Try Handmade

Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

A Little Time Away.

by 3 Comments

I love my country. And this recycled and handprinted banner from Flags and Tags represents our national flag very well.

We were fortunate enough to be able to visit the North of Scotland this past week – in fact it is the furthest point of mainland UK.

The air feels a little easier on my lungs, I am greeted with the almost Welsh-sounding accent when I enter into a store and there is enough beautiful scenery you’d never tire of looking out at; even the sky is a work of art.

During the day it is blue skies and fluffy clouds, with faint rain that never seems to last too long. At night you can see stars aplenty twinlking away in the sky; very much like the famed nursery rhyme promised.

Another beauty from this part of the World is the Aurora jewellery shop that can be found in town up here.

Aurora are an Orkney based jewellers who specialise in making signature pieces, dazzling collections and they insist that modern machinery can’t create the jewelery they make – so every piece is handmade.

Their jewelery also comes in a very luxurious and plush presentation box – so no skimping on the little details.

I love to visit the Aurora shop whenever I am here – they always have something new and different in their collection, or they expand upon a much loved collection.

This break has been a welcome one for me and my little family. We’re doing things we don’t normally do at home; watching TV for hours at a time, forgetting to brush our teeth at night (read: I have been forgetting) and spending time with three of our favourite furry friends (two cats and a dog, just if you’re curious.)

I’ve always been wary of flying; it remains one of my least favourite things to do. So I’m a firm believer in taking holidays/vacations within the UK. I’ve been outside of Scotland and the UK many times; I’ve travelled to America, France, Spain, Germany and even lived in London in my early twenties. I’m not exactly a seasoned traveller but I have a passport and I am not ignorant of other cultures, customs and socieities.

In the UK there has been a growing trend (mostly due to low cost airlines offering cheap flight deals) of families jetting off to Spain or Greece. I often worry and wonder about the impact that has on our environment and at what cost, other than the price people pay for their holidays, these trips come in at.

I’ve read conflicting studies about the envrionmental impact that jet fuels have on the environment; with obvious biases going this way and that when it comes to certain studies and for me the jury is still out on it.

With my overwhelming-must-take-Valium-and-lots-of-it fear of flying and my love for this part of the World (plus it helps if you have ‘connections’ aka parents who live in these parts) I think we will be having a lot of British holidays in our near future.

Far East Style, Home Town Goods

by 1 Comment

hand printed pillows from Tulusa Home Goods

Normally my shopping instincts are sharply honed onto pretty things to wear: clothes, shoes, jewelry, anything I can sew a flower on to, that sort of thing. But every now and then my eye is caught by beautiful home accessories, and I get the itch to beautify my living space, not just my closet!

block printed place mats from Tulusa Home Goods

Sue Henry is a sculptor and ceramic artist whose work moved over to textiles when her children came along. A dusty studio filled with fragile, breakable things was no longer practical with little ones running about. She decided to take up carving linoleum blocks – the tactile experience reminded her of her first love, working in clay.

Sue has been an artist all her life, and remembers her first creative instinct being about creating comfortable places to live. As a little girl, she wanted to be an architect and an interior designer. It just seemed like a natural next step to print her designs on textiles to create beautiful, functional home goods.

chrysanthemum hand carved block printed table runner

Seeing the lovely things that Sue makes really got me thinking about how I’ve been neglecting my living spaces lately. Her designs are full of movement and energy, and I love the bold colors she uses, which really make the designs stand out.

mehndi print table linen

Every item at Tulusa Home Goods begins with a linoleum block hand carved by Sue. She is inspired by her travels to India and South East Asia, and her love of cooking, architecture, and design. The designs are printed on cotton or linen canvas with solvent-free block printing ink. The pillows are stuffed with organic kapok, a fluffy, soft, and environmentally friendly alternative to polyfill. The textiles are designed to be functional and durable, and are machine washable.

stack of handcrafted, hand printed pillows

Included in the collection at Tulusa are pillows of all sizes, including large meditation pillows, and table linens of all types. Sue’s favorite part of the creative process is carving the linoleum block, so there’s really no limit to what she can print on, once she completes a design.

close up of wave print from hand carved linoleum block

Right now, the most popular item at Tulusa Home Goods is the Ganesha pillow. Ganesha is a Hindu deity who is the remover of obstacles, and the bringer of good fortune and new beginnings. A good friend to have around as we approach the busy holiday season and the new year, wouldn’t you say?

hand printed pillow featuring Ganesha

You can find Tulusa Home Goods at Sue’s online shop, and you can also contact her for custom orders or to be invited to her December pop-up shop in Alexandria, Virginia.

