Pastels

Selected pieces from the studios of European artisans on ArtFire

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I wish I could do that - sewing

The art of sewing isn't one that has ever come to me. To be honest, after some poor attempts at elementary school I had lost all ambition to even try anymore (even my mother gave up on me after she made sure I might be able to mend socks and sew on buttons in a case of emergency ;-)). Crocheting, ok, knitting, ok, but give me a needle and thread and I'm lost and will try to get the needle through the thread rather than the other way round. Or even a sewing machine? No chance, I won't go near it and never felt the urge to.

The more I admire what other people can do with these things. And there is not even a reason to admire from afar, no, these people sell the beautiful pieces that I can just dream of making. Our guild has some talented members in this section and I want you to share some of my favorite pieces with me.

I am a cat person, so of course this handmade purse appealed to me right away.
"Materialised" has this Cool Cats Purse in her ArtFire studio. Very cool indeed, not only the fine fabric, but also the details. Look at the smug little cat faces!



I also like movies and the first movie I ever saw going to the cinema all by myself was "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Indiana Jones, my hero - I wanted to be his Marion.
Are you a fan, too? So why not get your very own Indy to live with? Check out the "The House of Mouse" and this cute little fellow.




Are you ready to meet Elvis now? The King is alive! In this case he has changed from sparkly white suits into red fur, though. This Elvis is a parrot and what a cute one at that!
The studio where you can find him looking for a partner who will play with him is "Eddy's Pressies". He's not the only cutie awaiting you there.



Last, but not least we'll bring a little bit of old times into this modern world with a special bag from "m.a.p.h.i.a".
Look at this gorgeous pompadour, fit for a queen. And you as well.



I hope you enjoyed the little trip through the wonderland of thread and needle. I sure did :-D

Visit our studios

Black and Blue

Selected items from European artisans on Artfire


Visit our studios

Do you like animals?

Inside Europe : it's Blue

Inside Europe :Wedding season is coming up...here are some lovely gifts !

Inside Europe

This weeks glance at a few items produced by members of our guild! Enjoy!

Easter is coming - no chocolate please!

OK, so Easter is coming fast, but many ladies are on diets or are detoxing or just wouldn't appreaciate a chocolate egg. so what can you get for them?


Well I've had a wander through Artfire's shops to find some lovely presents that would really be happily recieved by any lady.


first how about some Jewlery? It's always a great idea. Here's a wonderful piece by alibalijewellery from Scotland The Red Sun Ray necklace. Made from fine silver and utterly beautiful.




How about something beautiful to hang on the wall?
This 5X7 print by soundslikerain
So wonderful and is actually called "sail away with me, honey" Maybe a little extra message there? Couldn't you just disappear into it?


And now for something really different; handmade clothes from Berlin. the ladies at m.i.p.h.i.a
have the most wonderful selection including this Jersey wool sweater with a collar. Mmm, stylish.

Is she a craft lover? In which case maybe she'd like the supplies and patterns to make something for herself? How about this clever purse making kit put together by U-Handbag from London. Isn't it just the sweetest? and you can never have too many bags!

Or maybe just something so very cute and Springlike. This little felted fairy carries a Snowdrop and is just one of many flower fairies made by Ignisfatuus from Norway. They are just so pretty and would look great on a dresser or on the table at a Springtime dinner party.

If you just take a look at the wonderful artists at Artfire you are bound to find something just perfect for your lady - and it's not chocolate!!!

Spring is coming!

Today is Vårdagsjämningen in Sweden. I looked the word up in english and it's vernal equinox. in other words today day and night are both 12 hours long. And tomorrow we will have a little more daylight than darkness. That's worth a celebration!

So i went looking for spring items among our members.

