Miss Modish- Mojo Maker

Design for Mankind E-Zine

Hey All!  Do you read Design for Mankind?  If not, then well you should.  Erin, the writer behind the blog, is funny, sweet and energetic.  She's also generous enough to have used her precious time to compile a Design for Mankind Inspiration e-zine, what is to become a monthly fare of beautiful inspiration boards and words on inspiration by some of Erin's favorite artists, designers, bloggers and flickr friends.  The first issue just came out today, a downloadable 20 pages worth of images and ideas to share inspirations and hopefully inspire you!  Check it out and download it with your morning coffee.  It's a good read, good eye candy and a great way to start the day- I already can't wait for next month's issue!  If you want to be a part of it and share your inspirations with Erin for a future issue, email her at designformankind [at] gmail.com.

Eco-Friendly Find: Cubist Literature

We all know that shopping at thrift stores is one of the best (or at least, most fun) ways to recycle, but Cubist Literature has taken thrift store finds to the next level by shaking things up- he repurposes found items, like turning a sweater into a set of scarves, and adds felt appliqués onto others, giving old things a new life and some c.lit style spunk.

Cheers to c.lit for not only recycling clothing, but making that clothing truly reflect his own style by dismantling, reconfiguring, and adding- it should give you inspiration for the things you find while shopping that are close but not exactly what you're looking for...remember, you can make them what you want them to be!  And extra cheers for the heart appliqués- we can all use a little more love in our lives.  Find more shaken up, recycled goods along with art and other handmade creations at Cubist Literature.

Handmade Faces: Amanda from Little Pies

Today's handmade face is that of Amanda from doggie-licious Little Pies!  Amanda creates tasty organic treats and handmade goodies for our furry, four-legged friends- she's taking an extended vacation right now but will be back in Feb with lots of new goodies in the shop.  In the meantime, let's meet Amanda and her doggie muse!

{Here's Amanda with her favorite purple finger puppet by Stacey Rebecca}

{And her beautiful dog, Molly Brown, guarding a print from the wonderful M. Lee}

What does handmade mean to you, Amanda?

The word handmade means different things to different people.  To me, the word handmade has changed the way that I live.  Whether it be the handmade items I sell or the handmade items I buy, handmade means that I support people who are making their own dreams come true by doing something that they love.

Let's give Amanda and Molly Brown and happy hello, and be sure to check back in on Little Pies in Feb if you need some healthy treats for your pets!

Scrub-a-dub-dub

Nettie Davis, Los Angeles based celebrity manicurist, has been questioned for years on the secret scrub she uses- it smells delectable, it dissolves completely, it exfoliates yet leaves your skin feeling moisturized and supple- what is this good stuff??  Why, it's Nettie Scrub! 

Handmade by her, this all natural sugar scrub lives up to its claims and is a new welcome addition to my weekly shower routine.  I have the lemon flavor made from sugar, grape seed oil and pure lemon essential oil- it smells like a lemon drop, is not too rough for sensitive skin, and leaves me without the need to slather on lotion once I'm out of the shower.  It's good stuff.  Read more about it on the Nettie Scrub site, which is still a bit under construction but you'll be able to find shops where you can purchase it, including the Nettie Scrub etsy shop!

Valentine's Day Cards

Yes, it's a Hallmark holiday invented just to further our consumerist society, making single people feel self-conscious about the singleness they should revel in, making women in relationships feel forgotten by their mates if they don't get a dozen roses.  It's a sham, I get it.  But I still like it, because I think Valentine's Day has a good undercurrent of meaning- just to spread the love.  And when you spread that love by buying handmade, making your own gifts, writing a song, sharing a meal, then you're celebrating the day without giving in to Hallmark's overzealous grasp on it, and that feels so good.

