Shar Pei Handsculpted Jeweled Art Tile

The handmade Shar Pei Tile depicts a photo from my original artwork laying on a sculpted tile. The tile is made from polymer clay, with various stamps, florals and etchings drawn into the surface. The tile is then painted with colors to match the artwork and sealed for protection.

The tile hangs from reclaimed jewelry chain and handmade clay flower beads to match the tile. There are acrylic beads attaching the flower clay beads to the chain and running along the side of the tile are acrylic and glass beads in colors to match the artwork and the florals in the tile. There is a handmade heart clay charm on the opposite side of the tile.

Dachshund Bead

This little Datsy bead is hand-sculpted with polymer clay.

Size is approximate:
3/8" vertical (top to bottom)
1-1/8" horizontal (ear to ear)
1" long nose to back of head

The bead is pierced vertically from top of head to bottom.

Available at Nanjodogz

Meet Sweet Freedom Designs

I would like to introduce everyone to Lesley of Sweet Freedom Designs, a fellow Etsy member, and a member of my Dogs and Art group on flickr. Lesley not only is the proud owner of Bailey, her Golden Retriever, she also creates beautiful jewelry. Her Bailey stories are just as creative as her jewels. If you would like to see some lovely jewelry stop by her Etsy shop or her website Sweet Freedom Designs. If you want to visit a great blog about the goings on of Bailey the Golden Retriever, I urge you to read Bailey's Blog, it is very entertaining to see things from Bailey's point of view. I hope you'll take a moment to read the interview and get to know Lesley, her dog, Bailey and her wonderful creations.

1) Tell us your name, how many dogs you have, the name of your dog and how old your dog is? My name is Lesley. I have one dog Bailey, who will be 9 on May 1st.

2) What breed of dog do you have? Golden Retriever

3) How long have you had your dog/s and how did they come to be your dog? Since he was 6 weeks old. After my first golden retriever died at age 14 from cancer, I knew I wanted another Golden, and found Bailey at a breeder in a nearby town. He has hair the same color as mine, and was very verbal, and still is – he talks all the time!

4) Do you find that you've come to favor a certain breed of dog and if so, what are their unique characteristics that you've found to be so wonderful? I love all dogs, and grew up having one or more dogs. I love Goldens the best, though – they are smart, and cuddly, and lovey, and gorgeous!

5) Any favorite stories you'd like to share with us about about your dog? I have a million Bailey stories, stop by my blog to read them: Bailey the Golden Retriever blog

6) Are there any other pets in the home other than dogs? Not on purpose.

7) What kind of art do you create? Jewelry – beaded, bead woven, wire-wrapped, and fused glass.

8) Do you create or make anything other type of art/craft? I crochet afghans and I cross-stitch wall hangings and blankets.

9) If you sell your artwork, where can we find your pieces for sale? I sell at a couple of boutiques in my local area and also my Etsy Shop, Sweet Freedom Designs and my website Sweet Freedom Designs.
Necklace-Sweet Freedom Designs

MsAnomaly and Queen Beagle

I'd like to introduce to you Queen Beagle. Queen Beagle is a wonderful necklace made by Linda Margo of MsAnomaly , a jewelry artisan and fellow Etsian. Linda created the pendant using one of my Beagle beads. Linda shared her finished jewelry piece with me and when I laid eyes on this Queen Beagle she definitely put a smile on my face. I'm sure it will make you smile as well.

This whimsical piece is not for sale, the Queen Beagle was made as a prize. The prize is for one lucky member of the Beagle Street Team who wins the team's trivia contest. Linda is the co-leader of the Beagle Street Team. The team is a made up of Etsy members who get together and discuss their love of the Beagle and their love of crafts. Linda says the contest is a good way for members to get to know each other, view the shops of other Beagle/dog lovers and have some fun along the way!

Linda makes necklaces that are a little out of the ordinary, using vintage and new materials while incorporating materials not normally used for jewelry into her designs. If you'd like to see more of Linda's eclectic designs stop by her Etsy shop MsAnomaly - there are many beautiful pieces to browse through.

Below is one of my favorites:
Frog & Friends Green Beads Aquatic Pond Theme Charm Necklace

Cool Jewelry Designs

Pam of CoolJewelryDesigns has just put together some of the cutest pieces using my dog beads. I am always amazed at how jewelry artists put together their jewels using my beads and Pam is no exception, she has done a wonderful job at creating these lovely pieces. She has really made the dog beads come alive.

