Heart Handmade - Crafts, craft ideas and arts and crafts blog

Farewell

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Dear Friends and Readers,

Hope you all had an amazing summer (winter for some)! I wanted to thank you for making Heart Handmade a part of your lives for the past two years. As most of you already know, this all began as part of my quest to become a part of the wonderful world of independent design. I never planned on being a blogger, I simply wanted to make things with my hands, but somehow this is where the wind took me. Thanks to a couple of wholesale orders and new partnership that is yet to be announced/launched I've had the opportunity to spend more time in front of my sewing machine and less in front of my laptop - and for that I'm super grateful for.

As much as I'd love to claim to be superwoman and do it all, unfortunately something's got to give. It's so hard to say goodbye and to let go of Heart Handmade, it seriously feels like I'm cutting off my right leg. It's given me so much - new friends, an identity that I lost the day I decided to quit my full-time corporate job, new opportunities with my wunderlust line... But trying to juggle both worlds has proven to be more difficult and I've been unable to dedicate enough time and energy to grow either of them. The guilt attached to letting go of this site is immense. I feel like I'm letting a bunch of you down.

In my 20s I had my whole life mapped out. Now in my 30s I finally realize that trying to predict the future or planning way too much is a complete waste of my time, coz honestly, you just never know. So perhaps this will only be a short break and not a permanent goodbye. What I do know for sure is that you can't give up on your dreams. With lots of hard work and a teeny tiny bit of luck anything and everything is possible!

Thank you so much for making this site a part of your lives. It's been so much fun sharing my ooohs and aahhhhs with all of you on a daily basis. If anyone is interested in keeping in touch, I keep a personal blog over at lifeflix.blogspot.com, I'm also on flickr, twitter and recently opened up a new shop with my friend Ez - NICE PACKAGE! I will surely miss you all!

Love,

PS. What a perfect wrap up (completely unplanned, I swear)... check out the first artist I featured.

Image: Ez Pudewa

She's done it again!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

It's no secret that most bloggers don't like to feature the same artists over and over again (no matter how much we love them), but there are a few that fall into the exception category.
For me, Abigail Brown is pretty high up on that list.

Ms. Abigail, love your new butterfly brooches. You amaze me every time you come out with something new.

Images: Abigail Brown

Shop + Tell: Greet

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Wow we haven't had one of these in a long time!! I was so happy to read Greet's email, I could tell that she was genuinely excited and happy about her latest handmade purchase...

Who: Greet Fleurfatale of fleur fatale

How often do you shop? I do a lot of handmade shopping! Both online and offline on handcrafting fairs! I like giving indie presents because they are the most original! My love goes out the most to repurposed and ecological creations, in that way indie shopping also helps you getting a smaller eco-footprint!

Scores... I bought this sweet pouch from Dawn of Latouchables, who designs lovingly-crafted bags and body adornment with individual appeal! I love how she is inspired by sweet simple things: the weather, a move, a book, a feeling.... The way she brings together different materials and colors are stunning. All of her creations are so full of life, so earthy, you really can feel the love she put in it during the process of creation.

This pouch makes me feel: happy, inspired, earthy, feminine and at home...

What made you buy it? This little pouch was for a long time on my wishlist, I used it a lot in treasuries I made for Etsy, but one day I could not resist anymore. And the name alone - 'Walk among the violets! Simply irresistible! I feel these colors are really me! I am a lover of mixed materials and vintage buttons and fabric, this pouch has it all! And as I am not so organised (especially in my handbag) this pouch will do a great job helping me with that :-)! I cherish it!

Thanks Greet!!

A Fan of... Timothy Karpinski

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

It was so hard to find one favorite to share from Timothy's flickr stream, but if I had to choose, it would be this painting... this piece was commissioned by someone who asked him to listen to the Interpol song "Not Even Jail" and make a painting.

Love.

Image: Timothy Karpinski

DIY: Happy Jars

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Happy Jars
Like many of you, I live in a city apartment. So my craft supplies are stuffed in a corner of our hall closet. Recently, I couldn’t find my sewing scissors – which are like the North Star of my crafting galaxy. So I vowed to tidy up.

Of course, one of the best parts about reorganizing is the range of pretty canisters and storage supplies. But I decided to kill two birds with one stone and also weed out our cupboard above the fridge. We save our empty spaghetti sauce and mayonnaise jars, but it was beginning to look a glass graveyard up there.

