Try Handmade

Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Kirschbits

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Look at these great bags by Kirschbits that I found in the Try Handmade Inbox! I love seeing products that are both beautiful and reasonably priced. (Please buy the hobo bag before I do…)

Kirschbits was born in Schleswig (a small historic -and viking related- town in the northern most region of Germany) through the skills and creativity developed through my curiosity and desires to make different things, try different materials, and above all, Hand-making everything I shape in my mind.

Kirschbits is me, Vanessa Kirsch (Graphic Designer, Artist) a Venezuelan living in Germany. I make different kinds of handmade stuff (handbags, jewelry, art, design and graphics, etc). I throw in a whole bunch of ideas, concepts and above all, love and professionalism in everything I do.

Skudfisher

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Cartoons! I watch tons of cartoons.

That was Mike from Skudfisher‘s response when I asked him what inspired his fun plushies. How can you argue with such enthusiasm?

Everything from Invader Zim to Rocky and Bullwinkle (both of which are responsible for huge chunks of my sense of humour). I also pretty obsessively try to absorb as much cool art as possible from the internet. Flickr has so many amazing independent artists that it kind of blows my mind sometimes. I can spend hours just going from artist or artist on flickr. I have some pretty amazing people on my contact list on there that I really admire.

Mike has been obsessed with drawing silly characters and monsters since he was little. Then 2 years ago he decided to try and make one of his monsters into a toy for his nephew as a birthday gift, lucky kid. It only took that one toy to turn sewing into an obsession and he’s been making plushies ever since. Each monster has it’s own story along with it’s likes and dislikes to ensure monster/child compatibility.

There is something very satisfying about coming up with an idea, cutting out the fabric and sewing everything together, into something you can hold in your hands, that I just don’t get from drawing. I still love drawing though!

Mike’s current favorite is Acorn! He thinks she is just so adorable and huggable and really loves working with faux fur material. And as I was working on this, my 2 1/2 year old son told me he wanted THAT monster – so I guess she’s not just Mike’s favorite!

Currently Skudfisher’s plushies are only sold through Mike’s shop, but after many years of attending craft fairs and enjoying Montreal’s great craft scene he hopes to get involved as a vendor there soon. So if you’re in the Montreal area, keep your eyes peeled.

If you’d like to keep up with Mike’s creations he keeps a blog of all his work at and updates his Flickr very regularly.

Body Yogurt

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Body yogurt sounds a lot like body butter to me. It is a food name, used to describe a spa product. Both come in jars, and are applied to skin. And shea butter is one of the ingredients.

body yogurt

The body yogurt from Mea Culpa Body And Bath has a surprisingly different texture than body butter, or moisturizer. It feels soft and looks fluffy, but has a slightly gritty texture. Then it absorbs right into the skin. I wasn’t entirely sure what to make of it at first. But it moisturizes without irritating. So what’s not to like?

I ordered the set of three body yogurts, my favorite way to order from a seller whose products I have not previously tried. I chose the scents Neroli, Eucalyptus, and Coconut. For whatever reason the Neroli is yellow in color. But the Eucalyptus and Coconut are both white.

body yogurt neroli

I found the Neroli smell to be overpowering. And my husband asked about the stink (definitely not a compliment). In its defense, it does smell like Neroli – just a bit too much Neroli for my family. My five year old put it all over herself. And nobody wanted to sit by her.

The Coconut and Eucalyptus body yogurts smell fresh and inviting. But to be fair, all three have the same texture. And a very large number of scents are available. I just happened to think those three sounded best at the time I ordered.

I purchased the Neroli thinking that it would blend subtly and well with perfume. However, it is more of its own perfume. Which is not bad if you are looking for a strong scent, or like to layer scents.

I like the two ounce size jars a lot. They fit perfectly in my purse. And I have the opportunity to try three scents without making a big commitment.

Wedding Planning

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After the initial excitement of being engaged wears off you may find you suddenly feel incredibly daunted at the task ahead, planning your wedding. Few of us are fortunate enough to be able to afford a wedding planner but thankfully there are many websites and magazines that can help.

When planning your wedding day you will have many things to consider, from venue to stationery, from cake to flowers, never mind your dress, hair or shoes! Perhaps you are lucky enough to know the theme or colour scheme you want for that special day but most brides are bombarded with choice and can often choose several ideas before choosing a theme.

Over the coming months you will spend hours leafing through wedding magazines or searching for specific suppliers on the internet. As well as a collection of magazines there may also be brochures or even photos of ideas you have seen when out. Planning a wedding is like being an interior designer putting together a mood board for a particular room, creating a style that reflects the people living there but encompassing current trends.

When I am planning a party I like to collect ideas in a journal or folder so that I can keep thoughts for themes in one place. I may tear out a picture from a magazine, noting the supplier’s website or telephone number. Thankfully due to camera phones I can always take a picture when I am out, if I see something that sparks an idea for a theme or just for reference to help me find or make a similar idea.

By being organised from the start you can plan a truly fantastic day, without employing a wedding planner. Surprisingly you will find that suddenly people around you are wonderful resources, everybody seems to know a great florist, or cake designer, or stationery designer or even a shoemaker…well maybe a shoemaker is a little more difficult to find, but I will try for a future post!

I Say Tomato

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Pineapple BiColor Heirloom Tomato Seeds by mistiaggie

Potentially shaping up as one for the record books — and not in a good way — the 2009 tomato season is upon us. Here, the season is just winding up, but already I’ve had my first few mouthfuls of flavor-packed, garden-fresh goodness.

Unfortunately, the first few mouthfuls may prove half the crop. While we’re not being hammered by the late blight that has been relentlessly claiming crops on the east coast, Mother Nature has not been our friend here either. The summer has been cool and in our region dry — even despite what seems like every third day rains.

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