I always think it’s amazing when people throw all their passion and philosophy into their work. It lends their work a certain vibrance and always makes you feel good to support the cause. And it helps that the items are cute, too:

All the items above are the work of Jen at Never Felt Better. Jen is a fellow Sacramento resident and IndieSacramento vendor! She is also a vegan who uses no animal-derived materials in any of her products. Many of the bags and scarves and wallets in her shop are made from acrylic (man-made) yarn, and she doesn’t use wool or silk or leather.

She also uses recycled vintage scraps of fabric for other items, such as the soldered pendants and the appliques on the bags.

Her passion is a bit infectious and Jen hopes to spread that good feeling around. In Jen’s words:

never felt better is more than a catchy phrase! it is a recipe for happiness: a combination of my love for all things vintage*cute*wearable, a pinch of compassionate living, one cup of my decade plus of retail and resale experience, stirred until blended. throw in a dash of silliness and you have all things never felt better!

Well, maybe you’ll feel good (maybe even better) all around shopping from here. Good stuff!

Yummy jewelry from Adorn You:

The stuff in the shop is really adorable, fun, fresh and affordable to boot! Do check it out.

I also love how a lot of the items are named after food, like the ring above (it’s called Chocolate Lime Souffle). I am a sucker for food.

When a shop’s tagline is “little things you didn’t know you wanted,” you’ve got to check it out, yes?

I found a few little things I wish I could get at paper pattern silk:

I’m especially digging the music note earrings. They’re so subtle and yet so elegant and fabulous!

These two pieces also happen to be made with sterling silver pieces that were hand-hammered and soldered. I love people who can do metalsmithing.

You’ll find all manner of earrings, necklaces and bracelets at paper pattern silk, as well as some lovely drawings (drawn then digitally colored) like this:

Psst, Valentine’s Day is coming up, and jewelry’s not a bad gift idea … how about one of these to impress your sweetie?

All this wonderful jewelry is from Portland, Ore.-based smallthings. Every piece of jewelry is made with sterling silver — only the highest quality. All the silver and glass used is also hand-cut! No molds, no prefab pieces here — that just makes this jewelry even more amazing.

You can choose from different colors of glass for many of the pendants, and there are all kinds of motifs available, from flowers to mushrooms to squirrels (and other forest creatures) to leaves to birds.

Every piece is made to order, so if you’re looking for a Valentine’s gift, you should order now! (Orders can take from two to four weeks.) Or maybe you’ll just want one for yourself so you can shine.

Good things come in clusters, yes? Especially in nice, big, shiny clusters you can wear …

These earrings are part of the new Cluster Yum line at Rachel Roellke Jewelry Designs.

Rachel is a jewelry designer based in Portland, Ore., and her shop is full of beautiful beaded goodness. Glassy, shiny and elegant, for sure. In addition to the earrings, you’ll also find some pretty clusters in the necklaces too, like this one:

If you see a necklace or bracelet in Rachel’s shop that’s too long or short, she can adjust the size for you. And if you ask really nicely, she can even make matching sets!

I have been a fan of chokers since middle school, when I used to sport this little velvet number with a heart dangling from it. Man, I thought I was so cool.

You’ll feel equally as cool in these super pretty chokers:

You’ll find these at Liebling Designs, the work of Jessica Cripps. If you’re a big fan of flowers, this is the shop for you. Many pieces in the shop have a floral theme to it, whether they be big and bold flowers like the ones above, or flower-shaped beads.

And whether it’s got flowers or not, everything is really colorful, and Jessica puts together some really inviting color palettes. Great for chasing the gray winter blues!

If you’ve played even a lick of Nintendo (or watching someone play a lick of Nintendo), you will no doubt know about Link from The Legend of Zelda!

The first time I saw this, I was totally amazed. It’s fantastic work by Ruthiee of Rose Works Jewelry.

At Rose Works Jewelry, it’s all about beads and using them in all kinds of ways, from beadweaving to simple stringing to wire work. There’s a terrific selection of jewelry in Ruthiee’s shop, from the simple and elegant to the eye-popping and intricate. And very colorful too.

A peek at a couple of other pieces to whet your appetite:

Take a look at these treasures from Tulip’s Treasure Box:

That is just a sampling of the amazing and intricate work that can be found in the shop. If you love seeing woven bead work (and wearing it, of course), or you’re looking for a one-of-a-kind item, this is the place to go. Many of the woven works are one of a kind — understandable when you think of the time patience involved in making some of those pieces!

