz-cry-str5), and the 5mm princess cut post earrings (cz-ear5-dia). I combined these with some peacock pearls and 2mm sterling silver rounds that I already had in my stash and came up with this.

I think it turned out rather well. And if you are interested in purchasing this set you can see it on my ArtFire store soon.

Now for the review -

The cubic zirconia beads are much nicer than most of the 'crystal' beads coming out of China these days but they are still a far cry from Swarovski crystals. They don't have the same fire and the holes are not polished like they are in the Swarovski crystals so you have a big frosted tube in the bead instead of a polished hole.

The quality assurance, while better than most of the Chinese beads that are out there is not perfect. I did have some crystals that had a slant to the hole so that it went thru the bead at an angle front to back. Not everyone may find this to be a bother but since these beads are priced per bead I do expect a higher quality than what I received. The coin beads for example were $1.06 each so its a pretty expensive bead to have that sort of flaw in it.

I do have to say that I really like the earring posts I got. The cz in the post has a lot of sparkle and makes for a very attractive earring. I do wish the earring posts came with the nuts on them but that isn't a huge deal.

All in all, my recommendation is that while Artbeads.com has some really beautiful items, I would buy the Swarovski crystals they offer instead of the cubic zirconia beads. On the upside though, I do recommend the cubic zirconia post earrings. They are really pretty and have a lot of fire for the price.

Legalese -

I received the products mentioned in this post free of charge and am honestly reviewing them. I have not been paid or otherwise reimbursed for my time, talent, this post, or the supplies that came out of my stash to create the pieces shown in this post.

Wool Gathering

I recently started learning to knit. I taught myself the basics and then took classes to learn how to do lace and sock knitting. I have yet to finish a project but so far I am really enjoying the journey.

When I take on a new venture I really like to know the whole process from beginning to end so one week ago I had the opportunity to visit a nearby Alpaca farm to take a tour and learn more about the animals. Learning about them though wasn't enough, so I bought 5oz of raw Alpaca fleece so I could wash, card, and spin it.

To wash it I put it in my kitchen sink full of warm water with just one drop of detergent in it. I soaked it for half an hour, changed the water and soaked it in the warm soap water 3 more times until the water was clean-ish. After that I soaked it in warm water with no soap to rinse it. I put it in a lingerie bag and spun most of the water out in my washing machine on spin cycle.

Here are the pictures, a bag of fleece, fresh from the farm, next, cramming it all into my kitchen sink, last, spun out and laid on towels to complete drying.

It's been a real trip. Alpaca is so soft it is a pleasure to work with. It did smell a bit when it was wet but nowhere near as strong as my dogs smell when they are wet. It was also cool that I got to buy the fleece from the farmers who raised the Alpacas only 4mi from my house. I also got to meet the Alpaca my fleece came from. I've never gotten to buy fiber from a donor I met before.:)

At this time the fleece is now dry and I have started carding it. Be sure you come back to see how it goes and what happens to the fleece next. :)

Artist Spotlight on Valerie from Valmade

This weeks spotlight is on Valerie.  She makes lovely cards for all sorts of occasions and knits some lovely scarves and very cute baby booties and stuffed animals.  Here is one of her cards that I just love. Isn't it great? And now, here is Valerie, in her own words. 1) Name, Location Valerie, Hong Kong 2) Where can you be found online? www.valmade.artfire.com http://en.dawanda.com/shop/Valmade 3) What do you do? I’m a bit of a jack of all trades making cards, cross stitch pictures and knit the odd thing as well. 4) How long have you done it? My cards are more recent, last couple of years, but have been knitting and cross stitching for longer than I care to remember ☺ 5) How did you start? Took up knitting and sewing as a child. From there I started making knitted baby booties and cross stitch birth announcements for friends when they started having babies, just as a hobby really. It’s progressed into an online shop when someone suggested I try selling some to keep me in supplies, and card making just seemed a natural progression. I started with cross stitch cards and now make all different types. 6) Why did you choose this and not something else? Not entirely sure why I chose this. I suppose it was something I enjoyed as a child and just managed to keep it up over the years. 7) How did you learn your craft? My mother taught me to knit and sew when little. I studied Needlework at school so went through a stage of making lots of different things, but have reverted back to small projects. 8) Is this a full time profession for you or do you have another job? No, I work full time in the finance industry and this is something I do when at home in the evenings. 9) If this isn’t your full time profession, would you do it full time if you could? I’d love to be able to devote more time to this, however as I personally make every thing by hand, I don’t think I’d survive very long on the income it might generate ☺ 10) Anything you want to share with others in your craft or who may be considering your craft? I think you have to have a real passion for what you make, and just enjoy it for what it is. Although I know there are many artists out there who do make a decent living from their work, I know my work will never make me rich, but I am happy just knowing that someone got some pleasure out of something I took the time to make. Thank you Val for participating in my artist spotlight.

