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.

Modica Design

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Modica Design: Inspired by an unlikely marriage of materials, I made my first line of resin-infused wood jewelry in 2002. At that time, I majored in furniture design, while also exploring metalsmithing. Both disciplines share many processes; cutting, filing, sanding, polishing, etc. However, the scale of the finished product is dramatically different.

The intimate scale of metalsmithing held a distinctive allure and I found myself incorporating materials I knew and loved from furniture into my jewelry. Wood, providing warmth and texture. Resin, providing light and color. Together they create a unique dialog between contrasting worlds. Natural meets man-made. Opaque houses translucent. Warm collides with cool. The union of materials along with my commitment to high-quality, handcrafted jewelry is what gives this line a fresh, contemporary elegance.

Letterpress Light

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green scroll letterpress design

Heather Noss is just like so many of us creative types from the DC area…she used to work for the government, and found her job quite rewarding and enjoyable. But there was definitely something missing…stimulus for the creative side of her brain, which was just not getting the attention it deserved in the office environment.

letterpress monogram

Luckily for Heather, and for all of us who love pretty printed things, she found the missing link in the form of handcrafted paper goods. Like many of us, she was drawn to the letterpress technique for it’s touchable surface and classic, handcrafted appeal.

holiday and seasonal letterpress cards

But she wasn’t happy with the traditional process, which is subject to certain limitations. For example, most letterpress equipment only allows for one color to be printed at a time. This significantly increases the cost of multi colored designs.

pink swirl letterpress invite

Rather than just make do, Heather developed an entirely new printing method!
Instead of the traditional letterpress process, Heather presses un-inked photopolymer plates over regular, flat-printed prints. She makes the photopolymer plates herself from her own designs. The process is exclusive to Letterpress Light, and is known as the Compression Plate Process ™.

This process creates impressions that are extra deep and ultra-textured, and designs that can use an unlimited number of colors.

multi colored letterpress designs for less

Heather and her customers alike are thrilled with the results. Her goal is to create paper goods that are beautiful and memorable keepsakes, and feedback from customers indicates that’s exactly what she does with every order!

Letterpress Light produces a wide variety of paper goods. The list includes wedding invitation sets (invitation and RSVP cards with return-addressed envelopes), party invitations, place cards, announcements, holiday cards, thank you cards, business cards, and more.

letterpress reply card

She even has an artisan card subscription service, where subscribers receive two cards every month in new designs created exclusively for subscribers.

Heather draws her inspiration from the unique needs of her clients, and therefore loves to do custom work. She can customize any of the designs available in her shop, or create something from scratch just for you and your special event.

custom made letterpress stationery

You can see Heather’s portfolio and begin a custom request on her web site, and see what designs she has currently available in her online shop.

Lisa Congdon – Art and Craft

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Please welcome Laura Trevey to Try Handmade! She is a watercolor artist and blogger who is going to be writing two columns each week. Here’s her first painting column (look for photograpy tomorrow), and I know she’d appreciate any recommendations of your favorite artists in this medium. Just leave them in the comments and welcome her to Try Handmade!

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Erika

I am drawn to bright and beautiful art, so it is no wonder that Lisa Congdon’s work caught my eye! This San Francisco mixed media artist and illustrator is one to notice. Aside from four painting classes, Lisa is entirely self-taught. She uses her lack of training to her advantage: instead of following refined technique, she works with her own sense of color, composition and design as her guide.

In her shop you will find a variety of paintings, prints, drawings and collages. This gouache painting on masonite speaks to me. The rich colors and wonderful composition lead your eye around the page. I love all of the different and interesting shapes throughout.

This birdhouse archival print is whimsical and fun! You may think all of the houses are painted pink. However, if you look closer, you will find a wide range of colors used such as orange, mauve, magenta, rose, purple, etc. This creates more interest and depth.

Everyone loves birds, and this Finch archival print is simply adorable! There is a lot of detail in the actual painting of the bird. Therefore a plain background works well and is very complimentary. Add a splash of color to your room.

Thank you Lisa for sharing your incredible talent with us. Your work is cheerful and colorful indeed!

Please visit her website and blog to learn more about her.