Here's some not so Hallmarky card options to show your loved ones (don't forget your friends!) how you feel:

{yeah you cards by Corduroy :: You stole my heart card by Heidi Burton}

{Sculpture collection cards by Egg Press :: I love you hearts by Things are Better with a Parrott}

{one of a kind Valentine's Day cards with original artwork by Anna Laura}

{Letter-pressed Love cards by papered together at Modish: Handmade Goods}

{Down with Love cards by Mew Paper Arts}

{Darling rabbit cards by Oh My Cavalier :: Vintage Lace Card by BROOKLYN:rehab}

{Owl Love You Forever card by Night Owl Papergoods :: Te Amo card by Susyjack}

{give luv card by essimar :: Rock. Paper. Heart. card by The Paper Princess}

A note on the giveaway...

For those of you who are participating in the January giveaway or are waiting with bated breath to enter it, I just wanted to let you know that I am still going to have a giveaway but it's being pushed back a bit.  Since I will be moving at the end of Feb, I will NOT be having a giveaway like normal then, and also because I'm waiting for a new newsletter service to get set up which is going to take a few days, I'll be pushing the Jan giveaway back to next week to cover Jan/Feb and will continue with the monthly giveaways at the end of each month starting again in March.  In the meantime, sign up for the modish newsletter to get the bird's word about when the giveaway is announced next week, and to keep up on other fun things like blog features and special deals for the shoppe! :)

Handmade Spaces: Momental Designs

Today's handmade space is that of invitation and stationery designer, Kristy Rice.  Kristy uses hand-stamping, watercolor and other details to create beautiful and unique invitations under her Momental Designs label.  She also shares her space with her hairless dog, Harry!  Take a peek!

What do you create in this space?
I create handmade wedding invitations featuring my original artwork.  Each invitation is detailed by hand with touches of ink, watercolor or pen.  I create all designs from "scratch" so I utilize beautiful handmade papers and cut them to size.
Please describe what we see in the pictures a bit...             

I use paper galore, ribbon and of course my watercolor palette.  I gather inspiration from my art wall which displays artwork I have created and loved, sketches for future projects and ideas for projects I would like to create.  I am a big quote person so I always surround myself with inspirational words- my favorites are from Emerson and Helen Keller.  I take at least 10 new photos a day to post on my site so I have a simple but workable space near my front window to capture the morning light and take my best shots.  My big red chair was a favorite find at a local shop and my hairless dog Harry keeps me company most days here...
How do you feel when you enter your "handmade space"?
I have been in business for five years and just recently revamped my studio space.  Before the remake, the space was useful but completely uninspired and just plain boring.  I now feel energized when I enter this space, even on messy days where I have 5 projects in flight and am wading through paper and covered in ink...I somehow feel at peace.  I can now take a look at my art wall, my pattered flea market curtains, my $5 vintage red chair and know this space is all me, all mine.

How freakily cute is Harry, huh? 

Check out all the custom invitations and stationery that Kristy creates here at Momental Designs!

It's black and white

I love these pen and ink drawings by LaMaga- they're simple, yet feel like they have a definite story to tell, something secret, something whimsical, something that's a bit outside the realm of the real world... 

Yay for Tay!

It's official, I'm moving to Portland, OR!  Yay!  Thanks to the lovely and gracious Tay from the Found Object blog who happens to be the manager of a vintage apt. complex in my favorite section of Portland, my boyfriend and I are all set to move in about a month to my wishful thinking city come true.  I'm so so excited, I can't stand it!  I've wanted to move to Portland for years, so badly that it seemed like it would never actually happen.  But now it is, thanks to the incredibly helpful Tay! 

Not only is Tay as sweet as can be, she's also very talented.  I love these statement rings she creates for her twirl shop from silver, copper, vintage buttons and other materials- they're very sculptural and unique:

She also has another shop called bread + butter which features unusual and affordable jewelry and art prints:

So, take a peek at my soon to be neighbor Tay's wonderful collections and wish me luck on the move!  Yaaaayyyy!!!

