What I'm reading: Grow Your Handmade Business, by Kari Chapin

Happy Monday, friends! I bought this book at Powell's two days after it was released. Having bought Kari Chapin's other handmade business book The Handmade Marketplace last year, I stalked this new one on the internet to get it as soon as I could! I've been happily working my way through it since then. It's very engaging and pleasant to read, as well as being packed full of business tips and motivational blurbs from "big-name" makers and handmade business owners. If you need a friendly kick in the pants this week to get your business to the next level, this book is totally worth it.

We make Portland awesome: Gone Metal

"We make Portland awesome" is a weekly series. I’m interested building our community of artists by helping us all find out more about each other.

This week: Carla of Gone Metal

 

Who are you?
My name is Carla. I am an artist, mother and wife. I have spent the majority of my life adopting rescue cats and now I have just one furbaby who keeps me company in my studio while I work.

What do you make?
I design and hand fabricate jewelry (mostly necklaces and earrings), using sterling silver. I was taught traditional metalsmithing techniques but I prefer to make modern designs that sometimes incorporate non-traditional materials to add a touch of color to my jewelry. I focus on using only reclaimed metals in my jewelry and recycled materials for the packaging I send to my customers. Oh, and I make lightweight aluminum big buttons for knitters.

Besides making things, what do you do?
Besides being a jewelry metalsmith, I enjoy walking for exercise. Walking really helps keep my creative thoughts flowing. I garden, raising a lot of our vegetables and cutting flowers – but I’m only out there when it’s warm and sunny! I also regularly travel to Seattle and Eugene to be with my daughters and enjoy the wonderful culture that their cities offer.

What inspires you?
A good shot of espresso. No seriously, I NEED an espresso every morning to kickstart my creativity in the studio! I am also inspired by American Modernist Jewelry, Mid Century Modern furniture and ceramics and fabrics, Art Deco architecture, and contemporary art.

Where can your work be found?
My jewelry can always be found online in my shop. I am taking a break from other venues because we have been house hunting in Portland (to include a better studio space!)

What do you love about Portland?
Camarones and margaritas at "Por Que No?"; rainy days in Powell's, reading and buying books; savouring a good macchiato at Spella; the farmer's markets; the variety of independent shops and restaurants; the city's eco-consciousness and the gorgeous green places to walk.

Christmas in July, indeed

Dollhouse-shelf makeover

Ever since buying my huge new canopy for outdoor shows (it's 10x10), I've been thinking about how to make the display inside it bigger. I'm really excited about having so much more space to fill with little felted things! And this has made me think more about how to best show them off. My newest idea is to use a dollhouse for a shelf. You know, like House of Moss. So I bought this sweet little cottage at an antiques co-op for $24. I decided to paint it so the contrasting green didn't detract from my items.

I'm pretty happy with it. I think the grey and white will help highlight the colors of the felted things I'll display in it, especially the green of wool moss.

We make Portland awesome: Dot Shoppe

"We make Portland awesome" is a weekly series. I’m interested building our community of artists by helping us all find out more about each other.

This week: Nicole of Dot Shoppe

 

Who are you?
Hello all! I'm Nicole and the proud owner of a little Etsy shop called Dot Shoppe, an escape to fulfill your chocolate fix with creamy, flavorful and delectable truffles. Using quality ingredients mixed with esthetic charm makes Dot Shoppe chocolate truffles delish.

What do you make?
I make morsels of indulgence. In other words, chocolate truffles that bring smiles to faces, personalization to your special event and joy to your "bad case of the Mondays" or your "I just feel like a little something extra" mood.

Besides making things, what do you do?
My husband and I enjoy the Portland way of life from a North Mississippi point of view. I am a bit of a foodie, salsa dancer on the side, movie lover and cocktail "ting"er.

What inspires you?
It's really a combination of frills and flavors, watching for the balance between sweet and sour, salt and spice. I used to sell wedding gowns, so I have an attraction to the wedding industry and a very special place in my heart for brides. I love dessert sampling for unique flavor combinations and beautiful technique. Sweet Genius and Cupcake Wars on The Food Network are a weekly must.

Where can your work be found?
Find my sweet morsels at dotshoppe.etsy.com or we can always become friends and you'll be able to sample many more.

What do you love about Portland?
Portland is home to some amazing things....just to name a few of my faves... coffee culture, sophisticated hippies, Timbers, a farmer's market in every neighborhood, food carts, The Rose Gardens, breweries, Portland Monthly, etc, etc, etc.

Favorite places: Little Things

 

Little Things is a tiny, sweet little shop, filled with lovely handmade jewelry, accessories, and pretties for the home. It's one of the shops that carries House of Moss pieces, and I have to say, it's one of my favorite monthly errands. Andrea, who owns Little Things, is just about the friendliest shopkeeper you could hope to visit.

Little Things is on NW 17th & Lovejoy.

We make Portland awesome: Denise Krueger

"We make Portland awesome" is a weekly series. I’m interested building our community of artists by helping us all find out more about each other.

