Try Handmade

Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Artful rumple

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Sarah Clemens Clothing: I am a stay at home mom, homeschooling my 3 young kids by day and sewing by night. I love flowers and fabric and sewing, so i decided to put them all together and sell my creations!

Clothing has always been a love of mine, but nothing out there was different enough or fun enough. I’d daydream about the things I would wear if I could, and then spend hours drawing them. My mom and grandmother taught me about sewing at a young age, and over the years I taught myself everything else I know by just trying things out…

Linen is mainly what fabric I use, the way it drapes and rumples and wrinkles and all it’s little nubs and the way the dye is always just a bit muted… there is no comparison!!!

I hope my clothing makes you smile, every outfit is made with lotsa love!

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Darling Dioramas

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Dear Reader,

When I was in the third grade we were asked to create a diorama that represented a climate, or geographical setting of some kind. The tropics, perhaps a frozen tundra or a mountainous region. Honestly, I wasn’t paying all that much attention. I had just started reading A Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder and there wasn’t anything more riveting to me than reading about Laura and her Pa having to grind up wheat in the coffee mill. Or Ma Ingalls making ice cream out of some snow and maple syrup. Really, these people were geniuses.

The day before the project was due I decided that I would make a Desert scene. Tents, sheiks and the whole shebang. I would use whatever I had on hand – just like the Ingalls. I took out a rusty cookie sheet and filled it with scoops of sand from our sandbox. [Read more…]

Sweetgum Dogwood Ruffle Handbags

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Sweetgum Handbags is Kim, a twenty-something grad student who works on her PhD in ecology by day, and runs her sewing machine at all hours of the night. She learned to sew from her talented mother Chris, and from the tried and true method of trial and error.

Favorite materials include denim, corduroy, canvas, woven suede, and repurposed upholstery samples. Custom orders are more than welcome. The business is based in the lovely town of Durham in the fabulous state of North Carolina, USA. All Sweetgum bags are designed to be functional, pleasant to look at, and to last you a very long time.

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What's Inside Your Beach Bag?

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Grab your beach bag. It’s time to hit the Beach!

Memorial Day is the unofficial kick-off to summer. There’s nothing like that first day, after a long winter, where you dig your chair into the sand, throw down your new beach bag crammed full of beach-day necessities, and lounge away. This nautical stripe bag from Banyan Hippo is a great summertime accessory.

Coastal Living, one of my all-time favorite magazines, has a monthly column that spotlights a celebrity’s beach bag. Recently they looked inside the bags of Tory Burch and Michael Kors. It’s not just what’s inside a bag that makes a great beach bag, but the bag itself makes a statement.

This got me thinking, about my beach bag. I grew up at the Jersey Shore, where my friends and I spent all summer on the beach. I bought beach bags like other people bought shoes. Was it a Palm Beach kind of beach day (coral and green cabana-striped bag) or did I feel more Nantucket-y (Wicker with navy blue gingham lining.) Of course, it didn’t matter what bag I used, the contents I would stuff inside all remained the same. All the things I needed to keep me blissfully beach bound for the day—a book, a magazine, a notebook (for when I felt like making lists), sunscreen, snacks, and water.

This journal from Three by Sea is the perfect size for jotting down sea side.

A food bag from Bebeloosh Mini will keep snacks sand-free.

What more could you want in a day sitting sea-side? After, I’ll shake out my towel and hang my bag up (ideally on a hook like this one from Monkey and Squirrel)

I might not lounge endlessly anymore, but I still hit the beach when I can, and all my favorite necessities come with me.

DeShawn Marie Handmade Soap

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Gorgeous Sea Salt Kelp, Peppermint Rosemary, and Mint Julep vegan soaps by DeShawn Marie.

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Inspired by the Sea this soap contains real whole sea salt and kelp. Scented with bayberry oil which has a refreshing, clean smell reminiscent of the sea.

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Clean, invigorating and refreshing this soap is a real eye opener when you need an extra boost to start your day.

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My most refreshing soap, made with real mint leaves plus pure spearmint and peppermint essential oils. This soap will keep you light on your feet all day!