Update! Now More Ways to Buy Indie
October 1, 2007 at 11:43 am | Posted in Indie!, Where to Find Stuff | 1 CommentYo! New adds to the Index of Indie, folks. Can you BELIEVE there are so many sources? That’s awesome!
I don’t always make a post when I add to my index, but it seems like I find some new thang every week and add it, so keep checking it out!
Today I’m adding…
- Buy Olympia – these folks run an e-store featuring handmade goods out of Olympia, WA and also provide online stores for music labels & events!
- DaWanda – “products with love” – a store selling “handmade and hard-to-find items” in three languages – German, French & English. They’re a portal like many indie sites – you’re buying direct from the sellers.
- Poppytalk Handmade – this new site (launching October 2007) is an interesting self-conception: they call themselves a monthly “online street market” for handmade goods to showcase indie/new artisans.
Crafting for Charity: Manos del Uruguay + hook = Happy Jeff
September 11, 2007 at 7:10 am | Posted in Crafting for Charity, Fabric-Related, Finished Projects, Where to Find Stuff | Leave a comment
Last Friday I ran across a lovely post on Quesadillacraft about Manos del Uruguay yarn (well, I found it via Craftzine). Now normally, I’m pretty much a wash ‘n wear person with my yarn, but I do love this soft wool, and I was particularly drawn because purchasing this wool benefits a cooperative. I know, I know, I can’t help it. I’m just completely a sucker if you tell me it benefits someone. Besides, it wasn’t my scarf, so The Husband had some input in what he was going to wear on cold days in NYC around his neck.
Anyway, we travelled to a place called (oddly enough) The Yarn Co. on the Upper West Side to find something nice. This type of yarn is a hand-spun blend of merino and corriedale wool. You can get a multicolored version, but we chose the handspun semi-solid (from the purlsoho.com yarn source), and Jeff chose skeins of black, pewter and petrol (aka black, gray and blue-gray). Yowza! it was expensive, but it’s just a small scarf, and it’s very nice. It was a tadbit irritating to work with, as the black yarn there was nowhere close to an even thickness.
That’s the scarf there on the right, which is a very long scarf, crocheted length-wise with a double-crochet row to give it a nice pattern. It has nice long, thick fringes on either end. That’s Jeff wearing the scarf on the left. You can see how it wraps about him that it’s a super-long scarf, which is just how he wanted it. It was originally a different scarf with a slight ribbed effect, but that was scrapped because the yarns’ varying thicknesses made it impossible to make the scarf an even width.
If you make something with this yarn, post it to Quesadillacraft’s Flickr group and show off some more of the beautiful things that get made from this beautiful yarn!
History of the Cooperative – from ashleyyarns.com (distributors of Manos) via Quesadillacraft
“The Manos del Uruguay Cooperative was founded in 1968 by five friends. Their goal was to develop economic opportunities for the women in rural Uruguay. Although Uruguay has one of highest literacy rates in the world, there were and continue to be few employment opportunities for women.
Olgita Artagaveytia, one of the founders of the cooperative, had been volunteering at a village school in 1968. She and her friends were very impressed with the level of expertise in the craftwork produced by the village women. They decided to take the products to Montevideo and sell them for the village. This was a very successful venture and everything they presented was sold in one day! The name of Manos del Uruguay (Hands of Uruguay) was born.
The founders also helped the women organize socially and financially. They were committed to creating a professional organization that had legal standing and a strong marketing plan. The Cooperative was formed as a non-profit organization, committed to developing work for the women in the countryside. In 1976, working with the InterAmerican Development Bank and a marketing consultant, they opened a showroom in New York City, where they sold knitted and woven garments as well as Manos yarn. Over the ten years that the showroom existed, it employed Lola Ehrlich, who went on to become the editor of Vogue Knitting. Anne Simpson, also an employee of the showroom, created the space-dyed colour range and was the U.S. distributor for many years.
The original method of dyeing was done in iron kettles over wood fires. The dyes interacted with the iron in the kettles, producing a striated, faded quality, which was at first, seen to be a problem. It was a marketing consultant who saw the beauty in the colour shadings and named it Stria. Over the years, the process has been refined. Using stainless steel pots and steam heat, the dyers can now control the water temperature and provide a consistent range of over ninety colours. Manos Stria is a trademark of the product.
