12 Days of Craftmas: Eight Nailmaille Pieces

On the eighth day of Craftmas, the Blue Buddha Artisan Market gave to me …

Eight pieces of Nailmaille!

nailmaille

nailmaille

Nailmaille™ jewelry is the evolution of traditional chainmaille to maille made out of stainless steel nails. Each nail is individually bent, then woven together with other bent nails and/or neoprene rings to create incredibly unique pieces. Not only is their jewelry handmade, but so are their tools! They’ve repurposed traditional tools just for their use. Nailmaille creates a variety of bracelets, chokers and necklaces for men and women, as well as accessories such as belts, dog collars, guitar straps and more.

Come see more Nailmaille in person at the Blue Buddha Artisan Market, 1127 W. Granville in Chicago, or visit their website, www.nailmaille.com.

12 Days of Craftmas: Seven Scarves by Elegant Handknits

On the seventh day of Craftmas, the Blue Buddha Artisan Market gave to me …

Seven lovely scarves by Elegant Handknits

Handmade knitted scarves Chicago

Elegant Handknits by Judi Peman specializes in accessories knit from high-quality natural and synthetic yarns such as fine wool, silk, cotton, mohair, alpaca, bamboo — and synthetic blends folks with allergies.

These scarves, hats, shawls and cowls will keep you warm enough for a Chicago winter, as well as adding a colorful, festive look to your wardrobe.

Elegant Handknit’s scarves have button details, contrasting shawl or scarf pins, and other decorative features.

Scarves vary in length and can be worn in a variety of ways. Complimentary directions on how to tie or wear your new scarf are included with each purchase.

handmade scarves chicago

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stop by and check out more of Judi’s soft, beautiful scarves at the Blue Buddha Artisan Market, 1127 W. Granville in Chicago, or visit www.etsy.com/ElegantHandknits.

 

 

 

12 Days of Craftmas: Six B3 Chainmaille Starter Packs

On the sixth day of Craftmas, the Blue Buddha Artisan Market gave to me …

Six chainmaille starter packs by Blue Buddha Boutique!

Everyone has to start somewhere. When it comes to learning the art of chainmaille, our Starter Packs are the best place for anyone to begin!

KIT-EZ-START-WARM-R-big KIT-TOOL-PACK-big

KIT-CLRFL-WARM-R-big

KIT-PRST-ALUM-R-big KIT-SCLR-WARM-big INS-STARTER-BUNDLE-L-300pxWhether you consider yourself crafty or not, we are certain you can learn how to create your own metal jewelry simply by choosing one of the packs on this page. 

Every starter pack is different so you can purchase your favorite or buy more than one with no overlap. And once you’re off and weaving, you’ll want to own our Basic Weaves Starter bundle that contains easy-to-follow instructions for more than a dozen common chainmaille patterns.

Stop by and check out our chainmaille starter packs — or even take our Introduction to Chainmaille classes — the Blue Buddha Artisan Market, 1127 W. Granville in Chicago, or visit www.bluebuddhaboutique.com.

 

Submit Your Chainmaille Designs and Get Published by Blue Buddha!

guest-designer-logoWe are looking forward to 2015 and we want to publish more original designs created by YOU! Will your creation become the next Blue Buddha Boutique tutorial?

The B3 Guest Designer Program brought us great projects like Lunar Moth, Persianette, Iris 8 and the Celtic Traditions Barrette. We are so lucky to have the most talented and creative customers and peers.

Why be a B3 Guest Designer?

Our Guest Designers benefit a number of ways. If accepted, your design could reach an audience of hundreds of thousands of customers ranging from novice to expert levels. And you’ll be compensated fairly; many Guest Designers can expect to receive fees and royalties higher than typical rates for publishing a project in magazines. Finally, you’ll benefit from the flexibility of the program, which is meant help artists do what they do best. After a short exclusivity period, the design you create with B3’s help will be yours to sell on your own as well.

What Is B3 Looking For?

Occasionally, with the Guest Designer Program, we ask for submission that feature a specific B3 product (rubber rings, large rings, etc.) but this time, you have free reign. So, show us — what fun, elegant, cool, edgy or glamorous design you have up your sleeve? Here are some categories to help spark your imagination:

  • Necklaces, bracelets or earrings
  • Finger rings or other hand jewelry
  • Head pieces or hair adornments
  • Men’s jewelry
  • Beginner to advanced-level projects

KIT-CELT-TRAD-ALUM-big KIT-IRIS-8-COPP-big KIT-LUNAR-MOTH-ALUM-big KIT-PRSNTTE-BRACE-ALUM-bigHow to Submit Your Idea:

  • Complete our project proposal form which includes basic information about the project (materials list, description, etc.).
  • In the form, you’ll need to include up to three photos of the finished piece.
  • Late-January, our Product Development team will review all designs and and contact the designers whose pieces we are most interested in. At that point, designers will be required to submit a full sample using B3 rings (yep, we will mail the sample back to you), as well as basic photos and instructions for how to create it (these can be super basic—even cell phone pics will do). Our Product Development team will make final selections from this round of reviews.

Submit your idea to us by 5 pm CT, January 16, 2015, to be considered. It will also be helpful to read our FAQ page about what it means to work with Blue Buddha to create a chainmaille tutorial. Still have questions? Send us an email at [email protected]. Happy weaving!

>>GO TO THE PROPOSAL FORM<<

Not sure how to come up with an original chainmaille design? Check out this video from our Ask Rebeca series where she talks about how she comes up with new weaves!

12 Days of Craftmas: Five Wizard at Work Bath and Body Products

On the fifth day of Craftmas, the Blue Buddha Artisan Market gave to me …

Five handmade soaps by Wizard at Work.

Millenium Falcon Gummy Bear TARDIS Superman Soap

Wizard at Work soaps, bath fizzies and lotion bars come in a variety of fun shapes like gummy bears and chill pills, as well as Doctor Who, Star Wars and various superhero-inspired shapes.

Soap, bath fizzies and lotion bars in fun shapes? Check! The Wizard at Work here is Kymberlee Ricke, a 10+ year resident of the Uptown neighborhood in Chicago, and her day job is teaching 5th grade reading and science on the west side of the city where she often brings her bath and body product making skills to school and teaches the students to make their own soaps and bath bombs. She’s also an avid wildlife photographer, jeweler and crochet artist. She travels internationally at least once a year to photograph the diverse wildlife found in places like Costa Rica, Honduras and Belize.

Check out more of Wizard at Work’s soapy creations in person at the Blue Buddha Artisan Market, 1127 W. Granville in Chicago, or visit www.etsy.com/WizardAtWork.