Freshly Made Archives - Try Handmade

Usagi Rabbit

December 1, 2018 by Chelsey Mona 1 Comment

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?

EllesBeads

October 26, 2018 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.

Amy Echo Clothing

September 22, 2018 by Chelsey Mona 1 Comment

Kisha the designer behind Amy Echo [previously featured here] has been sewing for the last 25 years. Working hard to perfect her craft, she’s read copious amounts of sewing books, endured super cheesy sewing shows on tv and learned through trial and error. The benefits of her hard work are evident in her line of clothing.

Kisha gives great credit to her family for helping her get her start selling her handmade clothing. Her mother, was as Kisha says “hoodwinked” into being the photographer. She had never taken professional pictures before being persuaded by her loving daughter to be the woman behind the camera. Her lovely sister was roped into being her model, bringing her clothing to life. And even the dog is credited for sitting through hours of photo shoots modeling in picture after picture and without complaint.

I got my start in handmade when I was five years old. I wanted more doll clothes and I already had a lot of clothing to choose from. My mother, being the creative person that she is, gave me some old clothes and taught me how to thread a needle, create a running stitch, and how to use scissors while cutting fabric. At first the doll clothes would only last through one play session, but after a few attempts, they started be become more creative than what one could find in a store. I just stuck with sewing because I really loved doing it and over the years I started sewing my own clothing.

My favorite item in my shop is the Muffin Top Hat because my sister, who is the model, looks so pretty in that hat. She makes it look so stunning. I of course have a Muffin Top Hat and I wear it everywhere and whenever I can!

Kisha begins by drawing her designs out on butcher paper, then sews up a prototype and tweaks it until it’s ready. As more and more people started asking where she purchased the clothing she had created, Kisha started taking custom orders and eventually started her own shop in January. Her designs are simple and versatile, making it easy to dress them up or down with accessories. And each item is not only flattering, but well made to last for a long time. So check out her shop and help her keep her momentum rolling.

Another Jamie Davis

June 30, 2018 by Chelsey Mona 1 Comment

Do you have travels planned this summer? Then take along one of these adorable pieces of luggage from Another Jamie Davis. These upcycled suitcases, bags and purses are plucked from relative obscurity from flea markets, thrift stores and yard sales and renewed by artist Jamie Davis. Each piece is lovingly repaired, often re-lined and then hand embroidered with a tree theme.

I’ve made things all my life, bunk beds for my dolls when i was 8, dresses for my little sister when I was old enough to use the sewing machine. I dabbled in selling my jewelry and hand made purses at holiday bazaars in college but it wasn’t until after graduate school that I found etsy and fell in love with idea of selling my things online.

Jamie’s shop has been open since October of 2008, but she found her focus on upcycled embroidered handbags in April of 2009.

I’m really enamored with the luggage in my etsy shop right right now (could it be that I’m longing for a vacation?). I absolutely love this little yellow tree suitcase because it’s bright and fun. And I love the Black Wood Grain Hip Bag overnight bag because it’s perfectly practical, and big enough to carry everything you could need for a weekend away.

Jamie was born and raised in the Akron Ohio area — made things — went to art school at the University of Akron, studied Metalsmithing and sculpture — made things, moved to Massachusetts to go to graduate school — made things — got an M.F.A. in sculpture — made things. Are you catching a trend here?

You can find out more about the other stuff Jamie makes on her webiste: www.anotherjamiedavis.com

Time and Tide Photo

June 22, 2018 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.