Debra Jeffries particuraly caught my eye when I came across her butterfly wing jewelery on google +! I am not sure if I have been sheltered from this amazing art, but I had never seen anything like it before and this caused me to dig deeper into Debra’s Etsy shop and her philosophy on art in general.  Debra is from Canada and works out of her studio in London, Ontario, where she is able to explore the boundless natural landscape and beauty of her home. This inspiration is apparent through her most popular butterfly and bug wing jewelry, whereby she buys wings through a licensed supplier, and captures them in an inclosed metal casing.  Since Debra works with bugs from all over the world, she has a knack for understanding the history of these bugs and their current status in nature and she explores these thoughts in her blog: http://jewelryonetsyteam.blogspot.com/2011/05/normal-0-all-butterflies-that-i-use-are.html. She is a self taught artisan and designer and all of her work is one of a kind. Not only does Debra work with sustainable materials and reused metals, she also upcylces them to re-create a fine and sophistacated look. Debra is known for her winged jewelry, but she also makes fused glass pieces, wire wrapped bracelets and more!

My favorite piece by Debra is an enclosed Madagascan Sunset Moth, which is a species of the Chrysiridia rhipheus. This piece is beautifully preseved in all it’s natural colors and unique shape, but is not found wild, instead Debra buys them from farms to ensure the natural populations remain untouched. I plan to buy this piece and wear it around my neck to be reminded of how special this world and all its treasures are, and I thank you Debra for capturing these moments and passing them on for everyone who respects the delicate balance of nature and it’s beauty.

If you would like to see more of Debra’s work visit her online Etsy shop Debrasdivinedesigns or you can follow her on  Twitter: www.twitter.com/designingdebra * Become a Fan: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Debras-Divine-Designs/152602444790126?ref=ts .

Cicada Wing Pendant

Robin Serrano

What I love most about art is that is has the ability to transform, and with each transformation it can inspire an array of people in many ways. When I seek out artisans whom I choose to follow and learn from, I always look at one trait; was it bought or recycled. I truly love found art, the kind that seems to be waiting for a new purpose.

With that said, Robin Serrano is my second artist of the week because of her knack for finding objects on the shores of Lake Michigan. Robin decided to take action and reuse these beautiful pieces of seaglass, for pendents and bracelets. The pottery and sea glass that Robin finds are just exsquisite and show major dedication in finding colors that are reminiscent of purity and peace. Robin’s passion bursts out loud, as she carefully wraps each piece of glass with accenting colors that twist and loop in and around the glass and hang tight to a piece of pottery that was made to hold Lake Michigan’s seaglass. Robin also integrates other beads for a sweet medly of lost and new; found and bought or even the juxtaposition of natural vs. man-made.

I couln’t help myself in describing my favorite item from Robin, which is the Lake Michigan’s Suncatcher necklace in the picture above. If you like natural jewelry that has a hint of hard work and dedication to it, then you will certainly enjoy the rest of Robin’s shop, which can be found on Etsy; http://www.etsy.com/shop/milagro1966?ref=seller_info

Hope you enjoy! If you like this blog and think your friends will enjoy Robin’s work as well tweet this post!

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On December 22nd, I will announce two winners who have done all of these above between the dates shown! Good Luck!

This is the first official “artist write-up” I have written since I launched my website By Lou Designs. I originally wanted to focus on local artists in the Dallas area, but since I found Melissa Oesch on google +, I couldn’t resist spreading the word about her artwork.

I know there are other book nerds out there, but journaling is definitely a dying quark, and since I happen to write any and everything down, it is to no one’s surprise that these unique “upcycled” leather journals would be my first topic. I primarily like Melissa’s journals because they support sustainability and the idea of reusing materials which can be used for sentimental value. The other main reason I love these journals, is that all the designs remind me of nature and reflection, which is why I think writing in them would be so meditative. The shapes and colors are so vivid and somewhat imperfect, but they represent the true nature of beautiful and authentic  hand craftsmanship.

Melissa Oesch is from Kentucky and loves nature, books and is inspired by ancient spiritual traditions (sounds like an anthropologist too). She is a member of the Guild of Artist in Kentucky and also has her shop on the popular online store Etsy. Melissa handcrafts journals, upcycled books, notables and also does custom orders.

Right now, Melissa is making these very cute pocket-size leather books for Christmas, which can be an ornament or necklace. I believe you can actually write in them and they are just as cute as the big versions.

For more information visit her website www.reimaginedonline.com or find her on Etsy www.etsy.com/people/reimagined to order some of her unique and lovely journals!

