One of the advantages of being involved with the handmade community is the opportunity to find and try a variety of handmade goods. I’m often asked about my personal choices and how I discovered them. So for this first of a series, I thought I’d share some of my go-to artists and how I happened upon them. These are people from whom I have made multiple purchases, as well as my “house” artists who supply the things I purchase over and over again and whose handmade work is counted among my favorites.
To people who know me this won’t exactly be news, but all of my soap is made by Ann of Ann’s Lotions & Potions. Ann makes an ever changing variety of great smelling soap that’s consistently gorgeous, reasonably priced, nicely packaged, and lasts in the shower. I found Ann as part of a Make Someone’s Day EtsyPatron’s event where the idea was to find a new artist and buy something… I was one of her first Etsy sales, and I’ve been buying her soap ever since. Guests at my house often comment on it, and so I buy extras to give them. Once you try handmade soap, particularly Ann’s, it’s hard to go back. The moral of the story here is don’t be afraid to buy from someone just because they’re new. You just might be the first to discover a real gem.
Fine art is kind of a personal thing, but I’ve purchased several pieces, mostly coastal art, that I absolutely love. I am lucky enough to own an original piece by Mary Ellen Golden that is currently adorning the wall of my framer who is (understandably) reluctant to part with it. Don’t get too attached, Ben! I’ve also purchased a great original piece by Wendy Russell of ArtRussell and am eyeing another. The same goes for the work of Robert Joyner, aka artman757, who constantly makes me regret my lack of available wall space. That’s in part because I’ve already filled some of it with the cool signs of KellyGStudio. I’ve found all of these artists through my association with various coastal art groups, so if there’s a particular type of work you like, find a group and join or participate. It’s fun and you can find some great artists you might not have come across otherwise.
The very first thing I ever purchased at etsy was a custom sign from littlebrownhouse. It says “Step” and it has been reminding visitors not to trip for quite a while now. Despite the fact that it lives outside, it still looks great, and I’d buy another custom sign from her if I could. Unfortunately littlebrownhouse doesn’t paint signs anymore, she makes very nice coin pendants. The moral here is, if you see a handmade piece you like, buy it. And if you get it and decide you can’t live without it, buy a backup. Because you never know when the artist will decide to make something else instead.
DH has thing for pears, so last Christmas I ordered every handmade pear preserve/jam I could find as a gift for him and we did a Pear Jam Off. Our house pear jam is the result, and it’s the fresh and not-too-sweet D’Anjou Pear Jam from lavender fields 4 ever. It’s made with a mix of sun ripened D’Anjou and Bartlett pears from LF4E’s own backyard, and I buy it regularly by the four pack. It’s amazing how much of this stuff we can go through at one sitting. And I have been known to begrudgingly part with one or two as gifts on those rare occasions when someone happens along before we’ve gobbled it all up ourselves.
When I told Erika I was writing this, she shared with me one of her go-to can’t-live-without favorites, the fun, reversible headbands of Precocious. [Ha! I really do love these. Look at my daily photos and see how many days I’m wearing one! -Erika] So of course I had to order a headband, and who knows, one may not be enough for me either! Which begs the question, is there a shop or artist you go back to time and time again? Post below and let us in on your favorites! And don’t forget to check back, another installment of Handmade Faves is coming soon.
I've discovered some amazing artists that I've bought from through random searches. Today I found a hot romantic/goth/steampunk jewelry shop by searching under the keyword "perky." Go figure.
.-= Rebecca's latest post: Gothic steampunk. =-.
This is a great article and I'm truly flattered by your mention of my work. I'll be checking out your favorites here. They all look like terrific handmade products. Thank you!! Wendy
New Why Handmade: My Faves & How I Found Them – http://tinyurl.com/nckhu4
Great post! I just bought two paintings from Victoria Webb that I just adore! Her shop is FuriousDreams at 1000 Markets. I also bought some great handmade jewelry clasps at CSJewelrySupplies on Etsy. Those are just a few of my treasured handmade purchases!
Thanks so much for including me Beverly. I am truly honored. I love looking at your favorite artists and have found some really great items.
Handmade Faves: The Artisan Goods I Love & How I Found Them http://bit.ly/i51ii
I love coastal art too, that is a beautiful painting! And that soap…. yum!!!
All wonderful shops.
.-= ARTISANNE’s latest post: SCOTTISH SEA GLASS SAILING NECKLACE Beach Glass from Scotland =-.
Thanks for the favorites! These artists are great. And thanks for supporting us. we really appreciate it. Do you ever feature fine artists on your site?
Hi Megan,
If you mean for ByHandGallery, then yes we feature fine artists all the time. The work is normally incorporated into byhand spotlights that we feature, and we use the tag “art” so they can be found here:
http://byhandgallery.blogspot.com/search/label/art
If you’d like to create some spotlights dedicated exclusively to fine art we would certainly be open to posting them.
I think the market system at 1000Markets particularly lends itself to fine art because it’s tiered jurying so if you find a market that shares your taste you can always keep up the new pieces. There are several fine art markets, and can be found here:
http://www.1000markets.com/groups/gallery11
http://www.1000markets.com/groups/objetdart/products?tag=fine+art
http://www.1000markets.com/groups/walls/products?tag=fine+art
http://www.1000markets.com/groups/asheville/products?tag=fine+art
Beverly
.-= BeachyRustica’s latest post: Holiday Decorating and Four Seasons Market =-.
Handmade Faves: The Artisan Goods I Love & How I Found Them http://bit.ly/i51ii
RT @beachyrustica New Why Handmade: My Faves & How I Found Them – http://tinyurl.com/nckhu4