The Cooperative continues to be a strong, viable business, providing employment and income for the women of Uruguay.”
Favorite things this week
September 8, 2007 at 9:56 am | Posted in Where to Find Stuff | Leave a comment1. Bubble Lace Ring from Colleen Baran is a beautiful piece of work. There’s a series of pieces she has made along these lines.
2. Crocheted MaryJane slippers – with Daisies! From the Portland Beanie Company. I’ve also found a slightly different pattern for crocheted slippers over at Crochet Me called Frolicking if you feel so inspired as to make your own (no big daisies, though).
3. Fabric on Wood Art by Shellie Mitchells via Cuteable. I really, really, really, really love this Green Tea piece of artwork.
4. Yoga Goat Pottery makes some incredibly beautiful hand-thrown and hand-carved porcelain, such as the pieces shown below. I’d like a lot of it.
5. If you’ve never used Mod Podge, you should try it. Decoupage something. The woman who invented it decoupaged a Beetle with bedsheets.
6. I also discovered Crochet by Faye this week, who turns out to have created a number of the beautiful patterns I’ve seen in Interweave (the pink one on the left) and in the new book from Crochet me (the one on the right is the cover) and other magazines…
Somebody Else’s Handmade Finds
September 7, 2007 at 9:25 am | Posted in Indie!, Top Ten, Where to Find Stuff | 1 CommentOK, so you know how I’ve begun building this list of places to buy indie here on my site. And another thing is that I periodically have a Top 10 of things I like that’s sorta topical.
Well today I happened across the HomeGrown market today and those two things just pretty much collided. So I thought instead of writing up my own finds today, I’d share the Market with you by way of their lists. They have 13 hand-picked lists and they are organized by theme.
Also, you can request custom-made items on HomeGrown Market. Just type up a description and the craftspeople and artisans on the site can bid on your job! Nice!
The lists can be found on the front page. Click on the numbers to cycle through the themes! (sorry, the lists are in a frame on the page, so I can’t give you links to the individual pages!)
1. Think Spring. This Baby Minky blanket is definitely spring-like with its bright yellows and greens. I love bright, cheery colors for babies, and this fits the bill. Not only that, but the lining looks really soft and furry. Made by Quilt Baby.
2. Strawberry Fields Forever
3. Purple Rain
4. Thought Provoking. I was really taken by these Simple Sentiments cards. Cute and as advertised, simple. Made by Rosebud Designs.
5. Blooming Summer
6. Oh, Baby Baby
7. We were meant for each other. I find myself wishing there were another part to this puzzle piece pendant. Just the one is beautiful, though. Made by Atlantis Designs of Seattle, WA.
8. Wine and Roses
9. I’m Blue Without You. From the blue collection, a pair of resin earrings in the shape of flowers… Made by Bear Creek Creations.
10. Isn’t ORANGE your favorite color?
11. YOU color my world
12. Girly Girl
13. Even before I met you, I knew I loved you… This Blossoming Belly tea for pregnant women might just be the ticket. Created to nourish and taste great from Full Circle Natural Herbs.
Happy Shopping!
The Index of Indie is Increasing
August 29, 2007 at 10:56 am | Posted in Indie!, Where to Find Stuff | Leave a comment
My page where I feature sources for indie and handmade goods is growing apace. Looked at it lately? There are a number of neat websites to look at now that I’ve found, and I’ll continue to add to it whenever I find new ones.
My latest addition is Modishoppe which is currently having a small end-of-summer sale. There are the regular sale items, and then at IndieFixx I also discovered that starting today (8-29) and for the next 3-days, you can take 15% off with code “goodbyesum07″ at checkout.
At the moment I’m quite taken with these beautiful red poppy hairpins by foundling on Modishoppe.
Start ‘em at a young age: the kindergarten indie
August 26, 2007 at 10:05 pm | Posted in Indie!, People Doing Crafts, Where to Find Stuff | 1 CommentMy travels today indicated that yes indeedy, the kids are going back to school this week.
This is the first time five years that my husband and I really aren’t affected by a school schedule, so we were rather taken aback today when we encountered a horde of pencil-clutching, notebook-grabbing mothers and the obvious attempts by the 3M company to produce Post-It notes for 13-year-old girls. Rhinestones? On a Post-It? I guess!