Handmade Spaces: Lis Kidder

We have another very honest portrayal of a real artist's studio today, that of miss Lis Kidder.  Lis' space is self-admittedly a little disastrous from an outside viewpoint, but for her, the surroundings are invigorating and proof of all the creative energy she's expelled.  Take a peek into her somewhat messy, yet productive space!
What do you create in this space?
More than just chaos! I create kiln-fused dichroic glass jewelry and the occasional lampwork bead.
Please describe what we see in the pictures a bit...
My studio began as the corner of the table that you see in the photo. It used to be our dining room table. As time went on I took over more and more of the table, adding new tools and more glass. I clamped a lampworking torch to one end, and stuck a glass grinder in the middle. Then we moved, and I claimed the biggest bedroom in our new apartment (and we bought a new dining room table). It's the command center of my business, and I do everything in it. The right side of the room is used for cutting and fusing glass, and creating jewelry. I store most of my supplies on that side, in plastic tubs that I picked up at Target. The left side of the room is reserved for photography, shipping and working on my website. We're looking into buying a house right now, and I'm hoping to take over an entire floor (shhh don't tell my fiance).

How do you feel when you enter your "handmade space"?
Energized and focused. My studio is a disaster area because whenever I'm in it I'm caught up in a frenzy of creative energy. New ideas zip through my mind as I'm working and I try to grab them all and implement them before they are whisked away. It looks like the laboratory of a mad scientist, but it's actually the studio space of a very happy artist.

Thanks Lis, for giving us a peek into your real, everyday space!  To see the pretty glass jewelry that Lis creates here, check out her website, Dichroic Jewelry!

Sunshine on a Rainy day

Sorry for the much delayed posting action today- I've been busily busying along, trying to snag a cute little apartment in Portland (collective crossing of fingers is requested, please!) 

In other news, I'm mixing metaphors and feeling awfully air-heady.  It's almost 1:00 pm and I just ate "breakfast."  And, Rain Harris of Lusterbunny, your source for all things cute and porcelain, has just launched a new shop selling her high end, porcelain sculptures- they're each like a burst of sunshine on a rainy day.

Congrats on the new shop, Rain!  Everything looks gorgeous!  And while you peruse Rain's shop, remember that these are intricate pieces of art and priced accordingly, but even if you're not in the market to purchase, the eye candy is too sweet to pass up!

Handmade Faces: little Georges

So, this is not normally the kind of fare that I'd post for handmade faces where we ask, "what does handmade mean to you?" but Wende of Thrifty Goodness wrote me a sweet email introducing me to her son, Georges.  I was so so impressed with Georges and found him incredibly endearing and talented, so I wanted to share her email with everyone and introduce you to the next generation of the handmade movement- say hello to Georges!

Wende's words:
"When I think of handmade faces, the first face that pops into my mind is that of my 11 year old, Georges. He loves to make everything by hand: cookies, earrings, aprons. . . he even has a tutorial he filmed on youtube!

{Watch "how to make a great paper box"- it's fabulous!}

Last year, he began making a product he calls Bag Bags and giving part of his sales to Heifer International. He had so many sales, that I ended up giving him my old machine. He calls it "Ol Rusty".

He is currently saving up to buy a new sewing machine.  He also makes these really cool free-form patches on his sewing machine, but lately Ol Rusty is giving him fits. He wants to sell these patches, but his machine doesn't produce the results he wants, so he's been saving all his pennies for a "fancy" machine.  I hear him upstairs in his makeshift "studio", shouting at it. And that frustration is sometimes part of doing things handmade. Being creative means hitting the eventual road block. But then, he figures it out, and comes bounding down the stairs to show me his success and that's part of it too.

You'll pardon my pride here, but I thought you might like to meet the next generation of the handmade revolution."

