Try Handmade

Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Barefoot Weaver

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Barefoot Weaver: I have been in love with color since my first box of crayons and I fell in love with weaving in the 70s when I watched a girl weaving (barefoot, of course!) in the back of a store in Brattleboro, VT. Here was not just color but dance as well! By the early 90s I had my first loom and there was no looking back. Looms have a way of multiplying and taking over the house (as my family can attest) and now I have four (we won’t count the one in the barn). I am always amazed seeing them warped and vibrant with potential.

Colors live in my living room and cones of thread fill my bookcases. I dye my threads on a big plywood table upstairs in one of my workrooms (did I mention that I have taken over the entire house?) and my clothes line is often draped with skeins of freshly dyed thread. I do my designing on my warping mill and my work now is mostly warp driven which just means that I want the warp to show more than the weft (or weaving).

I started adding more texture to my weaving some years ago as well inspired in part by knitting yarns that have flags and tufts and wraps and shiny bits and skinny and fat parts.

So, I overproduce. And I have three grown sons who really don’t wear my creations aside from a very plain chenille scarf or two. I live on an old farm with my two horses, three cats, one small dog, and a very supportive husband. We heat with wood, snuggle down in the winter up here in the North Country, and I am content.

SheaClay Pottery

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SheaClay high fired stoneware pottery includes dinnerware, bowls, platters, mugs, decorative ware and more- thrown and altered, stamped, carved and finished with lead free glazes, suitable for oven, dishwasher and microwave.

I strive to create joy in the simplest thing, like really good coffee in a really great cup. It’s that warm moment of appreciation, like when you are struck by the beauty of your surroundings, or when you receive kindness from a stranger, that I try to capture in my work. My pursuits include a balanced overall form with a sense of movement.

I try to create lots of edges and hard lines through carving, stamping, throwing marks- many places for glaze to break, change direction and create more color. I like warm, muted tones that provide a natural background for food and celebration, a form which invites you to pick it up and use it, and good function for service, which enhances the beauty of the form and realizes my initial goal for creating it.

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Color Explosion Wire Mesh Cuff Bangle Bracelet

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I purchased this stunning multi-beaded frenzy of color, the seller was a pleasure to deal with, it arrived at my door promptly in a sweet little gift box, and it is even more beautiful than I had imagined it would be.

Fortunately for you, Meditations has more of these in her shop. I recommend you grab one in a color that tickles you and wear it all the time. That’s my plan at least.

UPDATE: Meditations is offering Free Shipping and a special gift to everyone who emails or convos her and mentions “Try Handmade” before making a purchase. This is a great deal, go check out her shop :)

Alison Hoagland

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These jewels of glasses are just wonderful.

Alison Hoagland: What intrigues me most about working in hot glass is the process of transformation. From the moment I dip into the furnace full of hot molten glass there is a small window of opportunity to blow, shape and coax the glass into a conceptualized form. Whether I am making a simple ball shape or a more complex vessel form, I am ever challenged by the immediate need for intense focus and attention. It is this challenge that continually captivates my imagination for self-expression in color and form. For me, blowing glass is the ultimate metaphor for transformation and it is this process which brings me immense satisfaction.

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Kid’s Halloween Costumes: Boys

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My little brother always had the best Halloween costumes–batman, power ranger, and any other action figure and sports hero that you can imagine. While I was dressed up as a crayon, he got to karate kick, morph, score the winning point and fight the bad guys. Being a crayon was always my favorite Halloween costume, but sometimes I longed for little more, well, action and adventure. Besides, crayons tend to get beat up by super heroes, even if the super heroes are younger.

This personalized initial superhero cape by Pink Pumpkin would be so precious on a little boy and is the perfect way to make him feel like he is on top of the world. The cotton cape can be made in your little boy’s favorite color, and is easy to take on and off. I think it looks so cute as pictured with a matching baseball cap.

I love the bright colors of this dinosaur cape by Pip and Bean. Who ever said dinosaurs need to be green anyway? Made from recycled polyester material, the cape can be made in any color and measures 29 inches long, allowing your child to grow into the costume and use it over and over. The cape includes a velcro closure, making it easy to take on and off.

How precious is this little Charlie Brown outfit by Royal Kane? The cotton jersey knit t-shirt is screen printed to look exactly like the cartoon character. Paired with black pants and a Snoopy dog stuffed animal, this Halloween costume can’t get much easier or much cuter.

This year, I was planning on dressing up as Audrey Hepburn from Breakfast at Tiffany’s (the scene where she sings on the window sill), but I might have to go as something more heroic…a ninja turtle perhaps?

**The bat image featured at the top of this post was Golly Bard.