Heartful Handmade Blog

sweet little soft and swingy pleated blouse

Is this the sweetest looking  little pleated blouse in the world, or what?  You can wear it loose and swingy as shown here, or you can tuck it or belt it to create a soft blouson effect, or adjust the straps to raise or lower the neckline.  It's versatile.  It's one those cherished garments that stays in your wardrobe for years.  100% soft matte finish silk, it comes in coral, blush, or black, sizes 2 through 10.  Its Brooklyn, New York, based creator, Alexandra Grecco, has a totally fetching collection of softly feminine, irresistably romantic dresses, blouses, skirts, swimwear, and accessories inspired by femmes fatales from 20s and 30s era movies.  Consider this a trailer.  Now click on over and check them all out now.  The pictured size 6 pleated coral blouse is ready to ship now for $110.

P.S.  Here's an interview with Alexandra Grecco from the Etsy blog.

cool new fashion slide show at heartful village

These very unusual gorgeous hand earrings by Thomas Mann are just one example of the cool handmade products sliding through the new Heartful Village fashion slide show.  Handmade art clothes, accessories, and jewelry are added and updated all the time, and you can also choose to view just jewelry or just clothes.  So click on over and check out the new Heartful Village fashion slide show now.

comfy casual wide legged railroad pants

I love these wide-legged railroad pants.  They have a classy classic stylish funky vibe that conjures up images of Marlene Dietrich playing a California Gold Rush saloon. These pants work well with the fitted wrap top shown, and they will work equally well with a plain cotton tank or a simple crew neck sweater.  They're versatile.  The ones shown here  are constructed of a medium weight 100% cotton Italian striped denim, but you can also get them in black.  Sharon, at Fine Threadz in Houston, makes them in small, medium, and large (sizes 6 to 16), and, for an additional charge, she'll even make a pair customized to your exact measurements.  Besides these pants and assorted leggings, Fine Threadz also has lots of comfy casual tops, dresses, jackets, and skirts.  And that's not all, Sharon also makes some really cool leather bags and belts.  So click on over to Fine Threadz and check them all out now.  These pants are $90.

a scarf that's a trip to the beach

Long, flowing scarves are a staple in any serious wardrobe.  That's because they bring a sense of high style to pretty much anything:  Jeans, dresses, coats, jackets, whatever you're wearing gets kicked up a notch or two with the addition of a nice full nicely made scarf.  Like this nice big beach of a scarf.  It's 21 x 90 inches of thin tie dyed cotton in varying shades of pale green that remind me of the colors of water and foam and sun and sand at Carmel beach at high noon in July.  And the leather lasso that comes with it adds a bit of the rocks and surrounding cypress trees.  The set is available from Scout and Catalogue in Toronto, where you'll find plenty more nice big scarves, along with some very nice bags.  So click on over and check out Scout and Catalogue now.  This scarf and leather lasso set is $118.

a handmade linen sweater for life

This linen 'Renata' sweater is one of those rare finds that stays in active use for-practically-ever.  It's handwashable and easy care.  It's wrinkle resistant and great for travel.  And it can be dressed up or down depending on mood and need.  Designed and handmade by Sue Peterson, who hand knits all her sweaters on a loom, you can rest assured it's top-notch quality throughout.  Renata comes in the Marble color shown here, plus Lemongrass, and Denim.  Sizes range from XS to XL and its elegant flared bottom trapeze style will be flattering on all sizes and shapes.  This is a great time to get this piece because Artful Home is running their yearly summer sale and it can be had for 15% off the regular $250 price.  Use Coupon Code SUMMER11 at checkout to bring that price down to $212.50.  But be sure to do it soon because the sale ends 6/30.

