Hand Crafted Archives - Page 2 of 4

ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER and another and….

By Libby|2010-04-13T21:40:00-04:00April 13, 2010|Books, Hand Crafted, Home Design|

New book favorite:

Yesterday Decor8 reviewed this new book, The Homemade Home, by Sania Pell. Crafting, diy projects, recycling, upcycyling, homemade fun: the book is gorgeous to look at, but it’s also got great ideas and projects! Holly says “This book makes me happy!” Well, I haven’t seen it in person, but I’m going to buy: partly on Holly’s recommendation, and partly from the wonderful images she shows. So go take a look on her site!

And of course, when I was on her site, I clicked the book’s title which then took me to Amazon. Then (you know the drill) just under this book’s facts, was the “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought”… so there is “The Vintage Table: Personal Favorites and Standout Treasures” by Jacqueline DeMontravel. A must buy!

Once again going to the “Customers Who Bought…” I came upon Kaari Meng’s book “French General: Treasured Notions“. Do you know Kaari Meng? She has a truly remarkable on-line store for anything French: French General.

How about some lavender laundry powder:

Or assorted labels:

Or cute notebooks:

Stone birds to scatter around your house and garden:

ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST HOME DESIGN SHOW

By Libby|2010-03-19T12:11:00-04:00March 19, 2010|Hand Crafted, Home Design|

What a feast for the eyes!

These are some of the goodies I picked up: oh so many cards, brochures, color swatches and ideas galore

How about this little giveaway from The New Tradionalists: a set of coasters.
All their furniture is made in New York City and finished in New England.
Their big booth was front and center, so you couldn’t miss these great chairs

Stunning leather Ponyhair and linen

There was so much really beautiful furniture…I was particularly drawn to two independent artists: Michael McClatchy and Thomas Throop.

Here are some of Michael’s gorgeous things: he works with concrete and steel, and yet, as in the detail to the right, it looks like aged wood. The lines are wonderful, the textures unusual and even the scale is just right.

some gold leaf:

CHROMA LAB: PART II

By Libby|2010-03-15T21:00:00-04:00March 15, 2010|Color, Hand Crafted|

It was raining and it was windy… but off I went, via GPS, to Chroma Lab in South Boston. See my story about them from February 24.

Here is what I had in the car:

Pretty shabby, no? Pretty nothing, right?

Tony: and partner Alicia:

And here are some of our ideas:

No, I won’t reveal to you right now exactly how and what we (they…) are doing. But oh, this was FUN! They work only with low VOC paints,and have found they like the Benjamin Moore Aura line best. No spray painting, no aerosols: Tony used to use these techniques but now won’t touch them. They also use a secret (to be revealed later..) finish on everything: USA made and oh so natural! Water […]

MORE BUTTER BUTTER!

By Libby|2010-03-08T21:00:00-05:00March 8, 2010|Food, Hand Crafted|

As you will remember, I had been on the hunt for just the right butter dish…yes, I know, sounds trivial and really kind of dorky, right? But you would be surprised at how many people understood exactly my predicament!

Having found this gorgeous dish a week ago, I then had to find just the right handle, or ring, or ….something… to lift up the lid.

Off I went to said bead show, thinking maybe, just maybe I’ll find a bead, or whatever, to use as a handle. My friend and I searched (well, I searched; she was there to seriously buy beads for jewelry..). After walking many aisles (no, no this was not a hardship!) I spied these “roses” in a box:

Dumb me: I thought they would cut the string of beads and you could buy just one…No, you get all six beads. For $20? Not bad; I’ll find some use for the others. What I liked was the fairly flat surface on the bottom: all the better to glue down. But which color? Black with the red? Orange? No, the turquoise was per….fect!

Here is the glue I used: thanks to everyone for your suggestions. This is what we had in the house, and it worked!

THE BLUES II and more

By Libby|2010-03-08T10:58:00-05:00March 8, 2010|Color, Hand Crafted|

So you know: I am ALWAYS on the lookout for stories, and follow-ups to stories!

I went to a bead show on Saturday, with my friend Roberta who makes the MOST gorgeous jewelry. She was there to buy, and I was…well, just there. But of course, always taking pictures, and knowing I was doing the B L U E story today, I couldn’t resist adding these to the story.

Have you ever been to a bead show? It’s great; the colors and textures are unbelievable! The only downside with this show was that I arrived, took out my camera, and realized I had NO MEMORY CARD in it! I knew that would happen some day…. I had downloaded pictures just that morning and forgot to put the card back in the camera. But there is always the trusty IPhone! These really aren’t bad, considering that is all I had:

ANGELA ADAMS SAILCLOTH TOTES

By Libby|2010-02-18T21:00:00-05:00February 18, 2010|Hand Crafted, Shopping|

In an earlier story I told you about Seabags of Portland, Maine.

They have just partnered with Angela Adams to bring you some very cute, very functional tote bags made from the Seabags’ trademark fabric of recycled sails.

Another great made-in-the-USA product!.