Try Handmade

Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Far East Style, Home Town Goods

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hand printed pillows from Tulusa Home Goods

Normally my shopping instincts are sharply honed onto pretty things to wear: clothes, shoes, jewelry, anything I can sew a flower on to, that sort of thing. But every now and then my eye is caught by beautiful home accessories, and I get the itch to beautify my living space, not just my closet!

block printed place mats from Tulusa Home Goods

Sue Henry is a sculptor and ceramic artist whose work moved over to textiles when her children came along. A dusty studio filled with fragile, breakable things was no longer practical with little ones running about. She decided to take up carving linoleum blocks – the tactile experience reminded her of her first love, working in clay.

Sue has been an artist all her life, and remembers her first creative instinct being about creating comfortable places to live. As a little girl, she wanted to be an architect and an interior designer. It just seemed like a natural next step to print her designs on textiles to create beautiful, functional home goods.

chrysanthemum hand carved block printed table runner

Seeing the lovely things that Sue makes really got me thinking about how I’ve been neglecting my living spaces lately. Her designs are full of movement and energy, and I love the bold colors she uses, which really make the designs stand out.

mehndi print table linen

Every item at Tulusa Home Goods begins with a linoleum block hand carved by Sue. She is inspired by her travels to India and South East Asia, and her love of cooking, architecture, and design. The designs are printed on cotton or linen canvas with solvent-free block printing ink. The pillows are stuffed with organic kapok, a fluffy, soft, and environmentally friendly alternative to polyfill. The textiles are designed to be functional and durable, and are machine washable.

stack of handcrafted, hand printed pillows

Included in the collection at Tulusa are pillows of all sizes, including large meditation pillows, and table linens of all types. Sue’s favorite part of the creative process is carving the linoleum block, so there’s really no limit to what she can print on, once she completes a design.

close up of wave print from hand carved linoleum block

Right now, the most popular item at Tulusa Home Goods is the Ganesha pillow. Ganesha is a Hindu deity who is the remover of obstacles, and the bringer of good fortune and new beginnings. A good friend to have around as we approach the busy holiday season and the new year, wouldn’t you say?

hand printed pillow featuring Ganesha

You can find Tulusa Home Goods at Sue’s online shop, and you can also contact her for custom orders or to be invited to her December pop-up shop in Alexandria, Virginia.

Tableware made with love in Pawtucket

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With my five year wedding anniversary fast approaching I have been thinking about what fun it was to make registries. The excitement of a new life, new belongings and maybe a new place to call home. Even with all of these presents, building your life is always a work in progress. You find new objects you love more than the ones you already own, styles and aesthetics change. But there are some things which are timeless and Gleena is the perfect blend of classical and modern which will never get old.

The medley of white and blue is soothing. I love that the middle plate, being half blue and half white, brings the large plate and bowl together. Each piece has their own personality yet they are still a cohesive set.

It is in this set that you can best see where the artist draws her influence from. She grew up in Russia, summering in a country house surrounded by her grandmother’s gardens. She seems to handle these memories carefully as they are important to her. Asya displays detailed images on hand-shaped forms, showing that memories can change shape over time. I love the cheery yellow she chose. Makes for a great presentation.

These plates don’t need a special occasion. I would love to have these for everyday use. The sea inspired glaze adds a dash of color without overpowering the simple design. The typeset imprints make for a great detail.

This cup is my favorite out of all her work. The blend of color and form are just darling but the quote and stamped letter make this cup perfect. Sharing tea is most certainly a celebration, toast to something grand.

Asya does a great job of mixing her love of form and function with her passion for graphic design. This cup displays her happy union of numbers, letters, color and shape. I love her subtle introduction of color, it is never overpowering and always just right.

These bowls make for the perfect presentation. Asya makes even the simplest of pieces elegant with her attention to detail. She carefully adapts the form to better serve it’s function. In keeping these bowls white, she draws attention to her beloved form which were inspired by gourds found while traveling in French Guiana.

I think celebrating five years should call for an updated registry. My wedding was lots of fun and I would love to do it all again with Gleena’s shop at the top of my registry list. What would be on your list?

Jelli Burlesque Miss Coco

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I can’t stop laughing long enough to write a suitable description for this doll. I.Love.It. Do I really need to say that it isn’t for kids? I mean really, what kind of house are you running there? (Unless you’re parenting Bob Fosse, of course, and in that case: more power to you.) By jellibat.

Sculpted Light

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I know it’s only November, and those irritating Christmas commercials have amazingly already started, but these dear little cards make me start to remember why Christmas is my favorite holiday of the year. When I found them in the Gallery I knew I just had to share them with you.

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And she also has these gorgeous paper lamps as well.

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Sculpted Light: My sculptures begin life as a string of reed. Then with a bit of imagination, it’s bent and shaped to form a skeleton. Once I’m happy with the skeleton, it’s time for paper and paste.

To ensure quality and strength, tissues are purchased from The Paper Place in Toronto, and three layers of it are applied to the skeleton. Sort of like paper mâché.

Because of this process, there are no duplicates. All are different and unusual. When placed in your home, I hope they will bring to it the quirky side of life.

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