try Archives - Try Handmade

What else is in your spa?

May 14, 2018 by Christine Eclavea Mercer 5 Comments

Handmade beauty includes a host of toiletries, everything from cosmetics to deodorant. What about soothing your other senses? Relaxation can go beyond skin smoothing soaps.

Candles

Candles are often hand poured and can be plain, or artistically colored, vegan or beeswax. They can be part of aromatherapy, or made for those with sensitive noses.

What they don’t have to be is from a big box store, or laden with chemicals. You decide.

Soap Dishes

Soap dishes are a great way to keep your favorite handmade soaps from melting. They can be traditional soap dishes or multi-taskers like the ceramic trinket dish from Karita at My Mother’s Garden.

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I Say Tomato

May 8, 2018 by Diana Prichard 3 Comments

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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Interview with Suzanne Elizondo of Smileforsuzy

January 28, 2018 by Erika Jurney 1 Comment

I make unusual, odd, and silly earrings out of old school shrinkydink plastic. I handdraw and color them and then bake them with love. I like to make silly characters that interact and try to make each of them unique and fun. I was born and raised in Austin and I think a lot of that Keep Austin Weird mentality has rubbed off on me.

How did you get started? Have you worked in other creative areas before the kind of work you’re doing now?

I discovered shrinkydinks as an adult while I was in college and was amazed I’d never tried it as a kid. I love to doodle and draw and I’ve found that handdrawing and designing earrings is the perfect medium for the kind of creatures and oddities I create. I got a BS in Creative Advertising so that’s the ideal day job, but I love creating these earrings for my own personal joy.

Is there a story behind the name of your shop?

Its an old user name I came up with just to send good vibes my way. I find it ironic because I usually try to create things that I think will make other people smile as they wear them.

Do you work alone? With a team? Do you engage your family or friends in the work? What is your process? How do you ensure you get your work done yet still have a life?

I work mostly by myself. Occassionally I’ll ask my friends and family for ideas or what they’d like to see as an earring set. I try to think about upcoming holidays or seasons that would make the earrings more relevant. This is my favorite thing to work on when I have free time.

Where do you sell your work? Which venues are your favorites? Do you prefer selling online or in person? Do you attend shows or fairs? Is your work in a gallery or brick-and-mortar store?

I sell them mostly online at http://smileforsuzy.etsy.com but also have them for sale at Storyville on the drag in Austin. I love to hear about the people that buy them and what they personally mean to them.

Do you have any favorite handmade shops or sellers you’d like to recommend?

I’m in love with the clutches they make over at Tsuru Bride.

What inspires and motivates you?

It’s a release for me to create things. Sometimes if it’s been too long since I made something I get antsy about it, and it feels great just to know I made something out of nothing. I love to fill blank canvases with ideas from upstairs.

Thanks Suzanne. And if you would like to be interviewed next, please head over to DIY Interview.

It's here! It's here!

December 17, 2017 by Erika Jurney 6 Comments

The best season of them all: Spring.

Camera Shy Photography: My name is Hillary Burkett and I live in Richmond VA with the company of 2 cats and a wonderful husband, who is incredibly supportive of my recent art pursuits.

I have a longstanding passion for photography and it has become my outlet. I am always aware and in awe of my surroundings. Nature and wildlife are my primary inspirations.

Beauty is all around us, and through photography, I desperately try to catch the uncatchable, tame the untamable, and box it all up neatly in a viewfinder for others to see and enjoy.

I am an explorer at heart and an artist by consequence.

Orcas Alchemy

November 7, 2017 by Erika Jurney Leave a Comment

OMG, raspberry sugar? I think that’s what sugar in heaven must be like.

And lime sugar? Not sure which of these would be more incredible on the rim of my cocktail glass, so I’d probably have to try it both ways. You know, just to be thorough.

I’m all about the research.

The things I do for you people.

Orcas Alchemy is a family-owned all natural and organic specialty food company, located in the beautiful San Juan islands of the Pacific Northwest.

Orcas Alchemy emerged from our own dinner parties, where we explored new flavor combinations with friends. Oftentimes, one special ingredient can elevate a dish or culinary experience. We seek to create conversational ingredients: flavors that are worthy of a conversation themselves, or will create conversation among you and your friends. Our mission is to encourage life’s most treasured moments spent with good friends and family by connecting you to food in a transformative way.