Pam has many other beautiful pieces in her shop and I picked out one of my favorites:

The title of this bold, bright and beautiful bracelet is Fancy Pants avaialble now at CoolJewelryDesigns.

I'd like to just say thank you one more time to Pam for making my beads come alive and taking the time to show me her creations.

Meet Elsie

Meet Elsie the Elephant -- a new bead creation. Little Elsie is so happy that the weather is getting nice outside -- it's time to go splash around in the river, she just loves playing in the water!

Elsie is hand-sculpted from polymer clay. She is done in colors of blue, purple, green with a yellow trunk and very, very large pink ears. She has a beautiful kaleidoscope cane on her belly and her feet are stamped, one in pink and one in blue.

The approximate size of the bead is:
7/8" top to bottom
1-1/8" side to side -- (ear to ear)

The bead is pierced vertically from top of head to bottom.

Saluki Tile

Here is a tile I just completed for someone and I love the piece. The colors are a beautiful golden brown with highlights of blue, green and yellow. The artwork is an original drawing and the entire tile is made from polymer clay, the Saluki in the corner is sculpted while the tile is stamped and etched with various markings. The piece is then painted and the jewelry pieces added at the end. The most challenging part of doing these tiles comes at the end while deciding what jewels will best fit the piece and make the entire piece flow.

EFA Interview - Jane Diamond Designs

Gretchen Kitty Angel

Here is another installment of my monthly EFA (Etsy for Animals) interviews. This interview is with Jane of Jane Diamond Designs. It is a wonderful interview that reveals Jane's love of her cat Abbey, her love of cats and all animals and how that shines through in her artwork. I do hope that you'll read on and get to know Jane. I've added a couple of pieces of Jane's wonderful artwork that are available in her Etsy shop.

1. Tell us your name and a little about you?

Greetings! I'm Jane Diamond. I am a huge animal lover and am passionate about supporting animals rights. I've been a vegetarian for 18 years, and have currently been converting to becoming a vegan. I love all animals, but cats are my favorite! My own cat, Ms. Abbey, being my favorite cat of course! I am a self taught artist and crafter. I love all creative forms of self expression - from painting, to dying my hair bold and fun colors, to dancing. Some of my favorite hobbies are photography, hula hooping, and playing piano. I like to collect old postcards of cats, vinyl records, and books. I'm a quiet person by nature, and spend my free time at libraries, museums, conservatories, watching silent films and early talkies, and spending time with my cat. But when I go out, I like to go to clubs to dance, or attend concerts of my favorite bands.

2) Where can we find your Etsy shop?

You can check out my Etsy shop at: www.janediamond.etsy.com. And I have a blog at: www.janediamond.blogspot.com and you can find my personal website at: www.geocities.com/janediamondsart/

3) What do you create (if multiple things, what is your favorite)?

I create fabulous and fun items for people and their feline friends. My arts and crafts range from cat painting prints, handmade and hand sewn catnip toys and sachets, as well as other cat themed items like magnets, greeting cards, jewelry, and more! I have recently been making ACEO prints of my cat paintings too. Of all the things I create, my favorites are my cat paintings and catnip toys. I also create collages, decorative paper mache' boxes and cigar boxes purses, and people portrait paintings as well.

4) Who or what inspires you?

My cat of 18 years, Ms. Abbey, inspires me the most. I fondly refer to her as my 'mews' (muse). Because of the strong and loving bond we have, and her very expressive and sweet personality, Abbey inspires a lot of my personal cat art. My other main inspiration comes from my favorite artist, Louis Wain. Louis Wain was a English Victorian cat artist who was very popular in his time. His artwork and life story has had a great impact on my own cat art. Our cat art styles are very different, but the intention of our cat art is the same - to spread and share the happiness cats fill our lives with, to other people. I am also inspired by other Victorian/Edwardian cat artists, as well as other different types of art such as Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Pop Art, and much more!

5) How many pets do you have and what are their names (any interesting stories about how they came to be your pet)?

I have one cat, my 'golden girl', Ms. Abbey. Although I've had other cats and other various pets growing up though the years. Ms. Abbey came into my life when I was a Veterinary Assistant working at the animal hospital in the small town where I grew up. Abbey's original owner had become allergic to her, and brought her to the animal hospital for us to keep her there to be adopted out. But she didn't stay at the hospital for long. It was "Kitty Love" at first sight, Abbey and I had an instant bond from the start, and I soon took her home, and she's been with me ever since! :)

6) How do you give back to our animal friends? What charities do you hold near and dear to your heart?