So I plucked a few of the most useful ones and repurposed them to hold my supplies. That way, I can see at a glance what’s what in the closet. I should also mention that I recently hopped on the Japanese paper tape bandwagon, and this was a perfect first project for my cheery new tape collection. And yes, I am encouraging you to buy yet another craft supply in order to organize the rest of your supplies – this irony is not lost on me! But the tape is indeed happy tape, as billed!

All you need is…

1. Japanese paper tape (available here)
2. Leftover glass jars with lids
3. Scissors
4. Grocery bag

If your lids have printing on them, cut out a circle of an old grocery bag and tape it on top of the lid. Then place strips of the Japanese paper tape across the face of the lid, alternating colors and patterns.

If you have a one-piece lid, extend the strips slightly over the edge. When you’ve completed the top of the lid, then wrap one piece of tape around the “side” of the lid as shown, to cover all the ends and finish.

Visit Kelly at MAKE GROW GATHER
Photos: Kelly Wilkinson

About Kelly... I grew up in a renovated barn in Virginia, the middle of three sisters. Now I'm in San Francisco, trying to straddle the country-urban worlds. For now, this means access to the city out the front door, with veggies and bees in the back. All my life, I've loved making stuff: crafts, dinners, skirts, preserves...and grand designs for my life!

Thanks Kelly!!

Just Because

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Happy Monday everyone! Hope everyone had a great weekend, mine was filled with lots of work and a teeny tiny bit of fun yesterday. Took the morning off to go apple picking at an awesome orchard in Western New Jersey - Melick's Town Farm then it was back to work!

I'm not sure whether it's the fruit shape or the yummy colors, but I love these multipurpose kitchen tidy pieces by Yoyo Ceramics!

Images: Yoyo Ceramics

The Perfect Gift...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Give your favorite bookworm a memorable and unique gift with his/her own personalized, handprinted engraved bookplates by The Lapwing Printworks. What a great wedding present! Just email Sarah Spooner and Jon Gregory with a design idea (this can be specific or vague). They'll come up with a some initial sketches and once you're happy with the concept, they'll produce a final for your approval. Pretty easy peasy.

Images: The Lapwing Printworks

Window Shopping @ Couverture

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Oh you lucky wallet you... aren't you glad that this shop isn't just around the corner!

one. envelope purse, two. mobile, three. cushion, four. bag, five. customized suitcase, six. hottie

Images: Couverture

Johnny Hannah

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:42:00 +0000

I've sort of been a huge stress ball lately and I was afraid that I wasn't going to have a post ready for you, but then this fell onto my lap...

The extraordinary work of Johnny Hannah - his abundant and fearless use of layers, colors, typography simply made me very happy this morning (and reminded me to stop stressing out and just go for it!)

PS. The stress is good stress by the way and I'm hoping to be able to share the good news with you all very very soon!! (oh I know, what a tease!)

Images: Johnny Hannah / Cake & Ale Press

I love you.

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Just when I thought I was over the cute fungus trend...
I'm dying, how freakin' adorable are these red and black cap mushrooms?!?!?
One-of-a-kind + limited production.

Images: Patch NYC

Final Fling

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 12:30:00 +0000

As far as I can remember, I've never looked forward to Labor Day. It always represented the return of school and the end of my favorite season - summer. So before it gets way too ridiculous for me to even think about short dresses and sandals, here's a final summer swan song...

... although you can always plop these on top of leggings or jeans when it starts to get too cool!

Happy Labor Day!

one. dress two. handmade sandals, three. striped tank dress, four. peacock dress

So Haute!

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

A match made in heaven!

One. Pedestal, Two. Cupcake Wrapper

Images: iacoli & mcallister, Busy Izzy Bakery

Papercut

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Rob Ryan, A Little Hut, Fog & Thistle... What is papercut!?

A classic craft that I will never ever tire of.

One. I Love You More Than Sleep, Two. Votive Cuffs , Three. Papercut Printed Pattern (DIY)

Heart Handmade Elsewhere

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:26:00 +0000

Thank you Stephanie, Sara and Brandy for inviting me to be a part of your space this week!!

1. I'd love for you to check out my "Ease into Fall" (pp. 58 & 59) spread on the current issue of N.E.E.T. Magazine, where I share some of my favorites for this season.

2. Sara of HandmadeNews.org kindly interviewed me as part of a new column that features a new blog every week. We discussed various topics from the ins and outs of blogging to what I think artisans can do to maintain sales in our current economy.

3. Lastly, I'd like to thank Brandy for making Heart Handmade a part of "The Lovely List". Make sure you stop by her blog and discover a few new blogs to get hooked on!

Teresa Green

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Handprinted in a studio in an old stable block in a village called Barrow upon Soar, fabrics sourced locally, a focus on functional products, orders packaged in traditional brown paper and string... what's not to love about Teresa Cole's handprinted home accessories line Teresa Green?

