Handmade for the Holidays ~ AdR Designs

This week, our feature is another jewelry artist, but her work is more than just jewelry construction. Amy de Ridder of AdR Designs actually makes glass lampwork beads from Moretti glass. Now, if you're anything like me, you have no idea what lampworking is. So, I'll fill you in. Amy uses molten glass, shaping and forming it in a flame, then she decorates these beads using other glasses and texture. Following that process, she anneals the beads in a kiln for 24 hours to give strength and durability. After all THAT, she uses silver plated copper wire to turn these gorgeous beads into wearable pieces of art.  And, holy cow, y'all. Her work is AMAZING! Take a look at some of her work:

From necklaces, earrings, and bracelets, to loose beads for those of you with the talent to make your own jewelry, Amy has you covered. What? Loose beads? Oh, yes! She makes beads for YOU to play with, too!

One of the things that melts my heart is businesses that donate portions of each sale to autism charities or research funds. Well, Amy loves two someones with autism, and she has committed to donate $2 of each sale to Autism Ontario. By ordering gifts from her, you are supporting a cause near and dear to many of our hearts.

BUY:

Now that you've seen some of the things Amy can do, I'm sure you're just BURSTING to find out how to contact her for a Christmas order. You can find her on twitter, on facebook, and through her site. And yes, she DOES do custom orders. Pricing ranges from $10 to $30 for existing pieces, shipping averages an additional $5.

Please note: AdR Designs is based in Canada. US residents ordering with the intent of using items for Christmas gifts do so at their own risk. AdR Beads cannot guarantee your purchase will arrive prior to Christmas, as of the date of this feature.

WIN:

Because this is Handmade for the Holidays, and each featured crafter has generously agreed to provide a giveaway item, of COURSE we have one from AdR Designs! Feel free to oh and ah as I did when I saw these pictures. Here's Amy to tell you all about it:

I had called this bracelet Play date, its relaxed and fun, with rings and dangles.

It is 7.5” in length.

It has 4 clear glass beads with pink, pale orange and burgundy.  All the beads are non-tarnish silver plated.

The wire I use for each handmade clasp is a silver plated non-tarnish copper wire.

AdR Designs, images, links and references to same belong to Amy de Ridder and are used here with permission for purposes of this feature ONLY.

Handmade for the Holidays ~ taradaramadeit

I am all kinds of behind, and have really done a disservice to those of you following the Handmade for the Holidays series. I promise it's not over, and today is a really fun one! Y'all, meet Tara Rex of taradaramadeit.

Here's the skinny on Tara and her creations:
I was born and raised in a small town in Canada, my mom and dad recognized very early they were raising an artist. Maybe it was my superior finger paint art in Kindergarten or when I was the envy of my {not so} fashion conscience friends when I made my own clothes in the eighth grade. As I and my talent grew, I received scholarships to colleges for my art but surprised everyone when I opted for an education in nursing.

 My choice took me out of Canada and to the United States to work as an RN in a level 1 Trauma Center in New Mexico.  My calling kept whispering in my ear and I continued to create and educate myself in the arts. Not only do I create one-of-a-kind sewn accessories, I’ve also studied faux finishing and mural painting, raku pottery, photography, and now, I so some amazing work with Play Doh, yes Play Doh. I am mum to two handsome little boys and married to my NM sweetheart.  I now make my art and our home in Colorado.

I love being at home, therefore, I have decided to work at home to be readily accessible to them at all times (I know, crazy, right?!).  I love to sew and have designed some great pieces that I absolutely LOVE.  I come by sewing as my craft quite honestly … my great-gramma quilted, both of my grammas sewed (one quilted) and they both knitted, my auntie is a pattern maker for theater and the movies, and my dear mom is a sewer as well.  So, I was destined to sew and good thing ’cause I do love it … did I mention I love sewing?

Did you hear?   Taradara won the 2011 Inventor Showcase at the Moms in Business Unite Conference in Denver for my iPad covers!!!

Did you hear this also?  Taradara’s {not yet released} iPhone covers are going in the 2012 Golden Globe Award’s swag bags!!!

People, seriously. This woman has some skills! You can find her on twitter, on facebook, at her etsy shop (which is running an AWESOME Black Friday sale of 30% off until Friday midnight), and of COURSE, on her blog. And really, how amazing is it that her creations will be in the Golden Globes swag bags?!?!  You can still order creations from Tara in time for Christmas! For those of you that would like to support Small Business Saturday, you can enter savings code SHOPSMALL and save 25% at taradara's etsy shop on Saturday, November 26.  Cut off date for Canadian Christmas orders is November 30. For US Christmas orders, cut off date is December 10. 


And now, following in Handmade for the Holidays style, Tara is offering one lucky Living with Logan follower their very own ice cream pint cozy! Perfect for certified ice cream addicts like myself (hint, hint, the Daddy! Also, hint, hint, Santa Claus!!), who love ice cream no matter what the weather is like outside!

