Dicover me Wednesday 2/27/13

It's been a while since I featured a shop on this segment of my Blog, but it was so fun getting back into the swing of finding just the right artist to feature.

After doing quite a bit of "window shopping" on ETSY I happened upon a shop that carries really cool natural stone stamped coasters as well as other handmade items and Vintage goods. 

  
Freckle is owned by Jamie Schmid from Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio.  Her 4x4 Tumbled Travertine Tiles are hand stamped and would make a great gift for all kinds of occasions. Each set she sells, has rubber grips on the bottom to prevent scratching and sliding. They have also been sealed to make them durable.  Another great thing about this shop is that Jamie takes custom orders for the coasters. 

$15 for a set of 4

This shop has been open since August of 2007 and has over 300 sales with 100% feedback.  Stop into Freckle and wander around a bit.  You may just find  the perfect gift or something that would look great in your home.   

You can also follow Freckle- Vintage & Handmade Goods on Pinterest, Facebook and Blogspot by following these links:

Follow me on Pinterest @ http://pinterest.com/jamieschmid/
Like Freckle on Facebook @ www.facebook.com/frecklesonme
Get creative with DIY projects and Home Decor Inspiration @ www.frecklesonme.blogspot.com

Discover Me Wednesday

Montana Hot Glass on ETSY

 Fall is quickly coming upon us.  The leaves outside are slowly beginning to turn and there is a light crunch under my feet when I walk the dog through my neighborhood.

Dunniker Designs on ETSY

Route 4 Glassblowing Studio on ETSY

Providence Art Glass on ETSY 

 

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is go with my husband and kids out to Pennsylvania to Pick our Pumpkins.  We always go to the "Worlds largest General Store" called Country Junction. 

Allison Glass Art on ETSY

Kit Paulson Glass on ETSY

A couple years ago when we went to the Renaissance Faire in Tuxedo, New York, I saw hand blown glass pumpkins and immediately fell in love.  Hand Blown glass is a beautiful art  form, and like snowflakes, no two pieces of art are ever alike.  The following artists had some phenomenal glass pumpkins in their ETSY shops.  Everyone should have at least one glass pumpkin for their home, so head out to the patch visit each shop, and "pick" one for yourself.

Avolie Glass on ETSY
 

 

Tazza Glass on ETSY

Matisc on ETSY

 

Jack-Line Studio on ETSY

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Discover Me Wednesday

Today was the first day of school for my kids.  After they got on the bus this morning and I sat down with my cup of coffee in my quiet home, I began to think about what I might like to focus on for this weeks Discover Me Wednesday.  When looking for artists to feature here in the Meadow, I usually start with how I am feeling at the moment and then use those key words to poke around on Etsy and Artfire to find things that interest me.  

Cup of coffee in hand I began searching out words like "peaceful", "calm", and "quiet".   I just wasn't feeling it!  No matter how I tried to enjoy the "peaceful, calm, and quiet" house....I missed my boys and the chaos that they bring to my everyday life in the summer.  My mind went to what they would be doing today at school.  After some thought and a few more word searches, I came up with the word "apple".  As in and apple for the teacher.  

I found some wonderfully delicious smelling, tasting and beautiful finds.  The first shop is on Etsy and is called Let them eat pie.  The shop owner Paige is from DeKalb, Illinois and started making her gourmet pies in a jar while attending Law School.  When choosing shops that sell food I try to pick ones that have a very high positive feedback.  Paige's shop has 100% feedback.  You can find Paige on Facebook at Let them eat Pie.

Lauren Miller is the owner of the next shop I would like to share with you.  He ship is called Sunbasilgarden Soaps.  These are the most amazing soaps you will ever see.  I have loved this shop for a very long time and I hope you will stop by and check it out for yourself.  You can also find Lauren at her blog Sunbasilgarden, or her Sunbasilgarden Facebook page, or follow her on Twitter at Sunbasilgarden.

YES!!!  This is soap!!!

Caramel Apple with Belgian Chocolate, Cinnamon sugar and Pecans

The last shop I would like to share with you makes the most wonderful handmade treats you will ever taste!  The name of the shop is Nicole's Handmade Treats  and the proprietor Niki creates all of her confections out of her kitchen in Syracuse, New York.  I can tell you from personal experience that her giant candy covered apples are AMAZING!  Each one serves 4 people, but if I were you I wouldn't share!!  I have had a few other treats from Niki's shop and everything is fantastic and totally indulgent.  You can also find Niki at her Blog; Nicoleshomemadetreats.blogspot.com  , or Facebook at Nicoles Handmade Treats, or you can follow her on Twitter at Nikid .

Discover Me Wednesday

This weeks Discover me Wednesday is a wonderful artist that I found on ETSY.  Her shop is called Garden Jewels and her name is Julie DeGroot.

Julie lives in Alden, New York where she creates her one of a kind stained glass artwork which is inspired by the nature that surrounds her.  She is a self taught artist who has been creating her stained glass, paintings, mosaics and murals for her gardens for over 20 years.  

 

Julie believes that "a garden should be filled with not only plants & love, but little surprises throughout it. Something to catch your eye & drag you in to sit awhile to stop and smell the roses."

 Be sure to stop by her ETSY shop Garden Jewels to browse or purchase one of these truly magical items for yourself or as a gift for someone special. You can also find Julie at her website Jewels in the Garden.com or here on Blogger at Jewelsinthegarden.blogspot.com or on Facebook at Jewels-In-The-Garden

Discover me Wednesday

"You are my sunshine...My Only Sunshine...You make me happy...When skies are gray....You'll never know dear....How much I love you....Please don't take my sunshine away."

