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Color Explosion Wire Mesh Cuff Bangle Bracelet

February 4, 2019 by Erika Jurney 3 Comments

I purchased this stunning multi-beaded frenzy of color, the seller was a pleasure to deal with, it arrived at my door promptly in a sweet little gift box, and it is even more beautiful than I had imagined it would be.

Fortunately for you, Meditations has more of these in her shop. I recommend you grab one in a color that tickles you and wear it all the time. That’s my plan at least.

UPDATE: Meditations is offering Free Shipping and a special gift to everyone who emails or convos her and mentions “Try Handmade” before making a purchase. This is a great deal, go check out her shop :)

Handmade in Manchester, England

January 22, 2019 by Ellie Thouret 6 Comments

Please welcome our newest columnist, Ellie Thouret! “Ellie is a UK-based designer of handknit and crocheted accessories. In her rare time away from the needles and hooks, she can be found scouring Etsy and Folksy for cute and quirky handmade items.” She’s going to be covering the area that is her neck of the woods: England! Leave her a comment below if you have any great suggestions for her or if you just want to welcome her :)

:: Erika

This is my very first post for my new column, Handmade in England. I hope you’ll all enjoy reading about the UK handmade scene. I’m looking forward to showcasing the best handmade products and crafters that we have to offer! In this post I will be profiling the Manchester Craft & Design Centre (MCAD), a fantastic studio/retail space right here in my city.

MCAD was established in 1982, originally known as Manchester Craft Village. Situated in a historic fish and poultry market, the Centre was set up to help kick-start the regeneration of the Northern Quarter, a now-trendy area filled with independent boutiques and bars. It houses 18 studios with around 35 makers/designers, a cafe and a small exhibition space.

“We aim to be the place to make, see and buy contemporary craft and design in the North West,” explains Kate Day, Director at MCAD. “MCAD offers a supportive working environment with affordable rents for city center retail/studio space. We provide a signposting service for our tenants to business development agencies such as Business Link, funding opportunities, awards, commissions and exhibiting opportunities.”

The goods on offer at MCAD vary, from jewelry to handbags, art to ceramics, and the Centre is usually buzzing on weekends. The light and spacious design welcomes visitors and the beautiful items are displayed extremely attractively. But for the artists based at MCAD, it is the business support that they really value.

“MCAD promotes the Centre and studios with ongoing marketing activity including our website, monthly e-flyers, promotional activities and partnerships with organizations such as the Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair,” comments Kate. “We also curate a national/international exhibition program with regular events and workshops.”

Colette Hazelwood, a designer/maker of contemporary jewelry, who has been based at MCAD for over 10 years, since graduating university in 1999. “Being at MCAD has undoubtedly helped me in my business, not so much directly – but indirectly. It has allowed me to come face to face with my customer, not only is this good for me but it’s great for them to get to know me and judge whether they can trust me with their great grandmother’s diamond and platinum ring!”

Jane Dzisiewski and Stephanie Brown are part of Designers Eclectic, a collective of jewelers based at MCAD since September 2009. “Some people would say it was either brave or insane to start up a business in the middle of a recession but MCAD has enabled us to do this,” Jane explains. “MCAD provides low cost studios in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter. We couldn’t have got studio/retail premises in the center of town otherwise.

Stephanie continues, “The Craft Centre is an invaluable creative platform to launch and grow a business and is a fabulous creative community to work in and be a part of. All the tenants are emailed regular updates on creative opportunities, awards and commissions from the office.

The tenants are encouraged to initiate ideas to promote their own studios and the centre. They have varied backgrounds and contribute their expertise to the Centre when and where they can.”

Suzanne Devine, handbag and accessory designer/maker, finds the mutual support among MCAD artists particularly valuable: “I have been at the Craft and Design Centre for 6 years now and it has been a big part in this learning process and a great experience having friends who are in the same situation as me – some with more experience, some now with less experience and also the advice and support that we pass around to each other.”

Demand for studio space at MCAD is growing, a reflection of the increase in crafters in the North West UK. “Courses such as Manchester Metropolitan University‘s Creative Business Development help to prepare new graduates with entrepreneurial skills, and we’ve also noticed an increase in people establishing craft / design businesses as a second career,” says Kate.

MCAD will hold a new exhibition, Threadbare, in July. The launch event takes place on Saturday July 3, all are welcome. Please visit the MCAD website to sign up for the Centre’s monthly e-flyer. For more information on MCAD, visit the Centre’s website, Facebook Page and Twitter feed.

*MCAD photo credit Ed Chadwick.

For The Love of Berries

January 21, 2019 by Diana Prichard 4 Comments

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.