Pick of the Week

I chose the earring set, “Wood and Tips,” to be my first pick of the week because the beads in this set came from South Africa, which heavily influenced my decision to begin designing and crafting jewelry more seriously.  I had already made it a habit of picking up beads from local markets in South America and Europe, but these beads I inherited under unusual circumstances.

My boyfriend, Bret, and I were in South Africa to see the 2010 World Cup games in Capetown, but we stayed about thirty minutes outside the city in a small town named Simonstown. This quaint little city was an old colonial port and was the perfect distance from all the crowds, but still close to everything. The ocean was across the street, there were mountains behind us, including Tabletop Mountain, and even better, we were staying at the only hostel in town. Suprisingly, in Simonstown, there weren’t an annoying amount of travelers for the games, so our morning strolls and afternoon pub crawls went uninterrupted. On our first morning, we noticed a local market selling all kinds of handcrafted souvenirs, with people in indigenous attire knitting and painting  and travelers bargaining for various items.  We were both immediately drawn to the market until we began asking the prices, which seemed pretty high, but since we had nothing to compare them to, we decided to wait. Naturally, the locals were a bit annoyed, but we scouted what we liked and made it a point to revisit if we couldn’t find a better price.

A couple of mornings later, we stumbled upon some nice souvenir shops and to our surprise met a very nice store owner, whom was very informative about the local products.  We began talking about where he bought his inventory and why his prices were so much cheaper than everyone else’s. He explained how local villagers bought all their items from him and then went across the street and sold them outside for a 200% mark-up. He said that it made him a bit upset and coincidentally, they would  sell more at higher prices because tourist would become enamored by the authenticity of their presentation. Bret and I really respected his honesty and friendliness, so we both agreed to revisit his shop and buy ALL of our souvenirs.

Bret and I did indeed revisit his shop the second to last day of our trip and  bought $300.00 worth of souvenirs. We spent around 2 hours in his store talking, picking out things and learning the history behind all of them and when it was said and done, the store owner ended up giving us a $100 discount. The store owner and I talked a great deal about jewelry, because not only did he buy his stock from  individual village people, he also hired them to make them in his store. He said he would hire talented handicraftsmen, have them teach him the techniques and they would make them together. I explained my interest in jewelry making and how it had started in Brazil and how I used my friends old jewelry because I couldn’t afford beads. After he heard my story, he then collected two bags of broken, outdated and half stolen beads, charms, beans and seeds native to Africa and gave them to me.

When I got home, I de-strung all my items and organized them by color and size and then waited. It wasn’t until this last summer that I decided I would do a South African Collection in honor of the materials and the man who helped me pursue my passion of jewelry making.

This single earring includes two brown oblong beads have hand painted designs in yellow. They used to apart of a long necklace until it broke, was tucked away and later given to me by a friendly patron.

Simonstown, South Africa

By Lou designs is in the business of making art and learning new techniques that are reminiscent of true hand craftsmanship. With the world at our fingertips, it is becoming increasingly popular to buy items which are mass made at low cost to the consumer and the producer. My goal is to keep traditions alive and remain working with my hands as well as with materials which are natural and authentic.  Currently, I am using a method popular with serious fly fishermen, whom make their own fishing lures. This technique is called “fly tying,” and is what allows me to connect the feathers so gracefully to the earring. Next, I plan to learn the art of “Cloissen,” which involves melting down metal into beads and creating colorful and intricate designs. These techniques are only a glimpse of what I plan to learn because I truly believe that evolving my techniques is a mark of a true artist; the ability to adapt to the present.

Not only am I interested in designing and crafting jewelry and objects in general, I am also interested in documenting the whole process.  I plan to write, upload photos and create video in order to keep my subscribers up to date with information involving the art of jewelry making, other designers and the day and life of an artist. What you can expect from this website weekly is as follows; There will be a weekly jewelry lesson, that I will upload onto Vimeo for anyone interested in learning various jewelry techniques. There will be one blog a week dedicated to choosing an item in my store and describing it in full detail down to where I found the pieces and the story behind its inspiration. Lou celebrates all works of art and enjoys connecting with other artists who might inspire her to create, so once a week there will be one blog responsible for a write up on another artist.

In order to stay tuned to these weekly updates,  simply subscribe and follow me on twitter and facebook. Aside from these three weekly blogs, I will be running one promotion a month for the chance to win a free pair of earrings. I hope to inspire and create happiness on my website, so please enjoy the experience and remember to transform you style everyday!