Just showing of “My Talented Friend” Amy Taylor… and her amazing metalwork.
She’ll be joining me this Saturday 12/12 at my place for the Second Holiday Home Show : MUD & METAL. Her work is amazing and it would be the perfect holiday gift for that special someone… or yourself for that matter!

She even has these wonderfully whimsical characters…. they’re ADORBS!!!
Each with a different wacky expression. Some wide-eyed. Some smirking.
I love mine. It makes me smile every time I wear him.

Be sure to stop by my place this Saturday, December 12th between 10:00am-6:00pm.
MUD & METAL : A Collaborative Holiday Home Show
1353 West Rosemont #3, Chicago, Illinois 60660 in the Edgewater Neighborhood

And did I mention that there will be a VERY limited quantity of collaboration pieces???… yep, come see what happens when a potter and a jeweler combine forces and work together!!!

Click here for even more of a preview of Amy’s amazing work.

So much fun playing with my friend Sarah Chapman at the “One Of A Kind Show” yesterday at the Merchandise Mart. I’ll be there helping her again today in Booth #2118. Stop by to see a lot of her wonderful jewelry creations. If you can’t make it, click here to check out Sarah’s website for more beautiful metalworks!

And how much fun to see that Sarah’s earrings made it onto the official One Of A Kind poster!!! A great surprise for all of us… even Sarah didn’t know before she got there!

Always fun to see the uber-talented Sarah Chapman. Tonight was her Trunk Show at the Lillstreet Gallery. Beautiful metalwork… and an incredible hot fudge & marshmallow sundae afterwards with Sarah. oops… did I mention the EXTRA hot fudge too???

Click here to see more incredible metalwork on Sarah’s website!

Another one of our Talented Friends is glass bead maker & metalsmith Donna Sauers. She’s been creating these wonderful “collections” of semi-precious gems and handblown glass beads for a few years. I was introduced to Donna through friends and now see her at many of the same art fairs I do through the summer. It’s exciting to have her “in the garden” with us this year. More time to play with Donna… and “fondle” her little treasures!

Beautiful glass beads in subtle color combinations & thoughtful designs.
Collections of textures, colors & shapes. Always fun to fidget with.

According to Donna…
“Creating the palettes and designs is where I believe my previous art background is a definite asset. My work table is covered with glass beads and gems. I approach my pieces as I would a painting combining different beads and elements to create depth and light. Each piece has a multitude of semi-precious gems that are wireworked throughout the piece to give it movement and interest.”

For more information & images of Donna’s beautiful work, click here for her website.

Click here for updates, photos and to follow “Art In The Garden” on Facebook.

The mastermind and gracious host for our Grassroots Art Fair is my friend Amy Taylor. I’ve known Amy for several years and have quite the collection of her pieces that I wear on a regular basis. You may have met her already on the art fair circuit… or as a Guest Artist at one of my December Holiday Home Shows. Her work is simple & clean, well-designed.. and often with a sense of whimsy! She has a tendency to work with some unique materials which I LOVE!!! I have two necklaces that are made out of vintage bowling balls. I have another one that is made out of the layers of old paint scraped off the floor at a car manufacturing plant. Crazy cool. Okay, sure… she also makes these beautiful, refined and elegant pieces as well. She’s got it all covered. Something beautiful for everyone!!!

According to Amy…
“My jewelry: is made of 14k and 18k gold and sterling silver. It is completely constructed (no cast elements) with an emphasis on unique hinge work, gemstone color juxtapostions, as well as found objects such as beach glass and rock. My influences are primarily architecture and nature, and my work is clean and simply executed.”

For more information or to see more of Amy’s work, click here for her website.

Click here for updates, photos and to follow “Art In The Garden” on Facebook.

My Talented Friend Barb Duro was one of my “connections” to the cute little town of Sandwich, Illinois. Besides my other Talented Friends whimsical paper-clay artist Cory McCrory, and the now-moved-to-Missouri potter Steven Hill. Barb used to run a wonderful store on Main Street called “Moon & Star.” It is there that I first learned about the beauty of beads and so many other things. I’ve now known Barb for several years, always a dear friend & caring soul. She has since moved to Arizona and has just launched her jewelry website. It’s full of beautiful, handcrafted beaded necklaces, earrings & bracelets. Each with their own personality & story.