Vintage Croquet Set by VintageSurplus

[Read more…]

Earth Day Gift Ideas

January 15, 2019 by Kristin Huston 9 Comments

[hKristin]

Earth Day is fast approaching and, while it might not spring to mind as a holiday that you would give gifts for, I found some awesome, eco-friendly handmade items that will make you want to buy Earth Day gifts for other people and for yourself.

Let’s start with the now ubiquitous “green” tote bag. Sure, you can buy one in the checkout line at the grocery store, but would that have adorable owls on it like this great tote from The Craft Pantry? Not only is this bag tote-ally cute (ha!), but it is also made of 100% recycled cotton.

Continuing with the owl theme is this onesie / tee from Sweet 3 Leaf Prints. I love that you can share your affection for mother Earth in such a fun way with your kids!

Next up on the Earth Day wish list are these fabulous bowls created by Cinderelish. These bowls come in multiple colors and I love the fact that the way she writes eARTh puts the emphasis on Art!

So, let’s say you really want to go all out on earth day, and get something special for an important man in your life. I recommend these beautiful mother of pearl cuff links from The Cuft Lynx. What a stylish and savvy way for your guy to show his commitment to the environment! Makes me wish my hubby ever wore cuff links!

And, while we’re on the subject of adding a little sparkle to your outfit, here is a gorgeous recycle necklace, made by the Heather Curry Collection. Simple, sophisticated, and eco-conscious!

Maybe you’re looking for a small token to remind you of the importance of Earth Day. Perhaps something you will use frequently and love every time you look at it! I recommend this wonderful Little Bird measuring tape made from felt that is 100% post-consumer recycled plastic. Drop in at Malama Kids to see this and other fun felted pieces.

Apparently I was hungry when I was looking for Earth Day items, because one of my favorite selections this week is this Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough soap made by Savor. Now if only I could convince myself to not eat it!

Want to do more than buy organic or recycled items? How about making your own laundry detergent? Even if you don’t feel up to making it from scratch, you can order this Vegan laundry soap base from Shower Treat Soap. They’ll even include recipes for you!

And while you are patting yourself on the back for doing something great for the earth, why not do some planting too, with these sunflower seed implanted hang tags from Romeo 2 Juliet. Just imagine the lovely blooms that you will soon be enjoying!

Hopefully, these products help you to see how easy it is to by earth friendly on earth day, and every day! Next week we’re going to get ready to celebrate Cinco de Mayo!

An enlightening day at the gallery…

January 12, 2019 by Amy L. 1 Comment

Inspired. That’s what I felt after visiting the Vancouver Art Gallery last weekend. My husband and I are members, so we’re free to pop in any time we like to check out the newest exhibition which is a great luxury. So much so that we may not even look into a new exhibit in that much detail in advance like we would otherwise, we’ll just head down instead to check it out in person. For some reason I wasn’t that excited about the WE: Vancouver exhibit. I figured, I live here already, and as much as I love it I’m not super interested in some kind of rah rah city pride type of thing. I found something very very different that encouraged me in more ways than one. (The Reclaimed Dress above is from Etsy shop, Adhesif.)

Seed Bombs from Visual Lingual

With the dawn of the internet, we’ve seen the rise of countless different types of sites – and I couldn’t help but wonder after visiting the exhibit, how this easy transmission of information might be changing our collective perspectives for the better. Now it’s altogether possible that the folks whose thoughts and work were on display came to these views without the internet’s helping hand, but there were three outlooks that I have heard expressed again and again by people online and by my own friends in the last couple of years that I can’t help but wonder if there is some kind of interplay there, and a really great one at that, that is making these types of views far more mainstream than they ever have been before.

Throughout this post, you’ll find handmade items that I feel fit the various themes of this post in one way or another!

Reclaimed Wood Vase from Peg and Awl

The first “manifesto” I came across in the gallery found it’s main focus in nature and architecture, and painted an enticing vision of individuals who find themselves deeply connected to the outside world in a sustainable way. If you’d like, read more here about Mari Fujita and Matthew Soules vision of a future where we commute by kayak and pluck tomatoes from our wallpaper, right here.

Next, a commentary on conscious consumption – reminding us to be in touch with what we eat and use in our day to day lives. Either by baking bread, or planting a fruit tree or any other number of things as Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon suggest here.

Reclaimed wood terrarium from Ecogro

Next stop – a display courtesy of Natalie Purschwitz, who for one year decided to wear only things she made herself. You can read more about her project here.

If you have a chance to read these manifestos or to peruse Natalie’s blog, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Are you inspired like me, or do you think these lofty ideas and ambitions are unrealistic or somehow unattainable?