Anyway, I was inspired to create another indie outfit, but this time for a little girl heading off to kindergarten for the first time. I have figured out since beginning this that you cannot buy separates of little girl fashions, so here are two outfits that I particularly like. This time, Etsy provided all the materials.
1. My first outfit is mostly from the ModCherie shop. The shop sells a number of really high quality items for little girls and other little things.
I loved the Rubys Garden Peasant Top when I saw it. Looks easy to wear, gorgeous and just the sort of thing I would have loved when I was that age. I wanted to imagine myself as a princes, but my mom wanted my clothes to be practical! I think this is a great compromise. Available in sizes 12m-5, plus in an alternate fabric, made of soft cotton. Goes perfectly with the lovely, comfy, beribboned Pumpkin Patch Cord. Try some purple kitty-kat hairpins from the Marisa Jill shop to add an extra-cute note.
2. My second outfit is from Pink Willow designs. I picked it because it is (a) bright and cheery and (b) I think it shows a lot of creativity from the designer/maker. First is a lovely crochet top – this can be as shown below, or you can pick any three colors you want and specify any sizes you want. Talk about customization! The recycled skirt is just the right thing to go with such a funky, cheery top and I think really represents the fun style of this designer. I love this sort of crazy patchwork incorporated into plain denim. Plus, try the crocheted hairclips (alligator clip or French barettes) from Balasa Designs to complete a great outfit.
So where can I get a handmade orange frog, anyway?
August 14, 2007 at 10:50 am | Posted in Finds Out-and-About, Where to Find Stuff | Leave a commentPrepare for a bit of soapbox! Ready? Ok, go!
OK, not so much of a soapbox as a sales pitch for others. You see, clearly I’m a big fan of crafting, and if you’ve read this site at all you know I’m also a big fan of buying other people’s crafts, DIY projects, indie art, and other homemade and handmade items. I’m very much that person who won’t shop at Wal-Mart because of all the local businesses they shut down (don’t get me started) and was saddened when I heard that the last locally-owned shop on 125th Street in Harlem went out of business. Machine-made, mass-produced items and stores are all very well and good, and I’m sure we couldn’t support our society without them, but ….
But I believe that unique artisan items and small shops have more personality and character and, well, soul. By buying these items you don’t just get something, you also support someone who is brave enough to step sideways out of the flow and create something unique and perhaps even try to make a living doing so. I think supporting these arts supports the individuality, creativity and uniqueness of being human. Sure, they cost more, but that’s because more went into their making – time, effort, ingenuity, thought. They really are worth more than cheaply mass-produced, heavily advertised product.
So I’d like to start putting together a page of resources and places in which to find said Indie/DIY/Handmade items. Like I did last week, I plan to feature some of these avant garde artists as well. Sometimes I’ll show off what I’ve bought, or perhaps put together more outfits I wish I could buy or otherwise just pass along things that I find. Some of these are blogs devoted to the idea, others are directories of sites, some are actual places you can buy things.
Here’s the link to the page again- not much yet, but give me time! Just thought up the idea!
And now – recent purchases! Below are two pendants I bought from Blossom Arts on Etsy. I just got them today and they’re even better than the pictures indicate! I love the original jewelry in this shop 
She also designs and makes bags to sell.
Manifesto
August 8, 2007 at 1:33 pm | Posted in Inspiration, People Doing Crafts, Where to Find Stuff | 1 Comment
No, it’s not *my* personal manifesto. But it makes me think I should have one.
The interesting design manifesto I want to share for inspiration or simply amusement is that of Jonathan Adler, originally a potter but now an all-around a designer who makes some interestingly quirky and sometimes ironic items. Such as the pottery you see here, right. This particular line of pottery, for example, is called Utopia. The tagline that accompanies it is “Finally, a functional family.” Nice.
Without further ado, the Manifesto:
We believe that your home should make you happy.
We believe that when it comes to decorating, the wife is always right. Unless the husband is gay.
We believe in carbohydrates and to hell with the puffy consequences.
We believe minimalism is a bummer.
We believe handcrafted tchotchkes are life-enhancing.
We believe tassels are the earrings of the home.
We believe in our muses: David Hicks, Alexander Girard, Bonnie Cashin. Hans Coper, Gio Ponti, Andy Warhol, Leroy Neiman, Yves Saint Laurent, and Madonna.
