Farewell

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!

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

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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