Here are some lovely stitch markers from Welsh Millie's Whimsies:


I'm not in to polymer clay beads myself, but if I were - this is what I'd get from Mgilinfo:


And a new, luxuriouse handbag for those spring occations. From m.a.p.h.i.a:


And here's the perfect bag for bringing your knitting outdoors in the spring sun. From Jenny Karlsson Design:


A lovely bead from a fellow lampworker, Gwendoline:


And finally, I might nick this necklace from myself ;) :


Susanne Folin
Babs Beads & Design

Happy Colors in Europe !

"Summer in Europe"

All things Scottish

I'm loving all things Scottish at the moment because The man who is buying my house is a Scot.
We have a few Scottish artists here at Artfire, so I would like to introduce you to them.


First of we have Alibalijewellery she hails from Edinburgh. And she makes some of the most exquisite jewelry. Checkout this really beautiful cuff made from crocheted fine silver wire and fastened with a sterling silver hook. It would be perfect for a special occasion or simply wear it every day!





Next on the list is Trinket.Tree and she is from Fife. I thought this mellow yellow spiral brooch made from pure Merino wool & a raised black & gray hand dyed felt, was perfect for spring. Trinket tree offers Free shipping worldwide on her handmade brooches & FREE GIFT with every order.




And Finally we have TheSheriffsDaughter, another Scottish Lassie from Edinburgh. And she really is the daughter of a sheriff. She is also a solicitor however she says, "Of late I have been finding that beading is far more satisfying than law... " go figure look at these beautiful salmon berry earrings.

Monday Mix

So it's a new week and that brings a new selection of our talented Artfire Europe Guild members to share with you. Clicking the photo will take you to the listing for the item, so if you want a closer look, click away!

Catfluff is the creator of these beautiful African market scene pillow case covers. The Kenyan batik panels are perfectly gorgeous. Catfluff is based in Portugal, but is happy to ship worldwide.

This gorgeous creation is from Ben-David's art studio. The hamsa is made from polymer clay using Millefiori technique. I'm amazed at the intricate detailing. Ben-David family is in Israel and again they are happy to ship worldwide.

This lovely Lavender soap is from Saffron Barr who is based in Cambridgeshire in the UK. This lady makes a whole rainbow of beautifully coloured soaps and is willing to post them worldwide, why not treat yourself?

Oh my, did I enjoy looking around N Rollin designs studio. Her lampwork beads are exquisite. This is another UK seller based in Northumberland, but you can purchase her work wherever you live.

Aren't we Europeans great?! Most of us will ship anywhere, so come and check out our shops. You'll find lots of fantastic pieces that are sure to impress you. I'm unashamedly happy to blow our trumpet because we have truly talented members in our guild.

Written by Lynne of the PiratePixieCrew

My choice of European handmade goodies!

I would just like to share with you all a few of my favourite goods from my fellow European Guild members on Artfire. I've been on Artfire for a few months and have seen so many gorgeous goods it's hard to narrow it down to just four, but if I shared all of the things I loved today this blog post would be a mile long. I'll be coming back regularly to share a few more each time. So, first up...

I don't know how anyone could resist this uber cute felt polar bear from Ignis Fatuus. I like his little stubby tail and the fact he is free standing. He could happily stand on a bookshelf keeping an eye on passers by.

If you like me love glass handmade glass beads Luccicare's shop is a good one to visit. It is chock full of beautiful work. I picked this one to show you because of the rich purple shades and swirls of different translucency in the glass. I think it is gorgeous.

Knitting Pixie not only makes cosy little pixie cardigans for these little imps in your life she also makes lovely handmade cards like the one above. I just love his googly eyes. I think anyone receiving one of these cards is sure to spend the day with a huge smile on their face.

As I'm showing the love today I thought this enamelled copper pendant necklace from Paintbox Crafts would be a great finishing article to show you. It's simple yet stylish and I think it perfectly symbolizes the love I have for handmade goods.

If you wish to go directly to any of the goods featured, click on the photo and you will be whisked to where they are.

Written by Lynne from the PiratePixieCrew