Enjoy a visit to Kathryn's Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/DycheDesigns .

"So stop a while, meander through the pages of my shop, take in the sights, dream, laugh and dance along the way and lets see if we can find you something you truly love and connect with."

by Dyche Designs

My name is Kathryn. I was born in Wales, grew up in Oxfordshire (UK), and now live in Virginia with my husband and two cats.When I lived in the UK I worked as a Human Resources Officer for a biotech company but after moving to the US I decided to take a break. It wasn’t long before my husband and I realized that I was so much happier as a result and I opted to make the break permanent. I feel extremely fortunate to have such a supportive husband and to be able to pursue my crafting on a full time basis.

About My Art/Crafts
I have always loved walking into stores that have a wide selection of items so it came as no surprise that my online shop ‘‘Dyche Designs’ naturally evolved into housing a variety of my own crafts.What I create depends a lot on what I’m feeling at the time. I don’t try to fight it, I just go with it. Most recently I’ve found myself drawn to creating mixed media artwork and love how I am able to loose track of time and myself in the process.

I’ve also spent many hours sat at my sewing machine creating bags, cushion covers and pin cushions. During the fall my thoughts turn to knitting scarves and at various times throughout the year I can also be found crafting jewelry.

Another favorite of mine are soaps and candles. Nothing beats the smells that emanate throughout the house whenever I pour them.

The Creative Proces
The thing I love most is the flexibility and freedom that comes with creating.I am not an organized person so the creative process for me is kind of a chaotic and random event. I have a real aversion to following instructions and have a hard time planning or designing anything in advance. I typically sit at my work area and through experimenting with different colors, textures and materials I create a piece that I feel happy with.



Where I Create
I am extremely fortunate to have a dedicated craft room where I do computer work, jewelry making and house all of my supplies. That said, I have a tendency to spread to other areas of the house and can often be found sewing in our dining room or painting in our sun room (the light is so beautiful in there).

It is an amazing journey that I find myself on and couldn’t have achieved any of this without the love and support of family and friends. Thank you to everyone who supports the handmade community.

Favorite Quote
“Love, peace and jelly babies”.

http://twitter.com/DycheDesigns

http://dychedesigns.blogspot.com/
 

Gorgeous!

Check out Amanda's gorgeous designs and her wonderfully, amazingly organized studio space!

It looks like a great place to create.

by BellaRhysDesigns

My name is Amanda-or BellaRhysDesigns on etsy.com. I have always been involved in the arts one way or another. From painting scenery at our community theater and earning a few awards for watercolors in my school days to my last 16 years dedicated to being a hairstylist and salon owner, each day has seemed to carry an artistic outlet for me in some form. Besides acrylics and watercolors I’ve also enjoyed creating w/ oil pastels, black and white photography, mixed media altered art, pottery and scrapbooking.

In 2002 I started making jewelry after being inspired by pieces I had seen in Greece on vacation and was frustrated and bored with the components I was finding locally. I started shopping around on Ebay and ran across some very cool glass beads by Cassie Donlen called lampwork. I immediately started researching them and was excited to incorporate them in my work. I found a local class and dove right in, completely mesmerized by the colors, styles and techniques used to create these little works of art! I found that they totally changed an ordinary piece of jewelry into an endless array of possibilities.

I have since taken metalsmithing classes to enhance my work by making my own forged or custom stamped pieces.I find inspiration in my children’s books, fun material, change of seasons, pictures in magazines,some of the treasuries on Etsy or even let my 6 year old daughter to come up with a fun color combo.I hope you enjoy the tour of my studio! If anyone would like to look at my blog for ideas of pieces I make that haven't been listed on etsy please feel free to come by for a visit!

http://bellarhysdesigns.blogspot.com (An amazing blog! I love it ~Kerry).

http://www.bellarhysdesigns.etsy.com/