beautiful mysterious hand-knitted floppy brim hat

My daughter-in-law told me today that Yokoo is now making totes, so I went over to check them out.  And Yokoo's new totes are really nice and one will be featured in a separate post.  But I got sidetracked when this beautiful big brimmed floppy hat called out to me by name as soon as I hit the site.  This is a perfect hat for sunny days because it shades your face and neck nicely (while also giving you a bit of intriguing and mysterious style).  When the sun goes down, just roll the brim up along the front or sides or in back (get creative) and you're ready for a an evening on the town.  Besides this lovely spring-like oatmail, Yokoo gives you a choice of  26 other yarn colors to choose from.  So click on over and check this floppy brim weekend hat now.  $55.

big pretty lightweight paisley bag

When I came across Laura Good's shop Hier Apparel it was love at first sight, because this shop is stocked with my kind of stuff:  Comfortable tops that can be layered, big roomy  bags, unusual dresses, interesting made-to-order jewelry.  If you've got the shoes, you can find everything else here.  I love it when I find a shop where I can't decide what to feature.  I was back and forth between this jacket, this cardigan, and the pictured Obi Sling Bag.  The bag won out because it hit so many of my personal buttons:  It's big enough to carry a load (traveling, shopping), the paisley design (I love paisley), it's lightweight (no need to start with a load when you're carrying a load), and it will drape beautifully when near empty.  So click on over to Hier Apparel and check it out for yourself.  $90.

a cardigan with built in shawl and flair

This is nice.  The folks at Ahpeele call it a throw-over wrap, and I guess that's as good a name as any.  But I call it a shawligan because it combines the best features of a long draping shawl and a cardigan.  So you get nice long sleeves, complete back coverage, a lovely draping front, and head coverage when you want it.  It's made from a stretchy 100% unrefined cotten jersey fabric that's been slubbed (woven from uneven fibers) to give it a soft and natural surface texture.  The blooming river reed design adds subtle drama, making this a practical wrap with a bit of casual flair.  Ahpeele specializes in hand-screened limited edition t-shirts and hoodies.  And some other nice pieces.  Like this shawligan.  It's $60.

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Ahpeele is also in Handmade Lookup.

an eco-friendly multi-styled hemp jacket

I'm a fan of hemp clothing.  I love the way it drapes, the way it keeps you cool in summer heat, and how it develops character with age.  Andrea, at Gaia Conceptions in Greensboro, North Carolina, creates some really magical hemp/organic cotten dresses, tops, skirts, and pants.  She works with high quality locally sourced fabrics.  And, after constructing the garment, she hand dyes it using eco-friendly tints and methods.  And Andrea's garments are really special because she has a way of designing multiple styles into a single piece.  Take, for example,  these two views of her Snap Wrap Jacket.  One view shows the front panels left unsnapped and hanging freely.  In the other, the panels are crossed and snapped behind the neck beneath the generous hood.  They can also be snapped at the back of the waist for yet another look. And this is just one of many such clever, practical, and gorgeous pieces in hemp, organic cotton, organic wool, and raw silk.  And Andrea will custom fit them to your exact measurements and specifications.  So click on over to Gaia Conceptions and check out all the cool clothing.  This jacket is $165. 

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Gaia Conceptions is also in Handmade Lookup.

a protective eye of horus on your tee

Jody at Blackbird Tees creates really cool t-shirts and hoodies that she hand prints with her own original designs (in unisex and womens sizes from XS to XL). Subject matter covers a wide and interesting range.  Clara Bow, the 20's "It" girl, for example. Or an ink-blot octopus.  Or a wonderfully whimsical bow tie tee. The Eye of Horus is an ancient Egyptian symbol of health and protection.  As rendered by Jody on this very nice long-sleeved slouch, it also symbolizes classy, timeless, and totally now style. You'll find lots more examples of Jody's creative artistry in her shop.  But a looksee on your part will explain it a lot faster than a bunch of words on mine.  So click on over and check out the cool t-shirts and hoodies at Blackbird Tees.  This one is $37.

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Blackbird Tees is also in Handmade Lookup.