Try Handmade

Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Skudfisher

by Leave a Comment

Cartoons! I watch tons of cartoons.

That was Mike from Skudfisher‘s response when I asked him what inspired his fun plushies. How can you argue with such enthusiasm?

Everything from Invader Zim to Rocky and Bullwinkle (both of which are responsible for huge chunks of my sense of humour). I also pretty obsessively try to absorb as much cool art as possible from the internet. Flickr has so many amazing independent artists that it kind of blows my mind sometimes. I can spend hours just going from artist or artist on flickr. I have some pretty amazing people on my contact list on there that I really admire.

Mike has been obsessed with drawing silly characters and monsters since he was little. Then 2 years ago he decided to try and make one of his monsters into a toy for his nephew as a birthday gift, lucky kid. It only took that one toy to turn sewing into an obsession and he’s been making plushies ever since. Each monster has it’s own story along with it’s likes and dislikes to ensure monster/child compatibility.

There is something very satisfying about coming up with an idea, cutting out the fabric and sewing everything together, into something you can hold in your hands, that I just don’t get from drawing. I still love drawing though!

Mike’s current favorite is Acorn! He thinks she is just so adorable and huggable and really loves working with faux fur material. And as I was working on this, my 2 1/2 year old son told me he wanted THAT monster – so I guess she’s not just Mike’s favorite!

Currently Skudfisher’s plushies are only sold through Mike’s shop, but after many years of attending craft fairs and enjoying Montreal’s great craft scene he hopes to get involved as a vendor there soon. So if you’re in the Montreal area, keep your eyes peeled.

If you’d like to keep up with Mike’s creations he keeps a blog of all his work at and updates his Flickr very regularly.

A Stylish Design

by 1 Comment

Do you know a bride who is in need of accessories for her wedding this summer? A Stylish Design is a new shop that has a variety of floral accents to make her day perfect. Every bride wants her wedding to be a perfect extension of herself and her groom. Amy, the maker behind the shop, has always loved designing, but it wasn’t until her own wedding that she really discovered her creative passion, so she really understands the attention to detail that brides want. Each of her pieces can be custom made to match your style & vision- no two pieces are alike.

After struggling to find a job specific to her field, Amy took the leap into selling her handmade goods. With a degree in design and her love of weddings, she’s discovered the perfect mix in starting her own business.

I love my pillows. I’m a self-taught at sewing, but have taken classes to learn how to do things a little more advanced. So, I’m looking forward to making more custom made ring-bearer pillows.

When designing her own wedding, Amy found it difficult to find unique, customized, affordable options and was inspired to help other brides with these important details. Since each wedding is unique, A Stylish Design can customize the details to match your specifications. Amy will also be offering other wedding design services through her website.

I’m inspired to help you make your wedding a memorable one and will approach each design with uniqueness & creativity.

So if you’re a bride to be, know a bride to be, or just like floral accents, go check out A Stylish Design.

Time and Tide Photo

by Leave a Comment

Good photography is about timing and patience waiting for the perfect lighting or the clouds to be just so, something that Time and Tide Photo does well. Time and Tide Photo was created by a husband and wife team of Emily and Jayson. Emily has always had a love of doing crafts and has dabbled in painting, and ceramics, besides photography. She has been doing photography on and off for about 12 years and first got introduced to film photography in high school. She started doing digital photography after taking a class in college. Jayson has just recently, in the last year gotten into doing photography. Friends, family and coworkers have asked to buy photos and suggested that they sell them. So they decided to give it a try.

Influenced by Ansel Adams’ photography, their subjects are often landscapes. They also like to keep up with current photographers on Digital Photography School.

Our photos are created because we love to take photos. In every photo we take, we enjoy the subject or place, the composition and the lighting. We do not take photos because we think that they will sell or make money, we do it out of passion and instinct. We think that the positive energy, creativeness and passion shows through in the final products. People should buy from us because they are supporting local artists, and because they are getting a unique piece of art. Larger retailers create mass produced products purely for profit.

When not working on their photos, Jayson works full time in banking and Emily is a full time Mommy and also works part time in retail. You can get more information from their blog and you can view Emily’s Flickr stream and Jayson’s Flickr stream for more great photos.

Red Linc Art – Tracy Knits

by 3 Comments

Tracey is the artist behind Red Linc Art which sells paintings, drawings and photographs and TraceyKnits where you can find knitted goods from belts to golf club covers. Tracey is one of those people who is a creative person by nature, the kind that takes every opportunity to learn and do new art projects. While working in a stationery shop she decided to start making handmade greeting cards. That creative spark soon turned into a flame and she found selling online was the perfect way to find her target audience.

In my knitting shop, I am currently in love with the bride and groom golf club covers. I can just imagine a couple on their destination wedding in Ireland, hitting the links with these in their bags. In my fine art shop, I recently listed a photograph entitled “I heart wool”. It is a sheep smiling; I am sure I heart wool as much as that sheep does!

If you’re in the Mt. Holly, NJ area, you can find some of Tracey’s club covers and prints at Jersey Made and she also sells at craft fairs in her area. Her original paintings are sold exclusively through Art Setter.

Artisticly, I am all about comic book influenced pop art. I love Keith Haring, Roy Lichtenstein, and Cindy Sherman. With knitting, my family and friends are definitely shaping the direction of my work.

Tracey’s art ranges from whimsical paintings of hands creating shadow puppets to photographs that are a study in pattern and repetition.

Her knits feature nostalgic characters and sports themed and are an entirely different form of creative exploration. You can keep up with her on her blog or find her on Twitter or Facebook.

Dave’s Turnings

by Leave a Comment

Since it’s getting to be close to Fathers Day, I’ve been thinking about my Dad. Growing up, I spent a lot of time in my dad’s wood shop (with my shoes on – the cardinal rule of observing in the shop, you can’t come in barefoot). So appreciating the natural beauty of wood was ingrained (pun intended) in my head at an early age. Even now I have a difficult time painting anything wood. So when I came across the new shop Dave’s Turnings I was drawn to the beautiful wood. Seems Dave agrees with me that the natural essence of the wood contains its beauty.

I’m influenced mostly by nature. I’m always awed by the beauty in natural wood; its grain, color, the natural defects. It’s always different from one piece to the next and I try to bring out that beauty and preserve it.

Based in New Mexico, Dave uses mostly local New Mexico Aspen in his lovely bowls. He started turning on a wood lathe at about the same time his wife opened a small and successful home decor store in St. Charles, MO 7 years ago. The shop has since closed, but you can still find a few of his pieces in a couple of shops in northern Wisconsin.

My pieces are all one of a kind and I take special care in making each one. If someone is looking for something unique and special that will last a lifetime I hope that they buy something from me. Also I think it’s important to promote American small business.

Dave is currently an air-ambulance pilot living with his wife in Gallup, NM. He spends much of his time while on-call and during his time off working at the lathe.