We believe in the innate chicness of red with brown.
We believe in being underdressed or overdressed always.
We believe in infantile, happy emblems like butterflies and hearts.
We believe celebrities should pay full price.
We believe in rustic modernism: Big Sur, A-Frame beach houses, raw beams, and geodesic dome homes.
We believe in Palm Beach style: Louis chairs, chinoiserie, Lilly Pulitzer, The Breakers circa ’72.
We believe our designs are award winning even though they’ve never actually won any.
We believe in Aid to Artisans.
We believe dogs should be allowed in stores and restaurants.
We believe in mantiques – suits of armour, worn chesterfield sofas, heraldic tapestries.
We believe you should throw out your Blackberry and go pick some actual blackberries.
We believe colors can’t clash.
We believe in blowing your nest egg on our pots.
We believe our lamps will make you look younger and thinner.
We believe in irreverent luxury.
Top 10: Crafting Essentials Lists – stuff you didn’t know you needed
July 20, 2007 at 11:28 am | Posted in Top Ten, Where to Find Stuff | Leave a comment
I run across lists all the time of things that help me in crafting, whether it’s raw materials, essentials lists, tips for bloggers, or whatever. Here’s a random sampling of ones I’ve used.
10. Here’s a list of essential cross stitch tools from About.com. Make sure to read the comments, too!
9. Here’s an unusual list – how to make your own common supplies, like sidewalk chalk, finger paint and cinnamon clay. Much of this is great for kids, or grown-up kids!
8. Here’s a list that tells you where to buy all kinds of chemicals, both organic and inorganic. Aren’t you just curious what you can get?
7. Since many crafters are bloggers, I’m including a couple of lists of resources for bloggers. There’s the 101 Essential Blogging Resources and because I’m a Mac nerd, Problogger’s 5 Essential OSX Blogging Tools.
6. As it happens, Ebay has a pretty good basic guide for choosing beading supplies and tips. Gives information about it that you might not otherwise realize, like how many beads per string.
5. When I was looking around for stuff to read when I started crocheting, I tried some of the books on this forum that asks readers for good crochet resources at Crochetville.
4. Lists of craft fairs – for going to see or sell – including an events listing from Etsy, one list for the west and California, one for New England, one for all over from Sunshine Artist magazine, and one for Texas from the Texas Commission on the Arts. There are many for individual states if you search for “list craft fairs” + your state.
3. A list of stuff you’ve got to have for soap-making. And just because I’m nice, a list of suppliers and resources for the professional soapmaker as well.
2. Lisa Lam at U-Handbag has a list of tools she can’t live without when making bags. It’s a great list, and she must have the right stuff because she makes great bags. Scroll down – the list is on the left in the sidebar called “My bag-making essentials.”
1. Cameo Rose has a great basic sewing kit – and everything in it is easily packed away in a little box for taking with you or neat storage. This great, painstaking list includes pictures of everything so you can figure out what she means or take it to the store and show someone. If you want to get crazy, make your own essentials sewing box out of old magazines by following this technique I’ve been seeing all over lately.
Weekly Top 10 – fave Central Texas Craft Enterprises
June 28, 2007 at 10:10 pm | Posted in People Doing Crafts, Top Ten, Where to Find Stuff | 2 CommentsUpcoming! I mentioned yesterday that I would be doing something about making beer. What I neglected to mention is that my dad has continued to document this process daily at his house while I am away, and calls to give me “beer reports.” I will be trekking back down to Houston this weekend to witness and participate in the priming of beer bottles and the bottling of beer. This Sunday I will begin a daily post of the process (on a one-week delay). Exciting! I like this beer-making thing.
Top Ten! This week I’ve decided to highlight some of my favorite Central Texas craft enterprises. Austin has a long, distinguished history of people making stuff and selling stuff. Here in Austin we even have a movement of sorts, an effort to support local businesses is called Keep Austin Weird. There is also a site dedicated to supporting local business called Go Texan. Check it out!
10. Stitch Austin – I think of this (possibly correctly) as Austin Fashion Week for Indie Designers. Lots of crafters. The official billing is as a “Fashion Show and Guerilla Craft Bazaar.” I didn’t know about it last time it happened, but you can find a recap of it on the Craft mag website. This November I will definitely be in attendance! So many times I think “how cool that event would be if it weren’t in Brooklyn” (or somewhere) – and now between this and the Austin Maker Faire in October, I’m going to be in craft heaven this fall!
