Link Love Digest: Week 1

You may remember that it is my goal this year to share the link love: to link to other crafters and makers and spread the word about the work they/we do.

My summary for this week follows. Some of these folks may not even know that they've had a shout out, so please let them know if you move in their circles. I don't necessarily know them personally - I just admire their work.

Jane Weaver
Beadseedz
From her Folksy shop page:

I have been making and selling jewellery for the last ten years. It started as a hobby to help me cope with a busy and sometimes stressful job, but has become something of a passion.

Over the years I have explored many different jewellery making techniques and, although my current interest is particularly in beadweaving, I have never managed to settle entirely into one particular genre and probably never shall. Thus my work is eclectic and I am always open to new ideas and to learning new skills.

I realised early on that my beading could help me raise money for SIFT (Seed International Fund Trust). SIFT is a small Christian charity that works to relieve poverty in one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere, Nicaragua. Having visited this beautiful country several times and seen with my own eyes the level of need I want to do what I can to help.

However now I am retired and have more time to spend on my interests, I also want to expand my fund raising activities to support other charities from time to time.
I have recently moved to beautiful West Yorkshire with my husband and three cats. All items in my shop are handmade by me in our smoke-free home. I also keep the cats well away from the jewellery making - not only for the comfort of my customers with cat allergies but because past experience has taught me that my little tubes of seed beads are an irresistible attraction and will need to be retrieved from under the sofa and behind the washing machine if they are not kept out of the way of furry paws.

If you see something you like but would prefer it in a different colour or a different length, please contact me. I cannot guarantee to be able to help, but it is often possible.

Keeley Pearl
Fabric & Thread Designs
From her Facebook page:

Individual handmade personalised family trees and appliqués for any occasion

Peter Harries (aka Mr Mechnic)
Scrap Art Lighting
From his Etsy shop page:

After many years of being a garage owner and car mechanic throwing away used and worn out car parts whilst always looking at them with a small glow of an idea of what they may look like turned into something else I have decided to pack in the garge business and car repairs and concentrate more on using some of these old, worn out or damaged parts and blow some oxygen onto my small glowing ideas and get bigger glows and flames of better ideas and see what I come up with.

Most will be rather rustic, some will be rather strange but all will be unique and wonderful, Please feel free to look through my shop, more will be added from time to time.

Meloney Celliers
Melly the Elephant (quilled paper art)
From her Facebook page:

I design and make paper art pictures as a hobby. Happy to take commissions/requests.

Nicola Wiktorski
Wiktorski Ceramics
From her Folksy page:

I make bespoke, quirky, handmade pottery for the home and garden from a little village in Yorkshire. My passion is to create unique pieces of contemporary pottery for the home and garden. MADE WITH LOVE.

Andrew Smith
UNIQ Furniture.

From his FB page:

Huge amounts of usable, quality furniture is thrown away by schools, businesses and industry everyday. 

It is the intention at UNIQ Furniture to rescue this furniture from landfill, refurbish, repair, recycle and restyle it to give it a new, second life! 

We offer schools, business and industry a free collection service for surplus items, saving money spent on skips and waste disposal and freeing u...p valuable storage space.
Our refurbished furniture is aimed at lovers of quality materials, quality construction and unique items, whether you enjoy vintage/retro styling or you are just an individual with an individual style!

UNIQ aims to be an environmentally sound, sustainable business, which will benefit ‘suppliers’ (schools, businesses and industry) and customers who can buy pre-loved furniture, knowing that they are giving it a second life!

UNIQ’s motto is MORE TASTE, LESS WASTE!