Images: Teresa Green

My First... Wholesale Order

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 12:13:00 +0000

I always feel a little a weird when I pimp wunderlust here but I really wanted to share my experience with you - fulfilling my first ever wholesale order. I'd also like to officially thank Megan of Room6.com - thank you so much for noticing my work and I really hope my items do well in your lovely shop!!

Wish I could say that I was totally prepared for it, but between blogging and preparing new items for the shop I found myself scrambling quite a bit last week. Let's see... I ran out of materials mid-way, decided my current packaging wouldn't withstand a retail environment which brought on an avalanche of last minute packaging decisions.

Let's start with the linesheet (might take a while to download) I created. It basically contains my entire catalog, wholesale prices (50% of retail), available colors/packaging details and my terms. Feel free to use it as a guideline. Just so you know, the one I send out has my address and a telephone number on it.

Once I started putting the order together, I soon realized that my current packaging wasn't going to work in a retail setting. For instance, my Bag o' Jacks were originally packaged in a light-weight cello bag that easily creased if handled too many times and could start looking really raggedy. That wouldn't be good in a shop where you could potentially have customers picking up items left and right. So I switched to a higher grade cello bag (thanks Ez!) to package all of my items. I also decided to take one of the orange balls out of the fabric pouch - I though the packaging needed a bit of ooomph and the color could also catch a customer's eye?!

Another last minute add-on was the warning label. I usually just add this warning to my Etsy product description, but again, for a retail environment I definitely wanted to include the small object warning. So I printed out little tags, cut them, and glued them to the back of the the little instruction cards that came with the set. The warning label is highly visible to customers prior to purchasing.

Megan also ordered different colors from my "Not your Granny's Bunting" line and I realized that it was pretty hard to tell what each one looked like once they were tucked away in the bags.

The last thing you would want is to have customers opening cello bags in your shop, so I added little color tags (#4) to the back of the cards (#1) so all customers have to do is turn the packaging and they would know which color was inside. Again, I just printed these out using my pictures from Etsy. I also included another tiny tag (#3) - warning against washing the item.

I also included a couple of floor samples they can use at the shop. Knowing that the shop isn't huge, I understand that they may not necessarily have the budget to purchase extra items for merchandising purposes - so I decided to loan them a couple of items. I just asked that they kindly return them once they decide to no longer sell my items. Each floor sample is clearly marked as "for display only" so they can't be mistaken as merchandise.

Shipping to Canada! I've never had to ship a package to Canada before so I'm not going to lie - I was a little paranoid about the whole thing (still am, since the package is still in route!). So I asked twitter friends and a couple of other friends for some tips. Wish I had one answer to share, but everyone who was kind enough to respond to my SOS all had very different answers. Some went by the books and filled out the customs form checking "merchandise" and claiming the exact cost. Others checked "gift", others put down a slightly discounted "cost" so the buyer wouldn't have to pay such a high fee when receiving the package. I originally planned to send my package via Priority Mail (flat rate med box) - but once I got to the post office, the lady suggested I use the regular Priority Mail Mailing Box since my package was fairly light. So instead of $25.95 it came out to $20 and some change (which I will be reimbursing). She also instructed me to fill out the white customs form (not the green one that everyone had mentioned). I asked her three times why not the green... I think she was starting to get annoyed with me at this point. She said definitely the white!! (by the way, I checked "merchandise").

So my number one advice is to put yourself in the shoes of a shop owner and think of the tiny details. Think about how your items are going to be merchandised, how will the customers handle your items? etc.

I could've definitely spent another week tweaking my packaging but I had already spent way too much time. I don't even want to calculate the total amount of time I spent on this yet... I still want to relish and enjoy it... in a few days I will calculate the total amount of time spent (making/packaging) + cost of product materials + packaging supplies and I have a sick feeling that I'll probably have to adjust my prices :)

But that's ok, it's all about learning from our experiences right?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this topic and if you have any tips, advice, suggestions please share!

x
Marichelle

PS. Don't forget to include your URL on all tags so customers can find you!

Images: Marichelle Burdman

Sponsor Shout-out

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:54:00 +0000

Kahili Creations specializes in delicate jewelry made with precious and semi-precious stones, Thai Karen and sterling silver, vermeil and gold-filled findings.

Reader Special: Receive a free pair of Tiny Kula earrings. Write "Heart Handmade" in the message to seller during checkout.

Images: Kahili Creations

The Perfect Gift...