Singing has always been a great stress reliever for me and this song has been a part of my life as far back as I can remember.  My father plays guitar and this was probably one of the first songs he taught me to sing.

DDOTS

I have a card sitting here in my office from a dear friend of mine whose shop is on ETSY.  It is called DDOTS.  I keep meaning to send it to my sister, but just can't seem to part with it because it makes me happy just to look at it.  

I have decided to feature a bunch of artists this week in a Discover me Wednesday I am calling "You are my Sunshine"  Enjoy the art and please stop by and patronize their lovely shops some time.

Design and Create

In Blue

 

Corduroy Cricket

Holly Christine

A Dorana Design

beehive Kitchenware Co.

Fish and Lotus

Galway Designs

Kathy Panton

Heavenly Primitives

Discover Me Wednesday

This week's edition of Discover me Wednesday is very special to my heart. I am featuring my best friend Dorana.

Dorana and I met many years ago and I will never say it was chance that brought us together. I don't believe in chance.  I was a Partylite consultant at the time and went into Staples to make some copies. Dorana was there as well and we started talking at the register. After a brief conversation about candles and Partylite I left her with a catalog and we both said goodbye. I walked out of the store. Once outside I remembered something I had recently learned in a training. The teacher said..."never walk away without getting the other persons information", so I took a deep breath, walked back in the store and asked Dorana if I could have her phone number to follow up with her. She gladly gave it to me and encouraged me to give her a ring.

That day God brought Dorana and I together. Through the years there are days, weeks and sometimes months where Dorana and I don't speak regularly (we are both extremely busy women), but when we do get together it is like no time has passed at all and we laugh, cry, and love like we were never out of each others company for even a day. I recently found a quote on a blog whose name I can't recall at the moment and it reminded me so much of Dorana that I wrote it down. It is this " What a gift it is to stand in the light of an old friends gaze and feel the wonder of stopping, even reversing time - for at least a few days. A stopped clock presents us with time to remember - time to know that who we were, remains who we are." That is how I feel when Dorana and I are afforded the luxury of spending time together. Like time has stopped and each moment lasts for an eternity.

Dorana is my crying shoulder, my nursemaid : ) , my confidant, my inspiration, my sister, my opposite and my equal. She drives me crazy and grounds me all at the same time! We have been a lot to each other and I ponder what our future looks like all the time. Along the road of our relationship, Partylite went by the wayside and I started with a new direct sales company that had me going to peoples homes and teaching them how to make their own jewelry with gemstones and sterling silver components. Naturally Dorana; ever the artist; was intrigued by this concept of making your own jewelry and joined the company to support me. But Doranas journey went a different way than mine and she began to create some of the most intricate, and beautiful designs I had ever seen. It was not long before she found ETSY and started her own shop where she could sell her handcrafted jewelry. Not only did she open her shop "A Dorana Design" but she also started a Forum on ETSY called More Meaningful Gifts which is a Buy and Replace Thread where ETSY artists support one another through sales and encouragement. One of the many ways that Dorana and I are alike is that she is a little ADD when it comes to crafting. She is constantly thinking of new designs, ideas, ways of doing things. In January of 2009 Dorana opened her second ETSY shop called "ddots". This unique shop sells greeting cards and gift tags that are all hand-dotted with hammer and special tools. They ARE NOT done by a hole punch!  I have been in Doranas art room at her home and I can attest to how much work goes into just one of these beautiful cards. You really need to check out her shop to see all of the choices and keep in mind that Dorana also does custom work as well if you are looking for something personal. This driven woman did not just stop at two ETSY shops and a thread that she maintains in the ETSY forums; NO! She went on to create her own website called My Handmade Registry. This fantastic site is original and innovative. It is not just another networking site for crafters, it is a place that connects buyers of handmade gifts to sellers of handmade gifts. Anyone can go on this Handmade Registry - a place where everyone can create a personal page with a list of their favorite items from only HANDMADE RETAILERS! It is really an incredible website and you should take a moment to check it out and create your own registry page! 

 
Dorana is not only an artist, but she can write the most eloquent Blog posts. Her Blog Siempre - Dorana, will make you laugh out loud, run for a box of tissues, and have you watching patiently for the next Blog post. She writes in a way that is so vivid you can almost see exactly what she is trying to convey in words in your head. I promise you will not regret going to her blog and taking the time to read her posts.  

I remember when Dorana first discovered ETSY she told me that someday she wanted to have an all handmade wedding and then have it featured on ETSY. This was a dream that she just recently turned into a reality when she wed her wonderful husband Todd this past December. On December 26th 2009 among only their closest friends and family Dorana and Todd got married in their beautiful home in Mendham, NJ. The entire wedding was handmade. The dress, The cake toppers, The flowers, everything was found on ETSY. On July 19th 2010, Doranas handmade wedding was featured on ETSY. In an article titled "Handmade Weddings - A Simple Fairytale" Dorana describes her dream of a handmade wedding and shares photos of the items she used as well as links to all the artists shops who participated in this beautiful day. Her next goal...to have a Handmade Baby shower!  

It has been my honor to share this incredible woman with you. I hope you have enjoyed the photos of Doranas work, as well as hearing her story. Please visit her website, shops, Blog and thread on ETSY and let her know you heard about her here at Heathers Meadow.