Freshly Made Archives - Try Handmade

Skudfisher

December 28, 2020 by Chelsey Mona 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.

Ohioja

December 16, 2020 by Chelsey Mona 2 Comments

It’s fabulous farmers market season and these veggies look good enough to eat, if you could eat something so cute. You could, hover cuddle up to them, though, since they’re crocheted from wool. When Ohioja‘s creator Ylenia became unemployed she filled her free time in various corners of the web and discovered amigurumi and instantly fell in love. So much so that she rushed to the nearest bookshop and picked up a crochet guide so that she could get started immediately.

With some encouragement from her friends and after the success of a DIY festival, she decided to start selling her creations. She’s still learning the ins and outs of selling online. If you happen to be in Italy, you might see Ylenia out with her wares in corner markets, festivals and punk rock gigs.

My favorite item is onion, no doubt. Why? Because, talking about amigurumi, it’s hard to see onions and it’s a pity. They are nice, polite and kinda tender-hearted. What’s more I have to say it’s always funny to create an amigurumi onion.

As you can tell, Ylenia’s biggest influence is the grocer’s, but not all of her creations are vegetable based. All of her creations begin as a simple sketch. Then she studies it for a while, imagining how it will shape up and then she jumps in with her crochet hook. The finishing touch is the expression.

Ylenia lives in Florence and works in a Tattoo studio. She likes music and animals. She’s been a vegetarian since 2004, so you can see why she loves vegetables so much!

You can check out her blog where you can find a lot of photos and some info about her upcoming markets.

Time and Tide Photo

November 28, 2020 by Chelsey Mona 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.

EllesBeads

August 21, 2020 by Chelsey Mona 5 Comments

When I was a kid, we got in the car and drove my dad out to a nearby town to take a hot air balloon ride. I remember watching the balloons gliding through the sky. These earrings remind me of that day.

Elle got started in handmade when she was struggling with depression and loneliness. Jewelry-making was her way to be totally immersed in something that was not only positive, but kept her mind off of what she was going through. She fell in love with jewelry making and never looked back. Her style incorporates vintage pieces with modern beads.

Encouraged by friends and family she jumped into selling through her shop Elle’s Beads. After taking a blind leap, she learned as she went setting up up a business strategy, goals, and a budget.

I’ve met such great artisans, both in real life and through venues like Etsy, and I feel like I have a sense of community and belonging now.

Elle’s grandmother is a huge influence. She uses her antique sewing machine and vintage buttons to make a lot of her creations. She’s also inspired by items that people cast away as trash. She has a way of viewing things not as what they are, but what they could become with a little bit of fabric, paint, or beads. She’s also started sewing now due to her grandmother’s influence (she was a seamstress) and makes a point to only use eco-friendly materials in the accessories she makes.

My favorite item is my Vintage Sapphire and Silver Glass Pearl Necklace. It’s the first eco-friendly piece I ever made and it’s from an old vintage earring I repurposed as a brooch. I’m really passionate now about reusing old materials and making them into something beautiful and new. This necklace is a constant reminder to me of the beginning of that journey.

Elle supports the views that many of us handmade artisans have, even though handmade goods can cost more than mass-produced goods, especially those imported from overseas, they’re so much more valuable! When you buy something handmade, you’re supporting an artisan – a small business and an entrepreneur. You’re supporting a craft and a subculture that values the importance of keeping craftsmanship alive. Each handmade item is a little bit different and Elle, like all handmade artists puts her love and a part of herself in every piece.

These adorable vintage birdies are my personal favorite!

Elle is a full-time paralegal working for a non-profit in North Carolina. When not working at her day job or on her business, you can find her relaxing in front of the television, catching up on the latest book club book, or talking on the phone with her family. Online you can find her on Facebook, Twitter and her blog.

Hoboe Jane

July 12, 2020 by Chelsey Mona 1 Comment

Are you a hat person? Me, I LOVE hats. I wish people wore them more often. And you wont find more interestingly designed berets then Hoboe Jane‘s! These quirky hats are a simple way to add a sens of fun to your look. Hoboe Jane’s creator Kristy has a background in sculpture and art and some of the hats have hand painted elements. Kristy picked up her love of arts, crafts, sewing and design from her mother, a Kindergarten teacher and has been exploring creative venues from a young age.

Kristy is influenced by lines and patterns in nature and also draws heavily from the fantasy movies she watched growing up like “Labyrinth” and “The Princess Bride”.

Kristy’s favorite item in her shop is the Spider Swirl Beret Hat. It’s a good representation of her style as it includes both hand painted elements and design with felt.

When I make my items, I think of a story that goes along with each piece. Like with the Spider Swirl Beret Hat I’ve made, she is a wandering tarantula from the northern regions of Chile and has made her new home on this very hat and wants to live with you now.

Kristy started making her own clothing and accessories in high school and to help with the family budge she started redesigning her old things and turning them into brand new objects! While she’s always loved making skirts and bags within the last year, she found a new love for making hats.

I love the work I create and I hope my love for it shows through, in my products. I try to give my work a sense of fun and joy, so whoever purchases an item will have their very own one of a kind piece.

Larger retail organizations may sometimes have better prices, but you are getting what you paid for. Retail stores sell numerous multiples of items, making them not as unique, quirky, and creative. I try to make my items as affordable as possible, for the everyday customer.

Hand made goods are much more personal and unique. Much more passion and care goes into everything we create ourselves than if it is made by a machine in some obscure factory.

You can find out more about Kristy Albury at her art website or at her experimental music site Retro Juju.