The Handmade Artists’ Shop is Celebrating its Grand Re-Opening

Last Updated on Tuesday, 31 May 2011 07:39 Written by Handmade Artists' Forum and Shop Thursday, 19 May 2011 03:15

We are very happy to announce that we took the old shop and threw it out. It was just not bright and shiny enough LOL. The new HAFshop is fast and simple to use. That was our goal and we definitely achieved it. The vendor interface is simple and clean, shop set up is a breeze. We also have digital product capabilities for those of you who sell tutorials and prints. To sign up as a vendor just register here at the Handmade Artists’ Shop and choose seller. You have two options one is $5.00 a month and the other is $50.00 a year which is a $10.00 annual savings over the monthly option. We are only accepting handmade items no resellers allowed, no unaltered vintage, and no non-handmade supplies. So if you are looking for a totally handmade venue, you have come to the right place. Stop by and say hi and make sure you tell a friend!

A Book Review of Chained By Rebeca Mojica

Last Updated on Saturday, 11 December 2010 10:12 Written by Handmade Artists' Forum and Shop Sunday, 12 December 2010 12:00

Well our long time friend and member of the forum Rebeca Mojica,  from Blue Buddha Boutique,  is now a published author of what I found to be a  great book about chainmaille. We were lucky enough to get an advanced copy of  “Chained” so that we can give it a once over and make sure that Rebeca didn’t mess up! We’ll she did not disappoint, the first thing I found is that “Chained” starts with the basics and leaves no stone unturned. My wife Kimberly and  I have many other chainmaille books and tutorials that we have collected over the years while creating  jewelry for Chainmaille By MBOI, and the one thing they always forget is the basics. This book goes through the important stuff like how to open and close a jump ring. Simple right? Not so,if you don’t close a jump ring properly your piece will just look like crap for lack of better words. So the art of properly closing a jump ring is just critical if you want to learn how to weave chainmaille.

Rebeca says: ” I would love for my book to help elevate the standards of maille.  Chainmaille as a jewelry craft form is relatively new, so there are no strictly defined standards of what is considered technical precision like there are for other jewelry media.  I don’t expect beginners to be perfect, but I sometimes see people who consider themselves “experts” posting or publishing photographs of pieces with very poorly closed rings.  My guess is, a lot of people don’t think that it’s a big deal.  Or they’ve been taught by someone who has poor closures, and it never even occurred to them that seamless closures are an option. To me, though, having perfect closures and smooth, shiny rings are critical.  I hope that people flip through my book and see what a difference seamless closures make.  And then, I hope that maillers everywhere make it a point to always aim for perfectly closed rings.  Of course, there are plenty of maillers (especially ones who frequent online forums) that already do so.  You are my peeps — let’s elevate this artform together! ”

Chained also painstakingly  goes into details on various metals and how to care for them. This is so important, honestly, I wish that I had a reference book like this around when I started weaving. Rebeca takes you through years of her own trial and error and puts things in simple understandable terms. You may not think much of  it, but finding the right pair of pliers is huge. I personally have probably 20 pairs of pliers and only use 2, the book sends you to the right tools to start. I guess what I’m saying is “Chained” takes the guess work out of chainmaille for beginners and gives great tips for the more advanced chainmaillers out there.

The tutorials are set up from basic to advanced so that you can grow with the book. I don’t know how many people start doing chainmaille, buy a bunch of stuff and then give up. Chainmaille can be difficult that is why it it critical to start off slow with basic weaves and then move on to more difficult intricate patterns. You need to truly build your weaving skills, and “Chained ” walks you through the steps. Starting with simple Japanese weaves and then progressing on to more complex patterns.

The other critical thing I looked for while reviewing the book is ring size. As I’ve taken my own journey through the art of weaving chainmaille I’ve noticed patterns in English Units, Metric Units, AWG (American Wire Gage), SWG (Standard Wire Gage), all these nuances will affect your finished work. Blue Buddha takes the time to give you proper ring sizes as well as their metric conversions for each weave so that there is no guess work. This is a huge time saver, ring size is one the of the largest struggles you will find when you start weaving chainmaille and “Chained will lead you down the right path.

The book goes through Japanese Weaves, Byzantine Weaves, Helm Weaves, and what Rebeca calls Coiled Weaves. These various techniques will give you a good foundation for weaving chainmaille. I would of loved to see her move into some Perisan Weaves or Roundmaille variations, but there are so many weaves out there I’m sure she had to edit herself or the book would be 500 pounds. Maybe we’ll get a sequel one day, hint hint, if you are listening Rebeca.
Rebeca says:  “Heh, heh.  Hint Taken. You are not the first to suggest a Persian chapter.  I have already started to think about a second book, one that is tailored more toward Intermediate/Advanced Weavers.  Right now, Persian will likely be a chapter.  If not, I’ll probably develop some stand-alone PDFs for the Persian family of weaves.  And you’re right, there was a LOT that we couldn’t fit in Chained.  My original manuscript turned out to be 260 pages, so my editor had quite a lot of editing to do. An entire chapter (on Mobiusing) got cut, along with several projects from the other chapters.  Look for a supplemental PDF of “The Deleted Scenes” sometime in 2011 for these missing projects.”