If you would like your own spotlight email me at hhertziger@gmail.com for more information.

Artist Spotlight on Laura from Laura Fry Weaving Studio

This week's spotlight is on Laura Fry.  She weaves some of the most beautiful yummy pieces I have ever seen, and if you are a weaver, knitter, or other fabric artist she also sells some really yummy yarns too.  This is one of her scarves that I am in love with.  Isn't it gorgeous?

And now, here's Laura in her own words. 1) Name, Location

Laura Fry, Prince George, BC, Canada

2) Where can you be found online?

http://laurafry.com http://laurasloom.blogspot.com and http://LauraFry.artfire.com

3) What do you do?

I weave functional fabrics – scarves, shawls, tea towels, table runners, placemats, etc. 4) How long have you done it?

Since 1975

5) How did you start?

I chose weaving as a career. The local community college was offering a two year program in fibres, and I dove in. 6) Why did you choose this and not something else?

After several years of searching for a job that didn’t bore me after 3 months, I realized I needed work that had a high element of creativity in it. When I finally discovered weaving, I knew that I could weave for the rest of my life and never get bored. ☺ 7) How did you learn your craft?

Starting with the two year program, I then went on to take as many workshops as I could afford, locally and away. In 1977 I travelled to Finland to take a two week class at the Varpapuu Summer Weaving School. I also took classes at Banff Centre of Fine Art in Banff, Alberta, and attended conferences as my budget allowed. 8) Is this a full time profession for you or do you have another job?

I’ve been doing this full time for many years, although I did take part time jobs from time to time when necessary. 9) If this isn’t your full time profession, would you do it full time if you could? See above 10) Anything you want to share with others in your craft or who may be considering your craft? I have found weaving endlessly fascinating. It has given me many gifts over the years – in terms of knowledge and friendships. There are few hard and fast rules because change one factor and everything changes. While I may have gained some insight into what will happen, I learn all the time. And I find that particularly intriguing. 11) Anything that I didn’t ask that you would like to talk about? While being a full time weaver has been interesting and challenging and while I might wish to have done some things differently in the past, I don’t regret for one minute that I chose this life rather than some other career. It has been uplifting to teach others and watch the excitement to create spark in their eyes.  

Thank you for taking part in my Artist spotlight Laura.  

If you would like to have your own artist spotlight please email me at hhertziger@gmail.com for more information.

Artist Spotlight on Joyce from Southfield Designs

This weeks spotlight is on Joyce of Southfield Designs.  She sells beautiful beaded jewelry such as this lovely dragonfly.

Isn't it cute?  Her artfire shop is filled with cute items like this.  Don't forget to check her shop out.

And now, here is Joyce, in her own words.

My name is Joyce Weeks and the name of my Studio is Southfield Designs.

