Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Natty Boho

by Erika Jurney on March 19, 2010

Natty Boho is commited to sweatshop free garments, so all the clothes are handmade by little ol’ me. The fabrics that I use are all recycled. So good for the environment and not hurting anyone in the process! These garments are one off pieces due to the nature of vintage fabrics used. Some designs are recreated, but always in different fabrics. Natty Boho’s garments are original and whimsical. I don’t like following the rules of style when it comes to my own creations.

{ via Parasol Project’s etsy favorites }

Erika Jurney is the founder of Try Handmade. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook, or learn more about her love of the handmade.

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Kanokwalee Designs

by Erika Jurney on March 19, 2010

in Jewelry

Kanokwalee Designs: I am a full time in-house graphic designer by trade and a crocheter every chance I get. My work is clean and simple, uncomplicated in appearance and, yes, can be very graphic.

Erika Jurney is the founder of Try Handmade. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook, or learn more about her love of the handmade.

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Sweet Dixie Designs

by Chelsey Mona on March 18, 2010

in For the Home, Freshly Made

Jane of Sweet Dixie Designs began painting furniture as a creative outlet after graduating college 25 years ago. With a degree in Textile Design, painting furniture began as a fun outlet. She painted rocking chairs and stools to give friends as baby gifts and then it just grew into a business. Her experience ranges from painting large items such as armoires to smaller home accessories and she has sold them through craft shows and stores. After taking some time off from painting while her children were little, she wanted to get back to being creative. She found Etsy and opened her store selling photo frames in November. These frames are a great way to add color and pattern into your home decor and to showcase your special photos. Isn’t the little scalloped detail along the edges sweet?

Jane is inspired by what she sees happening in home decor magazines and even fashion magazines. You can definitely see her textile background in her fabric-influenced patterns.

I have always loved color and pattern and like the idea that at first glance it may look like the frame is covered in paper or fabric and then you realize that it is paint. My style isn’t really modern or traditional, I just like what I like.

Jane is a mom of three and her fourth child is her “Sweet Dixie” a rescued greyhound, her shop’s namesake. She enjoys finding new patterns and colors and hopes to add a variety of items to her shop as time goes on.

I think buying handmade is so important. After being out of the craft market for a while coming back into it I now see how many people make a living from their art. The time and care that goes into each item cannot be duplicated.

Sweet Dixie Designs frames would make great gifts for that upcoming baby shower or wedding. Go visit her shop, there are tons of great designs and color schemes to choose from!

Chelsey loves to explore all areas of creative expression and she writes about her adventures on her blog Silverbug Studio Creations. You can find her on Twitter, Facebook, Flickr or stop in at her Etsy store.

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Silk Dyed Easter Egg Kit from The June Bride

by Ciaran Blumenfeld on March 18, 2010

in Baby and Child, Holidays

These Easter eggs from The June Bride { previously featured here and here } look like a million bucks. I’m not sure who first figured out that you could use silk prints to dye your Easter eggs, but that person deserves some sort of prize.

The problem for me, and those like me who would love to try this craft, however, is that I don’t have a bunch of patterned silk items laying about the house. I’m pretty sure that my husband would not look kindly upon me slicing and dicing his ties for the good of the eggs.

Enter The June Bride who has put together a kit containing 16 thrifted/recycled silk scraps that can be used (and reused, the scraps work more than once) to create ART eggs. Also included are the additional supplies you’ll need for this fun and surprisingly easy project. No hunting all over town and through your closet for sacrificial silk and no more ordinary pink and blue eggs for you and your kids! You’re going to have so much fun!

The June Bride also donates $1 from the sale of every kit to the American Cancer Society.

Ciaran is a crafter, writer and shopper. Her children's clothing line Francie Pants was born in her garage on an old serger. She prescribes retail therapy for the masses on a daily basis on her shopping blog Popshopology.

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In Bloom

by Jennifer Simoni on March 18, 2010

in Baby and Child, For the Home, Jewelry, Seasonal Handmade

There’s nothing like fresh cut flowers. Here in the NYC area, it’s one of our few inexpensive luxuries. A simple bunch costs about $10, and adds instant freshness to any room. Placed in an office, on a kitchen counter, coffee table, or windowsill; flowers, like tulips, are an easy and inexpensive addition to your home. All you need to do is fill a container with water, add flowers, and done. (Small vases are perfect for small spaces, from Anna’s Pots. )

Tulips are the flower I buy the most often, and, I think, completely underrated by many people. Depending on where you live in the U.S., fully bloomed tulips can be found from the end of March through April. The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival, about 60 miles north of Seattle, is a popular tulip festival in the U.S. Showcasing fields and farms of tulips, the vistas are the closest thing we get here to Holland. For a tulip fix all year round, this beautiful felt appliqué pillow from Alexandra Ferguson would freshen up any room’s decor.