9. OK – technically this isn’t a singular enterprise, but just the sheer number of vintage stores existing in Austin needs a mention. We loves us some vintage. The Insider Pages tell me 85 listings alone around here! Some near me I like include Flashback, the Family Thrift Store on Oltorf and the late lamented Rue’s Antiques. Oh, heck, if you’re from here I’m obviously a South Austinite, so just check out this SoCo Guide to Antique/Thrift Shopping.
8. Food Pick: I first came across the Chipotle Saltburst spice when at the South Austin Farmers Market. There’s nothing better than the food and spices to be found at craft fairs. The folks from Spiceburst Gourmet Spices who make it can be found at a whole variety of craft fairs in the Texas Hill Country, and I recently spied their wares at Central Market. Handy! You can find a glowing review at the Hot Sauce Blog.
7. This may be stretching the definition of “craft enterprise,” but I give the Dorkbot-Austin group a lot of points for sheer originality. My husband describes them as doing crafty stuff with technology. As a blogger and technology-lover, I don’t feel I can pass them over. The May meeting mentioned “colloids and immersive systems and Satanic anti-war song-cycles. Oh my!!” Wow.
6. Tie! Live Oak Brewing Company in Austin and Real Ale Brewing Company in Blanco, Texas. Both microbreweries. Real Ale is a little bigger – you can actually buy bottled beer from them, whereas with Live Oak you have to get a draft from somewhere. They’re both awesome examples of Texans Who Love Beer (like me!). I’ve included them both because my fave is Live Oak Big Bark in winter and the Live Oak Hefeweizen in summer, whereas my husband is absolutely nuts about the Real Ale Fireman’s No. 4.
5. Hill Country Weavers is an establishment around here. People who like yarn (and basketweaving!) all over Central Texas know about that place. It’s the kind of place where you go in, give them your entire paycheck, and just play for a while. Conveniently, you can even go stay and knit there, too.
4. There are a couple of interesting places around here that specialize in being craft spaces – places you can go craft. My favorite is Craft-O-Rama, a relatively new establishment that is the dreamchild of the very nice owner and sewing teacher Hayley. It’s a craft lounge, really, with a group of sofas and bunches of tables.
What was really spiffarific about going in there was the feeling of “walking into the internet.” Being an internet person myself, I’ve been on the rounds of websites and seen the cool Amy Butler patterns and Vickie Howell yarn – but never been able to look at them personally without purchase. Most craft stores don’t carry these sorts of items for the hipsters among us. And here they were! Such a nice find.
3. I would be drug out into the street and… anyway, when talking about Craft and Austin one cannot forget OR avoid the Austin Craft Mafia. Go ahead, do a Google search for Austin Craft and see what you get. These women have turned crafting into not only a business, but a way of life, too. In addition to being home-town craft heroes, they also host shows on the DIY network like Knitty Gritty and Stylelicious. The goal? Lifestyle craft: making crafting hip and edgy.
2. The Mafia is definitely growing to be a home-town pride and joy, but the 23rd Street Renaissance Market has been a favorite for generations. Down on the Drag across from the University of Texas’ campus, a little courtyard is dedicated to artisans. You can find them there selling their wares amidst the murals most every day, all day. They’re often sitting making their crafts right there. It’s your guess as to what will appear today, but everything from jewelry to leather to ceramics has appeared in the past.
1. I am a soapmaker and really interested in biochemistry (that’s kind of a chicken-and-egg set of interests there) thanks to my biochemist dad. In that capacity, I both really love the use of herbs and sometimes minerals and I’m really against using tallow in soap. Ew!!
So I had to save this for last – the Austin Natural Soap Company. They have their own Top Ten Reasons why their soap is better, and you can believe it! It’s all vegetable oil soap with essential oils and various other stuff in ‘em. My favorite (today) is the Lemon Scrub for Cooks and Gardeners. Austinites will recognize soaps named after Hippie Hollow and Barton Springs, too!
There you go – my craft windup in Austin. If you happen by and have something you like or want to add, please do! I’m always looking for new trouble to get into around here, and maybe my memory is just imitating Swiss cheese today and I forgot something really Austinish or important.
Cheers!
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