Shop Local Archives - Page 2 of 11

Shop Local in Ireland

July 9, 2017 by Emily Anderson 3 Comments

Even though St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone, I wanted to make up for the fact that I completely forgot about it this year. It’s probably because for the the first time we celebrated two birthdays within a two week period of time at our house–my daughter turned 3 and my son turned 1. So the end of February until well into March was a bit of a whirlwind. It wasn’t hard to find really great items in Ireland, I actually had a really hard time choosing just three to show you.

Truth be told, I’ve been coveting Bonzie’s fashion designs for several years now. Her romantic, Victorian style has a modern edge that makes everything she designs totally wearable yet totally unique as well. The shop is run by Bonzie and her Auntie Ger out of her studio in Waterford, Ireland. isn’t that just the perfect dream of running your own business, being able to work with your own family?

Embellishments…now there’s a word only people who handcraft know and understand. I have many embellishments that are so precious to me I don’t use them when I probably should! Geraldine of LittleSnippets has been embroidering since she was 4 years old. She was taught and encouraged by her aunt Maureen Ryan. I never even thought about making my own little embellishments like these celtic birds, but what a great way to make use of leftover material, thread, buttons, etc.

This piece of wearable art is the creation of Artist Lisa Falzon of Malta, but who is now living in rural Ireland. You will find more wonderful art in her shop Meluseena, which is taken from the name “Melusine” who is the heroine of a French fairy tale. Each piece of art in her shop is amazing, and her technique involves collage, painting, and other techniques to achieve the dreamy, beautiful images. She says that selling her art online is much more gratifying than working through a gallery or an art agent. It’s just stunning how much talent one can find by just poking around a bit.

I just had to post a second illustration, this is Snow White and Rose Red two sisters from the Brothers Grimm. I always say my little girl looks like Rose Red, and most people don’t know what I’m talking about. This illustration is a perfect gift for my daughter, I can save it and give it to her next year for her birthday–I’m sure it will be here before I know it!

Art Star Craft Bazaar in Philadelphia

June 28, 2017 by Tara Gentile 7 Comments

[hTara]

Here in eastern Pennsylvania, many of the top indie crafters are busy preparing for the epic Art Star Craft Bazaar on May 30 & 31 in Philadelphia. Art Star is both a juried craft market featuring over 100 amazing vendors and a fab indie boutique in the Northern Liberties neighborhood. Although vendors come in from all across the country, many of my favorite Philly crafters will be there.

Linda Johnson, from Little Flower Designs, holds a BFA in sculpture from Tyler School of Art and a certificate in interior design from Philadelphia University. She has also pursued her ceramics education in various art centers in the Philadelphia area. Linda’s style combines clean lines, bold color, and folk art images to create functional home decor and kitchenware.

Leah Mackin is a book artist, punctuation enthusiast, and serious scrapple lover! The journal above is one of her new designs – writing paper, maps, printed paper, colored copy paper, and lined paper are bound together to inspire the journalist to create in the space between the covers.

I’ve mentioned before that I have a thing for ceramic jewelry – organic, bold, beautiful. Yasha Butler Ceramics takes ceramic jewelry to a new level: fine art. Her pieces are unglazed porcelain, elegant shapes that are delicately etched with simple designs. These earrings are as surprising as they are versatile.

Finally, the ever-fabulous Sara Selepouchin, from girlscantell, is a screen-printer extraordinaire, craft evangelist, and Etsy specialist. Fitting for her background in architecture, Sara designs diagrams of everyday objects – and body parts! – and prints them onto hand towels, placemats, coasters, and notebooks.

I’ll be attending Art Star early on Sunday. If you’ll be around, please let me know! I’d love to meet up with you!

Southern California, USA

June 21, 2017 by Emily Anderson 4 Comments

Did you hear the news? The unemployment rate is at an all-time high here in the U.S. and the outlook is pretty grim. But there is a silver lining to this story. According to some experts, there’s a big jump in small business start-ups. That means a lot of people are using their own creativity to make a living. In the spirit of this, I wanted to give some props to people in one of the hardest hit areas of the country–Southern California, where in some parts unemployment is as high as 30%. It’s reassuring to know that there are so many industrious people crafting, building, designing, and making their way through this challenging economy. As my Grandmother always said, they’re “Making lemonade out of lemons.”

