This week’s Freebie Friday is designer approved. Bob Richter, whose New York kitchen was featured as part of our Weekly Tours series, tipped us off to one of his favorite frame makers, Chris LeBeau. Chris’s frames are constructed of 100% recyclable materials and an organic non-chemical solution is used in the aging process.
We’re giving away two of Chris’s beautiful copper frames. For a chance to win one, answer this week’s question before 12/11c, Monday, July 19.
This week’s question: What’s the best handmade item you’ve purchased?
The best handmade item I have purchased is a wooden holder for my office computer paper. it has 3 levels stacked and I have it painted to match my decor
I purchased made jewlery from Aruba that an islander created. It's a beautiful necklace, earrings and matching ring with glass beads and copper wire. I get so many compliments when I wear it..
The best handmade item I have purchased is a Crystalyn Kae handbag! In fact, I loved it so much, I have since purchased two more!
to let you know about your art i think this is beautiful i love copper look and its also practical in any room
thank you for asking my thoughts.
The best handmade item I ever purchased was a beautiful quilt that is 40 years old and still looks new. It has the most detail and intricate stitches of any quilt I have ever seen.
the best and only handmade item i have is wooden bowl for fruit oh so great for showing fruit thank you
well, the best one I think, is one I made and it is a crystal bracelet/necklace set that says CURE FA which is a neurological/muscular disease that my son is inflicted with.
Best handmade item: Spanish Broad Sword.
The best handmade item I have purchased is a rice bag used to help a sore body part,it great
My best item is doll clothes for my daughters American girl dolls.. She was thrilled to have such cute handmade things~
Best item would be a painting by a local Baltimore, MD artist-Shawn Theron. He is a self-taught artist that works at the American Visionary Museum and is fantastic!
I love the wire wrapped stone pendants that my friend made me.
A 9 foot long pine console table that was made from 2" reclaimed wood from an abandoned railroad depot. It is stunning in an atypical dark finish with saw marks from being cut 100+ years ago.
I make hand crafted snowmen on a wood base with tree, pickett fence, floral picks and so on at Christmas time to sell to make extra Christmas money. In the Fall I make pumpkin scarecrows out of fabric and embellish with spanish moss and more to make the money I need to make the snowmen
While I was traveling in Ghana, we visited and artist's market in Kumasi. I got a beautiful hand made Djembe. I even got to watch the master carvers teaching the apprentices how to hollow out the drums.
I bought this really cool handmade carving while I was in Thailand a few years ago. I have hung t above the door in every place I have live since then. I absolutely love it! Those are super cool frames that would look awesome with the art I already havehung in our bedroom, so I think Ill keep them in mind if I dont win!
http://www.countrymousetales.com
The best handmade item i have purchased is a very unique, somewhat odd, mobile from a yard sale. I've never seen anything like it.
I've purchased many handmade things over the past couple of years… the best are probably the prints I've purchased directly from the artist.
The best handmade item that I have bought was a spoon rest. It was made out of recycled materials. I love it so much and have had several compliments on it.
A set of ChainMaille Cat o' nine tails, full size and miniature, very detailed.
i once bought at a thrift store, a single cupboard, I added 2 brass handles to make it look like a serving tray.
The best thing handmade I ever bought was a ceramic seashell pendant that had melted glass in it's ridges.
Best handmade purchase: Child's artwork framed – purchased for $3.00 at Goodwill.
About a year ago, I purchased a wooden bowl, really more of a solid basket because of an incorporated handle. The piece itself was hand carved by an American farmer who supplements his income by producing various bowls, baskets, and mortar & pestles, from the stump and roots of a tree that has been cut down. I believe it's called a 'root carving' and each piece is wholly unique from any other.
The best handmade item I have purchased is an old "trip around the world" quilt on an anniversary trip. It has 1938 embroidered in the corner. It made a lovely addition to my collection…..even though it has seen better days!!
The best handmade item I have ever purchased were a set of PB&J pillows for my best friend. We always say, “you’re the peanut butter to my jelly.” and I found someone online that makes two toast-shaped pillows with a blob of purple on one and a blob of brown on the other. She even embroidered our nicknames on the top of them. It was amazing being able to give her something so personal and special.
A copper bird feeder with beautiful wind chimes woven around the feeder so that the birds control the sound of the chimes.
A silver ring my husband gave me. It is a simple band with hearts surrounding the ring, purchased at the Sawdust festival.
The best thing home made I ever bought was a twin sized afghan made from all of the left over yarn. It is beautiful. I've had it for 35 years at least, and it's still gorgeous. It was made especially for me with love by a neighbor, because I admired her crocheting abilities. She even tried teaching me, without success. lol Very colorful. If you remember drawing squiggly lines on a piece of paper and coloring each individual piece of space that the over-lapping lines created, a different color, that is what this looks like. It is absolutely one of a kind and beautiful to boot.
The best handmade item I've ever gotten is a necklace I got from a shop on Artfire. Its pendent is a beautiful sculpted silver bouquet of flowers. It's gorgeous and I wear it a lot.
