good Archives - Try Handmade

Facial Cream

May 11, 2019 by Christine Eclavea Mercer 3 Comments

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.

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.

Far East Style, Home Town Goods

May 10, 2019 by Valerie Williams 1 Comment

Normally my shopping instincts are sharply honed onto pretty things to wear: clothes, shoes, jewelry, anything I can sew a flower on to, that sort of thing. But every now and then my eye is caught by beautiful home accessories, and I get the itch to beautify my living space, not just my closet!

Sue Henry is a sculptor and ceramic artist whose work moved over to textiles when her children came along. A dusty studio filled with fragile, breakable things was no longer practical with little ones running about. She decided to take up carving linoleum blocks – the tactile experience reminded her of her first love, working in clay.

Sue has been an artist all her life, and remembers her first creative instinct being about creating comfortable places to live. As a little girl, she wanted to be an architect and an interior designer. It just seemed like a natural next step to print her designs on textiles to create beautiful, functional home goods.

Seeing the lovely things that Sue makes really got me thinking about how I’ve been neglecting my living spaces lately. Her designs are full of movement and energy, and I love the bold colors she uses, which really make the designs stand out.

Every item at Tulusa Home Goods begins with a linoleum block hand carved by Sue. She is inspired by her travels to India and South East Asia, and her love of cooking, architecture, and design. The designs are printed on cotton or linen canvas with solvent-free block printing ink. The pillows are stuffed with organic kapok, a fluffy, soft, and environmentally friendly alternative to polyfill. The textiles are designed to be functional and durable, and are machine washable.

Included in the collection at Tulusa are pillows of all sizes, including large meditation pillows, and table linens of all types. Sue’s favorite part of the creative process is carving the linoleum block, so there’s really no limit to what she can print on, once she completes a design.

Right now, the most popular item at Tulusa Home Goods is the Ganesha pillow. Ganesha is a Hindu deity who is the remover of obstacles, and the bringer of good fortune and new beginnings. A good friend to have around as we approach the busy holiday season and the new year, wouldn’t you say?

You can find Tulusa Home Goods at Sue’s online shop, and you can also contact her for custom orders or to be invited to her December pop-up shop in Alexandria, Virginia.

For The Love of Swine

April 5, 2019 by Diana Prichard Leave a Comment

Not too long ago we added swine — American Guinea Hogs, an endangered heritage breed to be exact — to our farm family. It didn’t take any time at all for us to fall completely and utterly head over heels for the animals themselves, but I’d be remiss not to mention that we’ve been avid fans of pig-derived products for quite some time before their arrival — and I’m not talking football.

It’s amazing the number of marinades and rubs that pair perfectly with a good pork chop, or the ways in which a slow-cooked pork roast can be used. I’m particularly fond of slathering them in fruit flavors — apple, raspberry, mango — and adding a heavy dose of spice — jerk, chili, cracked pepper. And the meals from which those combinations can be made are endless; pork tacos, pork sausages tossed with pasta and grilled vegetables, white pork chili, bean soup.

Above and beyond all that however, is bacon. In sandwiches, crumbled on greens, chopped and added to a favorite potato or pasta salad recipe, with chocolate — yes, chocolate — bacon is heaven on earth as far as I’m concerned. Of course anything that compliments tomatoes and mayo on two pieces of toasted sourdough is above and beyond good with me so this is of no surprise. And it’s with that love in mind that I can spend copious amounts of time browsing the internet for bacon in all its glorious forms.

One of the most tantalizing of those products I’ve found to date has to be Skillet Street Food’s Bacon Jam on Foodzie (Pictured at top). Here’s what Real Simple magazine had to say about it:

This savory blend of bacon, onions, spices, and balsamic vinegar is perfect for your pork-loving oinkle. Spread on grilled cheese, burgers, and toast.

Vibrant Flavor‘s Maple Bacon Pretzels and The Red Head’s Bacon Peanut Brittle (pictured second and third in this post, respectively) come in a close second and both are also Foodzie products.

Do you have a favorite bacon product, flavor combination or recipe? Share it in the comments!

Larry Watson

April 2, 2019 by Erika Jurney 3 Comments

I featured this artist last year but I’m fascinated by the latest designs.

Larry Watson: My work has a very unique twist. I put the fun and funky in functional! Although obviously influenced by my natural surroundings and various travels abroad, my pottery has a strong human/spiritual metaphor to it. I feel that the things that happen to us, good and bad, are what develop character and spiritual strength. And so it is with my pottery, and the distortions I carve into the pristine forms become the most interesting character.

On Being Meaningful

March 24, 2019 by Diana Prichard 2 Comments

I read something recently at zenhabits that has stuck with me. I’m more than a bit ashamed to admit, lately, much of my online reading has come to an abrupt halt. I suppose this is why coming across a gem like this — so simple and yet so true — meant all the more to me. It was discovered in one of those rare moments where I was just being with me; myself. It was written, not about food, but about wanting very little in life. Yet it applies so beautifully to the journey we often travel in finding artisan food that I had to share.

Don’t be meaninglessly minimalist. Be purposeful and deliberate in your quest…

In the weeks leading up to The New Year holiday I thought extensively about where I wanted to go with this column; what I wanted to accomplish in 2010. All I was able to come up with was to ‘Have Direction’, but struggled as to what that really meant. I knew that in 2009, in its very infancy, I had felt pulled this way and that; I had wondered if anything good was actually being done with the words I was writing here. I struggled in December to know how to fix that until I was confronted with the direction of meaning.

In seeking an artisan or handmade existence, especially in the food industry, being meaningful is a complex and oft times misdirected effort in an of itself. There are so many camps of foodies out there. Local, organic, artisan, simple, slow, complex and fanciful — knowing which is right, which is meaningful for your individual situation is never clear cut or easy.

In 2010 I hope not just to ‘have direction’ but to be meaningful and to promote the importance of meaningful decisions in the food industry. That means uniting for the cause. Whether local or organic, simple or complex it means understanding and accepting that meaningful food choices come in many colors; under many schools of thought.

Here’s to meaningful food in the New Year — for one, for all!