Christmas In July

Tuesdays Treasures Featured Artist

My featured artist from the It's Better Handmade guild on Artfire is Howling Caterpillars. This segment will now be published on Tuesdays to give the featured artist more exposure for the week. Howling Caterpillars studio has a spiritual feel. In their studio you will find what they call "dream webs". They don't call them dream weavers as they are not from Native American ancestry but use the techniques seen in many traditional Native American dream catchers. Each dream web is unique and made one at a time so no two will be alike.

Continuing on the inspiration from Native American designs, Howling Caterpillars also have these hairpipe chokers. While not handmade by the studio, they were all handmade by a part Native American friend who has since passed away. The proceeds from the sales benefit his widow. What a lovely thing to do helping out a friend.

Also in the Howling Caterpillar studio you will find some vintage jewelry that has been upcycled. Upcycling is the newest trend today and a great way to keep our landfills from filling up. Howling Caterpillar is located in Weymouth, Massachusetts. You can find them on the web at their artfire studio and also on their blog. Until next time.....

Tuesdays Treasures Featured Artist

My featured artist from the It's Better Handmade guild on Artfire is Gail from Heart and Sow Designs. This segment will now be published on Tuesdays to give the featured artist more exposure for the week. This busy mom of 3 and grandma of 8 loves sewing. In fact she's been sewing for over 30 years. She learned at her mothers side when she was a teen making some of her own clothes. Recently Gail had been looking for cute aprons. Having found none to her liking, she proceeded to make one for herself and out of this need came her business, Heart and Sow Designs. Gail makes a variety of sewn items from aprons to purses to scarves and much more. Why not get your daughter off to a good start in her cooking journey with this adorable "mothers helper" apron? Isn't it the cutest? And if your young protegee` happens to be a boy, Gail does special orders. And keeping with today's style, Gail makes these cute, warm fleece scarves that are reasonable priced. I sure wish I had found Gail's studio when I was looking for a new scarf this past winter. Gail also makes these fun purses which aren't just functional but also stylish. You can find Gail online at her Artfire studio and on her blog , Hart to Heart. You can also find her on facebook and twitter. Be sure to stop by and check out all that Gail has to offer. Until next time.....