Skwigga-zine Blog Ring -- Blog of the Week

As usual, I'm behind schedule on this one. Once again, I present LAST week's blog of the week. Just pretend you didn't notice, ok?

This week's featured blogger is Corinne of Daydream Art Studio. Artist, teacher, and curator of The Grid, Corinne describes her work as follows:

I paint my life, working mainly in bright, vivid colors. I adore experimenting and playing in mixed media, working from my daydreams and memories. I get my inspiration from the everyday beauty around me rather than trying hard to be "clever." I also love vases and sculpture, using things like found materials, glass, and polymer clay. I dance while I work, and hope the fun I have creating my art is contagious.

As for the nitty-gritty, I primarily paint in oil on canvas. Using a pre-gessoed canvas in easily framed sizes, I start with an underpainting in one color. I slowly build up layer after layer of glazing to create a luminosity that plays with lighting. I use vivid, pure colors, mixing as little as possible to avoid a dirty look. I use black as little as possible- instead I try to put detail in and focus on the many colors that lie in shadows.

A selection of Corinne's work is available in her Etsy shop. The Daydream Art Studios blog offers a peek into Corinne's creative process and includes lovely insights into her family and personal life. Please take a moment to check out both and leave a little love!

Skwiggazine!

Is that not the very best name for an ezine ever?

By now you've probably noticed that I post a weekly profile entitled "Skwiggazine Blog Ring - Blog of the Week" and perhaps the thought "Whaaaaaaaa?" has crossed your mind. This week's Skwiggazine Blog of the Week is Skwiggazine itself (say that three times fast).

My intro to Skwiggazine was a Macaroni and Glue feature by fellow Etsyian and Fabulous Artistic Moms member, Corinne of Daydream Art Studio. An interactive zine and online community for the Indie set, Skwiggazine's mission is to inspire & promote each other. To do so, "we build, imagine, dream & we deliver a magnificent online zine." After poking around a bit, I decided to stay. Not only is the community welcoming and diverse, the magazine really does offer a bit of something for everyone Indie. Weekly features include:

♥ Everyday: In the Spotlight
This Month : Jewelry Artists
♥ Mondays: Poetry by Flory
♥ Tuesdays: Q & A by Annette Piper
♥ Wednesdays: Getting Ourselves Out There by Michelle Harvey
♥ Thursday: Peace Art by Hillbilly Artist
♥ Friday: Go Green by Lily Wrey
♥ Saturday: Interview Me
♥ Sunday: Sunday's Featured Seller by Ruthie

Is it for you? Just might be. Check it out and see what you think. We'd love for you to stay!

Skwigga-zine Blog Ring -- Blog of the Week

This week's featured blogger is Annette of Under the Loupe and AnnettePiper.com. A jewelery artist in rural NSW, Australia, Annette says about herself:

I love gemstones - I love the delight I feel when I gaze into their depths and I love how the tiniest inclusion can give clues to the history of the stone. I love the amazing patterns and am in awe of what mother nature has provided for our use and definitely for our pleasure!

Qualifying as a gemmologist way back in 1986(!), I worked in the jewellery trade, and found myself specialising in opals. I left the world of sparkling, gleaming gems and jewellery to follow my husband around Australia and eventually to settle down on our farm in the Central Tablelands district of New South Wales.

When my youngest (the twins) were toddling around, I felt my creativity bursting forth and the natural outlet for me was to return to gems. This time, making my own creations and designing how I saw jewellery could be - elegant, simple and timeless. I also wanted to highlight the beauty of the natural stone and share their mesmerising qualities with the rest of the world!

Constantly searching for the new, the unusual and the different, from all over the world, I endeavour to create jewellery that will be unique yet still very affordable.

I now work from my home studio where there are magnificent views over the surrounding countryside and of the wide blue Australian sky.

As a mother to three very active children and wife to an aviator/farmer, I also share my surroundings with two lazy cats, two working dogs and a few hundred cows.

Annette's web site offers a wide array of beautiful and unique handcrafted occasion jewelry as well as lovely everyday pieces. Annette's blog is an eclectic blend of insights into her creative process and scenes of rural life. Please take a moment to check out both and leave a little love!

Skwigga-zine Blog Ring -- Blog of the Week

I confess - this was actually last week's blog of the week. Yeah, yeah. So I got a little busy and let the old blog slide. So sue me. You didn't really even notice, did you? Anywho.... moving on.


This week's featured blogger is (drumroll, please) Michelle of Michabella Creations. Michabella is the collaborative effort of Michelle and her friend Cindy. In their own words:

We are two friends who share a love for beading & creating our own jewelry. As a stay-at-home mom, Michelle found that making jewelry gave her a way to express her creativity. Cindy, who works a full-time job as well, started out making cancer bracelets for the Relay for Life. We began showing our designs to family and friends, and from there, started receivng orders. Now it has grown into a business for us! We are excited to be sharing our handcrafted creations with everyone. We are also very involved with our community. By selling our cancer awareness items, we have been able to donate to charities such as the PA Breast Cancer Coalition, the American Cancer Society, and the SPCA. We hope you love our designs as much as we do!

Michabella offers gorgeous handcrafted jewelry at amazing prices. The Michabella Creations blog is filled with stunning jewelry features and little tidbits from Michelle's family life. Please take a moment to check out both and leave a little love!

Skwigga-zine Blog Ring -- Blog of the Week

This week's featured blogger is Lily of Tulip's Talking, Tulip's Treasure Box, and Mocking Bird Lane, her newest venture.

Mocking Bird: Its scientific name, Mimuspolyglottos, means "many-tongued mimic," and the Indians called it Cencontlatolly, which means "four hundred tongues." Although the Indian name may exaggerate the bird's talents, the mocker not only has a beautiful song of its own, but also can imitate the songs of dozens of other birds.

The bird actually sings at great lengths in musical phrases that are pure mockingbird song. As the bird sings, it repeats each phrase three to six times, and it can change its tune as often as eighty-seven times in seven minutes. This repetition and the sudden changes of song help distinguish the mockingbird's sounds from those of other birds.

A fantastic jewelry artisan, avid up-cycler, and faithful blogger, Lily offers something for everyone. Visit Tulip's Treasure Box to find elegant special-occasion jewelry and Mocking Bird Lane for vintage and eco-friendly pieces.

Skwigga-zine Blog Ring -- Blog of the Week

This week's featured blogger is Hilary of Designing Hilary. Here's what she says about herself:

Me? Wife, mother, grandmother, jewelry designer. How it all fits together, I still don't have a clue. But I'm having a ball being clueless!

An amazing jewelry artisan and thoughtful blogger, Hilary is definitely worth a look. Check out the Designing Hilary blog for some stunning photography and honest musings, and visit '57 Design Studio to get something wonderful for your jewelry box.

Skwigga-zine Blog Ring -- Blog of the Week

This week's featured blogger is Cherished Dreams. In her own words:

The memory I have of my first child blanket (my fairy tale blanket) is what inspired my to make images primarily for children - I still have strong memories of the blanket and carried it with me through most of college (I used it as a car lap blanket). So I know how important those first secure images can be for a child and I wish to pass on those pleasent dreams to as many children who receive them.

Check out the Cherished Dreams blog for some thoughtful musings and the Cherished Dreams shop for beautiful quilts.