Try Handmade

Shopping blog featuring products made by people not factories.

Interview with Carrie, Mountain Mama Chic

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[hLeah]

Carrie of Mountain Mama Chic has lived in La Porte, Indiana for the past two years and loves it. She says, “We moved here from West Virginia by way of Texas because of my husband, Jim’s work. If you would’ve told me a few years ago the Great Lakes’ beaches are just like the ocean, I wouldn’t have believed you. Now I know better. :) We’re 10 minutes from the beach and love it here. ” Carrie and Jim have three kids, Bailee, Nolan and Fletcher, 9, 7, and 3 respectively, and a dog, Callie, half Cocker Spaniel, half mutt.

Carrie describes herself as outgoing, a realistic optimist, and the best mother and wife she can be. She loves “laughing so hard my belly hurts and tears start to overflow, my family, dancing with my munchkins to really good music, putting on makeup and dressing up to go out with my husband, passionately loving, playing, and living life.”

Check out Carrie’s blog and her store. Her soap looks so delicious!

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Happy Earth Day!

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earthday
Earth Day is here again and what better way to celebrate than by winning some low-impact, earth-friendly, handmade goods? The eco-marketplace Cosa Verde has teamed up with Modish to bring you a giveaway of beautiful handmade goods by 39 environmentally-friendly artists. $1375 in prizes will be split among four lucky winners. Click over to Modish to enter!

Prizes include the organic handbag above by Zelaya, with hand-carved wooden handles, this circle fawn pendant made from recycled silver by Figs & Ginger, and this adorable screenprinted organic pillow by Chakra Pennywhistle, along with lots of other organic, recycled, repurposed and reusable earth-friendly wares!

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The How

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“Oh, Mom! What are those?”

I love it when my children get excited about things that can be grown so when my five year-old’s eyes lit up and the chatter started last week as I pulled a packet of Luffa Gourd seeds from the envelope Seven Acre Woods had lovingly tucked them in I couldn’t resist engaging her. The conversation that resulted was even more pleasing than what had spurred it because if there’s anything I love seeing my children excited about more than things that grow it’s how (and where) those things are grown. And that’s exactly where her interest turned.

“Can I grow one of those in my garden? Oh and Mom, don’t let Dad use that loud thing on mine okay? I just want a shovel and a rake.”

‘That Loud Thing’ is the rototiller and while her current interest is a bit misplaced — the decibel level of the machinery used to till land on which food is grown is of little environmental and social concern, after all — her interest in the production of food at all is encouraging; and timely.

For some the Farmer’s Markets either never ceased or have already made their grand re-opening for the 2010 growing season and even for those in colder geographies the season of local production is just around the corner — or so I keep telling myself as I stare out the window at a barren white expanse.

As we step foot back in the Farmer’s Markets this year we may know, at least for the most part, where the goods we find there were grown but do we really know how? USDA organic certification can be costly and for some small producers and those that are trying to keep consumer costs at a bare minimum in order to make healthy, local fare available to all income levels, certification can be downright out of reach — but that doesn’t mean their goods aren’t grown organically. It just means they can’t bare a USDA seal.

Without getting to know your growers; without asking how their products are grown you’ll never know if the goods you choose each Saturday and Sunday morning are meaningfully produced in the manner most important to you. As you venture back out to shop your local farmer’s market this season remember, knowing how is just as important as knowing where.

My Mom Rocks

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A couple of years ago, a one of my mother’s friends took me aside at a family event and told me, “Your mom would move mountains for you, Rebecca. Remember that.” At the time, I took as an off-hand comment, but it was actually a prophecy of sorts. Just 6 months later, when I called my mom to tell her that I was planning to leave the West Coast and move back to the Prairies, she said, without skipping a beat, “Great. Rent a truck. I’ll drive.”

A few short weeks later, with Vancouver in the rear-view mirror of my Jetta and my mom at the helm of a packed U-haul, I headed home. It took us 3 days to make the 2000+ kilometre trip. My mom was Thelma, I was Louise, and the gas-guzzling U-haul was called “Piggy”. A lot of laughs, a few tears, and a couple slightly-sketchy hotel rooms were shared as we made our way across 3 1/2 provinces. At the end of our trip, when my belongings and I were safely in Winnipeg, my mom asked for nothing in return. She just gave me a huge hug, told me to behave, and hopped on a flight back to BC.

Someday, I hope I get the chance to pay it forward and do something like that for my own kid. (Except I’ll probably make him drive the U-haul.) In the meantime, since my mom is my rock, I have gathered up this collection of stone-cold awesomeness in her honour…and just in time for Mother’s Day!

According to Lindsay, unlike children, air plants require minimal nurturing to keep them alive. They don’t even need soil; just a sunny spot and a twice-weekly bath. This Tillandsia makes his home in a sandstone pebble planter, which has a lovely modern, organic design. Check out Lindsay’s shop of all sorts of unique and beautiful gifts for mothers (and others.)

Dean & Sue of British Columbia carve words and designs into stones that have been polished by the Pacific Ocean, using a sandblasting technique. They will carve all sorts of words and images into the stones, but I think these sweet little baby feet would be perfect for a new mom. The pendant pictured above, from the Monkeys Jewels shop, hangs from a silver bail and comes on a black leather cord with a silver clasp.

I love how these felted pebbles fool the eye. At a glance, they appear smooth and hard; but in the hand they are warm, soft and touchable. Taking her inspiration from nature’s organic forms and textures, Delica creates her tromp l’oeil rocks by felting natural merino wool. The set pictured above is made up of nine grey pebbles; each as unique as their stone counterparts would be in nature.

And, finally, some rocks of a different kind – the edible kind! These decadent mini rocky road cheesecakes (pictured above with the peanut butter cup cheesecake) from the Bakesalery are topped with loads of vegan marshmallows, ganache and chopped almonds on a chocolate cookie crust. The best part, though, is that they come in pairs; perfect for sharing with mom.

Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 9th, 2010.

Discover: Katchkie Farm

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Seedling Forest

There are over two-hundred tomato seedlings living out their days in seed trays on my kitchen counter. The fruit of every single one of them is intended for consumption by myself, my family; no one else. I may have gone a little overboard. But we love — and I do mean love — tomatoes.

It’s no surprise then, if a producer wants to catch my eye all they have to do is market something inventive, something tomato-ey. Katchkie Farm of Kinderhook, New York did just that. And from there I fell further and further in love.

Katchkie Farm doesn’t just sell Tomato Jam — a product that they report has a little kick, but goes down smooth thanks to the included ginger and cayenne pepper — from their Foodzie Shop. Owned by Great Performances, a New York City company famous for its local catering and cafe menus, Katchkie Farm also brings their local, organic products to consumers in the NYC area via Farmer’s Markets in the city throughout the year. Plus, they offer weekly and bi-weekly CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) shares to families in the Tribeca and surrounding communities; shares that not only include their own vegetables but also fruit sourced from other local growers for a round, family diet.

And you know, if we stopped there Katchkie Farm may be in a class with so many others — small farms and producers who are all striving for the same goals and functioning on the same mission; good honest and important goals — but they’ve taken it a step further, thoroughly earning their place in the Try Handmade hall of fame. Katchkie Farm is home to The Sylvia Center; a garden-to-table program that connects kids with the source of their food and empowers them to make healthful decisions in fueling their bodies. In my opinion, there is no work more important.