My studio is located in our barn in the tiny village of Southfield, Ma. in the beautiful Berkshire Mts. I design unique and unusual pieces of jewelry using pressed flowers, butterfly wings, resin, glass and glass beads and semi precious beads, vintage buttons and vintage lucite. I have been designing jewelry for the last 4 years, but when I was grwoing up I was always doing something with my hands, knitting, sewing etc. I really started when I retired from running a nursery school and we moved to Ma. from L.I.. I had a list of things that I wanted to do and beading was one of them. I just love the color and feel of the beads and the other elements that I use in my designs. I get a thrill from seeing a pile of stuff transform into something lovely and I can step back and say "I did that". Most of the things that I do are from experimenting. I have a large collection of books that I go to for help. I am always taking classes to learn something new, even if I don't plan to use the technique in my designs.. but you never know!! I am retired so I can spend as much time beading as I choose to. I would like to share the idea that experimenting with different items has led me to my 'Beady Bug' creations and to all of my pressed flower and butterfly pendants. I had know idea when I started that I could make it work. I love what I do and I find it very rewarding .. it enriches my soul!!

Thank you Joyce for participating in my Artist Spotlight.  If you would like to be a spotlight email me at hhertziger@gmail.com for more information.

Artist Spotlight on Suz from Solar Flare Creations

This weeks spotlight is on a woman who not only creates work that I love, but is also a dear friend of mine.  An Australian native, Suz is a teacher, lampwork artist, jewelry artist, and a medieval recreationist.  How she finds time for all of that plus juggling a husband and a dog I don't know, maybe days in Australia are longer or something :)

It is a cold and dreary day here on my side of the world so I chose this pair of earrings out of her ArtFire shop.  I love the bright, sunny colors, they remind me that Summer will come again, even if it doesn't feel like it at the moment.

Aren't they yummy!

And now, here's Suz in her own words.

1) Name, Location Suzanne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

2) Where can you be found online? www.solarflarecreations.com.au  http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5377222  http://suzanne-catching-up.blogspot.com/  http://www.artfire.com/users/SolarFlareCreations  3) What do you do? I am a secondary Art & Photography teacher who makes glass beads as a hobby. 4) How long have you done it? About 6 years. 5) How did you start? An American Ex-pat living in Melbourne told me about Lampworking, and pointed out the course in the Adult Education guide for the local TAFE college. I took a beginner’s course with Kathryn Wardill, and a few months later, an Intermediate Course. 6) Why did you choose this and not something else? I’ve dabbled in many arts and crafts over the years. As an Art/Tech teacher, I had covered about 15 studio areas in my training, but for my own personal expression it has been painting, photography, singing and now glass. There is something very addictive about working with an open flame and molten glass, which tends to take over my other artistic interests. Except singing – I still perform in musical theatre regularly. 7) How did you learn your craft? As I mentioned, I took some lessons to begin with, but I have also found the interaction with other beadmakers on various forums invaluable for expanding my skills and raising the bar. 8) Is this a full time profession for you or do you have another job? I teach secondary school full time, so it is only a hobby at the moment. 9) If this isn’t your full time profession, would you do it full time if you could? Probably not. My husband has always been concerned that if sales became the imperative driving my glass work, the fun would be gone, so he has encouraged me to make it a ‘self funding hobby’. On the other hand, regular sales help keep up the momentum, make me torch more regularly and more productively to replace sold inventory. 10) Anything you want to share with others in your craft or who may be considering your craft? Be warned – it’s addictive!! It’s hard to dabble and not get sucked in. ☺ 11) Anything that I didn’t ask that you would like to talk about? I am also involved in medieval re-enactment, and I research and recreate historical beads. There are various articles and a ‘bead timeline’ I have created under ‘SCA” on my webpage.

Artist Spotlight on Jenn of Jennuine Candles

This weeks Artist spotlight is on Jenn Holliday of Jennuine Candles.  I love candles and burn tons of them at my home so I had a very hard time choosing a favorite item out of her various shops.  I finally chose this candle because the fragrance is called Day Spa and I happen to work at a Spa :)

Isn't it beautiful?  Not only is it called Day Spa, but its also in one of my favorite colors, purple :)

Now, here is Jenn, in her own words.

1) Name, Location - My name is Jenn Holliday of jennuinecandles and I live in the Phoenix Metro area of Arizona.  

