Cleveland Handmade

Congratulations to Mary McKinley of the Vintage Brooch Co. for her feature in the August 26 Sun Sentinel. Mary was our featured artist in October 2008; you can read her interview here.

Kerri O’Connor of Les Trois Fleurs is a jewelry designer who lives in Chesterland, Ohio. She also runs the lovely Les Trois Fleurs bookstore and gift shop in Richmond Heights.

What is your first memory of making jewelry?

A long time ago I used to frequent the Berea gem show. There was an artist there who sold gemstones and would wire wrap them for you into a pendant or a ring. I was in awe of his skill and the beauty of the stones. I wondered if I could ever learn to be as gifted as he was with stones.

A few years ago, I was traveling with friends to Galax, Virginia, for a fiddlers convention. We stopped at one of those roadside nursery, gift shop, hardware, you-name-it-we-have-it-stores. I found some ocean jasper stones in all sorts of shapes. They were so beautiful to me that I couldn’t leave them on the shelf. I was sure I could create something wonderful from them (I used to make macramé jewelry). A few months later I was back in Virgina, around the DC area, and found a magical bead shop. About $200  later, armed with beads, wire, and tools, I put those wonderful jaspers together and just kept on creating with all my other finds. (Now I know why they call them findings!)

What is it that draws you to jewelry design?

Textures, colors, carved stones, or stones with pictures in them… the stones start to tell me a story… it is as if they are telling me what to create with them… and I am moved by the effort and artistry it took to create a stone or a finding. Soon my work area is full of awesome pieces to work with (or to wear). Some of my friends say, “Why aren’t you wearing one of your own creations?” And I do wear them sometimes. To me being creative comes out of higher principles of energy such as love and appreciation… both of your creations and of works by other artists. I experience creativity as being open and receptive to ideas, thoughts, and inspirations and to my artistic community.

How would you describe the style of your work, your inspirations, and how they are expressed in your work? Does it reflect your personal style?

I have had the privilege of having wonderful teachers, both traditional and spiritual, throughout my life who have inspired me, lifted me, and shown me through example how to inspire others. My goal is that each of my designs will inspire its wearer as I have been inspired. My jewelry design style is more about the energy of a piece — again, the story it tells. I have been an energy worker for more than 25 years now, a certified clearance technologist, and more recently certified as a Reiki master. So when I create a piece, I am directing a quality of consciousness, such as harmony, into the creative process and materials in addition to ensuring quality and aesthetic appeal. This requires concentration to not allow other thoughts or distractions to interrupt my intent. I also include a blessing with each design sold that is reflective of the energy I directed into the creative process. I find it hard to adopt “a” style. I am eager to try new techniques… I feel compelled to keep learning and stretching both artistically and spiritually.

Do you have an all-time favorite creation? What about it makes it your favorite?

Not an all-time, but one of my favorites is my Etsy avatar – a combination of copper plated maple leaf, wire lace, Czech glass flowers, and seed beads. I am very partial to fall colors, and it was fun to create the flowers with the stamens, etc. Also the Victorian filigree earring drops — very romantic — and hammered metal charms.

When did you realize that this was more than a hobby?

One of my lifetime dreams was to have my own boutique. I’ve had other creative businesses, but none with a storefront. A few years ago I was approached about running a bookstore for our metaphysical center, where I could also sell my jewelry designs. That and becoming part of the Etsy community was the start of more-than-a-hobby adventure.

Describe your workspace.

With a store, a full-time job, and an Etsy shop I am on the move a lot. So I have a mobile workspace. The store in Richmond Heights is designed to be meditative, reflective, and peaceful. I hope visitors who come to the store walk away happy with their purchase but also feeling healed, happier, energized, and so on. There is a wonderful table there that I usually work at and an incredible view of the “laughing creek” and its waterfall out the back. My home workspace is split between an upstairs worktable with a view of my garden and the torching/flex shaft workplace in the basement. My kitty is usually somewhere nearby looking for loose beads and wire scraps.

What is your favorite task related to your work?

Right now (and I do go through phases) hammering and torching. Watching metals change under fire and pressure is so fascinating to me.

Your least favorite?

My least favorite is the accounting/administrative work. I prefer to be creating. I have to remind myself that keeping good records and staying organized helps me keep the energy clear and clean for the creative process.

What is your favorite tool? Why?

I recently purchased gem setting pliers. I’ve started collecting gemstones and just set a first stone into a ring. Second to this would be textured hammers. It is so much fun to add textures to metals.

Do you have artistic talents in other areas?

Yes, I also make porcelain dolls and ceramics, sew, and garden. I used to have a business making slipcovers, too. I have put aside the doll making because the first fire is an 8–12 hour process, and I am seldom home long enough to fire up the kiln. Someday I will get back to it (I miss creating and costuming the little ones!).

Tell us something about you that we might be surprised to hear.

