Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.
Jim Bradshaw: Jim loves everything art and creative and puts that passion into all assignments. Humorous illustration and cartoon surrealism is what he is drawn to. Some topics you’ll find showing up in his recent work are dreams, the tyranny of time, life & death, childhood versus the tainted adult world we all exist in, good and evil and just plain fun whacked out made up worlds that swirl around in Jim’s brain.
Papaver Vert: Patty Benson started Papaver Vert in 2007 making her small apartment shared with her husband, into a small creative studio in Northern California. Based on form, function and bold color, Patty’s work utilizes the time consuming technique of crocheting and wet felting wool to create tactile pieces with a contemporary twist.
Learning how to crochet a few years ago, she immediately found a medium that combined her love of wool with her love of home decor. Feeling that home accessories shouldn’t just be limited to ceramic or glass, and that felted wool doesn’t have to mean something old-school, she loves the idea of taking the ancient technique of felting to design something entirely new.
Patty loves that wool is a renewable resource and she stands behind a non-mass produced sensibility. Each piece is lovingly handmade in her studio and she figures the more attention put into the craft, the better the quality, the longer it will last and the less need to buy more, more, more.
Escape or Explore Ring (above) in recycled eco-friendly fine silver, by Happy Go Licky.
The car is tuned-up, gassed-up, packed-up, and you’re finally on the road…now what? Is it possible to get to your destination without making a huge impact on the environment and your wallet? Getting better gas mileage is the key to cutting greenhouse gas emissions and saving money.
It should go without saying that you should keep your cool behind the wheel, but did you know that aggressive driving causes you to use extra gas? Simply by accelerating and decelerating smoothly and slowly, you can increase your gas mileage by as much as 30% for highway driving. And, as a bonus, you won’t annoy everyone around you!
You’ve heard the expression “speed kills”. Well, it should come as no surprise that it wastes gas, too. Driving over the speed limit is not only unsafe; it is a huge drain on the fuel tank. Consider taking secondary highways to help keep your lead-foot in check. Not only are posted limits lower, the temptation to speed is reduced when others aren’t whizzing past you like Kimi Raikkonen. (Tip: if you have cruise control, use it to help maintain a constant speed.) Optimal fuel economy will vary from vehicle to vehicle, but gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 100 km/h, so take your time, enjoy the scenery and put all of that saved gas money in this upcycled seatbelt wallet, above, by Interrobang.
Many urban centres are cracking down on idling and for good reason – idling vehicles contribute to pollution (both air and noise) and get zero kms /litre. It’s a myth that restarting your car uses more fuel than leaving it running, so turn off your engine when packing or unloading your car and while waiting in the seemingly endless line-ups for ferries, highway road crews, accidents, etc. To keep your little passengers happy (and quiet) while you wait for the all-clear, give them something fun to do. These little lap-sized, portable Creativity Wallets (above) by Ducks in a Row Boutique keep paper, crayons and artwork organized and at your child’s fingertips. Ideal for the backseat, they’re also perfect for keeping kids entertained in restaurants and waiting rooms.
And, finally, pack light. Before you add the weight of passengers and luggage, remove unnecessary heavy items from your vehicle. An extra 50 kilograms of cargo in your vehicle could reduce your gas mileage by up to 2%. This, of course, affects smaller vehicles more than large, but any little bit helps. Plus, you’ve gotta leave room for souvenirs! The locket set pictured above, cleverly made from a recycled auto part, saves space by giving you three looks in one, simply by switching between the three magnetic lids. I love the vintage travel theme, but there are literally hundreds of attractive options (pun intended) available in the Polarity shop.
Next week: A Movable Feast
Crackly and smooth, brilliant color and blazing neutrals. These bowls are sensational.
Handmade pottery by misslo.
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