Try Handmade

Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Handmade Home

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knitted shawl

A variety of handcrafted goods are available to enjoy around the house. Soaps and soft furnishings are only the beginning. Knitted goods and polymer clay can add to the uniqueness of your surroundings.

Brenda, at knittedfrenzy, offers shawls, coffee cozies, and cowls, in a variety of yarns in her Etsy shop. I was pleased to find a shawl made of soft acrylic yarn. Most of the shawls that I see are made of wool, which is fantastic if you can wear wool. But I cannot. So finding something warm, and not itchy is always a nice surprise for me.

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Art Appreciation Starts Early

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There’s so much lame art out there for small people. And that is a terrible thing. I’m convinced bad art rots little brains. It’s why I ended up eschewing popular mass market toddler art for framed pages of retro books for my kids. I spent ages hunting down old books from the 60’s and 70s with interesting line art, decoupage prints etc. Lucky for you now, there is Etsy and Jonty Bloom.

Let’s face it. Babies, toddlers, etc look at their walls a lot, what with all the time they spend hanging out in their rooms. Do you really want to trap them in there with nothing good to look at? With some insipid cartoon-y depiction of jungle animals and fairy ballerinas? Or do you want them looking at something a little better, more thought provoking? The kind of art that tells it’s own story and gives you more to look at each time you examine it?

I thought so. Chances are you’ll spend a fair amount of time in the room with your kid too. Buy something that you like, that they like, and that your grand kids would probably like too, if you save it for them. Good graphics make the world a better place. Let’s work together to make ugly primary colored vinyl dinosaur wall appliques from mass market chains, go extinct. Yay art!

A Little Bird Told Me…

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Nothing reminds you that Spring is here better than the little birds chirping away outside of your window.

Bird motifs are everywhere in fashion and home decor right now. They represent many different things in many different cultures such as: joy, happiness, luck, love, and freedom. The bookends pictured above, made by graphicspaceswood, are handcrafted in their family’s wood shop and are just one of several different adorable woodland creature products that they create. Each of their products is laser cut and assembled from a mixture of different types of wood to create a layered and modern look. Perfect for a nursery or children’s room or to add a little charm to a bookshelf anywhere in your home.

As I’m sure you know, it is very common for different areas in your home to accumulate a mixture of loose papers such as mail, appointment cards, to-do lists, etc. Add a small memo board to your space and force yourself to rummage through your pile to only hold onto the important pieces and pin them to the board. The clutter will cause you stress every time you walk by…so lose the trash and clear your mind! The burlap message board above is the perfect size to hang in any area of your home where you tend to collect papers. Find this and many other bird and vintage inspired home decor in the shop of nextdoortoheaven.

I came across this delightful and functional little project sack for our readers out there who love to knit and/or crochet! Handmade in Europe from all natural linen, KnitterBag carries all different sizes of these lovely project bags as well as wristlet pouches, and needle organizers to keep all of your supplies neat and organized. The owl bag shown above even comes complete with pockets for your knitting needles…could it get any more cute?