Heartful Handmade Blog

recycled fun art for your walls

This artwork, Girls Just Want to Have Fun, is one of many smile producing sculptures at Frivolous Tendencies.  This Ashland, Oregon, shop gives recycled corrugated barn roofs a whole new life as art.  These whimsical works are the result of some very hard work.  But all that is hidden. What comes through in the finished product is lightness of spirit and a direct link to the very essence of joy.  There are musicians, dancers (my personal favorites), mermaids, and other exotic figures.  This shop also has wall sconces and a variety of garden sculptures.  Sizes and prices vary, and there's something for every space and pocketbook.  Girls Just Want to Have Fun is 19 inches high by 25 inches wide.  It's $395.  Click on over and check out all the fun sculpture at Frivolous Tendencies. 

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Frivoulous Tendencies is also in Handmade Lookup.

intriguing masks and colorful hearts for your wall

I was drawn into Mudgoddess by the intriguing clay masks created by shop owner Katherine Mathisen.  They're cast from molds she creates from live models.  She then paints the masks with colorful designs inspired by tribal art.  Whimsical hearts designed as wall art are also a feature of this shop.  Some are inscribed with words of love or affirmation, and you can even order customized hearts with a specific name or other wording.  This is a wonderful shop.  You need to click on over to Mudgoddess to check all out for yourself.  The mask shown here is $75. 

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Mudgoddess is also in Handmade Lookup. 

folk art pumpkin doll named pembrook

This is Pembrook, the sweetest looking pumpkin doll I've ever seen.  She's a sculpture comprised of drawing, painting and otherwise skillfully impressing her image onto fabric before attaching her parts to a wooden stand.  Her clothes are hand sewn, and the whole assemblage comes together into a very nice piece of artwork standing 8-1/2 inches tall.  She was created by Dylan and Jo, the husband and wife team at Cart Before the Horse, where you'll find lots of other nice folk art dolls for holiday or everyday decor.  Pembrookis $110.00.

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Cart Before the Horse is also in Handmde Lookup.

beautiful handmade clocks

I have always loved clocks and watches in spite of their fundamental purpose.  I grew up with a backdrop of chimes from a mantel clock that imprinted my consciousness with quarter hour intervals that are with me to this day.  Although it comes in handy when I'm boiling an egg, I'm not that crazy about clock time and the power it has over our lives.  But our reliance on each day's division into 86,400 seconds is here to stay, so I figure we should make the most of it by using beautiful timekeeping instruments.  And I've pulled together a nice collection of wall and table clocks that double as artwork and decor.  So I invite you to read my article and follow the links to my handpicked handmade clocks.

15% off summer sale at artful home

Artful Home is having a storewide summer sale with 15% off everything. This is the time to grab a new artwork, or handmade jewelry, or handmade scarf, or any of the unique offerings at this high-quality online shop.  Look for something extra special for Dad.  Use Coupon Code SUMMERX to get the savings.

This sale has ended.  Check out the current sales and specials.

a meadowlark for your gatepost

This metal bird is so nice, and so nicely priced, that I'm thinking of getting it for myself.  It mounts onto a fence or gate post with a couple of included screws.  I love rustic rusted metal garden whimsy, and this bird has such a nice feel.  You can almost hear his call.  And at $9.95 it's a steal.  

There's a wood pecker, a squirrel, and some other nice metal pieces.  And there's a whole gallery of paintings, mostly of animals, at WriteDesign.  Check it out.

recycled art company license plate and old barn art

The Recycled Art Company, in nicely named Niceville. Florida, creates eco-friendly art from salvaged materials.  Their use of discarded license plates gives their work a whimsical vintage Americana look.  And they'll do custom work (e.g., working a specific name into the artwork).  In addition to license plates, Recycled Art Company uses reclaimed wood from old barns, fences, porches and such.

Browse the Recycled Art Company website.

reclaimed whimsy

Will Wagenaar has etched a path from retail merchandizing to interior design to mural painting to creating art from found objects.  Covering nearly forty years and a good deal of U.S. geography he found his way to what feels like home:  His Etsy shop reclaim2fame on the Gulf Coast of Florida.  His wonderfully whimsical artworks in the form of robotic characters with globe heads and binocular eyes and what-have-you elevate discarded items to a new level of dig for far future anthropologists.

 

Click here for the reclaim2fame link at Handmade Lookup.