I play the fiddle and bowed psaltry. When I first started music lessons, I jumped in with my typical enthusiasm and was taking guitar, hammered dulcimer, and banjo lessons in addition to the fiddle. It was a little overwhelming!

Where can we find your work?

My Etsy shop is Les Trois Fleurs.

The Les Trois Fleurs Artistic Muse blog can be found at lestroisfleurs.wordpress.com.

The Les Trois Fleurs bookstore/gift shop is located at 250 Richmond Road, Richmond Heights, Ohio 44143. Hours and other information can be found on the shop’s Facebook page.

Join the artists of Cleveland Handmade at the Orange Art Center on Sunday, June 27 for another installment of the fabulous Cleveland Handmade Market. Shop for unique treasures from a variety of local artists and meet your makers in this lovely setting.

The Orange Art Center is located at 31500 Chagrin Boulevard in Pepper Pike, Ohio, just east of Lander Road and between the library and Orange High School.

Congratulations to Judy Crighton of Modern Pixie for being featured in the April issue of Cleveland Magazine. Amber Matheson did a nice profile on Judy and her jewelry line in the Style section of the magazine.

Not only that, Judy’s Tremont home was the inspiration for this past weekend’s Get the Look: Home Decor Edition of the Etsy Finds feature, which also featured a pillow from Cleveland Handmade member Gretchen of Robin’s Egg Blue.

Check out the articles and join us in congratulating Judy on her success.

UPDATE: The random number generator at Random.org chose the first Sharon as the winner of the Raging Wool giveaway. Congrats, Sharon! We’ve sent you an e-mail with instructions for how to claim your prize. Look for a fresh giveaway soon.

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Cleveland Handmade is hosting a giveaway to thank all our supporters and customers, as well as give you the opportunity to check out the high-quality handmade art in our members’ shops. This heart from RagingWool is made entirely of recycled materials. The rosettes are hand cut from recycled cashmere sweaters and sewn one by one by one (by one by one). The base fabric is wool plaid from an old skirt. The whole thing is stuffed with offcuts of wool and cashmere. No new material except the thread. The heart has a loop for hanging.

There are just three simple things you need to do to enter:

1. Visit RagingWool and take a look around. Make a note of your favorite item in her shop.

2. Then either visit our artists page or search Etsy for the “clevelandteam” tag and check out some items from other Cleveland Handmade member artists. Make a note of your favorite and which shop you found it in.

3. Come back and leave ONE comment on this post telling us your favorite item from the RagingWool AND your favorite item from another Cleveland Handmade shop, and you’ll be entered to win. It’s that simple!

You have until Wednesday, April 7 at noon EST to get your entry in, so commence browsing. There’s lots to discover!

We’ll randomly draw one winner from the comments posted.

Read the giveaway rules here.

Despite the late-season snow, the daffodils are peeking their noses out of the ground and the birds are singing. Here are some sweet birds from the members of Cleveland Handmade.

Reversible Linen Bird Bag from Robin’s Egg Blue; $52

Warm and Dry Birds – 11 x 14 Childrens Art Print from Wee & the Bean; $25

Harmony Necklace in Brass and Silver by JLynn Creations; $32

Spring Bird by Jake and Noel; $24

Little Yellow Bird Resin Zipper Pull by Stuff by Xtine; $6.50

Congratulations to Jane Pierce (aka zJayne)! Upcycled and Ecofriendly Dryer Pillow Sheet Sachets from Recycled Products by zJayne will be featured in the May issue of two major magazines: Every Day with Rachael Ray and Body + Soul. Look for them to hit newsstands in April.

Dryer Pillow Sheets are designed to be used in place of chemically treated dryer sheets and are becoming a big hit for their reusable long-lasting performance — and they are 100% upcycled from t-shirt sleeves! They can be found now at Green Depot (like Home Depot only all environmentally friendly products) in their brick and mortar store in New York and on their website. They are available locally at Green Smart Gifts, located at 14534 Detroit Avenue in Lakewood, Ohio.

You can also order directly from zJayne and get free shipping on all Dryer Pillow Sheet Sachets when you use free ship code cc2010zJ (post it under “message to seller” at checkout; code needed for shipping refund).

Way to go zJayne!

Helping to put Cleveland on the map!

UPDATE: The Random Number Generator at Random.org chose Heidi as the winner of the Terra Verde giveaway. Congrats, Heidi! We’ve sent you an e-mail with instructions for how to claim your prize. Look for a fresh giveaway at 9 a.m., Thursday, April 1.

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Cleveland Handmade is hosting a giveaway to thank all our supporters and customers, as well as give you the opportunity to check out the high-quality handmade art in our members’ shops. This Cleveland-themed giveaway comes from the Terra Verde Soap & Candle Co.

Terra Verde Soap & Candle Co. is a handmade body and home shop based on the East Side of Cleveland, Ohio. We create in a both a dedicated studio space and in our home. Our company focus is to inspire environmental responsibility and promote complete product functionality, while enjoying what makes life smell really good. Our products are manufactured as efficiently and responsibly as possible. Our scent signature is unique & subtle. Our packaging is simple, minimal, and recycled/recyclable whenever possible.

