Try Handmade

Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Maine, USA

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[hTara]

My step-sister, Kate, is back in Pennsylvania this week for some visiting before she starts graduate school in the fall. She might be in between “homes” right now – aren’t all students? But she’s called Maine home for the last 5 years. So in honor of her and her own fabulous creativity, “Shop Local” is coming at you from the land of moose, snow, and trees!

Anabelfuzz - Reversible Cotton Bonnet

Anabelfuzz creates delightful children’s bonnets, clothing, and accessories. They are quite obviously inspired by the climate of Maine. Some bonnets are lined with soft and warm cotton sherpa. Others are meant to keep ears warm on cool spring mornings. There are also apparel items with a distinctly New England shore feel. [Read more…]

The Wizarding World of Fashion

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Yes, I am not ashamed to admit it: I am a Harry Potter fan! So much so, we have saved up to take the family to Harry Potter World in Florida later this year, and we simply cannot wait to see the next film in the series next week. We have been the family who have queued up outside the bookshop at midnight when the new books have come out and read them non-stop; we bought the Hogwarts scarves, the wands, the wands the following year when the newer edition had pretty lights, and and we have also been the ones (husband excluded) dressing up to go to the cinema on the opening night.

Unfortunately this year my daughter’s still on her school camp on that first night, so we have to wait a whole 3 days! Now we are completely used to being accused of being very uncool as far as the Harry Potter thing is concerned (they either haven’t read the books or are jealous of J K Rowling’s success), but even I had my doubts as to whether dressing up not on the first night, is too much. Those doubt were quickly quashed though, and we are now busy planning what to wear!

A quick internet search reveals some amazing fan-made costumes, but sadly they mostly aren’t for sale. On Etsy, I absolutely love this one above by Bbeauty Designs of Bellatrix lestrange’s outfit. Evil and nasty though the character is, there’s no doubt that Helena Bonham Carter always gets to play the most interesting people and wear the best clothes.

The detail by limebarb that has gone into re-creating the uniform of the Beauxbaton students is amazing! It is just like the ones in the films.

Lastly I love this charm bracelet by 1luckysoul. What a fantastic idea. It has kind of a steampunk edge to it too and is so original.

The only sad thing is, this is the very last film!

My Black Dress

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My Black Dress: I discovered my passion in Fashion three years ago and just entered a fashion school without any knowledge of clothing construction or pattern-making. Now I can bring any design in my mind or on paper into reality. I purely love sewing, designing, draping–in fact, the whole process of making clothes. I work on every single piece with my soul, passion, heart, and love. I would not put anything on my store that I am not proud of. Each peice is truely well-made and one of a kind. Enjoy!!

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Pinning it together

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The humble safety pin. Its usual purpose is to act as an emergency fastener when a zip or button breaks, but it has evolved into a legitimate item of alternative fashion. Long gone are the days when it was only worn before the age of three to hold our nappies (diapers) together (scary! – how did our generation actually survive?) It quickly became an iconic symbol of British punk in the late 1970s, as sported by Johnny Rotten. In addition to holding together carefully and deliberately ripped jeans, the bravely stupid with a blatant disregard for hygiene safety, wore them through ear, nose and anywhere-else piercings.

The whole punk spirit is embodied in the above London Calling t-shirt by PaulinaClothing with mesh, rips and safety pins all over the union jack print. If it’s safety pins galore that you’re after, then take a look at the DeathBy13 store which sells some wickedly punky clothes, including these trousers with those massive pins all over.

They can be so versatile too: link loads together to make all kinds of necklaces, bracelets, key chains and use to pin on patches. So just reach for that annoying pile of safety pins in your stationary and other junk drawer when you feel your outfit needs a little bit of punking up. This men’s hoodie by 57thirtythree has a huge punk patch with safety pins all round.

When Liz Hurley wore that infamous Versace Little Black Dress to the premier of Four Weddings and a Funeral in 1994, the safety pin enjoyed a fashion revival and I remember a teen magazine suggesting we wear them in our hair – a look which I actually copied on a mufti day at school! She proved that they could be glamorous though, and I love the embellishment to this dress by lissabean.

Travel Inspired Spring Fashion

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I don’t know why, but I’ve got travel on my mind more than ever these days. Maybe it’s the temperatures increasing ever so slightly and the sun peeking out from behind the clouds. Or possibly, it’s also the not so distant memories of snow and that we’re still wearing coats and gloves most days. (Screenprinted T’s from New Duds.)

Whatever the reason – there’s probably nothing more fun to daydream about then time away in beautiful places. I have two trips on the horizon, that I am hoping will happen within the next year. One to Maui, and one to Paris. Neither are confirmed yet, but that hasn’t stopped me from doing a little bit of research to see where my top places to go in each city are. Maui would be all about hiking, eco-tourism and time at the beach for me!

In Paris – La Duree for some sensational macaroons, Versailles in all it’s splendour, and biking in the French countryside are all top of my list.

And being the fashion loving girl that I am, I started to think of what clothing I’d want for these trips! For Maui, brightly colored lightweight dresses, tank tops and bikinis. For Paris, breezy romantic dresses and clothing in sweet pastels….

I thought I’d take a peek around Supermarket at some great indie fashion – matching each outfit with a fun getaway destination.

First up, these cute screenprinted t-shirts at the top of this post from New Duds! Almost instantly, they had me thinking Road Trip. T’s are always comfy for long trips in the car, with a stop at a cozy roadside dinner or a fun pub for lunch or dinner.

The Pastorius Dress from Dressed in Yellow makes me think of New York!

Lekkerlife Clothing offers this oh so cute black and white pleated skirt that says vintage California to me – I can just see myself wearing this great ensemble, top down, driving around in a classic car.

Finally – this gorgeous organic cotton dress from Gina Michelle has me thinking of Paris. This dramatic little number looks perfect for a candlelit dinner at a raucous restaurant!

Have you started shopping for spring and summer clothes yet? Any fun finds?