Thanks Wende, for introducing us to Georges!  He definitely has a craft show hosting job or a slew of business opportunities in his future!  Everyone say hello to this little handmade face! :)

Pieces of the sea

If you're like me, you can't help but pick up shells and squishy kelp pods, bird feathers and even old crab carcasses off of the beach as you walk by.  I don't want to pick these things up, but my hands are listening to the 2 year old part of my brain that says "ooh, look dat!  gimme!"  It appears I'm not the only who does this, I just seem to be strolling along the wrong beaches- unlike the mother and daughter team behind Star of the East, who scour the long expansive beaches of their home in Turkey, finding forgotten shells of sea urchins and other creatures, to create beautiful and unique jewelry from them:

With just a tiny bit of sparkle and some pretty thread or beading, these sea urchin shells get a new life to serve as not only a pretty thing to adorn you with, but a reminder of the natural world that you treasure.  Find more sea inspired goodness at Star of the East!

Eco-Friendly Find: Cakehouse

I love to find goods that are handmade using vintage materials- creating something new from something old is good for the earth and also good for the psyche!  If you've ever felt attached to an old pair of sheets, are hanging on to an unmatched pillowcase from your childhood, or even have a favorite skirt that you just can't fit into anymore, well, now you can have them transformed into fun cloth napkins that you can use and re-use over and over again.

These adorable napkins are made by Cakehouse, re-fashioned from second-hand sheets, pillowcases, bedspreads and more and hand-printed with cute critters using water-based inks.  Custom orders are welcome so you can give your own fabric finds new life and dress your table in style.  These are not only helping the earth by turning "trash into treasure"; if you replace your paper napkins with these, you'll be saving trees while you eat!

Handmade Spaces: M. Lee

Today's handmade space is that of the wonderfully talented Marissa of M. Lee Fine Art.  Marissa shares her studio with her new baby and that allows her to continue working and creating at a fast pace!  She says, "with the added urgency of time being so precious I feel that I am creating some of my best work yet."  Let's see where it all happens!

What do you create in this space?
I am a printmaker. I primarily do relief prints using woodblocks as my carving material on various Japanese papers. But lately I have been into experimenting with collage using chiyogami washi paper from Japan. As well as watercolor, gold leaf and monotypes all mixed with block prints. These past months I have been feeling really motivated to push my art further.

Can you describe what we see in the pics a bit? 
My printing press, carving tools, lots of woodblocks to carve, various papers, ink, patterned and colored paper for adding extra detail and sparkle and sometimes gouache. I need to keep my space clean and organized as printing can take hours and lots of space. I store my carved blocks in the colored drawers next to the press according to size. Unused papers are stored in flat files on the shelf under the press bed.  Extra large blocks are stored behind the printing press itself between it and the wall. My latest edition is a little portable art station that has everything I need to cut the chiyogami paper and attach it to blank cards and papers. This is something I like to do at night while relaxing with my husband in our living room while watching a DVD. I am constantly multitasking.

How do you feel when you enter your "handmade space"?
I feel a sense of peace followed by glee. I know how lucky I am to have it and am really happy with how it has turned out. It really is my happy space. And sharing it with my new baby has been wonderful. Through careful time management, my own high energy, a well behaved baby and the bouncy chair I was able to make new work a month after she was born. And it has only gotten easier. I tend to sketch and carve during the weekdays since it is something that I can put down at any second and print during the weekends when I can get a block of time relatively uninterrupted.

I love the pink walls!  What do you guys think?  Would you be able to share your studio space with your baby?  Or would you have to keep them separate? 

Thanks for giving us a little peekeroo Marissa!  Pick up some wonderful M. Lee woodblock creations at her etsy shop and keep up with her, her baby and new work on the M. Lee Fine Art blog!

A whale of a tale...

I'm back in town from Portland but SOOOO not back in the swing of things yet, sorry!  While I try to finish answering emails and figure out what the heck I need to do today, check out these adorable silver whale hoop earrings by Imogene & Annie.