Terra Verde’s product line contains a selection of both 100% natural and blended goods. We enjoy using essential oils in our products, but we also appreciate the benefit of fragrance oils. Aside from being one of the things that make life smell really good, a synthetic fragrance oil could actually be less damaging to the environment then the bulk harvesting required for just a few drops of some essential oils. Terra Verde strives for a balance between using both natural and science-based ingredients.

All Terra Verde soaps are vegan, and we use 100% soy, 100% of the time, for our candle wax.

The winner will receive two bars of Terra Verde’s signature Cleveland Gray soap (featuring Australian black clay & japanese peppermint essential oil) and a soy candle in the scent of your choice in an upcycled Great Lakes Brewing beer bottle.

There are just three simple things you need to do to enter:

1. Visit Terra Verde Soap & Candle Co. and take a look around. Make a note of your favorite item in their shop.

2. Then either visit our artists page or search Etsy for the “clevelandteam” tag and check out some items from other Cleveland Handmade member artists. Make a note of your favorite and which shop you found it in.

3. Come back and leave one comment on this post telling us your favorite item from the Terra Verde AND your favorite item from another Cleveland Handmade shop, and you’ll be entered to win. It’s that simple!

You have until Wednesday, March 24 at noon EST to get your entry in, so commence browsing. There’s lots to discover!

We’ll randomly draw one winner from the comments posted.

Read the giveaway rules here.

By Tricia Hodson (LazyTcrochet)

You see the term “repurpose” or “repurposed” more and more. It’s often used synonymously with “recycled” or “upcycled.” Artists reuse or recycle materials, giving them a new purpose.

zJayne’s shop is a classic example of how t-shirts can be used for many different products, from market bags to dryer pillow sheets. She uses as much of the original t-shirt as she can, even making drawstring bags from the sleeves.

You’ve probably seen some sweater bags, or purses made with old sweaters. Sometimes a wool sweater can be washed in hot water to shrink it and create a thicker fabric that’s perfect for creating a new purse or bag. Here is an example of a yellow sweater that I made into a purse and then cut up the sleeves and made mittens. There are still some bits of the original sweater left that will be perfect for flowers and other embellishing projects.

Repurposing isn’t limited to fabrics. Rigmarole, for example, has repurposed some vintage papers into fun vintage vinyl wallets. This one is made from colorful, vintage fast food wrappers.

The Vintage Brooch Company repurposes pieces of vintage jewelry into stunning new brooches and necklaces.

With a little creativity, you’ll find lots of things that can be repurposed. You can find a new use for clothing, buttons, broken jewelry pieces, purse handles, men’s ties, paper, bottle caps, game pieces, and more. The possibilities are endless!

UPDATE: Congratulations, Wehaf! You’re the winner! Look for an e-mail from Cleveland Handmade so we can send your bag to you. Another great giveaway will go up at 9 a.m. Thursday, March 18.Cleveland Handmade is hosting a giveaway to thank all our supporters and customers, as well as give you the opportunity to check out the high-quality handmade art in our members’ shops. This giveaway comes from mtmarge7, a wizard with the sewing machine. This pretty floral tote bag is fully lined and features an interior pocket and would be great to take to the farmer’s market, or the beach, or on a picnic… so useful! Marge says, “With such a long cold winter it just cheered me to make this bright generous sized spring colored mega tote which features two extra pockets. First there is a small cell phone size pocket inside close to the top of bag, and a deep front pocket that closes with Velcro. I recently acquired some end of the bolt top quality decorator fabrics that I used to make this wonderful bag. The outside is a heavy duty flowered fabric and the lining is another sturdy coordinating green drapery fabric. I used a double layer of both fabrics to make the 3½ inch wide and 24” long strap. The green lining shows up decoratively on the outside of the bag. The main part of the bag closes with a magnetic purse closure. There is room for much stuff, even your laptop in the 15 ½ “ X 19” bag. Keep your small personal items in the 8” X 13” front pocket. This bag is built to hold up for a long time, the straps are anchored to the reinforced bottom, double stitched up the length of the bag. All seams are double-stitched to add strength — so fear not if you have to tote something heavy, and you will look stylish while doing it!”

There are just three simple things you need to do to enter:

1. Visit mtmarge7′s shop and take a look around. Make a note of your favorite item in her shop.

2. Then either visit our artists page or search Etsy for the “clevelandteam” tag and check out some items from other Cleveland Handmade member artists. Make a note of your favorite and which shop you found it in.

3. Come back and leave one comment on this post telling us your favorite item from mtmarge7′s shop AND your favorite item from another Cleveland Handmade shop, and you’ll be entered to win. It’s that simple!

You have until Wednesday, March 10 at noon EST to get your entry in, so commence browsing. There’s lots to discover!

We’ll randomly draw one winner from the comments posted.

Read the giveaway rules here.