Pottery and clay work has always been a fascination of mine. Maybe I watched the famous scene in “ghost” too many times as an impressionable teenager, but it has this kinetic, romantic, tactile quality to it that I can’t help but be drawn to. I’m so awed at the ability of The Potter to take […]
Patchwork Show: Modern Makers Festival
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25 Ways to recharge creativity + motivation + combat feeling overwhelmed
“How do you do all of that stuff?” This is a question I get asked often by people who know me, as well as by people I meet who find out I’m juggling two businesses, a blog, writing a book, freelancing and a home life. My standard response has always been, “I don’t know, I […]
maker: shaun and brittany of tiny whales
Getting dressed is overrated {she said as her almost naked 3 year old ran past her} but if I am going to go to battle over clothes, it will probably be for a fun t-shirt for my boys, or a cute outfit that I (not-so-secretly) wish I could wear for my girls. Wrestling my kids […]
8 lovely plant + succulent diy craft tutorials
“want to smell some curry?” delilah asked holding a leaf up to my nose. we were standing in her backyard garden nearly a decade ago. i’d never been in a garden like that, where you could eat pretty much anything. i got my food from a grocery store and embarrassingly had no idea that curry […]
how to make image transfer gift tags + sizzix giveaway
Just so you know: Dear Handmade Life received products from Sizzix that we mentioned in this post. However, we only write about and recommend products that we use personally and believe are awesome! You know how there are certain events that mark the start of summer every year—regardless of what the calendar says? For […]
summertime peach and blackberry cocktail recipe
One of my favorite spots to spend a summer afternoon is in my parent’s pool. Nothing compares to lying on a raft in their pool while listening to the birds squawk in the sunny air above me as they fly between the power lines and trees. When it gets too hot, I roll off the […]
patchwork show long beach spring 2014
Pets were completely out of the question when I was in junior high. While I saw pets as benevolent creatures, perfect for couch cuddling while watching my favorite TV show, Three’s Company, as well as an opportunity to show off my new found I-can-totally-stay-home-alone-I’m-nearly-in-high-school responsibility, my mother saw them as dangerous and unclean. The dangerous […]
maker: meg of beard and bonnet
They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and I think Meg of Beard and Bonnet embraces that proverb in full. Her passion for cooking and providing a table full of food that fills the needs of her families’ diverse food restrictions has led to a beautiful blog, full of recipes that make the […]
how to make an embroidered wood circle necklace
Wood is one of my all-time favorite materials to use in my diy craft projects. My love affair with wood started with the little side table my dad made in wood shop when he was in high school. This obsession may have started many years ago but it hasn’t wavered. A few weeks ago I […]
maker: T & A Leather
My dad’s work “uniform” consists of a pair of old blue jeans, a long sleeved plaid button down shirt, a brown leather belt, and boots. He wears this outfit every single day as he works in the orchard that I grew up in. One day when I was in high school, I couldn’t find the […]
