Freshly Made Archives - Try Handmade

Tractorgirl

June 29, 2021 by Chelsey Mona

Julie of tractorgirl and her partner live on a farm, with cereal cropping and sheep and three small children (5, and twins 3), in south-eastern inland Australia. And if that’s not enough to keep you busy, she also sews lovely pillow covers, tea cozies, brooches and makes textured silver necklaces.

From an early age, Julie’s been a maker and a dreamer.

My mum used to work as a dressmaker, and so she would always have scraps of lovely fabric around for me to wrap my dolls in.

At University she studied jewelery and silversmithing, and while she loves it, with small children around, it’s difficult to do, so she’s returned to sewing. While she’s sold things now and then ever since finishing University, she’s always had another job as her main income. Now, however, as a stay-at-home mother – which is definitely a full time job in itself, it’s also one without without an income and she’s becoming much more involved in selling her work.

I have always felt compelled to make something somehow, and it didn’t seem to matter too much what type of medium – drawing, lino, textiles, metal.

My head is repository for all sorts of wonderful things. I like to keep on open mind; inspiration comes from all sorts of things, everything from nature to architecture. I have a Fine Arts background, so I have a large aesthetic resource to draw on – for instance, I am using classic motifs from various time frames and cultures for my current designs.

I care about my work – the process and the finished details. Each item is unique; I use upcycled materials somewhere in all my work, so I can rarely make the same thing twice.

I always try to be gentle on the earth. For me, upcycling refers to fabrics that are remnants from old projects and other sources, and from clothing, homewares and remnants found in op shops (thrift stores). This saves it from going to landfill, and besides, some things are too beautiful to throw out!

Julie’s favorite item is usually the last thing she made – right now it’s a cushion cover featuring a decorative motif from Pompeii, in white velvet and red satin. Her reverse applique on cushion covers is a beautiful combination of rustic and modern.

You can find out more about what’s in her head and on her workbench by following her on Facebook, her blog and twitter. If you’re in Australia you can also find her on MadeIt.

Usagi Rabbit

June 2, 2021 by Chelsey Mona

When I first came across this shop, I immediately was reminded of the Japanese animated film My Neighbor Totoro. So it should come as no surprise that Jacqueline, the artist behind UsagiRabbit is infatuated with Japanese culture. A student slowly working her way toward a college degree in linguistics, one of her goals is to learn to read Japanese. These whimsical bunny creatures are part Totoro and part Care Bear and so cute! Some are just for loving and cuddling, while others are put to work protecting your small electronic devices.

Jacqueline got her start in handmade when she couldn’t find the things she wanted in the stores. Though her shop has only been open since May she’s been creating art since she was old enough to pick up a coloring book – from making clothes for her dolls to patching up her jeans.

I used to knit scarves and a friend suggested I try selling some of them at a small local craft fair. I took the plunge and it was a blast! I loved meeting all those other crafters and artisans. Artists are some of the nicest people you can be around. Finding Etsy really got me thinking that I could make a go of this. It’s full of so many inspiring stories and helpful fellow sellers. I really want to try my best!

Her skills have been honed over the years with help from her mother (a lifelong seamstress) and various friends and teachers along the way. Isn’t it wonderful how the creative community came together to help this artist learn the skills to realize her vision?

There’s something about the feeling of the wool in my hands and the slight hum the thread makes that fills me with satisfaction.

Jacqueline first starts planning her creatures with a drawing and some key concepts.When she’s inspired a piece can come together very quickly; sometimes the process can take days or weeks. Once a design is decided on, she chooses colors and felts and cut out the pieces. The most time consuming part of the process is sewing the pieces because it takes a long time and the stitches have to be just right! Lastly, her creation is stuffed with pure cotton and sewn shut. Thus is born the latest addition to the UsagiRabbit family!

Well, I love all my finished creations (even though some of them can be quite beastly during the making) but if I had to choose just one I guess my favorite would be the orange rabbit with a yellow flower on its belly. It makes me smile when I see it.

Born and raised in New Jersey this Texas transplant is inspired by her travel and experiences of other cultures. She has no sales so far, so let’s get her started – shall we?

Dave’s Turnings

May 28, 2021 by Chelsey Mona

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.

