Try Handmade

Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

A Stylish Design

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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.

Usagi Rabbit

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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?

Jacqueline Turpin Handmade

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I am a sucker for quirky illustrations, so I just love these embroidered pillows! Jacky who’s namesake shop, Jacqueline Turpin Handmade, uses her background in Interior Design to create unique home and personal accessories with an illustrative twist. Her shop ranges from her illustrated embroidered cushions to adorable felt brooches.

Born and raised in Swansea, Wales, it was a move to rural France, when she found herself without a day job, that brought her the opportunity to explore her creative passions. She was considering illustration, but came across free-motion stitching, and from there re-discovered her love of sewing. Jacky has a B.A degree in 3D Design from Buckinghamshire collage and spent 12 years in Hong Kong working as an Interior designer and as a Interior stylist for an architectural firm before moving to France with her family.

My favorite item at the moment is probably the bunting. I’m pleased with the way it turned out, and think it is something people can use over. Saying that, I also have a fondness for the old lady and school girl figures – they remind me of my childhood in the UK.

My influences are memories of home, 1970s/80s Britain. I have always loved vintage 30s – 50s decor.

She’s currently only selling online, but hopes to visit some local deco type shops soon to see if they would be interested in stocking a few pieces for a trial. You can also find Jacky at her website. She’s had no sales yet, so let’s help give her a kickstart!

Kristin Parsons Illustrations

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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.

Ohioja

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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.