Meet Teresa Rusk AKA Trusk4u

Introducing yet another amazing artist, this gal is one after my own heart. Not only does she live in North Carolina (one of my favorite states), but we have quite a bit  in common!

Teresa began her crafting career with sewing and only had jewelry making as a hobby. Later on the hobby became her more prominent form of crafting and even an obsession. (sound familiar?) She is constantly exploring new techniques and mediums and her work definitely shows this diversity. You know you're in for a treat when an artist's favorite materials are " beads of any sort, recycling old jewelry, wire, life, sense of humor." Here are some of the wonderful goodies that I found at Trusk4u on Etsy.

Check out this delicate and beautiful example of wire wrapping. The perfect gift for Valentine's Day!

I especially love this cute bunny necklace as it would make an adorable addition to any little girl's Easter basket.

I also love the colors in this beautiful bracelet. ( aptly named, She's a Classy Dame )

If you visit her blog you are instantly struck with how generous this crafter is. She is constantly promoting the works of other artists and even allows artists to promote themselves on her blog. She also has links to help support a variety of worthy causes such as building a playground for an elementary school. (It also made me happy to be listening to Donald Fagen while reading her blog. )

You can also find her at http://HollyhocksLLC.com
                                     http://twitter.com/trusk4u
                                    http://www.facebook.com/trusk4u

Hope that everyone is having a super duper day! Thanks for stopping by!

Handmade Meets Haute Couture

Do you ever find yourself to be ahead of your time? You've been wearing something a certain way for years and all of a sudden you find your style to be the latest trend? I have always believed that Coco Chanel had the right idea when she said " Fashion fades, only style remains the same."
That being said, I can't help but feel a certain sense of satisfaction when I discover that I am accidentally following a fashion trend.

I was surprised when I came across this article in Vogue magazine a couple of days ago. 

Apparently glitzy floral headpieces are very much in for this upcoming spring. This cracked me up because I've been making floral headbands and barrettes for months now. Nice to know that they are acceptably "in" now. It's always nice to know when you have somehow stumbled onto a trend at just the same time as some of the leading fashion geniuses.

I  also enjoyed the quote that it mentioned from Nasir Mazhar (a brilliant London-based milliner). He states "I can do utter fantasy, but like to make new and modern pieces for real people too." I can absolutely relate to this. I LOVE to do completely crazy fantasy costumes or jewelry pieces, but in the end I like bringing some parts of that fantasy into the world in a more practical and wearable way.
A bit of fantasy for the urban fairy if you know what I mean.

Anyway, hope that everyone is staying warm and that this winter isn't too bitter. Spring is just a couple of months away and I just can't wait for the flowers to come out! :)

2011 Artisan Wedding Fair!

The 1st annual Artisan Wedding Fair has begun. It runs from now through Jan. 31st. For a list of all of the participating shops, check out this blog. I have finally taken photos of some of the pieces that I have made for this event. Pass the news along to anyone you know who is planning a wedding. There are some very talented artists participating and many of them are offering discounts for this event.  This is a great way to make your special day truly unique while supporting handmade!

Shown: Barrette ~ antique brass, polymer with iridescent glitter and mica powders, swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls
Necklace ~ antique copper and brass, polymer with iridescent glitter and mica powders, swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls

Shown: Earrings ~ Antique copper, polymer with iridescent glitter and mica powders, swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls
Necklace ~ antique copper and brass, polymer with iridescent glitter and mica powders, swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls

Earrings ~ Rhodium plated brass, freshwater pearls

Necklace ~ antique copper and brass, polymer with iridescent glitter and mica powders, swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls

Shown: Headband ~ antique brass, polymer with iridescent glitter and mica powders, swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls
Earrings ~ Antique copper, polymer with iridescent glitter and mica powders, swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls

Earrings ~ Antique copper, polymer with iridescent glitter and mica powders, swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls

Barrette ~ antique brass, polymer with iridescent glitter and mica powders, swarovski crystals, freshwater pearls

New Works

Busy as usual. I've finally finished my painting "Isabelle". This is the first in a series of masquerade paintings that I'll be doing.

                                                                        The Beginning

                                                                     The Finished Piece

                                                                                 Detail

I'm always working on several projects at once so I a mother/daughter painting I'm working on (photos to come soon) and some wedding accessories that I'm doing for an online wedding fair.

This is a barrette that I recently finished. Photos of other pieces will follow soon.


If you'd like more information about this fair, check out this blog. It has great tips for brides and gives information about this upcoming event from Jan. 17th thru Jan. 31st..

It's a great way to have a uniquely handmade wedding!

Introducing BriskMama!

I have the pleasure of introducing you to a multifaceted lady who goes by the name of briskmamma. You can find her on etsy. Briskmamma is from Croatia and has a degree in Computer Science. She has transformed this degree into something creative with her fun and whimsical drawings.

She is also quite talented in hand embroidery. Technology has all but wiped out this ancient art form so I truly appreciate it when someone takes the time to become proficient at it.  I especially love this beautiful red flower tote.

 If you have an interest in sewing or cooking, then I highly recommend following briskmama's blog which contains sewing tips and techniques as well as some delicious recipes.

Seriously, her photos alone are enough to make my mouth water! She should consider a job photographing food for cookbooks.

It' s always wonderful to find someone with such a passion for life who uses this passion to create beautiful things.

Hope that everyone has a wonderful week. Thanks for looking!

Paradise and the Peri

I finally finished my entry for the Polymer Clay Smooshers Mythology Challenge!

I've been reading a lot of my usual fairy tale books and things and stumbled across Thomas Moore's poem "Paradise and the Peri" (part of his Lalla-Rookh) The peri (a persian creature thought to be a fallen angel or fairy) gives God 3 gifts in an attempt to enter heaven. The first gift is "he last libation Liberty draws/From the heart that bleeds and breaks in her cause", the second gift is "Precious sigh/of pure, self-sacrificing love" and the third gift that gets her into heaven is a "Tear that, warm and meek dew'd that repentant sinner's cheek" It was in reading this poem that this brooch came about.

As the story was written in 1860, a time when the art nouveau sensibilities were emerging, I created this brooch with a similar look and feel.

The wings are a colored pencil drawing that has been transferred onto polymer, they are then painted with mica powders for luminescence and given three coats of varnish. During this time period many pieces of jewelry would have faces carved out of moonstone, carnelian, etc. I wanted to give this piece a similar sort of feeling so the face was created from a transparent polymer. It allows the light inside it to give it a bit of a glow. Overall I'm really happy with the way this turned out. It's the most complicated piece that I've done and I'm hoping to start doing more pieces along the same lines.