2) Where can you be found online? I can be found in numerous places. I have a shop on Etsy (www.jennuinecandles.etsy.com), ArtFire (http://jennuinecandles.artfire.com), and on 1000 Markets (http://jennuinecandles.1000Markets.com). I also have a website (www.jennuinecandles.com), a blog (http://jennuinecandles09.blogspot.com/) a Twitter account (http://twitter.com/jennuinecandles) and a Plurk account (http://www.plurk.com/jennuinecandles). If I had one to choose from for someone to follow it would definitely be my blog because my shops and all my latest news is updated in one place.

3) What do you do? I make 100% Palm Wax Candles. It is a natural and sustainable wax produced from palm oil, which comes from the fruit of the oil palm tree. More importantly, the palm wax used in every one of my candles is obtained from suppliers that are partnered with the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil to prevent deforestation. Palm wax is also cleaner burning than paraffin wax, resulting in less soot production and a significantly reduced potential for harmful emissions. They also burn longer, have a superior ability to "hold" fragrance and have a whiter flame than paraffin candles. And, it cleans up easily with soap and water.

4) How long have you done it? I’ve only been making them for 6 months now, but didn’t start selling them until I had done plenty of testing and research to make sure that I had a product that was worthy of putting on the “market”.  

5) How did you start? How did you learn your craft? By day, I am an Occupational Therapist. I work with the older adult population and have the opportunity to maximize their quality of life everyday. Rewarding? Definitely. Stressful? Unfortunately. Over my career, I have experienced countless moments of joy and sorrow; it's in the moments of sorrow that I have identified a need for an escape. I am lucky enough to have found two fabulous hobbies to escape...candlemaking and photography. I had always had an interest in homemade hobbies, but never put my finger on "the one" that I could make my own until I was introduced to palm candles by a good friend. Amazed at the appearance and scent throw, I did some research and experimenting. I had finally found "my hobby"; one that I could enjoy, one that I could find pleasure in, one that I could use to escape and one that others could enjoy as well. I initially started out with the idea of making candles for my home and as gifts for family and friends - after all, who doesn't like candles, especially candles that have a scent that lasts from first light to the last light? But, as co-workers and friends became aware of my new hobby...jennuinecandles was born.

6) Why did you choose this and not something else? Quite simply, it allows me an escape from the rigors of my normal life. I love looking through my fragrance oils or researching my preferred suppliers for newly added fragrance oils and imagining the scent and the beauty that each candle will produce. I am also a people pleaser of sorts and I love the reactions that people have to my candles and it brings me joy to know that I can bring enjoyment to somebody else.

  7) Is this a full time profession for you or do you have another job? As mentioned earlier, by day I am an Occupational Therapist; I work with the older adult population in three assisted living/memory care communities in the northwest area of Phoenix.

8) If this isn’t your full time profession, would you do it full time if you could? I would totally do this and my other hobby, photography, (www.shutterchaos.com) as my full-time “work” if they were able to pay my bills. ☺

9) Anything you want to share with others in your craft or who may be considering your craft? With anything, it takes patience, research and a lot of testing to get the right combination that works. The plus side to the testing is a great smelling house! ☺

10) Anything that I didn’t ask that you would like to talk about? I do make and sell my palm wax candles on my sites, but I am very much willing and wanting to do more custom orders; they are more fun because they become unique to that one person. I currently have over 40 scents and 5 different sized containers (glass jars and travel tins) and am always looking to expand to new scents and containers. My scents and their full descriptions can be found on my website (www.jennuinecandles.com). Thank you for the opportunity to feature myself, my shops and my blog! Jenn

And Thank You Jenn for taking part in my Artist Spotlight!

If you would like to get your own spotlight on my blog email me at hhertziger@gmail.com and I will send you the questionnaire.  Thank you.

No more Starving Artists - The Stone Soup Challenge

This week I became aware of something called The Stone Soup Challenge.  This challenge is based on the story of Stone Soup, where a weary traveler cannot find anyone to spare him some dinner so he decides to make stone soup.  The villagers are intrigued and start to bring out various items to add to the soup and by sharing create a meal that has plenty for all. 