These are so unique and fun and I think they will go with any outfit just swimmingly!  (I'm out of coffee, please excuse the puns. :)  Find them at Imogene & Annie and I'll be back in action with regular features later today!

a super handmade collection - portland's edith and edna

i'm wrapping my guest blogging stint up today with a final post about one of my favorite places in portland to find handmade goodies.

edith and edna on exchange street in the old port is a bright and cheerful space full of local and web-favorite handmade items.

local favorites include bobbin bags and clothing by betsy scheintaub, milo in maine adult + kids shirts, lulubeans yarns, buttons by pixiegenne, handmade baby clothes + bags by soulemama, pinecone + chickadee shirts and papergoods, sewn goodies and mixed media collage by betsy thompson, and much more.

they also carry  dovetail ceramics (a personal favorite of mine - i love the square mugs,) collages and owls by leya at curious bird, nikki mcclure prints and calendars, walter and veronica scarves (i got one for christmas and haven't taken it off since. really) and cd cases, lovely stuff from alena hennessy, wonderful books from if'n books + marks, a wide selection of craft books, and tons more.

my pictures are a bit dark because it was a rainy day when i visited, but i bet you can get a sense of how wonderful the shop is. most definitely worth a visit next time you're in portland!  thanks to shop owners brandie and julie for letting me come by and snap some pictures.

i've had a great time guest blogging this week, and i hope i've given you all a good sense of what a great town the east coast portland is. i didn't come close to covering everything here, but i've tried to show you a good smattering!
thanks so much to jena for inviting me to make these posts this week.
cheers, jen

a gorgeous fiber fest with lulubeans' aprill newman

photos (and handspun pinwheel blanket!) by aprill newman

a handmade talent i most definitely do not possess (but have a lot of respect for those who do) is knitting. i especially love looking at hand-dyed and handspun yarn, and all of the wonderful things that can be made with it. today i thought i'd share the lovely work of portland's aprill newman, the super-talented force behind lulubeans. she has a great eye for color, and her yarns are so lovely that even though i'm not a knitter i've been known to place skeins in a bowl just to admire as works of art.

i asked aprill to share both local and non-local resources and inspirations for all of you fellow fiber lovers out there.  here's what she had to say:

around portland:

i love knitwit's bright and cozy munjoy hill shop.  the store is full of eye candy: lace knit curtains are framed by robust morning glories in the summer; gigantic handmade mittens and pompoms adorn the shop in winter.  they have a lovely selection of patterns and beautiful yarns.

central yarn  is my go to place for the yarns i think of as staples in any knitters stash.  they have a good selection of lopi and lamb's pride and often mark yarns down with great sale prices. and i definitely second amanda's praise for their button selection! 

the ladies at the portland fiber gallery taught me how to spin yarn on a wheel a few years ago.   they are a great resource for all things fiber related, from needle felting to weaving classes, to picking up an extra drive band for your spinning wheel should your small child get a little too excited about having her own pair of scissors.  ahem.

and online:  (links for knitters and non-knitters alike!)

i am absolutely smitten with jared flood's brooklyntweed blog. his photography and overall design sense blow me away! 

i recently found the work of artist nikko moy via flickr and i love what she is doing with wool, a lot. 

joana vasconcelos' work with textiles, knitting/ crochet and lace makes me so happy.  (her website can be a little tricky, but well worth peeking around.)

the same goes for the beautiful work of helle jorgensen.  this woman is so brilliant.

when i need a visual battery recharge, i go to flickr or the yarn museum.  i really love to see the work of spinners who are making yarn that is very different from mine.  there is so much amazing stuff out there!

thanks so much, aprill!!

port2port press's maria vettese

photo by maria vettese

i've been thinking a lot lately about what draws so many of us to read the blogs we read. i think it is safe to say i'm not alone in enjoying the glimpses i get into other artist's every day lives. you can get such a strong sense of an artist's inspirations + influences, and when you then have the chance to acquire that person's art and have it in your own home, you feel a much stronger, more intimate connection to it that you would to a stranger's. that's how i see it, anyway.

