By Becky Striepe •
June 9, 2009
I met Brooke Bennett of So She Sews at the Indie Craft Experience last weekend and fell instantly in love with her designs.
Like a lot of crafters, Brooke grew up in a handmade household. Her mom even ran a crafty business in the 80’s selling handmade “hair poofs.” Mom’s craftiness didn’t stop there! She also made a lot of Brooke’s clothes, including “this crazy pair of poofy overalls” out of old curtains.
Now, Brooke makes clothes, accessories and housewares constructed out of repurposed materials, like vintage fabric and linens, for her own crafty business. She sees vintage and found materials as a way to avoid “contributing to the raw textile industries which aren’t always fair to their workers overseas.”
I’m also totally digging her clutches and pouches made from fused plastic bags that would have been headed for the trash bin. I couldn’t even tell that it was plastic at first glance!
Brooke says she draws her inspiration mainly from the materials she finds and her “love of indie style.” She takes some of her cues from “international street fashion blogs like hel-looks.com.” Put it all together and you get beautiful, unique pieces like this teal and black dress that I’m coveting:
By Julie Finn •
June 8, 2009
Sometimes you gotta shop online. Maybe you live somewhere a little bit country, like I do, or maybe you have two little kids who would rip apart a bead store in the time it took you to pick out a single package of 3mm crimp beads, like I do, or maybe you have a favorite independent craft shop that you discovered on a vacation a couple of years ago and every now and then you have to have a fix, like I do.
Whatever your reasons, there’s no reason to necessarily shop at a big-box store’s web site; not only are there tons of sites for Fabulous Fabrics and Yearn-Worthy Yarns, there are loads of awesome craft stores, some selling supplies and some selling handmade goods, who would looooove to have your business:
By Julie Finn •
June 4, 2009
I am currently a Midwesterner. I stand in line for sweet corn every Saturday at the farmer’s market. Every April, I cheer on my students who ride in the Little 500. Heck, John Cougar Mellancamp lives in my town–is that Midwest enough for you?
As an indie crafter, I’m always bummed that the majority of awesome indie fairs–Maker Faire, most of the Bazaar Bizzare locations, three-fourths of the Renegades–choose to operate on the peripheries of the continental U.S. (it’d probably suck even more if I lived in Hawaii, but I’m willing to bet there are compensations to make up for the inconvenience of living in Hawaii).
So I’m always extra stoked when there are good, national-level indie craft fairs that operate right here in the heartland (occasionally known as the “armpit of America”). Here are two good ones, and how to get involved:
I love Eco-Artware’s wonderful selection of handcrafted goods from many crafty green artists. They have a wide variety of items to choose from including kids stuffed animals made from upcycled sweaters, jewelry made from old pennies, typewriter keys, and watch faces, bowls made from old records and signs, coasters made from old unplayable vinyl records, and my favorite- baskets made from chopsticks.
Over the past week or so I have been sharing sources for Eco Packaging Handmade For You, because a popular tip for all crafters is to make your packaging creative. But we don’t all have time or our creativity is reserved for our fabulous products. There are however some sellers that truly excel at the packaging ephemera. To wrap up the series I wanted to share with you some of my favorite seller ephemera from purchases I have made on Etsy.
I hope you are enjoying the Eco Packaging Handmade For You series. In today’s post we will be taking a look at some great handmade bags and boxes perfect for product packaging or even gift wrapping. In all things I believe in the KISS motto - Keep It Simple Silly, and packaging is no exception. You do not need extravagant overdone packaging that will probably be thrown away by the recipient. Instead keep it simple, keep it easy to open, and keep it handmade.
By Becky Striepe •
May 26, 2009
Tracy Prince of Sea Find Designs transforms pieces of found sea glass into beautiful jewelry and jewelry supplies.
She and her family make daily trips to the beach near their Rhode Island home to hunt down bits of glass shaped by the ocean’s currents. Tracy calls Sea Find Designs “a family affair,” since the whole Prince family is involved in much of her process. She says she’s drawn to sea glass because:
It’s gorgeous, why would you throw anything usable away! It’s free, I get to go to the beach for my work! And…. the end result is… I’m doing my part to save the Earth for my kids….. It’s my responsibility!
What a beautiful way to do your part! Tracy also uses recycled packaging to ship her goodies. Check out some more of her lovely pieces after the jump!
By Lucille Chi •
May 23, 2009
Have you been thinking more about crafting with organics this season? A few of the talented folks over at etsy sure have, and are now offering some fresh hot handmade organic sun-dresses. Here are some new organic handmade highlights on etsy:
This “driftwood dress” is simple yet stunning for a day by the sea:
One of the simplest ways to embellish your products is to add a beautiful hang tag. You can have professionally printed hang tags made with your logo, but they always seem so sterile and lifeless. Instead consider buying handmade creative hang tags for a unique addition to each product. They also make a great place to jot a quick thank you.
You are doing your best to use handmade and recycled packaging. You believe in reusing, reducing, and recycling. Let your customers know that your care. Stamp your commitment to the environment on every package you send. Here are my favorite recycling stamps available on Etsy:
One simple way to make your customers feel special when they open their purchase is to tie it up or tape it up in style. In the first part of this series I showed you a variety of handmade eco packaging envelopes, but your special product packaging doesn’t have to end there. Seal up your envelopes or tie up your package with my top recommendations for decorative tapes and ribbons.
