Indie Junction Gift Guide For The Week of November 28th!!

Have you gotten your tree yet?  I saw some Christmas trees strapped to the top of some cars today and it got me thinking about ornaments!  They make wonderful gifts for teachers, office parties, Secret Santa gifts, friends, and of course your family!!

So let see what type of creative ornaments the Indie Junction Members are working on!  Remember, this is just a sampling of the wonderful work you will find from this talented group.  So if you are looking for unique and beautiful handmade gifts for this holiday season, you owe it to yourself to search our team tag: "indiejteam".  Now to the ornaments!!

Natural Brazilian Agate Ornaments-Set of Four Large by aimeesrockworks $25

Tatted Lace Christmas Angel by PlumpFairy $12

Glass Ornament--Happiness by BuyMyBalls $12

3 Christmas Star Ornaments by MamiMadeIt $13.90

Little Bird on Blue Postage Stamp Christmas Ornament by ogdenarthaus $34

Holiday Acorn Ornaments by NancysBagsEtc $11.25 (sale price through Nov 9th)

Christmas Tree Ornament by DesignsStainedGlass $5.63 (sale price through Nov 29th)

Well, hope you've enjoyed some of the wonderful gift ideas from our talented Indie Junction members!  Indie Junction is a wonderful community that brings together artisans from across all mediums in the spirit of collaboration, support and growth. We are so proud to have the talented members featured here as part of our Indie Junction Community!  For more information about Indie Junction, please go here!  Have a great week!

Happy Halloween From Indie Junction!!

Happy Halloween Everyone!  We are going to take a departure from our usual Indie Junction Featured Artisans Series and take a look at what kinds of Halloween type items pop up when we do a search of our Indie Junction Community!!

Let's start with this wonderful Felted Soap in Sage Lemongrass by RawOlive, a shop that features natural bath and beauty products made with olive oil! This moisturizing, hand-crafted soap wrapped in naturally anti-fungal wool to create an exfoliating, fragrantly lathering, bath bar that lasts much longer than a regular bar of soap. When done, reuse the pouf by making a small slit and slipping your own bar inside.

Earthy and herbal at its best. The sage in this soap mellows out the bright lemongrass to create a beautiful foodie soap blend. Perfect for the kitchen sink.

And it looks like a pumpkin!!

This Big Black Bat Stained Glass Halloween Decoration by Ogden Arthaus made the rounds in treasuries this Halloween season and with good reason!  He's not only beautifully made...he's got an adorable face, don't you think?  "This bat is ghoulishly adorable. With an imposing wing span of nearly 8 inches and a 4 1/2 inch body from ear to tummy, he's got fright he hasn't even used yet! Watch out!  Created in the traditional Tiffany Style of stained glass, I have cut, ground, foiled and soldered him in my dark and creepy home laboratory. His little face was created with glass paint. How utterly Frankensteinien of me."

Our very own Plump Fairy came up with some Ghostly Tatted Jewelry for the Halloween season.  "BOO!! Express your Halloween spirit with lacey tatted earrings and necklace. The earrings hang from sterling silver wires. The Ghost motif necklace hangs from rings attached to satin ribbon with adjusting chain and lobster clasp. Both are tatted with fine cotton thread. The necklace is approximately 21 in/53.34 cm in diameter adjustable down to 18 in/45.72 cm. The earrings hang approximately 2 in/5.08 cm from wires." Talk about beautiful and scary at the same time!!

Here is one of several Halloween themed soap sets by Creativexpressions76...it's a Set of 12 White Mini Skull Sets where you can choose your own fragrance! What a wonderful gift! "What does 1 plastic Halloween cup, 4 Halloween rings and 12 skull soaps have in common? They're all to DIE for and are included in our mini skull soap set!! The 12 soaps weighs approx 8.5 oz. and you get to choose your fall fragrances from 9 different fragrances.  Each bar of soap is individually wrapped in biodegradable shrinkwrap.  Glycerin is a humectant and draws moisture to your skin, allowing it to remain hydrated and soft. It is especially good for sensitive skin. Glycerin soap does not contain synthetic ingredients that will cause skin irritations. It keeps your skin looking and feeling healthy and soft."

Here is an Original Oil Painting of Funny Cat Ornament by A F Studio!  "This tiny painting is full of personality and wit. Original oil painting by Andie Freeman of one of my favorite quirky items. I got this Halloween ornament about 15 years ago at a craft fair. It is creepy and goofy and kind of cute at the same time. So, this painting on a 5 inch square linen canvas can grace your home with the same quirky personality. It is 1.5 inches deep and requires no frame. The beautiful linen canvas is exposed on the sides and parts of the front. It comes with a hanging wire attached, and a bio. It is signed on the front and titled, dated and signed on the back."