My favorite Hand-made items for my house are oil paintings painted by a friend who is an artist. We have at least 10 of his paintings, and intend to have him come and paint a mural on our craft room wall.
A painting from a local artist. A country farm-scape, very tranquil – you can stare at it and imagine yourself in the meadow (the farm house in the distance) with the tall, green grass and white, billowy clouds.
The chain mail Kansas Jayhawk (we're huge fans) wall hanging, similar to a tapestry but made of aluminum rings, made by a friend of mine. It took him eight months and over 24K rings to complete the design. By far one of the neatest things I've ever seen, and made even more unique because it's the only one in existence.
I purchased a small colander from a local potter. I love it as a colander but we also use it for so many more things. It makes a great drainer when I hand wash one or two small items. Our four year old loves it to pick blackberries and raspberries in the woods around our house because its design makes it easy to for him to hold. It also works great on the pool deck as a drink cooler. The kids like to put drinks in ice but when the ice melts the drinks sometimes tip over so the use my colanders and the water drains out. And the hand made colander is their favorite. My hubby thinks it would be handy in the garage to, but I had to draw the line on that.
The best handmade item that I have purchased was a planting table that sits on our backporch. This Planting table was made using all reclaimed items. The main planting shelf is actually a 100 year wooden door complete with the original hardware and door knob. The other shelves were made from reclaimed lumber from the same house. The door is still white, but the shelves and legs are a gorgeous aqua green. This planting table is such a unique and special item, one that will be cherished for years to come.
I WOULD LOVE THOSE COPPER FRAMES…. GORGEOUS!
The best handmade item I purchased was a painted, 3D metal sculpture work of art. It's a very whimsical brown dachshund. My friend was at a craft show, called me and told me I had to come take a look at it. Twenty minutes later it was in the back of my car heading home. That was in September. About a month later, my brown dachshund passed away—so the sculpture is really extra special to me.
Leo McCarty pottery. You have to go to Merigold, MS, to get it, but the experience is worth it, especially since Lee is often still working in the shop. I have several pieces now, but my favorite is a bowl that shows ridges in the pottery through the blue glaze, which varies in color. The proportions are beautiful, and the rim has been shaped gently out of true round, but still symmetrical. I've had it now for probably 20 years, still get a charge out of looking at it or holding it.
My favorite handmade Art pieces are my Raku items. I love the history, processing and the many creative patterns that devolop after pitting and glazing. In fact the frames will certainly compliment the Raku as well as my Mission Furniture. Great frames!
Thanks, K
best hand made item i have ever purchased was some blankets that fold into pillows they are GREAT for kids
A watercolor painting, my sister Cindae did it with her own hands,
It got a spot on my wall, it got the very best stands.
A photograph, taken by my Dad. It’s a lily, pink and white,
He caught this beauty in the perfect light.
Hand made by an Amish man was our queen size sleigh bed,
That’s where I lay down my sleepy head.
From an Amish lady a quilt, that was handmade,
It’s beautiful, it’s worth what we paid.
Now, if I could get the copper frames from Chris LeBeau,
I would dance in my house – to and fro
I would take pictures of things made by God’s own hands,
It could be a flower from His lands,
Or it could one of His children doing a dance.
There would be a special place on my wall.
I said what I could – and for now, that’s all
The best handmade item I have was actually one that my Dad and I made together. I was given an old door from an abandoned house and my Dad and I made my King size headboard with it. He worked long and hard on that headboard and I still use it to this day! He's now made one for my sister as well. I love having pieces of furniture lovingly made and touched by my Dad!
About 35-40 years ago, I had a all wooden baby craddle made, by an Amish man, in Indiana. I still have it and it hangs, swings and it is beautiful. My daughters have used it and all. I am 70 yrs old and I just love it.
The best handmade item I purchased was a hand blown glass paperweight with blown yellow roses in it.
our school would host a craft faire to raise money. i purchased a santa claus painting my son drew on a rock when he was in 2nd grade. he is now 21 and we still enjoy seeing it. brings back great memories…
I bought a cool handmade bag with different colors when I was at a craft fair.
Handmade book.
I bought an artisan copper table top water feature. It is on my front porch between my rockers. It looks like an old water pump with a bucket. When the bucket fills with water it dumps out the water to fill again. A small bird is perched on top!
The best handmade item I ever purchased was a glowing onyx lamp made by Pakistan artisans and sold by the store Ten Thousand Villages. Actually, we loved it so much, we bought a second one!
a cute handmade cross necklace
Our outdoor huge wind chime we got at the Renaissance Fair, it's 6' tall, with a deep base sound
Best handmade treasure is an old rustic bench that has been weathered. The piece is a find and made my garden outstanding.
The best handmade thing I have is a complete cherry bedroom set handbuilt for me by my father — its beautiful, functional and sentimental!
Cherry wood is my favorite. When I was a teen I would go shopping for furniture with my parents. We always lingered at the cherry wood items. I never did buy any, but If I had a dream home, I would have a bedroom set in that cherry wood!