I give back to animals in a couple different ways. At Etsy, I am a proud member of "Etsy For Animals", and I give 10% of my sales from my items tagged with 'efa' to the Etsy For Animals charity of the month. EFA always selects amazing charities each month that I'm so happy to help out and be a part of. Also via Etsy, I help animals by buying items from the Etsy For Animals shop, as well as from other people's shops who are Etsy For Animals members too. In addition, I also work with a no-kill cageless cat shelter in Chicago called "Harmony House". I do commissioned cat artwork to help promote their special events - such as their annual Walkathon and many of their different Holiday Fest events, and more. I have donated my commissioned cat artwork, money, and attend their events at Harmony House to help support and raise money for the shelter. Also, anything I sell at my Etsy shop that I created for Harmony House, I donate 20% of sales from those items to Harmony House Cat Shelter. I also donate money to Farm Sanctuary, another one of my favorite animal charities. Etsy For Animals, Harmony House Cat Shelter and Farm Sanctuary are the animal charities I hold closest to my heart and feel the most passionate about.

I really love helping animals through my art. Painting and making crafts are so much fun for me, and it's extra special when I know the people buying my cat creations for themselves and/or for their kitties, love and enjoy what I make, but I feel that helping our animal friends in need in the process of my work is especially rewarding to me. As an animal lover, making changes to improve the welfare of animals can sometimes feel overwhelming, since are so many animals in dire need all over the world, but I am a firm believer in that every little bit counts. Because all those 'little bits' actually add up to make for big and wonderful changes in the lives of our precious and beautiful animal friends.
Kitten Dreams Magnet

Marnie the Monkey Bead

Marnie the Monkey is sitting around smiling today -- the sun is shining outside and it's time to do some serious climbing around on those wonderful trees -- she can't wait.

Marnie is hand-sculpted from polymer clay. She is done in colors of blue, green, yellow and has a very purple tail. She has a black and white spiral on her belly and a yellow heart. Her big feets and ears are flesh colored and her head and chest is adorned with small black glass beads.

Lena Returns

My little hunter and I have returned from vacation and we're ready to get back to the big city and let our creative juices flow. Lena just loves to be out in the woods chasing critters, swimming in the river, hunting down bears (okay, that's a bit much) -- the only thing Lena will hunt down is any critter that's smaller than her like maybe a turtle, squirrel, mouse -- if she saw a bear she'd probably run back to the house with a serious quickness.

Afghan Hound Green with Envy Pendant and Earrings Set

Afghan Hound Green with Envy Pendant and Earrings Set. Hand-sculpted matching Afghan Hound pendant and earring set. The pendant depicts an Afghan Hound hand-sculpted from various green polymer clay laying on a stamped base. The matching stamped earrings are included.

This item appears in the Pet Monologue, a wonderful blog that has loads of information on our furry friends from pet recipes to pet health and news, very informative and fun!

Gerry the Giraffe Bead

Little Gerry the Giraffe is so happy about the arrival of spring -- he just loves eating the leaves from the trees and walking around in the sunshine.

Gerry is a bead hand-sculpted from polymer clay. He is done in colors of blue, yellow, pink and purple with a beautiful kaleidescope cane belly done in matching colors. His feet are stamped with two black and white spirals and his face is framed in tiny beads.

Chinese Crested Art Tile

This unique Chinese Crested Art Tile is handcrafted for your wall. The tile is first sculpted from a lovely purple polymer clay. A bust of a Chinese Crested sits in the lower left corner and is surrounded by various floral stamps and etchings. The piece is then painted in colors of red, green and white. In the upper right corner sits a photo from an original Chinese Crested drawing. The entire piece is then varnish sealed for protection.

The tile hangs from reclaimed jewelry including a silver and gold tone spiral chain. Adorning the chain is red wire work and hanging down the left side is a red enamel heart charm and a purple butterfly charm. Running along the right side of the tile there are red acrylic, red glass and green beads ending in large wooden purple beads and sterling silver daisy spacers.

Stop by NanjoDogz for more doggy creations!

Great Dane Punk Style Bead

This Great Dane bead has a lot of attitude and loves punk. He's decked out with a Mohawk, an earring and splashed in white paint. He's one cool dude.