Heartful Handmade Blog

a handmade linen happy flower bag

I'm on a search for practical things that bring a smile to your face.  Things that help remind us that spring is springing somewhere, that birds are chirping everywhere, and that little flowers always grow through cracks caused by the mysterious forces of nature.  Because flowers and birds are eternal.  You'll find plenty of both at Pesky Cat Designs.  This delightful shop is filled with beautiful and practical purses, messenger bags, sachels, and wristlets.  Some are adorned with handmade flower appliques, some with birds.  There are also seahorses, land horses, and playful pesky cats.  You'll also find bags in plaids and bags that are colorfully plain.  And they all bring a smile to your face.  This elegant pure linen cross body satchel is a roomy 8-1/2 by 8-1/2 by 2-1/2 inches deep.  It has a good long adjustable strap and two large inside pockets. So click on over and check it out, and all the other happy bags at Pesky Cat Designs.  This one is $65.

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Pesky Cat Designs is also in Handmade Lookup.

these stacking rings are made for each other and you

Cathryn Fowler creates beautiful jewelry with an organic natural quality.  Her shop, Roots Jewelry, is perfectly named because her work takes you below the surface, into the raw metal or stone or meaning of the piece.  I love her collection of stacking rings, designed and sold as sets.  These rings, with different styles and perhaps of different metals, are made for each other and work perfectly together. And the ring you select is custom made just for you.  Besides an impressive selection of mens and womens rings, Cathryn Fowler also creates lovely earrings, pendants, and necklaces.  So click on over and check out the cool collection of beautiful handmade Roots Jewelry.  This four-piece stacking ring is $85.00

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Roots Jewelry 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. 

pretty paper blooms a bloomin'

You know, there was a time when I absolutely hated artificial flowers (and don't get me going on artificial plants).  But something's been shifting lately.  I don't know if I'm changing, or if artificial flowers are changing.  What I do know is that I've been seeing some very pretty fake blooms.  Case in point:  Paper Platypus.  This Orlando, Florida, based Etsy shop sells kits so you can put together your own gorgeous paper mums or peonies in pretty much any color or color combinations you can think of.  You can also get them already assembled.  The kit shown here has 12 bright Leslie Mums for $24.00.

Check out the paper flowers at Paper Platypus.

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.

create a vegan home spa with yummy suds

Kim Lesser's Yummy Suds, in Melbourne Beach, Florida, offers a full line of bath and beauty products:  Mostly vegan soaps, lotions, bath bombs and oils, cosmetics, fragrance, and more.

Click here for more info.

pat's pottery creates unique tea sets and coffee mugs

Pat's Pottery, in Fort Lauderdale, creates one-of-a-kind hand formed and wheel thrown pottery.  Her custom personalized pieces make great gifts for teachers, office workers, family members, or others who like exclusive access to their coffee cups. 

mary's granddaughter creates embroidered artwork

Mary's Granddaughter, in Gainsville, Florida, has brought the embroidered wall hanging to the level of artwork.  These are not your over-the-doorway home-sweet-home variety pieces, but whimsical artistry that combines embroidery with doll parts, keys, needles, and what-have-you on a ready-to-hang embroidery hoop frame.

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.