News & Spotlights

As "crafty folk", most of us already know the importance of maintaining inspiration for our art.  Simply put, it is important to keep a flow of inspiration in the wings in order to keep coming up with ideas and motivation to keep making, especially if making our art happens to be our livelihood. Some of you may even think that the process of reaching constant creativity is complex or even scary. But listen, I want to tell you that it doesn't have to be so. Let me explain what I mean. I’d like to introduce you to Maggie from Nettlebed, United Kingdom. She's a jewelry designer...

Below are some quick video tutorials on how I make this beaded brooch with this glass eye, black and silver seed beads, stiff felt, and black beading thread. To start, glue your 20mm silver dragon glass eye to the center of a 2 inch x 2 inch stiff black felt square and let the glue dry prior to beginning your project. Follow along with the videos below for next steps. The last step is to glue on a fabric or leather backing to protect your stitching on the backside, and a brooch pin to the center of that. I love it when...

Gregory Diaz from Chicago, IL creates freeform wire sculpture characters. He never quite knows just how big each sculpture is going to be when he sets off making it, so he like to keep a mix of glass eye sizes on hand so he can use a design that will fit the character best when it's getting closed to being finished. The glass eye designs, along with a pop of pipe cleaner colored hair, give these unique wire sculptures life. SHOP ALL GLASS EYES HERE About the glass eyes from handmadeglasseyes.com: All artisan glass eyes are original graphic designs designed...

Like many makers, there was a point in my creative journey when I wanted to go from following the templates and patterns of other designers and create my own art and jewelry designs.What always helped me to come up with a new piece or collection was a particular bead or cabochon that would spark an idea. A black and white fairy cabochon, for example, lead me to create a lacy beaded necklace that was airy, light, and designed with intricate details. A bold, smooth silver cabochon, on the other hand, inspired me to make a simple but modern collar that...

Pour yourself a steaming cup of tea and let's chat about the looming elephant who stomps through the room of our mind whenever we make our art. 🎨Yep: it happens to ALL of us. The lingering doubt... 💭 Who do we think we are?💭 Is our work good enough?💭 Is our idea original enough?💭 Will anyone else even like it?💭 Are we just wasting time?💭 There's so much going on in the world, is making my art really helping?And on, and on...There are so many ugly little voices that rear their head!But by not creating your art you are cheating...