Featured Artist ~ Amy Abrams

Amy began making jewelry in the early 1990's after a fateful trip to the library led her to discover a book about bead weaving using tiny glass seed beads. Over the years her passion for the beauty and intricacy of jewelry has led her in new directions and opened her eyes to different techniques and materials. Her work is inspired by nature and the divine feminine, as well as the materials which infuse her work.

In early 2005 Amy became a certified metal clay instructor using Art Clay Silver, a cutting edge material, developed and manufactured in Japan. It is made from fine silver (99.9 %, sterling is 92.5%) particles, a natural and non-toxic plant cellulose binder and water. She is very happy to note that the silver used in Art Clay Silver, rather than being strip-mined, is manufactured from silver that is recycled from industrial processes and processed with minimal impact on the local environment. She has also recently taken up the use of bronze and copper versions of this clay for making larger items for jewelry, decorative ornaments, incense holders and vessels.

All of the materials Amy uses in her work are genuine stones and pearls, fine silver, sterling silver, gold fill, vermeil (22k gold over sterling silver) and in some cases high karat gold, and now bronze (an alloy of copper and tin) and copper.

The Handmade Artists Forum ~ A Home for all Things Handmade

About a month ago, I joined the Handmade Artists Forum, which is a wonderful place featuring artists of all types of things handmade. From painted silk to knitted caps, to baby clothes, to jewelry, to painting ~ just about every kind of handmade work is represented there.

HAF is a wonderful community, still being small enough to have a very personal flavor and interactions by members. My HAF shop can be found at:
http://www.handmadeartistsshop.com/DreamsandEchoes.html

Within the HAF, there is a Virtual Craft Fair. This month I am a featured artist. I'm so excited. Due to my illness (Fibromyalgia) it is not possible for me to participate in art/craft fairs anymore, so this exposure is especially great for me. If you're interested:
http://cafehandmade.com/index.php/2010/03/featured-artist-linda-dreams-and-echoes/
You will be able to see samples of my jewelry, and if you scroll down, you can see others who are represented at the current Virtual Art Fair. Select an aisle to explore, and you'll be there.

Now I am waiting on a Fire Mountain order, for two copper toggle clasps. I just did a necklace for David, my hubby ~ it's Leopardskin Jasper and Copper ~ and another for sale that is Botswana Agate and Copper. :::sigh::: It's frustrating when I have something complete, ready to go and then I have to wait. The 'problem is that I also already have so many different strands of beads, finding galore, etc., that I am down to mainly being able to purchase only when there is a specific need. My bead wall is 4' x 8' and is nothing but strands of glorious beads, up, down and across. It's beautiful to look at and provides a lot of inspiration.

Still waiting for the snow that was supposed to come today. There were some flurries this morning, but since then, it's all settled down. My friends are waiting for the snow to melt, and I'm wishing for one more before the season is over. That didn't stop me, however, from finishing the "Dancing Flowers" necklace I've been working on. Here's another picture of the set. My hubby used a different background and the variations in the Lepidolite show up much better ... such a pretty stone.

This is a WIP (Work in Progress). The necklace is done, but I still have to do the bracelet and earrings. The stone is Lepidolite, and there is also Blue Lace Agate, Czech Glass and Sterling Silver accent beads. I'm thinking spring since tomorrow we are in store for another big snow.


A lot has happened since I visited my daughter at Christmas. First, we had a wonderful visit, me, her, my hubby, her hubby. Amy is so creative; she is a jewelry maker with an emphasis on Precious Metal Clay, so we had lots of catching up to do, both personal and artistic. Now, since she is in Maryland, she is literally up to her ears in snow. We didn't get any here in Lowell, MA. I always love to see the big fluffy flakes coming down.

I joined the Handmade Artists Forum, which is a great new outlet for people who make arts and fine crafts by hand. Now I am being featured in the virtual craft show, the first time I've ever done anything like this. It's like having a mini shop online for a two-week period. If you want to check it out go here: http://cafehandmade.com/index.php/category/virtual-craft-show/

Scroll down to Dreams and Echoes. That's the name of my shop. I also have a shop with the Handmade Artists Forum. It's a more permanent shop, and I'm working on building up my inventory there:
http://www.handmadeartistsshop.com/ixxocart/vendors/DreamsandEchoes.html

These are wonderful venues, as is Etsy (my Etsy url is on the lower left of the page), and as I continue to create new works of jewelry art, I continue to build my shops inventories. Right now I'm working on a necklace set using Lepidolite, which is a lovely stone that has different colors of purple and lavendar. To the left is a WIP (Work in Progress) picture.

Coming Next: what's new with my visual art.

I'm preparing to go to Maryland (from Massachusetts) to visit my daughter, Amy. I am so excited because I'll be there for nearly a week, and it's been a year since I saw her. You should definitely visit her site that's listed here. Her precious metal clay work is exquisite. She is an awesome beader and the one I love to blame for getting me hooked.

I just finished a new necklace and earrings set, "Snow Drifts," which I hope I can remember how to post. I guess I should visit my blog more often. Anyway, what can you do with winter except celebrate it.

Recently, I joined a forem of Mixed Media Artists on Etsy. There are a few who also do jewelry, but being part of the group is making me ache to do some drawing and painting. All I have to do is finish clearing off my art table, and buy a table easel, which will be my first agenda of the new year.

Well, I've had 3 visitors to my Etsy shop, %100 satisfaction, but no sales. I am so addicted to beads, I just can't stop making jewelry; :::sigh::: I'm really hoping for some sales. Though the expense to be on Etsy is minimal, I feel that I need to have some justification to continue. My hubby, David, took some beautiful pics of a Chinese Turquouise necklace, which I hope to upload today. The Chinese Turquoise is green with sienna matrix ... so beautiful and lush. Next, I really want to get some art prints and notecards in my shop.