Times are tough for everyone right now and for artists whose products aren't considered to be necessities times are even tougher.  This is where the Stone Soup Challenge comes in.  If artists band together and support each other we can all get thru these tough times.  

The premise is simple.  Go to the link I included in the first paragraph and comment on the post with your pledge to support fellow artists.  Then spread the word wherever you can, blogs, forums, etc...  Finally, decide on a percentage of your monthly profits you can afford to spend and spend them on items from your fellow artists.

I personally will be spending 15% of  my profits with my fellow artists.  Won't you join me in supporting our fellow artists? 

Alexia from Arrrt

This weeks creative blogger is Alexia of Arrrt.  She has a really cute blog about her hand made journals and various things happening in her life.  Be sure to check her out here.

Introducing Daniela Ridley of Creations by Daniela

Just in time for spring we have this beautiful butterfly necklace from Daniela.  Daniela has a lot of beautiful beaded jewelry items on her ArtFire shop.  You don't want to miss them.

And now, here is Daniela, in her own words.

1) Name, Location Daniela, Gatesville, Texas 2) Where can you be found online? I can be found in several places: http://creationsbydaniela.artfire.com Or you can follow my blog at: http://creationsbydaniela.blogspot.com Or follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/creationsbydani I also have a plumbdrop page: http://www.plumdrop.com/members/creationsbydaniela 3) What do you do? I crochet, make jewelry and play with clay! 4) How long have you done it? I have been crocheting on and off for about 10 years. I began learning how to make jewelry in the summer of 2008 and just a few months ago discovered the awesome possibilities of polymer clay. 5) How did you start? Crocheting: I decided about 10 years ago, I needed something to help me relax. My mom always told me crocheting and knitting were so relaxing. My husband was in the Army and I had 2 young boys, plus I was working full time and had a few part time jobs as well. I bought a skein of pretty denim blue yarn, a size H hook and the book “I can’t believe I’m crocheting”…. I thought I was doing pretty good, had about 10 rows done but my piece wasn’t very big. I also thought I was practicing a single crochet. I remember I couldn’t sleep one night and was up at 2:00 am trying to crochet. The stitches were so tight and so close together! I kept thinking as I gripped the hook tighter and tighter to force it through each stitch, this is supposed to be relaxing but it isn’t! The next morning I took my piece in to a co-worker who crocheted. I explained that I was practicing my single crochet stitch and couldn’t figure out why my piece was so small and tight. After she finished laughing, she pointed to my stitches and told me I had practiced 10 rows of slip stitches… ugh. No wonder they were so tight! Once I got the hang of the single stitch (obviously I mastered the slip stitch) the other stitches came together nicely! I still have that little lap blanket with all of my stitches…. Jewelry: I thought I was burned out on crocheting about 5 years ago. I just finished my Bachelors degree in Psychology and was starting my Masters of Arts in Human Services in the summer of 2008 and decided I needed something to do other than study. I picked up a jewelry magazine, some beads and tools, and made a necklace. One necklace was all it took, and I was hooked. I have made many in the last 9 months and enjoy the ability to make a piece to fit my mood or outfit, or as a gift, or special order for someone. Polymer Clay: I happened to see a bracelet made from polymer clay in a magazine (it is the bracelet on my plumbdrop page by the way). I wanted to make it and decided I liked it! I am still learning the process but clay is such a neat medium to work with! 6) Why did you choose this and not something else? I actually tried knitting once. I needed to use my knees to hold one needle and my hand to work with the yarn and other needle. Something told me that just wasn’t going to work for me! I also know how to cross stitch, but have not picked that up in 10 years. I was self taught at that, and found out although I am right handed, I make my x’s as if I were left handed… comes from mirroring what I see others doing! 7) How did you learn your craft? Self-taught in all of them 8) Is this a full time profession for you or do you have another job? Unfortunately I have a day job. I work as a Probation Officer. Plus I’m a wife, mother and student. 9) If this isn’t your full time profession, would you do it full time if you could? I would love to be able to spend more time developing my skills with these three crafts. I also would like to one day make my own beads, but I know that right now, I just don’t have time for anything else. I have fun doing what I do and really enjoy the complements that I get and I enjoy hearing about the complements that my customers get from others when they wear my pieces. 10) Anything you want to share with others in your craft or who may be considering your craft? Don’t be afraid to create what you like. There will always be someone that says they don’t like that piece; on the other hand, the same piece will get rave reviews from another person. Create what inspires you and what makes you happy. Learn to think outside of the box; find color combinations that go well together but that you don’t often see. Get a color wheel! 11) Anything that I didn’t ask that you would like to talk about? I think it’s great that you are spotlighting artisans! Thanks so much for the opportunity to participate! I can’t wait to see which piece you pick out to spot light with this! God Bless!

