The Best of... Handmade Colorado

If there's a handmade market in the Denver area, chances are I will be there.  I love checking out the things that others are passionate about making.  I've purchased things along the way that I really love and would like to share them with you.  All of the vendors have an online presence if you're not in the Denver area.  These would make fantastic presents for Christmas, birthdays, housewarming etc. 

If you are in the Denver area, I highly recommend these three handmade markets:
1) Fancy Tiger's Holiday Handmade
2) Highland's Horseshoe Flea Market
3) Boulder's Firefly Market

For Farmer's Markets, I highly suggest Aspen, Steamboat Springs and Vail.


Food
Modern Gingham Preserves
Organic jams with interesting flavors.  Try the strawberry basil or Pluot, Cloves and Cinnamon...the latter is a perfect jam for fall!  
$10 per jam or 3 for $9.

Where to find: Boulder Firefly Market









Cider Fixins

The strawberry jam from Cider Fixins is outstanding.  Love spreading it on warm toast or mixing in with plain yogurt. 

Where to find: Steamboat Springs Farmer's Market


MM Local
"Eat local, all year long".  MM Local preserves our summer fruits and veggies so they can be eaten year round.  They also offer a Harvest Share program. 

Where to find: S Pearl St Farmer's market; (I think they have a presence at the majority of farmers markets in Denver).



Kids
Viola Studio
The capes are stunning.  Each is made with wool felt and appliqued with a cute and whimsy design.  The price tag is high, but they are fun to admire.  She has other designs besides the capes such as dolls and pillows. I purchased an owl pillow that comes with a knit baby owl. My daughter loves it!

Where to find: Vail and Aspen Farmer's Markets







Baby Grey Clementine
Cute headbands and barrettes for the precious little girl in your life. Great selection to choose from. 

Where to find: Horseshoe Flea Market in Denver 







Penni Olive
Adorable appliqued aprons for toddlers, tweens and some adult sizes. 

Where to buy: Denver Holiday Handmade and Boulder's Firefly Market.












Soap
The Naked Goat Company
Variety of items...jams, body butters, lip balms, soaps.  Their body soaps are so pretty they can be displayed or used! I purchased the lavender soap for $6.

Where to buy: Boulder Firefly Market







Other

C+M designs

Husband and wife team out of Boulder creates some stunning pieces.  I purchased a set of their laser cut coasters with four different designs.  

DIY A-frame Tent

My favorite craft project of the summer- an A-Frame tent! We spent many afternoons napping, reading, and playing in this tent.  I may love it more than my daughter does. :D  

Ta da!

Pillows in corresponding fabric.

The little lanterns were purchased from Pottery Barn and I added flameless tea lights so my daughter can play with it.

DIY Hair Bows

Little girls and hair bows go together like cake and ice-cream. Since these are so cute and easy to make, why not try with all sorts of colors so your little one will have a bow for every outfit! 

Supplies
18.5 in of main color ribbon  (1.5in wide)
few inches of contrasting ribbon for center knot  (5/8in or 7/8 in.  I like the 7/8in a little better)
few inches of wire
wire cutters
hot glue gun
hair clips or barretts


Cut an 18.5in strip of your main color. I used 100% polyester so that it was a little stiff and won't wrinkle too badly. 

Step 1 - Fold like so.
Make the bow as big or little as you'd like.

Step 2 - pinch the center together

and secure with wire.  

Moving on to the center knot...

Step 3 - fold like so.

Step 4 - Bring the cut end up
and through the opening.  

Step 5 - Make a pretty knot.  Don't pull too tightly.
A loose knot is best.  
Cut the ribbon about where my thumb is hitting. 

Wrap the center knot around the main bow and secure with hot glue.  Next, cut a narrow piece of your leftover main fabric and place inside the hair clip.  This will prevent the glue from gluing the barrett closed.  Glue the bottom of the clip fabric on top of the center knot seam. 

Finally...the finishing touch.  Cut the ends of the bow to the length of your desire and apply a small amount of "Fray Check" so the ribbon won't fray.  Place in your daughter's hair, and admire your handy work. 

"Hey Dottie" collection

AND REPEAT all of the above in all different colors!!!

Have fun crafting!!

Need a way to showcase the new collection of bows?  Why not try a kit bow hanger?!  Check out Ruffles and Stuff for step by step instructions on how to make this easy wire hanger kite. 

My thoughts on: Steam Espresso Bar and Trompeau Bakery

Looking for authentic French pastries and bread in Denver?  Well look no further than Trompeau Bakery on S. Broadway in Englewood.  As you take your first bite into a beautiful croissant, your mind will race back to Paris.  After a quick mental comparison, you will agree that this is the real deal.

They make beautiful croissants and also make filled varieties such as cinnamon and apple, lemon and blueberry, raspberry, walnut and on and on.

Trompeau is closed on Sundays and lines on Saturday morning will have you waiting anxiously for a glimpse of what's in store for you.   Our Saturday ritual became taking a short drive to Trompeau to pick up our goodies and return home for a beautiful breakfast.

As luck would have it though, a coffee shop called Steam Espresso Bar opened on S Pearl in Platte Park in May and they carry Trompeau bakery items.   So instead of a short drive, now these delights are within walking distance!!

Steam Espresso Bar is a well-designed establishment.  They are happy to see you and actually thanked me for coming in.  Apparently, I've become so accustomed to poor customer service and grumpy baristas (looking at you Stella's) that I was taken aback.  It's so amazing what a smile and a thank you does these days.

What Trompeau lacks in latte skills (sorry, but flaming hot milk is not acceptable), Steam completely excels.  I haven't tried their pour-over coffee but their lattes are just delish.

So if you're in the mood for a terrific latte, fantastic atmosphere, happy baristas, and delicious croissants, look no further than Steam Espresso Bar in Platte Park.

Brioche..soft and delicious

Steam's espresso...so good!

Two Steam lattes and a Trompeau croissant...la belle vie.

Delicious Lemon Cake by Barefoot Contessa

Ina Garten rocks.  Ina's lemon cake rocks.  I'm very picky about what goes into my recipe book but this one passed my test. 

Barefoot Contessa's recipe - click here

My tweaks:
I omit the glaze on the top.  I found it to be too tart.  I still add the lemon juice/sugar mixture after its finished baking.  A cake soaked with sugar and lemon?..yes, please.

Who doesn't love a blueberry and lemon combo?  I measured out a cup of blueberries, gave them a good rinse and dusted them with flour.  I added the blueberries to only one loaf pan.  I left the other loaf pan plain ole lemon.

Lemon Cake at High Altitude:
Living at 5,280 feet has some challenges.  Add 1/4 c more flour (3 1/4 c) and decrease the baking soda by a tad.  I scooped out 1/2 tsp and then sprinkled about an 1/8 to 1/4 back of it back in the box.  How's that for science?  I typically bake at a higher oven temp but these loaves turned out great at 350.

Homemade Popsicles

Nothing says summer like homemade popsicles made from the freshest fruit of the season.  I used Martha Stewart's recipe for strawberry, blueberry and yogurt "Firecracker" ice pops.  They were mighty tasty and my daughter loved the treat!

Find the recipe here.

DIY Autumn Burlap Wreath

My love of burlap continues...right to my front door!  I created a new rustic wreath for fall and I'm really happy with how it turned out.

I made burlap rosettes out of two different colors of burlap - natural and cream.  For the finishing touch I added a floral pearl pin to the center to give it a touch of femininity.  I hot glued the rosettes to an 18in twig wreath and used twine to hang it on my door.  This was a quick project that I really liked making!