Try Handmade

Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Profile: Alex Snowdon

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Handprinting seems to be gaining in popularity in the handmade community, and it can be difficult for designer-makers to differentiate themselves. This week I’m talking with Alex Snowdon, a Cheshire-based graphic designer who sells beautiful handprinted bags, cushions and cards.

A few years ago, Alex realised that she missed the hands-on aspects of graphic design, as the industry became more computer-based. With a background in illustration and hand-lettering, she went back to university to study design and illustration, which she undertook while still working full-time. Alex loved the course and reconnected with crafting and printmaking, especially the joy of creating something with her own hands.

In 2009 Alex was offered a stall at a craft fair and frantically managed to print a small collection of bags and cards to showcase. The fair was a huge success and prompted Alex to set up an Etsy shop to widen her reach. Since then, she has made a lot of sales both on and offline, including wholesale to retail outlets in the UK and Australia – a dream for many crafters!

Alex still works full-time and crafts in her free time but would love to give up her day job eventually, even it that meant sacrificing a steady income. “I love the fact that someone has chosen to buy something that’s not mass produced, that they’re supporting the growing craft industry and basically, daring to be different. I love how the whole process is more personal when you’re buying or selling something handmade, for instance I always put a handwritten note in with my parcels – it’s just nice to have the human touch.”

Aside from crafting, Alex loves to travel and gains inspiration from her experience. She particularly draws on Chinese and European papercuts as well as Scandanavian design. Alex is also realistic about her goals and wants to work on promoting her products in order to increase her customer base. “I don’t really promote myself enough. I’ve been lucky so far in that people have approached me but I know that in order to make my business grow I’m going to need to put myself out there a bit more.”

Like many savvy designers, Alex already uses media-sharing websites like Flickr and takes advantage of the groups to share her work. She is now planning to set up a Facebook page for her designs and has identified shops in Manchester that she would like to approach.

Alex also sees the value of the handmade community for promoting work and sharing ideas. “The handmade scene in the UK is definitely growing and I think the support is there if you know where to look for it. The crafting scene is very big in North America and I think it will eventually be the same here. I think the economic downturn has also made people more concerned with getting value for their money and spending what they do have on something that’s unique and good quality, all the things that come with buying handmade.”

Do you have any advice or ideas to share on promoting your work? Post here or send me a tweet to @elliethouret.

Handmade in Manchester, England

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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!”

Stephanie Brown Designs

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.

Usagi Rabbit

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When I first came across this shop, I immediately was reminded of the Japanese animated film My Neighbor Totoro. So it should come as no surprise that Jacqueline, the artist behind UsagiRabbit is infatuated with Japanese culture. A student slowly working her way toward a college degree in linguistics, one of her goals is to learn to read Japanese. These whimsical bunny creatures are part Totoro and part Care Bear and so cute! Some are just for loving and cuddling, while others are put to work protecting your small electronic devices.

Jacqueline got her start in handmade when she couldn’t find the things she wanted in the stores. Though her shop has only been open since May she’s been creating art since she was old enough to pick up a coloring book – from making clothes for her dolls to patching up her jeans.

I used to knit scarves and a friend suggested I try selling some of them at a small local craft fair. I took the plunge and it was a blast! I loved meeting all those other crafters and artisans. Artists are some of the nicest people you can be around. Finding Etsy really got me thinking that I could make a go of this. It’s full of so many inspiring stories and helpful fellow sellers. I really want to try my best!

Her skills have been honed over the years with help from her mother (a lifelong seamstress) and various friends and teachers along the way. Isn’t it wonderful how the creative community came together to help this artist learn the skills to realize her vision?

There’s something about the feeling of the wool in my hands and the slight hum the thread makes that fills me with satisfaction.

Jacqueline first starts planning her creatures with a drawing and some key concepts.When she’s inspired a piece can come together very quickly; sometimes the process can take days or weeks. Once a design is decided on, she chooses colors and felts and cut out the pieces. The most time consuming part of the process is sewing the pieces because it takes a long time and the stitches have to be just right! Lastly, her creation is stuffed with pure cotton and sewn shut. Thus is born the latest addition to the UsagiRabbit family!

Well, I love all my finished creations (even though some of them can be quite beastly during the making) but if I had to choose just one I guess my favorite would be the orange rabbit with a yellow flower on its belly. It makes me smile when I see it.

Born and raised in New Jersey this Texas transplant is inspired by her travel and experiences of other cultures. She has no sales so far, so let’s get her started – shall we?

Spring Organization: Kitchen

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One room in your home that you may spend the most time in is your kitchen. Especially if you have a large family to take care of; preparing school lunches, sorting groceries after shopping trips, creating a dinner menu for the month. Keeping your kitchen organized will keep the stress minimal and allow you to actually enjoy spending this essential time in your kitchen instead of having to worry about whether or not everything is in its place.

When you enter your kitchen to prepare a meal, make sure all of your favorite recipes are neatly written and are all kept in the same place. The easier things are to find, the quicker you can get down to business and complete the meal prep and have more time to spend enjoying the meal with your friends or family. The recipe box pictured above comes complete with illustrated letterpress recipe cards for a cute, handmade look. The box that holds the cards is even handcrafted by the artist in her Dad’s woodshop. Find this item along with many other original letterpress designs over at the shop of 1canoe2.

Organize your kitchen utensils with this unique handmade concrete canister. The artist at Culinarium has created a unique concrete mixture that allows his products to have a smooth texture that is physically similar to that of ceramic or aluminum! In this shop you will find other handmade items made from eco-friendly materials such as recycled rubber, concrete, cork, and aluminum for a chic, industrial style design.

If you have been on Etsy lately, then you probably noticed the trend with these adorable magnetic spice racks. SaltCitySpice turns these functional spice racks into works of art for your kitchen. There are many styles in this shop, but my favorite is the one pictured above. A silver serving platter has been altered with a chalkboard paint for a re-writable surface to jot down your shopping list, to label your spices, or to write down meal ingredients. Magnetic tins of your favorite spices are within easy reach and can be arranged on the surface in any configuration your heart desires. Find a large variety of these magnetic spice racks at SaltCitySpice!