photo by maria vettese

maria vettese of port2port press is another portland artist i admire a whole lot, and it is for exactly these reasons. she does a wonderful job of documenting her inspirations and her every day life at her blog, port2port, and on the collaborative photo blog she shares with stephanie congdon barnes at 3191: a year of evenings.

photos by maria vettese (l) and stephanie congdon barnes (r)

now in its second year, 3191 started as a collaborative photo project where maria and stephanie would each post a photo of their morning in 3191:in a year of mornings (which will soon be published as a book by princeton architectural press.)

photos by maria vettese (l) and stephanie congdon barnes (r)

maria's letterpress and photographs draw much inspiration for her daily surroundings and are simple and beautiful. she sells limited editions of letterpressed cards and photographs, and also works with other artists from time to time on collaborations, such as this lovely winter prints set called frost with brooklyn based artist lena corwin.

i asked maria to share a few of her local favorite spots (+ i will add for her the portland farmer's market, which she took some amazing pictures of last year and i got so much inspiration from!)  here's what she said:

favorite portland food: 158, Fore Street, Bresca, Blue Spoon
favorite little grocer: Rosemont Market
favorite bakeries: Standard Baking, Two Fat Cats, 158

thanks so much for sharing the lovely glimpes of your life + your art with us, maria!

Handmade Spaces: Mahar Drygoods

Robert Mahar of Mahar Drygoods was kind enough to show us his studio where some of the most spectacular handmade products for kids rest, awaiting shipments to their new homes.  He was also brave enough to show us the ready for the camera, tidied up version of his space as well as the true, day in the life, not so tidy version :)

What do you create in this space?
Well, the short answer is – big messes that are occasionally cleaned up.  In the early stages of brainstorming an online store of handmade items I envisioned virtual shelves filled with only items I crafted myself.  But what developed was a broader concept that allows me to collaborate with dozens of others artists who create work in their own spaces that is then gathered here in my studio and shipped to customers as the orders come in.  So the creative work that occurs in this space is largely graphic as I continue to develop the look and functionality of the site, render product concepts and sketches and create cohesive packaging and ads.  One of my goals for the new year though is to set aside more time to spend with my lonely Gocco, sewing machine, drawers of Sculpey and bins of vintage ephemera that have been waiting for just the right project to come along.

Please describe what we see in the pictures a bit:
The top images are corners of the studio arranged as I’d like them to be if you stopped by unexpectedly – but that’s about as realistic as June Cleaver vacuuming in pearls and high heels.  I have shelves and shelves of pressboard boxes from IKEA that are stuffed with magazine clippings, art supplies and shop inventory.  I love being surrounded by works in progress and completed projects, be they baby dolls, bibs, felt food or marionettes. The bottom picture shows my desk, as it appears most days.  I keep a large cork board on the wall above my computer which is an ever changing collage of fabric and yarn samples, photos, vintage knick-knacks, Christmas ornaments and the latest masterpieces finger-painted by the kids in my life.

How do you feel when you enter your "handmade space"?
Honestly, it depends on the day.  If I have a zillion projects going at the same time and the stacks of paper, shipping supplies and toys are piling up around me it can be a little overwhelming.  More often though I just feel grateful that I actually have this space (mess or no mess!) to work on projects that I love and am passionate about.

Thank you Robert for sharing your day to day with us!  This reminds me a lot of what I do- creating mostly graphically and um, wordsmithily, and being simultaneously overwhelmed by and grateful for the space that I do have.  Mine's a bit messier tho, sadly... how about yours, readers?  Are you good at keeping your work and creative spaces organized and clutter free?  Or, is that even possible?

Be sure to check out all the wonderful creative goodness that ships out of this space daily at Mahar Drygoods!