This week: Denise Krueger

Who are you?
Hi, I’m Denise Krueger, pod maker. I am obsessed with color, shapes and textures.

What do you make?
I make small ceramic sculptures inspired by plants, seeds, and ocean creatures. Sometimes they come out as functional objects like salt and peppers shakers and tiny jars but mostly they end up being non-functional pod forms. To me, these natural forms mimic life at the cellular level, which looks very like the shapes and forms that I see every day in animal and plant life.

Besides making things, what do you do?
I walk everywhere. And I work as an office assistant at a local CPA firm, which is fun and exciting but takes a lot of my time and energy. It’s a good balance – getting me out of my studio and actually interacting with other people.

What inspires you?
I am inspired by colors, dreams, music with interesting rhythms, and mossy orange and green lichen-covered tree branches. I also draw inspiration from geology and volcanoes, the ever-changing local weather, cacti, seed pods, tide pools, One of my more satisfying inspirations is collaborating and making art with friends and family, especially my ten-year-old niece.

Where can your work be found?
Right now, my Etsy shop, dkruegerbotanicart, is the only place I have work. Etsy is so awesome! It’s a perfect venue for someone like me, who doesn’t have much time or patience to learn website maintenance, and I can market directly to customers looking for hand crafted items. It leaves me more time to make art.

What do you love about Portland?
The weather! The overcast skies, the impossibly beautiful sunny days and the way the rain makes everyone’s garden so lush and green. The amazing way that it can be pouring rain one moment and then dazzlingly bright the next. And the dramatic towers of puffy, grey and white clouds, like huge cities or George Washington’s profile in the sky. It makes walking through the city new every day. Also, I love the different neighborhoods and charming streets of full fascinating shops, restaurants and businesses. And I love that Portland is known for the creativity of its’ residents. It’s a city full of talented, intelligent, and real people and I can't imagine living anywhere else!

We make Portland awesome: Super Phoebe

"We make Portland awesome" is a weekly series. I’m interested building our community of artists by helping us all find out more about each other.

This week: Super Phoebe

Who are you?
Phoebe Owens

What do you make?
I am mostly known for my lamps made from vintage photo slides and motion film. I also screenprint, crochet, cut things from wood, sew and draw.

Besides making things, what do you do?
I'm a Librarian.

What inspires you?
I'm inspired by the world around me. I'm also simply inspired by materials that can be turned into other things. I love looking at something and thinking about how it could be used in a different way or remade into something new.

Where can your work be found?
You can see my stuff in Portland at Tender Loving Empire, Crafty Wonderland Store, Redux and Cargo. There is a random smattering of other shops outside of the US carrying my lamps and library cards in London, Noosaville Australia, Toronto and Vancouver, CA. And, of course, my work can be found on Etsy!

What do you love about Portland?
I grew up in Portland, and I vividly remember deciding on the things that made me love it then- running as fast as I could with my little brother through the park blocks, going to the art museum, and staring at the ivy growing on freeway overpasses. The city has changed a lot since then, but the best of it has remained. I love the strong sense of community here--even though so many people are transplants from somewhere else. I love that creativity is valued here, that the nonprofit community is strong and passionate, and that we all root for each other in this town. Beyond that, it's not bad that I live somewhere with such fantastic public transit, parks and bike lanes!

We make Portland awesome: ISWAS+WILLBE

"We make Portland awesome" is a weekly series. I’m interested building our community of artists by helping us all find out more about each other.

This week: Telle and Rex of ISWAS+WILLBE

Who are you?
We are telle + rex, and we design under the creative aliases of ISWAS + WILLBE, respectively. We've got a sweet wolfy pup, Magnolia, and the three of us happily coexist in our tiny live/work space in the Alphabet District.

What do you make?
Our current fixation is designing jewelry inspired by antiquity, modernity, and infinity. Moving forward, we have plans to expand into other artistic mediums; it is our ultimate goal to build an IW empire!

Besides making things, what do you do?
When we're not creating, we are generally dreaming and making plans for the future. We believe balance is key to a good life, so to get grounded we also spend our down time reading, cooking, trying to keep our growing collection of succulents alive, and going on long walks with our pup.

What inspires you?
A walk in the woods, discovering new music, hitting the open road, sleep deprivation, a perfectly timed latte, Portland summers...we are inspired by the big and the small, the subtle details and intricacies of life's serendipities.

Where can your work be found?
We are global! In Portland, we are in a handful of wonderful places: Little Things on NW Lovejoy, TLE downtown, Queen Bee in NE, Palace off Belmont, and the list is always growing...

What do you love about Portland?
We try to remain modest about our feelings for Portland, but it is hands down the coolest place we have ever lived. It's a city that gets us; there's such a sense of mutual feelings here, a collective conscious at work. On a whim, we moved out of a rut on the East coast and literally started our lives all over again. We've molted and become new people here; Portland will always be a home to us.