Hello??? (Echo)

Yes, We realize we have not been posting, updating the shop etc. Here's why.  First, Hillary had a bunch of personal stuff going on.  Then she was busy with doing shows.  Then she had a big question to answer:
What do you do when the materials for your items in your etsy shop cost so much that you have to have regular income from your business to be able to afford more and you haven't sold a single item in 2-3 years of having the business? Do you keep persisting, hoping that it will happen eventually? Do you use your grocery money to buy more supplies anyways?  In this case the answer is, you fold that business into the business that at least makes some income.  Our unique high quality jewelry will be made available at http://hippybeads.etsy.com over the next few weeks.  Since this style does not seem to be popular, new pieces in silver and gemstone may be rare, but are always available by custom request.  If you wish to contact Hillary regarding a custom piece or anything else, please email her at hippybeads@gmail.com.

Hello Strangers!

We realize it has been a long time since we updated and we're sorry.  Life has been... interesting lately: the kind of interesting that involves holidays, family, surgeries, leaving jobs and potential career changes.  Now that everything is settling down, we wanted to take a moment to update you on the recent happenings.

Last weekend was our first weekend attending Helena trade days, which will be the first Saturday of every month in downtown Helena, AL.  This weekend we are at "Art on the side" in downtown Helena with jewelry to fit all price ranges as well as some paintings.  We hope to see you there today and in the months to come!

It's that time of year again!

This year We are helping out Children's Hospitals once again!  20% of any sales made from now until Dec 30th 2010 on Artful Unity, HippyBeads, Luck and Luster or in person with Hillary will be donated to Child's Play, a Charity that helps many Children's hospitals both in the US and internationally. 
Also: In celebration of Christmas and in the spirit of giving: If you mention this blog in your order comments, you can get free shipping on Domestic orders and half price shipping on Canadian and international orders!  Shipping will be refunded via paypal before order is shipped.

Pumpkin: fruit, vegetable or just awesome art?

Happy Thanksgiving from Artful Unity! Hillary had some new thoughts on an age old question and wanted to share:

While eating my breakfast of turkey and pumpkin pie, I began to contemplate the age old question: is pumpkin a fruit or a vegetable?  I did a lot of research and came up with the answer:  It doesn't matter.  Pumpkin is tasty pie and delicious art!
Here are a few of the awesome and yummy arts and crafts that we found on etsy:

Pumpkin earrings

Pumpkin eye shimmer

Pumpkin vine card

Pumpkin souffle melting tarts

Pumpkin apple autter


Pumpkin laser cut box

We hope everyone enjoyed our tasty post and had an awesome thanksgiving!

How jewelry can make a statement

Hillary had some thoughts on jewelry and making statements with it.:
I constantly struggle with the conundrum of whether I should just make something pretty or really work on making a strong statement with my pieces. My journey with making pieces that are personal has come slowly and, despite my best efforts, the statements aren't always clear to the naked eye, which is why I was amazed when I saw this. Burcu Buyukunal, a turkish jewelry designer, has designed face distorting jewelry. I have never seen anything make a statement more strongly and, at the same time, more abstractly than this.
When asked about the jewelry, he said that there's nothing sexier than a woman who doesn't want to look sexy. I really feel like it also makes a statement about women who are willing to distort their face or themselves to follow fashion or society much like I intended my piece, Exactly, to be.  Everyone who has written an article about Burcu's new jewelry has either simply reported it, seemed to be confused by it or seemed to dislike it.  I love it.  I think it's bold and amazing and says so many things so clearly.  The fact is, jewelry designers always create to make some statement--be it "I'm sparkly", "green is a pretty color" or "my heart is broken and I feel things you couldn't even imagine"--and Burcu's design makes a statement like no other. Wow.

Using Beads to Promote Peace and Harmony

Hillary saw a great news article on a company an India that hires workers of all faiths to create beautiful beads and wanted to share it with all of you.



We think it's amazing that they are using artistry to come together and overcome discriminatory societal standards. We hope you enjoyed this piece. Check back soon for more news, projects and fun!

sketch for arty party

As you may have seen in a previous post, Hillary has taken up sketching again.  She came up with an idea and wanted to submit it for Arty Party, a fundraiser for Birmingham AIDS Outreach.  The idea was to have a stylized, bare human form with an artery running through it's heart that was in the shape of an HIV ribbon.  It was not meant to carry a specific, concrete message, but rather just make an abstract visual statement and represent the individuals that BAO helps.  Here is the progression of sketches.

The above is the final sketch which was donated to arty party.  We hope you enjoyed it and look forward to showing you new artistry soon!