Click here to go to her new website!
Even the names of her product lines are wonderful & thoughtful…
Spiritus In Materia : Soulful offerings for an inspired life.

Conscious Treasures :
Unique creations re-purposed & re-imagined from past items & artifacts.

Invitation to Intention : Personal prayer and meditation tools.

Here are some more of her handcrafted beauties.
Each made with a wonderful collection of materials, colors and textures.
Each one-of-a-kind… handmade with loving attention & top-quality materials.

One of her more touching product lines…
Essentia : Memorable, personal art respectfully holding loved one’s cremains.
Fused glass pendants that are lovingly handcrafted to honor & remember.

Click here to go to Barb’s new jewelry website.
Click here to go to Barb’s ETSY shop.

One quick story first…
which will tell you a LOT about Barb and her personality...

During one of my holiday visits to “Moon & Stone” as a featured guest artist, Barb had made me a Christmas Gift. A couple necklaces that hosted a small, hollow African glass bead that she inserted a piece of muslin into. The idea is you add some scented essential oil to the muslin before you wear it. And then the heat of your body warms it up and releases the scent. Great idea, right? Well, anyway, she told me I should choose my favorite scent from her huge assortment of oils she was selling in the store. So throughout the course of the day, I continued to sniff scents and narrow down my choices in between customers during her Holiday Open House. There were a lot of bottles to smell. And it get’s to be a little nasal overload after awhile. So I did it in small groups. Eventually narrowing it down to 10… then five… then three… and finally the one!!! Keep in mind that Barb was busy running her store & chatting with customers… unaware of my sniffing & choosing. But when I had that final one chosen, as I turned around to approach the counter, she told me what scent I had chosen. What?! Yes, without even seeing the bottle, smelling the scent, or in any other way cheating, Barb told me that I had chosen Bergamot. And she was right!!! Little freaky. Especially since I had never even heard of Bergamot?!!! She said she had guessed that I would choose that one even before I got there. And then she pulled out a “personality traits by scents” book and had me read the description of Bergamot… and it was ME!!! The personality description seemed to fit me perfectly. Even parts of me that I keep inside and don’t share much. Fears, dreams, desires. All there. On paper. In the book. Who knew that my scent would be Bergamot?… well, Barb Duro apparently!!!

And it’s with that kind of love, caring & compassion that she lives her life.
And each piece of jewelry she makes has a piece of her in it.

Today’s the Day. My second Holiday Home Show : MUD & METAL.
My dining room table is covered with wonderful beauties by my friend Amy Taylor… surrounded by shelves full of my pottery in every room of my condo. You’ve still got plenty of time to swing by this afternoon for some MUD & METAL. Did I mention cookies & brownies too?

We’re open until 6:00pm this evening… and there’s plenty for everyone!!!
Plenty of cookies too…

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the beautiful work that my friend Amy Taylor makes. Wonderful designs, stunning stones and classy style.

She’s known for putting hinges in her pieces so they all have a great wiggle & swivel to them. No promise that these actually pieces will be at my place Saturday… but there will be a LOT more just like ’em to whet your whistle!!!

Okay, so she may have moved to Minneapolis… but, Sarah’s here in Chicago this weekend at The One-Of-A-Kind Show down at the Merchandise Mart. She makes wonderful jewelry with incredible craftsmanship. Beautiful gems, stones & shells encased in beautifully designed mountings. I must admit that I already have “quite the collection” of Sarah’s wonderful work. One of the many benefits of having Talented Friends. For more of Sarah’s work, click here for her website… or click on the link to her page in the right column of my blog.

She’s at The One-Of-A-Kind Show for one more day… today!
And I’ll be down there again this afternoon helping her in her booth.
If you would like to stop by, she’s in Booth #2118. If you need free tickets, click here.

And trust me, her work looks a whole LOT better without this weird yellow tint
my camera picks up from her display lighting!

And a showy “boat” pendant whose shadow is equally as cool…

C’mon down to The One-Of-A-Kind Show at the Merchandise Mart.
I’ll be here all day helping my friend Sarah Chapman in Booth #2118.

She makes incredible jewelry. Perfect holiday gifts for everyone on your list…
including me!!!      hint, hint…