after a good 14 months of swooning over skylark studio jewelry by karen stanford, i am finally the proud owner of this hand-cut sterling silver bee necklace. it is absolutely perfect for me: large enough to make a statement, simple enough to allow me to make that statement almost everyday!

so, through karen (above), i met melanie – the designer/illustrator behind this lovely maple veneer postcard. melanie left one of these simple beauties for me at hello bluebird this week! i’m planning to punch a whole in mine and use some lovely ribbon to hang it somewhere for a holiday decoration. the rest of melanie’s shop, spreadthelove, is full of bold, folk-art inspired illustrations that always, always make me smile.

finally, here’s another fun piece from sara smedley. sara is known for her “stoplight” patterned placemats, tea towels, and aprons. i love how this ornament design fits so well into her established aesthetic but gives a nice option for the holidays!

sara is also a friend of melanie’s & karen’s – and all these talented ladies live in & around kutztown, pa, about 20 minutes from me! you can also check out more of their friends at the home on the web of their indie craft collective: z-town made.

so, i’ve shared some of my friends with you today. on this free-for-all friday, i was hoping you’d share some of your friends with me! one of the best parts of being involved with indie craft on the web is the friends we met and the relationships we cultivate.

please leave a comment on this post with a link to a friend‘s shop or blog so i can check them out!!