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 11:30:00 +0000

Have a friend in need of a little creative nudge? I think Maxine Sutton's Miracles Kit should do the trick.
It comes with everything you need to get your craft on!

"Make something yourself! Inspired by the Mexican votives known as Milagros, a single hand-printed organic cotton piece, depicts six individual motifs - cat, heart, hand, head, tree and eye - for you to embroider, cut out and sew with your own recycled cotton or favourite fabric backing.Fill with lavender or fabric scraps. Make as hanging decorations or lavender drawer/wardrobe sachets, mobiles for children’s rooms, toys, brooches or appliqué patches for clothing or cushions, …the possibilities are endless."

Images: Maxine Sutton

Kingdom Animalia

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 12:59:00 +0000

Happy Friday everyone!! This has been a busy but exciting week for me. I've been crafting away all week, fulfilling a small wholesale order that came through (my first one!!!) last week. It's been a lot of work but I'm having so much fun putting things together, especially the packaging part. I'll definitely be sharing pictures of everything next week, I'd love to get your opinion on a couple of things! Thanks so much for making Heart Handmade a part of your week, I hope you found some good gift ideas and discovered a couple of new artists along the way. I'm sure you all read Creature Comforts, but just in case, I wanted to share this really sweet post that my friend Ez wrote. Thanks again Ez, you're the sweetest! Ooh and she also took pictures of her favorite plants in my garden. Now on to some more beautiful things...

What is it about cute little animals that make us all go googoogahgah?
These have been out for a while now but I guess I've been completely oblivious until I spotted them on Lovely Package this week.
These animal silhouettes by enormouschampion are made in the USA from wood grown in a sustainably harvested forest. The kingdom has 15 members... and the packaging... YUM.

Images: Lovely Package

La Maisonnette

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Ack!! I want one I want one! A little bird house made out of felt!! It's sold flat and pre-cut so it is easy to make, accessorize it with a twig, a spoon or anything funny to create a resting peg.

La Maisonnette, designed by studio lo (Eva Guillet and Aruna Ratnayake).

Also available at La Corbeille

Images: lifestylebazaar.com

Jennifer Collier

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:00:00 +0000

So delicate and lovely.
Jennifer Collier's work shows exactly just how magical handmade can be.

Images: Jennifer Collier

Window Shopping @ Black Ink

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Thanks Quinlan for introducing me to your wonderful shop Black Ink. I had so much fun browsing around! I MUST have one (or two or five) of these salt boxes - not only perfect for salt but wouldn't they be perfect craft supply containers! Peanut erasers?!!? So awesome.

one. saltbox, two. keys, three. rulers, four. peanut erasers

Images: Black Ink

Samantha Robinson

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 13:00:00 +0000

I wish I could own every single piece of Samantha Robinson's porcelain collection!! From these adorable muted textured coffee cups to her more vibrant tea cups, pots and bowls - which somehow remind me of a Hindu bride's henna painted hands.

Images: Samantha Robinson

Here's an Idea: Glittered Paper Frames

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:00:00 +0000

Before I set off into weekend mode, I wanted to share this little DIY project that I wrote up for the lovely Ez. So if you haven't already, please hop on over to Creature Comforts for my last guest post. Have a great weekend everyone and thanks for all of your comments this week!

credit: print & award ribbon

Matt Schwartz of She Hit Pause Studios

noreply@blogger.com (Unknown) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:27:00 +0000

I love flipping through old photos, even the embarrassing ones that prove that I was a part of the hairspray your bangs into the tallest wave possible phenomenon... what was that all about??? Waking up 15 minutes early so I can sit there, one hand holding the dryer the other hand holding a can of Sebastian Hairspray [cringe].

To me, photographs are just like songs that transports you back into a specific scene in your life. So when I heard Matt's work described as "walking into a memory", I was all ears. The Ace Hotel, a Seattle based hotel brand commissioned 50 to 60 local artists to help outfit the rooms of their first east coast outpost with wallsized works of art. Amongst these artists was Matt Schwartz of She Hit Pause Studios, who recently transferred a 10ft x 10ft Polaroid directly on to one of the hotel room walls to become part of the Ace Hotel’s permanent “collection”.

With photographs that look like a memory, textured, weathered and whimsical, you don’t have to live an image to love it. To take a picture is to hit pause on a moment forever. That’s the inspiration behind Brooklyn-based She Hit Pause Studios’ nostalgic and winsome life-sized Polaroid transfer of “records in a field’ at the the Ace Hotel. These were shot in large format Polaroid. The print was pulled apart and the film negative was rubbed directly onto the wall to create a transfer.

Images: She Hit Pause Studios