Thanks to Etsy's new circles feature, I'm sure that some of you are more familiar than ever with some of my favorite fellow Etsy sellers. I'm sure that many of you are familiar with some of them from my blog already. But I thought I'd make a little resources guide here for any fellow beaders who are interested. I believe in buying locally when I can, but as a seller on Etsy, I also believe in buying on Etsy and supporting my fellow sellers. I know that many of you feel the same way so go check out some of these awesome ladies' shops.
SandFibers - Carol Dean is one of the first beadweavers that I ever admired on Etsy. I know that many of you know who she is. I don't have to say a lot about how awesome her work is because it speaks for itself. She also offers a lot of patterns for her peyote cuffs. I have a couple of them. They're excellent, particularly the
bargello ribbon cuff pattern pictured above. If you haven't done a lot of beadweaving, peyote cuffs are a pretty easy place to start, especially if you use delicas because they're so uniformly cut. If you are a more experienced beadweaver, her patterns range from easy to advanced. There's plenty to keep you challenged.
blueseraphim - There are LOTS of talented lampwork artists on Etsy. I could do a whole feature just on Etsy lampwork. But I've always been particularly drawn to Jen's work. I'm always a sucker for interesting color combinations. As you can see from the
above example, Jen's sets combine amazing textures, patterns, and shades. I probably heart one of her items every week. I don't know how many times I've featured her work on her. I've bought a few sets from her, and just about every piece I've made with them has sold within a few months. Even if you aren't a jewelry artist, you should check out her shop. She offers a handful of pendants and bracelets. You can get lots of inspiration for your own work from her colors, too.
LisaPetersArt - I know that many of you know who Lisa is already. She doesn't list to often on Etsy so her items tend to go quickly when she does (though the adorable set above is still available
here). But her work is great. I've used a handful of her ceramic buttons for clasps. She's very active on Facebook. She interacts with her fans pretty frequently even she's not listing. Lisa has a
destash shop, too.
akkricket - I honestly don't remember how I first came across Kristina's shop. I've always been a bit of a sucker for sea glass. I've only bought a couple sets of drilled glass from her, but I admire her glass and jewelry pieces frequently. If you're looking for some different components for your jewelry making, I definitely recommend checking her shop out. Unfortunately, she's on vacation right now (hence I can't link that picture to anything), but favorite her and check it out later.
TessaAnn - I have to confess that Tessa's shop is one that I've stalked for the better part of a year now, but have never purchased anything from. I fully intend to at some point, though. Her work is fun and unique. She is a huge fan of the turquoise/red combination (see this
cute example), which of course is awesome. Lots of people post adorable crocheted or knitted items with her buttons on her Facebook fan page, which is really fun to see. I think the buttons would be awesome for jewelry projects, too.
beadsandbabble - This is a shop that I found out about through other beaders. Thanks to everyone I know on Etsy who helps feed my addiction. :) Shannon is really nice and has an amazing range of Czech glass as well as other goodies in her shop. As you may remember, she sent me some freebies for blogging about her last year. I've ordered seed beads and Czech glass leaves from her, too, all of which are great. (I love her
dagger collection, too.) I plan to make more purchases in the feature. If you do any jewelry work, please consider her shop. You won't be disappointed.
artisanclay - Kristie is another artist I was referred to through others. I've been very fortune to have won two of her blog giveaways. I also purchased a set of her ceramic buttons a while back. Kristie's work is not like anything I've ever seen before. I'm really blown away by what she is able to do with glass (see the
above example). It's probably good that most of her pieces are not cheaper because I would buy a lot them. They are well worth the money, though.
TheDespinaCollection - This shop I just discovered last month and am promoting because she has amazing daggers, which have helped feed my latest bead obsession. She mostly sells metal findings, but she has a very nice stash of
Czech dagger beads in her store, too. You'll see some of these showing up in my work in my near future.
