January is our design time. We spend a few weeks brainstorming, sketching, discussing and believe it or not- getting incredibly frustrated. Good design is hard [an understatement, I know]. Needless to say, I am in awe of Mio (Philadelphia). Have a look at these incredible designs- gorgeous, green and made with locally sourced materials. Awesome.

MIO is a design company dedicated to creating the most sustainable and innovative design experiences in the market.

The Bendant Lamp is a flat-packed chandelier composed of a series of leaf-like shades surrounding a central fixture. Bend the shades up or down and create unique light and shadow arrangements.

Made from recycled, double-wall cardboard, Nomad is a modular architectural system that can be assembled into free-standing, sculptural screens, temporary partitions, rooms or even displays without hardware, tools or damage to existing structures.

I love it. Inspired yet again by the creative talent in the keystone state.

Kate, along with her husband, bring together farm, food and design at The Steel Fork. They also design and create sculptural metalworks using recycled farm machinery – Gatski Metal. Kate is also the mother of two busy little children.

I was thinking about a plea to the dudes to go straight to Primrose Design (Scranton,PA), but I’ve reconsidered. This is just one of those things we just need to do for ourselves. These Vintage Handkerchief Sachets [filled with lavender] are absolutely beautiful. We will enjoy them for a long, long time.

Janet McCaffrey of Primrose Design creates pillows and home accessories from vintage materials. She collects her materials from, “flea markets, yard and garage sales, auctions, antique shops and on ebay.”

Janet shares on her site that she learned to sew and to embroider from her grandmother, Kathleen. She also mentioned that she left her “9-5″ job and is now creating pillows and accessories and freelancing as a graphic designer full time. Kudos to Janet! I ‘m heading off to order my sachets!

Last weekend we had the pleasure of having fellow Pennsylvanian, Deborah Bruns-Thomas of Beeline Studio, as our booth neighbor at the Providence Fine Furnishings Show. I first saw Deborah’s lamps and lampshades at the same show last year and loved the original designs and the unique materials she uses…paper from tea bags!

In her booth, she has a collection of collages hanging on the walls that feature drawings of her lamps. When I commented on them, she shared where the inspiration came for this unique merchandising approach.

“I was always looking through magazines like Architectural Digest or Dwell, and I would see ads and think my lamp should be in that picture. So I created the collages to give potential clients an opportunity to see how my lamps might be used in different settings.”

Beyond being an excellent merchandising tool for her lamps, the power of visualizing them in lovely settings has power in its own…it creates that reality.

You can behold the magical glow of Beeline Studio’s collection of lovely lamps and lampshades at high profile art and craft shows, such as the American Craft Council’s Baltimore Show, the One of Kind Show in New York City. Select pieces are featured on the Artful Home website and found in galleries in the northeast.

Do you have a tip to share about:

Your process
Finding inspiration
Time management
Advertising
Marketing your work
Networking
Working with clients/customers
Finding resources for your work
If you do, and you would like to share it through Handmade in PA, contact me!

Elizabeth Sterling and her husband John market their one-of a kind furniture and jewelry boxes at shows in the Northeast and Midwest, through their web site, and their etsy shop, so wabi sabi. Elizabeth shares her life and love of all things handmade, homemade, and homegrown in her blog so wabi sabi.

i am so excited to tell you that kate – our reduce, reuse, recycle columnist and one-half of gatski metal – has recently launched a new retail website called “the steel fork.”

this site features some of the gatski’s signature metal work, smaller pieces in the same style, artisanal sausage, jewelry, and more! kate’s goal is to bring agricultural life to a whole new generation! with an emphasis on sustainable living and celebrating the land and its bounty, the steel fork present farm life in a fresh & original way.

from the steel fork blog: “It is farming. It is food. It is design. It is the continuation of a journey.”

i was lucky enough to be in on this project a bit (full disclosure!) and it is sure to be a stop on my christmas list this year!

congrats, kate & ben! to celebrate their launch, ben & kate are offering 10% off your order – just enter “thesteelfork” at check out!

two weeks ago i launched a new extension to scoutie girl: scoutie girl gifts.

sg gifts is about two things: community and buying handmade. or is that one thing?!

scoutie girl gifts is fostering a sense of community by encouraging *you* to submit your own gift guide galleries of handmade goodies, rate posted gift guides, and leave comments with your thoughts & additional links.

and, like always, scoutie girl – just like handmade in pa – is encouraging people to buy handmade gifts for friends & loved ones! to further this goal, i’ve included basic tips for beginners and easy-to-use options for finding appropriate handmade gifts. scoutie girl gifts is also skinned for compatibility on mobile devices!

here’s how you can help: go window shopping, find 12 handmade items you love, send me the URLs. i’ll post your selections, credit you as the curator, and you can share your post with the world! it’s fun & easy, and probably something you do on a daily basis, anyhow – yes, i know what you do in your free time. or, simply, let your friends & readers know about the site and i’ll be eternally grateful!

last night, i posted what i hope will be the first of many handmade in pa gift galleries. it’s called gray days in pennsylvania and features 12 of your favorite pa crafters! don’t forget to leave a comment, rate it with the stars at the bottom of the gallery, and tweet it!

