Try Handmade

Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Meadowbrook Creations Handcrafted and Local

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Please welcome Emily Anderson to Try Handmade! She is the author of three books {Eco Chic Home, Eco Chic Weddings, and What to Do When Changing a Light Bulb Just Isn’t Enough} and she also blogs at www.goodwithstyle.com. A lover of the handmade, she’ll be taking over the Shop Local column starting today. Please welcome her and let her know about any areas of the country you think have particularly great makers!

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Erika

This being my very first post for Try Handmade, since I’ll be writing the Shop Local column, I’ve spent some time rethinking what it means to me to Shop Local. It’s a very complicated issue. I mean, even if you buy from a “big box” store, aren’t you technically “shopping locally?” Don’t the people who work in that big box store live in your town, go to school with your kids (or you), shop for groceries, pump gas, get parking tickets, water their lawn, pay their mortgage, walk their dogs, and feed their families in the same general geographic area as you do? More than likely, the employees at these big box stores are your neighbors, friends, maybe even family. But what happens when those people lose their jobs (as 11,000+ Wal Mart/Sam’s Club employees just did). And worse, what happens when one of those big box stores shuts down? Julia Christensen’s book, Big Box Reuse, has more information about what happens when the big box stores shut down.

Find out more about when big box stores close in Julia Christensen's book

However, nurturing the local economy is dependent upon more than just the “consumers” or the employees of big business. The local economy also needs the individual producer, craftspeople who can make things like furniture, because this is how the local economy empowers itself, creates a strong foundation, and ensures self-reliance. Of course always shopping locally may not be realistic for everyone, for one thing there’s the affordability factor. If you’ve ever purchased furniture for your home, then you probably know why so many people go to Pottery Barn (or Pier One, or Ethan Allen, or any of the well-known brands out there). It’s just so convenient, right? And a lot more affordable than buying something handmade, right? Wrong! I found the most wonderful resource (online of course) for handcrafted furniture pieces, even custom if you so desire.

Meadow

Meadowbrook Creations is the enterprise of Sonny and Lynne Bride. They started their business designing and making furniture in 2002. This business, based in Weare, New Hampshire, was a complete departure from what they’d been doing. Like many local businesses, it came from a combination of talent, drive, and necessity. They established Meadowbrook Creations, which is the parent company of NH Woodworking, a “Make to Order” business, specializing in Early American and Shaker style pieces. Since the business began, the Brides have doubled their sales every year. Now they work with a network of local furniture makers who produce the designs created by the Brides. The best thing is–the pieces are affordable (relatively speaking).

Handmade Spring Fashions

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[hKristin]

It’s Spring Fashion time here at the Seasonal Handmade column and I am here to help you buy a piece or two that will inject a little freshness into your wardrobe.

Let’s start with the basics. How about a tee? Just because we often run around town in tees and jeans doesn’t mean we have to look sloppy. This tee from Limey T’s features a great mum print in lovely shades of blue. Just right for spring and just right for looking sassy while you run your errands.

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Another great tee is this lovely circle print shirt from Eliza + Axel. The hand appliqued circles elevate this tee into something that would look great with a skirt and some ballet flats for a casual dinner out or lunch with your girlfriends.

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If you want to “spring” for something even dressier try this lovely and romantic tank from Armour sans Anguish. Not only will this top look sophisticated this spring, but the rich blackberry color will take you into fall with the addition of a jacket or cardigan.

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Speaking of cardigans, is there any item of clothing more versatile than a lightweight cardigan? This darling specimen, from Good Egg would look great over anything from tees to tanks to summer dresses. Not just that, but it would make a gorgeous layering piece for the fall and winter.

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What if you’re a skirt and dress kind of girl? This lovely purple skirt from Zoe Chen would make a great, fun addition to your spring wardrobe and would be easy and breezy in the summer too!

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What could be easier and breezier than this perfect dress from Treehouse 28? Universally flattering, this style will look great at the beach and walking down the street in a big city.

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And if your closet is full, but you’d still like to add some springtime to your wardrobe, why not accessorize? These fabulous earrings from WillOaks Studio add both color and whimsy to your jewelry drawer.

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A new handbag is always a fun way to celebrate a new season. This one from Deyitta is adorable and has some darling spring birds chirping their way across your accessories.

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Finally, put some skip in your step with these lovely vegan shoes from Hydra Heart. Cute and planet-friendly, what more could a girl ask for?

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Now that you have some ideas for decking yourself out this spring, go forth and buy handmade! Next week we will be looking forward to memorial day and finding some fun handmade goodies to make your long weekend even better.

Cooking Up History

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Last week, in On Inheritance we talked Heirloom tomatoes; their origins, beauty, roots in the land and the way such a simple fruit can connect us with our ancestors, the generations past. This week, we’ll take a more practical look at the summer’s most coveted bounty with some of the best recipes from around the web.

After decades of conditioning to the acceptance of dull, pale, supermarket varieties one of the biggest questions people have about heirloom tomatoes is what to do with them. Sure, they’re pretty, but how do we eat them? Everyone knows they’re great for slicing, but a rare few know the true breadth of a good heirloom’s culinary possibilities.

Prior to the relatively recent industrialization of our food system however, heirlooms were all that existed and as such the possibilities for their uses extend as far as our imaginations. From salads to sauces, pizzas to pastas heirloom tomatoes are the perfect accompaniment to just about any dish and even make great waves as the dinner table headliner themselves. That said, without further ado, some of the best heirloom tomato recipes I’ve found to date:

Food Network gives a well-received template for creating an heirloom tomato salsa, my only tweak to their system would be to encourage you not to limit yourself to one variety of tomato. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different textures, colors and tastes to find the blend you enjoy most.

Martha Stewart offers her rendition of the all-American Friday night dinner with her Oven-Dried Heirloom Tomato Pizza and there’s really no sense in trying to improve a recipe from the master, especially when it doesn’t get any simpler. I love how she lets the tomatoes flavor take center stage in this one with just a dash of pepper to spice things up.

Sea Salt With Food’s Grilled Corn and Shrimp Salad doesn’t specifically call for heirloom tomatoes, but substituted for the conventional grape tomatoes the heirloom would really make it pop.

And last, but certainly not least, one I have not tried but that I couldn’t help but be fascinated with; Cheddar Cheese Pancakes with Heirloom Tomato, Avocado and Warm Bacon Vinaigrette — yes, I said warm bacon — from Sippity Sup. Try it and let me know what you think. It has both tomatoes and bacon so it has to be good.

Until next week, happy tomato eating!

* Heirloom Tomato Art in this column is by Big Bean Photos, f2 Images and Darrah Parker, respectively. Because Tomatoes are not just for eating, but also good for decorating. So go get yourself a print, or ten.

For The Love of Berries

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Please say a huge hello to our latest guest blogger, Diana Prichard! She’s passionate about food and the people who create it, and this post is a great testament to her love.

:: Erika

Every year over the Fourth of July holiday we pack our camper to the brim, load up the dogs, the horses, the children and every yard game known to man and venture just forty-five miles south to the private lake and cabin that has been in my family for years. There we converge on an almost week long family reunion. The small, rustic, three-room cabin built by my grandfather shortly after World War II acts as a community center as each family pulls in and sets up camp on the surrounding lawn.

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Vintage Croquet Set by VintageSurplus

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