Art Appreciation Starts Early

by Leave a Comment

There’s so much lame art out there for small people. And that is a terrible thing. I’m convinced bad art rots little brains. It’s why I ended up eschewing popular mass market toddler art for framed pages of retro books for my kids. I spent ages hunting down old books from the 60’s and 70s with interesting line art, decoupage prints etc. Lucky for you now, there is Etsy and Jonty Bloom.

Let’s face it. Babies, toddlers, etc look at their walls a lot, what with all the time they spend hanging out in their rooms. Do you really want to trap them in there with nothing good to look at? With some insipid cartoon-y depiction of jungle animals and fairy ballerinas? Or do you want them looking at something a little better, more thought provoking? The kind of art that tells it’s own story and gives you more to look at each time you examine it?

I thought so. Chances are you’ll spend a fair amount of time in the room with your kid too. Buy something that you like, that they like, and that your grand kids would probably like too, if you save it for them. Good graphics make the world a better place. Let’s work together to make ugly primary colored vinyl dinosaur wall appliques from mass market chains, go extinct. Yay art!

Interview with Frank Bray of Off Your Rocker

by Leave a Comment

I build and design rocking chairs, rocking ottomans, kids’ rockers, quilts and crib bedding. Custom orders are my focus, and many people send me their own fabrics and choose their own wood finishes, so the customer is always involved in the design process. This is much more exciting and rewarding than shopping at a big-box store!

How did you get started? Have you worked in other creative areas before the kind of work you’re doing now?

I started woodworking in 2003 and developed an interest in rocking chairs when a friend brought me an antique family heirloom rocker to repair. I was hooked on rocking chairs. Later I learned to sew and found that went hand-in-hand with my upholstery work.

I’ve always been a creative person, writing, drawing and building things since I was a child.

Is there a story behind the name of your shop?

My partner Matt suggested it, because he feels sometimes I am a bit “off my rocker”! I was going to call my business “Franks Fine Furniture” but he said that sounded stuffy, and his idea was much better anyways. Sometimes you have to listen to your better half!

Do you work alone? With a team? Do you engage your family or friends in the work? What is your process? How do you ensure you get your work done yet still have a life?

I mostly work alone on my customer orders, but sometimes I engage my partner Matt to help out with cutting fabrics and painting, and I am always bouncing new design ideas off him. Matt looks after my website and clerical work, freeing me to concentrate on building rockers.

It is important to take breaks from work and so I make time for simple pleasures like bike rides and day trips.

Where do you sell your work? Which venues are your favorites? Do you prefer selling online or in person? Do you attend shows or fairs? Is your work in a gallery or brick-and-mortar store?

I have tried numerous venues to sell my work, including local craft shows, word of mouth, blogging, Ebay, Etsy and my website. By far the most successful venue is my stand-alone e-commerce website, where I can showcase my rockers and other items to a very large market.

What inspires and motivates you?

I get excited when I can build a custom chair for a new customer, and esp. when they received their new rocker and tell me how much they love it. Every customer’s order is different and unique, so this keeps my work fresh. It’s a great feeling knowing I’ve built an item that will be someone’s treasured heirloom

What do you wish I had asked you?

“Do you think people still appreciate hand-made quality?”

My answer would be absolutely yes! I’ve had tons of people tell me they were delighted to find my website and were happy to buy something unique and made with care just for them

Thanks Frank. And if you would like to be interviewed next, please head over to DIY Interview.