Captivating. I can imagine these “re-lights” by Jerry Kott in a sophisticated, airy modern space or in a cozy, eclectic space. They are uplifting and soothing. Jerry Kott is a diverse and talented “designer, artist and maker.” All his forms, whether they are his concrete garden sculptures or glass chimes have a calming quality. This particular series he calls, RE, “Rebuild, redefine, relive, reinvent, recycle.”

Jerry says, “I take empty wine bottles, cut them apart, polish the edges, frost the glass (inside and out} and reassemble them into hybrid bottles of various shapes, sizes, colors and uses.”

And with fabulous results, I might add.

Kate, in partnership with her husband, designs and fabricates unique sculptural and functional metal works using old farm machinery –Gatski Metal. Kate is also the mother of two busy little children.

I love the mystery in recycled arts and crafts. There is the usual handmade intrigue, “who made it?” and “where did they make it?” and “how did they make it.” Then you add “where did they have to go to get that stuff;” and you may have the setting for a real thriller. Wherever it may be… scrap yard, dirty basement or a dusty shop corner… there is a good story. I’m willing to bet that Toby Atticus Fraley has a few good stories.

Toby Atticus Fraley’s robots are pure joy. They are built from found objects collected at yard sales, estate auctions and ebay auctions. According to his robot description, “Each piece stands approximately 36 to 48 inches tall and all are wired as room accent lights.” Now that’s fantastic.

I have a suspicion that Jen Roder [renegade silversmith] of Rotorcaps also has a few good stories to tell. Her jewelry is made with recycled bottlecaps, “collected from Philadelphia bars.” Her jewelry is strong and lovely. As Jen reminds us on her website, “In Trash We Shall Find Treasure.” Indeed.

Kate, in partnership with her husband, designs and fabricates unique sculptural and functional metal works using old farm machinery –Gatski Metal. Kate is also the mother of two busy little children.

Today I was getting ready to go to the housewarming party and although we already had a chance to give our present to the couple before it got me thinking about what are the possibilities.  Yes, possibilities are endless but when you choose to go with handmade and local, here is where I come in to help you out.  Aren’t these artists awesome? 

1. Hello Bluebird by numbereight – $20
2. YOUR HOUSE custom pen and ink drawing by rachelink – $60
3. haiku teacup by teaspoonsandpetals - $22
4. Earl Grey Lavender Black Tea – Organic and fair trade by lilithsapothecary - $12
5. Flat by WalkingToJericho - $30
6. Manzanita in Pear – Set of 4 Reversible Cloth Napkins by simplicityinteriors – $22

Jenya is a Philadelphia based artist who focuses on the concept of unique and original designs that are done using free form technique. Her forEvaMore handmade clothing line features one-of-a-kind pieces made with natural materials and her EvaForeva shop is full of hand knitted winter accessories.

Meet Rebecca Francis (Dillsburg, PA); give her a pair of scissors, piles of old corduroy pants, and a loom and she’ll give you a beautiful and sturdy rug. After nearly thirty years of full time weaving she is well practiced. I would enjoy writing a long description about her skill with color, how the rugs last forever, how her customers keep coming back (and back) but that might be a little too much because…well, I am her daughter.

What inspired you to begin making rugs? Practical reasons; I had a loom, an accumulation of unused clothes and a dream of weaving. The old clothes provided a less expensive way to learn about weaving and color [than yarns]. My loom is an 18th century barn loom; according to a newspaper article [about the loom] it has been the tool of rug weavers for 9 generations.

What does it take to keep a business based on repurposed materials going for nearly thirty years? I suppose it is partly the thrill of the hunt. At the core is a belief in what I do. Also, unfortunately/ fortunately I recently heard that old clothes are high on the list of discards. It takes time to collect my corduroys, but there is an abundance of unwanted clothes available.

Here’s the skinny… Rebecca enjoys working with the colors and styles in your home, whether it is traditional, contemporary or a treehouse (yes, that has been done). The rugs are machine washable. Email Rebecca or find her rugs…at these shows:

• Colonial Day in East Berlin, PA- September 12
• Pennsylvania Renewable Energy & Sustainable Living Festival- Sept. 18-20
• Waterford Homes Tour & Crafts Exhibit- October 2- 4
• PA Guild Fine Craft Fair October 17-18

and Galleries:

• Perry Country Council of the Arts’ Gallery
• The Village Artisans







Kate, in partnership with her husband, designs and fabricates unique sculptural and functional metal works using old farm machinery – Gatski Metal. Kate is also the mother of two busy little children.

• 

Nicole, from Couch Design (Philadelphia), creates gorgeous graphic pillows and fabric art pieces. Her pillows are all a simple square shape – putting all the focus on her fabric finds and the hand embroidery or appliques she uses to make them special.

Nicole was recently featured on CBS3 news, during the stations Green Scene feature.

One of these pillows would take a simple IKEA chair and make it magazine-worthy!