Pretty Stinkin' Green

May 24, 2021 by Chelsey Mona

I first came to Pretty Stinkin’ Green when I stumbled across their fun tee-shirt skirts. Then I saw these graphic coffee sack totes and I loved the combination of vintage fabrics with the burlap. When I found out that the business is the result of a flourishing friendship, I loved it even more!

Deb and Hannah met about three years ago at their local scrapbook store in Traverse City, Michigan. They quickly became friends when they realized their shared hobbies ran deeper than paper crafts. Every time they got together their minds would go crazy with ideas.

we came up with new projects that we wanted to try, things we wanted to make, ideas we wanted to put into action, and we just couldn’t help ourselves, we wanted to do it all!

I can identify with that! But when a move forced them apart, they kept in touch by trading scrapbook kits and blogging together. That has been just less than a year ago, and they are closer now than ever! And while they continue to enjoy paper crafting with each other, Deb and Hannah have also continued to share their other passions, like green crafting, and inspire each other along the way. The focus of their business is to use upcycled & recycled materials. Nearly every part of ever item has had a prior life! Reuse, recycle & create!

Both Hannah and Deb gather inspiration of inspiration from blogs and websites, but their biggest inspiration comes from each other. Nearly everyday they’re exchanging ideas and inspiration.

Deb:: My favorite item changes constantly. I always get excited to make something new, or to put a twist on something that we have just made. That is what makes Pretty Stinkin’ Green so fun, we work with new materials all the time and we are challenging ourselves to come up with new ideas.

They are super friendly and love making connections with their clients! They’re open to special orders and love to work through the process of bringing an idea from inspiration to creation. And they’re not just limited to the types of items in their shop; they’re working on a custom bridal garter right now!

They also love to package their items creatively, they are paper crafters after all. You won’t find your item shoved in a priority mail box if they can help it! Their green mission is evident in their use of recycled products in their packaging. Each item is carefully wrapped up and sewn shut in recycled paper and mailed in old flour bags or reused boxes, carefully padded to ensure your items arrive safely!

Hannah ::I love the Stinkin’ Market Totes! I use a different one everyday! They have so much room inside, and can hold everything you want to take along with you. I also enjoy taking a couple along with me when I do my shopping, and then I don’t have to use paper or plastic bags!

Pretty Stinkin’ Green currently has items listed on both Artfire and Etsy, each with its own stock of unique upcycled products. Though, in the near future, their online listings will be with Etsy exclusively. Their items can also be found in a few unique shops in Traverse City, Michigan and a handful of craft shows this summer (Northern Michigan and West Central Ohio). Keep up with the latest by following them on their blog, Facebook and Twitter.

Kristin Parsons Illustrations

May 10, 2021 by Chelsey Mona

Creatures and beasties from another world is how you might describe Kristin Parsons‘ whimsical creations. Whether the creatures are fish-like, frog-like or totally unlike anything you’ve seen, kids seem to love these illustrations. Kristin worked as an inker at an animated cartoon studio in Barcelona in the mid 60’s and has continued to create work inspired by the little ones in her life over the last 60 years.

Over the years she’s had gallery shows, both group and solo, in the United States and Europe and has illustrated a couple of books. You could certainly imagine a picture book full of these critters. Each creature starts as hand drawings and then are scanned in and digitally manipulated to achieve the colorful finished product.

My favorite item from my Etsy shop is “Flower Inspection,” because it reminds me of my grandson, who’s four and always busy figuring out how things are put together.

An artist at heart, Kristin has been creating since she was 2 years old. While she has been selling her work offline for some time now, she’s just recently started selling online after discovering it as a way to share her work with potentially thousands of people every day.

A recent Florida transplant, she is currently only selling online. Kristin comes from a long line of artists – both her grandfathers and an aunt were artists, and, like them, she started drawing from a very early age. Growing up, she lived in three countries in Europe and stayed for art school.

She has one daughter with her husband, and a grandson who is a constant source of inspiration (and I gather from her conversation with me, pride). Her shop is truly Freshly Made, she’s only been listing for a few days and is working on adding more creative creatures. If you know of a kiddo who would love these funny fellows, make sure to check out her shop.