Sunday Morning Coffee and Etsy - 11/16/08

I've been sitting here this morning going through recipes for Thanksgiving, and I started thinking about how much I have to be thankful for. I'm so happy to be doing something I love for a living, and I have my friends at the Wet Canvas Wearable Arts forum to thank for that. I had never posted in a forum before, and waay back in the summer of 2006, I posted a little beaded necklace, and they made me feel so welcome, that I stayed and never looked back. I was encouraged to try new things, and included in fun gift exchanges, and yes, introduced to Etsy.

It was Pam's excitement about her Etsy experience that prompted me to sign up last November, and I opened my shop in February of this year. Each Sunday for the rest of the month, I'm going to feature a few of my Wet Canvas friends' Etsy shops. Today's shops are all about lampwork. I love lampwork, and have quite a little collection of great beads started - some I purchased for myself to wear, and others will be featured in very special pieces in my shop.

Pam, whose Etsy shop is called the Blue Between, makes beautiful and whimsical pieces, and when I saw this great heart with a dragonfly (lord knows, I love dragonflies, lol) and a dinosaur bone bead, I just had to have it. She also makes spectacular necklaces that showcase her beads, as well as beads from other artists.

Another WC friend, Gwen, from Valley Creek Studio, makes the most delicious etched beads (along with a lot of other fab beadies from cute cows to elegant tapestry. I bought these beautiful etched pastel 'sherbet' beads last summer.



They will be featured soon in pieces for a new Spring 2009 series. I've also got my eye on this set of rich and vibrantly colored beads for myself.

Two more super talented glass artists that I have met at WC are Maggie from Beadtowne who makes the best



shell and yummy chocolate beads, and Angela from The Blue Lagoon - I particularly love her Lagoon Blue set, and I purchased this delicious Creme Brulee bead set from her a while back - I'm saving this one for a bracelet.