face lift

Well, you may have noticed, I've made a few changes here on the blog. What do you think? I know absolutely squat about html and all that computer jazz, so I'm forced to use free things I find on the internet, but I think it does a pretty good job at reflecting me.

Currently, my camera is out of commission (more on that later....), so I can't share any pictures of my current project, so instead I wanted to share a few things I've come across on the web. First, let me backtrack a little....
I consider myself to be a cheap person. Meaning, I never buy something that I think I can make, I prefer to buy things that are really on sale, or snag things from the thrift store. Because of this trait (sometimes it's good, sometimes it's a flaw), I rarely buy things that aren't yarn. But, lately, I've decided to try and loosen the purse strings a little in order to support other handmade artists like myself.
So, here are a few artists that I find to be simply amazing and love supporting!

Not only does Maya take amazing photographs of her gorgeous yarns, but she is just a wonderful person all around.  Her yarns (I think I'm up to 4 of them now?) are just incredible to work with, and are made with such care and attention. I didn't have much experience with handspun before I bought some from Maya, and I have to say - if I was made of money, it would be all I knitted with. There's just something about it that I can't explain - I love the way it looks before it's knitted, the way it looks after it's knitted, and knowing that someone took wool in its rawest form and turned it into something amazing as these yarns just really gets my heart beating a little quicker (read: i'm a huge knitting nerd!). 

Sometimes I see an artist who just blows my mind with what they can create. As in, I literally can't imagine how they make things that are just so amazing. Taylor's Eclectic is definitely one of those shops.  I bought a ring from Taylor back in February, and it is absolutely one of my favorite pieces of jewelry, hands down. She's a very friendly seller, who creates one of a kind jewelry and home accessories, and I definitely reccommend hopping over there to take a look. You'll definitely find something to add to your wardrobe - probably more than one thing! So good luck deciding on what to buy!

This seller is from my hometown of Asheville, NC. A friend of mine had a bridal shower a few months ago, and I knew I wanted to get her something from our hometown that really used the beauty of the mountains as inspiration. I had to look no further than One Clay Bead. Not only did she gift wrap my purchase at no extra charge, but she worked with me to arrange for a local pickup, since I was going to be in Asheville anyway! Her work is just to die for, and I can't wait until I can have a large collection of her pottery in my house - especially her dinnerware! I can just picture my cabinets overflowing with gorgeous sets of her dinnerware.....one day.....

I'll share some more shops with you later in the week! In the meantime, are there any other shops I should be checking out? I hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend (for those US residents!), and have a great Tuesday!