On the east coast, Washington DC hosts its Cherry Blossom Festival, the countries’ most famous. Under the category of “who knew”? The cherry blossom festival first bloomed in 1912 when the Mayor of Tokyo gifted the U.S. with 3,000 Cherry Blossom trees. First Lady Taft and the Viscountess Chinda, wife of a Japanese Ambassador, planted the first 2 trees. Visually the cherry blossom tree bloom is stunning and an apropos introduction to spring. (This cool cuff from The Shag Bag shop has a subtle cherry blossom pattern. It’s available in different colors.)

Peonies, another spring flower, are closely related in look to the cherry blossom. (This barret from The Belle And The Beau captures the beauty and fun of peonies.)

There are so many different flowers that bloom at different times during the Spring. Everyone has their favorite, from tulips to azaleas to roses to daisies to Dogwood trees; some bloom in March, others in May. That might be the best part of Spring, the seemingly endless roll call of new blooms.

Jennifer is a freelance writer, who just launched a new wine tag line found at Shop TagIt! and on Etsy. You can follow her incorrigible tag obsession at the Daily Tag.

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Interview with Kim Jones of Sugarskull7 Hand Carved Rubber Stamps

by Erika Jurney on March 17, 2010

in DIY Interview, Mixed Media

I design and create hand-carved rubber stamps. I also dabble in painting, printmaking and other paper crafts, but stamps are my obsession.

How did you get started? Have you worked in other creative areas before the kind of work you’re doing now?

I had a friend with a serious rubber stamp addiction. I loved all the cool things she made with her stamps, but, being an artsy-type person, experienced a weird feeling of guilt using art made by others. One day I was flipping through one of her stamping magazines and found an article on “eraser carving”. Make your OWN stamps?? From ERASERS?? I have erasers!! I can do this! An addiction was born.

Is there a story behind the name of your shop?

I really love Mexican folk art, especially Day of the Dead images like sugar skulls. I also have a strange love of the number 7 (OCD, anyone?), hence the name Sugarskull7.

Do you work alone? With a team? Do you engage your family or friends in the work? What is your process? How do you ensure you get your work done yet still have a life?

I work alone for the most part. Wait, that’s not true – there are almost always four dogs in various positions of slumber in close proximity.

My process is sort of haphazard. I usually spend most of the morning and early afternoon filling orders (my stamps are all made-to-order), but sometimes an idea for a new stamp will hit and I’ll drop everything and draw it up. If I’m happy with the drawing, I’m likely to carve it right then and there. Then I’ll go back to carving and filling orders. Right now this pretty much IS my life, but I do try to force myself to walk away from the drafting table and participate in the world now and then.

Where do you sell your work? Which venues are your favorites? Do you prefer selling online or in person? Do you attend shows or fairs? Is your work in a gallery or brick-and-mortar store?

I sell on Etsy, I absolutely LOVE Etsy. My shop address is www.sugarskull7.com . So far I haven’t attempted to sell my work at fairs or in brick and mortar stores because it’s difficult to create enough inventory at one time. I might try my hand at a local indoor craft fair soon, though.

Do you have any favorite handmade shops or sellers you’d like to recommend?

I have too many favorites to list, but a few are BeanUpTheNoseArt, TerraMaya and PinBackAttack.

What inspires and motivates you?

I’m inspired by things I see around me, things people say, song lyrics, random thoughts – stamp ideas are everywhere. I’m motivated by the memory of working in a cubicle for a large corporation for 17 years and the desire to never, ever do that again. I’m making far less money and far more hours doing what I do now, yet I never really feel like I’m doing a “job”. It’s what I love.

What do you wish I had asked you?

“Do you have any strange hobbies?”

Why yes, I’m teaching myself to hoop dance. Great fun, great exercise, no gym required!

Thanks Kim. And if you would like to be interviewed next, check out DIY Interview.

Erika Jurney is the founder of Try Handmade. You can follow her on Twitter and Facebook, or learn more about her love of the handmade.

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Mojo Spa

March 17, 2010

As I approached Mojo Spa, its facade a pink and white confection on an avenue of stone, steel and cement, I couldn’t help but think of Good and Plenty, those licorice-flavored, candy-coated pellets that are always hanging out at the movie theaters with their floozy cousin, Good and Fruity. Little did I know how effectively [...]

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