Try Handmade

Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Amber Alexander

by 1 Comment

Amber Alexander, whose work reminds me of a modern day Beatrix Potter, is an artist to watch. This Vermont based artist creates interesting characters with her paints and brushes. Her watercolor and acrylic work is stunning!

It’s rare to find art that can find a home on any wall. That is another great aspect of Amber’s work. You could hang any of her paintings in any room of your home and it would simply ‘fit it’.

You will find affordable prints, originals and even some cards featuring Amber’s artwork in her shop. There is a lot to choose from that will make your collection all the more special. Enjoy!

Art Nest

by 3 Comments

il_fullxfull.76071835

Art Nest is a place to celebrate everyday beauty, hard work, living creatively, artistic achievements and remembering to live simply.

I make these pincushion rings using my favorite fabrics, lush colored wool felt and nickel free, silver plated adjustable rings. I’ve been using mine for nearly four months now. I don’t think I can ever go back to storing my pins in a red tomato.Wearing my pincushion ring allows for more freedom while I sew at my machine. When not in use, I hang the pincushion on the bobbin winder.

il_fullxfull.76070831
iusb_760x100.6348600
il_fullxfull.76071482

Simply Shabby: Redefining Your Bathroom

by 3 Comments

A clean bathroom is a happy bathroom. A stylish one is even happier.

This week’s post is a little “how-to” session on creating a well organized, shabby chic style bathroom. While everyone has a different style preference, I believe that adding a few rustic, natural elements is just good for the soul.

First off: take time to pamper yourself. Make your bathroom a place to relax; a sanctuary. The handmade soaps pictured above from DirtyDeedsSoaps are beautiful and come in a variety of scents and colors. Display them in a decorative dish or arrange several in a crate as shown in the photo for a creative accent of color in your space.

If space allows, add a chair or bench to your room. Furniture adds a bit of luxury to a bathroom. You can use it as decoration, holding stacks of neatly folded towels and baskets of toiletries, or you can use it functionally as a place to sit and lotion your legs or to paint your toenails after a relaxing bubble bath. Keeping with our shabby chic style, this handmade bench made from reclaimed wood, from brandmojointeriors, serves as a perfect example.

Burlap accents have been making an appearance in a variety of decorating styles lately. It adds a bit of texture to your decorating scheme and compliments a rustic theme perfectly. Check out the creations of Mary at hoganfe handmade originals. She sells all kinds of handmade accessories for your home (and even your wedding!), including the adorable organizer bin below. Use them to organize and sort your odds and ends or use them to hold a festive floral arrangement.

You will soon enough notice a Mason Jar trend in my posts…I simply LOVE them! They fit well with any decorating style and have limitless organization possibilities. I have some things in the works for future posts, so stay tuned! In the meantime, check out GneissSpice‘s bathroom magnetic storage solutions. Use them to store your cotton swabs, make up applicators, hair ties, bath salts, and much more.

Create your very own handmade-inspired retreat with these few simple steps!
What sort of organizational solutions do you currently use in your own bathroom today?

Spring Organization: Gardening

by 1 Comment

How many of you have been outside taking advantage of this beautiful, sunny weather? I know I have! Let’s get our hands dirty with some garden talk today.

If you’re in the works growing a vegetable garden, jazz it up a little with these colorful garden stakes by fromArtisanHands. If you’re new to veggie gardening like me, then you may need a little guidance with remembering which of your plant starts is which. These handcrafted stakes were cut from slabs of stoneware and come in a variety of fun colors. Not only do they come with vegetable names, but you can order them with herb names or inspirational words as well.

I have absolutely fallen in love with these handcut, recycled tire planters by DuchessCraft. Made from old lawnmower and trailer tires, these planters will make a huge statement when strategically placed in your flower garden. You can also use them inside the home to sort and organize your magazines, knick knacks, or even your recycling. Also, this artist donates a portion of the proceeds from these planters to the Second Harvest Food Bank where millions of pounds of food are donated to families in need all over the country every year. Visit the Second Harvest Food Bank website to see what else you can do to help!

Carry your gardening tools, seed packets, gloves, and other supplies with ease with this cedar wooden garden tote made by DesignByKohler. Cedar is perfect for this type of outdoor job since it is termite and rot resistant as well as lightweight for easy carrying. As their product description suggests, you can also turn it into a rustic style planter by simply drilling a few holes in the bottom and filling it with soil and an assortment of plants. DesignByKohler makes many custom designed and built wooden products for your home and garden from both exotic and domestic woods.

Now that you have some tools to get started on your garden, head over to Diana’s posts for some tips on What’s In Season.

Oh Baby! It's a …

by Leave a Comment

It seems to be the season for celebrations: graduations, weddings, and babies. I myself have babies on the brain. Not because I have one, or am having one, but because my sister-in-law is. Baby Isabella is due in July and is already the most spoiled child on earth. The baby on the brain part comes from the baby shower happening this Sunday…so of course, there’s a lot of baby talk about things like cribs and rocking chairs, diapers, diaper bags, and toy chests.

This unique, handmade toy chest from MomModFurntiture can be passed down from generation to generation.

There are so many ridiculously cute items to be found online. The creative community thrives on handmade baby items for all types of moms and all types of babies. After all, isn’t your favorite childhood item something someone made for you–a blanket, hat, stuffed animal? It’s a shame we all too often fall into the trap of last-minute gift-giving and simply go with what we know (in my case, a registry gift from Pottery Barn Kids).

This growth chart from Giraffes And Stuff is a fun, unique gift that can be added to the nursery.

And don’t forget mom-to-be wouldn’t mind a gift or two that was a little bit about her as well. This bud vase from Red Hot Pottery is a perfect gesture.

When it comes to gift-giving, think outside the box, or crib as it may be.