My Poor Puppy

My puppy Spike is in need of some sympathy because he isn't getting any from us. He's got a histoma on his back. A histoma is a benign tumor that commonly occurs on young dogs and then goes away on its own after several months. He started biting at it and it started bleeding. I didn't want him to cause it to get infected so I got him and inflatable neck ring so he couldn't reach the histoma and am treating it with a dog safe antibacterial ointment. Here is my puppy on Friday night begging my hubby to take off the ring.

Doesn't he look sad here?

Notice the tail tucked up, how pathetic is that? If you ever need to keep a dog from biting a wound or surgical site I would highly recommend one of these inflatable collars.  I've used the standard plastic cones on my other dog and she always left long, thin, curved bruises on our legs from ramming into us with the edge of  the cone.  I'm not getting hit any less with this collar but at least its more comfortable.  LOL

Anyway, Spike was after my hubby to get him to take the collar off because I put it on him and he knew I wouldn't take it off.  Of course my hubby is even less sympathetic than I am so he didn't take it off either.

Before to long though Spike adjusted and he's back to his happy, goofy, self, collar and all.  :)

I love my little clown.  He's so goofy.  He isn't trying to get the collar off anymore but he still runs into things because he's now wider than he's used to being so we are laughing at him even more than we normally do.  So, won't you give my puppy some sympathy?  He's not getting any here.  LOL

I don't know how long he'll need the collar for but it will be very amusing while he does need it. :)

Insomnia sucks, Chronic pain sucks, both together suck rotten eggs

Really, what more does a person have to say? I am a chronic insomniac, I have been since I was a teen. I get it from my dad. He and I spent many nights together watching horrible movies on USA Up All Night. You know the sort of movie I'm talking about - "Santa Clause vs. The Martians", "The Thing with Two Heads", "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes". The sort of movie that is so embarrassing to admit you watched it that you would rather go to a video store and in a very loud voice ask to see their porn collection than to ask them where they keep the old B movies. But anyway, thats what my dad and I watched because frankly, after midnight 15-20yrs ago there just wasn't anything else on except informercials. So anyway, thats a bit of my history with insomnia. Had it for a long time and now that USA Up All Night isn't on it really, really sucks. Fast forwarding to now I have added pain to my insomnia and that sucks even worse. I don't know if it would be considered chronic pain yet because its only really been bad for the past 5-6 months. Before that I would get bouts of back pain but it would go away after a little chiropractic care. This time however, the pain isn't going away so I started seeing a rheumatologist again. (I was diagnosed with Juvenile Onset Rheumatoid Arthritis when I was 14). After x-rays, a CT scan, lots of drugs, and even some narcotics the arthritis is feeling better but the back is not. The back actually feels worse now than before I started seeing this doctor. Because the back isn't getting any better he is not convinced that the back issue has anything to do with my arthritis. So I am going back to my doctor on Monday and I really hope he has something new for me to try because this is getting old really fast. I can't sleep because of the insomnia, the pain makes the insomnia worse. Not sleeping makes me cranky, adding the pain turns me into a whiney bitch. I can't work because I'm too tired and hurt too much. I feel bitchy so I spend very little time on advertising because I don't want to offend anyone so nothing is selling. If I weren't 90% self employed I'd fire me. Its just a very vicious cycle and I want it to end. Those of you who are my fellow insomniacs or who have been suffering with pain for a long period of time (hell, even a short period of time) you have my deepest sympathies. Anyway, sorry for the vent. I don't like to whine but every once in a while it has to come out. Otherwise the cycle would get the better of me and instead of being able to be rational about things I would get frustrated and give up art altogether. Thanks for your patience if you got this far. For those of you who fall asleep easily, pass some of those zzz's my way if you don't mind :)

