Try Handmade

Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Spring Break

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The spring break season doesn’t really take place in spring at all. For many people, it typically starts in early February and goes through mid March, when many colleges have their breaks. I live in New Jersey, and growing up a lot of families flew or drove to Florida for a week in February. (A few went north to ski, but more went south.) This is such a popular time for family travel, suburban legend has it that the public school district in my hometown changed their spring break vacation from Presidents week to the week before only after being petitioned by many winter-weary parents who wanted to take families south but not incur ‘holiday week’ prices. (Watercolor by Laura Trevey, crab luggage tags from Salmon Barn.)

As I’ve mentioned, I do like winter. Just the other day, I happily walked through New York City bundled in a down coat puddle-jumping the sidewalk-moats. (A sidewalk-moat, for all of you non-NYC natives, is a disgusting phenomenon that occurs as the snow melts and forms ginormous slush puddles around street-corners, making it impossible to cross without fisherman-style waders.) I didn’t look as cute as this model from Charlie and Sarah’s shop. Not even close.

The sun felt good, and I was warm under my three layers of clothing. But that’s not to say I wouldn’t like a little tropical change of scenery. Someplace sunny, green trees, and blue seas sounds wonderful. Shedding the down coat might not be bad, either. (This dress from Ishkabiddle Designs screams for warm weather–and creamsicles.)

The local stores have shed their winter coats. Window displays are full of wonderfully light fabrics, brighter colors, and lightweight totes and beach bags. Perhaps my favorite item of the warm-weather get-away is picking out a new beach bag, like this one from Willywaw.

Although I’m not flying south anytime soon, I do like searching for the perfect warm-weather gear so I’m ready when it does appear.

Have you been missing Crafting with Lotta?

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Are you missing the hilarious Crafting with Lotta column? Me too… But instead of Lotta’s humor, check out her creativity. (Don’t make me use the word “craftivity” — just go look at her shop.)

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Tanya Svoboda is a local Chicagoland artist that creates one of a kind jewelry. Whenever possible, she uses vintage beads, charms and buttons. She loves a good story and tries to find pieces with a unique history to incorporate into her work.

Tanya’s studio is named the “Mom O Matic” in a cheeky nod to the Automats of the early 1900s. Where women sat behind vending machines and dispensed treats to patrons day and night. As she herself frequently dispenses goldfish crackers to her two smallest patrons.

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A Good Bath Freaking Rules

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It wasn’t too hard to choose who to write about this week. I recently moved my studio and set up shop with a new studio mate. Dear readers, please meet Kim Of Stella Marie Soap Company. She is in charge of making our space smell great!

Kim makes soaps with a twist. Looking more like deserts, they are quite enticing. And we can’t forget her “last call” soap made with Narragansett Lager, which may seem good enough to drink, but really, drinking soap isn’t recommended. We’ll stick to bathing and save the beer for later.

Stella Marie Soaps may take on some unusual forms and incorporate many local ingredients (read: New Harvest Coffee in the form of java lava) but her main goals remain solid: “The mission is to produce fresh, skin-nourishing products of the highest possible quality in an environmentally responsible manner while offering an exciting alternative to the mainstream.”

She doesn’t just stick to soap either. Lip balm and body scrubs are also a staple among her fan base.

Don’t take the term fan base lightly. This woman has followers in this state. Winning such awards as Best of Rhode Island and The Phoenix Best doesn’t allow you to slip quietly around in RI. Just today two women came out to our studio to sniff around a bit. They just couldn’t wait to see her at the Providence Open Market during our fall season there. They needed their soap and needed it today.

It has been great to catch glimpses of Kim making her Stella Marie Soap while I am at my jewelers bench. She cares about her product through all of the steps. While a batch is baking she is printing labels and packaging another batch with care. Though she does stop on occasion to pet my irresistible dog who shares our space with us. Really though, who can resist a Bernese Mountain dog with the biggest, sweetest brown eyes? Enough about the dog, get on shopping and stock up on some stocking stuffers.

Natural Shampoo and Beer Soap

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Natural shampoo can come in a liquid soap form as well as a bar form. And Bruce, at Homebrew Soaps, makes an interesting one. I would be inclined to call it liquid soap, rather than shampoo, because it has a distinctly different texture than any other shampoo that I have used.

natural shampoo - homebrew soaps

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Facial Cream

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Olive oil seems to be one of those all purpose household items like baking soda that can reside comfortably in the bathroom, as well as the kitchen. Though I had not previously thought to put it on my face. Since it is actually, oil.

olive oil moisturizer
And while putting it in the bathtub seems like a good idea, albeit slippery. The face, where acne threatens seemed to be a place where oil would only be a good idea for someone sunburned, elderly, or with extraordinarily dry skin. Or maybe all three.

But I am won over by simplicity of ingredients. And olive oil, beeswax and vitamin E seemed to be something I could put on my legs if I didn’t like it as a facial cream. Or toast.

I tried the Beeswax and Olive Oil Moisturizer from Grace Inspired. Described as wonderful for normal to dry skin, I wondered how dry is normal. Would I qualify? Would this moisturizer feel like Vaseline?

It does have a somewhat gooey appearance. And the first time I put it on, I used way too much and had to pat my face with a towel. After that I quite liked it. My skin did not feel dry (of course). But it also did not feel oily, or suffocated.

The next day I used too little and kept dipping my finger back into the jar for a little more, beginning to feel like the three bears story, trying to get it right. But the third time was not a charm. It actually took all week for me to figure out just how much of the stuff to scoop out onto my fingers and put on my face without looking shiny. This seemed idiotic. And I would have given up, except that my skin felt really good.

I also like to use it on my hands, which tend to get very dried out around the cuticles. I think a person with dry skin could happily use it anywhere. And it doesn’t hurt my feelings when I get to say I’m normal.