Handmade Jewlery, Bags, Clothing, Art, Crafts, Craft Ideas, Crafting Blog

Handmade items have more heart and more of a story. When you buy from the marketplace, everything is so generic. With handmade, many times you can customize the piece to what you like and are not restrained by trends. The chance to have a one of a kind piece makes it very appealing to buy and make handmade.

I’m going to be honest… I have never met another Amanda that goes by Mandie and spells it the same was as I do – so it’s very nice to meet you Mandie! You truly are a girl after my own heart with your earthy, organic and repurposed wares.

The legend goes that Katherine and Rebecca (the creatures of Honksville) first met in college where they studied art all those millions of honks years ago. Discovering they shared the same life long dream of designing and making dolls along with other curious creations to please the human race. They traveled to London to pursue their ambition. They soon found themselves lost and jobless in the city but after much idle chit chat and many many cups of tea, they came up with the idea of Honksville! EUREKA! They took some fabric to sew, ink to print and fluff for stuffing, and so the first Honksvilian was created and the rest as they say is history…

Julia

Random Facts About You?
* american expat * cheeseaholic * lover of cats * hermit

What have you made recently?
I generally start a new design by looking through my collection of vintage images. One will usually jump out and me and then I start playing with collage ideas. I tend to work on several designs at once, switching back and forth as different ideas pop into my head. Once I have completed a design, I print it on FSC-certified paper. FSC-certified means that the paper is made only from well-managed forests, controlled sources, and recycled wood or fiber. I then cut, score, and fold the paper for cards, or mount the image for prints. I also hand cut and assemble envelopes for my cards.

Awhile back, around Christmastime, I found these fantastic Christian Lacroix Evian bottles at Big Lots for $1 each. I did some research and found that each year Evian invites a different designer to create a bottle for them, and they release them around the holidays for a special edition Evian water bottle. The Evian bottles I was able to get ahold of are the 2008 Collector’s Edition, but there are some other great editions out there – so keep your eyes peeled!

I bought a bunch of them and had the intentions of auctioning them on eBay, but an unexpected move and a dozen projects later, I still have a few bottles around the house. Inspired by the gorgeous (and cheap) flowers I’ve been seeing every week at the Farmer’s Market, I found the perfect upcycled use for the bottle – an Evian Flower Vase! What a simple and different way to display flowers in the house.

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