White Serenade is a perfect example of making the best of things–she creates spectacular designs from discarded paper and metal. Who would have thought folded paper could be so beautiful? The paper wreaths are so elegant, you can hang them on your wall for the holidays–or all of the time!

Tango Cat Gems is another example of making something completely unexpected out of the simplest of things–jewelry wire. She sculpts these delicate designs using fineweaving techniques. Her work is a reflection of the quality and craftsmanship you can only get when something is made by hand.

The Radokri shop has lots of accessories for weddings, or just when you want to be especially sparkly. Natalija Krimerman opened her online store in 2009 with her husband, and they spend many weekends looking for supplies at estate sales and flea markets. This sweet little feather flower is a great reminder that making and selling your own unique creations is the perfect way to “bloom where you’re planted.”

Omaha, Nebraska, USA

June 20, 2017 by Tara Gentile 3 Comments

This week’s Shop Local post stops in Omaha, Nebraska. Below you’ll find my favorite picks from the Omaha craft scene. If you don’t find something that fits your fancy, check out the Omaha Craft Mafia website for more fabulous Omaha artisans. When you’re in town, you’ll want to visit the Hot Shops Art Center where you’ll find “over 80 studio artists, as well as four gallery spaces, in [the] building complex located in downtown Omaha.”

The crafter behind Stash comes to Omaha from Finland by way of Great Britain. She’s been sewing since she was tiny, making her own clothes in elementary school, as her mother was a textile designer. Now she makes chic bags out of vintage fabrics! The wristlet above is constructed from a chocolate & red vintage fabric, red canvas, and leatherette trim. Don’t you love the strong shape juxtaposed with the floral pattern & feminine pleats? Fabulous!

Continuing with the strong shapes, Bren Duvall, of BrenDesign, created these sterling silver “Building Earrings” in the image of a city skyline. She says has an “obsessive quest of building an eco-conscious small business from nothing more than a pile of recycled metal bits.”

Shifting gears a bit, when my baby girl gets a bit bigger, she must have one of these skirts! Many children’s boutiques do pillowcase dresses, cute hats, or leg warmers, but Bustle has crafted this flamenco skirt for your tiny dancer. Ellene Mcclay, the proprietress of Bustle, is inspired by vintage fabric and historical fashions. She also creates jewelry, accessories, and clothing for ladies of a more mature age at her other shop, Deciduous Soul.

Last but not least, this clever little idea caught my eye and couldn’t be passed by! September House creates embroidered flower pot wraps that are sure to add a nice touch to even the prettiest plant.

Handmade in Sweden

June 2, 2017 by Emily Anderson 3 Comments

I recently spent a few days in the midwest to see family. Some of you might know this already, but certain parts of the midwest are really more like little Scandinavian outposts. My family originally hails from Sweden, so I always feel myself drawn to all things Svenska.

West Coast of Sweden: LillaJizo

On the west coast of Sweden, scientists recently discovered the bones of a 10,000 year old whale… and I discovered the very fine designer LillaJizo and her little pieces of art that she creates on broken pieces of pottery. Historically, Jizo is a Buddhist helper/bodhisattva. He is considered to be the helper of all beings, especially children, women, and travelers. LillaJizo painted this “healing shard,” as she calls them, with Roku Jizo, or the Six Realms Jizo. I wish I had this healing shard to carry with me in my pocket when I was on my recent trip. LillaJizo also has a blog, where you can read more about her dedication to the yogic path.

Sverige, Sweden: Jealousy Designs

This hammered silver man’s ring is such an amazing gift for the guy in your life. I always love inside out rings–rings with the good stuff on the inside. Jealousy Designs’ use of natural, raw, and uncut stones, as well as the hammering of the metal results in pieces that are both masculine and feminine. Actually, many of her designs are one of a kind because she works around the natural shapes of the stones. Most of the metal materials she uses are recycled, and the only pieces of her jewelry she does not make herself are clasps and tiny chains.

Eskilstuna, Sweden: MayaLee on Etsy

Finally, how could I resist this simple photograph of a heart–it is almost Valentine’s Day, after all. To me this image is a perfect expression of how I see the Swedish aesthetic, always with color and light playing together in a crisp and fresh way, but with an appealing warmth to it too. MayaLee has other photographs in her collection where she captures the simplest of things, set against a light infused background. But I think this is my favorite, the little dappling light and the stick pins, like a metaphor of what love often is–not necessarily fleeting, but certainly not permanent–And oh how we wish it was.