Indie Junction's Resonates made this great Going Batty Necklace! "From our Repurposed Collection :: We love finding fun, spooky Halloween decorations, like this silly black bat flying on our repurposed necklace."

And I could go on and on...this is just a small sampling from all the wonderful and creative work you will find from our Indie Junction Artisans!!

Hope you enjoyed our tribute to Halloween this week!  If you'd like to know more about our Indie Junction Artisan Community, just go here!

Indie Junction's Featured Artisans for the Week of May 9th!!

   
Happy Mother's Day!  Take a few moments and relax before the day gets too busy and read about our three talented featured Indie Junction Artisans for this week:  Debbie Shirley owner of Shirley Art and Shirley Knits, Voleur de  Bijoux, and Carol from Plump Fairy!
Let's start with Debbie Shirley's two shops! Shirley Art is where you will discover miniature and small format original paintings.   In the artist's own words, "Thanks to Etsy, I can sell small format art for affordable prices without the fees and commissions added by galleries - making original artwork available to more people. Even a little art can have a big impact!  I am an artist, knitter, wife, and mom to 3 crazy little boys and 1 crazy big dog.  I am inspired by nature and imagination, intrigued by color and light, motivated by a passion to create.  I look for the beauty in the details of everyday things, recording the small, the fragile, the inconsequential, the things you may have missed in the rush of everyday life. I am also fascinated by the idea of lifespans - I frequently work from dead or dying flowers, adding rotting fruit to my still-lifes, painting abandoned or decaying buildings. I try to find the beauty in the unexpected!"
If you are interested in seeing more of Debbie's recent artwork, visit her blog!  Here are some of the pieces you will find at Shirley's Art!
  
And to see how Debbie combines color and function, take a look at some of the items you will find in her shop Shirley Knits! "I design all pieces and knit them by hand. Much of my inspiration is drawn from folk art and ethnic textiles.  I strive to make items that are both beautiful and useful."  You can follow her blog for more information about her knits!
  
Our next featured Indie Junction Artisan is Voleurdebijoux, a modern boutique with romantic chic and avant-garde jewelry. This is a unique and special place where little things are collected, coveted, treasured and reborn into new delectable pieces of adornment for the fanciful and ardent collector.  In the artist's own words: "I am a bronze sculptor and abstract painter by day and a jewelry designer by night. In my spare time I love to create art, read, write, drink lots of coffee, Etsy, take photographs, watch the sun setting into the Pacific Ocean, and eat lots of brownies. I also, love anything to do with art, music, Paris, jewelry, and fashion.  My creative mind never sleeps...it keeps me up at night with visions of bright colors and beautiful designs. I use these inspirations in my jewelry to give them a unique spark. I am also inspired by the nature around me. I love looking at the leaves and flowers on plants to discover their natural beauty. These inspirations continually fuel my thirst for design.  This whole process of designing and creating jewelry was a dream come true for me. It's the perfect combination of working with my hands and using my creativity to turn ordinary objects into a thing of beauty. I call it my wearable art because I look at each piece as an artistic design. I specialize in distinctive handmade creations with a romantic flare that invokes a retro glam feel. I love collecting unique and lovely vintage findings, pearls and gemstones to incorporate in my jewelry designs. I feel like a little bird that loves to collect bits of treasures and store them in her nest until Spring comes. As the flowers bloom, so do these pieces of jewelry which are incorporated with these special vintage beads and colorful gemstones."
Places to find Voleur de Bijoux:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Blog

Now take a look at some of her gorgeous designs!
  
Our third featured Indie Junction artisan is Carol from Plump Fairy featuring creations using handmade tatted lace! In the artisan's own words: "I am a native Montanan who grew up on a wheat farm/cattle ranch in the wind-swept, rolling hills of Central Montana. I’ve always had an appreciation for old world handcrafts from the days when handmade was a necessity, not a hobby. I try to incorporate the “authenticity” of the old days into my life by cooking from scratch, growing, canning and preserving our food and hand making many of the gifts I give. Tatting is the art of tying tiny knots in pleasing combinations to form a delicate looking but durable lace. It is an old world skill with non-specific origins. Some say it originated with fishermen using knots to repair nets, some say there is even evidence of ancient Egyptians adorning their clothing with knotted embellishments. Tatting was a lost art for years but has seen a resurgence in recent years. I learned to needle tat about 12 years ago and have been tatting ever since."
Places to find Plump Fairy

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Flickr

Now take a look at some of the wonderful items you will find in Plump Fairy's Shop:
  
Well, hope you have enjoyed our feature for this week! If you would like more information about Indie Junction simply click here.  Indie Junction is a place where indie artisans across all genres form a synergy that helps each individual achieve their goals within the handmade industry.  Happy Mother's Day!!  Have a wonderful day and a fabulous week!