All references to taradara, taradaramadeit, product and personal images, and links to same belong to taradaramadeit.com and are used here with permission for purposes of this feature, only!

Handmade for the Holidays ~ BooMonkey Creations

Happy Monday, everyone! This week we're pleased to feature Stephanie from BooMonkey Creations, where your wildest dreams can come true in the form of repurposed window glass art! Stephanie uses sheets of old window glass, cuts them down to the desired size, traces your picture on it in sharpie marker, then hand paints the color in, and frames the finished product. She has done some amazing seasonal art as well as custom pieces that are absolutely stunning.

Prices start at $5 and go up from there, all dependent on size & detail.  Shipping prices start at:


$5 for small pieces 
$15 for 7x7-11x13 pieces 
Larger pieces start at $30 for shipping and will be shipped via UPS


Pieces smaller than 11x13 are shipped in Priority Flat Rate boxes, stuffed full of packing materials to ensure safe traveling.  Christmas orders must be submitted prior to November 15 to ensure delivery by Christmas.  Orders placed after November 15 for Christmas delivery are subject to approval. 


Payment is non-refundable after the piece has shipped out, and for specific custom pieces (pieces with names, dates or other specific personalization fall in this category).  If pieces break during shipping BooMonkey  offers 100% free replacement with photo proof of the piece being broken during shipment, within 48 hours of receipt of the piece.  All glass pieces are shipped with delivery confirmation.


ALL items are customizable within reason.  Stephanie works with her clients during all stages of creation to ensure pieces are up to photo expectations.  Pictures are taken with a Nikon COOLPIX S8100 12.1MB camera, in natural lighting, to ensure the pieces are true to how they will look in person.  Glass pieces are shown both hanging on a white wall or laying on a white background as well as with natural sunlight showing through them for hanging in a window.  

And now, the fun part! Stephanie is having a month long giveaway exclusive to Handmade for the Holidays! One lucky Living with Logan reader in the US or Canada will win their choice of a 7x7 piece of BooMonkey glass art including free shipping -OR- a $25 gift certificate toward a larger piece of their choice.  Shipping is NOT included with the gift certificate option. 


Additionally, all orders placed between now and November 7, 2011 will receive a 10% discount if you mention that you learned about BooMonkey here on Living with Logan's Handmade for the Holidays. Those interested in custom orders may contact Stephanie through the "Contact" feature on facebook under her BooMonkey Creations profile picture, or may email her directly at bonds_stephanie@yahoo.com with BooMonkey Creations in the subject line for pricing and availability.

Stephanie, also known as Stephi on the interwebs, is the Mama of 2 children.  The Monkey is Mikeal, her 9 year old son and big brother to The Boo, a precocious 3 year old girl named Mikaila.  Halloween marks the fourth anniversary since she married her awesome, but often annoying husband, Brian.  Stephanie is currently working on a Bachelor's degree in Occupational Psychology which she plans on using to assist persons in learning how to live full and enriching lives despite any handicaps society feels they have.  Her psychiatrist thinks it's a great career choice as she pulls out the prescription pad, yet again.  Based in the outer reaches ofWest Nashville she enjoys a quiet life in the country amid the chaos, can often be found on Twitter (@gypsy_momma) when life allows.

Images, BooMonkey Creations, and references to both belong to Stephanie Bonds and are used here with permission.

Handmade for the Holidays ~ Jars By Lisa

Happy Monday everyone! Today is exciting because it's the first post for our Handmade for the Holidays series, where I will feature one crafter a week and their products! If YOU would like to be featured on Handmade for the Holidays, please visit the tab above and fill out the form.

This week's featured crafter is Lisa Gallegos of Jars By Lisa. Lisa takes ordinary glass canning jars and decorates them for every possible occasion. These darling jars are perfect for birthdays,  teacher appreciation, baby showers, graduation, holidays, autism awareness, and everything in between. And if you need a gift for someone special, Lisa has a jar for you.

Whether you have a specific theme in mind or want to order in bulk,  want to receive them filled with candy or plan to fill them yourselves, these jars will be the perfect  for anyone on your list.

Jars are priced at $10 unfilled, for existing stock. For custom orders or filled jars, the price is $12 each. Discounts will be given for orders of 10 jars or more. Shipping costs are not included in the price of the jar.

Lisa ships anywhere in the US and Canada and welcomes custom orders. To contact her for your order, see the contact tab on her Jars By Lisa facebook page. Orders for Christmas must be placed no later than December 1 for Canada, and December 5 for US.


But wait, there's more! That's right.. we're having a Jars By Lisa giveaway! One lucky Living with Logan reader in the US or Canada will win 2 decorated jars for Halloween or Christmas from existing stock!

But first, the boring, responsible adult part:
Jars By Lisa, images, and references are property of Lisa Gallegos and are used here with permission.  I was not compensated in any way for this post!


And now, the fun entering the giveaway part!