Tag Archives: 20 days of handmade

20 Days of Handmade: Meghan Shimek

Today I wrap up my 20 Days of Handmade series! Thank to everyone for following along. I hope you’ve found some new favorite artisans to support.

My final post features Meghan Shimek, a textile artist based out of San Francisco, California. In addition to selling her own weaving, she has also started selling small looms and beginner kits. You can find out about classes she offers in the bay area through her website, and see what work she has available there and in stores. Weaving is another craft I have very little experience with and have always wanted to try out. Meghan’s a great person, so if you have a chance to take a class with her, I highly recommend it.

My blog will be quiet for the next couple of weeks as I take a break from the holiday order rush and enjoy some time reading with my cat George. Happy Holidays y’all! And thanks for supporting handmade this year.

20 Days of Handmade: Aleebird

If the winter gets you down, might I recommend some Aleebird prints to brighten up your days? Maybe some blue delphiniums or a wee goldfinch print? Alee’s watercolor and line work is delightful and she manages to really capture the essence of them without making the drawing look labored.

You can also order copies of her book The Exuberant Garden and have a whole coffee table book full of beautiful work.

20 Days of Handmade: Blue Bird Sews

There’s nothing better than doing a craft show with other great vendors who put time and effort into not just their product but their displays as well. Blue Bird Sews has been at almost every show I’ve done this season and it’s always a pleasure to see her work.

Her vintage inspired: modern handmade tagline really sums it up. Her quilted and sewn works have an updated feel while retaining a classic aesthetic.

Get a set of sewn stars and put one on your tree and stuff the other in the stocking of your office mate instead of some coffee sampler from the gift area of big box store. Or send me a quilt so I can hibernate for the next few months in style.

20 Days of Handmade: Worlds Without Master

Cover art by Jeff Brown.

Have you joined the Patreon horde yet? Might I recommend the latest from Ennie Award Winning Dread creator Epidiah Ravachol? Worlds Without Master is a gaming story art adventure creation that uses the Patreon system of funding to come straight to your inbox every few months. Volume 1 issue 6 dropped this month and features short stories, comics, illustrations, great cover art and more.

What the hell is Patreon you ask yourself? It is a funding platform that is very compatible with small creators. Supporters pledge to projects they like for a certain dollar amount and are only charged when the creator sends out product in the form of a PDF magazine, YouTube video, or what have you. Unlike other crowdfunding platforms, it ensures a steady stream of funding for people who are doing long term projects.

Worlds Without Master has several levels that you as a backer can choose from. For a mere $5 per issue you and a friend can receive the latest to your inbox. I am a firm believer in paying for creative content, so support those who work to put out new material! To hell with the Huffington Post. Eppy is managing to pay each contributor to Worlds Without Master and when he reaches his next Patreon Milestone Goal, he’ll be paying himself for his own fiction as well. Join the horde and onward to adventure!

20 Days of Handmade: Crazy Green Studios

One of the nicest people I met while in Asheville, North Carolina, was Lori Theriault of Crazy Green Studios. As I was preparing to leave town, she and a group were working to open The Village Potters which is now located at 191 Lyman Street, #180, in Riverview Station in Asheville’s river arts district.

The Village Potters is both a gallery and a teaching center, so you can sign up to finally learn how to throw on the wheel. It’s the best place to see Lori’s work in person these days and they also have an online shop if you want to buy one of Lori’s great mugs but don’t happen to be in western North Carolina.

You can also follow Lori’s blog Homemade Tastes Better on Handmade to see her plates and bowls in action.

20 Days of Handmade: Jeanette Zeis Pottery

If you read any vegan blogs then you’ve seen the pottery of Jeanette Zeis and know why she’s today’s pick for 20 Days of Handmade. Her cupcake stands and vegan bowls and mugs can be spotted in many the blog post.

I have long loved her clean lines and colors and was pleased to see she has a new line of work that features carved, glazed, and hand painted jars. The amount of detail and work in these is fabulous.

Jeanette Zeis will be at the Handmade Holiday Pop Up Shop at Herbivore in Portland, Oregon, on December 18th from 4-8! Stop by to see her work in person.

20 Days of Handmade: Black and Green Games

Black and Green Games is the independent game publishing imprint founded by the great Emily Care Boss in 2005 and my pick for this 11th day of handmade. I highly recommend following her on the Twitter where she talks about gender issues and re-tweets a great diversity of voices in gaming.

If you’re in Massachusetts or nearby, check out Jiffycon, which she founded in 2006. You can also check out her shop site to peruse and buy her own RPGs such as Shooting the Moon and Remodel. If you’re interested in gaming or learning about gaming, spend some time link hopping at Black and Green Games. Stereotypes begone! There’s a whole world of gaming out there waiting to be discovered.

20 Days of Handmade: Vtopian Artisan Cheese

If you know me, you know I am particular about my vegan cheeses. And I am very pleased that a new Eugene, Oregon, based company started this year so I can get good local vegan cheese. Vtopian Artisan Cheeses did a sampling at Food Fight Grocery and I was hooked.

Pictured is their new chive and dill wedge, which is my current favorite but I also have a maple seitan cheeseball waiting in my fridge now. I love how creamy their products are without so much of the lemon flavor I taste in a lot of other vegan cheeses.

I’m also thrilled that Vtopian will be tabling at the Handmade Holiday Pop Up Shop at Herbivore on December 18, from 4-8 pm. Stop by to try some of their product!

20 Days of Handmade: Jessica Scofield Jewelry

I discovered Jessica Scofield Jewelry at a craft show I did last December and fell in love with her work. My undergrad concentration is in metalsmithing and I have a huge appreciation for the time and skill that goes into making fine jewelry.

I own these spark earrings and wear them constantly. They are etched by hand and are absolutely fabulous. I’ve been writing a lot about detail in my 20 Days of Handmade posts and I can’t emphasize that enough. It’s that wonderful attention to the small elements that makes a piece, be it earrings, carved wood, or a large sculpture, work.

Take for example this enameled triple octagon necklace. It is hand etched sterling silver that is then enameled and assembled. One of my favorite things about Jessica Scofield Jewelry is that her work just seems to glow. If you think her work is too expensive, please think about the time that has gone into a piece like this. She isn’t buying finished components and then putting them together. She’s spending hours doing intensely small work and the finished prodcut is worth every penny.

20 Days of Handmade: TwoFour Manufacturing

Today’s featured artist is TwoFour Manufacturing based out of Portland, Oregon. Woodworking is one of the few art techniques I have almost no experience with (my undergrad required a large number of intro classes to arts and crafts, and I’ve even done stained glass, paper making, and architectural drawing) so I’ve always admired people who do it well.

I am a fan of owls in general and especially Kenn’s forest guardian. I love small details like the bright green eyes within the distressed and dark wood of the body. Or the red flame on the all black body of his Goat Forest Shaman.

Kenn also has a great blog post up at TwoFour Manufacturing that shows the process he goes through in the making of one of his pieces. Creative people often get a lot of comments about the prices of our work without a lot of knowledge about the time that goes into creating our works. Add in the photographing, listing, packing, shipping, and marketing of ourselves and you start to realize there is no answer to the question “how long does it take you to make something?”.

TwoFour Manufacturing will be at the Handmade Holiday Pop Up Shop at Herbivore in Portland, Oregon, on December 18 from 4-8 pm, so stop by to check out his work and enjoy some homemade baked goods.