There’s also a wide array of other beaded jewelry to check out, and even some destash supplies.

If you love nature and you love jewelry, you’ll have to check some of these pieces out:

These lovely pieces are the work of UK-based Joanna Rutter. Joanna hand-fabricates all her jewelry, which features many things found in nature: birds, leaves, squirrels, clouds. Since each piece is hand-cut, no two things are exactly alike!

There’s a really nice selection of items, from big dangly earrings to studs to good-sized pendants to rings that won’t get in the way of your holding a pen. What’s especially cool are the earring pairs that aren’t two of the same thing, but related items. For instance, there’s this robin and a branch or this squirrel and a branch.

Joanna’s style is simple and elegant, and definitely worth checking out.

Colorful and glassy … it makes for some eye-popping jewelry. Take a look:

And this isn’t big and bold, but it’s nonetheless really pretty:

You can find this jewelry at A Keeper’s Jackpot. Visit the shop and you’ll be sure to be mesmerized by the shiny, pretty glass beads.

If you’re looking for something bold and elegant, this is the place to look. Plenty of chunky bracelets and big glass pendants. There’s also some very nice wire-wrapped and wire crochet pieces in the store.

Custom items are also available, including some custom word bracelets.

And prices are really reasonable. That’s only a plus.

Want a jewelry piece that will grab some attention? This might fit the bill:

This fun, funky piece of jewelry is from Red Panda Chainmaille. You’ll find all kinds of linky goodness from the Nashville, Tennessee-based jewelry maker, and most of the pieces have a distinctive burst of color. It’s nice to see something so funky and colorful and not just your traditional all silver or copper or gold rings.

There are also some stretchy chainmaille bracelets, something I’d never associate with chainmaille, but a nice touch indeed. You’ll also find keychains and stitch markers among the jewelry. Fun stuff!

Sure, beads are pretty all by themselves, but beaded beads — that’s a whole ‘nother story!

I’ve always been fascinated with the peyote stitch and the way some folks are able to take seed beads and weave them into lovely color combinations. Tiny, unassuming seed beads, just a dot of color by themselves, coming together in a harmonious way.

Like this:

This jewelry is made by yellowplum beads, out of Maine. It’s high-quality jewelry, with sterling silver findings and shiny glass seed beads or Czech glass beads.

There are two types of jewelry — a firepolished series that features Czech beads as the focal point, and a sculptural series that features all the peyote stitched goodness. You’ve got tubes, cubes and all kinds of pretty color combos to choose from.

And the craftsmanship is superb — it’s amazing that each of those tubes can look exactly the same!

Needle + thread + fabric + nifty additions = Fun accessories.

Like these:

a crocheted necklace …

a cuff watch …

a beaded bracelet (hey, i bet some needle and thread was needed to make it!) …

All this is the fine work of Amy Rae at Dragon’s Spark, where on her site she says, “I have a passion for the useful and beautiful, and a compulsion to create the things I imagine.”

How’s that for feeding your creative spark?

Amy Rae has plenty of beautiful accessories on her site, many of which incorporate fabric, ribbons or beads. The crocheted jewelry is especially nice, as it’s elegant and simple and makes for a nice, organic look.

There are also clutches, cuffs and some sweet copper wire jewelry. So Amy Rae’s need to create awesome stuff is to your advantage!

A friend of mine used to make fun of chain maille, saying, “What, for all your knightly needs?” Well, poobah.

Chain maille is cool, visually interesting and darned intricate. And if you hop over to Elements by Dawn, you’ll see some fabulous stuff like this:

Dawn’s jewelry is a mix of styles, ranging from the simple, elegant lines of the silver jewelry — like this lovely heart pendant — to bold and chunky (check this necklace out). And it’s versatile jewelry and can go with both your elegant outfits or add some pizazz if you’re wearing jeans and something casual.

Do take a look.

This girl I know, Amy? She’s a smart and crafty one indeed.

She is president of the Sacramento Craft Mafia.

She’s a fellow computer whiz.

She also makes all sorts of stuff and sells it in her shop, Peptogirl Industries.

What might you find? Well, for starters:

The Blue Skies necklace (and that’s a fused glass pendant, handcrafted by Amy).

The I Heart Cupcakes Yoga Bag (though I assume you can stuff other things besides yoga gear into it).