Artist Spotlight on Alisun at Alisun's Custom Crafted Jewelry

This week's spotlight is on Alisun from Alisun's Custom Crafted Jewelry. She's got a lovely shop full of beautiful items such as these earrings which she calls Core of my Heart. They feature her husband's birth stone on the inside and hers on the outside. Aren't they lovely? And now, without further adieu, here is Alisun, in her own words. 1) Name, Location Alisun Riggs, San Jose, CA

2) Where can you be found online? www.alisuns.artfire.com www.alisuns.blogspot.com www.byhandme.blogspot.com Facebook Aim: Cedarga Skype: Cedarga Email: Cedarga@comcast.net

3) What do you do? I’m currently making jewelry from wire, chain, Swarovski and Crystazzi crystals, gemstones, and glass. In the past I have supplemented my income with knitting and crochet. In particular, I’ve crocheted and stiffened Christmas ornaments.

4) How long have you done it? I only knit and crochet for the family at the present, but that can change without notice. I have been obsessed with jewelry for the past year.

5) How did you start? I had a bangle watch that my grandbaby liked. I took it off and gave it to her to play with and it disappeared. We were at a family reunion: Christmas or birthday celebration. All of us looked everywhere for it (including where it was found two years later) but didn’t find it. The replacement watch (I only wear them on airplanes so it was some time later) was a chunky dangly charm thingy that I thought would translate easily into Mother’s Day Mother’s Bracelets for my family. Teaching myself to make them obsessed me for six months and they actually complimented the results, so I was hooked.

6) Why did you choose this and not something else? I believe because it was something fun and new. At my age new is hard to find.

7) How did you learn your craft? I went online and gathered findings, visited hobby shops, and read tutorials. I wish I’d invested in lessons early because I spent a fortune on things that didn’t work.

8) Is this a full time profession for you or do you have another job? I’m currently unemployed. I spend all the time I’m not being a housewife or job hunter playing with my beads. I love it.

9) If this isn’t your full time profession, would you do it full time if you could? I’d love to make money doing jewelry, but don’t see it as a full-time means of support. I’d love to edit. I don’t, however, have the degree. 10) Anything you want to share with others in your craft or who may be considering your craft? Yes. There is no wrong way to do things. One of my least favorite items is one of my daughter’s favorites. If you don’t like a certain stone or design, don’t cast it aside: someone wants it.

11) Anything that I didn’t ask that you would like to talk about? Yes. ArtFire.com. This group of artists is inclusive and willing to share tips and promote each other’s art. The majority of the artists are jewelry makers. I’m not sure what that says about our society, but it seems lots of us want adornment. Artists on this site range from traditional artists who paint/draw/photograph to those who create cosmetics and bath products to those who upcycle in an interesting way and range from whimsical to practical. Thank you Alisun for taking part in my Artist Spotlight.  If you would like to be part of the artist spotlight please email me at hhertziger@gmail.com and I will send you the questionnaire.

Spring Earring Sale on ArtFire!

I am offering a sale on my earrings on ArtFire right now.  All earrings are $5 off the listed price in my ArtFire shop.  Just use the Make An Offer button and enter the price minus $5 to get the sale price.  All earrings will receive free shipping as well.  So don't forget to check out my ArtFire shop to get in on these great deals.  I don't often offer a sale on my earrings and I don't know how long the sale will last so check it out soon!

Here is a small sampling of the earrings I have in my ArtFire store.