One of my favorite aspects of the book is that she gives artists the right to use her designs to create jewelry for sale. Believe it not most of the  books out there, not just chainmaille, restrict the artist from selling the finished work created from the designs in the book. Sort of silly uh? Like there is a copyright police man out there searching the web for infringement. Well Rebeca, being a femailler and jewelry artist at heart, insisted to her publisher that this be waived and that artists would be free to sell their finished work. If your interested in an autographed copy, which I did, you can get one here “Chained” Autographed. Blue Buddha will donate $5 from the sale of every signed copy to Friends of Franklin Fine Arts Center

Handmade Artists Forum Etsy Street Team Sale!!

Last Updated on Monday, 15 March 2010 10:58 Written by zurdesigns Thursday, 25 February 2010 08:11

We have exciting news!! Selected members of our Handmade Artists Forum Etsy Street Team are coming together to have a sale!  Some will be offering Free Shipping, others will be taking a percentage off their items and all will be showing you their fabulous handmade designs just in time for spring!!  The sale starts Monday, March 1st and goes through Monday, March 15th!!

Take a look at what these wonderful handmade artisans are offering:

Ambient Girl Designs–specializes in custom cards, invitations, gift tags and much more! For the HAF Sale Ambient Girl Designs will offer FREE SHIPPING on all items in her shop! Stop by and see all the wonderful things this shop has to offer!

Dreambubbles–featuring unique jewelry designs using beads and chainmaille. In the artist’s own words: “Recently I started debuting my original one of a kind (OOAK) handmade spiders. They are presently stealing the show from my chainmaille and crystal/pearl jewelry creations.”  For the HAF Sale, Dreambubbles is offering 10% off all items in her shop and up to $5.00 in Free Shipping!! Have a look at these wonderful designs today!!

Jewelry by NaLa–unique, handmade jewelry featuring sterling silver, Czech glass, Crystallized Swarovski Elements, semiprecious stones, freshwater pearls and other fine jewelry materials.  For the HAF Sale Jewelry by Nala will be offering FREE US SHIPPING off selected items in her shop!! Stop by and visit  Nala’s beautiful shop today!!

Lisianblue–featuring wonderful stained glass objects, ornaments, and chimes! In the artist’s own words: “have been a fan of stained glass for many years and truly enjoy making stained glass items. There seems to be something about glass that just draws me to it – maybe it’s the shine, the way it captures the light and even the shadows.”  For the HAF Sale, Lisianblue will be offering 10% off all items in her shop!! Stop by for a visit, relax, put your feet up and browse!  You’ll be glad you did!

My Grandpa’s Pen–featuring handmade cards, albums, and supplies.  In the artist’s own words: “For as long as I can remember my Grandpa would give me a pen at Christmas. I think this helped inspire my love of all things crafty and artistic. As I create my works I find myself using, among other things, stamp sets from when I was a child, paper that I can’t stop collecting and of course, my Grandpa’s pen.”  For the HAF Sale, My Grandpa’s Pen is offering 20% off all items.  Refund will be through PayPal!! Stop by and browse through this delightful shop…and SAVE!!

Penny Farrow Designs–beautiful handmade leather and accessories designed by Penny herself.  In the artist’s own words: “My goal for the design and construction of my products is to be consistent and fresh and original. I take inspiration from every aspect of my life: a distillation of roads traveled, places visited and people who have inspired me.”  For the HAF Sale Penny Farrow Designs will be taking 10%–20% off selected items in her shop!! Take a look at these wonderful handbags, purses, journal covers, and more!!

Pleasant Peasantry–a husband and wife team who experiment with their designs and try to put a unique twist on ceramics and macrame. All  items are sold the way you see them. However, they LOVE taking requests! Convo them with your ideas!  For the HAF Sale Pleasant Peasantry will be taking 10% off all macrame items, and 20% off all ceramics! Be sure to stop by this wonderful shop!!

Rachel Elliott Glassworks–All the item listed here are handmade by Rachel in her studio in Scotland!  She uses a variety of different glass techniques to create unique designs and custom orders are always welcome.  For the HAF Sale, she is offering 28% off all her beads, to celebrate her 28th birthday on March 15th!!! Rachel Elliott Glassworks is a must see shop!!  Stop by today!

Speranza Jewelry–Lisa, the owner of Speranza Jewelry, is a firm believer that jewelry is both art and self-expression disguised as a fashion accessory.  The goal of Speranza is to create quality, affordable jewelry in gemstones and metal, utilizing the various techniques of stringing, metal fusing, and wire wrapping.  For the HAF Sale Speranza Jewelry will offer 10% off all items in her shop!! This wonderful shop needs to be on your list to visit today!

T. Rusk 4 U–featuring handcrafted jewelry for every woman! This shop has handcrafted and affordable jewelry made by T. Rusk…4 U! For the HAF Sale T.Rusk4U will be offering FREE SHIPPING and a gift with every purchase!! Stop by this lovely shop and take advantage of the savings!

Twas Brillig–a wonderland of unique hand-crafted jewelry, handmade bags and totes, original artwork and unusual gifts for you to cherish or share.  For the HAF Sale Twas Brillig will be offering 10% off all items in their shop!! Stop by soon…there’s always something new happening there!

Zur Designs–handcrafted jewelry made from high quality materials such as sterling silver, semi precious gemstones, swarovski crystals, and pearls.  Designs are inspired by life, love, and the beauty of the Berkshire Mountains that surround her.  For the HAF Team Sale, Zur Designs will be featuring 10% off all items in her shop! Take a peek at Zur Designs…you’ll be glad you did!

Click on the links to learn more about the Handmade Artists Forum (HAF) or the HAF Etsy Street Team! Have fun shopping at all these wonderful shops!!  Remember, the sale starts March 1st and goes through March 15th!!